She smiled, stretching her way-too-thin skin. It looked a bit grotesque and crazy. “Do you know why a heart lays claim? Survival. That heart lays its claim to ensure survival of its kind.”

Once again, I was standing in front of the oracle and she was sprouting the craziest crap I’d ever heard. “Why didn’t you tell me my mother was a daimon?” I clenched the fragile stem of the rose in my fist. “Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”

Piperi cocked her head to the side. “Child, I only speak in truths. I gave you the truths.”

“You told me nothing!”

“No. No.” She shook her head. “I told you everything.”

I gaped at her. “You told me a bunch of crazy crap that didn’t make any sense! You could have just said ‘Hey, you’re the second coming of the Apollyon. You’re mother is a daimon and she’s going to try to turn you. And oh, by the way, she’s going to try to kill your friend!’”

“Isn’t that what I told you, child?”

“No!” I screamed, throwing the rose to the ground. “That’s not what you told me.”

Piperi clucked her tongue. “Then you didn’t listen with those ears. People never do. Only ever hear what they want to hear.”

“Oh. My. Gods. Woman, you’re the reason my mom left here in the first place. She was turned into a damn daimon. If you hadn’t told her about me—”

“Your momma wanted to save you—save you from your fate. If she hadn’t, you’d be nothing but a memory and a fear long forgotten. Just like all you who mix the breeds. What they want you two for, what they planned.” She shook her head again and when she looked at me, sorrow etched across his face. “They fear you, fear what comes from you. I told you, child. I told you that your path was filled with dark things that must be done.”

I blinked. “Uh… okay.”

Piperi hobbled forward, stopping in front of me. She only came up to my shoulders, but I remembered how strong she was. I took a step back. She cackled, but this time the laugh ended in a wretched wheezing sound. Gods, I hoped she didn’t keel over right here. She lifted her head, giving me a big, toothless smile. “Do you want to know about love, child?”

“Oh, come on.” I groaned. “You make me want to hurt myself.”

“But love, child, love is the root of all that is good, and the root of all things that are evil. Love is the root of the Apollyon.”

I shifted to my other foot. “Yeah, I think this is around the time I say goodbye. I hope you have a nice trip back to whatever hut you crawled out of.”

Her free hand snaked out, covering mine. Her skin felt papery thin, dry, and so gross. I tried to jerk my hand back, but she held on. Her strength was unnatural. Her eyes fastened on me. “Listen to me, child. Fate is afoot. Things cannot be undone. Fate has looked into the past and into the future. History is on repeat, but this is the time to press ‘stop.’ To change everything.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m sorry. You’re not making—”

“Listen to me!”

“I’m listening! But could you speak a coherent sentence for once?”

Piperi’s fingers slid over mine, and then she let go, wheezing. “I ain’t nothing no more. You must see what I’ve shown you. Hear what I have spoken. Nothing is what it seems. Evil hides in the shadows, plotting its plans while you fear the daimons.”

I scowled. “I don’t fear daimons.”

Her black eyes pierced me. “You should fear those who follow the old ways. Those who do not seek change and cannot allow things to continue as they are. And what a path, what a path the Powers have chosen. The end, the end is near. He,” she japed at the sky, “will see to it.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, for the love of the gods, this makes no sense.”

She shook her head again. “You don’t get it. Listen to me.” Piperi poked me in the chest with one bony finger. “You must make a choice between what is fated and what is unknown.”

“Ow!” I stepped back. She jabbed me again. “Hey! Knock it off!”

“Take the risk or suffer the consequences!” She stopped suddenly, her eyes growing wide as her gaze darted around the otherwise silent garden. “You must not accept gifts from those who seek to destroy you.”

“Or candy,” I muttered.

Piperi ignored my sarcasm. “You must stay away from the one who brings nothing but heartache and death. Do you hear me? He brings nothing but death. Always has. Know the difference between need and love, fate and future. If you don’t, everything your momma sacrificed will be for naught.”

That caught my attention—perhaps because it was the clearest thing she’d ever said to me. “Who is he?”

“He is not what he seems. He has them all fooled—has himfooled. Poor child doesn’t see it. He doesn’t see it, and it has sealed his fate.” She sighed. “That one plays both sides. You don’t know—you wouldn’t know. He—” She jerked backward, the cane slipping from her grasp. The thing hit the marble sidewalk, shattering into a dozen thick pieces.

I grabbed for her, expecting her to fall flat on her face. So I was surprised when she didn’t fall over… and utterly shocked when she folded in on herself, flaking away until nothing remained but a pile of dust.

CHAPTER 9

“THE ORACLE HAS PASSED.” LUCIAN WHIRLED AROUND, addressing each of us. He looked ridiculous as the white robes twirled around his slender body. “Another has come into power.”

I had a headache.

Apparently, the oracle dying wasn’t a big deal. Grandma Piperi was ancient. I just happened to stumble upon her on her dying day or something—lucky me.

Woo.

Leon raised one massive arm and pinched the bridge of his nose. This impromptu gathering of the minds had not been going well. I’d come straight to Marcus after Grandma Piperi poofed, and from there, Marcus had called everyone to his office. Unfortunately, Lucian had brought a very contrary Seth. And worse yet, Aiden had alreadybeen in Marcus’s office for whatever reason.

Marcus took a deep breath. “Alex, what happened exactly?”

“I’ve already told you everything. I ran into her in the garden. She was talking one second and the next, she just sort of poofed—”

“She poofed?” Seth laughed. He lounged in the corner, arms folded across his chest, and that damn smile plastered across his face. “Seriously?”

“Yes, she poofed. Like she was there one second and the next she was a pile of dust.”

“We just don’t poof, Alex. That doesn’t happen.”

“Well, it did. She poked me in my chest with her bony fingers and said some crazy stuff. Then she poofed!”

Seth’s brows flew up and he laughed again. “What have you been doing today? Smoking something?”

Addressing Marcus, I threw up my hands. I had no idea why Seth was being such a jerk to me. He’d started in the moment he’d stepped into this room, and now I wanted to kill him. “Does he have to be here?”

“He is where I need him to be,” Lucian answered instead. “And I need him here.”

“Can he shut up, at least?” I missed the more charming version of Seth. This version sucked. “There’s no valuable need for him to comment on everything that comes out of my mouth!”

“I’m commenting on everything, because it sounds like you’ve smoked some crack,” Seth countered. “Where have you been all day?”

“Seth,” Aiden warned. It was the first he’d spoken since the meeting began. He had changed into his Sentinel garb, and I was having one hell of a time not looking at him. “Can you be quiet for five seconds?”

Seth’s yellow eyes snapped fire. “Does he have to be here? He’s justa Sentinel.”

“He was here before any of you were,” Marcus responded with a tight smile. “And Seth, please try to contain the comments.”

Seth slouched against the wall, raising his hands in surrender. “Sure. Sure. Go on, Alexandria. Tell us how she poofedagain.”