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“Uh, yeah…” I said slowly.
“And yet you don’t seem to be enjoying yourself,” he observed.
“Yeah, well, forming family bonds takes time.”
“I am immortal. I have a lot of time.” He folded his hands together. “I want to get to know you. And my granddaughter.”
So that’s what he was up to.
“This is about Sierra,” I said. “You want to get close to Sierra.”
“Yes, I already said that,” he replied, impatient.
“Sierra is none of your business,” I told him, jumping off the daybed.
He rose slowly, regally, to his feet. “She’s my granddaughter,” he said silkily.
“And you want to use her as a weapon.” I bit out the word. “Sierra is better off without a conniving grandfather like you.”
“I’m trying to make an effort here, Leda,” he said. “I made an alliance with the demons. I’ve gone along with your plans against the Guardians.”
“Yeah, because you need me. And because you want to get close to Sierra.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Of course I do,” I snapped. “Because you told me so yourself.”
“You are just being difficult.” His gaze cut into me. “As always.”
We didn’t say anything more after that—at least not for the next several hours. Faris read a book. And I tried to read a magazine. I just couldn’t concentrate well enough to do it. My mind was buzzing with worries.
The day was in full swing by now. I watched Bella through the monitor in Faris’s library. For hours, she stood perfectly still in her cell, like she was waiting for something. But what? Night was quickly approaching, and then she’d be herself again.
“You’re assuming that whatever she’s going to do, it happens today,” Faris said.
I knew he couldn’t read my thoughts—not anymore—so he must have read it all on my face.
“When you’re immortal, you learn the importance of patience,” he continued. “And striking when your enemy least expects it.”
“Well, it would appear Ava is not as patient as you.” I pointed to the monitor, which showed Bella punching her fists against the glass wall of her cell.
Blood splattered the glass. It dripped down her arms.
“She is going to hurt herself,” I said.
“It will make no difference,” replied Faris. “No matter how strong she is, no matter how hard she hits that wall, it won’t break.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” I said as the whole glass piece quaked.
“It will hold,” he assured me. “But if you’re so worried, go check it out. You’re poor company right now anyway.”
I rushed out of the library, ran through the hall, and hurried down the stairs. Around and around, deeper and deeper, until I reached the doors to the gods’ dungeon.
Neither Stash nor any other soldier was standing guard here. Which was weird.
The door was also cracked open. That was even weirder.
I slipped through the crack, into the dungeon. Bella was still pounding the glass. The whole dungeon echoed with the sound of it.
