The Power
Page 88
So I did what I should’ve done weeks ago, when she’d told me that she loved me. I’d told her the truth, exposing who and what I really was to her. If she never spoke to me again, I wouldn’t be surprised.
But I couldn’t focus on that right now. I had to compartmentalize, shut down the turmoil. There’d be time later to dwell in that shit, roll around in it.
Our feet pounded off the hardwood steps of the stairs. The foyer came into view. I saw Hercules’s massive ass first, and then Aiden. He had a Covenant dagger in his right hand.
“What’s going on?” Josie asked, her voice hoarse. The muscle along my jaw tensed.
“He’s . . . he’s dead,” murmured Gable.
Not seeing whoever he was talking about, I stepped down into the foyer and found Gable standing nearly under the stairs. His face was as white as a daimon’s. Not a good sign.
“Who’s dead?” Deacon walked past Josie, joining Luke where he stood off to the side, near the entrance to the living room. Or the sitting room. One of the dozen needless rooms in this house.
“Look outside,” Alex replied as she strolled in from the kitchen area, the duffel bag of weapons clenched in her hand. She placed it on the floor, just behind the table in the middle of the atrium.
My gaze tracked the length of the atrium to the double doors. There were glass panes, and in the center of the left door I could see a rough circle of spiderweb fissures in the glass. The cracked glass was smudged with what looked like a mixture of blood and some other kind of fluid.
Then I looked down. The porch light was on, casting a yellowish glow on the prone body. I could make out sandals, pale white legs, and dark shorts.
“He k-knocked on the door,” Gable said, lifting a hand and thrusting it through his hair. He tugged on the ends. “When we came out here to see who it was, he saw u-us through the glass and . . .”
“He decided to introduce his face to the glass door, total zombie style.” Luke pulled a Glock out of the bag. “There was a shade in him. The moment he hit the ground outside, the shade came out and took off.”
Shit. “That’s not good.”
“Nope.” Aiden’s shoulders tensed. “I think it was scouting.”
“It?” whispered Gable. “That’s Mr. Nanni. He lives d-down the street.”
“He don’t live anywhere now,” Hercules responded. “That’s a dead Mr. Nanni.”
Aiden pivoted around, jaw tight as he pinned Hercules with a look. “Not helping.”
The demigod shrugged. “Whatever,” he muttered, cracking his knuckles.
There was a pause. “Nothing can get through that glass, right?” Gable asked. “It’s reinforced.”
“Reinforced glass didn’t mean shit,” I replied. “That won’t even stop a daimon.”
“W-What’s a daimon?” Gable asked.
“Quick and dirty explanation?” Deacon turned to him. “They used to be pures and halfs, and they became addicted to aether—that’s the substance inside of all of us that makes us who we are. Not good.”
His wild gaze flew back to the window. “Are there daimons outside now?”
Aiden laughed dryly. “If only we could be that lucky.”
Thunder cracked overhead, rattling the house, and yeah, that was a bad, bad sign. Especially when there was no lightning.
“And it doesn’t look like we’re going to get lucky,” Solos said with a sigh.
Gable looked up at the ceiling. “Is it going to storm?”
“Not the kind of storm California needs.” Alex flipped a dagger in her hand as she walked up to Aiden.
Kneeling by the bag, I pulled out a dagger and then a slender stake. I looked up. Josie stood there, hand out. My gaze connected with hers, and I looked away, jaw working. No doubt she was thinking about me. About what I’d done. I was no better than a fucking daimon. Just not as messy.
I handed her both of the weapons I held. “The slender one is dipped in Pegasus blood,” I reminded her.
She said nothing as she took the blade and then reached for the dagger. I held onto it, forcing her to meet my gaze.
“Are you ready to do this?” I asked. “There can be no hesitation. Something is coming, and whatever it is, we’re going to need to take it out. If you’re not ready, you need to hide.”
Her blue eyes darkened. “I’m ready.”
I hesitated for a moment and then let go. I grabbed the same weapons and then rose. Outside, the wind was picking up, and from the glass doors we could see the palm trees bending under the weight and force of the wind.
“What the hell is coming?” Deacon asked. “Storm?”
Luke laughed. “Again. As if we could get that lucky.”
I stayed close to Josie when she walked forward. She might want to stab me with one of those weapons, but my priority was her. In all honesty, I couldn’t give a fuck what went down with Gable at this point. My goal was to make sure that after whatever was coming our way, she was still standing.
Everyone else was on their own.
Like they were trained, a line was formed several feet back from the door, blocking Gable. Instinct had driven Josie to stand on Solos’s other side. She hadn’t been schooled in this kind of technique, how to form a line against an enemy. There hadn’t been enough time to drill years of training into her. I flanked her, fingers tense around each weapon.
Thunder boomed overhead, deafening as it shook the paintings on the walls. Somewhere in the house, something fell over and crashed. A loud crack followed, and a palm near the driveway broke in two.
But I couldn’t focus on that right now. I had to compartmentalize, shut down the turmoil. There’d be time later to dwell in that shit, roll around in it.
Our feet pounded off the hardwood steps of the stairs. The foyer came into view. I saw Hercules’s massive ass first, and then Aiden. He had a Covenant dagger in his right hand.
“What’s going on?” Josie asked, her voice hoarse. The muscle along my jaw tensed.
“He’s . . . he’s dead,” murmured Gable.
Not seeing whoever he was talking about, I stepped down into the foyer and found Gable standing nearly under the stairs. His face was as white as a daimon’s. Not a good sign.
“Who’s dead?” Deacon walked past Josie, joining Luke where he stood off to the side, near the entrance to the living room. Or the sitting room. One of the dozen needless rooms in this house.
“Look outside,” Alex replied as she strolled in from the kitchen area, the duffel bag of weapons clenched in her hand. She placed it on the floor, just behind the table in the middle of the atrium.
My gaze tracked the length of the atrium to the double doors. There were glass panes, and in the center of the left door I could see a rough circle of spiderweb fissures in the glass. The cracked glass was smudged with what looked like a mixture of blood and some other kind of fluid.
Then I looked down. The porch light was on, casting a yellowish glow on the prone body. I could make out sandals, pale white legs, and dark shorts.
“He k-knocked on the door,” Gable said, lifting a hand and thrusting it through his hair. He tugged on the ends. “When we came out here to see who it was, he saw u-us through the glass and . . .”
“He decided to introduce his face to the glass door, total zombie style.” Luke pulled a Glock out of the bag. “There was a shade in him. The moment he hit the ground outside, the shade came out and took off.”
Shit. “That’s not good.”
“Nope.” Aiden’s shoulders tensed. “I think it was scouting.”
“It?” whispered Gable. “That’s Mr. Nanni. He lives d-down the street.”
“He don’t live anywhere now,” Hercules responded. “That’s a dead Mr. Nanni.”
Aiden pivoted around, jaw tight as he pinned Hercules with a look. “Not helping.”
The demigod shrugged. “Whatever,” he muttered, cracking his knuckles.
There was a pause. “Nothing can get through that glass, right?” Gable asked. “It’s reinforced.”
“Reinforced glass didn’t mean shit,” I replied. “That won’t even stop a daimon.”
“W-What’s a daimon?” Gable asked.
“Quick and dirty explanation?” Deacon turned to him. “They used to be pures and halfs, and they became addicted to aether—that’s the substance inside of all of us that makes us who we are. Not good.”
His wild gaze flew back to the window. “Are there daimons outside now?”
Aiden laughed dryly. “If only we could be that lucky.”
Thunder cracked overhead, rattling the house, and yeah, that was a bad, bad sign. Especially when there was no lightning.
“And it doesn’t look like we’re going to get lucky,” Solos said with a sigh.
Gable looked up at the ceiling. “Is it going to storm?”
“Not the kind of storm California needs.” Alex flipped a dagger in her hand as she walked up to Aiden.
Kneeling by the bag, I pulled out a dagger and then a slender stake. I looked up. Josie stood there, hand out. My gaze connected with hers, and I looked away, jaw working. No doubt she was thinking about me. About what I’d done. I was no better than a fucking daimon. Just not as messy.
I handed her both of the weapons I held. “The slender one is dipped in Pegasus blood,” I reminded her.
She said nothing as she took the blade and then reached for the dagger. I held onto it, forcing her to meet my gaze.
“Are you ready to do this?” I asked. “There can be no hesitation. Something is coming, and whatever it is, we’re going to need to take it out. If you’re not ready, you need to hide.”
Her blue eyes darkened. “I’m ready.”
I hesitated for a moment and then let go. I grabbed the same weapons and then rose. Outside, the wind was picking up, and from the glass doors we could see the palm trees bending under the weight and force of the wind.
“What the hell is coming?” Deacon asked. “Storm?”
Luke laughed. “Again. As if we could get that lucky.”
I stayed close to Josie when she walked forward. She might want to stab me with one of those weapons, but my priority was her. In all honesty, I couldn’t give a fuck what went down with Gable at this point. My goal was to make sure that after whatever was coming our way, she was still standing.
Everyone else was on their own.
Like they were trained, a line was formed several feet back from the door, blocking Gable. Instinct had driven Josie to stand on Solos’s other side. She hadn’t been schooled in this kind of technique, how to form a line against an enemy. There hadn’t been enough time to drill years of training into her. I flanked her, fingers tense around each weapon.
Thunder boomed overhead, deafening as it shook the paintings on the walls. Somewhere in the house, something fell over and crashed. A loud crack followed, and a palm near the driveway broke in two.
