“I still can’t see. But know this, demon…” her voice was different, as if something orsomeonewas speaking through her.
“If you attempt to separate the witch from her fate, all of us will die.”
“Including Danica?”
She gave me a look that might have been amused had her eyes not still been filled with sorrow. “If you’re thinking about sacrificing the many to save the one, know that if you attempt such a thing, her death will be the stuff of nightmares.”
* * *
DANICA
My father lifted his head, the blood draining from his face. We silently surveyed each other, and my entire body went numb.
His hair was dark, like mine, but matted and tangled as it fell to his shoulders. Grime and dirt covered his face, but I could see hints of my own features. And his eyes… his eyes were all mine.
They glittered in the dim light, and unlike Lucifer’s cold, reptile eyes, they were filled with warmth.
“My daughter,” he croaked out. He got to his knees, and his wings—dull and filthy—spread out behind him. His gaze dropped, sweeping around his cell, and I got the feeling he was… embarrassed for me to see him like this.
Compared to the cells above us, he had a few more creature comforts. A bed, for one thing, and a mirror that was cracked in a starburst that suggested someone had slammed their fist into it.
My gaze returned to the man who was slowly getting to his feet, his expression shell-shocked, as ifIwas a ghost.
I knew the feeling.
“Agates,” I said.
His face turned blank, and I inwardly winced. Had he expected me to call him Dad? He recovered enough to attempt a smile.
“Danica. I hadn’t dared hope you’d find me.”
“Have you been down here the whole time?”
He nodded, and his expression twisted with grief. “I wanted nothing more than to be by your side. To protect you and your mother. To watch you grow up. Returning to my father was the most difficult thing I ever did, but I thought it was the best way to keep you safe. To ensure he never knew where I had been.”
“Who betrayed you?”
The hint of a smile flirted around his mouth. “My fierce daughter. Would you make them pay?”
“Of course.”
“It’s not your job to fight my battles. It’s my job to fight yours. And I can only beg your forgiveness for not being there. For leaving you to fight all your battles alone.”
We stared at each other silently some more.
I swallowed. “My mom… she’s gone.”
Sorrow twisted his face. A sorrow so deep and all-consuming that I had to look away.
“Yes,” he murmured, his voice thick with grief. “I heard. I still have enough of those loyal to me that I was given the news before my father could visit and announce her death.”
I’d bet Lucifer had enjoyed that. “Why is he like this?”
My father sighed. “He has always been this way, ever since I was a small child, although he has gotten progressively worse. My mother… I believe they were a love match, although no one speaks of her. When he created the mine, filled it with slaves… she was horrified, and told him she would no longer visit his bed. Could no longer touch someone who would create something so evil. But she was already pregnant with me.
“Lucifer attempted to convince her that everything he was doing was for her safety. Formysafety. But my mother knew better. She had, after all, fallen for someone who had stolen another’s throne. She wasn’t naïve, but felt that if she couldn’t help who she loved, perhaps she could make him change.”
I shook my head at that. She should’ve known better. Evil men don’t change.
