“No,” he said quietly. “It’s not.”
And I still had to tell him about the demigod. “What happened to her isn’t the only thing. Luke and Deacon think they’ve figured out who the last demigod is.”
Tiredness settled into his features. “Am I going to want to hear this?”
“Probably not.”
“Then pull it off like a Band-Aid.”
I scooted to the edge of the couch. “They think it’s Ares’s son.”
Seth’s brows lifted. A moment passed. “You’re shitting me?”
“No. I’m not.”
“Why? Why do they think this?”
“There have been a lot of fights in the town he lives in. Like way too many, and they think it’s his presence. Take Cora, for example. Even though her abilities haven’t been unlocked, she was able to bring back dead plants.” I paused, remembering what happened today. “Oh, and by the way, she can tell when someone is sick or pregnant. Luke and Deacon and Gable now know.”
Seth stared at me.
“She didn’t mean to do it. She looked at me and saw that I was pregnant, and kind of blurted it out.” I shrugged. “Kind of freaky if you think about it.”
He gave a little shake of his head. “All righty then. Hell, I don’t know what to think.” Pushing away from the counter, he walked over to the couch and sat next to me. “I don’t care about them knowing. The other stuff? Strange how the dead still have a way of screwing things up.” His head fell back and his gaze slid to me. “I’m guessing Alex heard about the demigod. How did she take it?”
“It freaked her out a little.” Shifting toward him, I drew one leg up onto the couch. “I don’t think she was expecting that.”
Seth closed his eyes. At that moment, he looked so incredibly young. Dirty. But young. There was a vulnerability in the lines of his face that I knew he didn’t let anyone else see.
“I can’t say I’m surprised,” he said after a moment. “I mean, it’s like fate just keeps on screwing with everyone for shits and giggles.”
My gaze dropped to his ruined shirt. “I’m sure Aiden or Marcus or someone is going to want to talk to you about Ares, but before then, what…what happened today? I know you saw Zeus. Aiden said so. Did you two…fight?”
Rolling his lower lip between his teeth, he turned his head away from me. “We didn’t fight.”
Shock rendered me speechless for several moments. “You didn’t?”
“Sounds unbelievable, but it’s true. Zeus didn’t even attempt to go at me.”
I leaned forward. “And you?”
“I didn’t try anything. He wanted to talk.”
My brows furrowed. “But then why do you look like you went toe to toe with a pile of dirt?”
The quick twist of his lips was good. “That came after Zeus left.”
Reaching out, I poked his thigh. “You’re going to have to give more detail.”
His chest rose with a heavy breath. “Have you seen the news today?”
That wasn’t a question I was expecting. “No, I haven’t. Why?”
A second went by and Seth opened his eyes. “Zeus just wanted to talk. Well, it was more like he wanted to give advice, and I saw some things.”
None of that was making sense. “What did you see?”
A muscle worked along his jaw, and I began to get really, really worried. “Death. A lot of unnecessary, preventable death.”
I stilled. “What…do you mean?”
“Tethys caused a tsunami and destroyed Long Beach,” he said, and my breath caught. “She was apparently angry over Hyperion getting killed, so she absolutely destroyed the area. Killed hundreds, if not more. That was what Zeus showed me.”
I opened my mouth, but I was once again struck silent.
Seth lowered his head and looked over at me. “I know I didn’t kill those people myself, but my actions caused their deaths. Some of them…they were kids, Josie. I pulled children out of broken and half-washed-away homes.”
Sucking in a sharp breath, all I could do was stare.
“I know I didn’t do that to them, but I caused that and I…” He exhaled roughly. “Zeus said something to me that was so damn right.”
“What?” I whispered.
“He said I didn’t want to follow in their footsteps, and I don’t. They’ve spent thousands of years screwing things up by acting selfish or rash.” His haunted gaze held mine. “And I did the same thing.”
I stiffened. “Seth—”
“I did, Josie. We can all be honest here. With Atlas, I get a pass. I reacted right then and there, having no idea what I was at that time. I wasn’t in the…right mind, but Hyperion? I knew what I was doing. I was getting revenge. I’m man enough to admit that. And the most messed up thing? I still don’t regret killing him. I regret what my actions have caused, but I…” Leaning forward, he folded his hands under his chin and stared straight ahead. “Zeus knows you’re pregnant.”
I gasped. “Is that bad? That sounds bad.”
“I don’t think it is. I don’t think he wants to cause either of us harm. At least not right now,” he added, and I wasn’t sure if I should feel relief or not. “And he asked me a question, Josie. He asked me if this was a world I wanted to bring a child into.”
Closing my eyes, I sank into the couch. That was a horrible question to pose to Seth after showing him what Tethys had done because of Hyperion’s death.
“And I don’t want to bring our child into a world like that, but most importantly I don’t want our child to grow up and have to learn what I’ve done. Who I am.”
My eyes flew up. “You’re an amazing—”
“I’ve done a lot of bad, Josie.” He was still looking at me, his pupils slightly dilated. “A lot of bad shit, and I wanted to be better for you. Killing Hyperion may make you safer, but it didn’t make me better.”
“I know you have done bad stuff, but that isn’t the sum of who you are.” My heart was cracking for him. “You are making amends. You have made amends. You’re not a bad person, and I know, without a doubt, that our child will never be ashamed of who his father is.”
His throat worked on a visible swallow and when he spoke, his voice was hoarse. “I want that to be true. I need that to be true.”
Tears scalded the back of my throat as I rose. Seth opened his arms, and I didn’t care that he was dirty and covered with God knew what. I clambered into his lap, wriggling my arms behind him. He folded one hand behind my head, his fingers curling through my hair. He tugged me tight against his chest, so close I could feel his heart pounding. A deep shudder rolled through him, and my breath caught.
I wanted nothing more than to make him feel better, but how could I? What could I say? Any niceties would just be lies, and Seth would know that. No matter what, his actions had caused what happened in Long Beach and in L.A., and even if it was indirectly, it didn’t matter.
Actions had reactions, and he knew this.
It was something he was going to have to live with. All I could do was lessen what I knew he was already doing to himself. All I could do was help him.
I kissed his dirty cheek and then his sweat-covered brow. Tears dampened my eyelashes as he tilted his head up and I brought my lips to his, kissing him deeply as I dragged my hands free from behind his back. I clasped his cheeks.
“There’s only one option, then,” I said, drawing back so we were eye to eye. “We’ll make that true.”
Chapter 8
Josie
Seth told me what he saw in Long Beach: the destruction and the death, the heartbreak he witnessed as people pulled their loved ones out of rubble. He knew the exact number of those he found who’d passed away.
Fifty-six.
Four of them were children.
My heart broke for them and it shattered for Seth, because this…this was a hard lesson to learn—a lesson that wouldn’t be forgotten for a long time.
Comforting someone who was basically responsible for an unnatura
l disaster wasn’t something I was particularly skilled at, but I quickly realized that all I needed to do was let him talk and just be there.
And I meant what I’d said to him earlier. I would do anything and everything to make sure that Seth saw that he was going to be the most wonderful father and that our child would never grow up to be ashamed of him or fear him.
When Seth finally fell asleep on the couch, I think it was more a case of passing out from exhaustion than anything else. So I curled up against him, my hand on his chest. I feel asleep that way, feeling his deep and even breaths.
I wasn’t sure how many hours had passed when I felt an arm snag me around the waist and tug me to the side. I ended up against a warm, hard chest, and I blinked my eyes open.
Thick, dusky lashes lifted and two amber-colored eyes met mine. “Hey,” he murmured.
Sleep clung to my thoughts as I realized we were in bed, lying on our sides, facing one another, and Seth’s hair was damp, his face free of dirt. “How did we get in bed?”
“I carried you in here a couple of hours ago. You’ve been dead asleep. Didn’t even wake when I got your shoes and jeans off. Or when I took a shower.” He tucked a strand of my hair back from my face. “Or when I got back in bed.”
“Really?” I yawned. “What time is it?”
“Pretty early.” His hand left my hair and he trailed the tips of his fingers over my brow. “Sorry to pass out on you on the couch.”
“It’s okay.”
A different kind of smile played out on his lips. Not a bad one. More of a boyish one. “You’re lying.”
“Na-uh,” I murmured.
“That couch is about as comfortable as a two by four.” His finger skipped down the center of my nose. “Then again, I was there, so it was probably the best sleep you’ve ever had.”
I let out a sleepy laugh. “Your ego never fails to amaze me.”
His gaze searched mine as his finger found its way to my bottom lip. “You never fail to amaze me.”
“Why? Was I snoring again?”
He chuckled. “No. But the fact something so beautiful can sound like Chewbacca getting run over by a van is pretty amazing.”
“I do not sound like that.” The sleep was finally clearing from my thoughts. “You’re a liar-liar, pants on fire.”
Seth winked, and I rolled my eyes. “But I wasn’t talking about that. You just…you amaze me, Josie.”
A goofy grin tugged at my lips. “I do?”
“Yeah.” His finger dipped to my chin. “I just thought I’d let you know that.”
“Thank you.” Faint light tracked underneath the blinds, washing over the curve of Seth’s cheek. “How are you feeling this morning?”
There was a time that Seth probably would’ve shut down and not answered the question. Made some joke and laughed it off. He didn’t do that now.
“I’m okay,” he said. His lashes lowered as he dragged his finger down the center of my throat. “Thinking about things, about what I saw, but I’m…okay. You?”
“The same.” I placed my hand on his bare chest, and he jerked a little at my touch. I liked that, knowing that something as simple as me touching him had such an effect on him.
His gaze flickered over my face. “I owe you a thank you.”
My brow puckered. “For what?”
“For last night. For just being there and listening to me.” His finger skated around the edge of my collar. “You have no idea what that means to me.”
I think I knew how important it was. “I’m always going to be there for you. No matter what. I love you, Seth”
Those three little words had been so hard to speak before. There’d been a time when I didn’t have the courage to say them. Now I wanted to shout them from a rooftop like a goofball.
His eyes heated to a warm, tawny color. “Say it again,” he whispered, pleaded really.
My gaze met his and I said it again and then again, and I kept saying it until his mouth silenced me. His lips were gentle on mine, a sweet sweep that was at such odds with his enormous strength and power, and even though it was such a gentle touch of his mouth to mine, I felt it in every part of me. Seth kissed me softly as he lifted up just enough so that I could see him. He leaned back. Guiding my hand off his chest, he clasped his fingers around mine and drew our joined hands to his mouth. He kissed the center of my palm.
“I will never get tired of hearing that.” Lowering my hand back to his chest, to where his heart beat so strongly, he then folded his hand around the back of my neck. “And I’ll never stop feeling it. What I feel for you increases every waking moment and sometimes that scares the hell out of me, but I love you. Yesterday. Today. A thousand tomorrows from now, I will be in love with you.”
Warmth poured into me. Hearing those words was like basking in the sun, and Seth drove those words home with a kiss that went beyond the soft, gentle one we’d just shared. The way he kissed me was as if he was claiming me with the act, and I was claiming him in return.
What we felt for one another was said over and over again in every kiss and every touch. Somehow the blanket got pulled down and then Seth’s hands gripped my hips. He pulled me to him, pressing his body to mine. The loose sweats he wore proved to be a thin barrier between our bodies, and the minty taste of his kisses and the way his hard body felt against mine made me greedy.
I wanted more—wanted him so badly that not only every part of me ached, but the wanting went beyond the physical, deeper, etching into my skin, seeping through my bones and settling in my muscles.
It was crazy how intense all of this could still feel—as if it were our first time kissing one another, touching one another. Maybe that was what being in love did. I had nothing to compare it to, but I like to think that was why. It had to be, because each time was like this, like it was our first and it would be our last.
“Beautiful,” he said, voice thick as he trailed his fingers across the tip of one breast. I jerked as my heart jackhammered as his hand dipped, drifting over my stomach in a way that was reverent. His lashes lifted as his stare pierced me. “And I know in the upcoming months, you’re going to become even more beautiful.”
My heart swelled so fast and so big I thought I’d float right up to the ceiling. He meant that. There was no denying the truth in his words.
Then he was kissing me again, and these moments, those words he’d just spoken, were precious and powerful.
His lips skated over the curve of my jaw, toward my ear. A shiver danced over my skin as a heady flush followed, causing my muscles to tighten. “I know we have a busy day ahead of us.”
“We do,” I whispered back.
He kissed the corner of my lip as he drew back. “I know we need to get with the rest of them and talk about what happened here yesterday.”
I cleared my throat as I let my eyes drift shut. “Yeah.”
He started a line of tiny kisses that trailed from my chin down my throat and then further still. “And then we need to talk about this demigod.”
My fingers dug into the comforter when his mouth found his way to one of my breasts, stopped and then lingered, drawing a shuddering gasp from me.
Then his lips skimmed over my ribs, hitting a ticklish spot. “We need to get that demigod before the Titans do. If he’s anything like his father, we don’t want the Titans deciding he’s more valuable than being a battery pack for them.”
That was true. Especially if he was able to influence others to become violent. That was a useful talent for those with nefarious goals.
He kissed just below my belly button. “But there’s something we need to do first.”
My thoughts were a bit scattered. “What is that?”
“You didn’t go to the infirmary yesterday, right?”
“No.” I opened my eyes and tilted my chin down so I could see him. “I wanted you to be there even if they just tell us we have to go somewhere else.”
Seth looked up and grinned in a way that caused my heart
to flop around. “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
His gaze coasted over me. “We need to do that first before the day gets crazy.”
“Agreed.” I caught his gaze and grinned. “We should get ready right now.”
Chuckling, Seth rose once more, climbing over me. “Oh, we are not doing that right now.”
“We’re not?” I placed my hands on his warm shoulders.
His arms were huge and powerful as they came down on either side of my head, planting deep into the mattress. “I think I must’ve misspoken,” he said, his lips brushing mine. “There is one other thing we are going to do first.”
My stomach fluttered. “And what is that?”
“Well, it’s something you’re going to do first.”
Air hitched in my throat as his mouth took control of mine. Folding my arms around him, I held him close. His tongue swept over mine. Then Seth was on the move again, sliding down and taking his sweet time doing so. Somehow my panties were gone. There was nothing between my skin and his hands and mouth. It had to be godly magic, because they seemed to disappear, and then I realized it was magic, because his tongue found the oddly sensitive crease between my thigh and hipbone. I lost my grip on his hair as he worked his way down my inner thigh, nipping at my skin and then soothing the illicit little sting with his tongue. Each sweep of his tongue was like touching a live wire.
I shuddered as his warm breath drifted over the most intimate part of me. “What…what am I going to do first?”
His lips tilted in a downright wicked, mischievous grin. “You’re going to scream my fucking name.”
~
Seth
With Josie’s hand firmly wrapped around mine, we followed the walkway to the two-story building adjacent to the training facilities.
It was still early and only a few students were out milling around, most of them heading to the cafeteria for breakfast.
The sun was bright, the air was warming up, and what I’d done to Josie in that bed still had my body thrumming. Yesterday was fucked up in a whole lot of ways, but today…today was already better.
The Prophecy Page 8
