be snarky-but-not-homicidal Alex in no time? They have to.
My good humor vanished. A crack broke my control, shattered the weakened wall around me. Gods, I hope so, Deacon. I cant
Live without her?
Turning away, I didnt answer because there was no need. Has it always been that obvious?
Honestly? Deacon laughed. I knew you had a thing for her and her for you from the moment you came back from Atlanta and bitched me out. To me, it was obvious, but only because I know you. Its funny, because shes a half, but in a weird way shes perfect for you, dont you think?
I smiled weakly. Yeah, I think so.
There was a pause and then he asked, Even if all of us make it out of this alive and the gods dont go all god-zilla on the world and she goes back to Team Aiden, how are you two going to get your happily ever after?
Wed leave. That was our plan. It would work. Apollo owes us.
No shit? He sounded incredulous, not upset. Youd give up being a Sentinel? Run off and try to live as mortals?
Nodding, I faced him. Sadness congealed in my chest. Yeah, that was our plan. I was going to tell you. Wed work something out so that you and
Dude, I know youd make sure I knew where to find you, he said, blinking several times. Damn, Aiden
What?
Its just wow, Im happy for you. I think this is great. Its lovethe real kind you make sacrifices for. The kind where you scream screw it to everyone else. Thats envy-worthy.
I arched a brow. Not quite sure any part of my life is envy-worthy right now, considering that Alex thinks Im her Master
Hey, you know, that could be
Dont even go there.
Okay. Okay. But it will get better. His familiar gaze flicked up, meeting mine. Youre doing okay, Aiden. Better than most would do in this situation.
Thank you. I smiled, shifting my bundle. So are you.
I know. Deacon grinned. Im just awesome.
And modest. I stopped in front of him, lowering my chin. Seriously, how are you holding up?
He shrugged. Been through worse, so dont worry about me. You have enough on your plate.
Not worrying about Deacon was going against nature. Id spent the last decade of my life worrying about himmaybe a little too much. Smothering him instead of supporting him.
Deacon tipped his head back, suddenly looking much older than seventeen. Go get some restshower first, though. A quick flash of a grin appeared. Weve got the watch for now.
I nodded, handing over the proverbial reins. Stopping at the bathroom door, I turned back to him. Deacon?
He brushed a curl out of his eyes. Yeah?
I know about you and Luke, and I dont care as long as youre happy. Just do right by him, and you know what I mean.
His mouth dropped open, and for once, it was me surprising my brother and not the other way around.
I didnt even go into my bedroom, opting to place Alexs clothes on a shelf and clean up first. After a long and hard look at myself in the mirror, I acknowledged I did look grubby . Digging out a razor, I showered and then shaved quickly. A pair of clean pajama bottoms was tucked back away in the shelving, but no shirt. Hoping Alex didnt freak out when she saw my bare chest, I opened the bathroom door.
And I came to a complete standstill.
Alex was curled on her side on top of the bedspread, her hands folded under her chin as if she was praying. Her lips were parted and rosy. Two curvy legs peeked out from under the robe, immediately drawing my attention. Id always loved Alexs legs.
She was fast asleep.
Setting her clothing on a nearby chair, I went to her side and called her name. She murmured something, and I felt a damn flutteran actual flutter in my chest. Very carefully, I placed another blanket over her legs. Either exhaustion or the Elixir had taken its toll on her. I pulled the cover up, tucking it around her.
Backing away from the bed, I left the room and stalked through the quiet house. Downstairs, off of the basement, was a small room that was nothing but four cinderblock walls. Someone had strung a punching bag from the ceiling.
Pent-up frustration and helpless anger reared its head, and a second later, my bare knuckles crashed into the worn, tough leather. I went crazy, and while each punch brought a spike of pain across my hand, I welcomed it.
Hours passed as I jabbed and kicked. Sweat poured off me, stinging my eyes and the torn skin along my knuckles. Physical pain did nothing to dampen the torment building inside me.
In a flash, I was taken back to the past summer, when Id seen Alex doing the very same thing, after shed
discovered the truth about her mother. She had been a fierce, beautiful creature as shed whirled around the practice dummy. A cyclone of raw emotions had reached out across the training room, tapping into my own mixed-up feelings. When she had sensed my presence and our gazes locked, as crazy as it sounded, Id felt what she had.
Dragging in a ragged breath, I stopped and looked over my shoulder toward the door. Why Id been expecting to find her standing there Ill never know. Of course, the doorway was empty.