The Power
Page 34
My brows rose.
“Anyway, thanks. I figured you all were trying to keep what you are quiet and you risked that. Thank you.”
I didn’t know what to say, so we sat there in silence for a couple of moments.
“So . . .” He bit down on his lip as he stared ahead. “Are you going to tell me to leave now, or would you like the company? I mean, I can be quiet and sit here, stare at some plants.”
A begrudging smile formed on my lips. Honestly, I wasn’t up for much conversation, but what else was I really doing other than staring at some plants and feeling sorry for myself?
So I took a deep breath and said, “You can stay.”
“Huh.” There was a pause and those midnight blue eyes met mine. “Do I have to be quiet and stare at plants?”
I coughed out a laugh. “No. You don’t have to do that.”
“Good,” Colin replied. “Because I have all these questions about you I’ve been dying to ask, you know? I’ve never met a demigod before. You cool with that?”
Was I? I shrugged. I had a feeling Colin was going to be disappointed with my answers considering I’d never met a demigod either, and I really didn’t consider myself one. “Sure. Whatever you want.”
Seth
I was in full creep mode.
Which wasn’t any different from the last four days that I’d been keeping an eye on Josie. Some would probably call it stalking. I would call it making sure she was safe.
The last couple of days, she’d gone to the garden after training with Laadan. Today had been no different. She’d headed straight for the enclosed area and I followed like I had every other time.
Deep down I knew I didn’t need to do this. Wasn’t like she was going to be attacked by a rogue rose bush, but I didn’t like this. Her going to this quiet place, sitting for an hour on a damn bench, staring off into nothing, looking . . . looking so damn sad, it took everything for me not to go to her. Cross the small distance between us and pull her into my arms. Comfort her. I didn’t want this for her.
There was a lot I didn’t want for her. Namely my fucked-up ass.
Staying away from her wasn’t easy. Every night I fought against the draw to go to her, and practically every night ended with my hand on my dick and the image of her branded in my mind.
Sick thing was I wasn’t sure what was constantly drawing me to her more—her, or what was in her. Maybe a mixture of both. It didn’t matter.
Josie didn’t have to be here. She could be with Luke and Deacon. There was no reason for her to be alone.
I passed the ancient caretaker who was probably older than the dirt she was digging around in, my steps soundless as I followed the now familiar path. Josie never knew I was here. It would stay that way. I would remain in the background, waiting until she left, and then I would make sure she got back to the dorm. Then I—
Josie’s soft laugh stopped me dead in my tracks. “It’s not really that exciting,” she said. “I hardly know what I’m doing most of the time.”
What the hell? I stepped over a low stone wall, going where no man had probably gone before. Careful not to trample the cluster of peonies, I unlocked a whole new level of creepiness by peering through the thick vines at her. My gut immediately tightened.
What the fuck?
Sitting on the bench beside her was not Luke or Deacon. It was that guy again, the one that had been with her when she’d used the air element. Colin was his name.
“It’s still awesome,” he said, and, oh yeah, real fucking awesome. His entire body was twisted toward her. “Your father is Apollo. That’s pretty amazing.”
My jaw locked down. What was she telling this douche? She didn’t know him. I didn’t know him.
One of her shoulders rose as she fiddled with the sweater in her lap. She was always moving some part of her body. Fingers. Legs. Feet. “I guess so. I’ve only seen him a couple times. He’s busy doing . . . god stuff.”
Colin shook his head. “What about your mother?”
My eyes narrowed as Josie really started twisting the sweater between her hands. “She’s not here,” she replied after a beat of silence. “I mean, she’s with Apollo. With everything going on with the Titans, it’s not safe for her here.”
“Understandable.” He finally looked away from her, and that was a good thing, because I was beginning to think those blue eyes would look excellent on the ground, lying among the damn peonies. “I was kind of lucky, you know? My mom was mortal, and she knew the truth. My father—a pure-blood—loved her. He didn’t care that she was mortal.”
I didn’t give two shits if his mother was Hera.
Behind me, a throat cleared.
Looking over my shoulder, I spied the ancient, knocking-on-death’s-door caretaker. I could barely see the face under the wide brim straw hat, but I could feel the disapproving glare in every cell of my being.
I stared the caretaker down until the little body threw up its arms and shuffled off, muttering under its breath in what sounded like ancient Greek.
Whatever. I turned back to Josie and Dickface.
“My father was . . . he tried to keep the relationship hidden. He would leave the community and visit me and Mom every weekend—always a long weekend. Friday through Monday. When I was younger, I didn’t realize we were different. Mom was always honest about what Dad was. I didn’t realize that he had another family in his community—a pure one. Wife. Another son. I think my mom knew. I’m pretty sure she did, and I don’t think she cared. She loved him that much that she didn’t care that when he left us, he went to another family, one that his kind approved of.”
“Anyway, thanks. I figured you all were trying to keep what you are quiet and you risked that. Thank you.”
I didn’t know what to say, so we sat there in silence for a couple of moments.
“So . . .” He bit down on his lip as he stared ahead. “Are you going to tell me to leave now, or would you like the company? I mean, I can be quiet and sit here, stare at some plants.”
A begrudging smile formed on my lips. Honestly, I wasn’t up for much conversation, but what else was I really doing other than staring at some plants and feeling sorry for myself?
So I took a deep breath and said, “You can stay.”
“Huh.” There was a pause and those midnight blue eyes met mine. “Do I have to be quiet and stare at plants?”
I coughed out a laugh. “No. You don’t have to do that.”
“Good,” Colin replied. “Because I have all these questions about you I’ve been dying to ask, you know? I’ve never met a demigod before. You cool with that?”
Was I? I shrugged. I had a feeling Colin was going to be disappointed with my answers considering I’d never met a demigod either, and I really didn’t consider myself one. “Sure. Whatever you want.”
Seth
I was in full creep mode.
Which wasn’t any different from the last four days that I’d been keeping an eye on Josie. Some would probably call it stalking. I would call it making sure she was safe.
The last couple of days, she’d gone to the garden after training with Laadan. Today had been no different. She’d headed straight for the enclosed area and I followed like I had every other time.
Deep down I knew I didn’t need to do this. Wasn’t like she was going to be attacked by a rogue rose bush, but I didn’t like this. Her going to this quiet place, sitting for an hour on a damn bench, staring off into nothing, looking . . . looking so damn sad, it took everything for me not to go to her. Cross the small distance between us and pull her into my arms. Comfort her. I didn’t want this for her.
There was a lot I didn’t want for her. Namely my fucked-up ass.
Staying away from her wasn’t easy. Every night I fought against the draw to go to her, and practically every night ended with my hand on my dick and the image of her branded in my mind.
Sick thing was I wasn’t sure what was constantly drawing me to her more—her, or what was in her. Maybe a mixture of both. It didn’t matter.
Josie didn’t have to be here. She could be with Luke and Deacon. There was no reason for her to be alone.
I passed the ancient caretaker who was probably older than the dirt she was digging around in, my steps soundless as I followed the now familiar path. Josie never knew I was here. It would stay that way. I would remain in the background, waiting until she left, and then I would make sure she got back to the dorm. Then I—
Josie’s soft laugh stopped me dead in my tracks. “It’s not really that exciting,” she said. “I hardly know what I’m doing most of the time.”
What the hell? I stepped over a low stone wall, going where no man had probably gone before. Careful not to trample the cluster of peonies, I unlocked a whole new level of creepiness by peering through the thick vines at her. My gut immediately tightened.
What the fuck?
Sitting on the bench beside her was not Luke or Deacon. It was that guy again, the one that had been with her when she’d used the air element. Colin was his name.
“It’s still awesome,” he said, and, oh yeah, real fucking awesome. His entire body was twisted toward her. “Your father is Apollo. That’s pretty amazing.”
My jaw locked down. What was she telling this douche? She didn’t know him. I didn’t know him.
One of her shoulders rose as she fiddled with the sweater in her lap. She was always moving some part of her body. Fingers. Legs. Feet. “I guess so. I’ve only seen him a couple times. He’s busy doing . . . god stuff.”
Colin shook his head. “What about your mother?”
My eyes narrowed as Josie really started twisting the sweater between her hands. “She’s not here,” she replied after a beat of silence. “I mean, she’s with Apollo. With everything going on with the Titans, it’s not safe for her here.”
“Understandable.” He finally looked away from her, and that was a good thing, because I was beginning to think those blue eyes would look excellent on the ground, lying among the damn peonies. “I was kind of lucky, you know? My mom was mortal, and she knew the truth. My father—a pure-blood—loved her. He didn’t care that she was mortal.”
I didn’t give two shits if his mother was Hera.
Behind me, a throat cleared.
Looking over my shoulder, I spied the ancient, knocking-on-death’s-door caretaker. I could barely see the face under the wide brim straw hat, but I could feel the disapproving glare in every cell of my being.
I stared the caretaker down until the little body threw up its arms and shuffled off, muttering under its breath in what sounded like ancient Greek.
Whatever. I turned back to Josie and Dickface.
“My father was . . . he tried to keep the relationship hidden. He would leave the community and visit me and Mom every weekend—always a long weekend. Friday through Monday. When I was younger, I didn’t realize we were different. Mom was always honest about what Dad was. I didn’t realize that he had another family in his community—a pure one. Wife. Another son. I think my mom knew. I’m pretty sure she did, and I don’t think she cared. She loved him that much that she didn’t care that when he left us, he went to another family, one that his kind approved of.”
