Apollyon (Covenant #4)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  They came right at us.

  Aiden lurched to the side and twisted toward me. “Alex!” He threw one of the daggers.

  Leaping up, I caught the dagger as the first fury reached Aiden, its razor-sharp nails aimed right for his throat. He spun around, whipping out a sickle blade. In one smooth, elegant motion he brought the sharp edge of the blade down, severing the arm of the fury.

  It keened a mixture of a baby’s scream and a hyena’s as it arched up, clutching its bloody stump.

  Damn.

  With absolutely no time to run over to Aiden and give him a high-five, I pivoted and dipped as the second fury made a grab for my hair. Shooting up at the same moment the fury dive-bombed me, I shoved the blade deep into its sunken stomach.

  Its distorted face inches from mine, the fury opened its mouth, revealing a row of serrated teeth, and laughed.

  I bit back a gag. “Gods, your breath is kicking.” I pulled the blade free, revolted by the sucking sound. “For real.”

  Cocking its head to the side, it blinked. “Kicking?”

  “Yeah.” Spinning around, I planted my left foot and kicked out, catching the fury in the stomach. It flew back, smacking into the tree. “See? Kicking.”

  The other fury was going at Aiden with its one good arm, backing him up while avoiding the dangerous sickle. He glanced over at me and that tiny moment cost him.

  She knocked the sickle out of his hand with cackle. “Pretty pure-blood…”

  Forgetting about the god and the other fury, forgetting about everything other than Aiden, I raced forward, ignoring the ache building in my legs.

  Aiden dipped under the fury’s sweeping arm, popping up behind her, but she turned wicked fast and swung out, hitting Aiden along the chest with the broad side of her arm.

  He went down on one knee, staggered by the blow.

  Swiping the sickle off the ground, I yelled his name and repaid the favor by tossing the sickle to him. Aiden snapped it out of the air and rolled, narrowly missing the fury. It flew up and flipped over him, reaching down, grabbing a handful of his hair. She yanked his head back.

  “No!” My heart stopped—my world stopped.

  Akasha surged under my skin and the marks brightened. Each and every one of them burned and tingled with the power of the fifth element.

  Something snapped inside me; my vision dimmed, and then brightened. I heard nothing but my own thundering heart and the hum in the back of my head.

  Throwing my arm out, a bolt of intense blue light flared from my open palm and arced. My aim was off since I was going for the bitch’s head, but the bolt of energy clipped the fury’s wing, whirling her around.

  Absolute insanity broke out.

  Thanatos roared his rage. The fury shot into the air, but sputtered out with one wing and came spinning back down. Aiden darted to the side, but not fast enough. Weary from fighting me just like I was exhausted from our battle, she crashed into him and they rolled in a tangle of arms, blades, and deadly-sharp claws.

  Out of the corner of my eye, forms crested the valley—Solos and Marcus bearing sickle blades. Marcus? What the…?

  I shot toward the wrestling forms before me.

  Thanatos whipped around and extended an arm. He didn’t physically touch Solos, but boy did he fly like he’d been smacked with a cannonball. The half-blood Sentinel hit the tree with a loud grunt and dropped to his knees.

  The god turned his creeptastic eyes on my uncle and raised another hand. “Stand down, pure-blood, or you shall meet an untimely fate.”

  Marcus lowered his chin. “Sorry, but that’s my niece, so that’s not going to happen.”

  Something with sharp claws and rank breath caught hold of my hair and pulled hard. I hit the ground and in a heartbeat, air punched from my lungs. Scrambling to my knees, a second passed and the fury’s bare foot connected with my chin, snapping my head back.

  A metallic taste flooded my mouth. The dagger flew from my hands as pain radiated down my spine, exploding out over my nerves.

  Panic dug in—raw, unbridled panic.

  All around me the sounds of fighting escalated. There were grunts and yelps of pain. The fury that had kicked me into next week reared up, her fingers splaying. I stared, numb and unflinching as death…

  Death? It struck me then. They couldn’t kill me. Yeah, they could put a serious hurting on me, but kill me? No. I was the Apollyon. I wielded control over the four elements and the fifth and the most powerful—akasha. I fueled the God Killer. I was his power-up—the ace up his sleeve. I was the beginning and he was the end. And together… there was no together.

  There was just me.

  My eyes locked with the fury’s and I smiled.

  She hesitated.

  I snapped to my feet. “Bitch, please.”

  The fury’s mouth gaped open, and I summoned the air element, letting it go. The hurricane-force winds smacked into the fury and sent her flying back through the trees as if she was connected to a rope and Zeus himself had given a good old pull.

  “One down,” I said, turning around. “Who’s ne—?”

  Thanatos tossed Marcus to the ground, deflected Solos’ attack, and turned on me in a nanosecond. It was pretty epic.

  A bolt of white light flew from Thanatos’ hand and there wasn’t a single thing in this world that could move fast enough to avoid it. Not even Seth, I was betting.

  It hit me just below the chest, and my legs collapsed from underneath me. Red-hot, searing pain sliced through my skin and my face smacked off the ground. I didn’t even feel it. There was nothing but the razing pain locking up my muscles.

  God bolts sucked.

  Aiden yelled my name, and then I thought I heard my name called again, but it was inside my head, loud, and so very angry… and it sounded like Seth.

  Without any warning, the ground trembled under my twitching body. A flash of golden light cascaded through the clearing. Warmth stole over my body. Weakly, I lifted my head.

  Two leather-clad legs stood before me.

  “That is enough, Thanatos.” Apollo’s voice was calm, but it was that creepy, deadly calm I never wanted to be on the receiving end of.

  “N-n-nice of y-you to s-show up,” I gasped.

  “Shut up, Alex.” Apollo strode forward. A ray of light followed his steps.

  Thanatos held his ground. “She must be neutralized if we cannot kill her. Let me take care of this, Apollo. We must do something to prevent war.”

  “She broke the bond, you idiot.”

  The other god huffed. “Like that matters. Time will pass and she will connect with him again.”

  “It does matter!” Apollo roared. “If she is not connected with the First we are not to harm her! You—” Apollo growled at the increasingly close sound of hissing. “Call your two furies off or they will join their sister. I promise you.”

  “We must—”

  Too weak to hold my head up, I rested my forehead against the ground, but I didn’t need to see what happened to know that Apollo had lost his patience. Wind picked up and the ground shook. The two gods collided with a crack.

  I closed my eyes and hoped that Apollo had won this round, because there was no way I was fighting anymore. No way at all.

  Someone was body-slammed into the ground, followed by a quick succession of pops. The air crackled with electricity, and then silence, blissful silence.

  Strong hands gripped my arms and gently rolled me onto my back. I stared up into silver eyes. “Alex?”

  “I’m okay. Just… just a little twitchy. You?”

  Aiden had seen better days. Blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth. A bruise shadowed his jaw and the front of his shirt was torn, but he was alive and he was okay.

  His gaze scanned over me and then he lifted me up, not even bothering to put me on my feet. Holding me close, he turned and I surveyed the damage.

  Solos and Marcus stood near Apollo, who held one of the Covenant daggers in his hand. Blood dripped from the ed
ge, making me stare.

  Apollo glanced down at it and shrugged. “He’ll get over it.”

  I changed focus and stared at him.

  “But I’m going to have to answer for that, I think.” Apollo handed the dagger to a bruised Solos. “And it may take a few days…”

  Apollo stalked forward, stopping in front of us, and Aiden placed me down and stepped between us. The god smirked. “I know she’s broken the bond. Good to have you back, Alex.”

  “Yeah,” I breathed.

  He turned his attention to Aiden. “Keep the wards on the house until I can return. In the meanwhile, prepare for battle.”

  Battle? What the hell did he think we’d just done?

  Aiden nodded.

  The god took a breath and flexed his hands. “And you were right. I was wrong.”

  “I know,” Aiden said, and I glanced up, confused.

  Apollo turned to the other men and nodded. His form started to fade. “Wait,” I called out. There were so many questions I had, but all he did was look over his shoulder and smile.

  CHAPTER 8

  I don’t remember much of the trek back to the cabin. At some point, I’d wiggled enough to get free and walk, but I was moving so slowly and so pathetically that Aiden had finally stopped grumbling under his breath and picked me back up.

  I didn’t fight it after that. On my feet, I was more of a hindrance.

  The cabin was quiet upon our return. Marcus and Solos had limped off, no doubt to tend to their injuries. Somehow the rest of the occupants knew that right now wasn’t time for a welcome back to the world of the sane and logical. Aiden carried me up the stairs and down the narrow hall, toward the bedroom he’d slept in when I’d been on the Elixir. I remembered that, even when I’d been high on the happy drink, I’d sought out his presence and snuggled against him on the couch. My heart tripped up.

  Aiden started toward the bed, but I stopped him. “Shower,” I said hoarsely. “I need a shower.”

  “Yeah, you kind of do—we both do.” Pivoting around, he headed for the bathroom. There he placed me on my feet, his eyes shadowed with concern when I swayed a little. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m just tired. There’s nothing seriously wrong with me.” And that was true. I was bruised and sore, but that was all. And I was lucky, considering we’d just been in a death match with a god of death and two furies. “Are you…?”

  “I’m fine.” He stared a moment, then pressed a kiss on my cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay.” I was a zombie on my feet.

  His eyes searched my face with such stark relief that I gripped the sink. “Don’t hog all the hot water, all right?” he said.

  That brought a small smile to my lips. As soon as he left, I turned slowly to the shower and twisted the faucets. Pulling off my ruined clothing was a painful experience. Every muscle ached and it took a few minutes. By the time I stepped into the stall, steam filled the bathroom.

  I was probably going to use a week’s worth of hot water while Aiden most likely was rallying the troops and convincing them that I wasn’t a sociopath anymore.

  I shivered under the stream, pressing my face to my hands. They shook. I shook. I moved them to the chain around my neck, slid my fingers to the rose. Something so small had been the one thing to break the connection.

  But it wasn’t the rose itself, but what it symbolized—Aiden’s love for me and how I felt for him—something pure and natural, an emotion not forced. Seeing that had broken the bond between Seth and me.

  Bringing the crystal to my lips, I pressed a kiss against the rose.

  The bond was broken, but Seth was still there… at the end of the cord slumbering in the pit of my stomach. Gods, he’d been so furious, murderous really, but shock had rippled through our bond the second before it had ended. And then again, when Thanatos had hit me with the god bolt, he had been there like a creepy stalker with a one-way ticket to my brain.

  Seth hadn’t believed I’d be capable of breaking the bond. And how far would this have gone if I hadn’t?

  They’ll come to kill you. And although Thanatos didn’t have the juice to carry it out, he sure as hell didn’t have a problem putting a hurting on me—or anyone who defended me. People could’ve died today because of me.

  I sucked in a sharp breath.

  And why had Aiden blocked Apollo from the cabin? What happened to that love-fest?

  Gods, there were so many questions, and I was too weary for this right now. I needed a moment to regroup. I needed a bed after this shower.

  Water streamed over my body, over skin that was as bruised as my insides, and plastered my hair to my back. Closing my eyes, I lifted my chin and let the showerhead do its thing, erasing the tears that had clung to my lashes with a death grip, clearing my mind of everything.

  There would be time to ask those questions, to plan Seth’s very painful death, and to find my father, but right now, I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t think about anything other than right now, right this moment, because everything was too raw and too fresh to delve into.

  I heard the bathroom door close and I kept my eyes screwed shut, but my heart rate skyrocketed into uncharted territories. I folded my arms around me and held my breath.

  There was the slightest movement behind me. Skin brushed against mine. A fine shiver rolled up my spine. An infinite spark transferred between us, something that couldn’t be replicated or forced. How could I’ve forgotten that when connected with Seth? My heart turned over heavily.

  Aiden brushed the mass of thick hair over one shoulder and his lips met the space between my neck and shoulder. His hands slid down the slick skin of my arms, cupping over my elbows and then to my wrists. Gently, slowly, he eased my arms to my sides.

  I bit down on my lip and my legs started trembling. But he was there. Like always, holding me up when I couldn’t stand and letting me go when he knew I needed him to. He was more than just a shelter. Aiden was my other half, my equal. And he needed no weird Apollyon connection.

  Aiden waited, still as a statue, patient as ever, until my muscles unlocked, one by one. Then his hands dropped to my waist and he turned me toward him. A heartbeat passed and he placed his fingers on my chin, tipping my head back.

  I opened my eyes, blinking the wetness off my lashes, and the air hitched in my throat. Faint, purplish bruises shadowed his jaw. There was a cut over the bridge of his nose. No doubt injuries I had given him.

  “I’m so sorry, Aiden.” My voice cracked. “I can’t say it enough. I know, but I’m so—”

  He dipped his head and his mouth brushed mine, silencing my words. My lips opened to his, as did my heart and everything else. The sweet and tender kiss, well, it lessened the heaviness, eased some of the guilt and shame. My skin—my insides—were scraped and aching, but his touch soothed the frayed edges. I imagined it was the same for Aiden. Gods, it was probably worse for him, considering everything I had done and said. What he’d had to do, to sacrifice, to keep me safe.

  The kiss deepened, flipping and twisting my insides into a pleasant mess, and it was like the very first time we’d kissed. Sensations raced over my skin, my heart sang, and the feeling unfurling in the pit of my stomach was better than tapping into akasha, stronger and more addicting. He kissed me like he’d never expected to do so again, as if he could somehow kiss away the weeks.

  I placed my hands on his upper arms. His muscles coiled under them as he lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around him. Desire wasn’t the only thing between us. There was so much more: forgiveness, acceptance, relief, and most importantly, love.

  Not the kind of love that was fueled by need and that destroyed cities and entire civilizations, but the kind that rebuilt them, that much I knew.

  Keeping an arm around my waist, his other hand tangled in my wet hair. And we didn’t stop kissing, because this was right and that was all that mattered. My heart was pounding way too fast, but it was perfect, it was like coming home after never belie
ving I’d be able to.

  I don’t know how we made it to the bed or if the water was ever turned off in the shower. But we were together, our bodies slippery, our wet hair soaking the sheets we were tangled in. And then we were tangled, our legs and arms. His hands were everywhere, paying reverence to the many scars on my body. His lips followed, and I grew reacquainted with the hard muscles of his stomach, the feel of him.

  I glanced down at my body, surprised to see the marks of the Apollyon glowing faintly as they swirled across my skin, forming one rare symbol and then another.

  “What?” Aiden cupped my cheek, drawing my eyes back to his. “Is this too fast? I should—”

  “No. No, it’s… it’s the marks of the Apollyon. They’re kind of doing their thing right now.”

  “Should I be worried?”

  I laughed self-consciously, feeling like one of those venomous snakes that warned of its poison in its vibrant colors. “I think they like you.”

  Aiden’s hand slid off my cheek, down my throat, to right below my chest. The marks slid toward his hand, as if drawn to him. Maybe they were. I wasn’t sure how the marks worked. The answer probably lay in the thousands of years of memories, but that was like digging for a needle in a pile of needles.

  “I saw them,” he said, his voice raw and deep and his eyes like pools of liquid silver. “When you Awakened, and when you went on the Elixir.” His brows drew tight as he smoothed his hand over my hip. “They were beautiful.”

  “Really?” I felt beautiful when he looked at me, even all tattooed up.

  “Yes. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.”

  A long, agonizing moment passed as he hovered above me, his eyes locked onto mine, his body coiled tight like a rope ready to snap. And when he did, his lips found mine and there was a sound that came from the back of his throat that seared me. Our bodies met and for a few moments, neither of us moved, and then we did, our voices soft whispers in the dark room.

  Sometime later, we lay facing each other, his hand wrapped around my smaller one. Our bodies were pressed close. Exhaustion dogged me now, and Aiden, too—had been for weeks. The fighting and everything else had tipped us over the edge. Sleep claimed me first. I only knew this because I could feel Aiden’s gaze on my face, and seconds before I slipped away I felt his lips on my forehead.