chapter 6
The moment sunlight touched my skin, I faltered a step. It felt like years had passed since I had felt the warmth of natural light. My senses came alive. Grass was cold under my feet, and damp. Thick, tall elms blurred as I darted across a small dirt driveway, around a Hummer, and into the heavy woods surrounding the cabin.
Legs and arms pumping, I kept running. My hair streamed out behind me, and I pushed hard, paying attention, looking for any sign of where I was. There was nothing.
A seedling of panic took root. I hurdled a fallen tree, my feet skidding over sharp pine needles. How was I supposed to tell my Seth where I was when I had nothing but freaking trees—
“Alex! Stop!”
My breath hitched and I dared a look back.
It was him—Aiden.
“Crap,” I spat, picking up speed.
Up ahead, there was a creek—the creek. I remembered that. Thousands of years of Apollyons and their abilities rushed through me. Tapping into that ability was so easy, like slipping into well-worn jeans, which was irritating considering the heinous training I’d gone through in preparation of Awakening, and of course, my Seth would have known that. Punk.
Extending one arm, I summoned the water, willing it to respond to me.
Water stirred, and then a stream jetted into the air, arcing high above me. The wall of water kept coming, draining the shallow creek within seconds. It spun into a funnel, slamming into the earth behind me. A curse was drowned out. That should’ve bought me some time.
Racing over the creek bed, mud splattered my feet and jeans. Low-hanging branches tore at my hair, snagging strands and my shirt. Cloth ripped, but I kept going. Sunlight peeked through the thick branches as I headed deeper into the forest, away from the cabin… away from him.
Without warning, the bond snapped alive. Alex?
I’m out. I leapt off a boulder over a small gulley and landed in a crouch. Springing up, I took off. I don’t know where I’m at, but I’m out. Seth, I’m—
I could hear Aiden. He was close and fast, powered by something stronger than aether and I knew, even as fast as I was, I wouldn’t have been able to outrun him this long if a wall of water hadn’t stopped him. I’d have to fight. But I wouldn’t be alone. My Seth was here.
Skidding to a stop, I turned. Wind blew my hair back as I dragged in fresh, mountain air. Aiden cleared the small gulley, landing in a nimble crouch several feet away from me. Water streamed from the dark waves plastered to his head, and his black shirt clung to the hard muscles of his chest and stomach. Under the thin, soaked material, his shoulders tensed.
Our eyes locked.
He rose gracefully, hands open at his sides.
“You don’t want to do this,” I warned. “Turn away.”
Aiden came forward. “I’m not going to leave you. I’ll never do that.”
There was a flutter in my chest that didn’t belong there. I took a step back, feeling heat radiating from my fingers.
My Seth’s voice hummed through the bond and I knew what he wanted me to do, therefore I understood why I had to do this.
I took a shallow breath and raised my chin. “Then it’s your funeral.”
“So be it.”
I launched myself at Aiden.
He was prepared for it. He darted to the left, avoiding my attack. He was fast and also very skilled. I knew, because he had trained me, but I was better than him. I was something else.
Moving lightning-fast, I dipped and went for his legs. Aiden jumped, and I shot up, slamming my fist into his stomach. He stumbled back a step, but quickly regained his footing. My next punch was deflected. The third one caught him in thejaw, snapping his head back.
Sunlight reflected off the daggers attached to his thighs, and I went for them.
Aiden spun to the left at the last second, and my fingers only grasped the handle of one. He took a hold of my wrist, twisting only enough that I yelped and let go. My head jerked up at the surprise burst of pain, and it reflected in his gunmetal gray eyes. For some reason, I hadn’t expected him to hurt me. I guess… I didn’t know what I thought.
He pushed me back and as if he could read my thoughts, he said, “I don’t want to.”
Fury blasted through me like a rocket. “You can’t hurt me.”
Aiden jerked out of the way as I shot forward. I whirled, delivering a spin kick to the kidneys. I moved to deliver another, but Aiden caught my leg and tossed me back. I hit the ground and popped up, throwing my head back.
Energy slammed into me. Akasha simmered beneath the surface, waiting to be called upon, demanding it.
I flew at Aiden and we went at it—brutally. Mostly on my end, because Aiden was more about the defensive instead of the offensive, but bruises were traded, one after another.
Memories of training together surfaced. I wasn’t sure if that was a benefit to either of us, because we anticipated each other’s moves and neither of us could gain the upper hand. I dropped and he’d be there to deflect. He moved for a submission hold and I escaped before he could lock me down. Blow for blow we went, and in the back of my head, I knew I could’ve called upon the elements, but I didn’t. Maybe it was all the pent-up rage from being caged for so long, and I needed the physicality of fighting. Maybe it was something else.
Blood trickled from Aiden’s lip. A red mark bloomed across his jaw. His shirt was torn along the midsection, exposing a row of taut abs, but he didn’t show any signs of slowing down.
Frustrated, I pushed off the tree, gained some air and twisted, realizing my mistake an instant after it was too late. As I spun, Aiden stepped into it, catching me around the waist and spinning me around. In training, I’d never been able to get past him this way. I should’ve known better.
I tipped my weight forward and we both went down on our knees. I tasted blood, but Aiden hadn’t hit me. Not once. But my face had connected with his more than a few times.
“Give up,” I growled, throwing my head back.
His arms tightened around me. “You should know by now I’m not going to give up on you. You’re not that stupid.”
“Can’t say the same thing about you.” I spread my thighs and gathered my strength. “You can’t win.”
His breath danced over my check. “You want to bet on that?”
I ground my teeth. “You can’t have me. I’m not—”
“You’re not his, Alex. You don’t belong to anyone but yourself!”
He was wrong, so wrong. I belonged to my Seth. I was created for him, only him, and Aiden was in the way.
Rocking forward, I put enough space between us and powered to my feet, breaking his hold. Throwing my arm back, I caught him across the cheek with a closed fist. The impact bruised my knuckles.
Aiden went down on one knee and spat out a mouthful of blood. “Gods.”
Spinning around, I started running, ignoring the sharp pebbles digging into the soles of my feet.
I made it about five feet before I was tackled from behind.
Aiden pulled me up so that my back was pinned to his chest. “Leaving so quick? When the fun is just getting started?”
“I hate you!” I struggled wildly, trying to dig into the ground. Loose dirt kicked up as I thrashed, becoming more like an animal caught in a net. Hours of training slipped away. “I hate you!”
“You can hate me all you want, but it doesn’t change a thing.” He made it to his feet and started dragging me backward, and I knew he’d drag me all the way back to the cabin, to the cage. “I’m not going to let you do this to yourself.”
I wiggled and threw myself side to side, but we were back to the cluster of trees within seconds. “You can’t stop me! You can’t do this!”
“You don’t understand, Alex. You can’t be out here.”
I elbowed him.
He grunted but didn’t let go. “They’ll kill you. Do you understand?” He shook me. “They’ll come to kill you!”
“I don’t care!” I screamed myself hoarse. “I need to go. I need to be with him.”
Aiden sucked in a sharp breath and his grip loosened a fraction.
Using my core, I pulled my legs up and the combined effort toppled us over. Aiden hit the ground first and rolled before I could break free, shoving his hands into my back, forcing me down. I got a mouthful of mud and grass.
“Stop it!” he hissed in my ear. “This isn’t going to work, Alex. You may not care about dying, but I care enough for you.”
“I don’t care! All that matters is Seth. If I can’t be with him, then I’d rather be dead.”
“Do you even hear yourself?” His hands pressed into my shoulders. “You’d rather die than not be with him? Do you know how weak that is? The Alex I know would never feel something like that!”
What he said reached deep and broke something inside me. Enraged, I planted my hands in the rich soil and felt the earth tremble. A great roar started below, and the ground buckled under us, rolling like stormy seas. We were thrown apart. I smacked into a tree and hit the ground on my hands and knees.
Lightning pierced the sky, blinding me for an instant. Clouds rolled in, blocking the sun, and darkness fell. The skies opened and a torrential downpour pounded us.
I didn’t know if it was me or something else. I was beyond caring. A giant ball of messy emotion settled in my stomach, unraveling with dizzying speeds. Anger. Frustration. Fear. All of it rushed me.
Air whipped under me and I rose off the ground. Static charged. Sparks flew. The world was colored in amber tones. I wasn’t me. I wasn’t anything anymore.
Aiden stood a few feet away, his silvery eyes fixed on me. A look of horror and awe marked his striking features.
I was a god, like Seth had said. We were gods.
Do it. Seth’s whisper penetrated my blood. It’s time.
My feet touched the ground and I took a step forward—one, and then another. And Aiden didn’t move. He waited. It was in those eyes of his, the finality of this. He wouldn’t win, he couldn’t and he knew it. Aiden accepted it.
As I reached him, the rain stopped and the clouds parted. The sun followed my footsteps.
“Alex.” Aiden’s voice was broken.
Like a cobra striking, I took Aiden’s legs out from under him and he was on his back before another breath could be taken. Straddling him, I placed my hands on his shoulders. The marks of the Apollyon glowed a vibrant blue and raced over my skin.
I leaned in, placing my lips above his, and the words that came out of my mouth were mine… but weren’t. “All moments end, St. Delphi. And now yours has.” I pressed my lips to the corner of his and he flinched. “You are weak because you love.”
Aiden stared up at me, unblinking. “To love is not weak. Love is the strongest thing there is.”
My lips curved into a smile. Idiot.
Akasha raced to the surface. My skin was on fire, I was on fire. Bright blue light formed over my right arm, circling it as it climbed down to my fingers. Light flared, intense and beautiful as it was destructive.
Sunlight fell over us, and I reared back. Akasha covered my right hand. When I let it go, it would snuff out the life of everything in its path. There was death in that beauty. And Aiden made no move to defend his life.
His eyes fixed on mine and he reached up slowly. The tips of his fingers, calloused over from years of training and fighting, grazed my cheek tenderly. “I love you, Alex. I always will.”
I blinked. My heart stuttered. I couldn’t wrap my head around how he could say that, touch meso… so lovingly, seconds from death.
Do it, Alex, and then we can be together. We’ll free the halfs—your father. We’ll change the world. You and me, Angel, we’ll be together always.
My gaze fell between us. The rose necklace had slipped out, exposed by the torn collar of my shirt. A ray of light caught the deep-red crystal edges of the rose in bloom—such a delicate thing, crafted by the hands of a true warrior.
Air left my lungs and my arm started to shake.
We’re in this together, Alex, to the end. Those words weren’t Seth’s, but this was the end. My eyes burned like it was raining acid, but the skies were clear. I was seconds from freedom… but so much, so many memories started flipping through my head.
I couldn’t stop staring at the rose.
Images of the first time I’d seen Aiden while I’d been training with Caleb, then again when he’d come through the wall of fire and saved me—saved my life. Memories of his patience, his support, even his frustration with me.
Seth called to me, but I swatted him away. These memories were important. They meant something—everything—to me, right? There hadn’t been any feelings attached to them before, but now they were soaked in emotion. I focused on them, remembering how he’d cared for me after Gatlinburg, how he’d been there for me when I broke down after Mom… my mom. The first time he’d held me—kissed me. There was never any judgment in Aiden’s eyes, like I was his equal.
I’d always been Aiden’s equal.
My chest rose sharply. The day at the zoo washed over me, and then Valentine’s Day. The love we had shared. It had to mean something.
I couldn’t breathe.
I’d give it all up for you.
Seth called for me again, but I was breaking apart. Shattering. Everything was coming undone. Pieces of who I used to be were repelled by what I’d become. The past and the present couldn’t coexist with the future.
I was torn in two.
Seth yelled now, his voice roaring in my head, and there was no escaping him. He was everywhere, in every cell and thought, pulling at me. But I couldn’t breathe and under me, he was under me, and I couldn’t think straight. There were so many voices again. So many different ones, some were my own… and I couldn’t think.
I focused on the mental shields Seth had taught me. I needed a moment, just a second of silence to think this through, to understand why he wasn’t defending himself and how he could love me.
Seth was furious. Pain sliced through my skull as if someone had taken an ice pick and started slamming it into my head, and I knew he hated this, but I needed time. He screamed for me, but I pictured those walls. They were neon-pink, bedazzled walls, and they went up, stacked higher and higher. I made them thick and full of titanium, topped them off with barbed wire and threw a nice little electrical fence over them, and all of that was backed by the power of the gods. A film of shimmery blue light draped over the walls.
The cord snapped inside me, recoiling like whiplash, and then it was gone.
Except for a low hum, there was silence, and it was just me now, alone with everything I had done.
Tipping my head back, I screamed.
Unlocked from the depths of my soul, it kept coming and coming. I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t comprehend what I’d become—the things I had done. And when I stopped, it was only because my throat was raw.
I scrambled off of Aiden, unable to look at him, because I… the things… Body trembling, I crawled over the muddy ground and tucked into a ball against a tree. Pressing my face to my knees, I dragged in breaths, but my chest ached and the pressure kept building.
“Alex?” Aiden called out, his voice hoarse and ragged.
I shied away, wanting him to leave. He needed to leave me, to run away as fast as he could.
Strong hands landed on my shoulders and then slid over my arms, gently wrapping around my wrists. He pried my hands away, and even though I couldn’t bear to look at him, my eyes opened.
It was like seeing Aiden after months of separation. He was clear to me. The curve of his broad cheekbones, the hint of dimples, and the strong line of his jaw—features I’d committed to memory eons ago. Dark waves curled over his naturally tan skin… skin marred by bruises and streaks of crimson. Bruises I’d given him, but he still held that masculine beauty that always undid me.
Aiden shuddered, and then clasped my cheeks. His silver eyes searched mine. They were covered in a fine sheen—like tears, but Aiden never cried. “Alex… oh, gods, Alex, are you here?”
I burst into tears.