Infinity Reaper (Infinity Cycle #2) - Adam Silvera Page 0,160

the last instructions, soaking the Dayrose root in phoenix tears and setting the potion to a high boil. This will be ready in minutes, and then I’ll figure out when I might meet up with Wyatt on the other side of infinity.

There’s a knock on the door, and at first I think he’s a ghost because I’m still not used to Ness being alive, let alone here in the Sanctuary. He walks through the lab, paying no mind to anything but me, and straight into my arms. The last time we hugged was when I ran straight into his arms for coming back to help me at Nova, and before that was when we were parting ways, unsure if we’d ever see each other again.

“You shouldn’t have rescued me,” Ness says, holding me close.

“Got to live up to my nickname,” I say.

“Popping up like a firefly in the night.” He steps back to look me in the eyes. “It was a great surprise, don’t get me wrong. But busting into the Bounds? I don’t know that I could’ve pulled that off.”

“You would’ve tried. I owed you the same respect.”

Ness sits on a stool, grinning up at me. “I guess we’re stuck in our very own infinity cycle, taking turns saving each other from doom. Hopefully we don’t get separated again. I like the idea of us staying together. A lot.”

“Me too.”

There’s so much unspoken between us that when I’m reading between the lines it’s like I’m finding all the right words in caps lock.

I’m blushing and turn to the Starstifler as if there’s more for me to do here besides make sure it doesn’t blow up in its final minutes brewing. “How are you feeling?”

“Physically? All healed up, but exhausted. Emotionally? Relieved to be here and terrified that someone will drag me back to the manor or the Bounds at any moment. Psychologically? Destroyed over how a father could try to have his son killed and then greet his resurrection by using his powers for political gain.”

“He tried to kill you?”

“The Blackout,” Ness says, and explains everything to me about how Iron and Luna tag-teamed that terrorist attack to gain support and sympathy for the presidential campaign. “I’ve only ever been a pawn in their games. Someone to carry out missions and then sacrificed for the greater good.”

I already wanted more for Ness when I thought his father was just abusing his powers, but to discover that Iron tried to blow up his son? There are no words.

“You’re probably thinking it can’t get worse, right? Luna turned the Senator into a specter with shifting powers of his own.”

I don’t give a shooting star what anyone says; this insanity feels like it’s ripped out of some dystopian novel, and I’m scared I might be one of the heroes expected to save the world.

“Okay, that’s absolutely wild, but we can stop him. This is the power-binding potion from Bautista’s journal. You just mix a specter’s blood into a vial of the Starstifler and their powers won’t work anymore.”

“Knowing our luck, it won’t work.”

“I’ve seen it work. I sort of went back in time.”

“You did what?”

There’s so much to catch him up on, all the way back to the Crowned Dreamer battle where Brighton stole the Reaper’s Blood, but I focus on what brought us here to the New Ember Sanctuary—our temporary split from the Spell Walkers, discovering Maribelle and I could retrocycle, going through Bautista’s and Sera’s lives, learning about Luna being Maribelle’s mother, and bringing back the ingredients to the Starstifler.

Ness is staring in awe. “I’ve just been grounded in my bedroom and impersonating a bunch of people.”

“That’s definitely a lot.”

He begins pacing around the lab. “This makes sense. Luna was telling me about having a child, which was news to me and . . . I never thought it was Sera Córdova. Being the Senator’s son ranks high in awfulness, but so does being Luna’s granddaughter.”

“No offense, but Maribelle pretty much only went to the Bounds to kill Luna.”

“None taken. I hope she gives her the death she deserves.” He stops pacing in front of the cauldron. “So this can disempower the Senator.”

“And us,” I say. I turn off the cauldron and the Starstifler smells like nature, which my city nose appreciates. “It’s ready.”

I let it cool down while reflecting on everything that had to happen to get to this point. My powers had to manifest, no matter how much pain they’ve put me through ever since, and now I’ll