Because he’s her brother. And she loves him.

“I get it, Cam,” I tell her quietly. “Believe me, I do.”

More than she knows. More than I’ll admit.

Even to myself.

“I screwed up, Lyss,” Cami repeats, just as quietly.

I take her hand in mine, squeezing until she looks up at me. “We all make mistakes. The main thing to remember is that we’re okay—you, me, Ward. We made it out, safe and sound.” I squeeze again with a little more pressure. “You can be angry, but not at yourself. Be angry at those who made this happen— at Vanik, at Manning, at Lengard. But be gentle with yourself, Cam. You’ve been through a lot. We all have.”

She sniffles softly but grips my hand tightly before releasing me to wipe under her eyes.

“I just … I want this to be over,” she says. “I want my brother back, I want my friends safe. I want to be a normal eighteen-year-old again.” She pauses, then amends, “Or as normal as someone with a supernatural ability to heal people can be.”

I fight the grin tugging at my lips, sensing now isn’t the time to show any amusement. “It will be soon. Once Ward is Ward again, he’ll hopefully be able to tell us where Vanik is. Then we can come up with a plan to stop him.”

“And save the world?”

I ignore her sardonic tone and say, “That, too.”

I won’t allow myself to think that far ahead. It still seems outrageous to me that we’re actually facing something like that. I can handle the “stop Vanik” thought, but the “save the world” concept implies a little too much pressure for my liking, even if the tasks are one and the same.

“One good thing in all this is that, presuming Manning is with Vanik, that only leaves Uncle Rick at Lengard,” Cami says. There’s a hint of pain in her voice when she mentions Falon. “That means Crew, Sneak, and the other Exodus recruits should be safe, business as usual for them. They’ll have no idea what’s really happening, but they also won’t be experimented on every night. And Enzo …”

She trails off, but I finish, “He’s safe, too. Even if he does know what’s happening.”

Thanks to his ties to the Remnants. To Arryn.

I wonder how long he’s been their spy. I wonder why he infiltrated Lengard rather than Dante. Surely a mind reader would have been the more logical option, as opposed to someone with a gift of encouragement. That’s yet another question I can add to my ever-growing list.

“You know, I think Arryn might have been on to something with her idea to have a soak,” I say, gently moving Dinger off my lap and petting his head consolingly when he utters a grumpy meow.

“You’re meant to be resting,” Cami says.