He nods seriously. “Okay.”
“Okay.”
Then he brightens. “Wait! I have one more.”
We both look at him again.
“Nico said he loves us,” Noah announces proudly. “And he’s gonna be my dad.”
Silence drops into the room.
Leone clears his throat.
“Hey kid,” he says quickly. “Want to see your room?”
Noah grins.
“Yeah!”
Leone leads him down the hallway.
The moment they disappear, Izzy turns to me.
“You shouldn’t fill his head with things like that,” she says quietly. Her voice hurts more than if she had shouted. “It will be worse when he realizes the truth.”
I step closer.
“I told him the truth.”
She looks up at me.
“For seven years,” I say, “I stayed away to protect you.”
The words feel strange leaving my mouth. I’m not used to explaining myself to anyone.
“When I found out about Noah… I did the same.”
Her expression softens slightly.
“I’ve already lost one person I loved to this life,” I continue. “I wasn’t going to lose you too.”
She studies my face. “Why?”
“My enemies always go after the queen first.” My voice drops. “They did it once already.”
Realization seems to dawn on her. “Your mother,” she whispers.
I look at her quizzically. “You know about that?”
“Leone has a big mouth.” Then she quickly adds, “Don’t be mad. I think he was trying to save your skin. I was really angry earlier.”
My mouth ticks up a little. “Were you?”
“Oh, yeah.” She turns serious again. “I’m sorry, Nico. Really.”
I just nod. The memory still sits under my skin like broken glass. “I don’t need pity.”
“This isn’t that.”
