Page 104

He blew me a kiss. “I’ll miss you too, boss.”

Nero wrapped a protective arm around me, glowering at Alec.

“Good job, hotshot,” Drake said to Alec. “Great way to ingratiate yourself with your new boss.”

Alec’s smile faded.

“No, it’s not you,” I told him. “Nero is moody because he doesn’t think my plan is going to work. That’s what we were working on back in the war room.”

“You’re telling us that you were working on an actualplanin the war room?” Basanti snorted. “Because that’s sure not what it sounded like you were doing in there.”

“It was all part of the plan,” I assured her.

“I sure wish I could be part of these special unicorn plans that involve having lots of sex,” Alec commented to Basanti.

She snorted in agreement.

I let out a short, frustrated breath. “Can we please stop talking about sex?”

Aerilyn grinned. “Can we please talkmoreabout sex?”

I ignored her.

“Well, you started it, Leda,” Alec told me.

I forced a smile. “Look, Nero and I had to refresh our blood bond so that when I surrender myself to Mordon, he can’t take over my body because Nero’s tethering me.”

Basanti’s eyes bulged. “Thatis your plan?”

I shrugged. “Basically, yes.”

“Well, I have to be honest with you, Leda. Your plan sucks big time,” Basanti declared.

“Literally,” Alec added helpfully. He looked very pleased with himself for the comment.

“I have to agree,” Leila said. Her face was totally serious, unlike the two comedians at the table. “It’s a pretty bad idea to give the Guardians total control over a deity’s body. Especiallyyourbody, Leda.”

“I’m not giving them control over my body.” I smacked Aerilyn’s hand away when she tried to steal my angel food cake. “I’m onlypretendingto let Mordon have my body. He won’t actually be able to take control of me. That’s why I had to strengthen my bond to Nero, for extra protection.”

“Butwhydo you need to surrender yourself to Mordon?” Leila asked.

“Pretend-surrender,” I corrected her, “and it’s only for just long enough to distract Mordon so he stops his nightmare attacks on Sierra. And, also, to give our armies enough time to get into position.”

“To get into position outside the impenetrable fortress guarded by the enemy soldiers that Cadence and Damiel told us about?” Leila’s brows arched, and the look she shot mescreamed:I’ve seen better plans printed on the back of cereal boxes.

Yeah, so maybe my plan was risky, but it’s not like anyone had a better one. We’d spent hours in the war room, and the best plan anyone had come up with was Alec’s idea to ‘blast the hell out of the shield with all the magic we’ve got and see what happens’. Cathartic as that might be, it wouldn’t help us get into the fortress. That shield gobbled up any and all magic.

“The Guardians’ fortress won’t be impenetrable,” I said. “Once I’m on the inside, I’ll find a way to let you all into the castle.”

Leila and Basanti exchanged very skeptical looks.

Then Basanti said, “I don’t know, Leda. This plan depends on way too many things going perfectly right.”

“Well, it’s the only plan we’ve got,” I replied.

“And what if Mordon doesn’t want your body?” Basanti asked.

“He will.” Angel meowed again, and this time I tossed her a chunk of my apple cake. “Sierra is very young. Mordon hasn’t thought his whole taking-over-her-body plan through. Being stuck in the body of a three-year-old puts him at a big disadvantage. No minion will follow a toddler. And no enemy will cower before one.”