For his part, he didn't take a drink. Not yet. He needed to be clear headed so that he shared just what he wanted to and nothing more. It was easy talking to Ava, always had been, and he couldn't risk oversharing and risking her as much as himself.

He didn't sit down, pacing by the window. "Well, it's true. I am. I found out... When I was in Africa, there was a threat. Drug lords came in, preparing to kill us all. I didn't even know what I was. The fire's we had been cooking over flared up. I was scared, panicked even. I had faced a lot of death but this? This was it," he said, toying with the glass but not drinking.

"I woke up and the entire place was burned down. Everyone was dead. Even the families that had been helping me with my story."