“Yes, and a Sire; he was at the academy before the Inquisition. He, and others who didn’t want to abandon their lives, chose to stay behind and denounce all Maker activity considered to be heretical. Whenever I look at his prisoner statues, I see the struggle of the life he chose. Like he’s the one trapped in an unfinished state, confined by the new rules of the world, most of his fellow Makers gone.”

He is annoyingly adorable when he gets passionate about art stuff. And this is not anything I’ve heard before. The Families revere the well-known masters for sure, but not in the same way as the ones who were exiled.

“And what other historical celebrities would you like to claim?” I ask.

“Many. Da Vinci, Ada Lovelace—both Makers.”

“No way.” Do the Families know this?

“It’s true. Da Vinci was another who stayed behind. Ada was a Sire recruited later in life; she didn’t die young as your history says. One of her direct descendants is my guildmaster.”

This is far beyond anything I thought I knew. My mind is racing, trying to rearrange what it thinks is true.

“Look, if I haven’t convinced you yet, at least understand this.” He waits for me to look up at him, and the expression in his eyes has grown urgent. The warmth of his body is far too close to mine on the bed. “Someone has been abducting Sires around the globe, but the Makers can keep you safe.”

Why would anyone be capturing Sires? I wonder if it’s related to what I saw in that book and why my parents were so insistent I suppress my abilities.

“Your kidnapping means the Inquisitors know who you are, which means you’re still a target.”

“Wait, Inquisitors? Who are you talking about?”

“The initial group of Inquisitors who were tasked to hunt us down—they never stopped. Our ancestors hoped that they would forget about us, but that hasn’t happened. They’ve passed on their hatred to their children, and we’ve been hiding from them ever since.”

Well, that, at least, he’s totally wrong about. I’ve heard stories from the Families about those Inquisitors, and they definitely don’t exist anymore. But someone tried to kidnap me. Who would want to harm Sires?

“Ada, don’t you get that you’re in danger? We need to get you to the Genesis Institute as soon as possible.”

As soon as possible. No way I’m waltzing out of the country with this stranger. “I can’t go with you right now,” I say.

He massages his forehead as if it will somehow give him the words to convince me. “Please,” he says, “you were abducted because you are a Sire. I can help you.”