[Adrian's POV]

Nicole's eyes were wide, curious, impossibly earnest, and for a moment I wished she were anyone else, someone I could lie to without hesitation, someone whose safety didn't already sit like a weight on my conscience.

She watched me with a kind of open fascination, the sort of look people only give when they still believe the world can be explained if you ask enough questions.

It reminded me too much of Elena when she was little, following me around our old apartment, clinging to ...