Deity

“I know. It hurts.” Aiden’s gaze drifted over me. “It can’t be much longer.”

I squeezed my eyes shut as I curled toward Aiden. His soothing gestures helped ease some of the pain. I stiffened as blinding light flashed behind my eyes. A rushing filled my ears, and I could suddenly see the blue cord so strongly in my mind.

It was like a switch had been thrown.

Information rushed me all at once. Thousands of years of the Apollyon memories dumped into me just like Seth had warned they would. Like a digital download, I couldn’t keep up with it. Most of it didn’t make any sense. The words were in a different language—the one Aiden spoke so beautifully. The knowledge of how the Apollyon was born passed onto me, as did the nature of the elements and of the fifth and final one. Images flickered in and out—battles won and long since lost. I saw—I felt—akasha shooting through someone’s veins for the first time, igniting and destroying. Saving—saving all those lives. And the gods—I saw them through the eyes of the past Apollyons. There was a relationship there, strained and full of mutual distrust, but there was… and then I saw her. I knew it was Solaris, felt it in my core.

I saw her turning on a beautiful boy, raising her hands as she whispered words—powerful words. Akasha flared from her, and I knew in an instant that she had turned on the First. Not to kill him, because there was infinite love in her eyes, but to subdue him, to stop him. I grasped at the information, but it moved on through the years until the First… the First.

The cord was snapping, rushing out through space and distance, seeking, always seeking. I couldn’t stop it, didn’t know how to. An amber-colored glow covered everything. In a burst of swirling lights, a hazy face came into focus. The natural arch of his golden eyebrows, the wicked tilt to his lips and slant of his cheekbones were all painfully familiar. I couldn’t tell where he was. He shouldn’t have been there. We were too far apart.

But at the end of the cord, I saw Seth and I wept.

I knew in an instant that the distance between us had meant nothing when it came to our bond. It may have diminished our ability to feel each other, but it couldn’t prevent this. Not with the four marks, not when he had pulled on my own power. And I also knew Seth hadpla

A pulse of light went through my cord and I felt it—felt him—breaking through my shields, filling me, becoming a part of me. It took just a second— a secondand I was surrounded by him. I washim. There was no me in here, there was no room. It was all about him, always had been.

I couldn’t breathe anymore. He was there, under my skin, his heart beating next to mine. His thoughts were mixing with my own until all I could hear was him.

He opened his eyes. A light that had never been there before glowed from behind them.

Seth smiled.

Light crackled and flashed, and the world fell away.

I was shaking— no. I was being shaken. The pain receded slowly, leaving behind a raw stinging that covered every inch of my body. That, too, faded as my body was rocked back and forth. There were voices droning in the background, overshadowing the soothing words being whispered.

I inhaled deeply, breathing for what felt like the first time. There was so much in the air around me. The heavy scent of pine tainted the edges. I tasted spice and sea salt on the tip of my tongue.

“Agapi mou, open your eyes and talk to me.”

My eyes fluttered open. Everything… everything looked different—sharper and magnified. Lights dazzled, and colors shimmered in amber. I focused on the man cradling me. Eyes the color of heated silver stared down at me. They widened, pupils dilating. Shock shot across his striking features.

“No.” That one word sounded like it had been torn from the depths of Aiden’s soul.

A popping sound filled the room. Footsteps encroached upon us. Shapes came into focus, one burning brighter than the other.

Apollo peered over Aiden’s shoulder and swore. “Let her go, Aiden.”

His arms tightened around me instead, holding me close to his chest. To the end, I thought… foolishly brave and loyal to the end…

“Let her go now.” A door slammed shut somewhere behind the shining god. “She’s co

The First—my whole purpose for existing. Mine. My other half. He was here, waiting. Already inside me, seeing what I was seeing, whispering to me, promising me that he was coming. Seth. Mine.

And they all were going to die.

I smiled.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Short and sweet—Thank you to Kate Kaynak and the wonderful team at Spencer Hill Press: Marie Romero, Patricia Riley, Rich Storrs, and Rebecca Mancini. Another big thank you to Kevan Lyon, for being an awesome agent. Each time I write these, it gets harder and harder to make sure I’m getting everyone. So a big thank you to everyone who has supported the series and has wanted to take part in Alex’s journey, and who has kept me sane during the process.

Photo by Vania Stoyanova

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