Deity (Covenant #3)(94)

“You really love him?” Seth asked quietly.

“Yes.” I opened my eyes. His gaze was downcast. Thick lashes fanned his cheeks. “I do.”

He slowly lifted his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

I seized the moment. “And I care about you, Seth. I really do. Seeing what you’re doing—what you’re becoming—is killing me. You’re better than this, stronger than Lucian.”

“I am stronger than Lucian.” He leaned against the door, watching through heavy lidded eyes. “I’ll be stronger than a god soon.”

And that was that. Seth didn’t move away from the door, and eventually I went to the window, hoping I could catch a glimpse of my uncle and Aiden. The terracotta roof over the library blocked the view.

We didn’t talk again.

Time was running out and I had to do something.

Seth was antsy the following morning, unable to sit still for longer than a few minutes. His constant pacing and jerky movements were so at odds with his normal otherworldly grace. He had my nerves stretched thin and each time he looked my way, I felt a lump of dread and fear inch up my throat. But he never approached me and he didn’t touch me again. Seth would just turn away and stare out the window silently, waiting.

The morning after Marcus’ visit, I had to see the rune on the back of my neck again. With my energy at normal levels, I found a hand-held mirror and craned my neck, twisting until I caught a glimpse in the bathroom mirror. It was faint blue, shaped like an S that closed at the end. The invincibility rune. I reached back and touched it. The skin on my fingers tingled from the contact.

I lowered the mirror to the counter and turned around. My eyes looked way too wide, scared almost. There were shadows forming under them, dulling the brown irises. Not that my brown eyes were extraordinary in the first place, but geesh.

The skittish look in my eyes hadn’t gone away, even after I’d showered. Weight settled on my shoulders, squeezed my chest. Seth had been trying to Awaken me this entire time, like I’d feared. He’d lied. I pushed my damp hair back. Luckily he hadn’t succeeded, but there was undeniably something different. I could feel it just below the skin.

There was a knock on the bathroom door. “Alex?” Seth called, and knocked again. “What are you doing in there?”

Gathering up my strength, I focused on the neon pink walls and reinforced the mental shields, blocking him out.

His sigh was audible. “You’re just blocking me to tick me off, Alex.”

I gave my reflection a weak smile and then I opened the door. Brushing past him, I tossed my dirtied clothes in the corner.

“So you’re not going to talk to me?” he asked.

I sat in the chair and picked up a comb.

Seth knelt in front of me. “You know, you can’t stay silent forever.”

Combing out the tangles, I decided I could try.

“Do you know how long we’re going to be together? This is going to get boring and old real quick.” When I didn’t answer, he grabbed my wrist. “Alex, you’re being—”

“Don’t touch me.” I jerked my arm free, ready to turn the comb into a deadly weapon if need be.

He smiled as he stood. “You’re talking.”

I threw the comb down and shot to my feet. “You’ve lied to me over and over again, Seth. You used me.”

“How did I use you, Alex?”

“You got close to me just so you could try to Awaken me! You used this stupid connection against me.” I sucked in a sharp breath. Betrayal sat like stones in my stomach. “Did you plan this all along, Seth? Was this what you were thinking when we were in the Catskills? When you asked me to make a choice?”

He whirled on me, eyes a fierce, angry ocher. “That was not the sole reason, Alex. Not that it matters now. You made your choice. You chose Aiden, as pointless as that was.”

I didn’t even think. Full of rage and sorrow, I swung at him.

Seth caught my fist before it connected with his face. “We are not training, Alex. We are not playing around. Swing at me again and you will not like the consequences.” He released me.

I stumbled back, half-tempted to test out his warning with a kick to the face. A knock on the bedroom door interrupted our stare-down. One of the Guards was on the other side, speaking too low for me to understand.

Seth nodded and then faced me. “We’re leaving in five minutes.”

My heart stuttered. “Leaving? Going where?”

“You’ll see.” He paused, his gaze dropping over me. “You have five minutes to put something decent on.”

“Excuse me?” I was wearing jeans and a black turtleneck. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

“You will be an Apollyon… my mate, so to speak. You should wear something nicer—classy.”

I didn’t know which part of what he said made me want to punch him again most. “First off, you don’t tell me what to wear. Secondly, I am not your ‘mate’. Thirdly, there is nothing wrong with what I’m wearing. And finally, you’re insane.”

“You now have four minutes.” Seth spun around and left the room, locking the door behind him.

A whole minute passed while I stared at the closed door. Then I sprang into action. I raced to the bedroom window and pushed it open. When I’d been younger, I’d used my bedroom window to climb out on the roof above the library and stargaze. I knew I could make the jump. It was actually shorter than the one I’d made in Miami.