Half-Blood

CHAPTER 8

I WAS BEING PUNISHED.

It seemed that the part from last night’s conversation about not being al owed off the Covenant-control ed island wasn’t an assumption. Okay. I total y knew that, but honestly, was it real y that big of a deal?

It was a big deal to Aiden.

He carted my butt to the gym first thing in the morning and we spent the better part of the day there. He showed me a few exercises he wanted me to do, a couple of weight reps, and then a whole slew of cardio.

I hated cardio.

While I ran around from one exercise machine to the next, Aiden sat down, stretched out those long legs of his, and cracked open a book that probably weighed as much as I did.

I stared at the leg press machine. “What are you reading?”

He didn’t look up. “If you’re able to talk while working out then you aren’t working out hard enough.”

I made a face at his bent head and climbed into the machine. After doing my reps, I realized there was no graceful way of getting out of the thing. Concerned I’d look like an idiot, I stole a quick glance at him before rol ing out of the machine.

There were a few more machines he wanted me to work with and I was quiet for next five minutes or so. “Who reads books that big for fun?”

Aiden lifted his head, pinning me with a bored look. “Who talks to hear themselves speak?”

My eyes widened. “You’re in a lovely mood today.”

With the obscenely large book balanced on one knee, he turned a page. “You need to work on your upper body strength, Alex. Not your motor speech skil s.”

I glanced down at the dumbbel and pictured it flying across the room—at his face. But it was such a nice face, and I’d hate to ruin it. Hours went by like this. He’d read his book; I’d annoy him; he’d yel at me, and then I would hop on another machine.

Sad as it was, I was kind of having fun messing with him and I think he was, too. Every so often, a smal —and I mean really smal —smile would grace his lips whenever I’d ask him an irritating question. I wasn’t even sure he was paying attention to the book of—

“Alex, stop staring at me and do some cardio.” He flipped another page.

I blinked. “I hope that book of yours is on charm and personality skil s.”

Aha! There was that ghost of a smile. “Cardio—do cardio. You’re fast, Alex. Daimons are fast, too, and hungry daimons wil be even faster.”

My head fel back and I groaned as I dragged myself over to the treadmil he’d pointed to earlier. “How long?”

“Sixty minutes.”

Sweet baby in Hades! Was he insane? When I asked that, he didn’t find it funny. It took me several tries to get the treadmil working at a speed I could jog to.

Five minutes later, Aiden glanced up and saw how fast I was going. Exasperated with me, he stood and walked over to where I was jogging. Without a word, he increased the speed above four—I’d been at two—and then went back to his wal and his book.

Damn him.

Out of breath and stil completely out of shape, I nearly fel off the treadmil when the time hit sixty minutes and slowed to cool-down mode. I glanced over to where Aiden leaned against the wal , engrossed in his mammoth size book.

“What… are you reading?”

He glanced up and sighed. “Greek Fables and Legends.”

“Oh!” I’d always loved reading what the mortal world wrote about our gods. Some of it was kind of correct while the rest was just bonkers.

“I got it in the library. You know, it’s the place you should be hanging out in your spare time instead of drinking.”

I shuddered and shook my arms out. “I hate the library.

Everyone hates the library here.”

Shaking his head, he closed the book. “Why is it that halfs believe there are hel hounds, harpies and furies living in the library? I don’t get it.”

“Have you not been in the library, seriously? Ugh. It’s creepy and you hear stuff al the time. When I was a kid, I heard something growling in there once.” I stepped off the treadmil and stopped in front of him. “Caleb heard wings flapping in there, near the bottom level. I’m not kidding.”

Aiden laughed deeply. “You guys are ridiculous. There’s nothing in the library. And al those creatures have long since been removed from the mortal world. Anyway,” he lifted the book and shook it, “It’s one of your textbooks.”

I dropped down beside him. “Oh. Boring. I can’t believe you read textbooks for fun.” I paused, considering that.

“Never mind. On second thought, I can believe you read textbooks for fun.”

He turned his head toward me. “Cool-down stretches.”

“Yes, sir!” I saluted him, then stretched out my legs and grabbed my toes. “So what legend are you reading about?

How Zeus was the most promiscuous god of them al ?”

That was a legend the mortals actual y got right. He was responsible for most of the original demigods al those years ago.

“No.” He handed me the book. “Here. Why don’t you take it and do some reading? I have a feeling after today you’re going to spend some long evenings in your room.”

I rol ed my eyes, but I took the book. After practice, I met with Caleb and bitched for the next hour about how Aiden was being total y uncool. Then I bitched about how he’d disappeared on me last night, leaving me with Jackson.

Friends don’t let friends act like ho-bags.

Shortly afterwards, I did go back to my room instead of sneaking off with Caleb. I had a sinking suspicion if I did, I’d get caught, and I real y didn’t want to spend another day in the gym. It was bad enough I had to spend a good hour or two in it every night.

Bored out of my mind, I picked up the musty smel ing book and thumbed through the ancient thing. Half of the book was written in ancient Greek and out of my ability to decipher. It looked like a bunch of squiggly lines to me.

After finding the part in English, I discovered it wasn’t about legends or fables. It was actual y a detailed account of each of the gods, what they represented, and their rise to power.

There was even a section on pure-bloods and their lesser halfs—us. Literal y, it was how we were listed in this book.

No joke:

The Pure-Blood and their lesser half—the Half-Blood.

I skimmed through those pages, coming to a stop on a smal block of text under the name “Ethos Krian.” Even I remembered that name. Al of us half-bloods did. He was the first of a very select group of half-bloods who could control the elements. But… oh, he was more than that. He was the first Apollyon—the only half-blood with the ability to control the elements and use the same kind of compulsion the pures could use on mortals.

In other words, the Apol yon was one big, badass of a half-blood.

Ethos Krian, born of a pure-blood and mortal in Naples, year 2848 ED

(1256 AD), was the first recorded half-blood to display the abilities of a true Hematoi. As foreseen by the oracle of Rome, at the age of eighteen, the palingenesis awakened Ethos’ power.

There are conflicting schools of thought on the origination of the Apollyon and his purpose. Popular belief states the gods who hold court in Olympia bestowed the gift of the four elements and the power of akasha, the fifth and final element, upon Ethos as a measure to ensure no pure-blood’s power superseded that of their masters. The Apollyon has a direct linkage to the gods and acts as the Destroyer. The Apollyon is known as

“The one who walks among the gods.”

Since the birth of Ethos, one Apollyon has been born every generation as dictated by the oracle…

The section then proceeded to list the names of the other Apol yons, stopping in the year 3517 in the Hematoi calendar—1925 AD.

We so needed updated textbooks.

I skimmed past that part and turned the page. There was another part describing the characteristics of the Apol yon and another passage I was unfamiliar with.

My breath caught as I read it once, then twice. “No way.”

Throughout time, only one Apollyon has been born to each generation with exception of what came to be known as “The Tragedy of Solaris.” In the year 3203 ED (1611 AD), a second Apollyon was discovered in the New World. The palingenesis awakened Solaris (last name and parentage unknown) into power on her eighteenth birthday, setting in place a chain of startling and dramatic events. To this date, there has never been an explanation of how two Apollyons existed within the same generation or why.

I read the section again. There were never two Apol yons. Ever. I’d heard legends when I was a kid about the possibility of two, but I’d chalked them up as… wel , legends. Continuing on, I quickly ascertained I didn’t know jack.

It is believed the First sensed the marking of another Apollyon upon her eighteenth birthday and, unaware of the consequences, joined her in the New World. The effects of their union were chronicled as vast and damaging to both pure-bloods and their masters, the gods. Upon meeting, as if they were two halves meant to be one, the powers of Solaris shifted to the First Apollyon, therefore the First became what has always been feared: The God Killer. The power of the First became unstable and destructive.

The reaction from the gods, particularly the Order of Thanatos, was swift and righteous. Both Apollyons were executed without trial.

“Whoa… ” I slammed the book shut and sat back. The gods, when threatened, didn’t mess around. One Apol yon acted as a check and balance system, able to fight anything, but if there were two of them at once?

There was an Apol yon now, but I’d never met him. He was kind of like a celebrity. We knew he was out there somewhere, but we never actual y saw him in person. I knew the Apol yon focused on daimons instead carrying out justice against pure-bloods now. Since the creation of the Council, pures no longer thought they could take on the gods—or, at least, they didn’t say so openly.

I sat the book aside and turned off the lamp.

Poor Solaris.

Somewhere, the gods had goofed up and created two. It wasn’t like it was her fault. She probably hadn’t even seen it coming.

***

As the excitement of the Summer Solstice bubbled through the Covenant, I settled back into the life of a half-blood in training. The thril of my presence had worn off, and most of the students who remained at the Covenant during the summer grew used to having me around. Granted, the fact I had kil ed two daimons secured my awesomeness.

Even Lea’s bitchy comments became less frequent.

Lea and Jackson broke up, got back together, and as far as I knew, were broken up again.

During the times Jackson was a free man, I developed a routine of avoiding him. Yeah, he was pure sexiness, but he was also super-fast with his hands, and on more than one occasion I’d had to remove them from my butt. Caleb was always quick to point out I had no room to complain since I’d brought it on myself.

Another sort of odd routine developed, but this was between Aiden and me. Being that I was always crabby in the morning, we usual y started off practice with stretching and some laps—basical y anything that prevented us from talking. By late morning, I was less likely to bite off his head and more receptive to digging into the real stuff. He never mentioned the night he’d busted me at the party and we’d talked about each other’s need to become a Sentinel. He also never real y explained what he’d meant by, “I remember you.”

Of course, I came up with a crap ton of ridiculous explanations. My talent was so amazing that everyone knew who I was. Or my antics in and out of the training rooms had made me a legend in my own right. Or I’d been so stunningly beautiful he couldn’t help but notice me. That last one was the most absurd. I’d been gawky and a total dweeb then. Not to mention someone like Aiden would never look at a half-blood in that way.

During training, Aiden was stern and rigid in his methods. Only a few times did he seem to slip up and grin when he thought I wasn’t looking. But I was always watching.

Who could blame me? Aiden was… hotness incarnate. I alternated between staring at those ripped arms and being envious of how he moved with such fluid grace, but it was more than just his ability to make me drool on myself. Never in my life had I met someone so patient and tolerant of me.

Gods know I’m annoying as hel , but Aiden treated me as if I were his equal. No pure real y did that. The day I’d embarrassed myself by chal enging my uncle seemed forgotten, and Aiden did everything to make sure I was coming along as expected.

With his guidance, I was getting used to the demands of training and the tol they took on my body. I even put some weight on. The dweeb part was stil up in the air. Aiden still wouldn’t let me get within ten feet of any of the cool-looking weapons.

On the day of the Summer Solstice, I tried approaching the wal of destruction toward the end of practice.

“Don’t even think about it. You’d cut your hand off… or mine.”

I froze, one hand inches from the wicked dagger.

Dammit.

“Alex.” Aiden sounded a bit amused. “We only have a little bit of time left. We need to work on your blocking.”

Groaning, I pul ed myself away from what I real y wanted to learn. “Blocking again? That’s al we’ve done for weeks.”

Aiden folded his arms across his chest. Today he wore a plain white tee. He made it look good, very good. “That’s not al we’ve done.”

“Okay. I’m ready to move onto something else, like practicing with knives or defense against the dark arts.

Cool things.”

“Did you just quote Harry Potter? ”

I grinned. “Maybe I did.”

He shook his head. “We’ve been practicing kicks and jabs, Alex. And your blocking stil needs work. How many of my kicks have you been able to block today?”

“Wel … ” I grimaced. He already knew the answer. I’d only managed to block a handful. “A couple, but you’re fast.”

“And daimons are faster than I am.”

“I don’t know about that.” Nothing was as fast as Aiden.

Half the time he moved like a blur. But I stepped into position and waited.

Aiden walked me through the maneuvers once more, and I could’ve sworn he slowed down his kicks just a bit, because I blocked more than I ever had before. We separated, about to start another round of kicks when a whistle sounded from the hal way. The culprit—bronze-haired Luke—stood at the door to the training room. I grinned and waved.

“You’re not paying attention,” Aiden snapped.

My grin slipped from my face as Luke and a couple of other halfs disappeared from view. “Sorry.”

He exhaled slowly and motioned me forward. I complied without argument. “Is he another boy of yours? You’re always with that other one.”

My hands dropped to my sides. “What?”

Aiden brought his leg around fast. I barely had time to block it. “Is he another guy of yours?”

I didn’t know if I should laugh, be pissed off, or be ecstatic that he’d noticed I was always with the other boy.

Flipping my ponytail over my shoulder, I caught his forearm before it connected with my stomach. “Not that it’s any of your business, but he wasn’t whistling at me.”

He jerked his hand back, frowning. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I raised my brows at him and waited for him to get it. The moment he did, his eyes widened and his mouth formed a perfect circle. Instead of fal ing on my ass laughing like I wanted to, I struck out with a vicious kick. Aiming for the vulnerable spot under his ribcage, I almost squealed at how perfect my kick was going to be.

I never made contact.

In one nifty swipe of his arm, he knocked me to the mat.

Standing above me, he actual y smiled. “Nice try.”

I propped myself onto my elbows, scowling. “How come you smile when you knock me down?”

He offered his hand. “It’s the little things that make me happy.”

I accepted, and he hauled me to my feet. “Good to know.”

Shrugging, I brushed past him and grabbed my bottle of water. “So… um, are you going to the celebrations tonight?”

The Solstice was a big deal for the pures. It kicked off more than a month of social events leading up the Council session in August. Tonight would be the biggest celebration, and if the gods were going to bless them with their presence, tonight would be the night. I doubted any would, but the pures got al dressed in their colorful sheaths just in case.

There would also be a ton of parties held on the main island—none of which us halfs were invited to—and I mean none. And since al the pures’ parents would be home, there would be no festivities at Zarak’s house. However, rumor had it there would be a beach party hosted by the one and only Jackson. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make an appearance or not.

“Probably.” Aiden stretched, flashing a strip of taut skin along the band of his pants. “I’m not real y big on that stuff, but I need to show up at some of them.”

I made myself focus on his face, which was harder than I realized. “Why do you need to?”

He flashed a grin. “It’s what we adults have to do, Alex.”

I rol ed my eyes and took a drink. “You can go and hang out with your friends. It wil be fun.”

Aiden looked at me strangely.

I lowered the bottle of water. “You do know how to have fun, right?”

“Of course.”

Out of nowhere it kind of hit me. I don’t think Aiden could have fun. Just like I couldn’t bear to real y, real y think about what’d happened to Mom. Survivor’s guilt—or at least that’s what I thought they cal ed it.

Aiden reached over, tapping my arm. “What are you thinking?”

I glanced up, finding his steady gaze on me. “I was just…

thinking.”

He backed off, slouched against the wal , and eyed me curiously. “Thinking about what?”

“It’s hard for you to… have fun, isn’t it? I mean, I never real y see you doing anything. I’ve only ever seen you with Kain or Leon and never a girl. I did see you once in jeans…

” I trailed off, flushing. What did seeing him in pants have to do with anything? But that had been an amazing sight.

“Anyway, I guess it’s hard after what happened to your parents.”

Aiden pushed off the wal , eyes suddenly a steely gray. “I have friends, Alex, and I know how to have fun.”

My cheeks grew even hotter. Obviously, I’d hit a sore spot. Whoops. Feeling very lame, I finished up training and hurried back to my dorm. Sometimes I wondered what I was thinking when I opened my mouth.

Disgusted, I took a quick shower and changed into a pair of shorts. Soon afterwards, I headed back to the hub of the campus to meet up with Caleb in the cafeteria, determined to forget my awkwardness.

Caleb was already there, in deep conversation with another half about who’d gotten better scores in their field exercises at the end of last semester. Since I had yet to take part in any field exercise, I was pretty much left out of the conversation. I felt like a loser.

“You going to the party tonight?” Caleb asked.

I glanced up. “I guess so. Not like I have anything better to do.”

“Just don’t have a repeat of last time.”

I shot him an evil look. “Don’t leave me hanging while you run off to Myrtle, you douche.”

Caleb chuckled. “You should’ve come. Lea was bitching up until the moment she saw Jackson without you. She practical y ruined everyone’s night. Wel , Cody actual y ruined everyone’s night.”

I pul ed my legs up and leaned back in my seat. This was the first I had heard of that. “What happened?”

He made a face. “Someone brought up the Breed Order crap again, and Cody was real y out of it. He started talking smack about it. He was saying stuff about us halfs not belonging on the Council.”

“I’m sure that went over wel .”

He smirked. “Yeah, then he said something about how the two breeds shouldn’t mix and al the crap about the purity of their blood.” He paused, eyeing someone behind me with great interest.

I twisted around, but I only caught a glimpse of caramel-colored skin and long, curly hair. I turned back to him with a raised brow. “So, what happened?”

“Um… a couple of the halfs got pissed. The next thing we know, Cody and Jackson were brawling. Man, they were going at it.”

My eyes widened. “What? Did Cody report him?”

“No,” said Caleb, grinning. “Zarak talked Cody out of it, but he beat Cody down. It was pretty awesome. Of course, the two idiots made up afterward. They’re fine now.”

Relieved, I settled back in my seat. Striking a pure—even in self-defense—was a fast way to get kicked out the Covenant. Kil ing a pure in any situation would get you executed, even if he was trying to cut your head off. As unfair as it was, we had to be careful navigating the politics of the pure-blood world. We could knock the crap out of one another, but when it came to the pures, they were untouchable in more ways than one. And if we happened to break one of the rules… wel , we were only one step away from a lifetime of servitude—or death.

Shuddering, I thought about my precarious position. If I didn’t get accepted in the fal , servitude was what I had to look forward to. There was no way I could al ow that. I’d have to leave, but where would I go? What would I do? Live on the streets? Manage to find a job and pretend to be a mortal again?

Pushing those troubling thoughts away, I focused on Jackson’s party, which I final y agreed to attend, and a couple of hours later, I found myself there. The little party real y wasn’t little; it looked like al the halfs who were stuck at the Covenant during the summer had spil ed across the beach. Some sprawled across blankets; others reclined in chairs. No one was in the water.

I opted for a comfy-looking blanket beside Luke. Ritter, a younger half with the brightest red hair I’d ever seen, offered me a yel ow plastic cup, but I turned it down. Rit hung out with us for a little while, talking about how he was getting ready to travel to California for the rest of the summer. I was only slightly envious.

“You aren’t drinking?” asked Luke.

Even I was surprised by my decision, but I shrugged. “I’m not feeling it tonight.”

He flicked a long strand of bronze-colored hair out of his eyes. “Did I get you in trouble today during practice?”

“No. I’m usual y easily distracted. So it was nothing new.”

Luke nudged me, grinning. “I can see why you are distracted. Too bad he’s a pure. I’d give my left butt cheek for a piece of that.”

“He likes girls.”

“So?” Luke laughed at my expression. “What’s he like?

He seems so quiet. Like you know he’d be good in—”

“Stop right there!” I giggled, throwing up my hand. The movement pul ed my sore back muscles.

Luke tipped back his head and laughed. “You can’t say you never thought about it.”

“He’s… he’s a pure,” I said again, like it didn’t make him sexy.

Luke shot me a knowing look.

“Okay.” I sighed. “He’s actual y… very nice and patient.

Most of the time… and I just feel weird talking about him.

Can we talk about some other hot guy?”

“Oh, yes. Please. Can we talk about another hot guy?”

Caleb snorted. “Exactly the thing I want to talk about.”

Luke ignored him, his gaze flickering across the beach and settling near a couple of coolers. “How about Jackson?”

I eased onto my back. “Don’t say his name.”

He chuckled at my pathetic attempt to make myself invisible. “He just showed up without Lea. Come to think of it, where in hel is that little ho?”

I refused to look up and draw Jackson’s attention. “I have no idea. I haven’t seen her.”

“Is that a bad thing?” asked Caleb.

“Oh, Alex, here comes your man,” Luke announced.

There was nowhere for me to go and I looked helplessly between Caleb and Luke. Neither of them did anything to hide their amusement.

“Alex, where have you’ve been?” slurred Jackson. “I haven’t seen you around.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and muttered a dozen curses.

“I’ve been busy with training.”

Jackson swayed to the right, toward a distracted Caleb.

“Aiden should know you need to get out and have a little fun.”

Luke turned and gave me a sly wink before standing. I sat up, but that was as far as I made it. Jackson dropped into the empty space and threw his arm around me, nearly knocking me over.

His breath was too warm and smel ed of beer. “You know you’re more than welcome to hang out here after the party.”

“Oh… I don’t know about that.”

Jackson smiled and moved in closer. Normal y I’d find Jackson attractive, but he just grossed me out now.

Something was wrong with me. Had to be. “You can’t be practicing tomorrow. Not after the celebrations. Even Aiden wil be sleeping in.”

I doubted that and I found myself wondering if Aiden was having a good time. Did he go to the celebrations and stay? Or did he show up, make an appearance, and bail? I kind of hoped he stayed and had fun. He could use it after spending an entire day holed up with me.

“Alex?”

“Huh?”

Jackson chuckled and slipped his hand over my shoulder. I grabbed it and dropped it in his lap. Undaunted, he reached for me again. “I was asking if you wanted something to drink. Zarak went on a compulsion frenzy and stocked us up for the rest of the summer.”

That was good to know. “No. I’m fine. Not thirsty.”

Eventual y, Jackson grew bored with my lack of interest and roamed off. Grateful, I turned to Caleb. “Smack me next time I even think about talking to a guy. Seriously.”

He stared down into his cup, frowning. “What happened with him? Did he come on too strong?” A fierce look came over his face as his eyes narrowed on Jackson’s back. “Do I need to hurt him?”

“No!” I laughed. “It’s just… I don’t know.” I turned and saw him standing with the female half I’d caught a glimpse of earlier. She was a pretty brunette, ridiculously curvy, and she had a smooth, caramel-colored complexion. “Jackson doesn’t do it for me.”

“Who does?” His own gaze settled on Jackson’s companion.

“Who’s that girl?” I asked.

He turned and sighed. “That’s Olivia. Her last name is one of those unpronounceable Greek ones. Her father is a mortal; her mom’s a pure.”

I continued watching the girl. She wore a pair of designer jeans I would’ve kil ed for. She also kept avoiding Jackson’s wondering hands. “How come this is the first time I’m seeing her?”

“She’s been with her dad. I think.” He cleared her throat.

“She’s actual y… kinda nice.”

I looked at him sharply. “You like her, don’t you?”

“No! No, of course not.” His voice sounded sort of strangled.

My curiosity increased as Caleb’s eyes seemed drawn back to Olivia. A red hue colored his cheeks. “Sure. You aren’t interested in her at al .”

Caleb took a long gulp of his drink. “Shut up, Alex.”

I opened my mouth, but whatever I was about to say was cut off when Deacon St. Delphi strol ed up out of nowhere.

“What the hel ?”

Caleb fol owed my gaze. “Now, that’s interesting.”

Seeing Deacon on the beach wasn’t at al surprising, but seeing him on the night of the solstice when al the pures hovered together was shocking.

It was so very… impure of him.

Deacon swept the halfs with his cool gaze and a sardonic grin broke across his face when he saw us.

Sauntering over, he pul ed a shiny silver flask from the pocket of his jeans. “Happy Summer Solstice!”

Caleb choked on his drink. “Same to you.”

He took Jackson’s empty spot, seemingly unaware of the shocked stares. I cleared my throat. “What… are you doing here?”

“What? I got bored over on the main island. Al the pomp and circumstance is enough to drive a man sober.”

“We can’t have that.” I took in the red rims around his eyes. “Are you ever sober?”

He seemed to think about that. “Not if I can help it. Things are… easier this way.”

I knew he was talking about his parents. Unsure of how to respond, I waited for him to continue.

“Aiden hates that I drink so much.” He glanced down at his flask. “He’s right, you know.”

I played with my hair, twisting into a thick rope. “Right about what?”

Deacon tipped his head back, staring at the stars blanketing the night sky. “Everything, but especial y the path he chose.” He stopped and laughed. “If only he knew that, huh?”

“Aren’t they going to know you’re gone?” Caleb cut off my words.

“And come over here and ruin al your fun?” Deacon’s serious look vanished. “Absolutely. In about an hour, when they start their ritual chanting and crap, someone—most likely my brother—wil realize I’m missing and come looking for me.”

My mouth dropped open. “Aiden’s stil there?”

“You came here knowing they would fol ow you?” Caleb frowned.

Deacon appeared entertained by both statements. “Yes answers al .” He brushed a sunny curl off his forehead.

“Crap!” Caleb started to stand while I mul ed over the knowledge that Aiden was stil partying it up. “Alex, we should go.”

“Sit down.” Deacon put up a hand. “You have at least an hour. I’l give the party boys enough time to clear out. Trust me.”

Caleb didn’t seem to hear him. He stared back down the seashore, where Olivia and another half stood close, real y close together. Seconds passed while his face hardened.

Leaning over, I tugged the hem of his shirt.

He gave me a broad smile. “You know what? I’m pretty tired. I think I’m going to head back to the dorm.”

“Boo.” Deacon stuck out his lower lip.

I stood. “Sorry.”

“Double boo.” He shook his head. “And the fun was just starting.”

Tossing a quick goodbye to Deacon, I fol owed Caleb up the beach. We passed Lea coming down the wooden boardwalk.

“Like going after my sloppy seconds?” Lea wrinkled her nose. “How cute.”

A second later, I wrapped my hand around her forearm.

“Hey.”

Lea tried to pul her arm back, but I was stronger than her. “What?”

I smiled my best smile. “You boyfriend just copped a feel.

You obviously aren’t doing it for him.” I let go then, leaving a very unhappy Lea standing alone.

“Caleb!” I moved to catch up with him.

“I know what you’re going to say, so I don’t want to hear it.”

I brushed my hair behind my ears. “How do you know what I was going to say? Al I wanted to point out is if you like the chick back there, you could just—”

With a sideways glance, he raised his brows. “I real y don’t want to talk about this.”

“But… I don’t understand why you won’t admit it. What the hel is the big deal?”

He sighed. “Something happened the night we went to Myrtle.”

I tripped over my feet. “What?”

“Not that. Wel … not real y, but it came close.”

“What?” I squealed, punching his arm. “How come you haven’t said anything? With the Olivia chick? Jeez, I’m your best friend and you failed to mention this?”

“We both had been drinking, Alex. We were arguing over who cal ed shotgun first… and the next thing I know, we’re ful -on making out.”

I bit my lip. “That’s kinda hot. So, why won’t you talk to her?”

Silence stretched between us before he responded.

“Because I like her, real y like her, and you would like her, too. She’s smart, funny, strong, and her ass is just so—”

“Caleb, okay. I get the point. You real y like her. So talk to her.”

We headed toward the courtyard nestled between the two dorms. “You don’t get it. And you should. Nothing wil come out of it. You know how it is for us.”

“Huh?” I stared at the intricate designs on the pathway.

They were runes and symbols carved into the marble.

Some represented various gods while others looked like some child got ahold of a marker and went to town.

Actual y, it looked like something I’d draw.

“Never mind. I just need to hook up with someone else.

Get this stupid whatever out of my system.”

I lifted my eyes from the strange markings. “That sounds like a solid plan.”

“Maybe I should just hook up with Lea again or someone else. How about you?”

I shot him a dirty look. “Gee, thanks. But seriously, you don’t want to hook up with just anyone. You want something… meaningful.” I stopped, not sure where that came from.

Clearly, he didn’t either. “Something meaningful? Alex, you’ve been out in the normal world too long. You know how it is for us. We don’t get ‘meaningful.’”

I sighed. “Yeah, I know.”

“We’re either Guards or Sentinels—not husbands, wives, or parents.” He stopped, frowning. “Flings and girlfriends.

That’s what we have. Our duty doesn’t al ow for much else.”

He was right. Being born a half-blood wiped out any chance for a normal, healthy relationship. Like Caleb said, our duty didn’t al ow for us to form attachments—anything we’d regret giving up or leaving behind. Once we graduated, we could be assigned anywhere and at any given moment we could be yanked and sent somewhere else.

It was a harsh, lonely life, but one with purpose.

I kicked at a smal pebble, sending it flying into the thick underbrush. “Just because we won’t have the picket fence, doesn’t mean… ” The skin of my forehead creased as a sudden chil brushed over me. It came out of nowhere, and by the sudden confused look on Caleb’s face, I knew he felt it, too.

“A boy and a girl, one with a bright and short future, and the other covered in shadows and doubt.”

The raspy, ancient-sounding voice brought both of us to a standstil . Caleb and I turned around. The stone bench had been unoccupied a moment ago, but there she was. And she was old, like should’ve-been-dead-by-now old.

A massive pile of pure white hair sat pinned atop her head, and her skin was dark as coal and heavily lined. Her crooked posture aged her even more, but her eyes were sharp. Intel igent.

I’d never seen her before, but I instinctively knew who she was. “Grandma Piperi?”

She tipped her head back and laughed wildly. I half expected the weight of her hair to topple her over, but she remained upright. “Oh, Alexandria, you seem so surprised.

Did you not think I was real?”

Caleb jabbed me with his elbow a few times, but I couldn’t stop staring. “You know who I am?”

Her dark eyes flickered to Caleb. “Of course I do.” She smoothed her hands over what appeared to be a housecoat. “I also remember your momma.”

Disbelief brought me a step closer to the oracle, but shock left me speechless.

“I remember your momma,” she went on, nodding her head back and forth. “She came to me three years ago, she did. I spoke the truth to her, you see. The truth was only for her to hear.” She paused, her gaze fal ing back to Caleb. “What are you doing here, child?”

Eyes wide, he shifted uncomfortably. “We were…

walking back to our dorms.”

Grandma Piperi smiled, stretching the papery skin around her mouth. “Do you wish to hear the truth—your truth? What the gods have in store for you?”

Caleb paled. The thing with truths, they usual y messed with your head. It didn’t matter if it was crazy talk or not.

“Grandma Piperi, what did you tel my mom?” I asked.

“If I told you, what would it change? Fate is fate, you see.

Just like love is love.” She cackled as if she’d said something funny. “What’s written by the gods wil come to pass. Most has already. Such a sad affair when children turned against their makers.”

I had no clue what she was talking about and I felt pretty sure she was certifiable, but I needed to know what Piperi had said—if she said anything at al . Maybe Caleb was right, and I needed closure. “Please. I need to know what you said to her. What made her leave?”

She tilted her head to the side. “Don’t you want to know about your truth, child? That is what’s important now. Don’t you want to know about love? About what is forbidden and what is fated?”

My arms fel to my sides and I blinked back sudden tears.

“I don’t want to know about love.”

“But you should, my child. You need to know about love.

The things people wil do for love. Al truths come down to love, do they not? One way or another, they do. See, there is a difference between love and need. Sometimes, what you feel is immediate and without rhyme or reason.” She sat up a little straighter. “Two people see each across a room or their skin brushes. Their souls recognize the person as their own. It doesn’t need time to figure it. The soul always knows… whether it’s right or wrong.”

Caleb grabbed my arm. “Come on. Let’s go. She’s not tel ing you anything you want to hear.”

“The first… the first is always the most powerful.” She closed her eyes, sighing. “Then there is need and fate. That is a different type. Need covers itself with love, but need…

need is never love. Always beware of the one who needs you. There is always a want behind a need, you see.”

Caleb let go of my arm and jabbed fiercely at the walkway behind us.

“Sometimes you wil mistake need for love. Be careful.

The road with need is never a fair one, never a good one.

Much like the road you must walk down. Beware of the one who needs.”

The lady was a loon, and even though I knew this, her words stil sent shivers down my spine. “Why won’t the road be easy for me?” I asked, ignoring Caleb.

She stood. Wel , as much as she could stand. Since her back hunched forward it stopped her from standing up completely. “Roads are always bumpy, never flat. This one here,” she nodded at Caleb with a tiny cackle, “this one has a road ful of light.”

Caleb stopped pointing behind us. “That’s good to know.”

“A short road ful of light,” added Grandma Piperi.

His face fel . “That’s… good to know.”

“What about the road?” I asked again, hoping for an answer that made sense.

“Ah, roads are always shady. Your road is ful of shadows, ful of deeds which must be done. It comes to those of your kind.”

Caleb shot me a meaningful look, but I shook my head. I had no idea what she was talking about, but I was stil unwil ing to leave. She hobbled past me and I stepped out of the way. My back brushed against something soft and warm, drawing my attention. I turned, finding large purple flowers with bright yel ow middles. I shifted closer, inhaling their bittersweet, almost acrid smel .

“Be careful there, child. You be touching nightshade.”

She stopped, turning back to where we stood. “Very dangerous… much like kisses from those who walk among the gods. Intoxicating, sweet, and deadly… you need to know how to handle it right. Just a little and you’l be fine.

Too much… it takes away what makes you who you are.”

She smiled softly, as if she were remembering something.

“The gods move around us, always close by. They are watching and they are waiting to see which one is revealed to be the strongest. They are here now. You see, the end is upon them, upon al of us. Even the gods have little faith.”

Caleb passed me another wide-eyed stare. I shrugged, deciding to give it one more chance. “So there’s nothing you’l tel me about my mom?”

“Nothing you haven’t already been told.”

“Wait… ?” My skin felt hot and cold al at once. “What…

Lea said is true? That I was the reason why Mom died?”

“Let’s go, Alex. You’re right.” Caleb took a step back.

“She’s freaking crazy.”

Piperi sighed. “Always ears around these parts, but ears don’t always hear correctly.”

“Alex, let’s go.”

I blinked and—I’m not exaggerating—in the time it took me to open my eyes, Grandma Piperi stood in front of me.

The old lady moved that fast. Her clawed hand grabbed my shoulder hard enough to make me wince.

She stared up at me with eyes as sharp as blades, and when she spoke, her voice lost its raspy edge. And she didn’t sound al that crazy. Oh no, her words were clear and to the point.

“You wil kil the ones you love. It is in your blood, in your fate. So the gods have spoken it and so the gods have come to foresee it.”