72. (Clay POV)

I lied.

There, I admitted it. At least to myself.

I told Luke and Lexi I was just taking the treaty to the council, that was true, but my mind was gnawing on another agenda. Professor Gray at the university might have some insights into the whirlpool of emotions and unprecedented connections enveloping me, Lexi, and Luke. I needed clarity, and I hoped Gray could provide some.

Handing over the treaty to the council was straightforward, almost disappointingly so. I was in and out in less than a minute. The ease of it tempted me. A small voice in the back of my mind whispered that I could just drive back home, immerse myself in whatever Luke and Lexi were wrapped up in. Their emotional proximity pulsed through me, like the low hum of a sweet melody. But I sighed, steering my car toward the university.

When I arrived, I slipped quietly into Professor Gray's lecture hall. I didn't want to disturb him, just listen and eventually ask him the questions that were burning a hole in my psyche.