“Was it Eilif?” he asked hoarsely.
“No,” Gideon said.
“But how do you know?”
“Because I know.”
“But it could it have been—”
“It wasn’t.”
“But—”
“Sleep,” Gideon advised, and Nico shook his head, forcing himself not to manifest any dancing lollipops or sheep into the ambiance of his dream spac
e.
“Not until I understand this. Not until it makes sense.”
“What doesn’t make sense? You have enemies,” Gideon pointed out. “Libby could have easily been a target for one of the other agencies like yours. Or for anyone.”
“But she’s not a hostage,” Nico said, frustrated. “I could understand it if she were, but—”
He broke off, blinking, and frowned.
One of the other agencies like yours.
“Wait,” he said, and Gideon turned away. “Wait. Wait—”
“Cálmate,” said Gideon, not looking at him.
“Absolutely not,” snapped Nico, rising sharply to his feet. “How long have you known? And how do you know?”
Gideon glanced through the bars at the spare inches between them and then set his mouth grimly, suggesting that Nico should not ask.
“Fuck.” Nico shook his head, furious. “Que cojones hiciste? Tell me you didn’t,” he answered himself, cognizant enough now to indulge the heat of his frustration. “Not after everything I did to keep her out! After every precaution I took, Gideon, fuck—!”
“I didn’t break any wards to meet her,” Gideon countered blandly. “I stayed in here.”
“Jesus,” Nico exhaled, letting his forehead fall against the bars. “Gideon.”
He could feel the twist of Gideon’s tension, the tightening of his knuckles from the other side.
“Listen to me, Nico.” A low warning. “Libby’s gone. You think I’m going to sit back and wonder if you’re next?”
Nico didn’t look up.
“I agreed to meet with my mother on the condition that she would tell me exactly where you were, what you were doing. Which, by the way, I should have known. You should have told me from the start this was more than a—”
Nico winced.
“A fellowship,” Gideon finished with obvious resentment.
“Gideon—”
“There was a catch, obviously. The usual strings. She wants me for a job, and I knew she would.” He paused. “But it was worth it to finally have an answer.”
Nico shut his eyes, warring with his dream self’s need to float away like a balloon.