Fate's Revenge (Twisted Fate, Book 4)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

It was fun to stand back and watch Gabe and Renalda falling over Lachesis's dress as they tried to help her up, but I dreaded the moment she became free. It was that moment in a horror film you know is coming: the character is going to die, and even though you know it, you hold your hand to your eyes and peek through your fingers until it has passed. And you still jump. Was there another way out of Renalda's house? Desperate, I looked around hoping my mind could formulate a plan before I was forced to bolt.

Gabe stumbled back. A final pull from him and a push from Renalda from behind—no way could he have put his hand on Lachesis's backside without me losing our air of deception—and she was free. Lachesis let go of Gabe's hand and made a face, and then began to rearrange her skirts, patting her hair back into perfection. It must be pride. No way could someone so lacking in manners care about the appearance of having them that much.

She looked down her nose at me and raised her chin, prim and dignified, but didn't move to exact revenge. I raised an eyebrow and bit my cheek, all thoughts of fleeing gone. Looking dignified didn't command respect, just resentment. If she treated me as an equal maybe we could talk.

"Alyssa?" Gabe asked.

I looked at him, surprised to hear him speak, and then turned to Lachesis with a smile, not cocky but confident. "So?" I asked, raising my pinky to my mouth to keep from laughing. "Think you should explain what I'm capable of yet, or should I continue to be ignorant until I make another spectacle?"

Lachesis narrowed her eyes on me. "I wouldn't suggest trying that again."

"You say it like I meant to do it."

"It wouldn't have happened had you not wanted it," she said.

"It wouldn't be normal for me not to want it after what you've done to me, but I would never act on it. Not intentionally, and not if I wasn't going to be able to witness it as it happened, though I can't complain about seeing the results." I shook my head and smiled wider, dropping my hand from my mouth and losing what was left of my sanity as I stared at her and added, "If only I had a camera."

"I think..." Gabe said quickly, darting a don't-push-it glance my way. He held his hands in front of himself in a gesture of peace. "Alyssa is trying to say that she's sorry. That she didn't mean for it to happen and she'll try to ensure it doesn't happen again."

My mouth dropped, and I stared at him. That was ridiculous, so far from what I meant, and we all knew it. But by promising not to divulge my revelation regarding his identity, I'd pretty much agreed not to antagonize her no matter how much fun it was.

I rolled my eyes and turned back to Lachesis with a sigh. "I'm sorry if I hurt you." I looked at Gabe and then Lachesis, slowly smiling. "I just don't know my own strength."

Gabe groaned, looking at me like he wanted to wring my neck and tell me to cut it out. It was one way to enforce quiet time, I guess. I mean, if I couldn't breathe, I couldn't talk. Or live. Still, considering the places I'd been that didn't exactly scream with relevance to humans, I could die but still live.

"How about we just forget it happened and move on?" Renalda asked, stepping out to the side from behind Lachesis.

Renalda waved her hand and the debris of the coffee table began to piece itself back together. Even the splinters snagged in Lachesis's dress were reassembled. In less than thirty seconds, the table was restored, seamless and polished to shine, and there wasn't a single snag in the material of Lachesis's gown.

"See?" Renalda shrugged. "It's like it never happened."

Wow. Was that how easy it had been for Fate to take my life and then restore it? Like it never happened at all. Somebody should tell them that you can restore it but that wouldn't take away the fact that it happened, nor the memories of the occurrence.

"Are you ready to go?" Gabe asked Lachesis. Sneaky angel didn't leave room for rejection. No "if's" or "can we," just "when." "I think the faster we leave, the better, don't you?"

Lachesis looked at me and sighed, and then turned back to Gabe. "I am only doing this so that I don't go back on my word."

"That's fine," he said, nodding, "but that won't change why the agreement was made. Those issues won't be dispelled until you've spoken with Alyssa and your sisters, so if that is not your intention, I suggest you tell us now so that we don't waste any more time."

It wasn't his usual role, but Gabe was great at taking charge of a situation. Was it natural or a skill learned after Mike fell ill and Gabe had to become the administrator of Glory Academy? If we ever had free time, I put learning how to be a leader from Gabe as a top five in my list of things to do. After we made up for the time we'd lost by not being together.

"Just... go get ready to leave," Lachesis said, and then dismissed us both with a wave of her hand.

Gabe studied Lachesis as she turned to the wall, focused on the design she began to outline with white chalk that seemed to have appeared from nowhere in her hand. It was a rush job, so hurried the lines were light, wavy, and a tad smudged at the edges. But since she didn't try to fix it, and Renalda and Gabe didn't correct her, I assumed that meant it would work.

It didn't mean I wasn't worried Fate would trick me.

Gabe stepped back until he was at my side and nodded to the bedroom. He placed his hand against the small of my back—so light it hardly counted as a touch—and said, "This will take a while. Why don't we go wait in there so we aren't in the way?"

"Yes, please." I smiled up at him and caught Renalda staring at us from across the room.

Nope, that wasn't correct. Renalda was looking our way but her focus was on where Gabe's hand rested. Unless I'd become transparent, she couldn't really see, but the gap at our sides was probably revealing the path his arm was taking. Instead of surprise, she smiled as if it had been her plan along and she was satisfied to know that it had worked.

Renalda raised her gaze to me, cocked her head, and nodded. Then, like she'd never made the acknowledgement, she schooled her features and tuned to help Lachesis. I watched from the corner of my eye as Gabe guided me away while Renalda and Lachesis drew another symbol over the first and lit candles.

The door shut behind us just as they began burning incense. I hated incense. Was it too much to hope that the door blocked its smell as much as it did the sight? I'd be a terrible companion if the stench lingered when it was time to go. Bringing a bucket through the portal probably wasn't normal—or allowed.

Deep breath in, deep breath out. The last thing I would do was get sick so Lachesis had an excuse to terminate the agreement. I was too close to answers to sabotage it now.