Half-Blood c-1
Page 29
I tossed the Guard a saucy grin before darting into one of the boardwalk’s tourist shops owned by the pures but run by mortals. The one I dove into featured an assortment of homemade candles, mosaic tiles made out of crushed shel s, and sea salt baths. Smiling to myself, I sensed I’d be spending some of Lucian’s money here.
Excited by al the girl stuff I planned on indulging in, I considered the simple pleasures of life often overlooked when preparing to kil daimons. Bubble baths were usual y a low priority. I grabbed a few white votive candles in little pinewood spirit boats and a handful of big, chunky ones—
the kind that smel ed like they’d overdosed in a Bath and Body Works sweatshop.
At the checkout counter, I ignored the way the obviously mortal clerk kept staring at my neck. Pures used compulsions on the mortals who lived near the Covenant, convincing them that al the weird things they saw were actual y normal. This chick looked like she could use another dose.
“Is that al ?” She stuttered over the last word, forcing her gaze away from my scars.
I shifted uncomfortably. Was this going to be how people acted until the damn tags faded? My eyes dropped from her to a set of ocean- themed stationery next to the register.
“Can I add that?”
The girl nodded, sending highlighted hair across her face. Unable to look at me directly, she rang me up pretty quick.
Once outside the store, I sat on one of the white benches lining the street and scribbled a couple of lines. After sealing the envelope, I headed across the street and cut between a bookstore and a novelty shop.
I didn’t need to look behind to know the Guard stil trailed me. Ten minutes later, I climbed the wide steps to Lucian’s beach house and slid the note through the crack under his door.
There was a good chance he wouldn’t even get it, but at least I’d attempted to thank him. I’d feel less guilty about spending my mini-fortune on my back-to-school wardrobe.
After al , I couldn’t wear dress greens and workout clothes al year long.
I rushed off his porch just in case he was actual y home and caught me there. With my bag of smel y goodness, I started back to the Covenant-control ed island.
“Miss Andros?”
Letting out a huge sigh, I turned and faced the Guard turned stalker. He stood by his partner now, a bland look on his face. “Yeah?”
“The next time you wish to leave the Covenant, please gain permission.”
I rol ed my eyes, but nodded. I’d come ful circle since I’d returned to the Covenant. I stil needed a babysitter.
Back on the campus, I made one more stop before I met up with Caleb: the courtyard. Hibiscuses had been Mom’s favorite flower, and I found several in bloom. I liked to think they smel ed like the tropics but I could never real y catch any scent from them. Mom had just liked how beautiful they were. I snatched about a half of dozen and left the garden.
As I neared the girls’ dorm, I spotted Lea sitting on the front porch with a few other half girls. She looked a lot better than the last time I’d seen her.
She tipped her chin when I passed her, using one über-tanned hand to flick her gloriously shiny hair over her shoulder. Silence stretched between us, and then she opened her mouth.
“Don’t you look lovelier than normal?” She pushed away from the thick columns and bit her plump lower lip. “Wel …
at least the tags draw the attention away from your face.
Guess that’s a good thing, huh?”
I didn’t know rather to laugh or punch her in the face.
Either way, as ridiculous as it sounded, it felt good to see Lea back to her bitchy self.
“What?” She narrowed her eyes in chal enge. “You have nothing to say?”
I thought it over. “I’m sorry… you’re so tan I thought you were a leather chair.”
She smirked as she strutted by me. “Whatever. Freak.”
Normal y those words would have started a never-ending battle of insults, but this time, I let it slide. I had better things to do. Inside my room, I separated the candles and the little boats used to guide spirits into the afterlife. The meaning was total y symbolic, but since I didn’t have a body or a gravesite, it was the best I could come up with.
I took my time getting ready. I wanted to look nice—wel , as nice as I could look with half my body covered in tags.
When I felt satisfied my hair didn’t look like a frizz bal and the dress I’d worn to the earlier funerals wasn’t covered in lint, I picked up a light cardigan. Slipping it over my arms, I gathered up my stuff and headed off to meet up with Caleb.
He was already down by the water, near the edge of the marshlands and where the staff cottages sat. It was the best, most private place to do such a thing, and I felt glad for that. Seeing Caleb in his nice clothes felt like a punch to my chest.
He must’ve dug a pair of black trousers out of the bottom of his closet, as they were a couple of inches too short for him. Even though Mom had tried to kil Caleb, he’d dressed up out of respect for her memory and for me. Something stuck in my throat. I swal owed, but the sensation didn’t go away.
Sympathy radiated from Caleb as he stepped forward and took the flowers out of my hand. Quietly, he set about setting up the little boats, and I plucked off the soft petals and sprinkled them in the boats. I thought she… would’ve liked the extra touch.
Staring down at the three boats, I swal owed again. One for Mom, one for Kain, and one for al the others who had died. “I real y appreciate this,” I said. “Thank you.”
“I’m just glad you’re doing this.”
The burning in my eyes increased and my throat tightened.
“And you wanted to include me,” he added.
Oh, gods. He was going to make it happen. I was going to cry.
Caleb edged closer to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “It’s okay.”
A single tear snuck out. I caught it with the tip of my finger before it made its way down my cheek, but then came another fat tear… and another. I wiped at my face with the back of my hand. “I’m sorry,” I sniffled.
“No,” Caleb shook his head, “don’t be sorry.”
I nodded and took a deep breath. After a few moments, I reined the tears back in and forced a wan smile.
We were kind of lost in each other’s arms for a while.
Both of us had something to mourn—something we’d lost.
Perhaps Caleb needed this, too. Time seemed to slow down until we were ready.
I looked at the candles. “Shoot.” I’d forgotten a lighter.
“Need a light?”
We turned toward the deep, rich voice. I recognized the sound al the way down to my soul.
Aiden stood a short distance from us, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jeans. The setting sun created a halo affect around him, and for a tiny moment, I almost believed he was actual y a god and not a pure.
I blinked, but he didn’t disappear. He was real y here.
“Yes.”
He stepped forward and touched each vanil a candle with the tip of his finger. Abnormal y bright flames sparked and grew, unfazed by the breeze coming off the ocean. When he was done, he stood and looked at me. Pride and reassurance fil ed his gaze, and I knew he approved of what I was doing.
I swal owed back more tears as Aiden retreated back to where he’d been standing. With effort, I tore my gaze from him and picked up my little boat. Caleb fol owed suit, and we walked to where the water turned to white, wispy foam, licking at our knees—far enough out that the surf wouldn’t carry the boats back in.
Caleb sat the two boats down first. His lips moved, but I couldn’t hear what he said. Possibly a prayer? I couldn’t be sure, but after a few moments, he let go of his boats and the waves carried them off.
So much stuff ran through my head as I stared down at my boat. I closed my eyes, seeing her beautiful smile. I pictured her nodding and tel ing me it was okay, okay to let it al go now. And I guess, in a w
ay, it was okay. She was in a better place. I real y believed that. There’d always be some sort of guilt. Everything she’d done from the moment the oracle had spoken to her had led to this, but it was over
—final y over. Bending down, I set the spirit boat on the water.
“Thank you for everything, for al you gave up for me.” I paused, feeling the slick wetness running down my face. “I miss you so much. I’l always love you.”
My fingers lingered around the boat for a second more, and then the foamy waves carried the boat from me.
Further and further out, the three boats went, their candles stil glowing. The sky had darkened by the time I lost sight of the boats and their soft light. Caleb waited for me on the sand, and beyond him stood Aiden. If Caleb thought anything about Aiden’s presence, it didn’t show on his face.
Careful y, I made my way back to the beach. The distance between Aiden and me seemed to evaporate, and it was only the two of us. A smal smile crept over his lips as I approached him.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Aiden seemed to understand I was thanking him for more than just a light. He spoke in a low voice so only I could hear him. “When my parents died, I never thought I’d find peace again. I know you have, and for that, I’m happy. You deserve it, Alex.”
“Did… you ever find peace?”
He reached out and brushed his fingers over the curve of my cheek. It was such a quick gesture I knew Caleb never saw it. “Yes. I have now.”
I inhaled sharply, wanting to say so much to him, but I couldn’t. I like to think he knew, and he probably did. Aiden stepped back, and with one last look, he turned and headed home.
I watched until Aiden became nothing more than a faint shadow. Returning to where Caleb sat, I dropped down beside him and placed my head on his shoulder. Every so often, the salt water would tickle our toes, and I’d catch the scent of vanil a from the breeze rol ing off the ocean. The air felt warm and pleasant, but the edge of the gentle wind held a soft chil , signifying autumn was on its way. But for right now, the sand felt warm on the island off the Carolina coast and the air stil smel ed of summer.
THE END
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my Mom and Dad for al owing me to write random stuff with permanent markers al over the wal s of my bedroom when I was a teenager and not kil ing me.
To Jesse, thank you for playing Barbies and Nintendo with me. Thank you to Jerry and al my family, extended and close, for being the awesome sauce. A special shout out to whoever created zombies. Whenever I feel like I’m having a bad day, I take a peek at the living dead and total y feel better about myself. Thank you to my sister Dawn, who is probably the only person in this world who wants to see my face on a shirt and not on the back of a milk carton. Ricky Bobby—I don’t know what I would’ve done without the endless distraction you and your sidekick have provided me whenever I’ve reached an impasse in my writing (Thank you, baby Jesus).
So very thankful for my friends—Dawn, Lesa, Amber, Amber number 2, Shel y, Kel ey, Lisa, Tracy, Ashlee, Jen and everyone else—for not disowning me because I choose to spend time with imaginary friends. My betas and awesome writing friends—Brenda St. John Brown, Kimberlee Turley, Claire Merle, Lisa Rogers, Stephanie Sauvinet, Catherine Peace—al helped me not make a complete idiot out of myself when it came to revisions and al that good stuff. Remember those names, because they wil be your favorite authors real soon. Thanks to Carissa Thomas for helping me brainstorm while I played the waiting game. And love and hugs to al the wonderful members of Query Tracker Forum for always being supportive, kind, and ingenious.
O h, Chewie— m y Chewsters, Chewtoy, also known as Chu-won Martin, you were my first friend to actual y read anything I wrote and not laugh. You wil always hold a special place in my heart.
None of this would have happened without my editor and the wonderful y supportive and enthusiastic team at Spencer Hil Press: Kate, Debbie, Osman, and Kendra.
Kate—wow, I don’t even know what to say. Without you, Half-Blood would stil be an annoying and useless file on my computer. You are remarkable and I’m indebted to you.
Michael—thank you for putting up with me when I spend more time with inanimate objects than you. Love you.
And final y, huge thanks to Julie Fedderson—you rock my world with your insanely right-on critiques and hilarious comments. Julie, we need to share that bottle of wine sometime soon. I have such a writer crush on you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer L. Armentrout lives in West Virginia. Al the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. Wel , mostly. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write. She shares her home with her husband, his K-9 partner named Diesel, and her hyper Jack Russel Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent her time writing short stories... therefore explaining her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes Adult and Young Adult Urban Fantasy and Romance.
Come find out more about the books of the Covenant series at:
www.ACovenantNovel.com.
Advance Praise for Half-Blood
“I want to get my love for this book across with just sounding like a squeeing fangirl that is babbling nonsense, but I’m not sure I will be able to do it. Half-Blood is just that amazing. This series is going right to the top of my favorites list!... Half-Blood is an action-packed thrill ride that pulled no punches. Full of fantastic mythology, great storytelling, forbidden love, and danger at every corner, Half-Blood has something for everyone. ”
— Reading Angel
“Half-Blood is pure awesomeness. I loved this book from beginning to end... Half-Blood is one of those books you finish reading and can’t read anything else for months because you are stuck in that amazing world of unforgettable characters.”