“Not alone.”
Her tone left no room for negotiation. He tried anyway. “The vault is?—”
“Not alone, Bastien.” She held his gaze. “You lost your reflection down there. You don’t get to go back without someone who can verify you’re still physically present.”
He wanted to argue. Wanted to list all the reasons bringing her deeper into danger violated every protective instinct he possessed. But he looked at her face and recognized she’d already decided.
“Tomorrow,” he said. “After you’ve finished the map. I want complete documentation before we go down.”
“Fair.” She stood, stretching. “I should get back to work. Actual work. The kind that pays my rent.”
He gathered his photographs. “Thank you. For the research.”
“Thank you for trusting me with the truth.” She walked him to the door.
He left the Archive as afternoon light turned gold across the Quarter. Walked home through streets that refused to show his reflection. Climbed stairs to his apartment and spread the maps across his kitchen table again, studying the pattern Delphine had found.
Charlotte’s network, corrupted to serve Gideon’s philosophy. A century of devotion turned into evidence that love was just another word for control.
But Charlotte had built choice into every component. Designed the network to stabilize without demanding. Topreserve without possessing. Gideon hadn’t understood that because he’d never loved anyone enough to trust them with autonomy.
And that misunderstanding would be his weakness.
Bastien pulled out his notebook and started writing. Documentation first. Map the corruption, identify the manipulation, understand the pattern. Then return to the vault and reclaim what Charlotte had actually built before Gideon’s interpretation buried it.
His phone buzzed.
Delphine:Found three more intersection sites. Tomorrow’s going to be busy.
He smiled despite the exhaustion pressing against his thoughts. Tomorrow they would map the complete network. Document Gideon’s manipulations. Prepare to face whatever waited in the vault.
For tonight, he would sleep. Rest before the next battle. Trust that Delphine was capable of managing her own safety, smart enough to recognize danger, strong enough to make her own choices about risk.
Outside his window, the Quarter settled into evening. Streetlights came on. Music drifted from open doorways. Reflections appeared in shop windows and puddles and glass doors.
None of them showed his face.
But tomorrow, he and Delphine would return to the vault together. And this time, he wouldn’t be trying to protect her from the truth.
He’d be trusting her to handle it. The implications of the soul bond they shared hadn’t come up in their discussions about stopping Gideon, and Bastien wasn’t sure if Delphine realized that his love for Charlotte had initially equated to loving her as well, but they’d have time to hash these things out another day.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
Bastien stood at the industrial access point thirty-six hours after losing his reflection, Delphine beside him in the shadow of warehouses along the river. The iron panel was exactly where it had been two nights ago—recessed into concrete, marked with faded warnings about authorized personnel.
He’d spent those thirty-six hours mapping the network. Documenting stabilization. Confirming the lattice held without pulling volatile energy. The measurements showed success. The mirrors had stopped tearing themselves apart.
But the measurements meant nothing when he couldn’t verify his own existence through reflected surfaces.
“You’re sure about this?” Delphine asked.
“No.”
“Good. Honesty is refreshing.” She adjusted the strap of her messenger bag. “How do we get in?”
Bastien pressed his palm against the panel. Energy pulsed beneath his hand—recognition, not resistance. The iron swung open on hinges that protested with rust and age, revealing darkness and the scent of river water filtered through stone.
