Cole hummed and dipped his head in the water to rinse out the suds. That done, he twisted around to lie against the tub's edge, hands clutching the edge to keep himself near level with Dorian.

"No. I don't have power over you. I'd pull my knives on Rhys to protect you." And maybe that was love. Maybe it wasn't. He didn't know. But it was true.

"We are on equal footing. Please don't try to put us on different footings. One of us might fall and it would hurt. I won't make things harder on you. I promise."