"We did. And he told me, essentially, that if I cared about you, I would set you free. That it was selfish of me to claim you, to bring you into this life. So him being so nice right now, it was a little confusing."
"I think everyone deserves to be happy. And so long as everyone goes into it with open eyes, it's not exactly selfish. It would be if I didn't know that your life is dangerous, that it comes with risks."
"You're willing to risk that?"
"I think that whatever issues there might have been in security or whatever back then have likely since been remedied."
"That is true," he agreed, nodding. "But there are still risks."
"Life has risks. I could be hit by a car or fall down an elevator shaft or choke on a vitamin. At least if someone murdered me, you could avenge it," I added, trying for levity. "You can't take out your anger on an elevator shaft."
"So you think you can handle it."
"I think I can handle it."
"And you want me?" he asked, and if I wasn't mistaken, there was a hint of vulnerability there.
"Now, that I know," I told him.
"So, it's settled."
"It's settled. I mean... there is probably a lot of talking left to do. But later. Now, I want to rave about the food."
And so I did.
To Luca.
Then to Antony when he joined us.
Finally, bellies full to bursting—and me a little loopy from all the wine since Luca nursed his first glass, and I thought it would be a complete shame to let the rest of the bottle go to waste—we got up, making our way outside, down the steep steps. I am not ashamed to admit that I needed to lean into Luca quite a bit to make it down those stairs, made a little slippery from the salt water.
"Shit."
"What?" I asked, stiffening.
"I left my phone," he told me.
"I am not braving those stairs again," I told him, shaking my head. "I'll wait here for you."
Luca looked at me, then up toward the guard just fifty or so feet at the top of the stairs.
"Okay. Two minutes."
With that, he was gone.
And I stood there for a f
ew seconds, enjoying my buzz. One brought on by both the alcohol and this new, exciting future we had decided on.
"How could you do it?" a voice asked, making my stomach plummet.
I was pretty drunk to stone-cold sober in the span of a blink.
My head whipped around, looking toward the shadows, looking for the figure that voice belonged to.
Because I knew that voice.
Celenia's.