AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I didn’t say that.” He crossed to the wardrobe and fished out another tunic. “I propose a trade. Information for information. That’s fair, no?”
“What information could you possibly need from me? Your spies are working around the clock—collecting all the whispers and juicy secrets. I don’t know anything you couldn’t find out yourself.”
“I want to know what your power is,” he dropped. “Your real power.”
I expected Selene to start kicking off again, but she was strangely silent. I was on my own.
“You know my power.” I shrugged. “Child of Eirene. Like I said the first day.”
“You lied the first day, because you can’t be a child of Eirene. If your power was to defuse anger and conflict with a single kiss, you’d have been all over Trixie.”
I froze.
“She went into detail about the many times she’s attacked and tried to kill you. Why did you waste your energy screaming and fighting back if a simple kiss would’ve ended the fight?” Sebastian peered at me through his lashes. “I’m not stupid, Vanda, and you’re not opaque. Tell me the truth and I’ll tell you the truth. Simple.”
My mind raced as fast as my pulse. What do I do? What should I say?
“Why do you care?” I stalled. “So what, I lied about my true power. According to the entire school, you and the Hell Boys are lying about your true powers too. Don’t be a hypocrite, Barba.”
He chuckled. “But that’s exactly why I want to know. There are only two reasons why someone goes to these lengths to hide their powers from their demigod brethren. Either you’re an independent thinker who finally asked yourself why it’s so important that they not only know what each of us can do, but that they also control every aspect of our lives until we’re either old or infirm?
“Or, you’re planning to fuck shit up, and you can’t have anyone knowing you were the one to fear all along.” His grin widened. “Which one is it, Aella Vanda?”
“Which one are you?”
“I asked you first.”
Stepping back, I sank into the armchair beside the fire—considering. If there was anyone on this planet who shouldn’t know my true power, it’s Sebastian Barba.
But I’ve been trying for weeks to get the dryads to talk to me, and the librarian basically confirmed that there wasn’t asingle book among those thousands that would help me. What choice do I have?
This is for Mom.
“I’m a daughter of fate.”
Sebastian’s smile melted away. “What did you say?”
“I said I’m a daughter of—”
“Who?” he barked, making me jump. “Who told you to say that to me? Was it Damien?”
“Alex? What the fuck are you talking about? Alex doesn’t know. No one does.”
He crossed the room in a bound. Grabbing my chair arms, he leaned over me—sticking his face in mine. “Are you telling the truth? You’re a daughter of fate?”
“Yes,” I cried. “And now that you’ve got your information, tell me where the entrance to the prison is.”
Sebastian didn’t appear to have heard. He muttered to himself, eyes darting around. “Credit to you, Vanda, you surprised me. Of all the powers I was thinking, I never once considered this. Am I really the only one who knows?”
“I... yes. I was told I had to keep it a secret.”
“You were told correctly. No one can know, Aella. Not your friends. Not Alex. Don’t even whisper it to your pillow at night. No one can know.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not going to go shouting about it, but eventually I will tell Alex and—”
“Did I fucking slip into ancient Greek? You can’t tell anyone!”
I jumped at the shout. I wanted to back away, but there was nowhere to go.
