Deity (Covenant #3)(102)

Solos jogged up to us. “It’ll take about eight hours to get where we’re going. We should have at least half of that time in before we stop for gas.”

“Agreed,” Aiden said. He took hold of my limp arm in a gentle grasp, taking on most of my weight. I hadn’t realized I’d leaned against the Hummer. His worried gaze kept falling back to me.

“Tell me what happened!” Deacon yelled.

“Seth… Seth attacked the Council.” I winced at the words.

Deacon stared incredulously. “Oh my gods.”

I broke free of Aiden and looked inside the Hummer. Piled in the back were suitcases. They’d had it all planned. Pushing away from the back of the car, I watched for Seth. How long could Apollo hold him off?

They were finalizing plans, and I was still staring at the suitcases. Obviously they’d hoped to grab me at the Council somehow, not knowing the kind of chaos that was going to erupt. What would they have risked to get me out of there? Life and limb, most likely.

The wind picked up.

Aiden headed back to me, all determination and purpose. “We have to leave now.”

Solos called out to Marcus. “You ready for this?”

“Let’s get out of here,” Marcus replied, casting a long look at me. “You holding up?”


“Yeah,” I croaked, and then cleared my throat.

“This is crazy.” Deacon opened the back door and started to climb in. “Everything is going bat—”

“No!” Aiden pushed Deacon toward the Hummer being driven by Solos. “We’re the ones they will target. Go with Marcus. Luke, stay with him.”

All business, Luke nodded and gathered a still-sobbing Lea close to him. I wanted to go to her. She’d lost everything… and each time had had something to do with me. First my mother had taken her parents, and now Seth had taken her sister. Razor-sharp guilt dug in.

Deacon stalled. “No. I want—”

Aiden grabbed his younger brother in a fierce hug. Words were whispered between them, but I couldn’t hear anything over the wind. Pushing my hair out of my face, I turned back toward the Covenant-controlled part of the island.

Something was happening. I could feel it. Electricity filled the air, raising the tiny hairs on my arms.

Deacon stumbled back from his brother and turned away. Tears had gathered in his eyes. He feared for his brother’s life and he should. When Seth came for us, which he would, he wouldn’t pay them any attention. Seth would come for Aiden and me, and even as strong as he was, it was doubtful Aiden would walk away from that confrontation.

My heart sank. I couldn’t do this to them. “Aiden, you can’t go with me. You can’t do this.”

“Don’t start,” Aiden growled as he grabbed my arm. “Get in the—”

Lightning erupted from the sky, streaking above us and down, slamming just off the coast of the Covenant. Despite our distance from the impact point, the flash of light still blinded me.

Solos stopped, halfway behind the driver’s seat. “What the…?”

The wind just stopped. It was unnatural… and so was the silence that descended on Deity Island. Then a rush of seagulls took flight, streaming and squawking in a panic. Hundreds and hundreds of them flew overhead, away from the island.

“What’s happening?” Lea whispered. “Is it him? Is he coming?”

“No,” I said, feeling it in my core. “This isn’t Seth.”

“We need to go now.” Aiden started pulling me toward the passenger side of the car.

In a flurry of activity, everyone jumped into their respective cars. Behind us, people were gathering on the decks of their homes. Guards were scattering across the beach. All were staring across the stretch of ocean that separated the two islands.

I had a really bad feeling about this.

Aiden slammed his door shut and threw the Hummer into drive. He grabbed my hand. “Everything is going to be okay.”

Famous last words.

A bone-shaking boom blasted around us, rattling the car. A stream of water jetted into the air on the other side of the island, taller than the highest Covenant building, thicker than two of the dorms. The wall of water stilled, reminding me of how Seth had played with the water in the pool.

This wasn’t going to be good.

Another stream burst into the sky and then another… and another until over a dozen walls of water dotted the landscape. Power rippled through the air, sliding over my skin, curling around the cord inside me.

And in the center of each of the streams, I could make out a form of a man.

“Oh, shit,” I whispered.

Aiden slammed on the gas and the Hummer lurched forward. “Poseidon.”

I twisted around in the seat, watching the ocean from the back window. Beyond the formidable Covenant buildings, the walls started spinning into the funnels. A shadow of a giant trident fell over the Covenant and the sharpened points touched the main island, spelling doom and death for all who remained. Poseidon, the God of the Sea, the great earth-shaker, was very angry.

“Aiden…”

“Turn around, Alex.”

My hands clenched the back of the seat. The funnels formed giant cyclones—tornados over water. “They’re going to destroy everything! We have to do something.”