Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 125083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 417(@300wpm)
Maybe, maybe not. But wanting this conversation over with, Wynter continued to play the part of the crushed female. “It’s so hard to accept that he had me so fooled. He said so many sweet things to me. And he always insisted on me sleeping in his bed at night.”
A hardness slid into Ishtar’s expression at the latter comment, but it quickly melted away. “Of course he did. As I said, he wishes to keep you close.”
Wynter groaned. “I feel so stupid.”
“You are not stupid, dear girl. He is simply a very accomplished liar who reads people well. He senses what they’ll need to hear, and he tells them those very things.” Seemingly satisfied that her work was done, Ishtar rose. “Now I must go. I am sure I will see you at the festivities tonight. Do enjoy yourself. And best of luck with Seth. If anyone can keep you safe from Cain, it is him.” The Ancient then breezed out of the cottage.
Delilah stepped into the doorway of the living area. “What in the world was that?”
“A play of some kind,” Wynter replied. “Whether or not she’s telling the truth about Cain being willing to hand me over to the Aeons at a later date, I don’t know. But she did not come here out of any concern for me, so why else tell me all that?”
Delilah leaned against the doorjamb. “To shake any faith you might have in Cain? To make you distance yourself from him?”
“But why, though? I know she wants Cain, but she can’t possibly view me as a true threat. She sees me as a mere mortal—weak, naïve, easily manipulated. She thinks nothing of mortals.”
“Exactly. To her, you’re nothing. And yet, you have him; she doesn’t. That stabs her ego. It’s all about how she feels.”
“I guess. Still, this doesn’t add up to me. I mean, she put a whole lot of effort into trying to make me believe that Cain will one day betray me. Why warn me, when she’d surely be finding it amusing that I’m being played? Why shorten her fun? Why not prefer to wait for the day where I get to see for myself that I’m nothing to him so she can laugh at my expense?”
Delilah frowned. “Maybe you’re wrong in believing she doesn’t see you as a threat. Something about your relationship with Cain unsettled her enough to inspire her uppity ass to come all the way here and sow some seeds of distrust.” She paused. “Are you going to tell him about her impromptu visit?”
“Probably not. He wouldn’t like it. I don’t want the Ancients arguing among themselves at a time when their enemies could potentially arrive.”
“You don’t want to ask Cain about it? You don’t want to find out if just maybe there is something they’ll offer him in trade?”
“You think he’d really be upfront about it if there was?”
“I guess not, but it’s worth asking. We need to know, Wyn. We need to be sure these people will truly keep you safe.”
Wynter leaned forward in her seat. “You’re now thinking it might be good for us to just cut and run.”
“Yeah, I am.”
“Maybe that’s what she intended. Maybe that was the purpose of her little visit.”
Delilah squinted. “Huh. Maybe.”
“Look, I’m not going to dash out of here in a blind panic. For all we know, the Aeons have people watching Devil’s Cradle. If I get the sense—or an otherworldly warning—that we need to leave, then that’s what we’ll do. At the moment, I’m not feeling that. And I have to consider that Ishtar could simply be playing mind games.”
“Do you trust Cain to keep you safe?”
“At all costs? No. I don’t trust that any of the Ancients will. But there is a strong chance that they’ll back me, even though it would only be to piss off the Aeons.”
“And if they don’t back you?”
Wynter felt her face harden. “I’ll wreak the kind of havoc they’ll have never seen coming.”
*
Okay, so she hadn’t expected this when she walked into the arena. People weren’t ushered into the spectator area. They were guided to the performance space, which had been made into a makeshift gambling area. There were blackjack tables, roulette wheels, craps tables, and roped-off poker games. There were also several stalls scattered around featuring carnival games such as Hoopla, Basketball, Ball and Bucket Toss, and Tin Can Alley. The battle square was once more exposed, and the people surrounding it took bets as others went head to head in the square.
The combination should have been weird, but it worked. There was something for everyone.
Hattie glanced around, excited. “All that’s missing are male pole dancers. That would make my night complete.”
Xavier snickered. “I don’t think George would like watching you ogle other men. But hey, there’s apparently gonna be some kind of Vegas-like show after everyone’s eaten, so maybe they’ll have some male strippers.”