Uh. Oh.

“And then you tell him what’s going on in your head when you’ve barely told me anything?”

Backed into the corner, I reacted the only way I knew how—the only way the old Alex, the Alex before Ares, would’ve reacted. “Maybe you shouldn’t have been eavesdropping.” The moment those words left my mouth, I wanted to drop kick myself in the face, because Aiden had a right to be pissed. “It’s rude,” I finished weakly.

“Are you serious?” Aiden pushed off the wall, and his eyes flashed quicksilver. Double uh-ohs. “You went to him.”

Whoa. Wait a second. “It’s not like that. I didn’t go, go to him.”

“It’s not like that?” Aiden stopped directly in front of me. He lowered his chin, and his eyes flashed with anger. “You told him how you were feeling—what you haven’t been feeling—”

“I’ve told you that!” My hands clenched into fists as my own anger surfaced like an old friend. Yes. I grabbed onto that anger. At least it meant I was feeling something.

“You told him you wanted to die.” His voice broke on the last word, and the quick burst of anger inside me vanished. Pain poured into his expression, paling his face. “And I know you were about to say that part of you still wishes you had died that day.”

I took a step back, wanting to deny that, but words left me and the shame came again, stronger this time. I wrapped my arms around my waist, trying to stop it from spreading. Aiden was the last person I’d wanted to know how weak I’d been—how weak I still was.

“It kills me to know you think that.” A muscle ticked in his jaw as his gaze locked with mine. “Why wouldn’t you come to me with that?” He shook his head, his throat working. “Why would you go to him of all people? After everything he’s done?”

“You don’t understand.” And he didn’t. No matter what, Seth and I were the same person. That didn’t mean he was all forgiven, but Seth knew what I’d been through without me telling him, and I never wanted to share that with Aiden. I knew I needed to tell him that, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Aiden drew in a shallow breath. “You told him you thought you were pregnant.” He looked like I had stabbed him in a chest with a Covenant dagger. “How could you even trust him with something like that? What if he’s playing us? What if he takes that knowledge back to Ares?”

“He’s not playing us.”

His eyes widened as his stance shifted. “How can you be so sure, Alex? We all saw what Seth was like way before you did, and none of us had a connection with him. He has control over—”

“He doesn’t have any control over me! I know he’s not playing us. I know.”

“Maybe you’re right,” he said, the heat dying in his eyes. “But that’s not a risk I’m willing to take, and you didn’t stop to take that into consideration. You…” He stopped and looked away, thrusting his hand through his hair. “You didn’t take how I would feel into consideration.”

“I…I’m sorry. It’s just…” I shook my head helplessly.

He then did something I honestly couldn’t remember him ever doing to me before.

Aiden walked away from me.

* * *

I went back to the room I was sharing with Aiden, but he wasn’t there, and by the time I’d drifted off to sleep waiting for him, he hadn’t returned. And when I woke up, there was no sign of him, but he had made an appearance at some point while I’d slept.

The quilt that had been pushed down to the edge of the bed had been spread over me.

I knew that wasn’t a white flag, and Aiden had every reason to be upset with me. I wished I had explained why I told Seth what I had. Not that I really believed Aiden would’ve been a hundred percent understanding, but it would’ve been better than apologizing or saying nothing.

Or telling him not to eavesdrop.

I pulled myself out of bed and took a quick shower. My empty stomach growled as I pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt that belonged to Aiden. It swallowed me, but it smelled like him. Before I left the room, I scrubbed my hands down my face.

I would find Aiden, and somehow I would make this up to him.

Going to Seth had been wrong when I had been with the one person who had always been and always would be there for me. My intentions hadn’t been malicious or shady, but they still stung like a hundred bees. The only good thing to come from it was that I knew Seth wasn’t playing us.

Convincing everyone else would require nothing short of a miracle.

The first place I checked for Aiden was the common area in the dorm. He wasn’t there, but Luke was sitting at one of the tables along with Deacon and Olivia.

And there was a mammoth plate of bacon and sausage links in front of them.

Lured by the wonderful, greasy scent, I drifted over to their table, my mouth watering at the sight. Bacon made everything better.

“Want some?” Deacon offered, knocking a mess of blond curls out of his face. “Because you look like you’re about to start eating our faces if we don’t give you some.”

Olivia’s nose wrinkled. “Ew.”

I sat beside Aiden’s brother and helped myself to a heaping of the crispy goodness. “Thank you.”

I was munching away on my fourth slice when I felt eyes on me. Glancing up, my gaze met Luke’s. His cheeks were red, as if he’d been kissed by the sun. “What?” I asked around a mouthful of bacon.

“I don’t know how he did it—Seth.” He sat back in his chair, rubbing his hand along his jaw. “I remember being out by the cars and seeing a few Sentinels I didn’t recognize, and then the next thing I know, I’m standing inside the gate and there you two were.”

“Compulsion,” Deacon said, turning to me. “I’ve been telling him that all morning.”

“He has,” Olivia threw in.

Luke frowned. “I know it was a compulsion, but damn, I never felt something like that before.”

“I have.” Olivia looked at me pointedly, and my appetite vanished at the reminder. “You weren’t responsible, Luke.” She speared a link with her fork. “And now we have another crazed Apollyon—no offense, Alex—locked in a cell.”

“None taken,” I muttered, and then sighed. “It really isn’t your fault, Luke. Deacon could do a compulsion, but one from an Apollyon packs a punch.”

Luke didn’t look relieved by that, but he grabbed a handful of bacon, so I figured if he was eating like that, he wasn’t too traumatized.

“So what are we doing with Seth?” Deacon asked after a few moments.

A shudder coursed through Olivia. The girl had never been a fan of Seth, and I remembered what Aiden had said last night. Everyone had seen what Seth was really like, but not me. Well, and not Caleb, because Caleb had been a major fanboy when it came to Seth.

Oddly, there was no slicing pain when I thought about Caleb.

“We aren’t going to do anything right now,” I said finally. Everyone at the table stared at me. My gaze lowered to the half-eaten plate of bacon. “Seth isn’t working with Ares anymore. I’m not saying we should welcome him with open arms or invite him in for breakfast, but he’s not our big enemy right now.”

“What?” Olivia’s voice was an octave higher. “How can anyone be sure of that?”

“That’s a good question.” Deacon slid me his unopened bottle of OJ. “Thirsty?”

I murmured my thanks again and took a drink. “Well, for starters, that cell is only holding him because he’s not trying to escape. If he wants out, he’ll get out faster than any of us could, including me. Secondly, he doesn’t want to become the God Killer anymore.”

Luke rocked back on his chair, eyes widening. “Come again?”

Olivia stopped with another sausage link halfway to her mouth and gaped at me. Shifting in my seat, I felt heat spread across my cheeks, but I wasn’t sure why. “He doesn’t want to be the God Killer. He wants me to transfer the power from him.”

“How did he find out that was our plan?” Deacon asked. He was suddenly serious, which was a rarity for him.