Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 121324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 485(@250wpm)___ 404(@300wpm)
Neither had Cain’s sisters, so it was little surprise that they hadn’t survived the war. He hadn’t mourned them, because they’d never been sisterly toward him. Like Abel, they’d thought Cain abhorrent.
Ishtar shook her head. “I don’t trust her reasons for being here.”
“If it was Inanna who had come,” began Dantalion, “you would want to give her the chance to prove her loyalty. Can you deny that?”
Ishtar snapped her mouth shut. After a long moment, she let her arms slip to her sides. “Just keep them away from me while they are here. Assuming they still wish to stay after you inform them of the price they would need to pay, that is.” With that, she opened the parlor door and breezed inside. Cain and the other Ancients followed.
Eve cleared her throat, clearly nervous. “So, what will be our fate?”
“We have a rule here,” Cain revealed. “Those who come to reside at Devil’s Cradle will be sheltered, protected, and not held responsible for past crimes. If someone were to come for them, we would refuse to hand them over. But there is a price.”
“Which is?” asked Eve.
“Partial rights to their soul,” Cain replied. “The only way you three would be permitted to stay is if you agreed to pay that price.”
“If you betrayed us, well, I don’t have to tell you what would happen to your soul,” said Dantalion. “And it wouldn’t be either Cain or Seth who owned those rights. It would be someone who is an impartial judge where you three are concerned.”
“That being you?” Eve asked.
“Yes,” Dantalion replied. “You would also be closely watched at all times, and you would stay with Seth at his Keep.”
Rima squinted. “How do we know you won’t do something horrible to our souls just because?”
“I guess you don’t,” said Dantalion, throwing her earlier words back at her.
Her face tightened. “I don’t like this.”
“We do not really have much choice,” Noah said to his sister. “People at Aeon are distracted right now, especially Abel and Adam. But we still only have a week at most before it’s discovered that the three of us aren’t where we said we would be. Someone will head to the fishing cabin to check how we are holding up while ‘deep in grief over Lailah’s loss,’ even if only to be nosy. We’ll be hunted by the Aeons when it becomes clear that we have fled. We won’t be safe out there.”
“But I’m not so sure we’ll be any safer here,” Rima fired back.
Eve looked up at her grandchildren. “I wish to stay. But I will leave with you if you cannot agree to pay the price for a place here. I will not abandon you. You are my grandchildren, I owe you both my life, and I will not see you alone.”
The three Aeons went forwards and backwards for a while, bouncing from being inclined to stay to being too fearful of what may happen to their souls. Eventually, they declared that they would like to stay at Devil’s Cradle, but they had a condition of their own—they did not wish to be made to fight against the other Aeons if there was a second battle. That was fine with Cain and the other Ancients, because none would trust that the three Aeons wouldn’t turn on them at some point during the battle anyway.
Once the trio had officially ceded partial rights to their souls to Dantalion and were subsequently marked, Seth announced that he would take them to his Keep and get them settled. The three Aeons moved to follow him out of the room.
Eve lingered and palmed Cain’s cheek. “It has been far too long since I looked upon this face. I hope you will visit me at Seth’s home. I get the feeling that I will rarely be allowed to leave it. At least for now.”
“I will visit,” Cain told her.
She smiled. “Thank you.” With that, she left.
Ishtar threw Cain a hard look. “I do hope you know what you’re doing. Because I strongly suspect that this will backfire on all of us.” She then marched out of the parlor.
Azazel exhaled heavily. “I’d like to say she’s being a bitch by being so negative, but she’s got every reason to doubt the motives of the Aeons.”
“She has,” Cain allowed. “That’s why I don’t want them near Wynter.” He wondered what his witch’s opinions would be on the matter. She had a different way of looking at things. And, being unbiased when it came to Cain’s family, she wouldn’t hold opinions that would be tainted by the same level of distrust that the Ancients felt toward them.
“Their presence here will cause some discomfort among the townspeople,” Lilith predicted.
“Good,” said Dantalion. “It will make them stay alert around the trio.”
“If Saul continues to linger, he will hear that they are here,” said Inanna. “He might have even seen them arrive, if he’s close by. He could take that information back to Aeon. But if he really has detached himself from the others, I doubt he will do them any favors.”