I thought back to the flashes of memory I had from earlier, when he’d first arrived. He’d been covered in scrapes and bruises. And then I recalled all of those mornings so many years ago, when we’d been working together to track down the rogue Nejerets responsible for my mother’s murder—Nik had suffered from minor injuries more mornings than not. Was this, right here, the explanation for why?

“I fell into a pattern,” Nik explained. “For millennia, I only ever touched a woman after I’d run Re off with enough pain to keep him dormant for hours. I never touched anyone in any non-platonic way while he was conscious.” Nik tilted his head to the side, his pale blue eyes locked with mine. “Until you.” He released my arm, but I didn’t move away. “It was too much for Re.” Another gentle, bitter laugh. “Maybe too much for me, too.”

I faced him fully, ever so slowly shaking my head. “Why?” I searched his eyes for answers I doubted he would give me. “Why me, Nik? Why then?”

It was his turn to look away. “I’ll do it—this thing with the Ouroboros board. I’ll help you, if you still want me to.”

I blinked, opened my mouth, blinked again, and just stared at him. Disappointment warred with exhilaration within me. His non-answer spoke volumes; I just didn’t know what it was saying. But his offer to help me with my current mission chased the disappointment away, and a grin overtook my face before I could even consider stopping it. “Really? You mean it? Even if it’s not what’s best for our people?”

He shot me a sly glance. “Humans, Nejerets . . . we all share the same ancestors.” It was true; thousands and thousands of years ago, Nuin, the first human Re possessed, had been born to two fully human parents. He’d started our species the moment he reproduced, but we all truly originated in the same place. Without humans, we wouldn’t ever have existed at all.

“Well, alright,” I said, still grinning.

“Besides,” Nik added, his tone light, “we’ve got to make sure your boyfriend’s safe.”

My smile soured. “Garth’s not my boyfriend.”

“Oh yeah?” Nik moved around me to pick up our plates from the coffee table. “Have you told him that?”

I frowned, then stuck out my tongue at Nik.

He laughed.

Feeling lighter, I waited until he disappeared around the wall dividing the living room and the kitchen, then made my way to the coffee table and picked up the mirror pendant. “Dom?” I said, holding it against my palm so I’d be able to hear his response. “Are you around?” I couldn’t see him, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t nearby.

His sharp-featured face appeared not a second later. “Little sister . . . you are well?”

I had no doubt that he’d overheard much of what transpired with me over the past few hours. It had probably been driving him crazy, knowing I was entering a tailspin and not being able to do anything about it. “I’m fine. Now,” I added. “But I had a lot of help.”