Mortimer glanced at Darius before turning back to James. He started to frown when he saw they were smiling—they were definitely making fun of him! His nostrils flared as his breathing sped up, but he didn’t dare reveal much more of his emotions than that.

Mortimer tried to ignore Darius’ presence as he said to James, “Granduncle James, I’m surprised to have the chance to see you. I…I…” He was confused to see James waiting patiently for him to get the words out, and he continued in a small voic