“You’re–” she starts, but is cut off when the guard opens the door.
That’s when I realize my day is probably about to take a turn for the worse.
Lilanthara stands in the doorway. Once again, she’s adorned in rose gold, but today, her dress has enough glitter that I’m pretty sure she could get away with calling it reflective gear. Her wings are folded neatly behind her, and she doesn’t have a hair out of place.
I wonder if she’s glamouring, or if she spends hours every day achieving this level of perfection.
The evil twin saunters into the room, and the door closes silently behind her. Her serene mask melts away as she glances between Nymara and me. She looks at us like a cat who’s just caught a mouse between its claws.
“Well, well. Doesn’t this seem like a stiflingly boring get-together?” She asks, taking a seat in a low-backed chair.
I’m torn between wanting to ask her if she has a pair of sunglasses I can borrow, since her glitter is blinding me, or keeping silent. I haven’t seen her since the Council dinner where she saw me steal a knife. Yet she still hasn’t said a word. It’s killing me that I don’t know why she’s staying silent. Is she trying to help me? Or does she want leverage?
A clicking fills the tense silence as Lilanthara drums her fingernails (claws) on the chair’s wooden armrest. “I’ve graciously given up an hour of my time, on Need’s instruction, to provide you with an example, so that you can learn how to act like a proper Creator,” she pauses like she’s waiting for some kind of acknowledgment for her sacrifice.
“Mmhmm,” I mumble.
The staccato of her nails stops short, and she sneers at me. “However, I know a lost cause when I see one.You aren’t fit to hold power of any kind, and I don’t like to waste my time.”
Leverage is looking far more likely.
Shame.
She examines her cuticles, and her wings give a slight twitch. “Still, we have an hour, so why don’t we have some fun?”
There’s an evil gleam in her eyes, and I get the distinct feeling that her idea of fun is going to be anything but. Nymara must agree. Her gaze is now fixed on the floor, and her posture is rigid. Even with her loose black dress, I can tell she’s breathing faster.
Is she afraid?
“You know, you really are a complete stranger to us, Vivian,” Lilanthara continues, her voice turning sickeningly sweet, “and I would justloveto learn more about you as a person. I ran into Leon this morning, and he mentioned you must follow my orders.”
Alarm bells go off in my head. “I’m an open book. Ask away.” Hopefully, my easy agreement will stop her from using the leash.
She giggles, and the sound is eerily similar to Rosie’s laugh. “Don’t be silly, just because Leon is a lovesick moron, doesn’t mean we all are.”
Oh, this is not good.
Just as I try to think of something to say that will distract her, Lilanthara snaps, “Vivian, you will answer my questions truthfully.”
Fuck.
“Do you love Leon?” From the knowing smirk on her face, she already knows the answer.
The leash tugs on my mind. “No,” I answer through my teeth.
Lilanthara leans forward in her chair, excited. “And do you love the other Destroyer, Sin?”
Ice crawls down my spine when she says his name, and I bite my bottom lip, trying to force my mouth shut.
“Yes!” The word is all but wrenched from my lungs.
A Cheshire cat grin forms on her face. “Oh, this is positively scandalous information.”
Goosebumps prickle over my skin. I keep my eyes fixed on the wall, forcing my expression into indifference. If she can’t pull a reaction, maybe she’ll get bored.
“And I’m sure you would hate for Leon to learn this information, wouldn’t you?” Lilanthara purrs, clearly not done with me.
A sliver of tension eases in my chest. She’s not sprinting off to tell Leon. If anything, I’m pretty sure she wants to blackmail me. Considering she already caught me stealing a knife, I’m not sure why she’s bothering.
