He glares at her in a way that belies his affection, and my heart pushes against its borders. My mind is flooded with memories of our last few months together, and I have the sudden urge to refuse to heal anything so I can protect this version of reality—one where their friendship is a certainty. I don’t want to lose any of them. But I have to take the risk. If I truly care about my friends, I can’t leave them in a world where Latham could be sovereign. Even if I have to lose them trying to give them a better one.

I turn and take in each of their faces. Tessa’s fiercely loyal expression. Jacey, whose chin is trembling just a little despite how hard she’s trying to hide her worry. Niklas and his quiet strength. Talon, who—even now, when things are dire—looks only a moment away from laughter.

And Bram.

Even with everything that has happened, I’d give anything not to lose him again.

“If this works, everything might be different between us,” I tell them, letting my gaze fall on them one by one. “We might not remember this path. We might not remember one another at all.”

Talon grins. “I’m like one of those ivy plants. Easy to find, but hard to get rid of once it’s taken root. I’ll be around whether you guys remember me or not.”

Bram puts a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “If the worst happens, we’ll find one another again. We’ve done it before.”

I take a deep breath. “We should each take a weapon.”

Talon holds open the satchel from the shadow market. I choose a small dagger—the most I can manage with one hand—even if it is my dominant one.

“We’re ready when you are,” Jacey says.

As quietly as we can, we move closer to the door. I pull a pin from my hair and hand it to Bram, who quietly works the lock. We step over the threshold. The outer room is silent and still. What if we’re too late? What if Latham has already changed the past?

A single crimson drop splashes on the ground beneath my feet. My wound has started seeping again and the bandage is soaked in fresh blood. If Latham had already healed one of the bones, my hand wouldn’t still be missing.

“Stay behind me,” I whisper to the others as we creep to the hidden bookcase and ease open the door.

The room looks different in the dim light. A collection of shadows and oddly shaped objects. Candles flicker throughout the space, bathing the room in a soft glow. Shadows climb the walls and spill across the floor.