Lucien told him the full truth two nights later, in the dark of his own bedroom, in the particular hour when confessions come easier than they do in daylight.

"I've told you fragments," he said, staring at the ceiling rather than at Ezra beside him. "The fog. My grandfather. I don't think I've ever actually told anyone the whole of it. Not even Nathan, after four years."

"You don't have to tell me now, if it's not time."

"I want to." Lucien turned his head, finding Ezra's eyes in the dim light. "You should know exactly what you're choosing, if you're choosing this. Choosing me."

Ezra went still, giving him...