“I wasn’t very good at it, either.” He steps closer, squeezing my hand to his chest. “Listen, Bree, I know ‘I’m sorry’ isn’t enough—that there aren’t any words big or deep enough for what happened to your ancestor.” His eyes are soft, but his brow is set in a determined expression that I recognize. “But I am sorry about what that Scion did to her. Sorry that what he did to her then endangers you now, and takes your choices away. You’ve been forced into a world that not only puts your life at risk but shortens it. It’s not right. Or fair. Or just.”

I have an urge to shrug Nick’s words away. He’s right; they aren’t enough. Could never be. But, I think, no one ever apologized to Vera. Maybe Nick’s apology won’t change things, but the very fact of it is a change. I look up and study his eyes, see the sincerity in them. I can’t accept an apology on my ancestors’ behalf, but I can accept it on my own.

“Thank you. For saying that.” My voice breaks unexpectedly. “No one—no one else has apologized about that. Since… all of this.” I release a shaky breath, feeling at least some of the weight lift. The pressure, eased. “Or said anything to me about my Abatement, for that matter. I guess, to them, it’s just a given.”

He takes a deep breath, brows drawn tight. “The Order steals something from all of us. Arthur multiplies the effect, concentrates it. Together, he and the Order have taken more from me than the others. But you…” He shakes his head, eyes hardening. “They’ve taken more from you than anyone else. More than anyone should bear.”

My throat closes so tight it’s hard to breathe. I’d forgotten the easy way Nick can just… find my heart and hold it between his hands. How effortlessly he sees me in the dark.

He lifts my palm to meet his mouth in a quiet kiss, and a memory surges back into place. Cestra smirking across the table. I suck in a breath.

Nick grips my hand. “What is it?”

“Something Regent Cestra said.” I look up at him. “About our relationship being forbidden because we’re both Scions.”

His gaze darkens. “They truly only care about the Lines, not the people.”

“What will it mean when you come back?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care,” he whispers. He raises my palm to his mouth again, this time lingering. “I won’t let the Order take this from us too.”

Suddenly, the world around us shudders. Nick’s head snaps up. “What was that?”

There’s a deep tug behind my sternum. Instinctively, I know who it is, reaching for me. “It’s Arthur. He’s pulling me out….”

Nick’s face twists in a snarl. “No!”