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I smiled. “Looks like you need a new moisturizer. Your tried-and-true beauty regimen doesn’t seem like it’s working anymore.”

Mom’s lips pulled back in rage. She stepped forward, only to be halted by a silver thread of power.

Every second Donn held me, I stole his magic, slowly letting it trickle through my veins. Drop after drop after drop, I sucked his power away.

“I relish the chains I’ll put you in next, daughter of mine.”

“Mmm hmm. You won’t get a second chance.”

Mom laughed. “Look who’s holding you now. Do you really think you’ll get away from me?”

Donn stared at me like I was an interesting bug.

“He holds me. Not you. And correct me if I’m wrong, but Donn doesn’t seem to like you all that much. Does he really need you to succeed, or does he just need me?”

Mom blinked.

Donn laughed, a surprisingly warm sound. “How interesting that such a parasite managed to create such clever offspring.”

“Just one,” I said. “That’s all her dried-up womb could handle before it revolted.”

Mom hissed, green eyes flashing with fury.

I might not know how to fight as well as my friends. I might not be able to use my magic as well or create storms or shapeshift or any of the cool shit they could do, but man, I could shit talk with the best of them.

Donn grinned and brought me closer. His strange eyes took in my features, skimming down my face and body.

“Your eyes,” he murmured. “I smell the witch blood inside you mixed with…” His eyes narrowed. “Other very interesting things⁠—”

We were surrounded by his magic. I prayed he didn’t sense it inside me. If he did, all hell was about to break loose.

“Why are your eyes so dark?”

I tried to shrug, but I was tied up like a cartoon character about to be burnt on a pyre. “They turned dark when Mom fed me to a vampire.”

Donn’s eyes narrowed. “You were not bitten randomly?”

I shook my head. Donn looked at my mother. “Did you do such a thing to a helpless child?”

I relished the way my mother’s throat worked as she tried to formulate a response to justify her absolute bullshit selfishness and greed. “I needed her.”

“To maintain your youth and beauty,” Donn murmured. He clicked his tongue. “What a shame.”

He reached out and brushed my hair away from my face. “You are quite beautiful, Moira.”

Fear of a different kind bled through me.

“Would you like a gift?” he asked.

Oh shit. Be clever, Moira. Be cleverer than you’ve ever been in your entire life. “Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes,” I whispered.

His eyes lit from within, warming from cold silver to molten. “Your daughter is well-read too, Minka. Such a shame we did not find each other earlier, before you ruined this beautiful creature.”

“Beware of Greeks bearing gifts,” he murmured.

“It’s actually I fear the Greeks, even when they are bearing gifts. Though I’m surprised you know this.”

I wasn’t. Not at all. But I had to keep him on his toes.