said Adrian, holding his gifts toward her. “I wasn’t sure which would make for a better apology.”
Nova’s attention dipped to the daisies, then to the belt, before regarding Adrian again. Though his tone had been cheerful, she could see the anxiety underneath.
“I’m assuming your inventions were destroyed in the explosion,” he said. “I thought maybe a new tool belt could be a … new beginning?”
His hands drooped when Nova still didn’t take his offerings. “I’m sorry,” he said, with the full weight of a thousand apologies. “I should have believed you. I should have trusted you. I failed you when you needed me to be an advocate, and I know that officially makes me the worst boyfriend in the history of the world, and as much as I want to make it up to you, I will understand if you don’t want to have anything to do with me. But if … if you can possibly forgive me, then I will do everything I can to make this up to you. I know I can’t change what you’ve been through, but … I still care for you, Nova. I never stopped caring for you, and I realize what an incredible jerk I was. I’m mortified when I think of the things that I said to you, the way I treated you in there … how I didn’t stand up for you, not once, even when you kept insisting you weren’t Nightmare. I should have…” He grimaced and shook his head. “I should have believed you. I’m so, so sorry.” He hesitated, his eyes shining with words still left unspoken.
He was met with silence. Wind gusts. Sea spray.
Finally, he whispered, “Please say something.”
Nova swallowed. “Where’s my bracelet?”
Adrian’s shoulders sank, as if this were the very question he’d been hoping she wouldn’t ask.
“It was given to Magpie,” he said, and Nova had the distinct impression he was dodging liability. “I’m sure she turned it in at headquarters.”
One of Nova’s eyebrows shot upward. She was equally sure that the little thief had kept it for herself.
No matter. She could deal with that later.
“Did you draw the flowers?” she asked.
Adrian shook his head. “Bought them with actual money, at an actual florist.”
“Hmm.” Reaching forward, Nova took the belt from him and snapped it around her hips. “Well, this is the better apology. But…” She snatched the flowers away. “I’ll take these, too.”
He grinned, but it was fleeting. “You’ll see there’s another gift there,” he said, indicating a pouch on the belt. “From the Council, actually.”
With a twinge of suspicion, Nova opened the pouch and pulled out …
A metal face mask.
Not her metal face mask, but one that was similar enough that it immediately set her palms to sweating, and her mind returning to that refrain—It’s a trap!
She wondered how much Adrian must hate her to have agreed to be part of such a cruel ambush. But his expression stayed sincere and warm.
She trained her focus on the mask again and flipped it over a few times. It was larger than Nightmare’s mask, with parallel slits in the front and small filtering chambers that would rest against her cheeks.
“It’s a gas mask,” said Adrian. “Kind of a crude design, but they didn’t want to delay the manufacturing of them. Every patrol unit is being equipped with these going forward, you know, after Nightmare got her hands on Agent N and made those gas bombs.”
“Oh,” said Nova. “Right.” Her fingers were trembling as she tucked the mask back into the pouch. “Thanks?” She stepped around Adrian and headed toward the waiting boat.
No one jumped forward to stop her. There were no weapons directed her way. The captain even tipped his hat as he welcomed her aboard.
As soon as her feet were no longer on the dock, giddy ripples pulsed beneath her skin. Most of Adrian’s apology was lost in the tumult of her confused thoughts, but there were phrases that clung to her, loud and clear.
Adrian had never stopped caring for her … even when he believed she was Nightmare? She wanted to dig further into that statement, but she resisted, knowing that she didn’t deserve his remorse.
And also … boyfriend? This, too, echoed in her memory as she sat on the first narrow bench, scooting over to the window of the boat and grateful that no guards stepped forward to latch her ankle to the metal rings on the wet floor. She laid the flowers across her lap, their wrapping of butcher paper crinkling against