Аполлион

“Hopefully Apollo can convince the gods to lay off,” Aiden said, jaw working. “Right now, we need the gods on our side.”

“Agreed,” half the room said.

Hope flickered in my chest. “Do you think they’ll stop this… zombie-apocalypse-in-the-making if they realize I’m back on Team Not-Insane?”

No one really looked hopeful, but Aiden smiled at me, and I knew he did it to make me feel better, because it was what I wanted to hear. It took everything in me not to cross the room and jump him.

Priorities, Alex, priorities…

Everyone agreed on starting training as soon as possible. And it made sense. Fighting was not like riding a bicycle. Muscles weakened, reflexes slowed. Honestly, we had no other choice. Hopefully no other gods showed up, dishing out some good old god wrath.

I sat on the edge of the couch and started fiddling with the rose again. I knew everyone was waiting to hear any plans Seth had shared with me. They were going to be disappointed. “The only thing Seth told me about was the daimons, and he knew I’d told Aiden afterward. I don’t think he was too concerned. He really didn’t tell me anything else. The plans he… the plans we made were about freeing my father.”

Laadan’s eyes dampened, and I hoped we could talk soon. There was so much I had to ask her.

Solos didn’t even try to hide his displeasure. “Well, that’s not really helpful.”

“It’s not her fault,” Aiden shot back.

The Sentinel cracked a distorted smile. “Simmer down, Loverboy.”

My mouth opened to deny that Aiden was my loverboy. The response was immediate, inherent in nature. I forced my mouth closed before I could say anything. Everyone in this room already knew that Aiden and I were togethertogether. Hell, everyone in the world probably guessed, courtesy to Lucian’s announcement before Seth blew up the Council, which had made Aiden Public Enemy Number Two.

It was odd being so open about it, though—not odd in a bad way, but something that would take me a little to get used to. I wasn’t Aiden’s dirty little secret.

I’d never been his dirty little secret.

Deacon laughed. “Oh, you’re sogoing to be the next person who gets hit. I’m putting money on that.”

“You need to add yourself to that list.” Aiden looked about seventy-percent serious.

“And I’m putting money on that,” Luke threw in.

I shot forward, gripping my knees. “I do remember something! It’s not major, but Seth was heading north. He’s probably heading to the Catskills.”

“That’s something to go on.” Marcus glanced at his glass, as if he couldn’t fathom how it was empty. “He won’t reach it. Not with the Khalkotauroi surrounding the place.”

Olivia shuddered. “You think they can actually stop him?”

“They’ll slow him down.” Marcus pushed off the desk, heading for the door. “Anyone else in need of refreshments?”

“You sharing?” Deacon perked up.

Surprisingly, Aiden didn’t caution him. Perhaps a little underage wine drinking wasn’t our biggest concern at the moment. Our group scattered, some following Marcus on the wine run. Only after they left did I realize that the Dean of the Covenant was supplying alcohol to minors.

This really was an alternate universe.

After a few minutes, it was just Aiden and me. He sat beside me, exhaling a long breath. “You doing okay?”

Wondering how many times he was going to ask that in twenty-four hours, I turned to him. “I’m fine, really.”

He looked like there was something he wanted to say, but he leaned forward and kissed my forehead instead. “I’m going to go check the grounds.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“Stay here and take it easy, Alex. Just for tonight, okay?”

I felt the urge to pout. “You shouldn’t have to do that alone.”

“I’m not.” He flashed a grin. “Solos will be with me.”

“He wasn’t with you earlier. That’s what you were doing when everyone was eating, right? Checking the grounds, making sure no daimons were sneaking up on us?”

“I doubt there are any daimons out here.”

But he was still patrolling, because that’s what Sentinels did, and I thought about how he was willing to leave this life… leave it for us. I bet, if we lived in some place like Apple River, he’d still check the yard every night. Thinking that brought a smile to my lips.

“I’ve missed your smiles,” he said, standing.

I looked up, wanting to grab his hand and make him stay. “I’ll be here waiting.”

“I know.”

He looked at me strangely and then he left, and I was alone… alone except for the low buzz in the back of my head. I tried not to pay attention to it, because it symbolized a whole truckload of potential problems. That damn buzzing meant that Seth was still there, and I didn’t know what that really meant in terms of him contacting me.

Glancing at the window, I took a breath but it got stuck. What if Seth could reach me? Would I be able to fight off what he wanted? If I did, could I somehow reason with him? Or would I just lose myself again, and this time there’d be no reaching me? An ache pierced my chest.