The Power
Page 44
Deacon’s brows furrowed together. “Why did she do that?”
Well, let me count the reasons . . .
“Who’s Josie?” Alex asked, confused.
“Uh . . .” I looked over at Deacon. “You want to do the honors? I know how much you love awkward conversations.”
A wide smile broke out across his face. “Of course, especially when I’m not the center of the awkwardness.”
Luke snorted.
“So!” Deacon clapped his hands together as he faced Alex and Aiden. “Did you guys happen to notice a certain girl out on the quad when you did your magic doorway thing?”
Aiden glanced at Alex. She raised a shoulder. “There were a lot of people out there that I hadn’t seen before.” She paused. “I noticed Boobs, though.”
I slowly shook my head.
“Um, that’s not who I’m talking about. Anyway,” Deacon said, his gray eyes light. “She’s pretty tall. Well, taller than you and everyone is practically taller than you, Alex. Has long blondish-brown hair. Kind of weird hair.”
“Awesome hair,” Luke added.
Alexander frowned silently.
“She does. It’s like an array of colors. One moment it looks completely blonde. The next it’s long brown and then it changes again. It’s very cool,” Deacon continued, and I had to agree with him on that. “And when you see her, you’re going to think, wow, this girl looks familiar. You won’t be able to put a finger on it at first, but it’s going to nag at you and then, when it hits you, you’ll—”
“Deacon,” Aiden warned. “Who is Josie?”
His brother pouted for a second and then sighed. “Fine. She’s a demigod. Like, a born demigod. Powers unlocked and all, and she’s super-cool and really nice.” His gaze slid over to where I stood and his expression turned sly. “Isn’t that right, Seth?”
I eyed him. “Right.”
“You’re forgetting the best part.” Solos walked past the couch, sending me a long look. “Which god she came from.”
Aiden seemed to get what wasn’t being said first. His eyes closed as he rubbed his fingers along his brow. “Gods.”
“What?” Alex looked at him and then at me. “Whose kid is she?”
“Apollo’s,” Deacon answered, his smile going up a notch when Alex’s gaze flew to him. “Yep. Josie is Apollo’s daughter.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“And that kind of makes you and her cousins? I guess?” Luke frowned. “I don’t know what exactly, but it does make you two related. Somehow. I don’t know how, but she does have some of your mannerisms. It gets really weird sometimes.”
Alex twisted toward her father, and he nodded. She didn’t move until Aiden curved his hand over her knee, then she whipped back around. Her mouth moved wordlessly for a few seconds. “Holy crap. I . . . I don’t know what to say.”
“That was pretty much our response at first,” Luke sympathized as he hooked one leg over the other. “Seth brought her to the Covenant.”
Alex’s brows flew up. “Oh, really?”
“Apollo put him in charge of her safety,” Solos added, voice roguish as he jerked his chin in my direction. “And he takes her safety very seriously.”
“Huh.” Aiden tilted his head to the side.
“You see, Hyperion was gunning for Josie. Seth made sure she got here, and some shit went down, but Seth kept her real safe,” Solos continued. Next time, I wasn’t going to stop when I had my boot on his throat.
Alex eyed me intently. “I feel like I need to say thank you. I mean, she’s family. Which is kind of weird. And actually,” she paused as she scooted forward, “there’s a lot I need to thank you for.” She glanced at Aiden. “A lot that we—”
“That’s not something we need to do.” I was off the wall in a nanosecond. “I’ve got to go.”
I didn’t wait for a response. I stepped out of the room and headed through the relatively empty lobby. The door didn’t swing shut behind me.
“Seth.”
Fuck me.
“You keep walking,” Aiden said. “I’ll keep following.”
Of course.
Tipping my head, I swallowed a mouthful of curses before I turned around. “What do you want?”
Aiden walked up to me, and for a couple of moments, we just stood there, nearly toe to toe, neither of us speaking. How many times in the past had we ended up in this stance? More times than I could count. Usually we’d be seconds away from going at each other’s throats. We did not have the greatest past together, but the last time I’d seen him . . . I saw a man who was broken.
Now I saw a man who was whole.
“There’s a couple of things I need to tell you, and then there’s something I need to ask you.” Aiden lowered his chin as he spoke. “I know you aren’t exactly thrilled that we’re here, but Alex has been waiting to see you since she found out what you did. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I’m going to say it, and the next time Alex goes to say it, you’re going to let her do just that.”
I opened my mouth, but he went on. “We owe you everything and we know that. And I know you don’t want to hear this, but thank you. Thank you for what you did for us.”
Mouth clamped shut, I fixed my gaze on the wall.
Well, let me count the reasons . . .
“Who’s Josie?” Alex asked, confused.
“Uh . . .” I looked over at Deacon. “You want to do the honors? I know how much you love awkward conversations.”
A wide smile broke out across his face. “Of course, especially when I’m not the center of the awkwardness.”
Luke snorted.
“So!” Deacon clapped his hands together as he faced Alex and Aiden. “Did you guys happen to notice a certain girl out on the quad when you did your magic doorway thing?”
Aiden glanced at Alex. She raised a shoulder. “There were a lot of people out there that I hadn’t seen before.” She paused. “I noticed Boobs, though.”
I slowly shook my head.
“Um, that’s not who I’m talking about. Anyway,” Deacon said, his gray eyes light. “She’s pretty tall. Well, taller than you and everyone is practically taller than you, Alex. Has long blondish-brown hair. Kind of weird hair.”
“Awesome hair,” Luke added.
Alexander frowned silently.
“She does. It’s like an array of colors. One moment it looks completely blonde. The next it’s long brown and then it changes again. It’s very cool,” Deacon continued, and I had to agree with him on that. “And when you see her, you’re going to think, wow, this girl looks familiar. You won’t be able to put a finger on it at first, but it’s going to nag at you and then, when it hits you, you’ll—”
“Deacon,” Aiden warned. “Who is Josie?”
His brother pouted for a second and then sighed. “Fine. She’s a demigod. Like, a born demigod. Powers unlocked and all, and she’s super-cool and really nice.” His gaze slid over to where I stood and his expression turned sly. “Isn’t that right, Seth?”
I eyed him. “Right.”
“You’re forgetting the best part.” Solos walked past the couch, sending me a long look. “Which god she came from.”
Aiden seemed to get what wasn’t being said first. His eyes closed as he rubbed his fingers along his brow. “Gods.”
“What?” Alex looked at him and then at me. “Whose kid is she?”
“Apollo’s,” Deacon answered, his smile going up a notch when Alex’s gaze flew to him. “Yep. Josie is Apollo’s daughter.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“And that kind of makes you and her cousins? I guess?” Luke frowned. “I don’t know what exactly, but it does make you two related. Somehow. I don’t know how, but she does have some of your mannerisms. It gets really weird sometimes.”
Alex twisted toward her father, and he nodded. She didn’t move until Aiden curved his hand over her knee, then she whipped back around. Her mouth moved wordlessly for a few seconds. “Holy crap. I . . . I don’t know what to say.”
“That was pretty much our response at first,” Luke sympathized as he hooked one leg over the other. “Seth brought her to the Covenant.”
Alex’s brows flew up. “Oh, really?”
“Apollo put him in charge of her safety,” Solos added, voice roguish as he jerked his chin in my direction. “And he takes her safety very seriously.”
“Huh.” Aiden tilted his head to the side.
“You see, Hyperion was gunning for Josie. Seth made sure she got here, and some shit went down, but Seth kept her real safe,” Solos continued. Next time, I wasn’t going to stop when I had my boot on his throat.
Alex eyed me intently. “I feel like I need to say thank you. I mean, she’s family. Which is kind of weird. And actually,” she paused as she scooted forward, “there’s a lot I need to thank you for.” She glanced at Aiden. “A lot that we—”
“That’s not something we need to do.” I was off the wall in a nanosecond. “I’ve got to go.”
I didn’t wait for a response. I stepped out of the room and headed through the relatively empty lobby. The door didn’t swing shut behind me.
“Seth.”
Fuck me.
“You keep walking,” Aiden said. “I’ll keep following.”
Of course.
Tipping my head, I swallowed a mouthful of curses before I turned around. “What do you want?”
Aiden walked up to me, and for a couple of moments, we just stood there, nearly toe to toe, neither of us speaking. How many times in the past had we ended up in this stance? More times than I could count. Usually we’d be seconds away from going at each other’s throats. We did not have the greatest past together, but the last time I’d seen him . . . I saw a man who was broken.
Now I saw a man who was whole.
“There’s a couple of things I need to tell you, and then there’s something I need to ask you.” Aiden lowered his chin as he spoke. “I know you aren’t exactly thrilled that we’re here, but Alex has been waiting to see you since she found out what you did. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I’m going to say it, and the next time Alex goes to say it, you’re going to let her do just that.”
I opened my mouth, but he went on. “We owe you everything and we know that. And I know you don’t want to hear this, but thank you. Thank you for what you did for us.”
Mouth clamped shut, I fixed my gaze on the wall.
