Deity (Covenant #3)(89)

They’d give Council members an option. Stand with them or fall. With Seth at full Apollyon power—the God Killer—he’d be able to zap any god who came gunning for him. Not that Lucian believed any gods would. Once Seth became the God Killer, no god would be stupid enough to come within a mile of him. The only threat would be members of the Order, but they too would have one hell of a time taking Seth down. Lucian already had Sentinels searching for the remaining members. I shuddered at what I knew they would do to them.

And yet, as much as they talked, I felt there was something they weren’t sharing. There was more to this just as I felt there was more to why Apollo had been so adamant about keeping me safe.

“How did the Order kill the First and Solaris?” I asked, speaking for the first time.

Lucian raised his brows at Seth as he twirled the crystal flute.

“They caught them unexpectedly.” Seth glanced down at his plate. “At the same moment, they were stabbed through the heart.” He cleared his throat. “Why do you ask?”

I shrugged. Mostly because I was curious since it wasn’t like killing two Apollyons was an easy feat. When I didn’t give an answer, they resumed their talking. I resumed my plotting.

I was going to do something I never thought I’d do again. I was going to kill a pure-blood—Lucian. My fingers curled around the steak knife. It was the only way to stop this. Take out Lucian and then Seth would be freed from his freakish parental influence. And I’d be dead, but maybe… maybe Aiden and Marcus could prove Lucian’s insanity. It was worth a shot. I couldn’t let this happen, and it would happen if they kept me here, and then there would be no stopping them.

This was possibly the craziest, most spontaneous and reckless thing I’d ever planned, but what other choice did I have? Lucian already controlled Seth and he could control me through him if Seth willed it. That was everyone’s fear—my worst fear.

I had to do something.

“May I be excused?” I asked.

“You haven’t eaten anything.” Seth frowned. “Are you feeling sick?”

Gee, could it be I’d lost my appetite because I was surrounded by lunatics? “I’m just tired.”

“That’s fine,” Lucian said.

Trying not to think about what I was doing, I placed my napkin over the steak knife and slid it, handle first, up my sleeve. I stood on weak knees. Killing in battle or when I needed to protect myself was totally different than this. Part of me screamed that this was wrong—just as wrong as what they intended to do to Telly, but one life to protect countless more? It seemed worth it.

Okay. Two lives, because I seriously doubted I was going to get away with this. Guards waited just outside the dining room. If they didn’t kill me, the Council Lucian sought to betray would. Ironic.

I walked around the table slowly, calming my breathing and blocking my emotions. I had enough strength to shove this knife through his back, severing his spinal cord. It would be easier to go for the throat or eye, but gods, I was grossing myself out just thinking about it.

Just do it. I reached Lucian’s side and drew in a deep breath as I let the knife slide out from my sleeve. Then a freight train slammed me to the ground.

I hit the tiled floor with a hard crack. Seth pinned my legs as he twisted my wrist until I cried out and was forced to drop the knife. As I tried to twist out of his grasp, Guards rushed into the room, but Lucian held his hand out, stopping them.

“What is wrong with you?” Seth asked furiously, giving me a little shake when I didn’t answer fast enough. “Are you insane?”

My heart pounded against my ribs. “I’m not the crazy one here!”

“Really—you’re not the crazy one?” His gaze went to the knife. “Do I need to explain this to you?”

“Deal with her.” Lucian stood and threw down his cloth napkin, voice eerily calm. “Before I do something I regret.”

Seth exhaled harshly. “I’m sorry, Lucian. I’ll fix this.”

So shocked, I couldn’t speak. He was apologizing to Lucian? I was in crazy land and there was no escape.

“She needs to accept this,” Lucian said. “I will not live in fear of being murdered in my own home. Either she complies or I’ll have her locked up.”

Seth’s eyes met mine. “That won’t be necessary.”

I glared at him.

“Good.” Lucian sounded more disgusted than afraid. It was like I had spit on him instead of trying to kill him. “I’m retiring for the evening. Guards!”


In a rush of activity, they followed Lucian out of the room. Some of them were pures. Had he promised them something worth going against the Council and risking death? I knew what he’d offered the halfs.

Seth still held me to the floor. “That was possibly the stupidest thing you’d ever tried to do.”

“Too bad it didn’t work.”

Appearing incredulous, he hauled me to my feet. The moment he let go, I bolted for the door. He caught me before I made it out of the room, clamping his arms around me. “Stop this!”

I threw my head back, narrowly missing his. “Let me go!”

“Don’t make this hard, Alex.”

I struggled in his viselike grip. “He’s using you, Seth. Why can’t you see that?”