Deity

I tore myself away from his room. We passed several closed doors, but one had locked double doors decorated with titanium inlays. I suspected that had been his parents’ room.

Aiden pushed open a door at the end of the carpeted hall and turned the light on. Sliding past him, my mouth dropped open. The room was huge and beautiful. Plush carpet covered the floors, heavy curtains blocked the bay window, and my bags of personal items had been stacked neatly by a dresser. A flat-screen TV hung from the wall and the bed was big enough for four people. I spied a bathroom with a huge tub and my heart went all fluttery.

Seeing my love-struck expression, Aiden laughed. “I figured you’d like this room.”

I looked inside the bathroom, sighing. “I want to marry that bathtub.” I turned around, smiling at Aiden. “This is like going to one of those super-expensive hotels, except everything is free.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know about that.”

“Maybe not to you and all your endless wealth.” I drifted off to the window and parted the curtains. Oceanside view. Nice. The moon reflected off the still, onyx-colored waters.

“That money isn’t really mine. It’s my parents’.”

Which did make it his and Deacon’s, but I didn’t push it. “The house is really beautiful.”

“Some days it’s more beautiful than others.”

I felt my cheeks flush. I pressed my forehead against the cool window. “Whose idea was it for me to stay here?”

“It was a joint effort. After… what happened, there was no way you could’ve stayed in the dorm.”

“I can’t stay here forever,” I said quietly. “Once school is back in, I need to be on the other island.”

“We’ll figure something out when that time comes,” he said. “Don’t worry about that right now. It’s past midnight. You have to be tired.”

Dropping the curtains, I faced him. He stood next to the door, hands curled into fists. “I’m not tired. I was stuck in that hospital room and that bed for what felt like eternity.”

He cocked his head to the side. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine.” I patted my stomach. “I’m not broken, you know.”

Aiden was quiet for a few moments, and then he smiled a little. “Want something to drink?”

“Are you trying to booze me up, Aiden? I’m shocked.”

He arched a brow. “I was thinking more along the lines of hot chocolate for you.”

I gri

Turning around, he headed out of the bedroom. “Something I’m old enough to drink.”

I rolled my eyes, but followed him out of the room. Aiden did make me hot chocolate—with tiny marshmallows—and he didn’t drink anything other than a bottle of water. He then took me on a quick tour of the house. It was similar to Lucian’s—lavishly grand, more rooms than anyone would ever need in a lifetime, and personal property that was probably worth more than my life. Deacon’s room was by the kitchen, accessed through a titanium-trimmed door under the stairs.

Sipping my drink, I laughed when Aiden tried to right the bulb on Deacon’s MHT tree. I drifted around the room, looking for some sort of personal effects. There wasn’t a single picture of the St. Delphi family. Nothing that proved they even existed.

Aiden stood in front of a closed door—a room he hadn’t shown me on the mini-tour. “How’s the chocolate?”

I smiled. “It’s perfect.”

He set his water down on the coffee table and folded his arms. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what Apollo said.”

“Which part of crazy are you thinking about?” I watched him over the rim of my mug, loving the way he smiled in response to the stupid things that came out of my mouth. That had to be true love, I decided.

“You shouldn’t stay at Lucian’s when he returns.”

I lowered my mug. “Why?”

“Apollo has a point about Seth. You’re in danger because of him. The further away from him you are, the safer you’ll be.”

“Aiden—”

“I know you care about him, but you’ve suspected that Seth hasn’t been honest with you.” Aiden strode forward and dropped into a chair. His gaze lowered and heavy lashes fa

Aiden had a point. I’d give him that, but I seriously doubted that was the whole reason. “And you feel this way all because of what Apollo said?”

“No. It’s more than that.”

“You don’t like Seth?” I asked i

He flashed his teeth. “Besides that, Alex, he hasn’t been honest about a lot of things. He lied about knowing how an Apollyon was created, about the Order, and there’s a good chance he’s… giving you those marks on purpose.”

“Okay, besides all those reasons?”

He stared up at me. “Well, I don’t like that fact that you’re settling for him.”

I rolled my eyes. “I hate when you say that.”

“It’s the truth,” he said simply.

Irritation started to burn below my skin. “That’s not the truth. I’m not settling for Seth.”

“Let me ask you a question, then.” Aiden leaned forward. “If you could have… who you wanted, would you be with Seth?”

I stared at him, somewhat shocked that he’d even throw that out there. And it really wasn’t a fair question. What could I say to that?

“Exactly.” He sat back, smiling smugly.

A fierce emotion blasted through me. “Why can’t you just admit it?”

“Admit what?”

“That you’re jealous of Seth.” It was one of those times I needed to shut up, but I couldn’t. I was angry and thrilled all at once. “You’re jealous of the fact that I can be with Seth if I want to be.”

Aiden smirked. “There. You just said it yourself. You’d be with Seth ifyou wanted to be. Obviously you don’t, so why areyou with him? You’re settling.”

“Ugh!” My hands curled into fists and I wanted to stomp my foot. “You are absolutely the most frustrating person I know. Fine. Whatever. You’re not jealous of Seth or the fact that he’s been sleeping in my bed for the last two months, because of course you haven’t wished that was you at all.”

Something dangerous flared in his silvery eyes.

Cheeks flaming, I wanted to smack myself. Why had I said that? To piss him off orto make myself look like a total ho-bag? I’d accomplished a little of both.

“Alex,” he said, voice low and deceptively soft.

“Just forget it.” I started past him, but his hand shot out as fast as a snake striking. One second I was walking and the next I was in his lap, straddling him. Eyes wide and heart thundering, I stared at him.

“Okay,” he said, grasping my upper arms. “You’re right. I’m jealous of that little punk. Happy?”

Instead of basking in the glory of having him admit that I was right, I placed my hands on his shoulders and basked in something totally different. “I… I keep forgetting how fast you can move when you want to.”

A strange small smile played over his lips. “You haven’t seen anything yet, Alex.”

My pulse went into cardiac arrest territory. I was done arguing—done talking in general. Other things were on my mind. And I knew he was thinking the same. His hands moved down my arms to my hips. He tugged me forward, and the softest part of me pressed against his hardness.

Our mouths didn’t touch, but the rest of our bodies did. Neither of us moved. There was something primal in Aiden’s gaze, wholly possessive. I shivered—the good kind of shiver. All I could think about was how good, how right his body felt pressed against mine.

I cupped his face and then slid my fingers through his hair, amazed that the intensity of what I was feeling was stronger than any bond with Seth. Delicious sensations rolled through me as his hands tightened around my hips, and when he rocked against me, the way his hands trembled and the powerful way his body coiled completely undid me.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” he whispered, his eyes searching mine. “That I should’ve told you—”