Текст книги "Pure"

Автор книги: Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Текущая страница: 17 (всего у книги 24 страниц)

My excitement quickly turned into nerves. I’ve never worn anything like this before and attending something like this just went against everything a half-blood knew. Also, orchestra music just wasn’t my thing.

Would I be expected to waltz? The last time—and only time—had been with Seth and he’d dropped me. I couldn’t hit the ground in this kind of dress—that would be a sacrilege. And who would even dance with me? Was I going to be hugging the wall all night?

That’s when I started sweating.

Laadan grasped my hand with hers and led me forward. “You’ve fought daimons and the idea of a ball scares you?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

She laughed, the sound reminding me of wind chimes. “You’re going to do beautifully. Just remember that you belong among them. More so than any of them can even realize.”

I looked at her warily. “You really do love some half-bloods, don’t you?”

Her cheeks flushed a fierce red. “I… I just believe that all of us are equal and should be treated that way.”

I doubted that was the main reason, but I didn’t push it. She pulled me out of the soft shadows of the hallway, past the frozen furies, and right into the ballroom. I think I may’ve had a minor heart attack standing there, taking it all in.

The room was massive, the walls entirely made of glass. Crystal vases full of roses sat in every corner and on every table, and flower-covered vines hung from sparkling chandeliers in a dazzling display of light and darkness and streamed across the ceiling. At the far end of the room, a small orchestra sat—mortal musicians. Mortals were easy for both pures and halfs to pick out. It was more than just the physical attributes that set them apart. Their movements were jerky and slow, while the pures glided gracefully around them. Compared to the pures, their expressions

were bland. They were probably under compulsion to play here and not acknowledge anything weird.

Pures could get a little freaky after a few drinks.

Behind the orchestra, Thanatos rose above the mortals to loom over them like some kind of angel of death. His wingspan had to be at least eight feet and the ever-present sad expression had been carved into the marble. Someone had laid a wreath of roses on the god’s head.

Nice touch.

Two servants appeared in front of us. One held a tray of champagne flutes and the other carried a platter of finger sandwiches and what smelled like raw fish. I had a sudden mad desire for tater tots.

Laadan graciously accepted two glasses of champagne and handed me one. She caught my hand before I could down the glass. “Careful,” she warned softly. “This isn’t like mortal champagne. It’s much stronger.”

I stared down at the bubbling liquid. “How much stronger?”

She tipped her head to a table where a pure girl laughed hysterically while her companions looked on in annoyance. She had a glass of champagne in her hand. “That’s probably her second. You sip this champagne.”

“Advice taken.”

Lucian drifted out of the throng of pures and grasped my free hand. His eyes drifted over me in a mixture of shock and appraisal. “Laadan, you have outdone yourself. She looks just like Rachelle did when she attended this very ball.”

It was official. I felt creeped out on a whole new level.

“And you can’t even see her scars,” Lucian continued. There was a weird sheen to his eyes, and I wondered if he was drunk. “Utterly amazing job, Laadan.”

Straining back, I tried to maintain a polite smile. “Uh… thanks.”

Laadan looked as put off as I felt. Smoothly, she engaged Lucian’s interest. I scanned the room for friendly faces as my fingers clutched the fragile stem of the glass.

Everyone—all the pures—looked magnificent in their finery. Most of the females wore the kind of risqué dresses I’d love to, showing off expanses of perfectly smooth skin and long, graceful necks.

I didn’t belong here. No matter what Laadan said, I didn’t belong here.

Taking a deep breath, my gaze skittered over the crowd. Out of them, I recognized Minister Diana Elders. She wore a white diaphanous gown that reminded me of something a goddess would wear. Beside her, my uncle looked extremely interested in whatever she was saying. In awe, I watched as he actually smiled and when they turned toward us, those emerald eyes shone like jewels.

That is, until he saw me.

Marcus stepped back, blinking. Shock splashed across his face. He reacted like he’d seen a ghost. Recovering slowly, he and Minister Elders approached us. He nodded at Lucian and Laadan. “Alexandria, you decided to join us after all.”

Uncomfortable, I nodded and sippedmy champagne.

Diana smiled warmly enough, but she looked nervous when she addressed me. “Miss Andros, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Same here,” I murmured dumbly. I was never good at exchanging pleasantries, but the good thing was that the pures surrounding me gravitated toward each other and I was able to drift off to the side. I continued searching the crowd… well, for Aiden if I was being honest with myself. I knew he wouldn’t speak to me, but I wanted him… to see me. Lame, yes, but I wanted that.

Go figure it was Seth I saw first.

Or he saw me first. I’m not sure. Either way, I was surprised to find both Aiden and Seth standing with another pure-blood male I didn’t recognize. Several pretty pures had crowded them, possibly fascinated by the fact that an Apollyon half-blood was in the mix—or they’d just been drawn to the general hotness of the group.

Dawn Samos was one of those pretty pures. Her dress was a white sheath that ended above her knees. She stood the closest to Aiden, her slender tan arm brushing his as she spoke. I hadn’t seen her since the first day of sessions and I’d forgotten about her, but there she was.

Seth stood facing Aiden and the entrance. He wore a tux like the rest of the pures,

except he’d managed to find an all-white one and still look good in it. A grin pulled at my lips.

Like Seth needed any extra help sticking out.

His gaze moved around the edge of the ballroom and landed on me. The expression on his face was almost comical. His brows inched up his forehead, eyes widened with surprise. Apparently, I looked like a doofus most of the time. Me being in a dress must be a sight to behold. A smug quirk to his lips was quick to replace the startled expression. He nodded at me approvingly.

I tipped my glass at Seth.

He must’ve said something, because Aiden’s muscles stiffened under his black tux. Then slowly, almost reluctantly, Aiden looked over his shoulder. The moment our eyes met, I felt like Cinderella.

Aiden’s lips parted as his gaze drifted over me in a way that made the glass tremble between my fingers. When his eyes made their slow journey back to mine, all the air fled my lungs. The silver burned so fiercely, so hot, that a warm blush swept over my skin. My hand fell to the side, the barely touched glass of champagne forgotten as it hung from my fingertips.

Aiden turned around fully, his chest rising and falling sharply. He didn’t smile. He seemed only capable of staring. Just like me, because he looked truly magnificent in the sharp cut of the black tux, the wild waves of hair tumbling over his forehead, and those soft lips still parted in surprise, eyes still full of hunger.

As if in a daze, Aiden crossed the ballroom floor, his piercing eyes fastened on me. I knew I looked good, but not thatgood. Not so good that everyone else seemed to fade and disappear to Aiden. I thought of what he’d said outside the sitting room, how he’d been wrong about a lot of things.

I think I knew one of those things he’d been wrong about.

So caught up in Aiden, I hadn’t realized Seth had moved, but I felt him before he placed his hand on me, his fingers curving over my bare shoulder. Anger flashed over Aiden’s face. He stalled, silver eyes dropping to my shoulder. I could almost feel it in the air—the primal jealousy, his raw urge to physically remove Seth’s hand.

Seth leaned close, his warm breath stirring the hair at the nape of my neck. “People are starting to stare.”

Were they? I couldn’t say I really cared, which was wrong, but Aiden was staring at me—staring at me with so much passion, so much want—it was the only thing I could think about.

And then Aiden pulled it together. Halting mid-step, he clamped his jaw shut. Those eyes were still like quicksilver, smoldering in the soft light. His gaze drifted over me once more. Shivering under its intensity, I imagined that he was filing the image of me away.

Seth’s hand slid down my arm, fingers tightening around mine. “You know he’s not for you.”

“I know,” I whispered. And I did know that, and maybe that was why I felt so hollow inside.

Aiden turned away then, smiling at something Dawn said. But it was a fake smile. I knew Aiden’s smiles. After all, I lived for them.

“Do you want to dance?” Seth suggested.

Coming to the ball had been a bad idea. The emptiness I felt spread, leaving a gaping hole. I didn’t belong here, but Aiden did. Aiden belonged here with pures like Dawn. Not with me, not a half-blood.

I tore my gaze from Aiden and looked up at Seth. “I don’t want to dance.”

Seth’s amber gaze drifted over me. “Do you want to stay here?”

“I don’t know.”

He smiled and leaned forward. When he spoke, his lips brushed my ear. “We don’t belong here, Alex. Not with them.”

I wanted to ask exactly where it was we belonged, but I knew what Seth’s answer would be. He’d say that webelonged together. Not in the way I wanted to belong to Aiden, but in a different way. A way I hadn’t figured out yet.

“Let’s go,” he coaxed softly.

I could stay here and continue pretending that I belonged, or I could leave with Seth. And then what? My fingers trembled as I set the glass down on the nearest table.

I let Seth lead me away from the ball. A sudden heaviness settled over me. I felt like I’d made some sort of irrevocable choice.

And maybe I had.

CHAPTER 21

“LET’S DO SOMETHING STUPID.”

I turned to Seth, oddly nervous. “You want to do something stupid right now?”

“Can you think of a better time to do something stupid?”

I considered that. He kind of had a good point. “Okay. I’m down with stupid.”

“Good.” He started off, pulling me through the labyrinth. We rounded the Council chambers and headed into the campus. Seth cut toward the dark and silent building I’d spent the majority of my waking time in.

“You want to train?”

He shook his head, jaw clenched. “No. I don’t want to train.”

Seth picked up his pace. I had no idea what he was up to, but I’d learned a while ago to just go with it. The door to the arena was unlocked. A wide grin broke out across his face when he spotted the double doors inside the dark corridor.

“You want to go swimming?” I asked.

“Sure.”

“It’s like forty degrees outside.”

Seth pushed open the door. The smell of chlorine was everywhere. “So? It’s not forty degrees in here, is it? More like sixty.”

I pulled away from him and stepped to the edge of the pool. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Seth kick off his shoes. He caught my eye and winked.

“You’re ridiculous,” I said, fighting a grin.

“So are you.” He slipped off the dress jacket, dropping it on the cement. “We are a lot alike, Alex.”

I started to deny it, but I stopped and actually thought about it instead of dismissing it. There wassomething about Seth that called to my wilder and yes, stupider side. We were both reckless, a little wild, and aggressive, and neither of us knew when to ever be quiet. I guess there were two types of people in the world, those who sat around a fire, staring into the flames, and those who started the fire.

Seth and I started the fire, and then we danced around it.

“Was it so obvious back there?” I asked quietly.

Seth had been yanking his white shirt out of his pants, but he stopped and looked up. He appeared to be choosing his words. “I don’t know what goes on in your head, Alex. I can’t read your thoughts. I just picked up on your emotions.”

“Good to know.”

“I second that.” He started unbuttoning his shirt. “Anyway, I don’t even need to be able to sense your emotions to know. I don’t think you want to know what it looked like.”

“No. I do.” I shifted my weight to my other foot. These heels were killing me.

Shaking his head, Seth sighed. “You were staring at him like an ugly chick stares at the last cute guy at the bar when they make the last call.”

I choked on my laugh. “Oh. Wow. Thanks.”

He raised his hands in a helpless gesture, which looked so strange for him. “I told you.”

“Yeah.” I pushed strands of hair off my neck. “So I looked like an idiot to everyone?”

“No, everyone saw a beautiful half-blood. That’s all anyone saw.” Seth glanced away, a wry smile on his face. “Can I tell you something?”

I turned back to the pool. “Sure.”

“I prefer you without gloves.” His breath stirred the tendrils of hair against my neck. I had no idea how he moved so quietly.

“Oh.” I said, watching Seth as he moved to my side. Quietly, he peeled off one glove, and then the other, tossing them both away from the water. His fingers slid around the scars before he dropped my arm, stepping back. My tags never seemed to bother him. I looked at him through my lashes. “Better?”

“Much.”

I glanced down at the beautiful gown. Laadan would be so upset if I ruined her dress. I turned slightly, catching my reflection in the windows of the pool room. It didn’t look like me. I looked like a doll, a carbon copy of my mom. So much so that even Lucian had looked at me in a way that made me puke a little in my mouth. Had that been what Laadan wanted? To fashion me like her long-lost friend?

“Can you get silk wet?” I asked.

Seth made a funny noise behind me. “I’d say probably not.”

“That’s a shame.” I kicked off my shoes. My toes immediately sighed and thanked me.

“You really are going—”

I dove in. The water wasn’t as heated as I’d thought and was a shock to my system, but after a few seconds I grew used to it. Staying underwater, I swam to the opposite side of the pool.

The water immediately killed all of Laadan’s hard work. Twisting around, I found Seth at the pool’s edge. Amusement and satisfaction played out across on his face, which made him look sort of normal.

“So childish, Alex. You’ve ruined her dress.”

The vibrant red silk floated around me as I treaded water. “I know. Bad me.”

“Very bad.” He sounded more appreciative than chastising.

Grinning, I sank underwater again and closed my eyes. Under the water, it was a quiet, blissful world. I didn’t have to think, or worry… or love.

I inched my way back up and caught Seth shrugging off his shirt. I saw maybe a second of his bare upper body before I hastily ducked underwater. It wasn’t bad—all golden skin and hard muscles.

Seeing his chest wasn’t a big deal, for crying out loud.

On the nights Seth stayed with me, he did so fully clothed—thank the gods—but

it was just weird. Seth was weird– I was weird—and I couldn’t stay underwater all night. Using my legs, I pushed off the bottom of the pool.

Seth had moved to the center of the room. His head was tipped back, arms stretched high in the air as he stood on the tips of his toes, completely at ease. “Stop staring.”

I floated forward. “I’m not staring.”

He chuckled. “How’s the water?”

“Nice.”

His arms dropped to his sides. “Do you remember the last thing I told you in training?”

I pushed through the water, coming to where he stood. “You tell me a lot of stuff in training. Honestly, I don’t pay attention.”

He snorted. “You do wonders for my self-esteem.”

Rolling my eyes, I pushed off the cement wall and floated on my back. The dress streamed out around me as water glided over my skin. “I feel like a mermaid.”

Seth ignored that. “Tomorrow, when they ask you about what happened in Gatlinburg, only answer their questions.”

I sighed. “I know. What do you guys think I’m going to say? That I love daimons?”

“Just don’t elaborate on anything. Answer yes or no, and that is it.”

“I’m not stupid, Seth.”

Seth arched a brow. “I didn’t say you were. I just know you tend… to talk a lot.”

“Oh. Like you’re one—”

Seth dove in, sending a wave of water crashing over me, and I lost my balance. I sank under, only to find him swimming toward me. Recognizing the wild grin plastered across his face, I pushed back, but he caught the edge of my dress. I smacked his hand away and resurfaced. He came up a few feet away, shaking his head, sending beads of water flying.

I splashed him. “You talk more than I do.”

He floated over to the side and swung one arm over the edge. Squinting through water and hair, he made a face at me. “You look like a drowned monkey.”

“What? I do not.” I ran a hand over my hair, then under my eyes. Come to think of it, I probably had brutal raccoon eyes right now. “Wait. Do I?”

Seth nodded. “Honestly, you look like a mess. This was a bad idea. What was I thinking?”

“Shut up. You don’t look so hot yourself.”

That wasn’t entirely true. Seth looked rather… nice soaked. The whole shirtless thing probably helped. A little bit. Not much. For some bizarre reason, I thought about the day the rune had appeared.

His lips curved into a mad sort of grin as he placed his hand over the water. “Watch this.”

I tried keeping the edges of my dress from floating all the way up. “Watch what?”

The water under his hand spun, much like water going down a drain. Then it shot straight up in the air, reaching for the ceiling. The cone of water twisted in midair, arced, and then came down.

I couldn’t move back quickly enough.

Water funneled around me, pulsating and drowning out everything. Then it froze. I couldn’t see beyond the wall of still water. I tilted my head back and smiled. Being stuck in a Seth-made typhoon was strange, but also cool. Tentatively, I reached out and poked a finger through it. Wrong move. It all came crashing down.

The weight of the water pushed me under, and when I came back up, an all-out water war ensued. We both were acting like two bored kids who’d snuck away from their parents, but this was fun. It didn’t matter I was sorely outmatched in the water arena and Seth seemed intent on drowning me.

I wasn’t thinking about Aiden, or the Council, or anything.

Laughing and swallowing way too much water, I backed off while Seth pushed clumps of blond hair out of his eyes. “You’re such a girl, Seth. Do we need to take a grooming break?”

“You need to give up.” He reared back, sending his arm crashing against the surface of the water. “You can’t beat me. Ever. At anything. Give it up.”

I swam back, slipped under and resurfaced quickly. “I don’t give up, Seth.”

He inched closer. “Well, we all have to learn how to someday. Besides me. I’m secure in my awesomeness.”

“More like you’re secure in your douchiness.”

“You are such a goner.” He shot across the water, and I dropped underneath. I aimed for his legs, thinking that if I could take them out, I could take him out.

But it didn’t quite go as planned.

I got one arm around a leg and tugged. Seth retaliated by reaching down and tugging me back up to the surface. The moment my head broke through the water, I struggled and cursed. Unsurprisingly, a long, wet gown really hindered the use of one’s legs.

“That’s cheating, Alex.” Seth planted both hands above my hips. “You know what happens to cheaters.”

I tried prying his fingers from my waist. “Don’t you dare!”

He lifted me until over half of my body was out of the water. I stared down at his face. His smile went up a notch as I dangled above him. “Cold up there, huh?”

Yeah, it kind of was. “Stupid down there, huh?”

Seth’s brows flew up. “For one in such a precarious position, you sure don’t know how to talk yourself out of it.”

“That’s because it’s hard to reason with idiots.” I gave him a cheeky grin. “Why bother?”

“Oh? Is that how it is? Well, my little Apollyon-in-training, have a nice flight.”

“Seth! I swear I will—”

Using the air element, he launched me out of the water, cutting off my words. I went up… and up another couple of feet, and back down in a mess of arms and red silk several feet away. Water went up my nose as I sank to the bottom of the pool.

Breaking the surface, I immediately started yelling things only Seth could truly appreciate. A lot of four letter words that rhymed with other four letter words. This resulted in me flying back through the air again and again.

“Okay. Okay,” I gasped, hanging above him. “You’re awesome.”

“And?”

“And… you’re not a douche… all the time—Wait!” I stalled as my knees came out of the water. “You’re just a greatperson.”

Seth frowned. “That doesn’t sound very sincere.”

My hands slipped off his. “Okay. You’re the best Apollyon there is.”

He tipped his head to the side and arched a brow. “I’m the only Apollyon there is right now.”

I grinned. “You’re still the best.”

He sighed, but he lowered me back down. “Now you really do look like a drowned monkey.”

“Thanks.” I started for the shallow end of the pool, but Seth pushed through the water like a damn fish. He circled one arm around my waist and flipped me back around.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

I went to push against his chest, but remembered there was literally nothing between my hands and his skin. I opted for his shoulders, which turned out to be rather pointless. “Don’t throw me again.”

“I’m not going to throw you.”

I considered that for a moment. “Then I win the water war?”

“No.”

“Damn. Well, I guess you have to be better than me at something. Congratulations.”

“I’m always better than you. I’m—”

“Egotistical?” I supplied helpfully. “Narcissistic?”

He pressed forward, and I backed up, trying to keep as much space between us as possible. Not that it did any good in water. My legs floated everywhere I didn’t want them to—like closer to him. “I have some words for you, too. How about stubborn? Impudent?” he countered, slowly pushing on until my back hit the rough edge of the pool.

“Was ‘impudent’ your word choice of the day?”

He put his finger on my lips. “Well, yes it is. I could even use it in a sentence if you like.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

He removed his finger and planted his hands on either side of me, effectively caging me in. I looked up and our eyes locked. An immediate level of awareness passed between us. It was powerful, almost like the charge that’d shot through us when I’d touched his rune.

Something I never planned on doing again.

The atmosphere was no longer playful or light, and as the silence grew, so did the nervousness in the pit of my stomach. Seth had thatlook on his face—all intent and purpose-driven, and it was directed at me. He liked to flirt, liked to the push the line between us, but this—this was different. I felt itinside me, waking up and stirring.

Suddenly I thought of the heaviness I’d felt leaving the ball. “I think… we should head back now. I’m cold and it’s getting late.”

Seth smiled. “No.”

“No?”

“I’m not done being stupid yet.” He leaned in. Strands of his wet hair brushed my forehead. “Actually, there’s a lot of stupid left in me.”

At once, I placed my hands against his chest to stop him. His skin felt incredibly warm for being above the water. I opened my mouth to respond, but found myself at a loss. A strange edginess swamped me. Somehow, he managed to get closer and I… I didn’t push him away or move my hands. Seth seemed to read something in that, because his hands slipped away from the edge and fell to my waist.

“You know what?” His breath was warm against my cheek. “There are a lot of stupid things to do, but I really want to do the stupidest thing possible.”

“What’s that?”

“I want to kiss you.”

My stomach hollowed. “That is crazy. I’m not Elena… or any other number of girls.”

“I know. Maybe that’s why I want to.”

I turned my head in the other direction. Or at least I thought I did. That was what I planned, but for some reason my head went the direction I didn’t want it to—toward him and his warm breath. “You don’t want to kiss me.”

“But I do.” His lips brushed against my cheek, sending shivers that had nothing to do with the cold air over me.

My hands slipped from his chest and I gripped the edge of the pool. “No, you don’t.”

Seth chuckled against my cheek. He slipped his fingers up my spine, curving his hand around the nape of my neck. “Are you arguing with me over what I want?”

“You’re arguing with me.”

“You’re ridiculous.” I felt him smile as his lips brushed over the line of my jaw, over the bruise. “It’s such an annoying quality, yet strangely endearing.”

My heart was beating way too fast. “Well… you’re annoying, too.”

He laughed again and pulled me against his chest. My fingers lost their tenuous grip on reality, falling into the water. “Why are we still talking?”

I rested my cheek against his shoulder and closed my eyes. “This is your one chance to talk without me telling you to shut up, because we aren’t doing... anything else.”

“Do you know how amusing I find you?” He shifted, pressing my back into the pool edge. His hand left my waist, smoothed down over my hip and thigh. Jerking back, I grabbed for his hand. Too late, he hooked my leg around his.

“What are… you doing?” I hated how breathless my voice sounded, confused by the need burning through me.

“Do you know why I think you’re so amusing?” He slid the hand over my thigh.

“Why?”

“Because I know how badly you want me to kiss you.” Seth cupped my chin, tipping my head back with his other hand.

“That’s not true.”

“You lie. Why? I have no idea.” He pressed his lips against my cheek, then against my throat, my shoulder. The hand on my leg slipped between my thighs. My blood pounded, sending my heart into a frenzy. “I can feel what you’re feeling. And I know you want me to kiss you.”

I grasped his arms “It’s not…”

“Not what?” He lifted his head, brushing his nose against mine.

“I…”

“Just let me kiss you.”

Gods, I needed him to kiss me. I needed him to keep doing what he was doing with his hands. But was any of this was about the heart… or even the body? Or was it just what existed in both of us? The connection, the bond—whatever it was—controlling what we wanted. It sang between us, tightening until it was all that existed. But what I felt with Aiden wasn’t a product of a connection, and it didn’t fade away because he didn’t return my feelings. I didn’t even question what it was, but this? I had to question everything.

I opened my eyes. “Is this real?”

“Very real.” He leaned back and brushed strands of wet hair off my face.

I did want to kiss him and I also wanted to wrap myself around him. The ache his hands created was almost too hard to deny, but as I stared at him and saw the runes slipping down his neck, slowly reaching toward where my hands rested against his skin, I had no idea if I could trust what I wanted. There was something between us that neither of us fully understood. We didn’t know what the connection actually controlled, what it could make us want.

His breath danced over my cheek, then my lips. “Angel, just let me kiss you.”

With Aiden, with what I felt for him, there was nothing external—or internal—pulling me toward him except what I feltfor him. It didn’t matter that it was forbidden or that he didn’t want me.

Seth dropped his hands suddenly. I hit the edge, wincing as the cement scraped my skin. The mark of the Apollyon shifted over his chest, swirling and moving. “You’re thinking about Aiden.”

I bit my lip. “Not in the way you think I am.”

He ran both his hands over his head. Then he pushed forward, suddenly right in my face. “You know, I don’t know which is worse. That I was stupid enough to want to kiss you, or the fact that you’re still hung up on someone who doesn’t even want you.”

I blinked. “Wow. That’s a little harsh.”

“It’s the truth, Alex. Even if he did profess his undying love for you, you can’t have him.”

I whirled around and hauled myself out of the pool. Standing above him, water ran off the ruined dress. “Just because I can’t be with him doesn’t change the way I feel.”

In an instant, he was out of the water. “If you have this epic love for Aiden, why did you want to kiss me as badly as you did?”

I flushed hot with fury, the kind that only came from Seth making a point I couldn’t argue. “I didn’t kiss you, Seth! That should answer your question right there!”

“You wanted to. Trust me, I know you did.” He smiled that smug smile. “You really wanted to.”

“I don’t know what I want!” I yelled, my hands balling into fists at my sides. “How do you know, Seth? How do you know it’s not the damn connection between us instead of something real?”

The anger faded from Seth’s eyes, replaced by surprise. “You think it’s just the connection? Do you really think that’s all I feel for you?”

I laughed harshly. “You say it yourself all the time! Anytime you do something nice for me, you say it’s the connection forcing you to do so.”

“Did you ever consider that I was joking?”

“No! Why would I? You said the connection would grow stronger between us,” I said. “That’s why you want to kiss me! It’s not real.”

“I know why I want to kiss you, Alex, and is has nothing to do with either of us being Apollyons. And apparently it has nothing to do with your common sense, either.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Oh, shut up. I’m done talking—”

“I know exactly why.” Seth stalked forward, backing me up until I hit the cement wall behind me and he stood inches away. “I can’t believe I’d even have to spell it out for you.”

Shivering in the cool, damp air, I flattened my hands against the wall. “You don’t have to.”

“You’re the most frustrating person I know.”

I rolled my eyes. “And that makes you want to kiss me? You’re twisted.”

His eyes burned like liquid gold. “Do you feel the connection between us right now?”

I frowned, searching for the telltale signs the connection was doing its thing. I didn’t feel that swamping heat or edginess, so I was going to go with no. “Not really, but I don’t know what it feels—”

Seth grasped the sides of my face and brought my mouth to his. I froze, shocked that he’d actually kiss me after all of that, but he was. Soft, tentative, questioning kisses, as if he was doing this for the very first time, and I soknew that wasn’t the case.

I knew I should stop him, because allowing him to kiss me totally defeated the point of the argument we’d just had, but I found myself closing my eyes instead. His mouth was so warm and sweet, dizzying actually. Then it deepened, stealing my breath and sending my heart racing.