Victoria stared at the back of her hand, where the phantom sensation of Alistair’s finger still burned. *S-A-V-E.*
“Save you?” Victoria whispered, her voice trembling. “Is that what you want? You want me to stop Beatrice so you can live?”
Alistair’s eyes locked onto hers. Slowly, deliberately, he blinked once. *No.*
Victoria frowned. “No?”
Alistair’s finger twitched again. He summoned the energy from the deepest reserves of his will, fighting the paralysis that felt like being buried in wet concrete. He pressed his finger to her skin again.
*Down. Across.* **F.**
*Up. Down. Cross.* **A.**
*Up. Down. Up. Down.* **M.**
Victoria watched, her breath hitching as the letters formed. He wasn’t begging for his life. He was giving orders.
*Line.* **I.**
*Down. Across.* **L.**
*Slant. Slant. Down.* **Y.**
**F-A-M-I-L-Y.**
Victoria pulled her hand back as if burned. She looked at the paralyzed man–the Titan who had once threatened to crush her son like a butterfly to make him strong. The monster who had faked his death to build an empire of blood.
“You don’t want to be saved,” Victoria realized, a chill running down her spine. “You want to help save *us*.”
Alistair blinked twice. *Yes.*