Page 139 of Terror at the Gates

I raised a brow at my father’s use of his full given name.

“A pleasure, Miss Leviathan,” he said.

“Do you go by all those names, or may I call you Mr. Caiaphas?” I asked.

His smile was warm and genuine. “You may call me whatever you’d like.”

“That is a brave offer,” I said. “What if you don’t like what I choose?”

“Lilith—” My mother’s voice was a chiding whisper. Her hand came to rest on my forearm, squeezing tight, but Macarius laughed, and she released me.

“Lucius said you were clever. I am happy to learn he did not exaggerate.”

“I’m sure he meant it as more of a warning,” I said, delivering my line as if it were a joke, though everyone knew it wasn’t.

Still, we laughed.

I was sure it was a perfect shot for the photographer who stood nearby, snapping candids. Before the night ended, my mother would review every still and every video, approving only the best footage for the media. It was just one way shecontrolled our family’s image and probably the only reason she hadn’t sent me packing the moment I walked through the door.

“So what do you do, Miss Leviathan?” Macarius asked.

The color wasn’t even finished draining from my face before my mother jumped to answer his question.

“Lilith is proselytizing in Nineveh,” she said, placing her hand on her chest as if she were somehow emotionally invested in my life. “You know how lost some of those souls have become.”

Macarius’s eyes shifted to me, shining with admiration.

“That is a noble endeavor,” he said. “You both must be proud.”

My mother made a noise. I thought it was supposed to be the hum of an agreement, but it sounded more like someone had kicked her in the shin.

“Of course, but we miss her dearly.”

I could tell she’d turned to look at me. I met her gaze, wanted to see if she looked as sincere as she sounded.

She didn’t.

“Luckily,” my mother continued, “she will be returning to usverysoon.”

Her threat straightened my spine, but I donned a bright smile.

“So she says every year,” I said, turning my attention to Macarius as I gushed. “Yet my parents are never willing to deny my passions. Isn’t it a rare gift to be born into such a spectacular family?”

Fuck me. I hadn’t lied this much in my entire life.

Macarius’s eyes did not waver from mine, and for the first time since I’d been introduced to him, I felt uneasy beneath the intensity of his gaze. “Rare indeed,” he agreed. “You are very lucky, Miss Leviathan.”

My father cleared his throat and placed a hand on Macarius’s back. “Perhaps we should leave the ladies and continue our earlier conversation in my office?”

“Of course,” Macarius said, his attention sliding back to me as he inclined his head. “It was a pleasure, Miss Leviathan. Mrs. Leviathan.”

He and my father ascended the stairs, and I maintained my smile, even as the tips of my mother’s nails dug into my injured wrist.

She leaned in, her voice low and lethal.

“Howdareyou embarrass me,” she hissed. “Arriving on the arm of Zahariev Zareth and inthatdress!”

“And to think I praised you for being such a supportive mother,” I said.

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