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“No.” His hand dropped to mine, capturing it. “I’m sorry, Pandora. I’m a little preoccupied at the moment.”

“With what happened at Storm Castle?” I asked.

“Yes. I’ve been thinking about what Cupid and Dreamcatcher said about you.” He watched me for my reaction. “That you’re the cause of their powers.”

“I’ve been thinking about that too.” I shook my head. “But I can’t see howIcould have given them their powers. It’s not like I can snap my fingers at someone and—bam!—they suddenlyhave magic. I mean, that’s crazy, right?” I met his serious eyes. “Right?”

“I don’t think this happened because you snapped your fingers.”

“Ok, what then?”

“They said they got their powers acoupleof years ago. The Great Battle for Earth took place a couple of years ago, Leda.”

“Huh.” I bit my lip. “I guess I thought thatcouplewas just an expression. Not specifically two years.”

“There was a massive surge of magic that day,” Nero continued. “You tore open the Guardians’ Sanctuary. Angels and gods clashed on the battlefield. Seven angel offspring came into this world, all at once. And then there was the lingering magic of all those sacrifices that led up to that explosive moment. Everything converged that day. And when there’s a big convergence of magic, there are always consequences.”

“Like new powers,” I realized. “New kinds of magic.”

“Yes.”

The clementine slipped from my fingers. “You thinkIcreated new kinds of magic?”

He nodded. “I think you were the catalyst that allowed that to happen, yes.”

“You think there are more people out there, don’t you? More people like Cupid and Dreamcatcher with new powers?”

“Yes.”

“Wow.” I collapsed against the back cushion.

“I know this is overwhelming.”

“Overwhelming? How about life-changing?” I said, my laugh uneven, forced. “How many lives did I change that day, Nero? How many people did I change against their will?”

“We’ll figure it out.” Nero took my other hand now too, entwining our fingers. “But for now, we need to keep this between the two of us. We can’t tell anyone.”

“Yeah. No need to give Faris more people to hunt down and add to his Orchestra.” I tried to clear my gravelly throat, but it didn’t really work. “If Daddy Dearest knew what I’ve done, he’d probably try to figure out a way to make me repeat it, no matter how many people might die in the process.”

“Yes. And that’s why we need to keep these new powered people a secret for as long as we can,” said Nero. “Forallour sakes.”

“But how can this be the first time anyone is hearing about these people?” I wondered. “It’s been over two years. And uniquely-powerful people don’t exactly blend into the crowd.”

“Yes, that is a mystery,” he agreed. “But it’s one for a later date.”

“You’re right. If we investigate this too hard, we risk exposing those people.”

“There’s that,” Nero said. “And there’s the fact that it’s Valentine’s Day. I want to be alone with my wife. I want just a few hours of just the two of us together without rushing off to save the world.” He cast a long, leisurely look down the length of me.

“I am totally on board with that.” I traced my hand down his chest—very,veryslowly.

He caught it. “I have something for you.” A small square box, ivory-colored with a black bow, appeared in his other hand. “A Valentine’s Day gift.”

I peeled back the lid of the box, peeking inside. “Oh, Nero,” I gasped, grinning, “you shouldn’t have.”

PART TWO

KILLING TIME