Her willingness to give in so easily when we sparred in the training room felt like a concession. A gentle reminder that I’m not a Season anymore. No longer the one who can recharge her magic or heal her with a touch. No matter how many hours I spend fighting those weight machines, I’m just her human Handler. And there are days—my worst days—when I wonder if that’s still enough for her.

With a sharp shake of my head, I snag the carton of milk and shut the refrigerator doors. Drinking straight from the container, I choke down huge gulps, but it does nothing to wash away the guilt I feel for the pathetic, selfish thoughts I’ve been thinking since I watched her leave the training room.

I have Fleur. We have each other and our lives. She can take Spanish classes, read romance novels with happy endings by the pool, and paint terrible paintings of every species of plant in her garden. We can make out for hours, then fall asleep in the same bed, without worrying that one of us will die.

We have a spectacular home, bursting bank accounts, and the added bonus of my immortality, all thanks to our reward for bringing about the rebellion that put Lyon in power.

We can live here, together in a paradise of our own making, forever if we want to. My magic was a small price to pay for that.

I pitch the empty milk carton into the trash can and swipe a handful of crumbs from the counter into my palm, scattering them over the balcony for the birds as I leave the kitchen. They dive down to the patio below, chasing the small offering in a greedy chorus as I grab up my running shoes and pad to my office.

I can’t blame Fleur for wanting to travel. Even though the house is open to acres of wildlife, it can be hard not to feel hemmed in sometimes. Surrounded by security gates and cameras and a fortress of trees, we’re completely safe here on the grounds of our villa. And for the most part, we’re safe in the surrounding region and the towns within it. Daniel Lyon, the new Chronos, and his partner, Gaia, issued a protective order around our home here in Cuernavaca, including a hunting ban for a radius of a few hundred miles. But just because rules are set in place doesn’t mean everyone plays by them. I should know, since I was the one who started the rebellion that got us here.