For a second, Alessio didn’t breathe.
Couldn’t.
Two Noas.
Same face. Same scars. Same lazy tilt of the mouth like they were seconds away from saying something he’d regret hearing.
The one in his arms was still and faintly glowing. The one in the doorway was standing, eyes open, shoulders squared, gaze locked right on him.
“What” The word came out raw. Alessio stopped himself before finishing it. He wasn’t about to give either of them the satisfaction of hearing the question.
The standing Noa smiled. A real one, not the twisted metallic imitation the drones had worn. The curve was soft. Almost sweet.
“Hello, Alessio.”
Every nerve in his body went on alert. “You’re not him.”
The smile didn’t fade.
“Aren’t I?”
Ivy’s voice crackled faint in his ear. “Alessio, I’m picking up—what the
