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— Writing Jewels
“It’s literally impossible to put Half-Blooddown until totally devoured….and then you are licking your lips for more.”
— Novels on the Run
Copyright © 2012 by Je
Sale of the paperback edition of this book without its cover is unauthorized.
Spencer Hill Press
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
Contact: Spencer Hill Press, PO Box 247, Contoocook, NH 03229, USA
Please visit our website at www.spencerhillpress.com
First Edition: November 2012.
Armentrout, Je
Deity : a novel / by Je
p. cm.
Summary:
As her Awakening draws nearer, Alex faces new threats from those who fear what she will become.
The author acknowledges the copyrighted or trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this fiction:
BMW R1200 C Motorcycle, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charlie Brown Christmas, Cheetos, Dial, Dr. Evil, 5-Hour Energy, Godzilla, Google, Hallmark, Hostess CupCakes, Hummer, James Bond/007, Kleenex, Mario Go Cart, Mortal Holiday Tree, My Little Pony, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Pepsi, Popsicle. Ritalin, Royal Rumble, Scrabble, Spider-man, Super Mario Brothers, Supernatural, Taco Bell, Terminator, Tomorrow Never Dies, Twinkies, Valium, Wal-Mart, Wii
Cover design by K. Kaynak with artwork by Misha and Eduardo Fuentes Guevara.
ISBN 978-1-937053-14-7 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-937053-15-4 (e-book)
Printed in the United States of America
Deity
The Third Covenant Novel by
Je
S PENCER H ILL P RESS
The Covenant Series
Daimon(novella)
Half-Blood
Pure
Deity
Elixir(novella)
Apollyon(April 2013)
Sentinel(Fall 2013)
Covenant novellas are available as free downloads in several formats at www.SpencerHillPress.com.
Also by Je
From Spencer Hill Press:
Cursed
Coming from Disney-Hyperion:
Don’t Look Back
From Entangled Publishing:
Obsidian(Book 1 in the Lux Series)
Onyx(Book 2 in the Lux Series)
Opal(Book 3 in the Lux Series) (December 2012)
Writing as J. Ly
Tempting the Best Man
Unchained
To Kayleigh-Marie Gore, Momo Xiong, Valerie Fink, Vi Nguyen, and Angela Messer for being über Covenant Series fans… and the first to respond on Twitter.
And to Brittany Howard and Amy Green of YA Sisterhood, for just being, well, awesome.
And to the Greer family, for being the official first family of the Covenant Series.
Pronunciation Guide for Deity
Aether: EE-ther Agapi: ah-GAH-pee Akasha: ah-KAH-sha Apollyon: a-POL-ee-on Daimon: DEE-mun Hematoi: HEM-a-toy Zoi mou: ZOY moo
CHAPTER 1
RED SILK CLUNG TO MY HIPS, TWISTING INTO A TIGHT bodice that accentuated my curves. My hair was down, silky around my shoulders like the petals of an exotic flower. The lights in the ballroom caught each ripple in the fabric so that, with every step, I looked like I was blooming from fire.
He stopped, lips parting as if the mere sight of me had rendered him incapable of doing anything else. A warm blush stole over my skin. This wouldn’t end well—not when we were surrounded by people and he was looking at me like that, but I couldn’t make myself leave. I belonged here, with him. That had been the right choice.
The choice I… hadn’t made.
Dancers slowed around me, their faces hidden behind dazzling bejeweled masks. The haunting melody the orchestra played slipped under my skin and sunk into my bones as the dancers parted.
Nothing separated us.
I tried to breathe, but he had stolen not just my heart, but the very air I needed.
He stood there, dressed in a black tux cut to fit the hard lines of his body. A lopsided smile, full of mischief and playfulness, curved his lips as he bowed at the waist, extending his arm toward me.
My legs felt weak as I took the first step. The twinkling lights from above lit the way to him, but I would’ve found him in the dark if necessary. The beat of his heart sounded just like mine.
His smile spread.
That was all the reinforcement I needed. I took off toward him, the dress streaming behind me in a river of crimson silk. He straightened, catching me by the waist as I looped my arms around his neck. I burrowed my face against his chest, soaking in the scent of ocean and burning leaves.
Everyone was watching, but it didn’t matter. We were in our own world, where only what we wanted—what we’d desired for so long—mattered.
He chuckled deeply as he spun me around. My feet didn’t even touch the ballroom floor. “So reckless,” he murmured.
I smiled in response, knowing he secretly loved that part of me.
Placing me on my feet, he clasped my hand and placed the other on the small of my back. When he spoke again, his voice was a low, sultry whisper. “You look so beautiful, Alex.”
My heart swelled. “I love you, Aiden.”
He kissed the top of my head, and then we spun in dizzying circles. Couples slowly joined us, and I caught glimpses of wide smiles and strange eyes behind the masks—eyes completely white, no irises. Unease spread. Those eyes… I knew what they meant. We drifted toward a corner where I heard soft cries coming from the darkness.
I peered into the shadowy corner of the ballroom. “Aiden…?”
“Shh.” His hand slipped up my spine and cupped the nape of my neck. “Do you love me?”
Our eyes met and held. “Yes. Yes. I love you more than anything.”
Aiden’s smile faded. “Do you love me more than him?”
I stilled in his suddenly lax embrace. “More than who?”