“I want very much to be courted,” Adam corrected him. “And I don’t think you’re a monster, or decor, or a servant, or any of that. I think you’re an attractive moron with terrible social skills and centuries to get worse and more clumsy with those social skills, and you keep hurting me with them.”

Adam’s hands trembled, but he forced himself to stay. “You might try courting me. It might help.” It would certainly be preferable to the current situation, though Adam wasn’t sure he wanted to be courted when the temple was trying to make sure he didn’t have a choice.