Becoming a Kindred was overwhelming for anyone, even ghouls who'd had decades to learn about them. It was a dramatic transformation, after all. Add in all the unnecessary difficulties Rhys had faced and it had to feel far more like a curse than the gift Henry had intended when he Embraced the remarkable boy.
Even though Joseph was doing everything not to put Rhys on the spot, his lover was clearly determined to speak his feelings. He couldn't help but smile softly when the young Tremere finally managed to make his words cooperate with his heart. "I know, my sweet love," he assured him. "As I love you. That's why I was so incredibly cross when Amadeus tried to talk sense into you last week. I felt for a moment you were slipping though my fingers and I wouldn't have it."