Page 41 of The Monsters We Are

“Here is my offer,” said Adam, addressing everyone. “Yes, I will eventually come to Devil’s Cradle if the witch is not brought to me. But I do not have to destroy the place. I do not have to destroy all of you. If you agree to give Cain and the witch to me, I will quite simply take them and leave. The rest of you will be left to live here in peace with your people.”

Seth snarled. “You can shove that offer right up your ass,Father.”

Adam gave him a pitying smile. “Oh, dear boy. You may wish to pose as a Leviathan, you may possess many of their abilities, but you are not one of them. You never truly will be. As such, I am not surprised that you believe the others here would never accept my offer. You have no real concept of how callous, disloyal, and ruthless they can be. Believe me, they are tempted. Do not be shocked if they choose to betray Cain and the witch. And if you wish to live, I would advise you not to take sides.” Adam “winked” out of sight.

Cain exchanged a look with the other Ancients and then exited the psychic space. The others did the same. He dismissed the conduit, who was then escorted out of the parlor by Inanna’s aides. Now that only the Ancients filled the room, Cain said, “Well, we were right to assume he’d make an offer.”

Azazel folded his arms. “I don’t think he truly believes that the rest of us would betray you. In fact, he has to be well aware that we would not wish to give you up if for no other reason than we would then be easier for him to take out. I think he merely wishes to cause a strain on our . . . bond, for wont of a better word.”

Dantalion dipped his chin in agreement. “He hopes you will now not trust us, Cain. The Aeons really are fond of the divide-and-conquer trick.”

Seth shrugged. “It’s often successful. But it won’t be this time.”

“Definitely not,” affirmed Lilith. “His offer changes nothing. We still will not propose that we surrender Wynter to him.”

Ishtar nodded. “It will gain us nothing.”

Everyone looked at her, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

She frowned. “What? I have no liking whatsoever for the witch. Never will. But she is what Adam most wants, and he wants her alive. The moment he has her, he will no doubt seek to destroy the entire town and everyone in it—including us—to avenge Abel. I am not afraid to die. But I have no interest whatsoever in granting Adam’s wish before I do. Now if you will excuse me . . .” She strode out of the parlor.

Lilith’s brows shot up. “Well, that was a surprise.”

“Ishtar made perfect sense,” said Azazel. “But I can’t trust a single word she just spoke.”

Neither could Cain, because . . . “She has never been rational where Wynter is concerned. I don’t see why that would suddenly change.”

Inanna sidled up to him. “Your punishment had more of an impact on my sister than you know. Ishtar needs to own pretty things tofeelpretty. Adorning herself with beautiful things such as clothes and jewelry was always about more than just style. Plus, each gift she is given feeds her sense of self-validation. She may not appreciate those gifts, but she loves what they represent—that another person might adore her, even if it is only her beauty that draws them.

“I do not judge you for what you did, but she does. You destroyed all her pretty things, Cain. You destroyed all her gifts and collectibles. You left her with nothing. You made herfeelnothing for a short time. She was devastated. And she was also forced to accept that she is not as important to you as she had believed. So while she does—and will likely always—resent and loathe your consort, Ishtar will not be eager to cross you again.”

Cain would love to believe that, but he wasn’t sure he could.

“Oh, give it a few centuries and she will most likely be back to pushing your buttons and taking foolish chances,” Inanna admitted. “But for now, she is no threat to your consort simply because it would mean she was also a threat to herself. Ishtar will always put her own wellbeing first.” She then followed her sister out of the room.

Dantalion hummed. “Inanna does make a good point.”

“I hope she’s right in her assumption,” said Seth.

“As do I,” said Cain. “I would not enjoy killing one of us. But I would if I had to.”

Azazel looked at him. “And if it was because that someone was a danger to your consort, the rest of us would not blame you.”

*

Anabel dipped her face in her small brown paper bag, breathed deep through her nose, and then sighed happily. “I love the smell of chocolate brownies.”

Wynter was more interested in the warm bag of mini sugar-dusted doughnuts she’d bought. She was a sucker for carbs. She intended to devour her bag of treats as soon as she returned to the cottage.

“These little frames would be perfect for you, Wyn.” Delilah scooped up several small silverplated frames from the market table.

“They would?” asked Wynter, adjusting her grip on the slippery handles of the plastic bags she was carrying. “I’m not really seeing how.” Oh sure, the frames were pretty and all, but she didn’t have any pictures.

“You could put the little drawings you did of your deceased relatives and Rafe inside them,” said Delilah. “Then you might feel that they’re more than just doodles. And they’d look great on your ancestor altar.”

Huh. Wynter hadn’t thought of that. It was a very sweet idea. “You’re all warm and squishy inside, Del.”

The Latina frowned, offended. “I can’t believe you’d say that to me.”

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