—Cassandra’s Reviews

“The Covenant series is a rarity. It’s a series that keeps improving by the book.”

—Nick’s Book Blog

“Possibly the best book of 2013.”

—Gothic Angel Book Reviews

“I am completely hooked on Jennifer Armentrout’s Covenant series.”

—Love is Not a Triangle

“This book is a combination of everything I love in a book: snarky characters, smoking hot guys, kick-ass fighting, good writing, and a fast-paced story line.”

—Emily’s Crammed Bookshelf

“Oh my Gods! Wow! Jennifer L. Armentrout is such an amazing writer; my heart is still beating hard against my rib cage after finishing Apollyon, her latest installment to the brilliant Covenant Series.”

—Book Gossips

Frustrating, edgy, romantic and tempestuous, Apollyon just might be the most action-packed, treacherous book out of the whole series so far!

—The Teen Book Guru

“Jennifer Armentrout has delivered an action packed book full of twists, romance, and paranormal powers and a great unique Greek Mythology.”

—Mundie Moms

Copyright © 2013 by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Sale of the paperback edition of this book without its cover is unauthorized.

Spencer Hill Press

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

Contact: Spencer Hill Press, PO Box 247, Contoocook, NH 03229, USA

Please visit our website at www.spencerhillpress.com

First Edition: November 2013.

Armentrout, Jennifer L. 1980

Sentinel: a novel / by Jennifer L. Armentrout – 1st ed.

p. cm.

Summary:

The conclusion to the Covenant series.

The author acknowledges the copyrighted or trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this fiction: Applebee’s, Big Mac, Expedition, Frisbee, Glock, Godzilla, Google, Hummer, Jacuzzi, Mario Kart, Palms Place, Resident Evil, Saks Fifth Avenue, Terminator, Velcro

Cover design by K. Kaynak.

ISBN 978-1-937053-57-4 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-937053-48-2 (e-book)

Printed in the United States of America

Also by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press)

Daimon (novella)

Half-Blood

Pure

Deity

Elixir (novella)

Apollyon

Sentinel

Cursed (Spencer Hill Press)

Don’t Look Back (Disney-Hyperion)

Bitter Sweet Love (Harlequin Teen)

White Hot Kiss (Harlequin Teen)

The Lux Series (Entangled Teen)

Shadows (novella)

Obsidian

Onyx

Opal

Obsession (Entangled Covet)

Origin

Writing as J. Lynn:

Wait for You (HarperCollins)

Trust In Me (HarperCollins)

Be With Me (HarperCollins)

Tempting the Best Man (Entangled Brazen)

Tempting the Player (Entangled Brazen)

Tempting the Bodyguard (Entangled Brazen)

Unchained: Nephilim Rising #1 (Entangled Edge)

Pronunciation Guide for Sentinel

Aether:

EE-ther

Agapi mou:

ah-GAH-pee moo

Akasha:

ah-KAH-sha

Apollyon:

ah-POL-ee-on

απόλυτη εξουσία:

ah-POL-ee-tee EX-shoo-shee-ya

αήττητο:

EYE-tee-toe

Daimon:

DEE-mun

Deimos:

DEE-mohs

Δύναμη:

TZEE-nah-mee

Hematoi:

HEM-a-toy

Ixion:

ICKS-zee-ahn

Phobos:

FOE-bohs

Θάρρος:

THA-roesh

“Some people say when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. But when life gives you one seriously ticked off god gunning for your ass, you prepare for war and you hope for paradise.”

—Alex (Alexandria) Andros

CHAPTER 1

FEELING CAME BACK IN MY FEET FIRST, AND THEN MY legs. A pins-and-needles tingling rushed over my skin, causing my fingers to spasm. The sweetness of the nectar still coated the inside of my throat. My body ached as if I’d just completed a triathlon and come in dead last.

Or like I’d had my ass kicked and gotten patched up by a god.

Either/or…

Movement beside me brought the whole side of my body closer to a hard warmth, and I thought I heard my name called, but it sounded like it was on the other side of the world from me.

I was moving at the speed of a three-legged turtle, so it took a while to blink my eyes open, and even then it was just a thin crack. When my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, I recognized the buttercup-colored walls and all the titanium trim of the dorm rooms at the University in South Dakota, the same room Aiden and I had done a whole lot of not sleeping in right before Dominic had brought us news of Deity Island survivors. Things…things were different then; it already felt like years ago.

A terrible heaviness settled like a stone in my chest, pressing all the way down to my spine. Dominic was now dead. So were the Dean of the University and his Guards. It had been a trick played out by Ares, who’d been masquerading as Instructor Romvi. Our enemy had been among us the entire time. My dislike of that man had been epic before I’d discovered who he really was, but now? Every fiber of my Apollyon being loathed him. But my hatred of Romvi/Ares/Asshat wasn’t important. So many people were dead, and Ares knew where I was. What was stopping him from coming back for round two? And what was stopping him from killing more people?

I heard my name once more, and now it seemed louder and closer. Turning to the sound, I willed my eyes to open. When had my eyes closed again? I was like a newborn kitten or something. Daimons across the nation shuddered in fear. Gods, I was lame.

“Alex.”

My heart skipped a whole beat, and then sped up in recognition. Ah, I knew that voice. My heart and my soul knew that voice.

“Alex, open your eyes. Come on, baby, open those eyes.”

I really wanted to, because for him I’d do anything. Fight a horde of half-blood daimons? There. Tangle with ticked-off furies? Sign me up. Break a dozen or so rules for one forbidden kiss? Done. Open my eyes? Apparently that was asking too much.

A warm, strong hand curved along my cheek; the touch was so different than my mother’s, but equally powerful and heartbreakingly tender. My breath caught in my throat.