Heart of Fire (Blood of Zeus #2) - Meredith Wild Page 0,24

pay when I think about what she’s sacrificing. For us.”

I thread my fingers into hers, sobered by the truth in those last words. If Arden had gotten to Kara before she came to me, there would be no us. Then again, she wouldn’t be worrying for her safety at every turn either.

I accept those facts with resigned silence and a brooding acceptance of the inevitable. In a few days’ time, I’ll be face-to-face with Arden Prieto again. The demon who wanted Kara for his own.

I only pray, for everyone’s sake, that he’s worked on changing his mind.

Chapter Eight

Kara

“Come in!”

I step through the front door of the guest house at the sound of Gramps’s muffled call. I don’t have to venture far to find him. He’s sitting at the built-in writing desk in the kitchen, crouched over an electric typewriter, dozens of half-filled sheets littered around him. His thin hair is a mess. His cardigan is wrinkled.

He keeps typing after I close the door behind me, shutting out most of the bright afternoon sunshine. The air is dank, like he hasn’t opened a window in days.

“Hey, Gramps,” I say, reminding him I’m here.

He answers with an absent grunt that I doubt has much to do with me. He reaches up to crank out another piece of paper and toss it away with the rest. Finally he turns. Through his thick glasses, his blue eyes seem to brighten. He smiles. Then all too quickly, it falls away.

“Is everything okay?” I ask, worry needling me instantly.

He rises from the desk. “Fine and dandy,” he mutters on his way to the stove. He fills the tea kettle and sets the burner on high. “Tea?”

“That’d be great. Thanks.”

Another grunt, but that’s it. I’m not sure whether to be alarmed or confused.

“Are you writing again?” I haven’t seen the dusty typewriter in years, but I can’t deny it’s a welcome sight. So maybe I should just be happy that he’s into something else besides sitting in his chair and wrapping his mind in old movies.

“Wasting paper is more like it. I don’t know why I bother.” He squeezes the back of his neck.

I’m officially back to confused. “Is everything okay? You seem upset.”

“Upset?” He lifts his eyebrows and draws his lips so tight I can scarcely see them. For a split second, he doesn’t look so different than my mother when she’s winding up for a fit of her own.

The resemblance doubles the knot of concern I’ve been nursing since I walked in.

“I’ve got eyes, haven’t I?” He whips off his glasses and gestures toward the nearby living room, where a flatscreen hangs on the wall. “You’re all over the news, ladybug. I haven’t stepped foot in your mother’s house in years, and let me tell you, I’ve been tempted today just to see what the hell is going on. Does she know?”

“Of course she knows. It was her idea.” I can’t help the defensiveness in my tone. I wasn’t sure what to expect from our visit today, but I didn’t think my grandfather would be so upset the moment I walked through the door.

His jaw unlocks enough to betray his shock. “Her idea? So she knows about this young man you can’t leave alone, even though—”

“Even though I was destined for someone else. Yes, she knows. She knows everything. And believe it or not, she’s trying to help us make it work.”

A shocked laugh escapes him, followed by a sudden weariness. A soft hunch of his shoulders. The unfurling of his angry fists. I twist a few fingers together, racked by regret. He’s a drastic pendulum of emotions, and it’s because of me. I was right to come today, but it’s not going to be the kind of visit we’re used to enjoying.

“Gramps, why don’t you sit down? I can try to explain.”

Wordlessly, we each take a chair at the little kitchen table where we’d visited not so long ago. Life had been different then. So very different.

I fold my hands in front of me, preparing to launch into the most important details. “You remember me saying that Maximus was different, right? And possibly not even mortal.”

He nods, his brow furrowed in concentration. “Has something come of it? Have you found out more?”

“We both have. And it explains everything. His physical strength, his intellectual speed, his ability to heal, and even our connection.”

He waves his hand between us rapidly. “Out with it, Kara. I’m not getting any younger here, and you’re worrying me into my