Deity

“You want to die?”

“Stop it,” I hissed, squirming between them. I looked over my shoulder at Leon. The pure-blood Sentinel didn’t even look concerned. He was crazy. “Leon, we were training.”

“That’s not what it looked like to me.”

Over Seth’s broad shoulder, I saw several Guards and Aiden heading our way. I hoped they picked up their pace and got here before one of these idiots did something stupid.

“Leon, he wasn’t hurting me,” I tried again.

“What do you think you’re going to do?” Seth demanded. “To me?”

He stared down at Seth. “You really think you can take me, don’t you?”

“I don’t think.” Akasha, brilliant and beautiful, surrounded his right hand. The air crackled around the ball. “I know.”

This was insane. I grabbed Seth’s arm and a rush of anger hit me. Iwanted to attack Leon, needed to show him that he was messing with the wrong person, that I was better than him. He wouldn’t dare touch meagain. I was going to show him.

“Bring it,” Leon said, his voice low.

“Hey!” yelled Aiden. “That’s enough!”

Seth and Leon moved at the same time, both of them knocking me aside. The combination of their arms sweeping out and hitting me sent me flying backward. I hit the boulder I’d been trying to blow up, tumbling over the top. Twisting so I didn’t hit the soggy marsh face first, I landed on my hands and knees. Icy muck saturated my jeans and splashed my face.

Stu

It had been Seth’s. It wasn’t like those times I’d had those hot flashes. This had been different. I’d feltwhat he’d felt, wantedwhat he’d wanted. Had that happened before? I didn’t think so. My hands shook.

The Guards had reached Leon. I wasn’t sure if they were trying to protect Leon or Seth. Aiden, though, went after the Apollyon, like I should’ve known he would the moment I spied him stalking across the wind-tossed sand.

I was sure Aiden knew what had happened had been an accident, but he looked like he wanted to pummel both guys. By the sounds of their arguing and shoving one another, Leon blamed Seth. Seth blamed everyone but himself. The Guards looked increasingly worried.

Staggering out of the marsh, I headed toward them just as Seth tried to sidestep Aiden.

Eyes flashing, Aiden grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pushed him back several feet. It was like he didn’t even see the strongest and deadliest element known to the gods inches away from his body—or he didn’t care.

“That’s enough,” Aiden said, shoving Seth as he let go. “Back off.”

“You really want to get involved in this?” Seth asked. “Right now?”

“More than you would ever know.”

Akasha fizzled out and Seth pushed Aiden. “Oh, I think I do. And you know what, it’s something I think about… every time. You get what I’m saying?”

“That’s the best you got, Seth?” Aiden went toe-to-toe with the Apollyon. And suddenly, I knew this wasn’t just about what had just happened. This was more. “Because I think you and I both know the truth about that.”

Oh, dear gods, this was turning into a boy fight.

Seth moved so fast it was hard to see him. An arm cocked back, aiming right for Aiden’s jaw. Reacting just as fast, Aiden caught Seth’s arm and threw him back again.

“Try it again, and I won’t stop,” Aiden warned.

A second later they were crashing into each other. Both hit the ground, rolling and throwing punches—a blur of black garb as each one gained and lost the upper hand. I started forward, but stopped short. They weren’t even fighting like Sentinels. There was nothing graceful in their punches or blocks. They brawled like two idiots high on testosterone, and I had the strongest urge to walk up and kick them both in the head.

I threw my hands up. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

The Guards and Leon shot forward, grabbing for the two guys. It took several tries to get Aiden off Seth. A cut marred his right cheek. Blood beaded. There was a split in Seth’s lip.

“Are you done?” demanded Leon, shouldering Aiden back a few steps. “Aiden, you need to stop.”

Aiden wiped the back of his hand over his cheek as he shrugged Leon’s hand off. “Yeah, I’m done.”

The Guards were saying the same thing to Seth, but when they let go of him, Seth shot around them. “You think I’m scared that you’ll turn me in for fighting? Any of you? They can’t touch me! I’m the fu—”

“Stop it!” I screamed. “Just stop!” Seth froze, and several sets of eyes centered on me. “Gods! We weretraining. There’s no reason to kill each other over this.” I glanced at Aiden. “No reason to do anyof this. Just freaking stop.”

Tension still ripened the air, but Seth pulled back and spat out a mouthful of blood. As he straightened his shirt, the marks started to fade. “Like I’d been saying, but apparently all of you are too stupid to understand, we were—”

“Shut up, Seth.” I clenched my hands.

His brows rose.

Aiden still looked furious. His eyes were like pools of silver, consuming his entire face.

“It’s done and over, okay?” I said, mostly to him. “I’m fine. No one is dead. And if you three can manage not to try to kill each other, I’m going to go and take a shower, because now I smell like ten-day-old butt.”

Leon’s lips twitched as if he wished to smile, but after the glare I cut his way, his expression returned to the stoic one I was familiar with.

I headed around them, shivering. Icicles were forming on my jeans.

Seth wheeled around. “Alex—”

“No.” I stopped. There was no way he was coming back with me. I needed to be away from him, putting some distance between his anger and me before I started throwing punches. I needed to figure out what’d happened back there, why I’d felt what Seth wanted so strongly.

“Alex!” Seth called out. “Come on.”

“Leave me alone right now.” I started walking again. “I’m done with this for today. I mean it. I’m done”

CHAPTER 10

SETH KNEW BETTER THAN TO SEEK OUT MY COMPANY Saturday night. I was grateful for that, because I didn’t want to see his face. I did, however, answer the door Sunday evening when he actually knocked. That’s how I knew he was feeling apologetic. Seth never knocked.

His hands were shoved into the pockets of his dark cargos. The right side of his lip was swollen. “Hey,” he said, staring over my head.

“Hey.”

He shifted from one foot to the next. “Alex, I’m… sorry about yesterday. I didn’t—”

“Stop,” I cut him off. “I know you were just trying to get me to use akasha and you didn’t mean to knock me over, but you guys were insane. Not in a good way, Seth.”

A sheepish look crept across his face. “I know, but Aiden pissed me—”

“Seth.”

“Okay. You’re right. It’s over and done. And I don’t want to argue with you. I’m getting ready to leave.” He looked at me then. “I thought it would be nice if you walked with me to the bridge.”

“Just let me grab something to put on.” I needed to talk with him, anyway. After I grabbed a hoodie, we walked out of the dorm in silence. The campus was dark; only the shadows of the patrolling Guards moved. When I let out my breath, it formed small puffs in the air. “I felt your anger yesterday.”

“I’m sure anyone within a ten-mile radius felt my anger yesterday.”

“That’s not what I meant.” We followed the marbled pathway around the dorms, heading toward the bridge by the main Covenant building. “I reallyfelt it. I wanted to knock the crap out of Leon. It was like… like it was my anger.”