The Struggle
Page 49
“Then let me . . . let me have you, all of you.”
Lowering his forehead to mine, he murmured, “Psychi mou, I want you to be ready.”
“I am ready.”
He didn’t respond, but his fingers brushed over my wrist, over the band. He didn’t pull my hand away, but he held it still.
My heart swelled and broke at the same time. “You’re not rushing me into something I’m not ready for,” I told him. “You never would, because I know . . . I know that I’m always safe when I’m with you.”
His forehead slid against mine. “You weren’t safe when I fed from you before.”
“You didn’t hurt me. I didn’t even feel it, and it was nothing like what happened when I was with . . . with them,” I told him. “And we already talked about that. Doing that without my permission wasn’t okay. Not by a long shot. But I’ve forgiven you and you’ve promised to never do it again without asking. And we’ve moved past that. I trust you, Seth. I trust that I will always be safe with you,” I repeated. “That you . . . you will always make sure of that.”
He froze for a moment and then said roughly, “I don’t deserve you.”
I cupped his cheek. “See, that’s where you’re being just plain stupid.”
A startled chuckle left him.
“You do deserve me,” I continued. “You deserve my love.”
No sooner did those words leave the tip of my tongue before his mouth slanted over mine, and I knew he wouldn’t stop this time. He wouldn’t ask me if I was okay, or worry that I wasn’t ready for this. We were so going to do this.
His lips moved down my throat, leaving a trail of hot kisses and tight shivers in their wake. Sensations raced over my skin, my heart sang, and this was better—
A knock on the door jolted me.
Above me, Seth nipped at my throat. “Ignore it.”
“Alrighty,” I moaned as I reached between us, wrapping my hand around the thick length straining through his loose cotton sweats. He groaned against my heated skin. I held my breath, and then his mouth closed over the top of my breast, and my entire body tensed and then jerked. “Oh gods.”
The knock came again, this time louder and more incessant, but Seth was still on the move, his hands shoving the blanket aside. I lost my grip on him.
“Seth!” Aiden yelled. “I know you’re in there.”
Seth’s head stopped about an inch from what was going to be his promised land. “If you do not go away, Aiden, I will physically and gleefully harm you.”
“Yeah, I’m going to have to risk that,” was the response.
A low growl emanated from Seth as he rose. “I’m so fucking warning you—”
“We just heard from Deacon.” Aiden’s voice carried through the closed door. “They’ve found the demigod that was in Canada.”
Chapter 26
After much, much arguing and a few slammed doors, and me threatening to steal a boat so I could leave the island and then catch a plane, Seth relented and I was going with them to the University.
I appreciated that he was concerned for my well-being, but the Covenant was warded against the Titans, and I would be safe there. And it wasn’t like we were driving there. Seth was going to do his super-special transporting thing.
He really didn’t see the point in any of us going there, but from what Aiden had gathered from Deacon, the girl they’d brought back with them was not exactly thrilled by what was happening. According to Deacon, she had barricaded herself in one of the dorms and was refusing to come out. Of course, any number of the pures could’ve busted the door right open, but doing so wouldn’t have helped matters. Currently Gable was trying to coax the girl out by relating to what she was experiencing.
There was also the very real chance that they had kidnapped the wrong person since they didn’t have Herc to help sniff out the demigod blood, so we all were hoping that the boys hadn’t committed a felony. I was curious to how they’d determined that this was one of the demigods.
Plus I didn’t want to be left behind like some kind of frail damsel. I refused to allow that to happen. The last thing I needed was endless time alone to dwell over the time I’d spent with the Titans or my mom’s death. My subconscious was already doing a bang-up job at that.
And if that wasn’t enough to worry about, I was really, really beginning to stress over the whole nauseous and tired thing I was going through. More than once over the last couple of days, I’d tried to seriously figure out the last time I’d had my period. My life had been absolutely insane since I walked into Seth in the stairwell at Radford University. Stress can affect the whole monthly cycle thing, but I was sure I had not had a period in well over a month.
But—and it was a huge but—I’d also been virtually starved while being held by Hyperion. I knew that could affect a cycle. I also didn’t think I’d have symptoms of—oh gods—a pregnancy so soon after unprotected sex. I mean, it wasn’t that long ago, even though it felt like an eternity. It had only been three weeks, give or take a couple of days. I didn’t think women had symptoms that quickly, but I also wasn’t exactly normal.
And how in the world could a pregnancy last after what I’d been through?
My stomach dipped and rolled every time I seriously thought about the probability of actually being impregnated. I couldn’t even process it or what that would really mean.
So, like any normal twenty-year-old, I decided to ride the river of denial and pushed it aside for the time being.
After pulling on a pair of jeans Basil had gotten from somewhere and tugging my hair up in a ponytail, we were ready to go. Seth did the cool god thing, taking Aiden to the Covenant first.
“That is so bizarre,” Alex said, shaking her head. “I mean, I thought I’d be used to it by now, but I’m not. It’s just so bizarre.”
I looked over at her. “But awesome.”
“I’m so entirely jealous.”
A grin tugged at my lips and then Seth reappeared in front of us, causing me to jump. He smiled as he took my hand. “I’m going to take you next. You ready?”
“Not really.” I looked over at Alex, hoping it didn’t make me puke. My stomach felt fine today, but then again, I hadn’t been poofed anywhere. “It feels really weird.”
“Yes, it does,” she said with wide eyes.
Wrapping my arm around Seth’s waist, I took a deep breath and prepared myself as best I could, which was to close my eyes. “I’m ready.”
Seth chuckled. “You look like you’re about to jump out of an airplane.”
“Shut up,” I grumbled, keeping my eyes closed.
He laughed again, and then I felt his breath on my cheek. A heartbeat later, his lips brushed over mine. I gasped in surprise, and he took complete advantage of that, kissing me deeply.
“I’m glad that’s not how I got here,” I heard Aiden say.
My eyes flew open, and at first all I saw were glowing tawny eyes, and then I stepped back, looking around. I wasn’t in Seth’s house anymore. We were standing in a large office. I immediately recognized the older man standing by the desk. Marcus—Alex’s uncle and the Dean of the University. We were at the Covenant.
“Did you forget how I excel at distraction?” Seth murmured in my ear.
I flushed hotly.
Dammit.
He was good.
Kissing my cheek, Seth let go. “I’ll be right back.”
Before I could say a word, he vanished and then suddenly Deacon was in front of me, all blond curls and silver eyes. “Deacon!” I barely got his name out before I was swept up in his lanky arms and hugged until I squeaked. Laughing, I held him just as tightly. “It’s so good to see you.”
“You have no idea.” He rocked me from side to side, and I swore for a second my feet dangled. “Shit. It’s good to see you.”
The moment Deacon let go, I was enveloped in another hug, and this time it was Luke. “We missed you,” he said, then stepped back, still clasping my upper arms. A half-smile formed on his handsome face. “Chicken tenders and fries haven’t been the same without you.”
Lowering his forehead to mine, he murmured, “Psychi mou, I want you to be ready.”
“I am ready.”
He didn’t respond, but his fingers brushed over my wrist, over the band. He didn’t pull my hand away, but he held it still.
My heart swelled and broke at the same time. “You’re not rushing me into something I’m not ready for,” I told him. “You never would, because I know . . . I know that I’m always safe when I’m with you.”
His forehead slid against mine. “You weren’t safe when I fed from you before.”
“You didn’t hurt me. I didn’t even feel it, and it was nothing like what happened when I was with . . . with them,” I told him. “And we already talked about that. Doing that without my permission wasn’t okay. Not by a long shot. But I’ve forgiven you and you’ve promised to never do it again without asking. And we’ve moved past that. I trust you, Seth. I trust that I will always be safe with you,” I repeated. “That you . . . you will always make sure of that.”
He froze for a moment and then said roughly, “I don’t deserve you.”
I cupped his cheek. “See, that’s where you’re being just plain stupid.”
A startled chuckle left him.
“You do deserve me,” I continued. “You deserve my love.”
No sooner did those words leave the tip of my tongue before his mouth slanted over mine, and I knew he wouldn’t stop this time. He wouldn’t ask me if I was okay, or worry that I wasn’t ready for this. We were so going to do this.
His lips moved down my throat, leaving a trail of hot kisses and tight shivers in their wake. Sensations raced over my skin, my heart sang, and this was better—
A knock on the door jolted me.
Above me, Seth nipped at my throat. “Ignore it.”
“Alrighty,” I moaned as I reached between us, wrapping my hand around the thick length straining through his loose cotton sweats. He groaned against my heated skin. I held my breath, and then his mouth closed over the top of my breast, and my entire body tensed and then jerked. “Oh gods.”
The knock came again, this time louder and more incessant, but Seth was still on the move, his hands shoving the blanket aside. I lost my grip on him.
“Seth!” Aiden yelled. “I know you’re in there.”
Seth’s head stopped about an inch from what was going to be his promised land. “If you do not go away, Aiden, I will physically and gleefully harm you.”
“Yeah, I’m going to have to risk that,” was the response.
A low growl emanated from Seth as he rose. “I’m so fucking warning you—”
“We just heard from Deacon.” Aiden’s voice carried through the closed door. “They’ve found the demigod that was in Canada.”
Chapter 26
After much, much arguing and a few slammed doors, and me threatening to steal a boat so I could leave the island and then catch a plane, Seth relented and I was going with them to the University.
I appreciated that he was concerned for my well-being, but the Covenant was warded against the Titans, and I would be safe there. And it wasn’t like we were driving there. Seth was going to do his super-special transporting thing.
He really didn’t see the point in any of us going there, but from what Aiden had gathered from Deacon, the girl they’d brought back with them was not exactly thrilled by what was happening. According to Deacon, she had barricaded herself in one of the dorms and was refusing to come out. Of course, any number of the pures could’ve busted the door right open, but doing so wouldn’t have helped matters. Currently Gable was trying to coax the girl out by relating to what she was experiencing.
There was also the very real chance that they had kidnapped the wrong person since they didn’t have Herc to help sniff out the demigod blood, so we all were hoping that the boys hadn’t committed a felony. I was curious to how they’d determined that this was one of the demigods.
Plus I didn’t want to be left behind like some kind of frail damsel. I refused to allow that to happen. The last thing I needed was endless time alone to dwell over the time I’d spent with the Titans or my mom’s death. My subconscious was already doing a bang-up job at that.
And if that wasn’t enough to worry about, I was really, really beginning to stress over the whole nauseous and tired thing I was going through. More than once over the last couple of days, I’d tried to seriously figure out the last time I’d had my period. My life had been absolutely insane since I walked into Seth in the stairwell at Radford University. Stress can affect the whole monthly cycle thing, but I was sure I had not had a period in well over a month.
But—and it was a huge but—I’d also been virtually starved while being held by Hyperion. I knew that could affect a cycle. I also didn’t think I’d have symptoms of—oh gods—a pregnancy so soon after unprotected sex. I mean, it wasn’t that long ago, even though it felt like an eternity. It had only been three weeks, give or take a couple of days. I didn’t think women had symptoms that quickly, but I also wasn’t exactly normal.
And how in the world could a pregnancy last after what I’d been through?
My stomach dipped and rolled every time I seriously thought about the probability of actually being impregnated. I couldn’t even process it or what that would really mean.
So, like any normal twenty-year-old, I decided to ride the river of denial and pushed it aside for the time being.
After pulling on a pair of jeans Basil had gotten from somewhere and tugging my hair up in a ponytail, we were ready to go. Seth did the cool god thing, taking Aiden to the Covenant first.
“That is so bizarre,” Alex said, shaking her head. “I mean, I thought I’d be used to it by now, but I’m not. It’s just so bizarre.”
I looked over at her. “But awesome.”
“I’m so entirely jealous.”
A grin tugged at my lips and then Seth reappeared in front of us, causing me to jump. He smiled as he took my hand. “I’m going to take you next. You ready?”
“Not really.” I looked over at Alex, hoping it didn’t make me puke. My stomach felt fine today, but then again, I hadn’t been poofed anywhere. “It feels really weird.”
“Yes, it does,” she said with wide eyes.
Wrapping my arm around Seth’s waist, I took a deep breath and prepared myself as best I could, which was to close my eyes. “I’m ready.”
Seth chuckled. “You look like you’re about to jump out of an airplane.”
“Shut up,” I grumbled, keeping my eyes closed.
He laughed again, and then I felt his breath on my cheek. A heartbeat later, his lips brushed over mine. I gasped in surprise, and he took complete advantage of that, kissing me deeply.
“I’m glad that’s not how I got here,” I heard Aiden say.
My eyes flew open, and at first all I saw were glowing tawny eyes, and then I stepped back, looking around. I wasn’t in Seth’s house anymore. We were standing in a large office. I immediately recognized the older man standing by the desk. Marcus—Alex’s uncle and the Dean of the University. We were at the Covenant.
“Did you forget how I excel at distraction?” Seth murmured in my ear.
I flushed hotly.
Dammit.
He was good.
Kissing my cheek, Seth let go. “I’ll be right back.”
Before I could say a word, he vanished and then suddenly Deacon was in front of me, all blond curls and silver eyes. “Deacon!” I barely got his name out before I was swept up in his lanky arms and hugged until I squeaked. Laughing, I held him just as tightly. “It’s so good to see you.”
“You have no idea.” He rocked me from side to side, and I swore for a second my feet dangled. “Shit. It’s good to see you.”
The moment Deacon let go, I was enveloped in another hug, and this time it was Luke. “We missed you,” he said, then stepped back, still clasping my upper arms. A half-smile formed on his handsome face. “Chicken tenders and fries haven’t been the same without you.”
