“Yes,” Lee admitted, his cheeks reddening. He sighed, his gaze heavy with something old, something haunted.
“When Olivia was born, I told Alina we had to lay low and stay away from time traveling completely. I told Jack and Alina I needed to spendtime with my people, but the truth?” His voice dropped. “I time traveled back to your mother. Back to the 1700s.”
I stilled.
“I was with her for eight years,” he continued, a wistful note in his voice. “I was so in love with her. We got married, and I was truly happy for the first time in my life. Those years… they were the best I ever had. Just being with her. Having her by my side.”
Lee exhaled before continuing.
“She told me about your father; he was the darkness.” His jaw tightened. “Balthazar wouldn’t allow your father to be with her. So, she stayed away from it all. That’s why she didn’t want the blades when you were born. She didn’t want you connected to them. To him.”
His eyes drifted, lost in the past. “Elizabeth was funny. She was smart. Beautiful. She tried to be strong when I told her you had time traveled to Rome and reunited with your brother. She smiled and said she was proud. But I knew. I knew she ached to see you both again.”
He puffed out his cheeks and blew out a breath. “Yet, when she died, she was at peace. Safe. Unharmed.” His voice softened. “I buried her myself. And then I returned.”
Lee paused as if shaking himself free from the past. “I had been gone eight years. When I came back, I knew Alina was up to something. She had betrayed me—time traveled on her own, again and again. And she made it easier for Balthazar to find us each time.”
The constant hum of the tattoo machine filled the silence. Machines clattered around us, the scent of ink and antiseptic thick.
Sebastian worked without pause—needles to skin, ink to flesh.
And I sat there, absorbing everything.
I watched his artistry for a moment before turning back to Lee. “Why do you think this Malik fellow saved me? And if he’s with Olivia… will he try to seduce her?”
Lee blinked, surprised. “You don’t have to worry about Olivia being seduced by Malik. The blood you carry is dark, too.”
That was far from reassuring. My jaw tensed. “What do you mean?”
Lee leveled with me. “You were born of darkness, Roman. And even if Olivia were to fall for Malik, she wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between you two. The blood is the same. The darkness is the same.”
I frowned. “That doesn’t comfort me. It makes me feel expendable. Like, ‘Oh, Olivia could be with me or with Malik—it wouldn’t make a difference.’”
Lee exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m probably not explaining it right. You’re not a demon. Malik is. You’re a Timeborne. Butyou share the same blood. And Malik—” his voice dropped slightly, thoughtful—“Malik stays away from love. He won’t seduce Olivia.”
That still didn’t reassure me, but I let it be for now.
“Then why does he need Tristan?” I asked.
Lee’s expression darkened. “That… I don’t know.”
Silence settled between us, not uncomfortable, but solid.
Finally, Sebastian pulled off his headphones and grinned. “I’m done. She’s a beauty, don’t you think?”
I looked down at my arm, at the striking image inked into my skin. I flexed my fingers into a fist, turning my arm from side to side, studying the craftsmanship.
“It’s incredible,” I said. “You did an excellent job.”
Sebastian grinned. “That’s why they call me Sebastian the Great.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “I’m honored, man. I can tell this means something to you. And don’t worry—I get it. Top secret and all that.”
He carefully taped a transparent film over my tattoo and followed with the usual aftercare instructions.
Once Lee paid, we stepped outside into the cool evening air.
The sky stretched above us, a deep blue-gray, with streaks of pale orange still clinging to the horizon. The streets bustled with life, warm lantern light spilling from shop windows, and the scent of roasted food drifting from vendors. As we walked past rows of storefronts, I studied the goods on display, noting the familiar and the foreign and cataloging their subtle differences.
We wandered past tables set up like an open-air bazaar, the scene oddly reminiscent of another time.
