The Power
Page 96
But a cage wasn’t going to keep me. Not now.
Even if it could, I couldn’t let that happen. Because even if I was locked up with no immediate way out, Josie was here.
She would free me.
I knew she would.
And I would destroy her.
Gutted, I knew what I had to do. There was no more fucking around, no more bullshitting myself or Josie, especially not her. I should’ve done this the day I’d fed off her.
I knew I was on the wrong path, had been on the wrong path since the moment I saw Josie in the stairwell at Radford, but I hadn’t done anything about it. Now I would. I would do something about it, even if it pissed off Apollo and the other gods. I’d do it to keep her safe.
Safe from me.
I walked to the door and grasped the knob. Summoning the element of fire, I melted the internal gears. Metal gave way, rendered useless. The steel would’ve been good if someone was trying to knock the door in, say a mortal, but it didn’t stop me. They would’ve known that, so I knew on the other side there’d have to be a guard.
A distant part of me hoped it was Aiden standing guard, because I would have loved to knock his ass out for shits and giggles, but as I threw the door open, it wasn’t him.
Across from the room, Luke pushed off the wall, reaching for the thin icicle-shaped blade. “Shit.”
I sprang forward, faster than even he, an extremely well-trained Sentinel, could move. The power coursing through me had me feeling off the hook. Spinning, I swiped his legs out from under him. Luke stumbled, letting out another curse as I shot behind him. Whipping around, I folded my arm around his neck from behind. I put pressure, the right amount, on his throat. His hands flew up, fingers digging into my bicep.
“I’m sorry, man.” My voice was low, rough. “This isn’t personal.”
Luke slammed his fist into my arm, but I reached down with my free hand and grabbed the thin blade I knew was dipped in the blood of a Pegasus. Moving lightning quick, I dragged the sharp edge across his forearm.
The result was immediate.
Luke collapsed against me, bones and muscles struck useless by the poison. He would recover. In a few hours.
I pulled him into the cell and gently laid him on the cot, stretching him out. His eyes, full of fury, met mine. His silent, paralyzed glare promised retribution before his eyes drifted shut, giving way to the toxin. I had a feeling he wouldn’t be getting the chance.
Still holding the blade, I closed the door behind me and realized that I was in another room, one that was hidden. Hell, they’d dropped me in a panic room in the basement. I almost laughed as I climbed the steps. The house was quiet. I imagined everyone thought I’d be out longer than I was. Not smart. It would be so easy to sneak up on them, especially Deacon. He wouldn’t know what had hit him. Alex and Aiden, being demigods, would be harder, but no match now. I could easily—
I shut my eyes, jaw working. My head was a mess, as if there were a hundred voices speaking at once. I needed to get out of there. I headed for the front of the house, but stopped in the middle of the hall. Inhaling deeply, I lifted my gaze to the ceiling. I could sense restlessness in one of the bedrooms upstairs, but my attention was drawn to the room in the front—the library. She was in there, and the sick thing was, I only knew her exact location because of her aether.
It fucking called to me.
It reached inside, wrapped its thready fingers around every muscle fiber and taunted me, lured me. My mouth watered.
Footsteps approached from the kitchen and my head swung sharply in the direction of the opening. Gable stepped out, blond hair disheveled and pants wrinkled.
Bad time for a midnight snack.
Sleep clung to his eyes. “Hey, aren’t you—?”
I shot forward, clamped my hand over his mouth. I started to swipe him with the blade, but I didn’t know if it would kill him. So I shifted my hand until his nose and mouth were covered, and I held on until his legs gave out. I caught him and then tossed him over my shoulder. I figured Poseidon wouldn’t be happy with how I dumped his kid on the couch, but oh well. Could’ve been worse.
I could’ve done a lot worse.
Back out in the hall, I forced myself to keep going toward the front door, but before I even knew what I was doing, I was in front of the library and was opening the door, stepping into the dark room, closing the door behind me.
My heart rate picked up, responding to her proximity, and as I stepped forward, I had no idea if it was because of what coursed through her veins or just because it was her.
It was both.
But it was her.
Josie was curled up on the couch, and even in the pale moonlight streaming in from the window above the couch, I could see that she still wore the shorts I’d seen her in last. Her hair was free, falling over the side of her face and over her shoulder, tangling with her curved arm.
So freaking beautiful.
I need to leave.
I walked toward her.
I need to get the hell out of here.
I knelt by her side.
I need to leave her.
I reached out, brushing the tips of my fingers over her lips. They parted on a soft inhale, and a second later she stirred awake. Those thick lashes fluttered, sweeping up and revealing deep blue eyes.
Our gazes collided and locked, and in her eyes, I saw surprise and then—then I saw relief, and holy shit, that broke me.
Broke me right apart.
“I’m sorry,” I told her, repeating the last thing I’d said to her before the Titans attacked.
“Seth,” she whispered, reaching for me.
Even if it could, I couldn’t let that happen. Because even if I was locked up with no immediate way out, Josie was here.
She would free me.
I knew she would.
And I would destroy her.
Gutted, I knew what I had to do. There was no more fucking around, no more bullshitting myself or Josie, especially not her. I should’ve done this the day I’d fed off her.
I knew I was on the wrong path, had been on the wrong path since the moment I saw Josie in the stairwell at Radford, but I hadn’t done anything about it. Now I would. I would do something about it, even if it pissed off Apollo and the other gods. I’d do it to keep her safe.
Safe from me.
I walked to the door and grasped the knob. Summoning the element of fire, I melted the internal gears. Metal gave way, rendered useless. The steel would’ve been good if someone was trying to knock the door in, say a mortal, but it didn’t stop me. They would’ve known that, so I knew on the other side there’d have to be a guard.
A distant part of me hoped it was Aiden standing guard, because I would have loved to knock his ass out for shits and giggles, but as I threw the door open, it wasn’t him.
Across from the room, Luke pushed off the wall, reaching for the thin icicle-shaped blade. “Shit.”
I sprang forward, faster than even he, an extremely well-trained Sentinel, could move. The power coursing through me had me feeling off the hook. Spinning, I swiped his legs out from under him. Luke stumbled, letting out another curse as I shot behind him. Whipping around, I folded my arm around his neck from behind. I put pressure, the right amount, on his throat. His hands flew up, fingers digging into my bicep.
“I’m sorry, man.” My voice was low, rough. “This isn’t personal.”
Luke slammed his fist into my arm, but I reached down with my free hand and grabbed the thin blade I knew was dipped in the blood of a Pegasus. Moving lightning quick, I dragged the sharp edge across his forearm.
The result was immediate.
Luke collapsed against me, bones and muscles struck useless by the poison. He would recover. In a few hours.
I pulled him into the cell and gently laid him on the cot, stretching him out. His eyes, full of fury, met mine. His silent, paralyzed glare promised retribution before his eyes drifted shut, giving way to the toxin. I had a feeling he wouldn’t be getting the chance.
Still holding the blade, I closed the door behind me and realized that I was in another room, one that was hidden. Hell, they’d dropped me in a panic room in the basement. I almost laughed as I climbed the steps. The house was quiet. I imagined everyone thought I’d be out longer than I was. Not smart. It would be so easy to sneak up on them, especially Deacon. He wouldn’t know what had hit him. Alex and Aiden, being demigods, would be harder, but no match now. I could easily—
I shut my eyes, jaw working. My head was a mess, as if there were a hundred voices speaking at once. I needed to get out of there. I headed for the front of the house, but stopped in the middle of the hall. Inhaling deeply, I lifted my gaze to the ceiling. I could sense restlessness in one of the bedrooms upstairs, but my attention was drawn to the room in the front—the library. She was in there, and the sick thing was, I only knew her exact location because of her aether.
It fucking called to me.
It reached inside, wrapped its thready fingers around every muscle fiber and taunted me, lured me. My mouth watered.
Footsteps approached from the kitchen and my head swung sharply in the direction of the opening. Gable stepped out, blond hair disheveled and pants wrinkled.
Bad time for a midnight snack.
Sleep clung to his eyes. “Hey, aren’t you—?”
I shot forward, clamped my hand over his mouth. I started to swipe him with the blade, but I didn’t know if it would kill him. So I shifted my hand until his nose and mouth were covered, and I held on until his legs gave out. I caught him and then tossed him over my shoulder. I figured Poseidon wouldn’t be happy with how I dumped his kid on the couch, but oh well. Could’ve been worse.
I could’ve done a lot worse.
Back out in the hall, I forced myself to keep going toward the front door, but before I even knew what I was doing, I was in front of the library and was opening the door, stepping into the dark room, closing the door behind me.
My heart rate picked up, responding to her proximity, and as I stepped forward, I had no idea if it was because of what coursed through her veins or just because it was her.
It was both.
But it was her.
Josie was curled up on the couch, and even in the pale moonlight streaming in from the window above the couch, I could see that she still wore the shorts I’d seen her in last. Her hair was free, falling over the side of her face and over her shoulder, tangling with her curved arm.
So freaking beautiful.
I need to leave.
I walked toward her.
I need to get the hell out of here.
I knelt by her side.
I need to leave her.
I reached out, brushing the tips of my fingers over her lips. They parted on a soft inhale, and a second later she stirred awake. Those thick lashes fluttered, sweeping up and revealing deep blue eyes.
Our gazes collided and locked, and in her eyes, I saw surprise and then—then I saw relief, and holy shit, that broke me.
Broke me right apart.
“I’m sorry,” I told her, repeating the last thing I’d said to her before the Titans attacked.
“Seth,” she whispered, reaching for me.
