Chapter 23
EVERYTHING AND NOTHING CHANGED AFTER HAVING sex. I didn’t look any different. Well, there was the goofy smile plastered over my face that I couldn’t get rid of. Other than that, I looked the same. But I did feel different. I ached in places I had no idea someone could even hurt. My heart also did that fluttering thing every time I even thought his name, which was so girlie and I loved it.
Letting my heart instead of my hormones decide when to do it made what Aiden and I’d done special. And when we passed each other throughout the day, the looks we stole suddenly meant more. Everything meant more, because we both were risking it all and neither of us regretted that.
I spent the better part of the afternoon and evening playing Scrabble with Deacon. I think he regretted asking me to play, because I was one of those Scrabble players—the kind who played three-letter words every chance I got.
There was a part of me that kept expecting the gods to zap one of us for finally breaking all the rules. So when Apollo popped in on our fourth round of Scrabble, I about had a heart attack.
“Gods!” I clutched my chest. “Can you stop doing that?”
Apollo looked at me strangely. “Where is Aiden?”
Slowly rising to his feet, Deacon cleared his throat and bowed. “Urn, I think he’s outside. I’ll go get him.”
I glared at Deacon’s retreating form. Left alone with Apollo, I wasn’t sure what to do. Should I stand up and bow, too? Was it considered rude to sit in the presence of a god? But then Apollo sat beside me, cross-legged, and started messing with the letters on the board.
Guess not.
“I know what’s happened,” Apollo said after a few seconds.
My brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
He nodded at the board.
My gaze dropped to the game and I nearly passed out. He’d spelled SEX and AIDEN with those stupid little squares. Horrified, I shot to my knees and swept the letters off the board. “I-I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
Apollo tipped his head back and laughed, like, chortled really loudly.
I think I hated him, god or not.
“I’ve always known.” He leaned back against the couch, folding his arms. His blue eyes burned unnaturally, lit from within. “I’m just surprised you two made it this far.”
My jaw hit the floor. “Wait. That night Kain came back? You… you knew I was in Aiden’s cabin, didn’t you?”
He nodded.
“But… how do you know now?” My stomach dropped. “Oh, my gods, have you been doing some kind of creepy peeping-god thing or something? Did you see us?”
Apollo’s eyes narrowed as he tilted his head toward me. “No. I do have better things to do.”
“Like what?”
His pupils started to burn white. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe track down Telly, keep an eye on Seth and, If I get lucky, bring you back from the dead. Ah, and I forgot making a few appearances at Olympus, so that I don’t have every one of my siblings curious about what I’m doing.”
“Oh. Sorry.” I settled down, feeling chagrined. “You are really busy.”
“Anyway, I can smell Aiden on you.”
My face caught fire. “What? What do you mean, you can smell him? Dude, I showered.”
Apollo leaned over, his gaze meeting mine. “Every person has a unique scent. If you mix yours enough with that person, it takes a lot to get their smell off you. Next time you might want to try Dial soap instead of those girly body washes.”
I covered my flaming face. “This is so wrong.”
“But it does amuse me greatly.”
“You… you’re not going to do anything about it?” I whispered, lifting my head.
He rolled his eyes. “I believe that is the least of our problems at the moment. Besides, Aiden is a good guy. He will always put you first, above all else. But I am pretty sure he will get overprotective at some point.” Apollo shrugged while I stared, open-mouthed, at him. “You will just have to set him straight.”
Was Apollo giving me relationship advice? This was officially the weirdest moment of my life, and that was saying something. Thankfully Aiden and Deacon returned then, and I was saved from dying of humiliation.
Deacon shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m just going to go busy myself with… something. Yeah.” Spinning around, he closed the door on his way out.
There was something really weird about Deacon’s reaction to Apollo. For his sake, I seriously hoped he hadn’t done anything with Apollo. He might end up a flower or a tree stump.
Aiden strolled into the living room and bowed. “Is there news?” he asked upon straightening.
“He knows about us,” I said.
A second later, Aiden hauled me to my feet and shoved me behind him. In both of his hands were Covenant daggers.
Apollo arched a golden eyebrow. “And what did I say about the whole overprotective bit?”
Well, he did call it. Cheeks flaming, I grabbed Aiden’s arm. “He doesn’t seem to care, apparently.”
Aiden’s muscles tensed under my hand. “And why should I believe that? He’s a god.”
I swallowed. “Well, probably because he could’ve killed me already if he was going to have a problem with it.”
“That is true.” Apollo stretched his legs out, crossing them at the ankle. “Aiden, you cannot actually be shocked that I know. Do I need to remind you of our special hunt in Raleigh? Why else would a man hunt down someone like that unless it was for love? And trust me, I know the crazy lengths people will go to for love.”
The tips of Aiden’s cheeks flushed as he relaxed by a fraction. “I’m sorry for… pulling these on you, but—”
“I understand.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Have a seat, cop a squat, whatever. We need to talk, and I do not have long.”
Taking a deep breath, I sat where I’d been before. Aiden took the arm of the couch behind me, remaining close. “So what’s going on?” I asked.
“I was just with Marcus,” Apollo answered. “He’s gotten Solos on board.”
“On board for what?” I glanced at Aiden. He looked away. Equal parts curious and angry, because I knew that meant he was keeping something from me, I elbowed his leg. “On board for what, Aiden?”
“You have not told her, have you?” Apollo scooted further away. “Don’t hit me.”
“What? I don’t just hit people.” Both stared at me knowingly. I folded my arms to keep from hitting them. “Fine. Whatever. What’s going on?”
Apollo sighed. “Solos is a half-blood Sentinel.”
“Gee. I’ve figured that part out.” Aiden pushed me in the back with his knee. I shot him a death glare. “What does he have to do with any of this?”
“Well, I am trying to tell you.” Apollo rose to his feet fluidly. “Solos’ father is a Minister in Nashville. He’s actually the only son of the Minister; he has been doted on and raised with a lot of knowledge of the politics of the Council.”
“Okay,” I said slowly. Pures caring for their half-blood children wasn’t unheard of. Rare, yes, but I was an example of that.
“Not everyone on the Council is a fan of Telly, Alex. Some would even like to see him removed from his position,” Aiden explained.
“And if I remember correctly, he was outvoted when it came to placing you into servitude.” Apollo glided over to the window. “Word of what he’s involved in will not sit well with those members of the Council, including Solos’ father, who, by the way, is a softie when it comes to the treatment of half-bloods. Having them on our side can only help.”
“What do you mean, his father is a softie?”
Apollo faced me. “He is one of those who do not believe that half-bloods should be forced into servitude if they do not fit the mold of a Sentinel or Guard.”
“Well, you have no one to blame for that rule but yourself.” Anger sparked inside of me. “You’re responsible for the way we’ve been treated.”
Apollo frowned. “We have had nothing to do with that.”
“What?” Surprise colored Aiden’s voice.
“We are not responsible for the subjugation of half-bloods,” Apollo said. “That was all the pure-bloods. They decreed the separation of the two breeds into castes centuries and centuries ago. All we asked was that pures and halfs not mix.”
Those words pulled the world out from underneath my feet. Everything I’d been taught to believe was no longer true. Since I was a small child, I’d been told that the gods saw us as lesser and our society acted on that belief. “Then why… why haven’t you guys done anything?”
“It was not our problem,” Apollo responded blithely.
Rage whipped through me like a red-hot bullet and I shot to my feet. “It wasn’t your problem? The pure-bloods are your children! Just like we are. You all could’ve done something years ago.”
Aiden caught my arm. “Alex.”
“What did you expect us to do, Alexandria?” Apollo said. “The lives of half-bloods are literally a step—a small step—above those of mortals. We cannot interfere in such trivial things.”
The slavery of thousands and thousands of halfs was a trivial thing?
Breaking free of Aiden, I charged Apollo. Looking back, not a good idea, but I was so angry, so shocked that the gods had stood by since the beginning and allowed the pures to treat us like animals they could herd. A small, rational part of my brain knew not to take it personally, because this was how the gods were. If it didn’t involve them directly, they didn’t care. It was as simple as that. The pissed part beat out the rational part.
“Alex!” Aiden yelled, reaching for me.
I was so much faster when I wanted to be. He couldn’t stop me. I made it about a foot in front of Apollo before he held up his hand. I smacked off an invisible wall. The force blew my hair back.
Apollo smiled. “I do like your feisty temper.”
I kicked the shield. Pain fired through my foot. I hobbled back. “Ouch! Dammit, that hurt!”
Aiden got a secure grip around me. “Alex, you need to calm down.”
“I am calm!”
“Alex,” Aiden chided, obviously trying not to laugh.
Apollo lowered his hand, appearing contrite. “I do… understand your anger, Alexandria. The half-bloods were not treated fairly.”
I took several deep, calming breaths.
“By the way,” Apollo said, “the next time you charge a god, and it is not me, you will be destroyed. If not by that god, then by the furies. You are lucky the furies and I do not get along. They would love to see my entrails strung upon the rafters—”
“Okay. I get the picture.” I eased my aching foot down. “But I don’t think you really understand. That’s the problem with you gods. You created all of this and then just left it. Taking no responsibility for what happened. You guys take ‘self-centered’ to a whole new epic level. And all of our problems—the daimons and even the Apollyon crap—are the gods’ fault. You said it yourself! If you ask me, you guys are freaking useless 99% of the time.”
Aiden placed his hand on the small of my back. I expected him to tell me to shut up, because I was yelling at a god, but that’s not what he did. “Alex has a point, Apollo. I didn’t even know… the truth. Even we are taught that the gods decreed the separation of the two breeds.”
“I do not know what to say,” Apollo said.
I smoothed my hair down. “Please don’t say you’re sorry, because I know it wouldn’t be true.”
Apollo nodded.
“Okay. Now that we’ve gotten this out of our systems, let’s get back to the point of this visit.” Aiden pulled me to the couch, forcing me to sit down. “And seriously, Alex, no hitting.”
I rolled my eyes. “Or what? You’re going to put me in a time out?”
Aiden’s grin was daring, as if he was up for the challenge and might even enjoy it.
“Solos and his father will be assets in making sure Telly is removed from the Head Minster position and that an extensive investigation is done to determine how many Order members may be out there. And before you ask me why, as a god, I cannot just see that, I must remind you that we are not omniscient.”
“Why were you guys worried about how I’d react to that?” I asked, confused. “Sounds like a good thing.”
“It’s not everything.” Aiden took a deep breath. “Solos’ father owns extensive property throughout the states, places where we can hide you until all the Order members are uncovered.”
“Not just that,” Apollo added. “We can keep you safe until we know how to deal with Seth and your Awakening.”
I blinked, positive I hadn’t heard them right. “What?”
“The worst thing that can happen right now is for Seth to take on your power and become the God Killer.” Apollo folded his arms. “Therefore, we need to make sure you are far enough away that when you do Awaken, the bond is severed by distance and you cannot connect with him. He cannot be trusted.”
“Why? Why can’t he be trusted? What has he done?”
“He’s lied to you about a lot of things,” Aiden pointed out.
I shook my head. “Besides the lying about the Apollyon stuff, what has he done?”
“It is not what he has done, Alexandria, but what he will do. The oracle has seen it.”
“You’re talking about that whole ‘one to save and one to destroy’ crap? Why? Why would that be the case with Seth and me, when we aren’t the first set of Apollyons?” I tucked my hair back, frustrated and full of the need to… protect Seth’s name. Not like he had a good name, but come on.
Suddenly, Apollo was kneeling in front of me at eye level. Aiden stiffened beside me. “I did not waste my time trying to keep you safe, and argue with Hades over your soul, only to have you throw it away based on foolish and na?ve trust.”
I squeezed my hands into balls. “Why do you even care, Apollo?”
“It’s complicated,” was all he said.
“If all you can say is that ‘it’s complicated’ then you can forget that. What about school?”
“Marcus ensured us that you’d graduate on time,” Aiden said.
“You knew about this?”
He nodded. “Alex, I think it’s the smart thing to do.”
“Running is the smart thing to do? Since when do you believe that? Because I remember you telling me that running solved nothing.”
Aiden’s lips thinned. “That was before you were murdered, Alex. Before I—” He cut himself off, shaking his head. “That was before.”
I knew what he meant and I hurt for that. I ached, because he had to worry about me, but that still didn’t completely extinguish my anger. “You should’ve told me this was what you guys were planning. It’s the same as Seth and Lucian planning to whip me away to some distant country. I should be included in these plans.”
“Alexandria—”
“No.” I cut Apollo off and stood before Aiden could stop me. “I’m not going into hiding because there’s a chance that Seth might do something.”
“Then forget the issue with Seth.” Aiden stood, folding his arms. “You need to be protected from the Order.”
“We can’t forget about Seth.” I started pacing, wanting to pull out my hair. “If I up and disappear, what do you think Seth’s going to do? Especially if we don’t tell him, which I know is what you guys are thinking.”
Apollo rose to his feet and tipped his head back. “This would be so much easier if you had an agreeable personality.”
“Sorry, buddy.” I stopped, meeting Aiden’s steely eyes. “But I can’t go along with this. And if you really think that the Order is going to try something again, then we need Seth’s help.”
Aiden turned halfway, his broad shoulders tensed as he growled under his breath. Typically, I’d be annoyed with the testosterone display, but yeah, I kind of found it hot.
The Sun God sighed. “For now, you win, but if I so much as think that this will end badly—”
“How can things end badly?” I asked.
“Besides the obvious?” Apollo frowned. “If Seth does what is feared, the gods would bring their wrath down upon all pures and halfs to make a point. And as I was saying, if it was even to get to that point, you will have no choice.”
“Then why don’t you just let the Order kill me? That would solve all your problems, wouldn’t it?” Not that I wanted to die, but it did make sense. Even I could see that. “Seth wouldn’t become the God Killer then.”
“Like I said, it is complicated.” Then Apollo simply vanished.
“I hate when he does that,” I glanced at Aiden. He stared back at me, brows furrowed jaw tight. I sighed. “Don’t look at me like I’ve kicked a baby pegasus into the street.”
Aiden exhaled slowly. “Alex, I don’t agree with this. You have to know that we are only looking out for what is best for you.”
Hot or not, there went my tenuous grip on my temper. “I don’t need you looking out for what’s best for me, Aiden. I’m not a child!”
His eyes narrowed. “I of all people know you’re not a child, Alex. And I sure as hell didn’t treat you like one last night.”
My cheeks flushed a hot mix of embarrassment and something far, far different. “Then don’t make decisions for me.”
“We’re trying to help you. Why can’t you see that?” Then his eyes deepened to a tumultuous gray. “I will not lose you again.”
“You haven’t lost me, Aiden. I promise you.” Some of the anger seeped out of me. Fear was behind his fury. I could understand that. It was what drove my tantrums on a regular basis. “You haven’t and you won’t.”
“That’s not a promise you can make. Not when there are so many things that could go wrong.”
I didn’t know what to say to that.
Aiden crossed the room, sweeping me up in a tight embrace. There wasn’t a word spoken for several moments just the ragged rise and fall of his chest.
“I know you’re mad,” he began, “and that you hate the idea of anyone trying to control you or force you into doing something.”
“I’m not mad.”
He pulled back, arching a brow.
“Okay. I’m mad, but I understand why you think I should go into hiding.”
He led me back to the couch. “But you’re not going to go along with this.”
“No.”
Aiden pulled me into his lap, circling his arms around me. My heart did a flip and it took me a few seconds to get accustomed to this openly affectionate Aiden who didn’t pull away and keep his distance.
“You are the most frustrating person I know,” he said.
I rested my head on his shoulder, smiling. “None of you are giving Seth a chance. He hasn’t done anything, and I don’t have any reason to fear him.”
“He’s lied to you, Alex.”
“Who hasn’t lied to me?” I pointed out. “Look, I know that’s not a great excuse, and you’re right, he has lied to me. I know that, but he hasn’t done anything that warrants me running off and hiding. We have to give him a chance.”
“And what if we take that risk and you were wrong, Alex? Then what?”
I hoped that wouldn’t be the case. “Then I’ll have to deal with it.”
His shoulder tensed under my cheek. “I’m not okay with that. I’ve already failed you once and—”
“Don’t say that.” Twisting in his embrace, I met his gaze and cupped his cheeks. “You had no idea Linard was working for the Order. You are not at fault for that.”
He pressed his forehead against mine. “I should’ve been able to protect you.”
“I don’t need you to protect me, Aiden. I need you to do what you’re doing now.”
“Hold you?” His lips twitched. “I can do that.”
I kissed him, and my chest squeezed. Never in a million years would I get used to being able to kiss him. “Yes, that, but I just need… your love and your trust. I know you can fight for me, but I don’t need you to do that. These problems—they’re mine, not yours, Aiden.”
His arms tightened around me, so tight, I found it hard to breathe. “Because I love you, we share each other’s problems. When we fight, we fight together. I’m going to be by your side no matter what, whether you like it or not. That’s what love is, Alex. You never have to face anything alone again. And I get what you’re saying. I don’t agree with it, but I will support you in any way I can.”
I was struck silent. There was really nothing I could say to that. I wasn’t that great with words, not those kinds of words. So I wrapped myself around him like a super-friendly octopus. When he leaned back, I settled over him, not caring that he was still in his Sentinel gear, daggers and all. Quite some time passed before either of us spoke.
“Seth’s not really a bad guy,” I said. “He can be prone to moments of great douchery, but he wouldn’t do something like take out the Council.”
Aiden’s fingers slipped over my cheek. “I wouldn’t put anything past Seth.”
I decided not to respond to that. Since the phone call after Linard’s attack, I hadn’t even heard from Seth. And now that I had calmed down a bit, I started to think logically about what Apollo had said. “Everyone fears Seth—the gods, the pures, and the Order—because he’ll become the God Killer, right?”
“Right,” he murmured. His hand drifted to my shoulder, brushing my hair back.
“Well, what if he doesn’t become the God Killer?”
His hand stilled. “You mean if we stop the transfer of power? That’s what we’re trying to do by keeping you away from Seth.”
“I seriously doubt that’s the sole purpose of keeping me away from Seth.”
“You got me there,” he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.
Tipping my head up, I decided it was way past time to clear the air. Aiden first… and then Seth, because the last thing I wanted was for anyone to be hurt over this. “I care about Seth—I do. He’s important to me, but it’s not the same. You know you don’t have anything to worry about, right? What Seth and I had… well, I don’t even know what we had. It wasn’t a relationship, not really. He asked to try and see what happens. And this is what happened.”
Aiden caught a strand of my hair between his fingers. “I know. I trust you, Alex. But that doesn’t mean I trust him.”
There was no winning this with him. “Anyway, I can talk to Seth and let him know what’s going on with the Order and what people fear.”
“And you think he’ll go along with that?”
“I do. Seth won’t force me into anything by using the… connection against us.” I wiggled up Aiden’s chest and kissed his chin. “Seth once told me that if things ever became… too much, he’d leave. So there is a way out.”
“Huh, he actually said that?” His eyes burned silver. “Maybe he’s not so bad.”
“He’s not.”
“I don’t like this, but like I said, I will support you any way that I can.”
“Thank you.” I kissed his cheek again.
A sigh shuddered through him. “Alex?”
“What?”
He leaned back, watching me through heavy lashes. “Did you guys eat all the cookie dough last night or did you actually make any cookies?”
I laughed at the turn in conversation. “We made some. I think there might be a few left.”
“Good.” He placed his hands on my hips and tugged me forward, pressing our bodies together. “What’s Valentine’s Day without cookies?”
“I think the mortals put a lot of emphasis on chocolate this time of the year.” I placed my hands on his shoulders, and the stuff with angry gods, Order members, Seth, and everything else took the back seat. “But cookies work.”
One hand slid up the curve of my spin, slipping under the mass of tangled hair and sending a fine shiver over my skin. “So there’s no lame Christmas tree involved?”
“There’s no such thing as a Mortal Holiday Tree.” My breath caught as he guided my mouth toward his, stopping just as our lips brushed. “But… but I’m sure the mortals would appreciate the thought of that kind of tree.”
“You do?” He pressed his mouth to one corner of my lips and then the other. Eyes drifting shut, my fingers dug into his shirt. When he kissed me slowly, pouring all his unstated passions into that one act, his powerful body tensed under mine.
I couldn’t remember what we were talking about. There was just the heady, wild rush of feelings that stormed through me. This was Aiden—the man I’d loved for what felt like forever, in my arms, under me, against me, and touching me.
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he murmured.
Aiden held me close and still, and in those moments, he showed rather than told me just how much we were in this together.