Page 166 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

Hercalling– herstrength, as Gea said – was her connection to the Sacreds.

The greed of the witches.

The lust of the vampires.

The envy of the necromancers.

The pride of the nymphs.

The sloth of the reptilians.

The gluttony of the lycanthropes.

The rage of the manticores.

That last one, she’d figured out thanks to her connection with Mikhail.

Amelia stood before the mirror. “Today may be your last day on Earth,” she said to her reflection.

She didn’t feel like crying, despite the emptiness spreading within her.

Someone knocked at the door.

“Come in!” she called, not moving her eyes away from the mirror. A flicker ignited in her eyes for a fleeting moment. But when Callan entered, that flicker vanished. Had she truly expected someone else?

He stood behind the chair, and their gazes connected in the mirror.

“Galia was beautiful, but you’re stunning,” Callan said.

“You’re lying.”

He smiled. “Prove it.”

She turned in the chair to face him. “How can I? I’ve never seen her.”

“For sure, you’ve surpassed Galia in deciphering the Sacreds. She never managed to.”

The way Callan looked at her made her forget, even if just for a heartbeat, that she might die tomorrow. The firstborn wasskilled both with words and in his gestures, but Amelia couldn’t be certain if she caused the fire in his eyes or if he was merely fooling around. Still, she found his company pleasant.

More than pleasant.

Amelia rested her hand on the back of the chair. “You were aware that by giving me the watch, I would go to Renenutet, weren’t you?”

His expression suggested she wasn’t far from the truth. “Mm. I suspected something would happen, but I had no idea what. I knew for sure that the watch would be far more valuable in your hands.”

“Thank you.” It was comforting to have someone believe in her.

“Are you worried about activating the Sacreds?”

“Would you call me ‘weak’ if I said I’m terrified but trying not to think about the possibility of failure?”About the end.

“I’d call you deranged if you weren’t worried,” Callan said, his face serious.

Amelia didn’t want to talk about it, so she changed the topic. “How about you? You’ll finally get your revenge.”

Callan tilted his head towards her. “A month ago, I burned with impatience to drive a knife into Ana’s heart. Right now? Not so much.”

“Not anymore?”