“I’m adapting to my environment,” she replies with a sigh.
We continue, cards snapping onto the table in a steady rhythm.
“How would you like to move out of this cave?” I ask neutrally.
Simone’s eyes shoot up. “You’re letting me go?”
A muscle ticks in my jaw as I clench my teeth. I shouldn’t care that she’s still dreaming of freedom—it’s only natural. So why do I?
“I’m having a place built for us by the Lethe.” I’m not yet, but I will be as soon as I leave here. “It will have room for state-of-the-art sewing and designing equipment. And a garden. Do you want a garden? Do you want pets? I’m not sure if any animals from the human world could survive here, but if any could, it would be chicken, right? You love Eggs Benedict.”
I don’t think I ever rambled before. She’s driven me to rambling.
Simone just looks at me, then down at her cards. On her signal, we flip another pair. Two eights.
“Ah,” I murmur. “War.”
Neither of us says anything for a moment. I can’t bring myself to jovially suggest a tiebreaker.
“You’re really never letting me go, are you?” she finally questions softly. It’s not even an accusation. She seems resigned and a bit broken.
I scratch my chest over my shirt, wondering at the sudden stabbing itch. Am I failing? Do I need to feed?
“Next round decides the winner,” Simone says, surprising me with the change of subject. Gratefully, I nod, and we hold each other’s gazes as we flip our cards, then look down.
She flipped a queen of hearts. I flipped a six of diamonds. How fitting.
“Temporary setback,” I declare as she pulls the heap to herself.
“I like eggs, but chickens freak me out,” she says like we didn’t pause to play. “I think it’s the beaks.”
“Hmm,” I consider. “There’s a baby imp named Puck who loiters around my brother’s home?—”
“No!” she rushes to interrupt me. “Absolutely no imps, baby or otherwise.”
I press my lips together to keep from smiling. “Fine. We’ll shelve the pet idea for now and get working on the sewing room instead.”
“Fine.”
“Fine. Shall we play another round?” I suggest, my mood much improved from minutes ago.
“Only if you want to lose again,” she replies, already shuffling the cards.
This is a new development, and I have much to do. Half of my attention is already creating a list of tasks for Forneus, wanting to ensure it all goes perfectly.
I don’t recall anything ever scaring me… But holding on to hope that I’m making progress with her? It’s daunting.
16
SIMONE
Ilook up at the house Az brought me to, squinting at the odd brightness in this area of Hell. The Lethe also flows through Heaven, so it’s lusher and has a more pronounced day and night cycle.
I’m itching to explore my surroundings, see if I can recognize where we are in relation to Abaddon, but he’s standing right here, watching me. No matter where I turn, I can see him from the corner of my eye.
“Well?” he prompts. “Do you like it?”
“I can’t believe this was built in just a couple of weeks,” I say, looking at the black stone and wood, all covered in embellishments that remind me of a Tim Burton movie. “It looks like it’s been here for hundreds of years.”
