Strong arms encircled me from behind, pulling me back from the gods and against a hard chest. Aiden turned, using his body to shield mine, but it didn’t stop me from hearing their final words.

“It will all be over by the end of this year…”

A loud sigh swept through the room as the smoke dispelled. The twins were gone.

“Well,” Apollo drew the word out. “That made absolutely no sense.”

Muscles weak, I slumped over and would’ve face-planted on the carpet if Aiden hadn’t caught me. He gripped my arms, but my skin felt too sensitive, too raw as he gently lowered me to the carpet. I crawled away, dragging in deep breaths.

“What…what was that?” Deacon asked, his voice hoarse.

Shaking, I sat back and lifted my head. There was a balloon expanding in my stomach, moving up my chest.

Apollo stood in the middle of the room with his hands on his hips. “That was Phobos and Deimos. The gods of fear, dread, panic, and sheer terror. They are Ares’ sons. When you fought him, he marked you, giving them access to your psyche. I knew something was off about you while you were in Olympus, as did Artemis when she was here, but I didn’t see it until now.”

I blinked slowly. “What?”

“Phobos and Deimos have been riding you, feeding off your emotions, and choosing and amplifying which ones you feel.”

Seth paled as he took a step back. His eyes met mine. “I didn’t know.” He raised his hands. “I had no idea.”

“That’s what Artemis meant by something being inside of her?” Aiden was kneeling beside me. Horror whipped through his voice. “They were inside her?”

“Yes.” The white light dimmed in Apollo’s eyes and blue irises appeared.

“I thought…I thought I was going crazy. I thought I was pregnant. I didn’t think…” I was too shocked, too everything to care about what I had just admitted to everyone in the room, to even acknowledge Aiden’s sharp inhale or how broken it sounded, or the way Seth turned his back, like he couldn’t bear to look at me. “They were inside me this whole time?”

“Since you fought Ares,” Apollo confirmed. “I’m sorry. If I could’ve come sooner, I would’ve known.”

Staring at the god, I had a hard time accepting what he said. I got it. I believed it, but to think another god—gods—were inside my head and my body, tinkering around, messing with me and being with me the whole time floored me. A floodgate broke, and the balloon in my chest burst. Rage flooded me, burning like lava through my veins. It tasted like blood and acid.

The room tinted amber.

Seth whirled around. “Uh, guys…”

The hair lifted off my shoulders and neck. Aiden called my name, but I was beyond hearing. I was beyond listening.

I lost my shit, right then and there.

CHAPTER 10

I don’t remember leaving the dean’s office, but must have, and I assume no one tried to stop me. I needed to be alone. I needed space.

I made it to a room down the hall.

I stood inside, the door swinging shut behind me, my chest rising and falling rapidly. I was feeling too much—anger, hurt, loss, hate, love, and everything else that had been muted while Ares’ sons had been camped out inside my body. All the emotions at once were a poison in my blood. The lid on the bottle inside me had been completely unscrewed. Emotions broke the surface in a rush, and it felt like I had been drowning this whole time.

A burst of power left me.

The heavy oak desk in the corner, as well as a line of chairs and small tables, lifted into the air. They rose to the ceiling. My fingers curled in, nails digging into my palms. Wood creaked and groaned, then splintered. The furniture shattered like dry, brittle bones.

A volcano erupted inside me.

I opened my mouth and screamed. I didn’t recognize the sound. Windows cracked. Shards of glass fell, and stopped before they hit the floor.

It wasn’t enough—the destruction wasn’t enough. It could never be enough. Every cell inside me had been violated on a level I couldn’t begin to comprehend.

The room shook and the building shuddered as I took a step forward. My feet lifted off the floor. Below me, the tile warped and peeled up, breaking apart in large, uneven sections that rose into the air. Another shockwave of akasha rolled out from me. Blue light pulsed, incinerating the flooring.

In a flash, I felt the rage and shame of being so broken by Ares.

I hadn’t mourned all those who’d died at the hands of Ares until that moment.

I hadn’t feel the loving embrace of my mother’s arms or the loss of her all over again until that very second.

I felt the damage that’d been done to my body and head all over again.

I tasted the bite of fear and the tang of fury when I remembered the condition of Aiden’s hands when I first saw him after waking up. I tasted them again when I remembered seeing Marcus’ mangled face.

I felt the horror of pulling the trigger and killing Lucian.

I felt it all.

I felt alive, as if I was finally awake, and it was too much.

Another scream tore through me, and the walls trembled.

The door opened behind me, and I slowly turned around, breathing through my nose. Seth stood there. My feet touched the floor.

“You need to try to calm down,” he said. “Or you’re going to bring this whole building down.”

Calm down? Oh, shit was about to get real up in here.

I flew toward him, my arm snaking back. My fist cracked off his jaw, snapping his head back. Seth stumbled a step and bent over, clutching his face. The burst of pain flaring across my knuckles felt damn good.

“Gods,” he grunted.

Jerking my leg up, I slammed my knee into Seth’s stomach. A harsh expletive exploded from his mouth as I grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and shoved him backward. He caught himself against the wall with one hand.

“Okay.” He spat out a mouthful of blood. “I’ll admit I deserved that.”

The stupid cord in me didn’t understand the violence, but it liked that I was touching him. For that reason alone, I dropped down low and spun. I took his legs out from underneath him. Seth folded like a paper sack, hitting the destroyed floor on his side.

I vaulted to my feet and then dropped into a crouch.

Seth was back up in record time, his golden brows slammed down. “Okay. You want to work out your aggression. I’m all for that, Angel.”

“Don’t.” I dipped under his arm and sprang up behind him. “Call.” I slammed my hands down on his shoulders and brought my knee up. “Me. That!”

Seth twisted away before I could say hello to his spine. He faced me, pushing the longer strands of hair out of his gleaming eyes. “Come on. Bring it, Angel.”

The sound that came from me would’ve sent most people scurrying for the hills.

He lifted his hand and gave the universal “come get some” sign. “Work it out of your system. You can’t kill me.”

I wasn’t sure if my anger was so much directed at him or if he just made for a very convenient punching bag, but I launched myself at him. I hit him in the midsection, knocking him backward. We crashed into what was left of the desk and toppled over it. In a rather impressive feat, Seth shifted and hit the floor under me, taking the brunt of the fall. I was on top of him, straddling him. My arms rose up and I brought them down on his chest, over and over. I hit him, and I kept hitting him. His face blurred through the sudden wetness in my eyes. What the hell? The dampness rose and spilled over. My hands ached, but I couldn’t stop. Tears streamed down my face and the whole time…the whole time Seth let me hit him. He didn’t raise a hand. He didn’t stop me.

My body shook and my arms ached. The sobs came from deep within me, from that dark and rotted-out place that had cropped up when Ares shattered my bones. My fists landed against Seth’s chest once more, weaker this time, and I couldn’t lift them. I hunched over, my chin dropping to my chest, and I cried so many tears I was sure I was going to drown the whole world with them.