Pouring himself a drink, he smiled widely. “I’m sure my brother is very fond of you.”
“Why would you—”
Sitting the bottle aside, he picked up a glass and placed a finger to the rim. Flames shot around the glass. A second later, he blew the fire out and downed the glass. Another damn firestarter, which was another thing I should’ve known. Pure’s affinities toward certain elements tended to run in families.
“Why would I think that?” Deacon leaned down as if he were about to share a major secret. “Because I know my brother, and I know he wouldn’t have volunteered to get any old half-blood up to par. He’s not the most patient of people.”
I frowned. “He’s pretty damn patient with me.” Except maybe for today, but I wasn’t sharing that.
Deacon gave me a knowing look. “Need I say more?”
“I guess not.”
He seemed to find that equal y amusing. Wrapping his free arm around my shoulders, he steered me toward the porch and right into the path of Lea and Elena, the girl I’d met in the lounge my first day back. The only reason I remembered her name was because of her über-short haircut.
I sighed.
Deacon looked sideways at me. “Friends of yours?”
“Not real y,” I muttered.
“Hey redhead,” he murmured. “Looking good.”
I had to give it to said redhead. Lea looked exquisite in the slinky red dress that clung to every curve of her body.
She was hotness—just too bad she was a complete and total bitch.
Her gaze drifted over me and then Deacon’s arm, which stil hung over my shoulder. “Oh gods, please tel me you’ve spil ed a drink on your shirt and you’re temporarily walking with her to hide the stain. Because Deacon, I’d rather floss my teeth with a daimon’s back hair than parade a growth like that around.”
Deacon raised his brows at me. “Guess you’re right about the ‘not real y friends’ thing.”
I gave him a bland look.
He turned a megawatt smile on Lea. He even had dimples, ones I was sure Aiden would have if he ever real y smiled. “You have such a pretty mouth for such ugly words.”
Lea simpered. “You’ve never cared about how I’ve used my mouth before, Deacon.”
I gaped at Deacon. “Oh… wow.”
His lips curved into a half smile, but he didn’t respond. I scooted away from him and tugged Caleb back to the sprawling porch. It wasn’t too crowded now. Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed that Lea and Deacon had stepped further back into the room.
“Okay. Did I miss something while I was gone?” I asked.
Caleb’s face scrunched up. “What are you talking about?”
“Are Lea and Deacon messing around?”
He busted out laughing. “No, but they like to talk a lot of smack.”
I hit him on the arm. “Don’t laugh at me. What if people thought they were? Lea could get in some major trouble.”
“They’re not messing around, Alex. Lea’s stupid, but not that stupid. Even if they are trying to change the Breed Order laws, no half around here is wil ingly going to fool around with a pure.”
“They’re changing the Breed Order?”
“Trying is the key word. Succeeding is a total y different story.”
Caleb’s eyes shot wide at the unexpected voice. I spun around, nearly dropping my cup. Kain Poros sat on the edge of the railing, dressed in Covenant fatigues. “What are you doing here?”
“Babysitting,” Kain grumbled, “and I don’t care what you’re drinking, so stop looking for a place to dump your cup.”
Once I got over my shock at his blasé attitude toward underage drinking, I smiled brightly. “So they’re trying to change the Breed Order?”
“Yep, but it’s meeting a lot of resistance.” He stopped, his gaze narrowing on a half who was getting too close to the bonfire someone had decided to start. “Hey! Yes! You!
Get the hel back now.”
Caleb reached around me, inconspicuously sitting his cup down. “I hate that they even cal it the Breed Order. It sounds so ridiculous.”
“I have to agree.” Kain nodded. “But that’s what they’ve always cal ed it.”
We’d gathered a little audience at this point. “Wil someone please fil me in on what the hel they’re trying to change?”
“It’s a petition to remove the order against the two breeds mixing.” A boy with brown hair cropped close to the head smirked.
“A petition to al ow halfs and pures to mix?” My eyes went wide. “What brought this on?”
The pure boy snorted. “Don’t look too hopeful there. It’s not going to happen. Al owing halfs and pures to mix isn’t the only thing they’re aiming for. The Council isn’t going to go against the gods and they sure as hel aren’t going to al ow halfs on the Council. It’s nothing to get excited about.”
The strong inclination to launch my cup at his face was hard to ignore, but I doubted Kain would stand for that.
“Who are you?”
His eyes sharpened on me, obviously not liking my tone.
“Shouldn’t I be asking that question, half-blood?”
Caleb cut in before I could respond. “His name is Cody Hale.”
I ignored Caleb and scowled at the pure. “Should I know who you are?”
“Knock it off, Alex.” Kain climbed off the railing, effectively reminding me of my place in the scheme of things. If Cody said jump, I’d have to say how high. Mouthing off at him wasn’t how a half treated a pure—ever. “Anyway, I overheard Council members talking about it. The halfs from the Tennessee Covenant have a strong fol owing. They’re petitioning to be on the Council.”
“I doubt they’l get anywhere there,” Caleb said.
“We don’t know,” Kain responded. “There’s a good chance the Council wil hear them in November, and maybe even agree.”
My brows rose. “When did this al come about?”
“About a year ago.” Kain shrugged. “It’s picked up a lot of movement. The South Dakota Covenant is also getting involved. It’s about time, too.”
“What about here and New York?” I asked.
Caleb snorted. “Alex, the North Carolina branch stil exists in the Greek times and with the main Council being located in New York, they’re going to hold onto al the old rules and rites. Upstate is a total y different world. It’s brutal there.”
“If there’s such a huge movement then why are Hector and Kelia in so much trouble?” I frowned, remembering Caleb tel ing me their story.
“Because nothing has passed, and I think our Ministers are looking to make an example out of them.” Kain’s mouth tightened.
“Yeah, a way of reminding us of where we belong and what happens when we don’t fol ow the rules.” Jackson pushed through the little group, smiling in spite of how depressing his words were.
“Oh, for the love of the gods,” Kain snapped. Twisting around, he loped off the porch. Two halfs were trying to get a dune buggy started. “You two better not even be within a mile of that thing by the time I get over there. Yes! You two!”
Talk about the petition dwindled off as more plastic cups were passed around. Apparently, political discussion was only social y acceptable before the third cup. I was stil mul ing over the Breed Order and what it could mean when Jackson sat down on the swing next to me.
I glanced up, smiling. “Hey.”
He flashed a charming smile. “Have you seen Lea?”
“Who hasn’t?” I giggled.
He didn’t find that nearly as funny as I did, but my catty remark served two purposes. Jackson glued himself to my hip the rest of the evening, and when Lea reappeared, her face turned a mottled shade of red when she saw how close Jackson and I were. And we were real y super-close on the porch swing. I was practical y in his lap.
I tipped my cup at her.
The narrow-eyed look she sent my way said it al .
Pleased with myself, I turned back to Jackson with a smug smile.
“Your girlfriend doesn’t look too happy.”
“She hasn’t been since you got back.” He ran a finger down my arm. “What’s going on between you two, anyways?”
Lea and I had always been like this. I imagined it had a lot to do with the fact both of us were aggressive, confrontational, and pretty damn awesome. But there was more; I just couldn’t remember it. I shrugged. “Who knows?”
Zarak final y appeared and was most happy to see me.
Thanks to him and Cody, everyone was keen on the idea of moving the party elsewhere by taking mommy and daddy’s Porsches down to Myrtle.
Since I had my hands ful with Jackson, I’d lost track of Caleb at some point, and I hid my half ful plastic cup behind the swing. I was okay with the happy buzz, but I was only a few sips away from a dizzy, fal -on-my-face buzz.
“You going with them?”
Frowning, I glanced over at Jackson. “Huh?”
He grinned, leaning in so that his lips almost brushed my ear when he spoke. “Going to Myrtle?”
“Oh,” I swung my feet back and forth. “I don’t know, but it sounds like fun.”
Jackson grabbed my hands, hauling me to my feet.
“Zarak’s leaving. We can catch a ride with him.”
I must’ve missed the part when he and I had turned into
“we,” but I didn’t protest when he led me down the steps and across the beach. Several of the kids had left already, and I caught a quick glimpse of Lea sliding into the back seat with Deacon. I had no idea where Kain was; I hadn’t seen him since the dune buggy incident.
Zarak slid into the driver’s seat of the only other car left—
at least he seemed okay enough to be behind a wheel. The girl I’d seen earlier with Deacon was taking her sweet time deciding which car was the cooler one.
Growing bored, I leaned against the side of the house while the girl chatted with Lea. Jackson propped himself beside me.
I tipped my head back, loving the way the warm breeze caressed my cheeks. “Shouldn’t you be going with her?”
He paused, looking over his shoulder. “She obviously has other plans.”
“But she’s staring at you,” I pointed out. She had her face planted against the window.
“Let her look.” He shifted closer, flashing a wicked grin.
“She’s made her cal , hasn’t she?”
“Guess so.”
“I’ve made mine.” Jackson leaned in to kiss me.
Even though I would’ve loved to see Lea’s face in the aftermath of kissing Jackson, I darted to the side. Jackson was an equal opportunity player and that kind of game I didn’t real y feel like joining.
He chuckled and made a playful grab for me. He got a good hold on my arm and pul ed me back. “You gonna make me chase you?”
My happy buzz had the potential of becoming a very bad one if I kept this crap up. Pul ing my arm free, I forced a smile. “You’d better get going. Zarak’s going to leave you.”
He reached for me again, but I dodged those too-friendly hands. “Aren’t you going?”
I shook my head. “Nah. I think I’m going to cal it a night.”
“I can keep your company if that’s what you want. We can take the party back to my dorm or Zarak’s room.” He started walking backward, toward the car. “I don’t think he’d mind. Last chance, Alex.”
It took every ounce of my self-control not to laugh. I shook my head and backed off, knowing I looked like a total tease. “Maybe next time.” Then I turned around, not giving Jackson another moment to sway me into that car.
Wondering if Caleb had gone to Myrtle, I made my way back across the beach and toward the bridge, passing several silent beach homes. The air around me smel ed of sea salt. I loved that smel . It reminded me of Mom and the days we used to spend hanging out on the sand. So caught up in the memories, I only snapped back to reality when a fine shiver coursed down my spine as I neared the bridge.
The scraggly bushes and tal weeds swayed in the cool breeze. Odd since the breeze had been pleasant only minutes before. I took a step forward, scanning the marsh.
Gloom covered the bog, but a thicker shadow pul ed away from the rest, becoming more solid as the seconds passed.
The wind carried a whisper. “Lexie… .”
I had to be hearing things. Only Mom had cal ed me Lexie, nothing could be out there, but fear stil coiled like tight springs in my stomach.
Without warning, strong hands gripped my shoulders and pul ed me back. My heart stopped, and for a moment, I didn’t know who’d grabbed me from behind. Instinct to lash out kicked into gear, but then I caught the familiar scent of soap and ocean.
Aiden.
“What are you doing?” His voice held a demanding edge.
I twisted around and stared up at him. His eyes were thin slits. Seeing him rendered me speechless for a second.
“I… there’s something out there.”
Aiden’s hands slipped from my shoulders as he turned to where I pointed. Natural y, there was nothing there but the normal shadows the moon cast across the marshland. He faced me. “There’s nothing there. What are you doing out here by yourself? You aren’t al owed off the island without supervision, Alex. Never.”
Yikes. I took a step back, unsure how to respond.
Then he leaned over, sniffing the air. “You’ve been drinking.”
“Have not.”
His brows rose, lips pursed. “What are you doing outside the Covenant?”
I fidgeted with the edge of my shirt. “I was… visiting friends, and as I recal , I was told I couldn’t leave the island.
Technical y, I’m stil on Deity Island.”
He tipped his head to the side, folding his arms. “I’m pretty certain that remaining on the Covenant-control ed island was assumed.”
“Wel , you know what they say about assuming things.”
“Alex.” His voice lowered in warning.
“What are you doing out here, creeping around in the dark like some kind of… creeper?” Once that last little bit left my mouth, I kind of wanted to slap myself.
Aiden laughed in disbelief. “Not that you need to know, but I was in the process of fol owing a group of idiots to Myrtle Beach.”
My jaw dropped. “You were fol owing them?”
“Yes, a handful of us Sentinels were.” Aiden’s lips curved in an uneven grin. “What? You look surprised. Do you real y think we’d let a bunch of teenagers off this island without protection? They may not realize we’re always trailing them, but no one gets out of here without us knowing.”
“Wel … that’s just fantastic.” I stored that little piece of knowledge away. “Why are you stil here then?”
He didn’t immediately answer the question, since he was busy shuffling me back toward the bridge. “I saw you didn’t go with them.”
I stumbled. “What… exactly did you see?”
He glanced down at me, quirking an eyebrow. “Enough.”
Flushing to the roots of my hair, I groaned.
Aiden chuckled low and under his breath, but I heard him.
“Why didn’t you go with them?”
I debated on pointing out he already knew why, but decided I was already in enough trouble. “I… figured I’d engaged in enough stupidity for the evening.”
He actual y laughed louder then. It was deep and rich.
Nice. I glanced up quickly, hoping to see his dimples. No such luck. “It’s good to hear you say that.”
My shoulders slumped. “So how much trouble am I in?”
Aiden seemed to consider that for a few moments. “I’m not going to tel Marcus, if that’s what you’re hinting at.”
Surprised, I grinned up at him. “Thanks.”
He looked away, shaking his head. “Don’t thank me yet.”
I remembered the first time he’d said that to me. I wondered when I was supposed to thank him.
“But I don’t want to catch you with a drink in your hand again.”
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I rol ed my eyes. “Jeez, there you go, sounding like a dad again. You need to start sounding like you’re twenty.”
He ignored that, nodding at the Guards we passed on the opposite end of the bridge. “It’s bad enough I have to chase down my brother. Please don’t add to my troubles.”
I dared a peek at him. He stared straight ahead, a muscle feathering along his jaw. “Yeah… he seems like a handful.”
“And then some.”
I remembered what Deacon said about Aiden making sure I behaved now. “I’m… sorry. I don’t want you to feel like… you have to babysit me.”
Aiden gave me a sharp look. “Wel … thank you.”
I twisted my fingers together, feeling tongue-tied for some reason. “It must’ve been hard having to raise him, practical y alone.”
He snorted. “You have no idea.”
I real y didn’t. Aiden had been just a kid himself when their parents had been kil ed. What if I’d had a little brother or sister and I were responsible for them? There was no way. I couldn’t even put myself in that situation.
A few moments passed before I asked, “How… did you do it?”
“Do what, Alex?”
We passed the bridge and the Covenant loomed ahead of us. I slowed my steps. “How did you take care of Deacon after… something so terrible happening?”
A stiff smile formed on his lips. “I had no other choice. I refused to al ow Deacon to be handed over to another family. I think… my parents would’ve wanted me to be the one to raise him.”
“But that’s a lot of responsibility. How did you do it while going to school? Hel , while training?”
Graduating the Covenant didn’t mean training ended for a Sentinel. The first year on the job was notoriously fierce.
Time was split between shadowing trained Sentinels cal ed Guides and stil training in high impact martial art classes and stress tests.
He shoved his hands into the deep pockets of his black, Covenant-issued uniform. “There were times when I considered doing what my family would’ve wanted for me.
Going to col ege and coming back, engaging in the politics of our world. I know my parents would’ve wanted me to take care of Deacon, but the last thing they would’ve ever chosen was for me to become a Sentinel. They never understood… this kind of life.”
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