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“Who?” I remained in the doorway. Surely they didn’t mean me. Raquel and Ashley had been very clear that my outing had been sanctioned by Silvia.
“Your mother.” He swallowed hard and shifted his feet. “We have Elizabeth in custody.”
I stared at him. I wasn’t comprehending.
“And she wants to speak to you,” he added, his lips pressing into a disapproving frown. “Alone.”
Chapter Thirteen
I paced back and forth across my bedroom, stopping every few seconds to listen. The low rumble of voices came through the wall, too quiet to make out. They’d locked me in here to discuss my mother. Like I was a child. Frustrated by the lack of news, I threw my hands in the air and began pacing again, cutting a faded path through the carpet.
Elizabeth was here. In this very dungeon. Across the hall.
Nervous energy coursed through my veins. She wanted to talk to me. The demon that lived in my mother’s body wanted to talk to me. Gabe had been dead set against the idea. He thought I would lose control if I was allowed a few minutes alone with him. To be honest, I couldn’t blame him for feeling that way. I didn’t exactly have a great track record the past few weeks. Facing my mother would be my biggest challenge yet.
“My mother.”
I let the words roll off my tongue in the silent room. It felt wrong to say them, yet, they were true. Demon and human together had birthed me. Both were responsible for my strange and cursed life. She was my mother.
The door to my room swung open. I turned to see Silvia standing in the hall, wearing a sapphire blue jumper that cinched at the waist. She rested her hand on her hip, long red nails curved slightly like claws. With a quick nod of her head, she motioned for me to come forward. Hesitating for only a second, I walked toward her and paused in my doorway.
“You will talk to her,” Silvia growled. “But only for five minutes. I want you to report back on everything she says. Do you understand me?”
I nodded my head, but I was busy watching the group of people in the living area. Oscar, Manuel, and Gabe still sat at the table. Manuel and Gabe both looked strained, as if they’d lost an argument. Oscar was picking at his nails, boredom clear on his face.
“Where’s Luke?” I asked. Surely, he should be here for this occasion. I might have demon blood, but I was still his daughter. “Why didn’t he come?”
“Luke couldn’t be here,” Silvia snapped. Grabbing my elbow, she pulled me to the next room. “No more questions. Let’s get this over with.”
There was no Earthly reason why my father would miss this. I could only think of two possible explanations: either he was being kept in the dark by Silvia or he didn’t want to see me anymore. I really hoped it was the first. The second option was too heavy to bear. But I couldn’t blame him if it was true.
As she went
to unlock the cell, I glanced one more time over my shoulder at Gabe. Dark circles hung under his worried eyes. A frown pulled at his beautiful mouth and he seemed ready to jump from the table at a moment’s notice. Our eyes met for the briefest of seconds. In that instance, I could feel the loss, the hurt, the worry that I’d put him through. My stomach clenched as guilt weighed on my shoulders.
He deserved better.
All too soon, Silvia unlocked the cell door and yanked me through, leaving me to stuff my guilt about Gabe down deep inside and focus on the task at hand. It was a room much like my own, with deep burgundy drapes, a matching comforter, and plush carpet. A four-poster bed stood in the corner, along with a TV set and lounge settee. None of that held my attention for long. In the middle of the room was a simple wooden chair. Trussed to the chair from her ankles to her shoulders sat Elizabeth. My mother.
“Lizzy.” She perked up the moment I walked through the door, her dark brown eyes shining. Eyes like Granny’s. “I knew you’d come. I knew they couldn’t keep you away from me.”
“She’s here because I told her to come,” Silvia hissed. Her eyes narrowed into harsh slits. “Don’t try anything funny. You know the deal we made. Five minutes and then you’re going to spill everything. Don’t even think about reneging on our deal. There will be consequences.”
Elizabeth tilted her head to one side and smiled softly. In her eyes, a deadly spark of violence remained. “Of course.”
“Good.” She raised her chin and flipped her hair. Turning to me, she pressed her lips together and looked down at me with disgust. “Don’t touch her. Don’t remove the ropes. Don’t even think of attempting escape. I think I’ve made myself clear. Chatting only.”
Did she forget I was the one who’d marched myself back down to the dungeon? I nodded, if only to get rid of her. It was amazing to me that someone like her could be part angel, as all Nephilim were. My dislike for her was growing by the day. If anyone had a demon inside of her, it was that one.
The door closed behind her, knocking me back into the present. My gaze slowly trailed across the room and up the woman tied to the chair. Elizabeth was watching me, her face set in a serene smile. Except for a few smudges of dirt on her pants and a bit of a bloody lip, she looked exactly as I’d seen her in the forest. Her hair fell down in gorgeous waves over her shoulders and onto the deceptively angelic creamy white blouse.
I bit the inside of my cheek, unsure what to do. It felt odd to take a seat when I didn’t even want to be here in the first place. So I shifted my feet and remained standing, wrapping my arms around my waist. If Elizabeth tried anything funny, I could make a quick run for it. Silvia hadn’t locked the door behind her. At least I had an exit.
“I can’t believe how beautiful you are.” Her lips parted in a warm smile, revealing two rows of white teeth. Her front teeth overlapped the slightest bit—just like mine. “You look a lot like your father. I’m glad. I always wished for you to be strong like him.”
I huffed and shook my head in disbelief. I’d spent my whole life wishing I could look like her, with her tiny stature and delicate features.
“What do you want?” I demanded, staring resolutely at the carpet. No need to make eye contact with the devil. “You’ve already destroyed my life in more ways than I can count. Haven’t you done enough?”
