Back at my suite, I sat in the living room, cross-legged on the couch with nothing but a mug of hot chocolate to keep me company. I could not stop thinking about how Kris had described her click with Domenico. I knew for her it was romantic and beautiful, but to me, it was anything but. It would change me. Perhaps not into a completely different person, but it would change me. Kris’s explanation had confirmed that.

Yes, Kris did say that she knew it was true love because Domenico could understand her perfectly, but how could he not understand her when he could dig deep into her mind? That was cheating, right? The Hellenicus idea of normal was not the kind of normal I wanted. Was it truly worth it to have this so-called love at the cost of losing your freedom?

Realizing that I had just mocked something that Carlo had believed in all of his life, I suddenly felt bad.

My eyes flew open. Carlo’s voice mail! There had been so many things going on these last few days that it had completely slipped my mind. Maybe a part of me couldn’t bear to listen to it, hence why I had shoved the thought of this voice mail to the back of my mind. But I was now ready to hear what his final words to me were. I pulled out my phone, quickly unlocked it, and listened.

Avery, you have to run. The Court isn’t safe. You are in grave danger. The Faction will find you and you won’t stand a chance against them. There are things that you don’t know—that I wouldn’t know if I hadn’t found your file in my father’s safe. Come to Seattle and I’ll show you. I’ll explain everything. But now you have to ru—

I didn’t understand. The urgency in his voice made me tremble. I replayed it over and over. His voice sounded breathy, almost as if he was running. The Faction—wasn’t that what the woman who attacked me had said? The warning in his voice—had he died feeling as scared as he sounded in the voice message? Had he been driving recklessly because he was panicking about me—or was it something else?

I curled up into a ball, wrapping my arms around my legs as tightly as I could. I felt like if I let go, I would fall to pieces. I tucked my head down and squeezed my eyes shut tight, as if that would erase the thought of Carlo’s final moments.

I told myself that I could have ten breaths like this and then I would get up. This was not the time to be weak.

I had to return my gift to the gods and leave this place. The sooner, the better. If I lived out the rest of my life as a Nescient, I wouldn’t even have to bother with whatever this Faction was. I would be safe. More importantly, I would be free.