“I bet.” No one really knew how Seth would react once the bond was broken. I felt Alex peek around me. She was watching Apollo with large eyes. He grinned at her, and she gave him a hesitant smile. “Has he done something?” I asked.

“Hmm, if you count obliterating two Sentinels who refused to join their cause? Then yes.”

“Gods,” I murmured, shifting again when Alex moved behind me.

Apollo craned his neck to the side, following Alex’s nervous movements. “They haven’t moved against the Tennessee Covenant yet, but about fifty of their Sentinels have broken away and appear to be heading toward the New York one. He’s with the Minister still.”

“And if they make it to New York, what will happen?”

His expression turned grim. “I’ve let a few things out of Olympus, just in case those Sentinels are up to no good.”

Dread blossomed. “What few things?”

“A few of Hephaestus’ most interesting creations—namely the Khalkotauroi.”

I choked on my breath. I had to have heard him wrong. The Khalkotauroi were automations—bronze bulls that breathed fire—but they weren’t what were known in the myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece. First off, there weren’t just two of them. There were hundreds of them, and they walked on two legs. Like all the creatures that belong to the gods, they had been rounded up and sent to Olympus when the gods had retreated from the mortal world.

“And what happens if a mortal sees them?”

Apollo arched a brow. “The Khalkotauroi know how to stay hidden, but if New York—or any of the other Covenants—goes under siege, it will be a moot point. The mortal world will become well aware that some myths are true.”

There really wasn’t anything else to say to that, and my mind was already occupied with too many concerns to dedicate time to this latest development. Apollo left, but not before trying to talk to an edgy Alex who wanted nothing to do with him, much to his amusement. It amazed me that the whole world was on the brink of war and Apollo was laughing.

Granted, this probably wasn’t his first time at the rodeo.

When Apollo left, she stared up at me, expression pinched. “My head… it hurts.”

“I’ll get you something now.”

As I left to find her some aspirin, she followed, never straying too far from my side. Taking the two pills without question, I realized then how such trust could be abused—and was with many other halfs—in the wrong hands. A sick and twisted kind of fear rose with that realization.

The aspirin didn’t seem to work. Alex withdrew further into herself, eyes squeezed shut through most of the movie I’d put on. A dark voice picked up in the back of my head, remaining constant even after she’d fallen asleep and I carried her to bed, her weight seeming nonexistent. Her headache was a sign.

The Elixir was wearing off. Tomorrow would be the fourth day.

The thought of giving her another dose chipped away at me. Hours passed as I lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling, watching the thin slips of moonlight reach across the darkness. The quilt twisted with my legs as I flipped onto my side. Could I do it again? Hand her something that destroyed her very core and watch her take it with that innate trust in her eyes?

I squeezed my eyes shut, folding my arms beneath my head. There was no other choice. Apollo needed to find a way, because she couldn’t do it on her own. Sleep finally claimed me, but it didn’t last long.

I was jolted awake later. Darkness cloaked the room and the couch felt infinitely smaller than before. The scent of… peaches surrounded me. Something warm and soft pressed against my side, wiggling closer. Hands clenched the old t-shirt I’d dug up the day before.

My eyes flew open.

The top of Alex’s head came into view as she placed her cheek on my chest and let out a little sigh. Every muscle in my body locked up. Was I dreaming? I think I stopped breathing. What was she doing over here, on the couch. with me?

“Alex?” My voice sounded gruff. “What are you doing?”

She lifted her head enough that I could see the shreds of amber peeking out from behind her lashes. The shattered eyes were the damndest thing to see at night. “My head hurts.”

I started to sit up, but Alex shifted, throwing a leg over mine as if she was asking me not to move without saying a word.

“Uh…” I’d never been more unsure in my life, or unable to read a person. “Do you want me to get you some more aspirin?”

“No.” She placed her head on my chest again, snuggling down. “It feels better now. Empty.”

I swallowed. Hard. “Empty?”

“Mmm-hmm,” she murmured, shivering. “It’s quieter when I’m near you.”

My heart stuttered. “Quieter? Are you hearing things? A person?”

“I don’t know. It’s like…” She yawned, splaying her hand across my chest. “It’s like someone talking to me far, far away. Does that make me.?”

Seth. Anger surged through me and I fought to keep it out of my voice. “What?”

“Crazy? Does that make me crazy?”

“Not at all, agapi”I lowered one arm and reached down, tugging the quilt up so it covered most of her. “Can you make out what the voice is saying?”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to know. I don’t have to, do I?”

“No.” I ached for her.

“Good,” she said, and I wondered if she smiled. “Can I stay with you?”

“Always.” Good gods, I didn’t want her to be anywhere else.

Silence fell between us, and her breathing became steady and deep. So the headaches were a sign of Seth trying to contact her, which explained the brief flashes of pain I’d seen before the Elixir and confirmed my suspicions all along. The connection hurt somehow. And now the bond was muted, but it meant she definitely needed another dose tomorrow.

A new wave of fury rolled through me, but I kept my body relaxed, not wanting to frighten her. I’d truly believed that Seth had grown to care for Alex, perhaps even love her in his own way—whatever way that was. Especially after Caleb died, he’d cared for her, protected her when I hadn’t. In New York, he watched over her and would’ve killed without a thought to make sure no one learned that she’d killed a pure in self-defense. Had it all been a ruse? An act to ensure that Alex would live so that she could Awaken, giving him the power of a god-killer?

Yeah, I’d never fully trusted the punk, moments when I’d seen something I could never name in his cold eyes—eyes that had belonged to Alex for a period of time. Something about him set off my warning system and pissed me off like nothing else. That could’ve just been his interest in Alex, but still.

I’d never expected him to hurt her.

If I ever got my hands on that little bastard, I was going to kill him or die trying.

But right now, Alex was lying beside me, and hell if I was going to think about Seth. Very carefully, I lowered my left arm and wrapped it around her too-slender waist. There was another soft sigh from her. She seemed incredibly small beside me. How could I’ve not noticed that in the past? Maybe because all I ever saw was her strength.

I could’ve suggested that she go back to the bed or that both of us move there, but I didn’t have the heart or desire to move her. Not when she was close to me like this, pulling loose bittersweet and tender memories. I flicked through the days spent in my parents’ house and the brief time in Ohio.

Alex murmured something and tipped her head back, brushing the tip of her nose along my chin and jaw. A wealth of warmth spread through me and before I knew what I was doing, I turned my head. My lips brushed her forehead.

“G’night, Aiden…”

My pulse sped up and a smile pulled at my lips—a real one. “Good night, agapi”

CHAPTER 8