Grey was about to ask the question about the power, whether it was gone too, now that the mark was gone, when his phone vibrated in his pocket.
The sudden buzz startled him. For a split second, his mind jumped straight to Ethan. It made sense. Ethan would be the one checking in, asking if everything was alright, wondering why it was taking so long.
Grey reached into his pocket with that assumption still clinging to him, pulled the phone out, already half-prepared to answer.
But the moment his eyes dropped to the screen, everything inside him froze.
Lord Jethro.
The name alone felt like a blow to the chest. His heart seemed to stop entirely, then slammed back into motion, racing too fast. His fingers tightened around the phone without him realizing it, his grip unsteady, his hand shaking just slightly in a way that annoyed him even as it happened.
He couldn't bring himself to pick up the call.
