I turned and spread my hand against his chest, intending to push him away, but I couldn’t. Instead, I left it there for a moment before I snaked both of my arms around him. I held on to him as if my life depended on it, absorbing his warmth. Vlad tugged on my hair and drew me to rest on his chest as I listened to his heart beat. Pulling back slightly, he put his hand under my chin and tilted my head so our eyes met. “It will be all right, Avy.” He took a sharp breath then reiterated it with more force this time. “Everything will be all right. I will make damn sure of it.”

If I ended up in New York or another part of the world, I wanted to remember this moment: the first time the nickname Avy hadn’t bothered me.

After a while, he let me go. As I turned to avoid having to look at him after our tender moment, I could see Domenico was still sleeping on the couch, his mouth hanging slightly open. “I think you should wake him up. I’ll get Kris.”

Halfway through the meal, Adrian texted, urging me to meet him outside the Court Hospital. I confirmed I’d be there in twenty minutes.

Laphria, the sacrificial event, would take place later today and, after waking up so late, Kris was anxious to start getting ready for it as soon as possible. We said our good-byes and the three of them headed back to the Royal Quarters as I rushed off to meet Adrian. I found him outside the building, leaning against one of the wide pillars with his eyes closed. “Adrian.” I spoke softly to avoid startling him.

“Montgomery.” He smiled.

“Hey, how’s your sister?”

His smile morphed into a grin. “She’s getting better.”

“That’s great! I hope she can get back home soon.”

“Yeah.”

“So, why did you call me here? Did you figure out what was written on that page?”

“Yes,” he said. “You’re not going to like it, though.”

“Try me.”

“I went back to the library and found the rest of the letters.” Adrian pulled out his phone and showed me a photo of the torn page next to the remaining page that was still left in the book. Together they formed the word τιμωρία.

“You know I don’t speak Greek, right? This photo doesn’t help me.”

“It means punishment, Montgomery. The only way to get rid of the gift is by forcing the gods to take it back.”

“I figured that. But how exactly are we going to get them to do that?”

Adrian shook his head. “That’s the part you’re not going to like.”

And he was right. I didn’t.

Chapter Twenty-One