Текст книги "Deity"

Автор книги: Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Текущая страница: 16 (всего у книги 22 страниц)

CHAPTER 24

I’D FANTASIZED SO MANY TIMES ABOUT WHAT IT would be like to be in a relationship with Aiden. There had been days, not too long ago, that I would’ve smacked that dream right out of my head because it seemed so hopeless. But for a week I lived that fantasy to the fullest.

We stole as many moments alone as we could, filling them with deep kisses and quiet laughter. And plans, we actually made plans.

Or at least we tried to.

My back arched and a giggle escaped.

“Oh, so you areticklish?” Aiden murmured against the flushed skin of my neck. “This is a very interesting development.”

It seemed that, when we were together, we could never keep our hands off each other for very long. Aiden had to be touching some part of me. Whether it was just a slight contact of skin, his hand wrapped around mine or our bodies flush with our legs tangled lazily, we were alwaystouching.

Maybe it was because he’d fought it for so long or maybe we both were crazy, intoxicated by the simple act of just lying together, and we were addicted to it. Our legs pressed together and our heads rested on the arm of the couch in the room with the family portraits. It was safe in here as no one dared to enter it. What had once been Aiden’s sanctuary had become ours.

Today was no different.

But it wasn’t all fun. As the days passed and I knew Seth’s return was approaching, anxious energy built inside me. There was also barb-tipped guilt that sank in deep. Sometimes, when I thought of him, I remembered those glimpses of vulnerability he’d shown after our midnight swim in the Catskills and the day after I’d been given the brew. Seth was a lot of things, almost a complete enigma at times, but under it all, he was a guy who… who cared, and he cared about me. Maybe more than I did for him. Maybe not, but I didn’t want to hurt him.

I wiggled on the couch beside Aiden, trying to shake the sudden dark cloud that’d settled over me. Talking to Seth wasn’t going to be easy. Then again, I had no idea how he would respond. He’d been with Boobs…so maybe it wouldn’t be that hard.

“So tell me,” Aiden continued idly, drawing me back to the present—to him. “Where was that spot again? Was it here?” He trailed his fingers over my stomach.

“No.” My eyes closed as my heart jumped and tiny shivers skated through me.

“Here?” His fingers danced over my ribs.

Beyond words, I shook my head no.

“Now where was that spot?”

His agile fingers skipped over my stomach and along my side. I clamped my mouth shut, but my body shook as I tried to restrain my natural reaction.

“Aha! Is this it?” He increased the pressure slightly.

I squirmed, but he was relentless. He laughed when I jack knifed, and I would’ve tumbled to the floor if it weren’t for his quick movement. “Stop,” I gasped in between fits of giggles, “I can’t take it.”

“All right, maybe I should be nice.” Aiden pulled me back to his side and leaned over me. He plucked a strand of hair and twisted it around his two fingers. “Anyway, back to the question at hand. What place other than New Orleans?”

I ran my hand down his arm, loving the way his muscles seemed to clench under the skin I touched. “How about Nevada? There’re no Covenants nearby. The closest is the University.”

He leaned down, brushing his lips over my cheek. “Are you suggesting Las Vegas?”

I fixed an innocent look on my face. “Well, there’d be a lot of daimons, since you pures like to party there, but no real Hematoi establishments of any kind.”

“First New Orleans and now Las Vegas?” He brushed his lips back and forth as his fingers tipped my head back. “I’m starting to see a trend here.”

“I don’t know.” My breath caught as he pressed down. “Maybe you can’t handle Las Vegas.”

Aiden smirked. “I love a challenge.”

I giggled, but all humor fled the moment his lips touched mine again. I could go on just kissing him forever. They were gentle kisses at first, soft and questioning. My fingers sank through his hair, clenching him closer, and the kisses deepened. I shifted and wrapped my arms around him, wanting to be able to push the stop button on time. I could stay here forever, feeling his body molded to mine, melting together—I froze against him.

The feeling slithering down my spine was unmistakable. The three runes that had been dormant since Seth left now woke up with a vengeance, burning and tingling. The cord snapped alive, responding to its other half.

His lips moved down my neck, over my collarbone. “What is it?”

There was no stop button for time. Dammit. “Seth’s here, like he’s right outside.”

Aiden lifted his head. “Seriously?”

I nodded stiffly.

He swore under his breath and sprang to his feet. I started to get up, but he held out his hand. “Let me just check this out first, Alex.”

“Aiden—”

Swooping down, he clasped my shoulders and kissed me until I almost forgot about the way the cord was unraveling in the pit of my stomach. “Just let me check this out, okay?” he whispered.

I nodded and watched him prowl toward the door. With a quick reassuring smile, he left the room. It was probably a good thing that he was going out to greet Seth. I needed a few moments to collect myself after that last kiss.

Nervous energy rushed me and the cord thrummed happily. Agitated, I rose to my feet within a minute and crossed the room. Seth was near. I knew it deep in my bones. I stopped in front of the cracked door and held my breath.

They were in the hallway, alone. And of course they were arguing already. I rolled my eyes.

“You think I don’t know?” I heard Seth say in a smug, knowing way. “That I didn’t know this entire time I’ve been gone?”

“Know what?” Aiden sounded surprisingly calm.

Seth laughed softly. “She may be here with you, right now, but that’s just a moment in time in the big scheme of things. And all moments end, Aiden. Yours will, too.”

I wanted to throw open the door and tell Seth to shut up.

“Sounds like something on the back of a twisted Hallmark card,” replied Aiden. “But perhaps your time has already ended.”

There was a stretch of silence and I could picture the two of them. Aiden would be coolly looking down on Seth, who would be smiling arrogantly and secretly enjoying the whole confrontation. Sometimes I wanted to smack them both.

“It doesn’t really matter,” said Seth. “That’s what you don’t get. She can love you and it still doesn’t matter. We belong together. It’s fated. Have your moments, Aiden, because in the end, it really won’t mean a damn thing.”

That was it. I threw open the door and stormed out into the hallway. Neither of them even turned around, and I knew they heard me fly out of the room. Beyond them I could see the shadows of the Guards through the tiny square windows on each side of the door.

“You really think that?” Aiden cocked his head to the side. “If so, then you’re a damn fool.”

Seth smiled. “I’m not the fool here, pure-blood. She doesn’t belong to you.”

“She belongs to no one,” Aiden growled as his hands flexed by his hips, where his daggers normally hung.

“Debatable,” Seth said, so low I wasn’t even sure I’d heard him correctly.

I shoved between the two idiots before one of them did some damage. “You don’t own me, Seth.”

Seth finally looked at me, his eyes a cool amber. “We need to talk.”

That we did. I glanced at the furious pure-blood beside me. This wasn’t going to be pretty.

“In private,” Seth added.

“What can you possibly need to say that you can’t say in front of me?” Aiden asked.

“Aiden,” I groaned. “You promised, remember?” I didn’t need to say any more. Aiden knew. “I do need to talk to him.”

“Nothing will happen to her. Not when she’s with me.”

I spun around. “Just let me get my hoodie. Try not to kill each other.”

“No promises,” Seth smirked.

Grabbing my hoodie off the back of the couch, I quickly hauled it on and hoofed it back to the hallway. Gods knew a second of those two together was a second too long. I passed Aiden a meaningful look as I followed Seth to the front door. He looked severely unhappy, but nodded.

Brutal temperatures sucked away my breath as I stepped outside. I was unable to remember the last time it’d been this cold in North Carolina. Seth wore just a black thermal and cargos. Nothing else. I wondered If I got built-in weather padding once I Awakened.

The Guards immediately stepped aside, revealing the strong winter sun glaring off the still waters. At first I was surprised, but then I remembered whose Guards they were—Lucian’s.

Aiden moved uneasily. His hands opened and closed at his sides.

Seth feigned a look of sympathy. “Don’t look too happy about this, Aiden.”

I kicked Seth in the shin.

“Ouch,” he hissed, blasting me with a look. “Kicking is not nice.”

“Antagonizing people isn’t nice,” I shot back.

Aiden sighed. “You have twenty minutes. Then we’ll come looking for you.”

Backing down the steps, Seth bowed at Aiden and then pivoted around. Wind caught and tossed his hair around. Sometimes I forgot how… beautiful Seth was. He could give Apollo a run for his money. Both of them had this type of cold beauty that didn’t seem real, because it was flawless both far away and up close.

I fell into step beside him, shoving my hands into the center pocket of my hoodie. “I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.”

Seth arched a golden eyebrow. “Really? I’m not surprised by that.”

My cheeks flushed. There was no way he could’ve known what had happened between Aiden and me. The bond didn’t work over that many miles. Taking a deep breath, I womaned up. “Seth, I have to—”

“I already know, Alex.”

“What?” I stopped, pushing my hair out of my face. “You know what?”

He faced me and leaned in, bringing his face mere inches from mine. The cord went crazy inside me, but it was manageable… as long as he didn’t touch me. Oh gods, this wasn’t going to be easy. “I know everything.”

“Everything” could mean a lot of things. I hunched my shoulders, squinting against the harsh glare. “What exactly do you know?”

His lips tipped into a small smile. “Well, let’s see. I know about that,” he gestured to the St. Delphi house, “back there. I knew that was going to happen.”

I went hot and cold all at once. “Seth, I’m really sorry. I don’t want to hurt you.”

He stared at me a moment, then laughed. “Hurt me? Alex, I’ve always known how you’ve felt about him.”

Okay. I must’ve been on crack when I thought I’d seen vulnerability in Seth before. Silly me, he was the boy with no feelings or something. But even for the cocky, annoying version of Seth, he was taking this surprisingly well—too well. My suspicions skyrocketed. “Why are you so okay with this?”

“Am I supposed to be upset? Is that what you want?” He tipped his head to the side, brows slanted. “Do you want me to be jealous? Is that what it takes?”

“No!” I felt my face flush again. “I just didn’t expect you to be so… okay with it.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say I’m okay with it. It is what it is.”

I stared at him and then a thought struck me. “You’re not going to turn him in, are you?”

Seth slowly shook his head. “How would that benefit me? You’d be in servitude and on the elixir.”

And I wouldn’t Awaken, which it always seemed to come down to, and I was big enough person to admit that stung. I wondered what bothered Seth more—my life being virtually over or my Awakening not happening. I looked away, biting my lip. “Seth, I found some stuff out while you were gone.”

“So did I,” he responded evenly.

That was cryptic. “You had to know about the Order and how an Apollyon is made.”

His expression didn’t change. “Why is that?”

Frustration flared. “You once said that when you Awakened, you knew everything from the previous Apollyons. One of them would’ve known about the Order, and about how they were born. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Seth sighed. “Alex, I didn’t tell you because I didn’t see a point.”

“How could you not see a point after everything that happened to me in New York? If you’d told me about the Order, I could’ve been better prepared.”

He looked away, lips pursing.

“And I asked you while we were there if you knew what that symbol meant,” I said. Anger and so much disappointment swamped me. I didn’t even try to shield my emotions from him. “You said you didn’t know. When I asked if you knew about a half and a pure mixing, you said you guessed your father had to be a half. You knew the truth. What I don’t get is why you didn’t tell me.”

“I was told not to.”

“What?” Seth started walking, and I hurried to catch up with him. “Who told you not to tell me?”

He stared up the beach. “Does it matter?”

“Yes!” I practically shrieked. “It does matter. How can we have anything If I don’t trust you?”

His brows shot up. “What dowe have exactly, Alex? I do remember telling you that you had a choice. I didn’t ask for labels or expectations.”

I remembered that, too. The night in the pool seemed forever ago. Part of me missed that playful Seth.

“And you made your choice,” Seth continued softly. “You made your choice even when you said you chose me.”

I also remembered that fleeting, satisfied look when I had said that I’d chosen him. Shaking my head, I searched for something to say. “Seth, I—”

“I don’t want to talk about this.” He stopped where the sand faded into pavement, reached down and brushed his knuckles across my cheek. I jerked back, startled by the contact and the electric shock that followed. Seth lowered his hand, staring at the backs of the small shops lining the main road. “Anything else you want to talk about?”

He hadn’t answered a damn question, but I did have one more. “Did you see my father, Seth?”

“No.” He met my eyes.

“Did you even look for him?”

“Yes. Alex, I couldn’t find him. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t there.” He pushed back the shorter strands that had been blown free. “Anyway, I brought you back a gift.”

I wasn’t sure I’d heard him right, but then he repeated it, and my heart sank. “Seth, you shouldn’t have brought me anything.”

“You’ll change your mind once you see it.” A wicked grin pulled at his lips. “Trust me, this is a once-in-a-lifetime type of gift.”

Great. This was making me feel better. If he handed me the Hope Diamond, I was going to throw up. He and I had never been in a relationship, but guilt still twisted at my insides. When I looked at him, I saw Aiden. And when Seth touched me, I felt Aiden. The worst thing of it all was that Seth knew.

“Alex, just come on.”

“Okay.” I drew in a deep breath and then pressed my lips together. The wind that kicked up from the ocean was shockingly cold, and I huddled down in my hoodie. “Why in the world is it so cold? It never used to be this cold here.”

“The gods are pissed,” Seth said, and then laughed.

I frowned at him.

Seth shrugged. “They are putting all their focus into this little piece of the world. It’s because of us, you know. The gods know change is coming.”

“Sometimes you really kind of freak me out.”

He laughed.

I made a face. We walked in silence after that. I kept expecting him to turn toward the Covenant-controlled island and when we didn’t, then I thought we’d head toward Lucian’s house, but he led me straight through town and toward the courthouse, which was used by the Council members.

“My gift is in the courthouse?”

“Yes.”

Honestly, I never knew what to expect from Seth. Even with the bond, I didn’t have a clue what went on in his head half of the time.

The normal number of Council Guards stood just inside the Courthouse, hidden from mortal tourists; beyond them, three of Lucian’s Guards blocked a door. They stepped aside, opening the door for us.

I halted, knowing where the door and the stairs led to. “Why are we going down to the cells, Seth?”

“Because I’m going to lock you up and get all freaky.”

I rolled my eyes.

Taking my elbow, he tugged me forward. Down we went. My eyes adjusted to the darkness of the stairwell. Old boards creaked under our feet. The cells weren’t underground. They were actually on the first floor. The main entrance opened up to the second floor, but it still felt like we were walking down into some dank, dark place.

Dim light lit the hallway. Over Seth’s shoulder, I could make out several cells lining the narrow corridor. I shuddered, picturing myself stuck in one of them. Gods, how many times had I come close to that?

Ahead of us, two Guards stood in front of the very last cell. Seth walked up to them and snapped his fingers. “Leave us.”

I gaped as the two Guards left. “Do you have special Apollyon finger-snapping powers?”

He tipped his head toward me. “I have a lot of special Apollyon finger powers.”

I shoved him. “Where’s my gift, perv?”

Seth backed up, grinning. He stopped in front of the barred door and spread his arms. “Come look.”

Okay. I was curious. Stepping forward, I stopped in front of the door and peered through the bars. My mouth dropped open as my stomach hollowed.

Huddled in the middle of the cell, with his hands tied to his ankles, Head Minister Telly stared back at us with blank eyes. His face was battered, barely recognizable, and his torn, dirtied clothing hung off him.

“Oh, my gods, Seth.”

CHAPTER 25

STUNNED, I JERKED BACK FROM THE CELL DOOR. Everything Apollo had warned me about rushed to me at once. Everyone had been afraid of something like this happening—everyone but me, and still I had a hard time believing that this was actually happening.

“What have you done?” I asked.

“What? I brought you a gift—Telly.”

I turned to him, shocked that I had to explain all the things wrong with this. “Seth, most guys bring girls roses or puppies. Not people, Seth. Not the Head Minister of the Council.”

“I know what he did, Alex.” He placed his hand over the scar Linard had left behind. “I know he ordered this.”

Through the heavy material, I could feel Seth’s hand. “Seth, I…”

“I felt something when it happened… like our bond had completely disappeared,” he said quietly and quickly. “I couldn’t feel your emotions but I knew you were there… and then you weren’t for a few minutes. I knew. Then Lucian told me. My first reaction was to bring just his head back to you, but I did the next best thing.”

I felt physically ill as I stared at Seth. And when I looked at Telly in the cell, I saw Jackson’s battered face. I should’ve known. Good gods, I should’ve known he’d know… and he’d do something like this.

“It didn’t take much for me to find him,” he continued casually. “And I know people were looking for him. Leon,” Seth laughed, “or should I call him Apollo? Yeah, I beat him to the punch on this one. Those two days you didn’t call me? That’s all it took for me to find him.”

The air flew right out of my lungs. Ice drenched my veins.

He frowned. “He ordered your death, Alex. I figured you’d be happy to know that we have him and he’s not going to be a problem anymore.”

I turned back to the cell. “Gods, how have the furies not reacted to this?”

“I’m not stupid, Alex.” He moved to stand beside me, shoulder to shoulder. “Lucian ordered this and had his Guards carry it out. I was only… along for the ride. Clever, aren’t I?”

“Clever?” I gasped, stepping away from the cell—from Seth. “So this was Lucian’s idea?”

“Does it matter?” He folded his arms. “Telly tried to have you killed—he didhave you killed. For that, he has to be punished.”

“That doesn’t make this okay! Look at him!” I pointed at the cell, feeling sick. “What iswrong with him?”

“He’s under a rather strong compulsion not to talk.” Seth tapped his chin thoughtfully. “I’m not sure he’s even thinking. Actually, I think he’s sort of fried.”

“Gods, Seth. Hasn’t anyone ever told you two wrongs don’t make a right?”

Seth snorted. “Two wrongs always make a right in my book.”

“This isn’t funny, Seth!” I tried to calm down. “Who’s going to kill him? The pure-blood Council?”

“No. The new Council will.”

“The new Council? What the hell is that?”

Frustration flared in his amber eyes. “You just need to understand why this is happening. This man serves the gods who want you—us—dead. He has to be taken out.”

I ran my hands over my head, wanting to pull my hair out. “Seth, was this Lucian’s idea or not?”

“Why does that matter? What if it was? He only wants to keep us safe. He wants change and—”

“And he wants Telly’s throne, Seth! How can you not see that?” Coldness seized my insides as I stared at Seth. Lucian wanted power and taking Telly out was one way to achieve that, but that didn’t mean he could take complete control of the Council… or did it? I shook my head. “There’s no way the gods would allow this. They don’t want what Telly did.”

“The gods are the enemy here, Alex! They don’t speak to the Council, but they do speak to the Order.”

“Apollo saved my life, Seth! Not Lucian!”

“Only because they have plans for you,” he said, stepping forward. “You don’t know what I know.”

My hands curled into fists. “Then tell me what you know!”

“You wouldn’t understand.” He turned toward the still form in the cell. “Not yet. I don’t even blame you for it. You have too much pure in you—now more than ever before.”

I flinched. “That wasn’t… wasn’t fair.”

His eyes closed and he ran the heel of his palm over his forehead. “You’re right. That wasn’t fair.”

Taking the moment of clarity, I seized it. “You can’t keep him here, Seth. You’re right. He has to be punished for what he did, but he needs a trial. Keeping him like this, under a compulsion in a cell, is wrong.”

Gods, it was a messed up day when Iwas the voice of reason.

Seth turned to me. He opened his mouth, but closed it. “I already have too much invested in this.”

Dread inched down my spine. I started toward him, but stopped. I folded my arms over my chest. “What do you mean?”

He reached out toward me, but I jerked away. Confused, he lowered his hand. “How can you want him to live?”

“Because it’s not our place to decide who lives or dies.”

His brows furrowed. “And what if it will be?”

I shook my head. “Then I don’t want any part of that. And I know you don’t, either.”

Seth sighed. “Alex, you’re training to be a Sentinel. You’ll make life-and-death decisions all the time.”

“That’s different.”

“Is it?” He inclined his head toward me, a smug smile washing away any hesitation.

“Yes! As a Sentinel, I’ll kill daimons. That’s not the same as playing jury and executioner.”

“How can you not see I’m doing what needs to be done, even if you’re too weak to do it yourself?”

Who in the hell was this person beside me? It was like reasoning with a lunatic… .now I knew how people felt when they tried to reason with me. Irony was a cruel, cruel foe. “Seth, where are the keys to the cell?”

His eyes narrowed. “I’m not letting him out.”

“Seth.” I took a tentative step toward him. “You can’t do this. Neither can Lucian.”

“I can do as I damn well please!”

I shoved past him, reaching for the handle on the door, and then I was against the opposite wall with Seth in my face. Fear blossomed low in my stomach as the cord hummed madly. “Seth,” I whispered.

“He’s staying in there.” His eyes flashed a dangerous ocher. “There are plans for him, Alex.”

I swallowed down the sudden taste of bile. “What plans?”

His gaze dropped to my lips, and a whole new fear took root. “You’ll see soon enough. You don’t have to worry, Alex. I’m going to take care of everything.”

Planting my hands on his chest, I shoved him back several feet. Shock and then anger flashed across his features. “You’re freaking insane, Seth. Don’t go down this road.”

Whirling around, he stormed back to the cell and pointed at Telly. “So, you’d rather see this thing free? Free to enslave half-bloods, to order them killed? Free to continue his assassination attempts on you? And then we are to wait for a trial—a trial rigged to protect the pure-bloods? They’d just slap him on the hand. Hell, they might even order you to apologize for screwing up his plans to kill you!”

Anger flooded me. I stepped forward, toe-to-toe with Seth. “You don’t care about what happens to the half-bloods! It has nothing to do with what you’re planning! And you know that. What you’re doing—what you’re agreeing to is wrong. And I’m not—”

“Go,” he cut me off, his voice furious and low.

I stood my ground. “I’m not going to let you do this, Seth. I don’t know what Lucian’s said that’s convinced—”

“I said go.” Seth shoved me—shoved me hard. I barely caught myself. “Maybe next time I’ll bring you roses or puppies.”

That raised my hackles, and so did the smile he gave me. It took every ounce of my self-control to turn and walk away. I hurried up the stairs. Like a thousand times in my life, I didn’t plan on listening to what I’d been told to do. But for the first time, it was probably the right thing to do. Aiden and Marcus needed to know what Seth and Lucian were up to. Maybe they could stop this, before it became too late—before Seth took part in killing the Head Minister and sealed both our fates.

There still had to be hope for Seth. Sure, what he was taking part in was crazy, but not epicallycrazy. Technically, Seth hadn’t done anything yet. Like Caleb had said, there was still hope. Whatever Lucian had on Seth, however he was pulling his strings, had to be broken before history repeated itself.

I pushed open the doors of the Courthouse and came face to face with the root of all my problems.

Lucian was flanked by several Council Guards, all dressed in those ridiculous white robes. The smile that spread across his face never quite reached his eyes. “I thought I’d find you here, Alexandria.”

Before I knew what was happening, his Guards surrounded me. Oddly, the Guards were all pure-bloods. Smart move, I’d give him that. “What’s going on, Lucian?”

“When will you call me ‘Father’?” He came up the final step, stopping in front of me. Wind blew his robes, giving an appearance that he was floating.

“Um, how about next to never?”

His pleasant smile remained. “One day that will change. We will be one big happy family, the three of us.”

Now that was disturbing. “You mean Seth? He’s as much a part of you as lam.”

Lucian tsked softly. “You will return to my house, Alexandria. There is no need to stay at the St. Delphi residence any longer.”

My mouth opened to argue that, but I clamped it shut. There was no way of knowing if Lucian was aware of my feelings for Aiden, or if Seth had told him anything. Putting up a fight would only arouse his suspicions. There was nothing I could do to stop this. Lucian was my legal guardian. Swallowing down my anger and distaste, I stepped forward. “I just need to get my stuff.”

Lucian stepped aside, motioning for me to follow. “That will not be necessary. Your belongings will be retrieved by Seth.”

Damn him. I stiffened as Seth came out the door. He didn’t spare me a glance as he brushed past me.

Lucian clapped Seth on his shoulder. “Meet us back at our house.”

Seth nodded and went down the steps. On the sidewalk, he looked up and gave me a sardonic grin before heading off toward one of the Hummers parked along the curb.

“Now, my dear, you will come with me,” Lucian said.

Fuming, but unable to do a damn thing about it, I followed Lucian into the other Hummer. Gods forbid that Lucian actually walk to his house. Once he climbed in the back seat with me, I was crawling out of my skin to get out of the car.

Lucian smiled. “Why is it that you’re so uncomfortable around me?”

I turned away from the window. “There is just something about you.”

He arched a brow. “And that would be?”

“Well, you’re like a snake, but slimy.”

He leaned back against the seat as the Hummer moved. “Cute.”

I smiled tightly. “Let’s cut the bull, Lucian. I know about Telly. Why would you do something that even I think is reckless and stupid?”

“The time for change is upon us. Our world needs better leadership.”

My laugh escaped before I could stop it. “Are you high?”

“For too long we’ve been expected to live by the old laws, existing beside mortals as if we are no better than them.” Disgust dripped from his words. “They should take the place of half-bloods, serving our every need or whim. And when they do, we—the new gods—will rule this earth.”

“My gods, you are insane.” There was nothing else I could say. And worse of all, Grandma Piperi had been right, but like always, I hadn’t understood. History was on repeat, but in the worst possible way. And evil had hidden in the shadows, acting like a puppet master pulling strings. Grandma Piperi had been referencing Seth and Lucian. I felt sick. If I’d only figured this out earlier, I could’ve prevented it from going this far.

“I don’t expect you to understand, but Seth does. That’s all I need.”

“How did you get Seth to go along with this?”

He studied his fingernails. “The boy never had a father. His pure-blood mother wanted very little to do with him. I suppose she regretted her relations with the half, but had been unable to get rid of him while he was still in her womb.”

I flinched.

“It’s safe to assume that she wasn’t a very kind mother,” Lucian continued. “But that boy still managed to impress the Council and gain entrance into the Covenant. He had a tough childhood, always alone. I suppose all Seth has ever wanted is to be loved.” He looked at me. “Could you do that? Give him the one thing he’s always wanted?”

Suddenly, I knew beyond a doubt, Seth hadn’t told Lucian about Aiden. But why? Removing Aiden from the equation would only benefit Seth. Could it be that Seth hadn’t because he knew it would hurt me? If that was the case, then Seth was still thinking. He wasn’t a lost cause, after all.

“I do hope so. Seth is a good boy.”

My eyes widened. “You sound… sincere.”

Lucian sighed. “I’ve never had a child of my own, Alexandria.”

Shock rippled through me. Lucian actually cared for Seth. And Seth saw him as a father. But it didn’t change what Lucian was doing. “You’re using him.”

The Hummer rolled to a stop behind Lucian’s house. “I’m offering him the world. The same thing I’m offering you.”

“What you are offering is certain death for anyone who goes along with this.”

“Not necessarily, my dear. We have supporters in the most… unlikely of places—a very powerful supporter.”

My door opened before I could respond. A Guard waited for me to exit, carefully watching me as if he expected me to sprint away, which was what I’d considered but knew I’d never get away with it. I was led into the house quickly and then left in the opulent foyer with my stepfather.