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The emotions Angela channeled from Ezekiel and Hugo weren’t overwhelming, but she felt awkward reading them, like she was intruding on something private. Why? Yes, Hugo was attracted to Ezekiel, but Ezekiel was fond of Hugo in the same way Angela sensed he was fond of her—the way one is fond of a friend.

Am I jealous? Angela thought, standing between Corin and Ezekiel as everyone gathered near the table where Hugo was showing off the Draconigena. She was too preoccupied with her own thoughts to register what Hugo was saying. I think I am. Why am I jealous? Ezekiel can have other friends. It’s ridiculous for me to be jealous.

Then again, is this really just fondness I’m sensing? It’s not the same as what Uncle Corin and Prudence feel for each other. They’re deeply infatuated, even if Uncle Corin won’t admit it. Angela glanced at Corin. Prudence was whispering something in his ear, an impish look on her face. Corin pressed his lips together, trying and failing not to smile. Affection radiated off them in waves.

Angela then peered at Ezekiel out of the corner of her eye. He was listening to Hugo with a content look on his face. His feelings for Hugo weren’t nearly as strong as the affection Corin and Prudence felt for one another.

Wait, there’s something else, Angela realized. I’m not sure what it is, but Ezekiel feels something else for Hugo. It’s sort of muffled. Why can’t I make it out?

“Thank you for that, Hugo,” Ezekiel said, snapping Angela out of her deep rumination. He addressed the others. “As you all can see, quite a bit of the art and antique appraisal process is detective work. Many of our clients come to us knowing almost nothing about items they own, even when those items have allegedly been in their families for generations.”

“What happens if you come across an item that was taken from its original culture without permission?” Honorato queried.

“That is something we regularly encounter, unfortunately,” Ezekiel acknowledged with a frown. “Theft, looting, plundering, etc., often as a result of war or colonization. If the law permits it, most dealerships will simply facilitate the sale and … well, turn a blind eye to the item’s unethical acquirement. Our dealership, however, strives to return appropriated artifacts to their rightful locations, even when not required by law.”

“Really?” Honorato folded his arms. “How do you go about that? Pinch the item from the person trying to sell it?”

“You mean like Robin Hood?” Ezekiel smirked. “No, unless we can prove the current owner obtained the item unlawfully, we don’t have the authority to just take it from them. In most instances, our dealership will buy the item out of pocket, locate its place of origin, then donate it to a local institution in that location. And of course, whenever possible, we try our damnedest to find the specific individuals who the items were unjustly taken from and return it to them or their families.”

“You really take on that expense?” Angela admired Ezekiel already, but her regard for him only grew in that moment. “That’s not something other art and antique dealerships typically do, is it?”

Ezekiel beamed at Angela. “Not typically, and we aren’t particularly popular with many other dealerships in the area because of it. I suppose they think we make them look bad by comparison.”

“I mean, you kinda do,” Honorato noted, “but fuck ‘em.”

Ezekiel laughed. “Good attitude.”

Violette gestured to the spatha. “About this item. What happens if you determine it’s just a replica like you suspect?”

“We’ll help the owner adjust the price to reflect its actual value, and if she’s still interested in selling, we’ll facilitate that on her behalf.”

“How would you authenticate the sword’s age?”

“I imagine the archaeology museum has a method to carbon date it,” Prudence offered.

“Yeah, no, carbon dating only works on organic materials,” Honorato chimed in. “With a metal object, they would evaluate the alloy composition and impurities, then compare that to examples from known eras. The analysis would be done through energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry and metallography.”

Hugo gave Honorato a nod. “Right you are, Mr. Custódio. You know your stuff.”

Honorato shrugged. “I’m usually smarter than everyone else in the room.”

Hugo blinked. “Um, okay?”

“Oh, for crying out loud, that was a joke,” Honorato groaned.

Angela sighed. “How long would it take to perform a … a …” She waved her hand at Honorato. “Hey, smart guy, help me out here.”

“Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry,” Honorato repeated, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, that. How long would that take?”

“My friend at the museum says lab results are typically available within three weeks,” Hugo explained.

Keiko entered the conference room and handed Hugo a file. “Here’s the loan agreement for the spatha.”

“Great.” Hugo flipped the folder open and looked over the paperwork. “All righty, everything looks in order. I’ll just get this to the museum, and they’ll call you when they’re ready to take custody of the sword.” He turned to Ezekiel. “I should get going.”

Ezekiel drew Hugo into another hug. “As always, it was wonderful to see you, Hugo.”

“You too, Eddie.” Hugo gave Ezekiel a kiss on the cheek.

Angela’s empathic senses jolted, Hugo’s peck on the cheek prompting an intense surge of romantic feelings within Ezekiel. Angela winced at the sudden onslaught of emotions, but she steeled herself against the wave of desire and affection. It came so fast, then receded just as quickly, diminished back into the muted emotion Angela had struggled to identify moments ago. That’s what it is! The muffled feeling is Ezekiel’s infatuation!

This realization caused another swell of jealousy within Angela. Oh, for God’s sake, stop it! We’re friends. I have no right to be jealous. Angela took a deep breath. Okay, so Ezekiel is attracted to Hugo—extremely attracted. More so than Hugo is to him. How is Ezekiel muting his attraction like that? And why?

Then Angela remembered what Corin said the night he made her promise not to pursue a relationship with Ezekiel. “Vampires can suppress their desires. Not forever, but if he had feelings for you, he would have to keep them in check. Even an empath like you might not sense them. For vampires, there’s a fine line between romantic attraction and … and other urges.”

It’s not like Angela didn’t believe Corin when he told her this, but it only now sunk in how much Ezekiel was repressing, and all to stop himself from hurting the people he had feelings for.

Hugo left the room, and Ezekiel watched his departure with a wistful glimmer in his eyes. He glanced at Angela and frowned in concern. “Angela, is something the matter?”

Angela realized she was giving Ezekiel a sympathetic look—it saddened her that he had to suppress so much to keep others safe. She cleared her throat and assumed a neutral expression. “Um, no. I was just thinking hard. Don’t worry about it.” If Ezekiel could subjugate his feelings for Hugo so well, was Corin right about his feelings for Angela? Could Ezekiel be repressing desires for her as well? The prospect made Angela’s heart race.

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