Chapter 4
I WAS EXHAUSTED BY THE TIME I DROPPED INTO THE seat furthest from Marcus’ desk. Those stairs had been a bitch, but I was grateful that I hadn’t been expected to walk to the adjoining island where Lucian lived. I didn’t believe I’d have made it. All I wanted to do was curl up and go to bed—go anywhere other than this brightly-lit room.
“Where is everyone?” Seth asked, standing behind me. His hands rested on the back of the chair, but his fingers, shielded by my hair, were pressed into my back. “I thought time was of the essence.”
Leon looked smug. “I must have mistaken the time.”
A tired smile tugged at my lips as I pulled my legs up, tucking them under me. Like I said, Leon was the King of Impeccable Timing. Maybe I’d get a nap before everyone showed up. I closed my eyes, scarcely paying attention to Leon and Seth trying to outsnark one another.
“Most training doesn’t occur in a dorm room,” Leon said. “Or have they drastically changed methods?”
Snark point two to Leon.
“The kind of training that we have to do is unconventional.” Seth paused and I knew he had that horrible smile on his face. The one I’d wanted to drop-kick off so many times. “Not that a Sentinel would fully understand the amount of effort that goes into preparing an Apollyon.”
Snark point three to Seth.
I yawned as I scooted down in the chair, resting my cheek on the back of the chair.
“Is something wrong, Alexandria?” Leon asked. “You look awfully pale.”
“She’s fine,” Seth answered. “Our training was rather… exhausting. You know, there’s a lot of moving around. Sweating, thrus—”
“Seth,” I snapped, reluctantly handing over snark points four, five, and six to him.
Thankfully, the doors to Marcus’ office opened and an entourage of people entered. First was my pure-blood uncle, the Dean of the Covenant in North Carolina. Behind him was my pure-blood stepfather Lucian, the Minister of the North Carolina Covenant. He was in his ridiculous white robes, his stark black hair hanging down his back, secured in a leather thong. He was a handsome man, but there was always a level of coldness and fakeness to him no matter how warm his words might be. He was flanked by four of his Guards, as if he expected a fleet of daimons to jump on him and suck out all his aether. I suppose, given the recent events, he couldn’t be too careful. And behind them were Guard Linard and Aiden.
I averted my eyes and prayed Seth actually kept his mouth shut.
Marcus glanced at me as he sat behind his desk, brows rising curiously. “Are we keeping you from a nap, Alexandria?”
No, how are you? or good to see you alive. Yeah, he loved me lots.
Leon retreated to the corner, folding his arms. “They were training,” he paused, “in her room.”
I wanted to die.
Marcus frowned, but Lucian—oh, dear Lucian—had a typical response. Sitting down in one of the chairs across from Marcus, he spread out his robes and laughed. “It is expected. They are young and drawn to one another. You cannot fault them for seeking privacy.”
I couldn’t help it. My eyes found Aiden. He stood beside Leon and Linard, his gaze flitting over the room, stopping and lingering on me before passing on. I let go of the breath I’d been holding and focused on my uncle.
Marcus’ eyes were like emerald jewels, just like my mother’s, but harder. “Fated or not, the rules of the Covenant still apply to them, Minister. And from what I’ve heard, Seth has a hard time remaining in his own room at your house during the night.”
This seriously couldn’t get any more embarrassing.
Seth leaned over the back of my chair and lowering his head. He whispered in my ear. “I think we’ve been found out.”
There was no way Aiden could’ve heard Seth, but anger rolled off him in waves, so much so that Seth tipped his head up, met Aiden’s stare, and smiled.
I’d had it. Sitting up straight, I knocked Seth’s arm off the back of my chair. “Is this why we’re having a meeting? Because, seriously, I could really use a nap instead.”
Marcus eyed me coolly. “Actually, we are here to discuss the events at the Council.”
Ice drenched my stomach. I tried to keep my face blank, but my eyes darted to Aiden. He didn’t look too concerned. In fact, he was still eyeballing Seth.
“There are several things that we have discovered regarding our trip,” Lucian said.
Marcus nodded, his fingers forming a steeple under his chin. “The daimon attack is one of them. I know that some have been able to plan attacks.”
My mother had been one of them. She’d been behind the attack on Lake Lure during the summer, the very first proof some daimons could form cohesive plans.
“But that type of large-scale attack is… it’s unheard of,” Marcus continued, glancing at me. “I know… I know your mother had insinuated that such was coming, but to pull something off of that kind of nature seems improbable.”
Aiden cocked his head to the side. “What are you saying?”
“I think they had help.”
My heart tripped up. “From the inside—from a half or a pure?”
Lucian huffed. “That is absurd.”
“I do not think that is entirely out of the question,” Leon said, eyes narrowing upon the Minister.
“No half or pure would willingly assist a daimon.” Lucian folded his hands.
“It may not be willingly, Minister. The pure or half may’ve been coerced,” Marcus continued, and where I should’ve felt relief, something ugly still sat inside me. What if someone had actually let them in past the gates?
No. No way could that have happened. If Marcus’ suspicions were right, it had to be under duress.
Marcus glanced at me. “It’s something we need to keep in mind for Alexandria’s safety. The daimons were there for her. They could try it again. Capture a half or pure Guard or Sentinel, have them lead the daimons right to her. It is something to be aware of.”
I grew very still and I imagined so did Seth and Aiden. The daimons hadn’t been after me. It’d been a lie that we told so that I could leave the Catskills immediately after… after I’d killed the pure-blood Guard.
“I agree.” Aiden’s voice was remarkably even. “They could make another attempt.”
“Speaking of her safety,” Lucian twisted in his seat toward me. “Minister Telly’s intentions were painfully clear, and if I’d been aware of what he’d planned, I never would have agreed to the Council session. My utmost priority is to see that you remain safe, Alexandria.”
I shifted uncomfortably. Growing up, Lucian hadn’t even pretended to care about me. But since I’d returned to the Covenant at the end of May, he’d acted like I was his long-lost daughter. He didn’t fool me. If I weren’t the second coming of the Apollyon, he wouldn’t be sitting here right now. Who was I kidding? I’d probably have been eaten by daimons in Atlanta.
His eyes met mine. I’d never liked his eyes. They were an unnatural black—the color of obsidian and cold. Up close, there didn’t seem to be any pupils. “I’m afraid that Minister Telly may have been behind the compulsion and the unsavory act of giving you that drink.”
I suspected as much, but to hear him say it left me queasy. As the Head of all the Ministers, Telly exerted a lot of control. If it hadn’t been for Minister Diana Elders’ vote, I would’ve been cast into slavery.
“Do you think he will attempt something else?” Aiden’s deep, melodic voice was hard not to respond to.
Lucian shook his head. “I would like to say no, but I fear that he will attempt something again. The best we can do at this point is to ensure that Alexandria stays out of trouble and does not give the Head Minister any excuse to place her into servitude.”
Several pairs of eyes landed on me. I smothered another yawn and tipped my chin up. “I’ll try not to do anything crazy.”
Marcus arched a brow. “That would be a nice change.”
I glared at him, rubbing my left palm over my bent knee. The skin still felt weird and tingly.
“Isn’t there a more proactive method?” Seth asked, leaning on my chair. “I think we all can agree that Telly will try something again. He doesn’t want Alex to Awaken. He’s afraid of us.”
“Afraid of you,” I muttered, then yawned again.
Seth tipped my chair back in response, causing me to grasp the arms. He grinned at me, which was so at odds with his next words. “He almost had Alex. He was one vote shy of servitude. Who says he won’t build some trumped-up charge against her and sway their votes in his favor?”
“Diana will never compromise her position to serve Telly’s wishes,” Marcus said.
“Whoa. On a first name basis?” I said.
Marcus ignored my comment. “What do you suggest, Seth?”
Seth pushed off the back of my chair and moved to stand beside me. “How about removing him from his position? Then he has no power.”
Lucian watched Seth with an approving look in his eyes and I’d swear Seth beamed. Almost like he’d brought home his report card with all A’s on it and was about to get a pat on the head. Weird. Weird and extraordinarily creepy.
“Are you suggesting a political coup? That we rebel against the Head Minister?” Marcus turned his disbelief on Lucian. “And you have no response to this?”
“I would never want to stoop to something so distasteful, but Head Minister Telly is rooted in the old ways. You know that he wants nothing more than to see us regress as a society,” Lucian replied smoothly. “He will go to great extremes to protect his beliefs.”
“What are his beliefs, exactly?” I asked. The leather made unattractive squishing noises as I sank back in the seat.
“Telly would love to see us no longer intermingling with mortals. If he had his way, we’d do nothing but dedicate ourselves to worshipping the gods.” Lucian smoothed a pale hand over his robes. “He feels it is the Council’s duty to protect Olympus instead of leading our kind into the future and stepping into our rightful place.”
“And he sees us as a threat to the gods,” Seth said, crossing his arms. “He knows he can’t come after me, but Alex is vulnerable until she Awakens. Something has to be done about him.”
I made a face. “I’m not vulnerable.”
“But you are,” Aiden’s eyes were gunmetal gray when they settled on me. “If Head Minister Telly truly fears that Seth will be a threat down the road, then he will seek to take you out of the equation. He has the power to do so.”
“I understand that, but Seth isn’t going to go crazy on the Council. He’s not going to try to take over the world once I Awaken.” I glanced at him. “Right?”
Seth smiled. “You’d be by my side.”
Ignoring him, I wrapped my arms around my legs. “Telly can’t want to take me out just on some idea of a threat.” I thought of my father. I knew beyond a doubt he was behind that, too. “There has to be more to it than that.”
“Telly lives to serve the gods,” Lucian said. “If he feels they may be threatened, that is all the reason he needs.”
“Do you not live to serve the gods?” Leon asked.
Lucian barely looked in the direction of the pure-blood Sentinel. “I do, but I also live to serve the best interests of my people.”
Marcus rubbed his brow wearily. “Telly is not our only concern. There are also the gods themselves.”
“Yes.” Lucian nodded. “There is also the issue of the furies.”
I ran my hand over my forehead, forcing myself to concentrate on this conversation. It was a big deal that they were even including me in this. So I guessed I should pay attention and keep the snark to a minimum.
“The furies attack only when they perceive a threat to the pure-bloods and to the gods,” Marcus explained. “Their appearance at the Covenants before the daimon attack was solely a precautionary act from the gods. It was a warning that if we could not keep the daimon population under control, or if our existence was exposed to the mortals through the daimons’ actions, they’d respond. And when the daimons launched their attack on the Covenant, the furies were released. But they went after you, Alex. Even though there were daimons they could’ve fought, they perceived you as the biggest threat.”
The furies had ripped through daimon and innocent alike in those bloody moments after the daimon siege and had come after me. Not going to lie—I’d never been more terrified in my life.
“They will be back,” Leon added. “It is their nature. Maybe not immediately, but they will.”
My head was spinning. “I figured as much, but I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“You exist, my dear. That is all they need,” said Lucian. “And you are the weaker of the two.”
I was also the sleepier of the two.
Seth rocked back on his heels. “If they come back, I’ll destroy them.”
“Good luck with that.” I closed my eyes, giving them a break from the harsh light. “They’ll just burn up and come right back.”
“Not if I kill them.”
“With what?” asked Aiden. “They are gods. No weapon made by man or demigod will kill them.”
When I opened my eyes, Seth was smiling. “Akasha,” he said. “That would put them down permanently.”
“You don’t have that kind of power now,” Leon stated, jaw tensed.
Seth just continued to smile until Lucian cleared his throat and spoke. “I never did get to see the furies. It would have been… something to witness.”
“They were beautiful,” I said. Everyone turned to me. “At first, they were. Then they changed. I’d never seen anything like that. Anyway, one said that Thanatos wouldn’t be pleased with their return after… I got rid of them. She said something about the road the Powers had chosen and that I would be their tool. The oracle had said something like that too, before she poofed.”
“Who are ‘the Powers’?” Leon asked.
Aiden nodded. “That’s a good question.”
“That is not a concern. The furies are,” Lucian responded, dismissing the concept with a flick of his slender wrist. “Like Telly, they are operating on old fears. The furies are loyal to Thanatos. If the furies come again, I fear that Thanatos will not be far behind.”
Marcus dropped his hand to the top of the glossy mahogany desk. “I cannot have the gods attacking the school. I have hundreds of students I must keep safe. The furies show no discrimination in their kills.”
Not once had he mentioned keeping me safe. That kind of stung. We might be related, but it didn’t make us a real family. Marcus hadn’t even smiled at me—not once. I really didn’t have anyone left. That made getting to my father all the more important.
“I suggest we move Alex to a safe place,” Lucian offered.
“What?” My voice squeaked.
Lucian glanced at me. “The furies know to look for you here. We could move you some place safe.”
Seth sat on the arm of my chair, crossing his long legs at the ankle. He didn’t seem surprised by any of this.
I tapped his back, gaining his attention. “Did you know about this?” I whispered.
He didn’t answer.
The look I gave him promised trouble later and not the fun kind. Seth could’ve at least given me a heads-up about this.
Aiden frowned. “Where would you take her?”
My eyes went to him again. The muscles in my chest clenched when our gazes locked momentarily. At the moment, if I concentrated hard enough, I could still feel his arms around me. Not the best tactic when everyone was discussing my future like I wasn’t even sitting here.
“The fewer people who know, the better,” Lucian replied. “She would be well protected by my best Guards and Seth.”
Marcus appeared to consider this. “We wouldn’t have to worry about the furies attacking here.” He looked in my direction, his expression guarded. “But if she leaves the Covenant now, she will not graduate and become a Sentinel.”
My stomach turned over. “Then I can’t leave. I have to graduate.”
Lucian smiled, and I wanted to punch him. “Dear, you do not have to worry about becoming a Sentinel now. You will become an Apollyon.”
“I don’t care! Being an Apollyon isn’t my whole life! I need to become a Sentinel. That’s what I’ve always wanted.” Those last words sat oddly on my chest. What I always wanted was to have choices. Becoming a Sentinel was the lesser of two evils in reality.
“Your safety is more important than what you desire.” Lucian’s voice was hard, throwing me back to when I’d been the little girl who’d ventured into a room I wasn’t supposed to be in or dared to speak out of turn. That was the real Lucian and it snuck through his facade.
No one else noticed.
I squeezed my thighs until they ached. “No. I need to become a Sentinel.” I looked at Seth for help, but he was suddenly interested in the tips of his boots. “None of you understand. Daimons took my mom from me and turned her into a monster. Look at what they did to me! No.” I struggled for breath, knowing I was two seconds from losing it. “Besides, no matter where you take me, the furies will find me. They’re gods! It’s not like I can hide forever.”
Lucian faced me fully. “It would give us time.”
Anger rushed through me. I almost came out of the chair. “Time for me to Awaken? Then what? You don’t care what happens to me?”
“Nonsense,” Lucian said. “Not only will you have power, Seth will be able to protect both of you.”
“I don’t need Seth to protect me!”
Seth glanced over his shoulder at me. “You know how to make a guy feel useful.”
“Shut up,” I hissed. “You know what I mean. I can fight. I’ve killed daimons and I fought the furies and lived. I don’t need Seth to be my babysitter.”
Leon snorted. “You do need a babysitter, but I doubt he’s qualified for the job.”
Aiden coughed, but it sounded an awful lot like a choked laugh.
“Do you think you can do a better job?” Seth’s voice was casual, but I felt him tense. I also knew he wasn’t talking to Leon. “Because you’re more than welcome to try,” he added.
Aiden’s eyes went from gray to silver. His full lips tilted into a smirk as he met Seth’s stare. “I think we both know the answer to that.”
My jaw hit the floor.
Straightening, Seth squared his shoulders. Before he could say something, which I felt sure would be very bad, I jumped from the seat. “I can’t leave the—” Bright dots danced before my eyes, making everything a blur as my stomach tilted dangerously. “Whoa…”
Seth was at my side in an instant, an arm around my waist. “Are you okay?” He lowered me back into the chair. “Alex?”
“Yeah,” I breathed, slowly lifting my head. Everyone was staring at me. Aiden had stepped forward, eyes wide. My cheeks burst with heat. “I’m fine. Seriously. I’m just a little tired.”
Seth knelt beside me, taking my hand. He squeezed gently as he glanced over his shoulder. “She’s had a cold all week.”
“She’s had a cold?” Lucian curled his lip. “How… very mortal.”
I shot him a hateful look.
“But we… halfs do not get sick,” Marcus said, eyes narrowing on me.
“Well, you can tell that to the box of Kleenex I’ve been living with.” I dragged my fingers through my hair. “Seriously, I’m fine now.”
Marcus suddenly stood. “I think we are done for the evening. We all can agree that nothing needs to be decided at this moment.”
Lucian, who had grown quiet and docile, nodded.
The discussion ended and I got a momentary reprieve. I wouldn’t be leaving the Covenant now, but I couldn’t shake the dread gnawing at my stomach that, eventually, the decision wouldn’t be mine to make.