Apollyon (Covenant #4)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  As I stared at him and saw the steely resolve in the lines of his striking face, I realized something. Actually, it was like being hit by a seven-ton truck.

  I needed to put my big-girl panties on—like, for real.

  Deacon had been right. A part of me had accepted that my death would be inevitable since I’d left the Underworld, that in the end Fate would find a way to win. Me—I’d felt this way—believed it. Me? The girl who pretty much said F.U. to everything, especially Fate.

  Holy crap…

  Sort of stunned, I faced the front of the vehicle. I was better than this—better than wallowing in my own pity. And I was a hell of a lot better than letting Fate control me. I wasn’t weak. I’d never been a quitter before. I was born to be the ultimate warrior. So if anyone could walk out of this situation unscathed, it should be me.

  It would be me.

  Because I was a fighter. Because I didn’t quit. Because I was strong.

  As the front end of Solos’ Hummer reached the midway part of ours, there was a distinct popping sound and their car suddenly jerked to the left.

  “Holy crap,” Deacon gasped. “They’re shooting at them—”

  Our back window exploded. Glass shattered and rained through the car. I spun in my seat, finding that Luke had Deacon plastered against the seat. I didn’t see my uncle.

  “Marcus?”

  “I’m okay,” he called out.

  “Alex, get down.” Aiden kept a tight grip on the steering wheel with one hand as he reached for me, grabbing my arm and yanking me down.

  Marcus popped up and returned fire in a quick succession. Tires squealed; the Hummer next to us jerked again, and then flew ahead in a roar. I couldn’t believe they were actually shooting at us. And then it struck me. They didn’t care about anyone else in the vehicle. They knew I’d survive the crash one way or another.

  They were going to keep shooting until they made us crash.

  Another pop, and the window beside Aiden blew out. Shards of glass flew sideways, pelting Aiden and me. He winced, and I was so over this.

  “Stop the car,” I said.

  “What?” Aiden’s hand pressed down on my back as he sped up, putting some distance between us and the vehicle full of psychopaths.

  I struggled up. “Stop the car!”

  He glanced at me, and gods know what he saw in my eyes, but he cursed under his breath and veered onto the shoulder. The other vehicles shot past us, the sound of their tires squealing on the pavement.

  Before Aiden could stop me, I threw the door open. Another curse exploded from him and I heard Marcus yell out, “What the hell?”

  I slipped out of the Hummer, keeping low. There was one dagger attached to my thigh, but that wasn’t what I needed.

  Aiden slid out the passenger side, eyes narrowed on me. He had a gun in one hand. “What are you doing?”

  “Good question.” Luke shoved Deacon onto the embankment. “Stopping doesn’t seem like the smart thing to do.”

  “I can’t believe they are actually shooting at us. Us?” Deacon started to stand up. “What is wrong—?”

  “Stay down!” Aiden twisted toward, pointing at Luke. “Keep him alive or—”

  “I know.” Luke yanked Deacon down and behind him. “Nothing will happen to him.”

  Up ahead, Solos had pulled over and they all spilled out of the car, keeping to the passenger side. I breathed a sigh of relief and then edged toward the front of the Hummer.

  “Alex!” Aiden followed in a crouch. “What are—?”

  The two vehicles had turned around and were nearly on us. There was really no time to think about what I was doing. Using the speed that all halfs have, and the extra oomph of the Apollyon, I darted around the bumper and into the lane.

  Aiden let out a ripe curse.

  I was bathed in headlights as I threw up my hand, summoning the element of air. It was like unlocking a door inside me. Power rushed from the inside then spread out, slipping over my skin. Air barreled down the highway, blowing past me, faster and stronger than what a pure could wield. Hurricane-force winds slammed into the first Hummer.

  It went up on two wheels, tires spinning in the air as the headlights pierced the night sky. The Hummer hovered there a second, and then flipped over the second vehicle. Through the air it tipped over and over—something was flung from one of the windows, perhaps a person.

  Seatbelts save lives.

  The first Hummer landed on its roof. Metal crunched and groaned, then gave way. The one behind it spun to the right to avoid a direct collision. Amber-colored sparks flew.

  The doors on the second opened and I counted six Sentinels garbed in black. They were halfs, playing on the wrong side of the field.

  One charged forward, and I flung him into the thick elms that crowded the roadway with a flick of my wrist. There was a sickening crunch upon impact that said that tool would be out of commission for a while.

  A second brandished two Covenant daggers as he headed straight for me. “Come with us and we’ll let your friends live.”

  I tipped my head to the side and smiled. “Well, isn’t that cliché as hell? How about this—turn away and I might let you live.”

  Apparently the Sentinel didn’t understand English, because he lurched at me. I stepped to the side, reaching up and catching his arm. I swung it down as I brought my knee up, making contact just above the elbow. Bones snapped and the Sentinel yelped. Swinging behind him, I caught his other arm and twisted. His back bowed and the dagger fell to the pavement.

  Marcus appeared in front of us. Without blinking an eye, he shoved a dagger into the chest of the Sentinel I’d dropped. The man didn’t even make a sound.

  I let go, and his body fell to the street.

  My eyes met my uncle’s. A second later he had the Glock raised and aimed. I was so close I saw the tiny spark as the trigger pulled. Gasping, I spun around.

  The bullet smacked between the eyes of a female Sentinel.

  “Geez,” I said, stumbling back.

  “They know they can’t kill you.” Marcus grabbed my arm and shoved me back toward the Hummer. “But I do believe they wish to take you in, no matter what your condition is.”

  “I’m starting to see that.”

  Solos and Aiden were working on two Sentinels. Looking behind me, I saw that Olivia and Lea had two more cornered. My attention swung back to the crumpled Hummer.

  There were halfs in that car, and as expected, they weren’t down for the count. Another six piled out. Feeling the rush of adrenaline coiling tight around the cord, I shot forward with Marcus right behind me.

  I reached a Sentinel, gripping the dagger in my right hand. He dove at me, but I ducked under his arm, faster than the half-blood’s eyes could track. Swinging around, I caught him in the back with my boot and he went down on one knee. Something inside me turned off as I gripped his hair and yanked his head back. These weren’t Sentinels. They were enemies, like daimons. I couldn’t think of it any other way. I brought the dagger down in a clean and quick kill.

  Hearing pounding footsteps behind me, I whirled and jerked to the side, narrowly missing a meaty fist to the face. Springing into the air, I spun and delivered a nasty I-hope-someone-sees-this-spin kick.

  The Sentinel hit the ground, clutching what was most likely a broken jaw. Flipping the dagger over, I started forward. Man, I sort of missed fighting with Apollo. We’d be keeping count—

  Hands grabbed my shoulders and yanked me back. I hit the pavement and slid. Pain burst along my spine and I stared up, stunned.

  A dark-skinned Sentinel stared down at me. “You could make this—” His words were choked off. Something wet and warm sprayed into the air. His body went in one direction and his head went in the other.

  I rolled onto my knees, clamping my mouth shut against the urge to hurl.

  Olivia stepped back, her gaze flicking from me to the dagger. “That… that was nothing like what they teach you in class.”

  Pushin
g to my feet, I shook my head. Was this the first time Olivia had fought? For her first kill to be another Sentinel… I didn’t know what to say. And we didn’t have time for a therapy session.

  Broken Jaw was standing. He spun around, his dagger arced low. I felt the hiss of the sharp blade along my stomach. Material split, but that was as close as he got.

  Aiden appeared behind him and gripped the sides of his head. There was a quick twist, another sound that would creep back in and replay over and over again later, and then the Sentinel dropped.

  Aiden’s eyes met mine and they were the color of steel. “Even though that display of power was hot as hell, try not to run out in traffic anymore.”

  I started to respond, but a shadow slipped up behind him. My heart stopped. “Aiden!”

  Before I could even raise a hand, he spun around like the wind, letting go of the dagger. It smacked into the chest of the white-garbed Guard sneaking up on him. Darting forward, he pulled the blade free before the Guard collapsed, and then threw it again, taking out the other Guard who’d cornered Solos.

  Damn. Aiden was a badass ninja.

  Only a couple of minutes had passed and we’d been lucky so far, but approaching headlights warned that we were out of luck.

  “Olivia, get Lea and go around to the other side of the car.”

  Her gaze dipped to the fallen Sentinel once more and then she nodded, taking off. She grabbed Lea’s arm and pulled her toward where Luke and Deacon started to emerge from the embankment.

  A sedan stopped behind the crumpled Hummer. Sheathing the dagger, I jogged up to the car just as the driver’s window rolled down. A middle-aged mortal surveyed the scene with growing horror.

  “Oh, my God,” he said, holding a cell phone. “I can call for help—is that a body?”

  I knelt down, forcing the mortal to look me in the eye. “There’s nothing to see here. You will see nothing as you drive past. You will go home and… kiss your wife or whatever.”

  The mortal blinked slowly and then nodded. “I’m not married.”

  Whoops. “Uh, do you have a girlfriend?”

  He nodded, eyes trained on mine.

  “Okay… then go kiss her and tell her… that you love her?” Gods, I sucked at compulsions. “Anyway, go. There’s nothing going on here. Move along.”

  As the car drove past, I turned to find Solos gaping at me. “What?” I demanded.

  “Did you just Jedi-mind trick him?”

  A small grin pulled at my lips. “I’ve always wanted to say that.”

  “Dear gods,” he mumbled, turning back.

  Shrugging, I followed him and passed Aiden. He was stopping at each body, placing two fingers on the still forms. I watched as sparks flew from his fingers and traveled over the bodies with an unnatural quickness. Violet-hued flames covered the fallen, and within seconds nothing remained but ashes. The air was thick with the scent of juniper, blood, and burnt flesh and metal.

  South Dakota had never smelled more gross.

  When Aiden headed toward the two Hummers, I turned and saw a body near the rear of our car. Swallowing down the bitter taste building in my throat, I went to the Sentinel and knelt. As weak as it sounds, I couldn’t look at his face as I placed my hand on the motionless shoulder. It too became nothing but ashes.

  Heart heavy, I stood. “Sorry.”

  Aiden reappeared, taking my hand. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded. “You?”

  “Yes.” His gaze moved to the pile of ashes and his hand tightened. “We need to get going.”

  On the other side of the Hummer, two Sentinels were on their knees before Solos in the dirt and gravel. I recognized one of them as the guy I’d flung into the tree. Both were bruised and bloodied.

  “Who is the god behind this?” Solos demanded.

  One lifted his head and spat a mouthful of blood. Tree Guy laughed.

  “Did I say something funny?” Solos knelt before them. “I didn’t think so. I’ll ask one more time. Who is the god behind this?”

  “Kill us now, because we aren’t going to talk.” Tree Guy lifted his head and his gaze settled on me. “You guys can’t win in this. They are going to change the world, and if you stand in their way, they will destroy you.”

  I stepped forward. “By ‘they’ you mean Seth, Lucian, and this god? You do realize that not a single one of them gives a flying monkey’s ass about halfs, right?”

  Tree Guy laughed again, the sound broken and chipped. “And you do realize that you can’t escape him, Apollyon?”

  Anger flared. “I think I’m doing a pretty good job at staying away from Seth, jerk-face.”

  The other Sentinel arched a brow. “Do you think we’re talking about the First?” He laughed. “You have no idea what you’ve stepped in, little girl. This is bigger than you and the First, bigger than a simple Council seat.”

  A shiver shot straight down my spine and I took an involuntary step back. “What is?”

  Neither of the men answered. They said nothing as Solos questioned them about Lucian’s plans. Marcus stepped in then, but when he used compulsion on them, they remained silent.

  “They’re not going to talk,” Marcus said, hands clenched at their sides. “Either it’s a stronger compulsion than a pure can do, or it’s blind loyalty. Either way, we are wasting precious time and risking too much.”

  “We can’t let them go,” Aiden said quietly.

  My heart sank a little in spite of the fact that, if given the chance, these two men would slit the throats of those standing next to me. They were young, maybe a few years older than me—too young to be out here, about to die. But Aiden was right; we couldn’t let them go.

  Marcus quickly rounded up Deacon and the others, taking them back behind the damaged Hummer Solos had been driving. It was still drivable, but would draw attention if we had the thing out during the day.

  Placing my hand on Aiden’s arm, I twisted toward him. “I can—”

  “No.” He used that voice that I’d come to loathe and respect—the no argument tone. “You will not do this.”

  Laadan, who’d stayed out of the fight with Deacon, turned away.

  I wanted to, because an execution was the last thing I wanted to see, but as Aiden broke free of my side and headed toward them, I forced myself to stand still. If he had to do this, then I had to witness it. It was the most I could do, and the least.

  Aiden moved lightning fast. The kills were clean and quick. They hadn’t felt it. Their bodies slumped forward, separated from their heads.

  No matter how quick and painless Aiden had made it, I knew that he would feel this in the dark corners of his soul for a long time to come.

  CHAPTER 31

  Back on the highway, I tried not to let the chilly wind blowing in my face get on my nerves. Things could be worse. People I care about could have ended up dead. They could’ve been like those unfortunate souls we’d put down like rabid dogs.

  Right now, we all had it pretty good, with the exception of that creeptastic warning the Sentinel had given us—or me.

  Glancing at Aiden for like the hundredth time since we’d gotten back into the car, I chewed on my lower lip.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” he said, not taking his eyes off the road.

  I took a deep breath. “So, we know that the god is a ‘he’, and apparently I don’t know what I’m stepping in.”

  “Do any of us know what we’re stepping in?” Luke commented dryly.

  “I don’t think we do,” I said, staring at the dark stretch of highway. “Was it just me, or did it sound like they were loyal to the god, and not Lucian or Seth?”

  “That’s the way it sounded to me,” Aiden said.

  “Unless even their loyalty came from a compulsion.” Marcus sounded bone-weary. “But it doesn’t matter. Loyalty is just as bad as a compulsion. The end result is the same.”

  I nodded. “I wonder if Lucian or Seth know. I mean, I know it doesn’t matter, but Seth and Lucian both have
egos the size of a god’s. If they think they have complete control over their army or whatever, but they really don’t? That isn’t going to be pretty.”

  “Who knows how much they really know?” Aiden gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles bleached. “This god could be promising Lucian the head of the Council or gods know what else. And Seth, well he… he will have everything he wants.”

  Hot and uncomfortable knots twisted my insides. Seth had said the same thing, but what he wanted—love and acceptance—he’d never get this way. It would be a caricature of the real thing. One day he might realize that, and it would be too late… for all of us.

  And gods, he did deserve better than this. I knew I shouldn’t think that, but I did.

  Letting out a low breath, I tipped my head toward the passenger window and watched the blur of dark trees. Most of South Dakota was prairie land, but the Black Hills were something else entirely. Trees clustered together, so thick that no one could see what rested beyond. Somewhere up ahead, the University was spread across one of the largest mountain meadows.

  “Do you think Apollo is telling you guys everything that he and the other gods know?” Deacon’s voice broke the silence.

  I snorted. “I think Apollo tells us what he thinks we need to know when he wants to.”

  “Gods are such douche bags,” Deacon muttered, sitting back.

  Marcus actually laughed, and I thought the world was coming to an end. “They are arrogant,” he said. “That’s the problem. With arrogance comes great blindness.”

  It was kind of funny hearing that, because I thought of three blind mice, but it was true. All of the parties involved were pretty arrogant. Gods know I had a healthy dose of it myself.

  “None of them think anyone will truly step up against them, not even one of their own.” Marcus sighed. “Their arrogance led to this.”

  Everyone fell quiet after that, lost in their own thoughts. I was doing a mental rundown of all the gods, trying to figure out who won for Most Arrogant. Seriously, it could be any of the male gods: Hades, Poseidon, Zeus, Ares, and even Apollo. It might not even be one of the core, but a lesser deity tired of being pushed around. It was like looking for an especially drunk guy at a party full of drunk guys—impossible. Good news was that we at least knew it was a “he,” unless the Sentinel was messing with us.