Текст книги "Deity"

Автор книги: Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Текущая страница: 21 (всего у книги 22 страниц)

CHAPTER 32

I DID GET BITCHED OUT—A LOT. AND I DESERVED IT. Aiden had been through the wringer when it came to me lately. He understood why—my motives—but he didn’t agree with me. But I knew what I’d been thinking, and it still made sense. I didn’t want to die, but I didn’t want to see anybody else hurt when handing myself over would stop everything.

Halfway into the second part of the trip, as the tires ate away the miles, he grabbed my hand and held onto it. He hadn’t forgiven me, but he didn’t want to shake me anymore. That was progress. I still wasn’t sure if Artemis shooting Hades in the head was a good move or not by the time we reached Athens.

Tall pines and mounds of snow greeted us when we reached the lodge nestled at the edge of the national forest. Without Marcus and the air element, there would’ve been no way that we would’ve made it up the remote road. Even so, it took him over an hour to clear the road.

The lodge was magnificent, made of logs and surrounded by a wraparound deck. If I hadn’t been so exhausted, I would’ve appreciated its beauty much more.

“Do you know that Athens is one of the most haunted locales in Ohio?” Solos said as he opened the door.

“She doesn’t believe in ghosts.” Aiden lugged our bags over his shoulder, cheeks flushed from the cold. I could barely feel it. All I wanted was a bed to sleep the rest of the day away in.

“Really?” Solos grinned. “We’ll have to take you down to the old Athens Lunatic Asylum and see if that changes your mind.”

“Sounds like fun,” I murmured, watching Luke and Deacon usher Lea inside. “How will we be safe here? What’s stopping any god from carpet-bombing us?”

Solos’ brows furrowed. “We’re safe here.”

“How so?”

“Look up there.” Aiden shifted the bags and pointed above the front door. Carved into the wood was the same S-shaped rune that was on my neck. “Apollo said no god who means ill will against persons in this house can pass through.”

“The invincibility rune.” I rubbed the back of my neck absently as I stepped over the threshold. “Didn’t know you could just rune up a house. That’s pretty handy.”

Inside was just as beautiful. Wide windows let in the last of the sunset and the wood floors had been buffed until they shined. It sort of reminded me of the cabin in Gatlinburg. I shuddered.

“You okay?” Aiden whispered, coming up behind me.

I swallowed. “Yeah, I’m just really tired.”

Solos showed us to the rooms. Lea was placed downstairs, along with Marcus and Luke. Deacon grabbed the loft above the rec room and the rest of us got rooms upstairs. Everyone huddled in small groups or, like Marcus, stared out one of the windows, appearing lost in deep thought.

Aiden carried my bags into a cozy, rustic-looking bedroom and placed them by the bed. Turning around, our gazes locked. Since the day I’d left with Seth, we hadn’t been alone together. The car ride didn’t count. We’d been running for our lives after witnessing a tragedy. Kissing and touching hadn’t been on our minds.

It kind of returned with a vengeance then.

He crossed the distance, cupping my cheeks in his hands. They were elegant fingers, but calloused from years of training. I loved his hands. He angled his head to mine, his lips hovering just within distance. “Later,” he promised, and then he pressed his lips to mine.

The kiss was gentle, sweet, and way too quick. My lips tingled awhile after he’d left the room. Later? How could there be a “later” in a house full of people? I took a hot shower and let the water ease my aching muscles once I figured out how to use the three showerheads without drowning myself. Afterward, I changed into sweats and sent the bed a yearning glance on the way out of the room. I had something to do before I rested.

Lea was sitting on the bed, legs crossed as she stared down at her phone. When I knocked on the open door, she glanced up. “Hey,” I said.

She watched me for several long seconds and then cleared her throat. “I texted Olivia in Vail, told her we were okay.”

“Does she know what’s she going to do?” I sat on the bed beside her, running my hands through the wet tangles in my hair. I thought about Caleb’s message to her. Hopefully, I could tell her soon.

“No. Her mom…” her voice caught and she swallowed. “Her mom is freaking out. I think they’re going to New York.”

Thinking of my father, I felt my chest tighten. Would I ever see him again? Then I felt bad for even thinking that. Lea had lost all of her family. “Will they be safe there?”

Long, coppery hair I’d envied for years shielded her face as she tipped her head down. “She thinks so. She’ll let me know once her mom knows more.”

I nodded, dropping my hands to my lap. “Lea, I’m so sorry for what happened.”

She drew in a breath of air that seemed to shake her entire body. “We’ve been here before.”

“I know.”

Lea lifted her head. Her amethyst-colored eyes glittered with tears. “I know it’s not your fault. What your mom did or what… what Seth did. Every death that I’ve seen or been around has had to do with you. They’re not your fault, but they still happened.”

I looked away, feeling the weight of the last ten months settle over me. Ten months of death, starting with my mom in Miami, and I knew it wasn’t over. With the gods involved as they were, with my birthday tomorrow, and with Seth out there looking for us, it wasn’t over. But still, what I was feeling was nothing compared to what Lea was going through.

“And I can’t… I can’t look at you without seeing all those faces,” Lea whispered. “I’m sorry. I don’t blame you, but I… I just can’t look at you right now.”

I nodded stiffly and stood. “I’m sorry,” I said again. It was the only thing I could say.

“I know.”

Leaving her room didn’t diminish the guilt. Crawling into bed didn’t make any of what happened disappear. And my guilt wasn’t like what I’d felt after Caleb’s death. This was like having a child who had done something terrible and everyone was staring at me, wondering where it all had gone wrong. Guilt by association.

I rolled onto my side, facing the window. Snow continued to fall outside. Nature was at its best when it was both beautiful and deadly.

Watching the snow cleared my mind of everything that was happening, leaving behind a thin layer of static until exhaustion claimed and pulled me under.

A feathery light kiss woke me up sometime later, drawing my eyes open. Aiden smiled down at me as his thumb traced the shape of my cheekbone. “What are you doing?” I asked sleepily. “What if someone finds you in here?”

“Solos took Deacon and Luke to the store since the snow has let up a little. Lea is resting and Marcus is keeping an eye on things.” He curled around me, finding my hand and threading his fingers through it. “And I think the cat’s pretty much out of the bag on this.”

I tipped my head back, my eyes searching his intently. “What do you mean?”

“We’re in a house full of halfs, with the exception of Marcus and my brother. Deacon surely doesn’t care and Marcus—”

“My uncle’s a stickler for rules,” I whispered.

Aiden brushed his lips over the tip of my nose. “Marcus knows, Alex. He’s not blind.”

“He’s okay with it?”

“I wouldn’t say okay”Aiden grinned. “He actually punched me when he figured it out.”

I stared. “What?”

He chuckled under his breath. “Yeah, he punched me right in the face when he got back from Nashville—twice.”

“Oh my…” I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. It wasn’t funny, but it was.

“The first hit was because you were with Seth and Lucian. The second one was after he figured out about us.”

“How did he find out? We were careful.” And we had been.

“I think he’s suspected something for awhile,” he mused. “But it was when you were gone he figured it out. I think I was pretty transparent during those days.”

I wanted to ease the lines of concern that’d appeared on his forehead. We’d talked about my time spent in Lucian’s house on the way here and I’d reassured him a dozen times or more that I hadn’t been harmed there, but it still bothered him. Just like when I’d died, it was something that would linger with Aiden.

“What did he say to you?” I finally asked him.

“I don’t think you want to know. It was one of the only times I’ve heard Marcus cuss.”

I smiled as I lowered my cheek back to the pillow. Gods know I was all too familiar with Marcus being angry. “You don’t seem too worried about him knowing.”

“I’m not. Right now, there are more… pressing issues to focus on.”

Wasn’t that the truth? “Part of me wishes tomorrow wouldn’t come.”

He kissed the top of my head. “Everything will be okay, Alex.”

“I know.” I closed my eyes and snuggled in. “I just don’t know what to expect, you know? Will I automatically turn into a super badass tomorrow or something? Or will I be accidentally blasting people with akasha?” Or would I connect with Seth? That I didn’t want to put into words.

“Whatever happens, you’ll still be Alex… you’ll still be agapi mou, my life. Just…just don’t ever scare me like you did today, okay? We’re still in this together.”

“To the end?”

“To the end,” he whispered.

Damnable tears rushed to my eyes. I was such a girl, but those words were perfect, what I needed to hear. “Let’s make plans again. I liked that.” My brows rose when he laughed again. “What?”

“It’s just that you are the last person who plans anything.”

I grinned, because he had a point. “But I like these kinds of plans.”

“Okay.” He moved his thumb along the inside of my palm. “I’ve been thinking about the future—our future.”

I loved the sound of that—“our future.” When Aiden said it, it seemed possible. “What did you come up with?”

“It’s more like something I’ve decided.” He pulled his hand free and smoothed back my hair. “Let’s say everything blows over with the compulsion thing, okay?”

Not likely, but I nodded.

“I don’t want to stay in our world.”

I caught his hand, lowering it to where my heart pounded as I twisted around in his embrace. “What? What do you mean?”

Thick lashes shielded his eyes. “If we stayed in this world, the Hematoi world, we couldn’t be together. There will be some who don’t care, but… it’s too much of a risk, even if we did manage to get assigned to the same area.”

Air left my lungs as I stared at him. “But if you left you couldn’t be a Sentinel anymore, and you need that.”

He looked up, meeting my eyes. “I do need that. Being a Sentinel is important to me, but it’s not my world, my life, or my heart. You are. And I want you in my life, really in my life. It’s the only way.”

I suddenly wanted to cry. Again. I couldn’t even form a coherent word, and I knew he could feel my heart slamming itself against his palm, but I didn’t care.

Aiden leaned in, brushing his lips over mine. “I love you, Alex. I’d give it all up for you, and I know you’ve been thinking about it, too, but that’s up to you.”

Could I give it up… this almost inherent need to become a Sentinel? Could I let go of the desire driven by years of having duty ingrained in me, and the need to somehow make up for what’d happened to my mother? Leaving this world would require assimilating back into the mortal world, something I had totally sucked at for three years. Old fears rose in that moment as years of never fitting in, of always being the freak, flashed before me. Mortals, for the most part, were naturally uncomfortable and drawn to us in the same breath. It was hard being around them, always pretending.

But I had been thinking about a future that didn’t include the Covenant or being a Sentinel. I just never thought it could be possible, but when I looked into Aiden’s eyes and saw only love—love for me—I knew I could do it. Wecould do it. Aiden was worth it. Our love was. Living like a mortal had choked me before, but now it could provide the type of freedom I yearned for. And together, anything seemed possible.

Tipping my head up, I met his silvery gaze. I could always tell what Aiden was feeling by the color of his eyes and right now, he was laying everything out there and still giving me the choice.

“Yes. I could do it,” I whispered. “I would do it.”

A shudder rocked Aiden’s body. “I was almost afraid you’d say no.”

Misty-eyed, I cupped his cheek. Day-old stubble grazed my palm. “I could never tell you no, Aiden. Not that I would ever want to. But… but what about Deacon and Marcus? How can we do it?”

“I think they could know. We could trust them.”

There were so many “what ifs” with this plan. How could we escape the Covenant and the society that probably would be very unwilling to let either of us go? We needed a plan, a good one if we even had a chance to make it work, but right now, the idea itself flooded me with warmth and so much hope. And hope, it was a fragile thing, but it kept me going.

Aiden lowered his head, bringing his mouth to mine. He made a sound in the back of his throat as the kiss deepened. The tentative touch gave way to something infinitely more. When he rolled his body, fitting it against mine like a warm blanket, my heart thundered. I was feeling so much and not enough—never enough. There was a yearning, devastating and raw, that would never go away. I lost track of Aiden’s hands and how many times we kissed as our bodies moved, and in those moments, we finally found a way to make time stop.

CHAPTER 33

NOTHING… AMAZING HAPPENED ON MY BIRTHDAY

All morning, everyone watched me as if they expected me to sprout a second head or start floating to the rafters. And I didn’t feel any different from last night. No additional marks of the Apollyon popped up. The existing ones didn’t tingle. I tried to levitate a chair in the kitchen—it didn’t happen and I just felt stupid afterward. By the afternoon, the whole Awakening thing seemed very anticlimactic.

“Hey.” Aiden popped his head into the bedroom. “You busy, birthday girl?”

I looked up from the magazine Luke had brought back from the store. “No. I’m just sort of hiding.”

Aiden closed the door behind him quietly and smiled. “Why are you hiding?”

Shrugging, I closed the magazine and tossed it to the floor. “I kind of feel like an Apollyon failure.”

“Why?” He sat beside me, eyes a soft heather gray.

“Everyone keeps watching me, waiting for something to happen. Earlier, Marcus stared at me so long his eyes crossed. And while Solos was making lunch, he asked if I could heat up the soup with the fire element.”

Aiden looked like he was trying not to laugh.

I smacked him on the arm. “It’s not funny.”

“I know.” He drew in a deep breath, but his eyes danced with mirth. “Okay. It is kind of funny.”

My eyes narrowed on him. “I can take you, you know?”

He leaned over, lips curving into a wolfish smile. “You can’t take what you already have.”

A heady feeling came from knowing that, but I socked him on the shoulder anyway. “Stop trying to sweet-talk me.”

“I have something I wanted to show you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. “And then you have to come downstairs and stop hiding.”

My eyes were glued to the box. It was plain white, but there was a red bow tied around it. Thoughts of jewelry stores danced in my head. “What is that?”

Aiden placed it in my hand. “It’s your birthday, Alex. What do you think it is?”

I looked up, meeting his gaze. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I know. I wanted to.”

I slid off the lid, hooking that soft material of the satin ribbon with my pinky. Upon opening the box, I immediately choked up. “Oh, wow. This… this is so beautiful.”

Nestled against more satin, a dark-red crystal had been intricately designed into a rose in bloom, carved as if the petals were reaching up toward the sun. It hung from a delicate silver chain that complemented its beauty. I plucked it from the box. Lights winked and danced off the precious stone and it immediately warmed to my skin.

“Aiden, it’s… where did you find something like this?”

“I made it.” The tips of his cheeks flushed. “Do you like it?”

“You madethis?” My eyes widened. I breathed a little harder. It was remarkable that he could craft something so astonishing. “I love it! When did you make something like this?”

“A while back,” he said, cheeks reddening further. “After you gave me the pick, actually. I wasn’t sure I’d ever… get to give it to you. I mean, I just started making it one day and the more it took shape, I thought of you. I was just going to leave it in your dorm, but then everything happened…” He trailed off, looking contrite. “I’m just going to stop talking now.”

I stared at him wordlessly.

“Are you sure you like it?”

Climbing to my knees, I threw my arms around his neck. I clenched the rose in my hand as I kissed his cheek. “I love it, Aiden. It’s perfect. Beautiful.”

He laughed softly, gently untangling my choke-hold. “Here, let me help you put it on.”

I popped around obediently and held up my hair. Aiden clasped the chain behind my neck, letting the crystal rose settle above my chest. The weight of it felt wonderful. I reached up, running my fingers over the delicate edges. Then I sprang around and tackled Aiden.

Laughing, he caught me before we both tumbled off the bed. “I guess you do like it.”

I pushed him down and kissed him. “I love it. I love you.”

Aiden reached up, tucking my hair back as his molten stare pierced me to my core. “I know what you’re thinking.”

“Great minds think alike.”

“Later,” he growled.

I started to protest, but he rolled me to my feet. “Boo.”

He gave me a cheeky grin. “You have to come downstairs.”

“I do?”

“Yes. So don’t argue with me.”

“Fine. Only because you’re wonderful and this necklace is beautiful.” I paused, nudging him with my hip. “And because you’re sexy.”

Aiden ushered me out of the room after that. Before I reached the stairs, I tucked the necklace under my shirt. People may know or suspect something, but I wasn’t about to broadcast it, even though I wanted to shove the necklace in everyone’s face and make them coo over it.

I followed Aiden into the kitchen. My steps slowed as I saw everyonegathered around the table. “What’s going…?”

Deacon and Luke stepped to the side. “Happy Birthday!” they cried in unison.

My gaze fell to the table. There sat a birthday cake, decorated with eighteen burning candles and… Spider-man?Yep, it was Spider-man. Red and blue tights and all.

“It was either that or My Little Pony,” Luke said, grinning. “We figured you’d appreciate Spider-man more.”

“Plus he’s all wicked cool with the whole climbing buildings stuff,” Deacon added. “Maybe one day, when you decide to Awaken, you’ll be just as cool.”

“I lit the candles,” Solos said, shrugging. “All by myself.”

“I gave them the money.” Marcus folded his arms. “Therefore I was the key part of all of this.”

“And we got grape soda.” Luke gestured at the bottles of soda. “It’s your favorite.”

“This… this is… wow.” My eyes found Lea, sitting behind Solos. Her hair was pulled back from her face, eyes still swollen. She caught my eyes and smiled just a little. “This is great. You guys are awesome. Really.”

Deacon grinned. “You’ve got to blow out the candles and make a wish.”

What to wish for? I smiled. That was easy. As I crept to the table, I blew out the candles and wished that all of us made it out of this alive, including Seth.

“I want the spider web!” Deacon yelled as I stepped back, producing a supersized knife.

“Yikes.” I stepped back into Aiden.

“It’s her birthday,” Luke took the knife from him. “She gets to pick what piece she wants first.”

I laughed. “It’s okay. He can have the spider web. I’ll take the head.”

We set about carving the cake and passing around grape soda. I was overwhelmed by everyone. I hadn’t expected much of anything on my birthday except weird looks, but this was amazing. It was easy to forget about everything and what today symbolized. Here, surrounded by friends, things were sort of… normal.

Normal for a bunch of halfs and pures celebrating a birthday.

Okay. It wasn’t normal at all, but it was just my kind of abnormal.

Huddled around the table, we laughed as we shared cake and grape soda. Lea perked up a little, nibbling on the frosting. The boys continued to give me crap about not Awakening yet, which Aiden tried to put a stop to. It was cute watching him try not to be overly defensive or protective of me. Not like I needed him to, though I think it was just second nature to him. He was the same with Deacon… when Deacon wasn’t wielding a six-inch knife.

Toward the end of the birthday celebration, there was a distinctive pop!from the rec room. We all twisted around. I prayed the rune worked on the house, because there was definitely a god here.

Apollo strolled into the kitchen. The first thing I noticed was that his eyes were blue and not that creepy white. “How is my birthday girl?”

For some reason, I blushed to the roots of my hair. “Doing good, grandpa.”

He smirked as he slid into the seat beside me, easily prying the knife from Deacon’s fingers. “I do not look nearly old enough to be what I am to you.”

That was true. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties, which made it all the freakier. “So when were you going to tell me that you spawned me?”

“I did not spawn you. I spawned a demigod centuries ago who eventually spawned your mother.”

“Can you guys stop saying ‘spawn’?” asked Luke.

Apollo shrugged as he carved off an edge of the cake. He handed the knife back to an oddly subdued Deacon. “I did not find it necessary to tell you. It is not like I am going to be bouncing little Alex babies on my knee.”

The soda caught in my throat, and I almost spit it back up. Someone chuckled, and it sounded like Luke. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”

“My sister should have kept that to herself.” He took a bite of the cake, made a face, and then pushed his plate away. “Our familial tie is not what is important here.”

I frowned.

“You know what, guys?” Solos clapped his hands on Deacon and Luke’s shoulders. “I bet I can take you both at air hockey and make you call me mama.”

Luke snorted. “Not likely.”

Solos dragged the boys from the room, but Lea sat back in the chair and folded her arms. Her eyes dared anyone to tell her to leave. Now that was the Lea I was familiar with.

“Do you remember when you went to Marcus after Grandma Piperi passed on?” Apollo reached for the bottle of soda.

“Yes.” I handed him a cup, wondering where he was going with this. “Kind of hard to forget that day.”

“Humph.” He sniffed the top of the bottle, shrugged and then poured himself a small amount. “Well, then you should also realize that there is another oracle.”

I glanced at Marcus. He arched a brow as he leaned against the counter. “What does this oracle have to do with this?” he asked.

I thought of Kari. “But didn’t she pass on, too?” After a few strange looks, I explained. “I met her in the Underworld. She said she knew what was going to happen.”

Apollo nodded. “She had a few visions before her… departure. Probably had something to do with your own untimely visit to the Underworld. See, the thing about oracles is that they… own their visions. What they see is not seen by others and I can only see what the oracle tells me.” He lifted the plastic cup, took a tentative sip, and immediately made a face. Guess grape soda wasn’t his thing.

“It is part of how it all works—why we need an oracle at all, instead of me just knowing the future,” he continued, looking up at me. “Did she say anything to you while you were there?”

I shook my head. “Just that she knew she would meet me and… and that she knew how it ended. And knowing how it ends doesn’t really tell me what to do.”

Apollo grimaced. “Figures the dead oracle would know. And Hades is not about to let me go down and talk to her now, not after the thing with my sister. Prophecies are always changing. Nothing is set in stone.”

“Artemis said that.” Aiden sat beside Lea. “Has the prophecy changed?”

“Not exactly.”

My patience was running thin. “So what’s going on, Apollo? Artemis said there was still hope and she mentioned something about the prophecy. Can you just, I don’t know, get to the point?”

“The new oracle has not had any visions, so the last is tied to the dead one. So all we have to work off of is what we know.” His lips quirked into a half-smile. “Some of us believe that you will be able to stop Seth. The prophecy—”

“I know what the prophecy says—one to save and one to destroy. I get that, but what I don’t get is why any of you would risk Seth going all Godzilla on you guys. Eliminating me does eliminate the problem.” I ignored Aiden’s dangerous look as I stood. “There’s something more to this. You know something else.”

“And you know the prophecy says there can only be one of you. There is no way around that.” Apollo leaned back, letting his arms drop over the back of his chair. “Do you really think all of this was Lucian’s idea? That he knew about you without anyone telling him? That he has gained as much support as he has based on his charm alone?”

I started pacing. “I wouldn’t give Lucian that much credit.”

“Good. Because he has had help, I am sure of it,” Apollo said. “Which means stopping Seth from becoming the God Killer does not fix the overall problem. The god behind this will just find another way to push Olympus to the brink of all-out war, and if that happens, it will spill into the mortal realm. What you saw Poseidon do? That will be nothing in comparison to what can happen.”

“That’s just great.” I was going to wear a path in the kitchen floor at the rate I was going. “Do you have an idea of who this god is?”

“There are many of us who like to cause discord and chaos for the fun of it.”

“Hermes,” Marcus said. All eyes turned to him. He raised his brows expectantly. “Hermes is known for creating mayhem and mischief—chaos.” No one said anything. Marcus shook his head. “Didn’t any of you pay attention in your Greek Legends class?”

“Getting Lucian to turn on the Council and the gods isn’t mischief,” Aiden said. “And why would Hermes want to do that? Isn’t he putting himself at risk from Seth?”

“Not if Hermes controls Lucian.” I stopped. A sick feeling crawled down my spine. “Lucian controls Seth… completely. He’d be safe.”

“Hermes has always been Zeus’ personal joke and punching bag.” Apollo stood and moved around the table. At the bay window, he grew pensive. “And as of late, Hermes has been… missing. I was unaware of this, because I was here so much. You see, we all come and go, never staying away from Olympus for too long.”

Marcus tensed. “Do you think it’s possible that Hermes has been around us?”

He looked over his shoulder at us. Strands of blond hair fell forward, shielding half his face. “Like I said before, if the other god made sure we did not cross paths, it is possible. Keep in mind, it may not be Hermes. It could be any of us. Whoever it is will need to be stopped.”

I stared at him, wondering how Apollo expected any of us to stop a god. Only Seth would be able to and he wasn’t playing for our team right now.

“How can she stop him?” Lea asked, her voice hoarse. “How can she stop Seth? Isn’t that the point of all of this?”

Apollo gave her a little smile. “That is the point. Alexandria would have to kill him once she Awakens.”