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“You might want to remember that too, the next time you devise ways to manipulate me,” I told her.
Faris’s maniacal laughter rang in my ears. “I told you Grace is a master manipulator.”
I turned sharply toward him. “Don’t celebrate too soon. I don’t trust either of you as far as I can throw you—blindfolded. And with both my hands tied behind my back.”
“As usual, your attempt to ‘lighten the mood’ with humor falls flat,” he said in a bored voice, cutting out with his sword as a newly arrived monster jumped at us.
Grace shot a spell at another monster—and she shot snark at Faris. “As does your attempt to turn Leda against me.”
“Don’t you two ever stop bickering?” I demanded of both my insane parents, joining them in attacking the winged rat-like monsters trying to swarm us.
“No,” Grace said.
“Such a task is impossible as long as she continues talking,” Faris added.
Grace rolled her eyes; it was such a human gesture. “You know, if I didn’t have my hands full killing monsters, I’d kill you right here and now.”
Faris’s sword burst into flames. “You and what army?”
“I don’t need an army to take you down, Faris. I don’t even need any magic. I could do it with nothing but this knife.” She held up a short knife in front of his face.
Faris gave the knife a cold, derisive look. “Pretty trinket. Try not to hurt yourself with it.”
Grace and Faris rushed toward each other, murder screaming in their eyes. I should have let them do it. Their deaths would have saved me a lot of aggravation. But two deities engaged in a fight to the death was not a pretty sight. They didn’t look out for anyone, and collateral damage wasn’t even a problem in their book. Well, it was a problem in my book. A big problem. My little sisters were here, and I was going to keep them safe.
So I planted myself between my fighting parents. “Behave yourselves, or I’ll kick both your asses. Seriously, two deities should be able to behave with better manners than a pair of lovestruck teenagers.”
“What did you say?” Anger boomed in Faris’s voice.
Grace stiffened. She puffed out her chest and rolled back her shoulders. “I beg your pardon?”
“You heard me,” I said. “And, yes, you should be begging my pardon. And my sisters’ pardon too. Get your shit together or get a room.”
Grace was stunned to silence. Faris looked like he was going to smite me. I forced myself to keep my eyes on him and not look up at the foreboding sky, even though I could hear it swirling up a storm past the big hole in the ceiling.
Tessa snickered, but the sound was so soft, I could barely hear it over the clinking of Gin’s tools. My crazy parents and I didn’t say anything for the next few minutes while Gin worked, Tessa helped her, and the rest of us fought off the flying rat monsters.
But at a lull in the wave of charging beasts, Grace turned to Faris. “So you are really going to continue this pretense that you didn’t take Leda from me?”
“I did not take her. If I had, she would have grown up by my side, not on the streets of Earth’s Frontier like a dirty urchin.” When Faris looked at me, his nose scrunched up like he’d smelled something particularly foul.
Grace’s eyes narrowed to slits. “So I suppose a newborn baby just got up and walked away all by herself?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said impatiently. “Isn’t it obvious who took her? It was your sister Sonja.”
Grace laughed at him. “If Sonja had taken Leda, she’d have grown up by my sister’s side. Or under her boot.”
“Yes, but Sonja has never been very good at holding on to her toys.” His brows arched. “Or at keeping them in one piece, especially the toys she steals from others.”
“Thea,” Grace said.
Faris nodded curtly. “To name just one of many examples. Instead of making a nuisance of yourself here, Grace, what you really should be doing is talking to Sonja.”
Grace seemed to be considering the idea, but then she shot him an incredulous look. “You’re trying to get rid of me.”
“Yes, of course I wish to be rid of you. You’re getting on my nerves. But that doesn’t mean I’m wrong about Sonja.”
Grace’s eyebrows furrowed. “I will deal with Sonja later. I’m not leaving.”
