Deity (Covenant #3)(49)

Aiden stepped forward, folding his arms. “Sorry about that.”

I pulled the sweater closer, staring at him. “What are you doing in my dorm?”

“You have a problem with guys in your dorm now?”

“Ha. Ha.” I hurried over to my bedside table and flipped on the lamp. A soft glow filled the room. “Actually, I never invited Seth in here. He just kind of made himself at home.”

A ghost of a smile appeared on his face. As always, he was in his Sentinel garb. Then it struck me. My mouth dropped open.

“You’re working, aren’t you?” I demanded.

“Well, there was a good chance that you’d try to sneak out and turn yourself in before Telly could leave in the morning. We were taking precautions just in case you did.”

“We?” I sputtered. “Is anyone else in here?”

“No, but Leon was in right after you fell asleep. Linard is patrolling the outside.” He paused. “I just switched shifts with Leon. I’m sorry if I woke you.”

I stared at him, dumbfounded. “You guys have been switching off in here while I slept? Last night, too?”

He nodded. “Thankfully, Marcus suggested the idea. Otherwise I have a feeling Linard would’ve been chasing you across the quad and stopping you before you ran off.”

“I’m not stupid.” My fingers curled around the edges of my sweater. “Do you really think I’d just up and go turn myself in to Telly in the middle of the night?”

He cocked his head to the side. “This is coming from the girl who once snuck out of the Covenant to find a daimon.”

Touché. “Whatever. I wasn’t planning to do anything like that again.”

“You weren’t?”

I shook my head. There had been a part of me that had been considering it. “I couldn’t sleep. There’s a lot going on in my head.”

“That’s understandable.” His eyes drifted over me, settling on my cheek. “How is it?”

I tipped my head, shielding my face. “It’s fine.”

He looked away a moment, then his gaze swung back to me. “You’ve been through worse, I know, but still. You should’ve never had to deal with what you did… or with Jackson. Any of this really.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing—I’m just rambling.” Aiden’s shoulders relaxed as he glanced around the room. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in here.”

I followed his gaze, which had landed on the bed. A warm flush went from my hair to the tips of my toes. A dozen or so vivid images danced in front of my eyes—all of them completely wrong considering everything that was going on.

“It was your first day back here,” he said, and a small grin appeared. “There were clothes on the floor then, too.”

Surprised, I focused on him—the real, completely clothed Aiden. Of course, he’d been in my living room area, but he was right. He hadn’t ventured any further than the couch. “You remember that?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I was lecturing you.”

“After I pulled Lea out of her chair by her hair.”

Aiden laughed and the sound warmed me. “You finally admit to it.”

“She kind of deserved it then.” I bit my lip as he looked up, his gaze meeting mine. What was he thinking right now? I sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m not going to do anything, even though I should. You don’t have to stay in here.”

Aiden was silent a couple of moments, then he made his way to where I was sitting and sat beside me. The air in the room suddenly got heavier, the bed smaller. The last time we’d been on a bed—and I’d been this close to being undressed—had been the night in his cabin. Impossibly, I grew warmer at the memory, and nervous—a lot more nervous. I should’ve stayed asleep.

“Why do you think you need to turn yourself in, Alex?”

I scooted back and tucked my legs under me. The distance helped a little. “Seth said that there’s a good chance Telly can prove that it was you or that he will make a move against everyone he suspects.”

He twisted around, facing me. “It doesn’t matter if he does, Alex. Going to Telly means the end of you. Don’t you understand that?”

“Not going to Telly could mean the end of you—of anyone who he thinks may have helped me.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“You sound like Seth—like no one else’s life is important but mine. That’s bullshit.” I rose to my knees, dragging in a deep breath. “What if Telly does something to you? Or to Laadan or Leon or Marcus? You expect me to be okay with that? To live with that?”

Aiden’s eyes darkened. “Yes, I expect you to live with that.”

“That’s insane.” I climbed off the bed, feeling the spicy rush of anger. “You’re insane!”

He watched me calmly. “It’s the way it is.”

“You can’t say that my life is more important than yours. That’s not right.”

“But your life is more important to me.”

“Do you hear yourself?” I stopped in front of him, hands shaking. “How can you make that decision for other people—for Laadan and Marcus?”