Fate's Revenge (Twisted Fate, Book 4)

Chapter Thirty-Six

Maybe Gabe had done it on purpose this time. Perhaps that was his intention earlier, before I ruined it by interrupting. In light of that, this couldn't be an oversight. It wasn't a mistake. Leaving the bedroom door open just enough for me to hear but not become noticed had to be a conscious choice he'd made for my benefit.

So was moving the discussion from the kitchen to the living room.

At first, Lachesis questioned their proximity to me, but Gabe assured her I was resting. That it wouldn't be a factor. Not once did he lie and say I was sleeping. Taken literally, I had been resting ten minutes before when he left the room, if lying on my back with my hands resting behind my head while I stared at the ceiling was a form of relaxation. Since he couldn't lie, it must be.

"She won't stay," Gabe told them matter-of-factly.

Lachesis's reply was too quiet to hear. As soft as I could, I moved from the bed closer to the door, crawling on my hands and knees across the floor. By the time Gabe spoke again, my ear was almost against the wood. It was better than a glass to the wall, almost as good as being in the room with them—being included.

"She'll only stay if she can speak with the Sisters," he said, his tone defensive. "All the Sisters, Lachesis. That means we have to go to your home and include Clotho and Atropos."

"No."

"Lachesis—"

"No."

"Why? Do you want her to leave?" he challenged in response to her no-nonsense, I-don't-care-if-you-need-me single word answer. "Alyssa has gone to Hell's Fire on her own. She came here on her own. And you know what? None of that has given her the answers she's been asking for since before we brought her to Glory Academy. If she's done all of that already, what else do you think she will do? Hmm? You say she's so important but you never do anything to try to keep her from running away. You push her. I don't blame Alyssa for wanting to leave. I would."

"Then I'll talk to her," she said. The determination she'd used to object turned into well-versed negotiation. Stern, prim, and used to getting her own way. It's like she took what Gabe had said and heard only what she wanted and answered with the most inconvenient solution.

"That's not what she wants," Gabe ground between clenched teeth.

"That's what I'm offering."

"Renalda?" Gabe asked.

A slight rustling sounded and then Renalda said, "Yes?" She cleared her throat. "What is it?"

I nudged the door open another inch and held my breath, hoping nobody would notice. The stand-off I saw in my mind needed confirmation. The way Gabe was speaking to Lachesis, and the way she was caving, made me hope. For once, maybe someone other than me was fighting for what I wanted.

For once, it felt like it might happen.

"Do you have a dictionary?" he asked, suddenly sounding carefree.

"Uh..."

I bit my cheek to keep from laughing. Gabe was staring at Lachesis with an eyebrow raised. Renalda, with all her powers, looked flustered, and Lachesis... she looked annoyed. It was great. Lachesis vs. Gabe, with Renalda stuck in between.

"Can either of you tell me the definition of what an ultimatum means?" he asked, but not in a way that expected an answer. "An ultimatum, which is what Alyssa has given, leaves you with choices. A or B, either-or." He sucked in a deep breath and weighed his hand like a scale—perfectly balanced until he began explaining more, one hand raising higher than the other and then switching as the options changed. "You choose to let her talk with all the Sisters, or you resign to the fact that she'll leave."