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I made a face. “Why are you sorry? It’s ‘whatever.’ Seth and I aren’t in a relationship.” But he had been behaving himself since he’d returned to the Covenant with me. Pushing that out of my mind, I focused on something more important. “I need to get out of this bed.”
Something flickered across Aiden’s face and then he shook his head. “Alex, you really shouldn’t.”
“I reallyneed to.”
He held my stare and then he seemed to get it. “Okay, here, let me help you.”
The idea of him getting close to me when I felt this gross didn’t appeal to me, but there was no arguing with him. Aiden helped me out of the bed and then insisted on guiding me to the little bathroom. I half-expected him to follow me inside.
Closing the door behind me, I did my thing and eyed the shower stall longingly. Aiden would have a fit if I turned it on. I glanced at the door, debating whether or not he’d dare busting in here. Aiden was way too saintly.
I decided to test that theory out.
The second after I turned the water on, he yelled. “Alex, what are you doing?”
“Nothing.” I pulled off my clothes, wishing I had something clean to put on.
“ Alex” Bemused frustration colored his tone.
I gri
“You shouldn’t be doing that.” The door handle jingled. It wasn’t locked. “Alex!”
“I’m naked,” I warned.
Silence and then, “Is that supposed to make me not want to come in there?”
A warm flush covered my body as I stared at the door.
There was an audible sigh. “Make it quick, Alex, because I willcome in there if you are not done in less than five minutes.”
I took the quickest shower of my life. Drying off and dressing quickly, I reveled in the feeling of being clean again, but showering had taken whatever energy I’d had left in me. I sat in front of the sink, because the toilet seemed too far away, and started brushing my teeth. My mouth no longer felt like a woolly mammoth, but as I eyed the sink and realized that I’d have to get back up again, I kind of wished I’d stayed in bed.
I know he was by your side the minute I left, doing his a
Closing my eyes, I clutched the plastic toothbrush and stretched out my legs.
Whatever. You’re there. I’m here. And in a week or so, I’ll be back. And it’s not going to even matter.
Foamy toothpaste trickled down my chin. It wouldn’t matter because Seth would be around? Or it wouldn’t matter because in five weeks, I’d Awaken? Was that what Seth was trying to say in between whatever Boobs was doing?
“Alex?” Aiden knocked on the bathroom door. “Are you okay in there?”
I tipped my head toward the closed door. More toothpaste dribbled from my mouth. “I’m tired.”
The door opened. Aiden’s gaze dropped and his brows went up. A slow smile crept over his face, softening the hard look that had been in his eyes since I woke up. Aiden laughed.
Something fluttered in my chest. “Laughing at a dead girl isn’t nice.”
“I told you that you should’ve stayed in bed.” The light didn’t go out of his eyes as he knelt. He reached over, wiping the toothpaste off my chin with his thumb. “But you never listen. Hold on.”
It wasn’t like I was going anywhere, so I watched him glance at the sink and then rise. Aiden disappeared back into the room, returning with two small plastic cups and some paper towels a few seconds later.
Prying the toothbrush out of my hands, he tossed it in the sink after filling up the cup. “Here you go.”
Cheeks flaming, I took the cup and swished the water in my mouth.
Aiden handed me another empty cup. “Rinse and repeat.”
I glared at him, but secretly did a happy dance in my head when he laughed again. Once I didn’t have toothpaste falling out of my mouth anymore and my hands were empty, Aiden bent and carefully slid an arm around me. “I can stand without help,” I grumbled.
“Sure you can.” Aiden’s hair tickled my cheeks. “That’s why you’re sitting on a bathroom floor. Come on, back to bed.”
The door in the main room opened. “What’s going on?” Marcus’ voice carried through the room. “Is Alexandria okay?”
Crimson stained my entire face.
“She’s fine.” Aiden easily hauled me to my feet. The tender skin pulled a little, but I kept my expression blank. Didn’t want him having a heart attack. “She just wore herself out,” he continued, gri
I nodded. “It’s not my fault. Leon—Apollo—whoever he is—didn’t fix me right. Godly powers my—”
“I did fix you, but you were dead. Give me some credit,” Apollo said.
I jumped, smacking my hand on my chest. Apollo sat on the edge of the toilet seat, one leg crossed over the other.
Beside me, Aiden bowed stiffly. “My master.”
“Oh, my gods,” I said. “Seriously. Are you trying to kill me again by giving me a heart attack?”
Apollo tipped his head at Aiden. “I’ve already told you. You don’t need to do the ‘master’ and bowing business with me.” Little sparks of electricity rimmed those all-white eyes. “Why are you out of bed? Doesn’t getting stabbed warrant some downtime?” He smiled at Aiden, who was now standing. “She really is hard to take care of, isn’t she?”
Aiden looked a little pale. “Yeah…”
“I… I felt gross.”
Apollo disappeared from the bathroom and popped up behind Aiden. Marcus took a step back, his eyes wide. He bowed too, and I really thought for a moment that Marcus was going to drop to his knees.
“Good gods,” Aiden said under his breath as he led me out of the bathroom.
I stared at the hulking god in the corner of the room as I climbed back into bed. “Did anyone know about this?”
Apollo glided to the bed. It was strange looking at him and seeing some traces of Leon. The face was basically the same, but more refined, sharper. Hair that looked like spun gold replaced the short crew cut Leon had favored, falling just below his broad shoulders. And he seemed taller, if that was even possible. He was achingly beautiful, lacking the rougher edges, but his eyes… they creeped me out. There were no pupils or irises just white orbs that seemed full of electricity.
The Sun God.
I was staring at the mother effin’ Sun God… and yet, it was like staring at Leon. It was bizarre that a god would even be on earth, but to be as comfortable as Apollo seemed was unreal.
Apollo arched a brow as he slowly turned his head to Marcus. “I know this is a little… shocking, but what I was doing required that I disguise who I was.”
Marcus blinked, as if he was coming out of a daze. “Are there more like you here?”
Apollo smiled. “We are always around.”
“Why?” Aiden asked, dragging his fingers through his hair. He looked a little out of it also.
“Things are complicated,” Apollo said.
“So, was Leon a real person? Did you like, take over his body or something?” I folded my legs under the blanket. “Or have you been Leon this entire time?”
The corners of Apollo’s lips twitched. “We are one in the same.”
Slowly, I reached over and poked his arm. It felt like real flesh, warm and hard. Disappointed, I poked him again. I was expecting something amazing—celestial—by touching him. Instead all I got were weird looks from everyone in the room, including Apollo.
“Please stop touching me,” Apollo said.
I jabbed his arm again. “Sorry. It’s just that you’re real. I mean, I just thought you guys weren’t really around here.”
“Alex.” Aiden sat on the edge of the bed. “You should probably stop touching him.”
“Whatever.” I dropped my hand into my lap. I still wanted to touch him, though, which was really weird. I kind of wanted to rub all over him like a cat or something… and that was more than weird, and a little uncomfortable.