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“You’re all dismissed,” he told them, short and not-so-sweet.

The room cleared out very quickly.

Once the last soldier had left and we were alone, Nero turned to me and said, “No.”

“No?” I laughed to cover my sigh. “I haven’t even told you my plan yet.”

“You wanted to discuss it with me in private. That alone tells me that I’m not going to like it.”

“You might?” I said, smiling.

He gave me a flat look.

My smile wobbled. “Ok, fine. You aren’t going to like it at all.” I couldn’t hold back the sigh this time. “But it’s our only chance of getting into that castle and defeating the Guardians and their psycho allies once and for all. And wemustdefeat them, Nero. We both know Mordon will never stop his attacks on Sierra. He won’t give up until he’s taken control over her body and all its magic.” I swallowed the dread creeping up my throat. “At least not unless I offer him something else.”

Nero’s hand flashed out, catching mine. “No.” His voice dropped to a blistering hiss. “Absolutely not.”

“I haven’t even told you what I’d offer him.”

“You don’t need to. I know you, Leda. You plan to offer yourself to Mordon instead.” His grip tightened around my wrist, and his signal was clear: he wasn’t ever letting me go.

“It’s the only way forward, Nero,” I said. “And I’m not actually offering myself up to Mordon. It’s just a trick.”

“A. Trick.” Nero spoke each word sharply, slow and separate.

“Yes, a trick,” I told him. “I’m going to trick him into taking control over my body. What he won’t realize—at least not until it’s too late—is that he can’t control me.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’m stubborn.”

Nero grunted.

“I will fight him for control over my body,” I said. “And I will win.”

Nero watched me in silence for a few long moments, then he shook his head. “Too risky. We don’t even know how this body-swapping spell works. Without that knowledge, we cannot develop an effective defense. You would be going in blind, Pandora, with no idea of how to fight it.”

“Yeah, I’m used to that by now, Nero. I’m pretty good at winging it.”

“I know.” He released me, then stroked his hand down my cheek, his eyes troubled, worried. “But what if you can’t this time?” His voice sounded so small, so vulnerable. “I can’t lose you.”

I set my hand over his and gave him a warm smile. “You won’t. I can do this, Nero.”

He dropped his hand to his side. “Mordon wants Sierra. What makes you think he’ll accept you as a substitute?”

“My awesome powers of persuasion?” I said. “Look, Sierra is very powerful, but she’s also so young and small. Her body hasn’t caught up with her potential. Not even close. That’s years away. Right now, her body can’t take much damage, nor does it possess the necessary endurance to handle the amount of magic she has. Her body is vulnerable, and once I point that out to Mordon, he will totally agree. That’s why he will accept my offer. He knows I’m the next best thing. So we make a deal with him: he leaves Sierra alone, and, in exchange, I will surrender myself willingly to him.”

“He will never honor that deal,” said Nero.

“Nor will we,” I replied. “But once all the Guardians and their friends think he is in control of my body, they’ll let their guard down. I’ll have free rein of their fortress. That’s when I’ll exorcise the bastard and shut down the magic shield so our forces can get inside.”

“Your plan is…”

“Awesome?” I finished for him.

“Risky. Very risky. I don’t like this, Pandora.” He shook his head. “I don’t want him getting control of your body.”

“Would you like it better if he gets control over Sierra’s body?”