Pure

“I’ve already explained it,” I said. “It’s pretty easy to understand. Even for you. Or did you wake up on the wrong side of stupid this morning?”

“Alex,” Aiden sighed. “Just talk to Marcus.”

I stiffened. “Sorry. If he says one more word to me, I’m going to take that dagger off that wall and shove it through his eye.”

Seth straightened, every cell in his body rising to the occasion. “Well, that’s brave for a little Apollyon in training. If you want to try it, I’m game.”

“Seth!” Marcus yelled, slamming his palms down on the table. Several ledgers and books shuddered.

My hold on my temper stretched to the breaking point. “You know what? I bet your mother wanted to drown you after you were born.”

“Alexandria!” Marcus started around the desk. “Would you two—”

“And there’s a reason why mothers turn daimon and try to kill their daughters.”

I shot across the room, aiming right for the dagger behind Marcus’s desk. Aiden cut me off. I considered barreling through him, but he looked like he would employ every measure possible to keep me from killing Seth.

“Don’t,” Aiden ordered in a low voice. “Just ignore him.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” I seethed. “I want the dagger so I can cut him.”

“Cut me?” Seth laughed. “What are you—a street thug Apollyon about to shank me?”

Lucian sat down in one of the leather seats. “So much passion between you two,” he murmured. “Can be expected, I imagine. You two are one and the same. Let them go. We can continue this conversation without any more interruptions, entertaining as they are.”

I stopped. So did Seth. Actually, everyone in the room who didn’t appear to be on drugs stopped and stared at Lucian. “What?”

Smiling like he knew some huge secret, he flicked his wrist elegantly. “Let them go. Alexandria has already told us what has happened. The oracle has passed and another has come into power. Let them work through their lovers’ quarrel in private.”

Even Seth’s eyes widened at that. I had a more vocal response, one that caused Marcus to look like he wanted to shove me in a dark room and never let me out again.

“We have not yet determined what the oracle told Alexandria,” Leon interjected from the corner. I’d almost forgotten he was there.

“She’s already told us what she could. What was it, dear?” Lucian simpered in my direction. My hand itched to smack him upside his head. “She said that fate can be changed? Is that not great news? The oracle was referencing our two Apollyons.”

I scowled at him. “Why does everything in your head automatically go back to the Apollyon?”

Lucian waved his hand again. “Let them go.”

Aiden’s hard stare bounced between us. “I don’t think that’s a good idea at the moment. One of them may seriously injure the other.”

I wondered if he really thought that or if the idea of us “handling” our “lovers’ quarrel” in private bothered him.

Marcus sighed. “I think it is an excellent idea, as we aren’t getting anywhere with both of them in the roo—”

“I thought Lucian needed Seth here,” Aiden interrupted, eyes like chips of ice.

Something ridiculously stupid sprung alive in my chest. Aiden was jealous? “You know what?” I shot Aiden a defiant look. “Let’s go. Come on, Seth. Let’s go continue our lovers’ quarrel.”

Pushing off the wall, Seth arched a brow. “Yes, my love, that sounds absolutely fantastic. Don’t forget to grab a dagger so you can poke my eyeball out. Oh, that’s right.” He fixed a sympathetic look on his face. “Only a trained Sentinel can carry a dagger.”

I shot him a sneer, and then whirled around and stalked out of the room. My head pounded like crazy, and even though I’d agreed to leave, I didn’t want to continue talking with Seth. We actually made it to the first floor before all hell broke loose.

Seth grabbed my arm and dragged me into one of the empty offices, slamming the door shut behind him. “You little brat, what the hell have you been doing all day?”

I pulled my arm free and moved to the other side of the office. Seth stalked after me, and I thought of the lion from earlier. All he needed was a swishing tail. I laughed, not able to help it. The image of Seth with a tail was kind of fu

Seth stopped short, scowling. “What’s so fu

I sobered up. “Jeez, nothing.”

“What have you been doing all day, Alex?”

“What have you been doing?” I sidestepped him, putting some space between us. “And why don’t you seem to care that the oracle died?”

“Alex, she was ancient. At least a couple of hundred years old. It was bound to happen. Lucian is right. Another has come into power and blah, blah.”

“She died right in front of me! It was a bit unsettling.”

Seth cocked his head to the side. “Do you want me to host a pity party for you? I’m sure I can wrangle up a few people who can help you commiserate.”

“Gods, would it kill you to be a tiny bit nice? Oh. Wait. It would. So excuse me, I have stuff I need to do.” I started for the door, but Seth caught my arm. His skin felt like fire. “Seth, come on. I have a freaking headache and—”

His eyes searched my face. “What have you been doing today?”

I started to get uncomfortable. “I’ve been training. What the hell else could I be doing?”

“Training?” Seth laughed harshly. “Where?”

“Here,” I said immediately.

Seth’s eyes narrowed. “You little liar, I checked the training room for you. You weren’t there.”

Oh, crap.

A smug smile inched across his face. “So I checked all the other training facilities, and the gym, and the beach, and finally your room. You weren’t in any of them.”

Oh, double crap.

“So don’t lie to me.” He backed me up until I hit the edge of the desk. “Your cheeks are blood red, your pulse has skyrocketed, and you’re a terrible liar.”

I clenched the edge of the desk. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Seth bent down so we were eye level. “You don’t?”

“No.”

“I’m going to ask you one more time, Alex. What were you doing today?”

“Or what?” I demanded. “What are you going to do? And why do you even care?”

“Because the emotions you were feeling today were outrageous.”

“Gods, this day will never end,” I muttered. Throbbing temples aside, I was pretty sure I had enough aggression in me to take out Seth at this point. “Who cares?”

“I care because you were supposed to be training with Aiden today, and there is no reason you’d be feeling those kind…” Seth’s eyes widened. I swear, I’d never seen his pupils so dilated, and for someone who kept dragging me back to him, he sure let go of me awfully fast. “Oh. No, no, no.”

Apprehension blossomed, quickly turning my insides cold. “What?”

“You wouldn’t.” He ran his hand down the side of his face. “Wait. What am I saying? You woulddo something so incredibly stupid.”

I leaned against the desk. “Uh… gee, thanks.”

Seth shot forward, grasping my shoulders. I flinched, unable to suppress the natural response. “Please tell me I’m wrong. Tell me that you are not messing around with a godsdamned pure-blood. Damn it, Alex. Him?My gods, it explains so much.”

Anything and everything in my head sort of emptied out. My brain had this wonderful ability of doing so when I really needed to think fast.

He laughed harshly. “Now I know why he hates me, at least. Why he’s always on you. I just figured it was in the figurative sense and not literal. What the hell are you thinking? What is he thinking? You’re going to throw everything away! Your future—my future—and for what? To get more pure in you?”

Shrugging his hands off my shoulders for the umpteenth time, I snapped out of it. “You don’t have a clue what you’re talking about! I’m not messing around with Aiden.”

“Don’t you dare lie to me about something like this!” He shoved his finger in my face. I had the urge to break it. “You can’t do this, Alex. I will not allow this to continue.” Seth started for the door.