When I finally made it back to my room, it was pushing seven in the morning. First thing I did was plug in my phone and scroll through the stack of missed calls and messages I’d racked up while I was gone.

  I ignored anything tied to school and most of the personal chatter. That left me with a few calls from unknown numbers, one text from Thomas, and one missed call from Penrose, both from Friday. Friday, the day we scaled the building bridge… and the day I smacked my head hard enough to see stars.

  Thomas’s message was short:

  Hi Lex. Can we meet to talk?

  Well, dear Thomas, there’s nothing simple about us meeting now. But this man has had my back more times than I can count, and lately all I’ve given him in return is a kick to the guts. I typed back that I’d just gotten back in town, was planning to meet with Penrose, and could talk right after if that worked for him.

  Once it sent, I headed into the common room.

  Peter was by the kitchen window, drinking coffee. A cup of tea sat beside him, probably cold by now, but still a nice gesture. I came closer and sat next to him.

  “Is the tea for me?”

  “Yes.” He set a saucer over the cup, pressed it down, and infused the whole thing with his blue?white shadowlight. The porcelain vibrated softly. Then he lifted the saucer and set it back on the table.

  “It’s warm again. Enjoy.”

  “Show?off,” I muttered, but I took it. The cup was indeed warm. I drank slowly; it was the perfect temperature. Not too hot, not too cold.

  “How did you do that?”

  “You can change water’s temperature by movement. I told you that I control the movement and acceleration of water. Pretty easy.”

  “You know I wasn’t the best at physics.”

  “But you’re not ignorant, either.” He was right. I knew enough. Penrose had made sure of it, keeping a watchful eye and insisting I be a good student in every subject. Knowledge, he said, was underappreciated.

  I glanced outside. It was snowing. Not much, just enough to dust the day with something softer. And I wondered: was that all we were to Reality? Not anything that lasted, just fleeting leaves, or snowflakes on the wind. Put there to make the world less boring.

  I pushed the thoughts away.

  “I’m skipping Uni today. I bet the FBI will be waiting for me there, and I’d rather postpone that conversation as long as possible. I’ll meet with Penrose instead, see if we can set up a new arrangement.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  My first instinct was to shut him down again, but I remembered our earlier talk.

  “Sure. We’ll go together, if he’s even still around. He called me once on Friday. Thomas reached out too, but since then… nothing. I might have doomed them.”

  “I say good riddance, then. But I bet they’re both still around.”

  “I’ll check on them once I’m done talking with Soph. Did you call Zoe already?”

  “Of course. Told her everything. She was out every night looking for us, but she couldn’t find us. She wanted to come right away, but there’s trouble at work and she has to stay or risk being fired.”

  “Trouble? At EoT?” That actually sounded promising.

  “There’s a new owner. She doesn’t know the details, but everyone’s on edge. You think this is connected to Penrose and what you did by putting them against each other?”

  “You don’t?”

  “Now I do. Looking at your face,” he said.

  I tensed. Alicia had never owned EoT, only run it. I’d had no idea who the majority owner was before, and I still didn’t now. While I turned that over in my head, Peter was scrolling through his phone.

  “They haven’t listed a new owner on their site,” he said finally. “No press releases, no articles, nothing about a sale or takeover. Previous majority owner wasn’t named either.”

  We waited in relative silence for at least half an hour, each of us answering texts we’d ignored before—none of them urgent—until she finally emerged from her room, like a vampire waking from some Reality-forgotten coffin.

  Her face shifted in seconds: surprise, happiness, grief, anger. Then she rushed toward me, finger pointed like a weapon.

  “My life has been hell these last few days.” Her voice was quiet but unshakably firm. “You left and took both Nick and Peter with you. Left me alone to deal with the shitstorm that followed.”

  She paused for breath. I wanted to say I was sorry, but the words caught in my throat.

  “It wasn’t her fault, Soph,” Peter said instead. “We followed a creature that took Jason away.”

  “A creature? So, a magical thing. That makes it her fault too.” Her glare locked on me. “You dragged me into both criminal and magical crap, Lex. Your handler, or whatever he is, showed up here—the big no-sex guy. He was looking for you.”

  “Thomas,” she snapped her fingers as she remembered. “His name’s Thomas. He said it’s of big importance you contact him.”

  “I am—” I started, but she cut me off.

  “I wasn’t done. The FBI came too. Two agents, looking for you and you too, Peter. Strangest damn pair I’ve ever seen. They accused me of knowing more than I let on. But you know what? I only knew what Nick told me, not you.”

  She slumped into a chair, exhaling hard. “This fucking sucks.” And then she started crying.

  Peter stepped forward, reaching out gently, but she pushed his hand away.

  “And you Pete, you’re not any better in this,” she said between sobs.

  “You’re absolutely right, Sophie. I did all of this to you and more. My choices put you in this situation. Mistake after mistake, until they piled up high enough that the fallout hit you, Jason, everyone. And no matter what I’d prefer, we have to share the bill.”

  “You think your metaphors fix anything?” she shot back. “Will they change my situation? No.”

  She was furious, no question, but I couldn’t shake the sense that something else was eating at her. In my Domain, she’d touched my soul, and I’d felt warmth from her. Whatever that meant, it wasn’t for now. Right now, she was entirely focused on me. Rightfully so.

  “I will atone for what I’ve done, Soph. I promise, everything will go back to the way it was for you. And after that, I’ll be gone from your life.”

  Her expression sharpened into something even angrier.

  “Are you fucking stupid? You think I’m angry because I want you gone?” Her voice broke, and tears started falling, mine too. “You’re like a sister to me. I’m angry because I was worried sick, and you chose to shut me out.”

  “That’s true,” I admitted. “I chose it because you’d die where we went, Sophie. You can’t be part of that side of my life. I know it’s not fair, but it’s the truth.”

  “But you took Peter with you.”

  “He was there when Jason was taken, and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. I had a suit that boosted his strength, agility, durability—”

  “And I’m a mage now, too,” Peter cut in.

  “What?” Sophie’s eyes went wide. “You can learn magic over there?”

  “No. I already had a connection to a soul core. My father had one. I just got called while I was in Ideworld.”

  “Fantastic.” She gave a bitter laugh through her tears. “So I’m the only one without magic now?”

  “There’s still Hannah, Elena, Tyler—” I started.

  “I’m talking about this.” She jabbed a finger toward the space between us. “Us.”

  “There are other ways to get powers, Sophie. Out there. I once found a necklace that let its wearer steal other people’s Domains, so maybe I’ll come across something else.”

  “You’d give something like that to me?” Her tone was sharp, but there was something brittle underneath. Maybe this was what had been gnawing at her. I decided to push.

  “Of course I would. Sophie… when we were in there—” I caught Peter shaking his head behind her, too late now—“we met your shadow. It’s the manifestation of how you see yourself and sometimes how others see you. But mostly, it’s shaped by you.”

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “What about it?” she asked, wiping at her eyes.

  “She didn’t look good. Unhealthy. Ghoulish. Old. Is there something you’re not telling us?”

  “I… lately I feel a little empty.”

  “What do you mean?” Peter asked, shifting so she could see him.

  “When I’m around you all… it’s like nothing in my life actually matters to me. You all have your passions, you’re living to the fullest. Especially you, Alexa. And you, Pete—you’re constantly running, swimming, fighting, learning, with Zoe when you’re not doing all that. Even Nick, he’s obsessed with so many things. Philosophy, poetry, physics, chemistry, food. He made me realize it. And me? I study economics because it was a safe choice. I have financial stability because of my parents. Good looks because of genetics. I’ve never had to try for anything, not really. And I don’t love anything in my life either. I’m like one of your blank canvases, Ali. Pristine. Untouched. But empty. A privileged, rich doll. That’s all I am.”

  “First of all,” Peter began before I could speak, “everything you’re feeling is normal. I do too, Soph. Everyone feels like this sometimes. It’s okay.”

  “I don’t feel down, Pete,” she said flatly. “I feel like I’ve lived twenty-one years and have nothing to show for it.”

  “You’re still young, Sophie,” I said finally. “Your life doesn’t end just because we found what we love before you did. You might feel like an empty canvas but that’s not a bad thing. There’s still plenty of space to fill. And it’s bullshit to say you’re only what you’ve been given. Yes, you’re beautiful but you’re also stylish. You know how to present yourself, how to choose clothes, how to carry yourself. That matters. And you’re good. Insufferably good. I don’t know anyone else who looks like you and is still genuinely kind to everyone.”

  “With the exception of Jason,” she muttered.

  We would have laughed before, but now the air just got heavier.

  “I know you didn’t mean half the things you said to him over the years. He knows it too. They were just jokes.”

  “They were,” she admitted quietly. “But being nice and looking good aren’t exactly noble pursuits, Lex.”

  “Compassion can be noble,” Peter said. “You could help people who have less than you. Work with a foundation, maybe. Or drop the studies if you hate them. Travel. See if you find something worth chasing. You said yourself that you have the money. Use it to make yourself better. There’s no shame in that. We all use what we’re given, one way or another.”

  “If anything,” I added, “wasting it would be the shame.”

  “You both suck at being friends… and you’re the best friends I’ve ever had. Did I tell you that?”

  We laughed. I pulled her into a hug and this time she let me, resting her head against my shoulder.

  “I’m so sorry,” I said again.

  “I know, Ali. Me too.” She looked at me for a moment, then asked, “Can I help you somehow?”

  Sweet of her to offer, especially after everything I’d just dumped on her.

  “You already have. Talking to you… it helped a lot. But, there is one thing I thought I’d have to do alone. Now I realize you could probably do it better than me.”

  “What is it?”

  “My suit’s kind of ruined. It is burned and torn. I need to buy materials to repair it. I also want to add a hood and… something like rabbit ears sticking out of it. And maybe a scarf. Light enough to roll up into something that looks like a cable. It just needs to be grey or silver enough that I can make it look like steel and paint over it. Could you find the right materials?”

  Her smile lit up instantly. “Of course. Anything I can do to help.”

  “Perfect. You know how my powers work, so maybe think about what I could add or paint to make the suit better. I’m already considering spider-like eyes around the hood so I can see in every direction.”

  “Wait, you can do that?” she asked, eyes wide.

  “She can even force you to have more eyes if she wants,” Peter said. “I don’t recommend it.”

  “Speak of the devil,” I said, pulling one of my eye-cards from my pocket and infusing it with my senses. “This card will let me see through the eye painted on it and hear whatever’s nearby. I’ve got so many active now that I usually keep them muted, but if you want to tell me something important or show me something, just pick it up, alright?”

  “Sure! I’ll do that,” she replied, taking the card.

  That launched them into a side conversation about my powers and his. I used the moment to slip into my Domain, gather my suit and the materials I still had left, and bring them back. I folded everything neatly and set it on the couch.

  While their voices carried on in the background, I excused myself to my room, stepped up to the window, and made a call.

  He answered after only three rings. Steady, familiar, the voice that had led me, taught me, and scolded me.

  “Alexandra?”

  “It’s me, Mr. Penrose.” My tone gave him a pause, but he recovered quickly, sliding back into his familiar measured tempo.

  “There have been… developments since you were gone. Would you care to visit and discuss how things stand?”

  “I’d like to come and negotiate a new agreement between us first.”

  “A parley?” His voice held a faint edge, the start of a delicate dance.

  “A renegotiation of what was, if that’s still possible.”

  “Will you be bringing the necklace?”

  A test? An opening feint? I couldn’t tell. “Are you asking for it, sir?”

  “No. I am not.” That threw me off balance. I imagined him smiling on the other end.

  “How soon can you come?”

  “Finests’?”

  “Of course. Business hours, Alexandra.”

  “Could I come now?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll be there shortly.”

  I ended the call and returned to Peter and Sophie.

  “Sophie, I’m sorry, but I need to take Peter. We’ve got a meeting with my boss to renegotiate.” No secrets this time.

  “Okay. I hope you’ll be fine,” she said.

  I stepped closer and kissed her on the forehead. “We will. Please take care of my suit. I don’t know how quickly we’ll be back.”

  She nodded. I grabbed Peter’s shoulder and yanked us out of this world into my Domain.

  “Ready to face him?” I asked as we walked toward my gallery of places.

  “Let’s deal with him,” he said.

  I transported us straight into the den of the beast—Penrose Finests’.

  He was waiting for me.

  Leaning casually against the desk, a silver coin dancing between his fingers while the other hand stroked his beard. The grey three?piece suit fit him like armor, black shoes polished to a mirror shine. His hair brushed the top of his collar. He was shorter than Peter, but carried a weight Peter didn’t. That unspoken authority that made the air feel heavier.

  His eyes lit faintly when he noticed us, though the smile that followed was as measured as everything else about him.

  “Peter Stark,” he said, voice smooth. “You’ve grown since I last saw you. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  I paused, letting Peter answer first. “I’m here for negotiation,” he said simply. No posturing, no theatrics, just clean, sharp words. I liked it.

  I followed, taking my seat on the couch in the corner. “I’ve brought Peter because last time we spoke, you implied harm could fall on him, sir.”

  Penrose drifted to his chair behind the desk, sitting with quiet precision. The coin never stopped its lazy revolutions. “You must have misheard, Alexandra. Those weren’t implications.” He glanced at Peter, then back to me. “That was an old?fashioned threat.”

  “Then I chose the wrong word,” I said evenly. “You taught me that when someone threatens you, you respond in kind, make sure they know you’re not to be trifled with. So I did.”

  He nodded once, almost approvingly.

  “But,” I continued, “you also said that after that, I should still seek to establish a connection.”

  “That’s true. I’m glad you remember.” A faint smile. “I stand by my convictions.”

  “I’m glad to hear it, sir—because I’m here in good faith.”

  “And yet,” he said, voice sharpening just a fraction, “without the thing I desired from you.”

  “You didn’t ask for it.”

  The coin stilled between his fingers. “What if I asked right now? Would you give it to me?”

  The words were slow, deliberate. Calm, yet with the certainty of a blade already at my throat.

  “No,” I said flatly. “I wouldn’t.”

  He would have called the lie immediately if I’d claimed otherwise.

  “Then why bring the argument?”

  “To make my point, sir. I’ve trusted you with my life. Unfortunately, I still do, otherwise I wouldn’t be here, speaking to you.”

  “And what is the worth of such trust,” he asked, the coin glinting between his fingers, “if I cannot return it?”

  “That’s the question, isn’t it? I think you can. And I think you do.”

  A slow smile spread across his face, the kind devils wear when they’re drafting contracts.

  “Why do you think so?”

  “The necklace you asked for is the only thing I’ve ever denied you. And I did it out of three things: fear, care… and greed.”

  “Explain.”

  “I feared what you might become wielding that kind of power. You’re not Eveline, you’re more focused, more driven. The hunt for a perfect match would consume you and crush anyone in your path. Myself included.”

  “I understand that. Continue.”

  “I care for the world, sir. With that much power, you’d destroy it. And greed… well, I wanted it for myself. Not to use, but to have. To know that I pulled it off.”

  He studied me for a long moment. “And what am I supposed to do with such a story, Alexandra? What is it worth to me when, on the opposite scale, lies power almost without limit?”

  “The story explains why I have it,” I said. “Why I kept it. Because of the values you instilled in me.”

  He laughed—a low, rich sound that didn’t reach his eyes.

  “So I brought this betrayal upon myself?”

  “It wasn’t betrayal,” Peter cut in, his voice steady. “That’s what she’s saying. She acted in accordance with what you taught her, what you made her.”

  Penrose didn’t flare at the interruption, though it broke the rhythm of his control. “But against my will, Peter.”

  “No,” I said, leaning forward. “In agreement with your will, but against your desire. You wanted me to become your self?portrait, your masterpiece. And I can still be that. But to do so, I can’t be contained. Not even by you. Because you yourself are not held by anyone but yourself.”

  He finally set the coin down, letting it rest in the center of the desk. His gaze moved to Peter first, then locked onto mine.

  “What do you propose, then?”

  “Necklace stays within my soul, out of everyone’s reach. Forever. You will not threaten me or my friends again, unless I openly harm you or your enterprise with intent. I become a partner to you, offering help only if I agree to the terms. Each time. Sir.”

  He considered that for only a heartbeat. “I agree to your terms, Alexandra.”

  The weight slid off my shoulders. Then his voice hooked into me again. “Unfortunately… with an addendum.”

  Oh no.

  “You’ve already done me harm in these last few days, haven’t you?”

  “Yes, sir. I have.”

  “You sent Edge of Tomorrow against me, hoping they’d destroy me. Correct?”

  “I sent them hoping the conflict would give me space to find a better solution.”

  A low laugh. “I can give you the benefit of the doubt on that, given what I’ve learned. That, I’ll let slide. But there’s another matter.”

  He picked the coin back up. Rolled it over his knuckles. Let the metal catch the light.

  “You were set against my men—Thomas and Rei—when you pulled that little body-snatch at EoT’s side operation. You could have let them both walk, unharmed. Like you did with Thomas. But you didn’t. You maimed Rei. That was a choice.”

  “Sir—”

  The coin flicked from his fingers before I could finish. Silver shadowlight flared around it, a ripple of unnatural velocity. It crossed the space between us in less than a blink—Peter managed to turn his head, but not enough.

  The sound was like a hammer tapping glass.

  Blood sprayed across the floor. Peter clutched his face, staggered, red running between his fingers.

  “I believe it’s what’s called an eye for an eye, Alexandra.” His tone never lifted above conversational. “Now we’re even. And I agree to the terms you presented.”

  “You could have killed him!” I was on my feet before I realized it, heat rising in my chest.

  Peter’s hand came up, not to block me, but to steady me. Calm.

  Penrose’s eyes didn’t leave mine. “That wasn’t my intention when I threw the coin. Was it yours when you threw the card at Rei?”

  “…No,” I hissed.

  “Then calm yourself. Peter will live. Perhaps you can even paint him a new eye.”

  I prayed Peter could regrow one with his new powers or that Lebens could heal it.

  “Now,” Penrose said, setting the coin down once more, “sit. A lot has happened while you were… wherever you were.”

  “I’m not sitting anywhere while Peter’s bleeding out right in front of me.”

  “It’s fine, Alexa,” Peter said, his voice steadier than it had any right to be.

  He lowered his hand.

  Where his eye had been, only a sunken mess remained. Torn skin. Blood still running.

  Penrose didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink.

  “I want to sit and hear as well,” Peter added, and began lowering himself to the couch again, his jaw clenched tight.

  “You see, Alexandra?” Penrose’s voice was warm, amused. “Even with half his sight, Peter sees more clearly than you.”

  I didn’t move.

  “I thought you’d learned to read a room better by now,” he said. “So, sit. And listen.”

  All I could think about now was his power. The coin. The casual cruelty.

  And how close I was to painting this entire room in red.