“Are you saying that’s a bad thing?”
“No. You’re often my favorite person in the room because of it.”
“I’m never your favorite person when Lily is in the room.”
“That’s a given.” He chuckled. “You’re smart and generous with your heart, Izzy. Others will see that as a weakness and try to move on you because of it. I see it as a strength. You have to be careful. You lucked out with us. We might not always be the most polished family, but we believe in doing what’s right. The people we’re dealing with are the opposite of that.”
He had a point. “I’m almost looking forward to meeting Adam Grimaldi. I can’t wait to get a look inside his head.”
Cormack arched a speculative eyebrow. “Be very careful,” he cautioned. “Adam is smart and he might have some form of magical ability we don’t know about. Anything is possible given what we’re dealing with.”
“Are you telling me not to dig?”
“Oh, I want you to dig. Just be careful when you’re doing it. If you sense he’s aware of your presence, back off. I do not want to give him a reason to see you as a threat.”
“Given what you just said, he probably already sees me as a threat.”
“That’s true. I don’t want him moving on you, though. We’ll be prepared if it happens but I would prefer to play the game a little bit before we engage in the final battle. It’s always best to know your enemies. As of right now, they likely believe we’re in the dark. I want them to keep thinking that.”
His plan made sense, at least on the face of it. “I’ll watch them as closely as possible without acting suspicious.”
“Thank you. You’re definitely my favorite right now.”
That made me laugh. “It’s nice to be on top.”
“Without a doubt.”
ONCE WE LANDED AT THE AQUARIUM, I left Cormack to prepare for Grimaldi’s arrival and pulled Oliver and Paris into a private meeting in the library. I wanted to make sure they understood what was to come, and how to act.
“If they ask for specific information, you can’t refuse to tell them or let them think you’re suspicious,” I cautioned. “Everything has to appear to be normal.”
“I’m familiar with Grimaldi,” Oliver noted. “I’ve met him a few times over the years. I’ve never been particularly fond of him.”
I was intrigued. “Did you argue?”
“No. There was never any reason. I only met him a few times during yearly inspections. He came with a group, seemed curious about the gate. I didn’t think much of it at the time but now ... .”
“Yeah, hindsight can change perception,” I agreed. “The key is to act as if this is any other day.”
“Even though we’ve yet to have a normal day since you took over the gate,” Oliver noted. “You know they’ll question you about that, correct?”
“I know.” I was already mentally preparing myself. “There’s nothing I can do but play my part. I’m sure he’s going to be suspicious no matter what. My past alone would be enough to have some members of the reaper council questioning my fitness to run the gate.”
“You’re uniquely qualified to run the gate because of that,” Oliver countered. “Still, I agree we need to watch these men very carefully. Everything will be okay.” He rested his hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. He was fond of me — he’d spent time with me when I was a child and my parents were in charge of the gate. I felt a kinship with him even though I couldn’t remember those years. He bolstered me now.
“It will be,” I agreed, patting his hand before focusing on Paris. “Have you talked to Zoe today?”
“Yes.” Paris’ smile was winsome. “She had a great time meeting the Grimlocks last night and wants to have lunch if we can manage it.”
I checked the clock on the wall and did the math in my head. “That shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“Hopefully not,” she agreed. “I told her I would be in touch when I had a time.”
“Great. That should work out well, especially if we need to find a reason to escape Grimaldi.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
I shifted my gaze to the open door that led to the gate room. “Cormack won’t say it but I think he’s afraid for my safety. He seems convinced that Grimaldi is going to be focused on me.”
“And what do you think?” Oliver queried.
I held out my hands. “It makes more sense to me that he would focus on the Grimlocks. Cormack’s parents were working with him so ... why wouldn’t he focus on them?”
“You’re thinking rationally. That means you’re overlooking the intangibles.”
“And what intangibles might those be?”
“You have ties to the past and the present. You’re powerful. I guarantee Grimaldi will be more focused on turning you than Cormack. History will have taught him that Cormack can’t be turned. That means you’re his best shot.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Yes, but he won’t try to turn you today. Today is just a meet-and-greet. What comes next will be the true test.”
That was a daunting thought.
GRIMALDI WASN’T ALONE WHEN HE STROLLED through the gate room door. Renley Hatfield, the current head of the reaper council, was with him. There had been zero notice before their arrival, not even a heads-up from the aquarium desk, and I almost jolted out of my skin when I heard the gregarious voices.
“Hello, Cormack.” Renley immediately headed toward his co-worker, his hand outstretched. “I wasn’t certain you would be able to make it. Your secretary didn’t alert us either way.”
“Really?” Cormack’s brow furrowed and he looked appropriately perplexed. “That’s weird. I’ll have to give her a call later and figure out what’s what.”
“I was actually going to inform
