Deity (Covenant #3)(95)

Wasting no time, I wiggled out on the ledge. The muscles in my arms screamed as I slowly lowered myself down. Gods, my upper body strength could use some work. My feet dangled about half a foot from the roof. I felt like a ninja spy in that moment. I started to smile, but the familiar tingle spreading over my skin quickly knocked it right off my face.

I let go.

Hands clamped down on my forearms and hauled me up, back through the window. Kicking and lashing out, I struggled like a wild animal until Seth set me back on my feet.

I spun around. “I still had three minutes.”

A reluctant grin appeared on his face. “Yeah, and about a minute after I left your room I realized you’d probably try to escape. Throwing yourself out a window is a better choice than putting on something nice?”

“I wasn’t throwing myself out the window. I was escaping.”

“You were in the process of breaking your neck.”

My hands curled. “I would’ve made the jump, asshat.”

Seth rolled his eyes. “Whatever. We don’t have time now. We’re needed now.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Frustration rolled off him. “Alex, I’m not asking.”

I folded my arms. “I don’t care.”

Groaning low in his throat, he shot forward and grabbed my arm. “You always, always have to make everything so damn difficult.” He started dragging me toward the door. “I don’t know why I expected anything less from you. Part of me—and this is sick, I know—is somewhat excited about the idea of you fighting me. It’s amusing. Better than you sitting there not speaking.”

I dug at his fingers, but there was no releasing them. “Let go of me.”

“Yeah, not going to happen.”

We were already to the end of the hall, at the top of the stairs. Below I could see a small army of Guards waiting. “What the hell?” I dug my feet in and grabbed the railing with my free hand. “What’s going on?”

Exasperated, Seth grabbed me around the waist. Using brute strength, he yanked me away from the railing. “Now you’re just being cute.” He started down the steps, carrying me easily even though my sneakers hit every step.

Unease lined only a few of the faces of Lucian’s Guards as Seth dragged me past them. Cold, bright sunlight met us outside, and Seth didn’t release me until he shoved me into the back of a waiting Hummer. And then, he climbed in right after me and caught both my wrists in one hand.

“Sorry. There’s a good chance you’ll try to throw yourself out of a moving car.”

I glared at him, our faces inches apart. “I hate you.”

Seth lowered his head until his cheek pressed against mine. “You keep saying that, but we both know it’s not true. You can’t hate me.”

“Is that so?” I elbowed him in the stomach. It did very little. The Hummer started moving. “What I’m feeling right now is definitely not warm and fuzzy.”

He laughed, stirring the hair around my temple. “You can’t hate me. You weren’t built that way. And soon, we will be the same person. You were created to be mine by the very gods we’re going to take down, starting today.”

Chapter 28

SETH’S WORDS STUNNED ME INTO SILENCE. OLD FEARS, never too far away, resurfaced. I had no control in this… fate. No sense of myself. My heart was racing painfully. I couldn’t be built for him. He wasn’t my existence.

I was my own existence.

I kept telling myself that as Seth led me from the Hummer and into the back entrance of the Courthouse on the main part of Deity Island. I had a sick feeling about this, knowing that Telly was in a cell in this building and that something horrific was about to happen. I could feel it and there was nothing I could do.

Holding my hand in a tight grip, he led me through the narrow halls to the waiting room just outside the glass-domed session area. Through the open door, I could see the place was packed. Every pure who remained on the island during break seemed to be there, as were many of the half-blood Guards and Sentinels. But even more strange was the presence of the halfs who had remained behind at school. Luke sat toward the back with Lea; both of them appeared just as curious as everyone else—even a bit awkward, like they felt out of place. What were they doing here? Half-bloods were never allowed to attend Council unless they’d been summoned to do so.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Seth kept his hand on mine, as if he knew I would bolt if given the chance. “Lucian has called an emergency Council meeting. See?” He gestured toward the front of the square room. “Everyone is here.”

The Council filled the titanium-trimmed dais. Easily recognizing Dawn Samos’ coppery head in the sea of white robes, I felt my stomach twist.

My eyes scanned over their curious expressions and then I turned to the audience. In the back was my uncle. He was standing, arms folded across his chest. There was a hard, cold look to his emerald gaze. Beside him was a man I’d never seen him before, a tall half-blood built like a Sentinel. Lean and coiled muscles flexed under the black uniform. His brown hair was on the longish side, pulled back in a ponytail. His skin was a mix of ethnicities, deeply tanned. He would’ve been handsome if it wasn’t for the jagged scar slicing from above his right eyebrow down to his jaw.