Half-Blood c-1

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  Seth tipped his head at me and shrugged. “I’ve seen worse. There was a Sentinel who got cornered once in New York City. Real y was a pretty girl—a little older than you—

  and just had to be a Sentinel instead of a Guard. A daimon took a bite out of her face just to prove a—”

  “Ugh. Okay. I get what you’re saying: it could be worse.

  Try tel ing me when I don’t look like I went to third base with a vampire. So why are you here?”

  “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “About?” I stared at my feet and wiggled my toes.

  “Us.”

  Wearily, I lifted my head and looked at him. “There’s no

  —”

  He reached out and placed one finger over my lips. “I have something real y important to say about that matter, and after you give me a chance to say it, I’m not going to push or ever bring it up again. Okay?”

  I should’ve knocked his hand down, demanded he leave, or at least, leaned back. Instead, I gently brushed his fingers away. “Before you go any further, I want to say something.”

  Seth’s brows rose curiously. “Okay.”

  I took a deep breath and stared down at my toes again.

  “Thank you for doing whatever… it was you did to find us. If it wasn’t for you then I’d probably be dead—or slicing and dicing someone right now. So… thank you.”

  He was silent for so long I checked out what he was doing. Seth just stared at me with this dumb look on his face. To keep from smiling, I looked away. “What?”

  “I think that’s possibly the nicest thing you have said to me. Ever.”

  I laughed. “No it’s not. I’ve said nice things to you before.”

  “Like what?”

  There had to be another situation when I’d said something nice. “Like… when… ” I couldn’t think of anything. Jeez, I was a bitch. “Okay. That is the first nice thing I’ve said to you.”

  “I think I need a moment to recognize and cherish this.”

  I rol ed my eyes. “Moving on, what did you want to talk about?”

  Seth turned serious. “I wanted to be up front on a few things with you.”

  “Like what?” I scooted back against the pil ows lining the top of the bed, moving my legs so they weren’t touching him.

  His brows furrowed. “Like what the future has in store for us.”

  I sighed. “Seth, nothing is going to happen between—”

  “Aren’t you even a little bit curious as to how I found you?

  Don’t you want to know how I did that?”

  “Yeah, come to think of it, I would like to know.”

  Seth leaned back on one arm, twisting onto his side. The movement sent locks of golden hair forward, sliding over his jaw. His hip was far too close to my curled toes. Not that he seemed to care. “I was having a real y good dream about this chick I met in Houston and we were—”

  I groaned. “Seth.”

  “Al of a sudden, I was hurled out of the dream. I woke up, and my heart was racing, sweat pouring. I had no idea why.

  I felt sick—sick to my soul.”

  I pul ed my knees to my chest. “Why?”

  “Getting there, Alex. It took me a while to realize nothing was wrong with me, but the feeling wouldn’t go away. Then I felt it—the first tag. It was like I was on fire and the pain—it was something real. For a second, I actual y thought I had been tagged. It struck me then. It was you I was feeling. I went to Aiden—”

  “Why did you go to him?”

  “Because I figured if anyone knew where you were, it would be him. Lot of help he proved to be, though. He had no clue.”

  How did he come to that conclusion? That was something better left untouched for now. “So you felt what I was feeling?”

  Seth nodded. “Every. Single. Tag. Like it was my skin being ripped into and my aether being drained. I never felt anything like it.” He looked away. A few moments passed before he spoke again. “I don’t know how you… dealt with it. It felt like my soul was being torn apart, but it was your soul.”

  Sort of struck dumb by what he was explaining, I listened quietly.

  “Once we realized you weren’t in your room, Aiden figured out what you had done. We left immediately, and I can barely explain how I knew where to go. It was like something was leading me. Instinct maybe?” He shrugged, staring down at his hand. “I don’t know. I just knew to head west, and when we got close to the Tennessee line, Aiden said you once mentioned Gatlinburg. As soon as he said that, I knew where you were.”

  “But how? Did any of this happen before? When I was fighting Kain?”

  He looked up and shook his head. “I don’t think so.

  Whatever changed did so after then. The only thing I can come up with is that the longer I’m around you, the more…

  connected we are, and since I’ve already gone through the change, I can tune into those kind of things better.”

  I frowned. “It makes no sense.”

  “It wil .” He sighed. “When Lucian said we were two halfs made to be a whole, he wasn’t kidding. If you had hung around that night at his house, you would’ve learned some interesting things. It would make things… so much easier.”

  Ah, damn. That night only made me think of one thing: Aiden. It was a struggle, but I managed to push him into the furthest corner of my mind. “What kind of things?”

  Seth sat up and faced me in one fluid motion. “The gods know you are going to hate this, but oh, what the hel . The longer we are around each other, the more connected we wil become—to the point neither of us wil real y know where one begins and the other ends.”

  I sat up a bit straighter. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

  “Yeah… wel , me neither. But this is what’s going to go down. I know how you are with control. You’re kind of like me in that sense. I don’t like not being able to control what I’m feeling. Just like you, but it’s not going to matter. Even now, it’s already affecting me.”

  “What’s affecting you?”

  He seemed to struggle for the right words. “Being around you is already affecting me. I can tap into akasha easily, sensing you when you’re hurt, and even now, I can feel it.”

  He paused, taking a deep breath. “It’s the power in you—

  the aether. It cal s to me, and you haven’t even changed yet.

  What do you think it’s going to be like when you do? When you turn eighteen?”

  I didn’t know and I real y didn’t like where any of this was heading. “You know what wil happen, don’t you?”

  Seth nodded again and looked away. “Once it happens, it wil be a thousand times—no, a mil ion times stronger.

  What I want, you wil want. We wil share the same thoughts, needs, and desires. Supposedly, it works both ways, but I’l be stronger than you. Whatever you want may end up being skewed by what I want. I am the First, Alex. Al it takes is one touch and that power shifts to me.”

  Panic reared and I failed at pushing it down. I started to rise, but Seth placed his hands on my knees. Thank the gods I was wearing jeans because if his skin touched mine and that goofy swirly crap started happening right now, I’d probably lose it.

  “Alex, hear me out.”

  “Hear you out? You’re saying I’l have no control over anything.” I shook my head frantical y. The wild movement stretched the tender skin on my throat, but I ignored the sting. “That can’t happen. I can’t deal with that. I don’t believe in being fated to someone—or even fate.”

  “Alex, calm down. Look. I know this is probably up there with the worst things that can happen to you, but you have time.”

  “What do you mean I have time?”

  “None of this affects you now. You won’t want anything I want right now.” He let go of my knees and leaned back—

  away from me. “But it doesn’t work that way for me. Being near you means the connection is choking the crap out of me. Like right now, your heart is racing. So is
mine. Being this close to you is like… being inside your head, but you stil have time.”

  Processing al of this wasn’t easy. I mean, I got what he was saying. Since he’d gone through the whole palingenesis thing, whatever it was between us was already wrapping its super-special cord around him, but not me. Not until I turned eighteen. Then? “Why didn’t Lucian tel me any of this?”

  “You didn’t stick around, Alex.”

  I made a face at him. “I don’t like any of this, Seth. We’re talking seven months here. In seven months, I’l be eighteen.”

  “I know. Seven months of me helping you train, so try to imagine what the hel I’l be feeling this whole entire time.”

  I tried, but couldn’t. “This isn’t going to work.”

  He leaned forward and tucked a strand of blond hair behind his ear. “That’s what I’m thinking. I came up with an idea. Now, hear me out on this. I can deal with this for right now, because even though it’s strong, it’s not that strong.

  It’s doable—for me, but after you Awaken, things wil change. If we can’t handle it—if you can’t handle it, then we’l separate. I’l leave. You won’t be able to because of school, but I can. I’l go to the other end of the earth.”

  “But the Council—Lucian—he wants you here, with me.” I rol ed my eyes. “For whatever reason. He’s ordered you here.”

  Seth shrugged, and then he flopped down onto his back.

  “Whatever. Screw the Council. I’m the Apol yon. What the hel can Lucian do to me?”

  Those were dangerous, rebel ious words. I kind of liked them. “You’d actual y do that for me?”

  He turned his gaze to me, smiling slightly. “Yes. I would actual y do that. You seem surprised.”

  One of my legs dropped off the side of the bed as I leaned over him. “Yes. Why would you? It sounds like everything comes up rosy for you.”

  “Do you think I’m a bad person or something?” He continued to smile up at me.

  I blinked, a bit taken aback. “No… I don’t think that.”

  “Then why would you think I’d force this upon you? Being apart won’t stop the connection from growing stronger, but it wil stop the shifting of power. Things… wil be intense once the transfer happens. If I leave, we wil each stil be our own person.”

  Out of nowhere, it struck me. “This is for you. You don’t think you’l be able to handle it.”

  He only acknowledged my words with a sardonic twist to his lips.

  This connection thing must actual y bother him if he real y thought he wouldn’t be able to handle it down the road.

  Wrong as it may be, it kind of made me feel better about the situation. In the end, if things became too much, there was a way out. I stil had control. So did Seth.

  “What are you thinking?”

  Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked down at him. “The next seven months are real y going to suck for you.”

  Seth tipped his head back and laughed. “Ah, I don’t know about that. This— this thing—has its benefits.”

  I sat back, folding my arms. “How so?”

  He smiled.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “That we’ve actual y held an entire conversation without insulting one another. Next thing you know, you’l actual y consider me a friend.”

  “Baby steps, Seth. Baby steps.”

  He turned back to staring at my ceiling. There were no stars that glowed, just ordinary old, dul white paint. Without thinking, I moved again, reaching out and touching the hand resting near my thigh. Cal it an experiment, but I wanted to see what would happen.

  Seth’s head whipped in my direction. “What are you doing?”

  “Nothing.” And nothing was what happened. Confused, I wrapped my fingers around his.

  “Doesn’t look like nothing,” His eyes narrowed on me.

  “I guess so.” Giving up on my impromptu test, I lifted my hand. “Shouldn’t you be—” Whatever I was about to say died on my lips. Incredibly fast, Seth grabbed my hand and threaded his fingers through mine.

  “Is this what you wanted?” he asked, ever so casual y.

  It happened. Being so close to him this time, I could see where the markings came from. The thick veins in his hand were the first to darken, branching out before spreading up his arm. Mesmerized, I watched the inky tats cover every piece of exposed skin. Before my eyes, they shifted away from his veins, swirling around his skin. Breaking off into different designs as he—we—continued to hold hands.

  “What do they mean?” I looked up. His eyes were closed.

  “The markings?”

  “They are… the marks of the Apol yon.” He answered slowly, as if he were having trouble forming words and sentences. “They are runes and spel s… meant to offer protection… or in our case, alert each other to our presence… or something. They mean other stuff, too.”

  “Oh.” The runes glided down his skin, toward the tips of his fingers. Cal me crazy, but I was confident that those markings were reacting to where our skin touched, and for a split second, I real y believed those glyphs would jump his skin and spread across my flesh.

  “Wil … I look like this one day?”

  “Hmm?”

  I pul ed my gaze from our hands and looked up. Seth’s eyes were stil closed, his expression relaxed. Actual y, it was more than that. He looked… content. Pleased. I’d never seen him so calm. “Is this one of the benefits?” I meant it as a joke, but the realization smacked me upside the head before he could respond. It was because he was close to me. Something as simple as that did affect him . I affected him that way.

  I recal ed what he’d said after my run-in with Kain. “I real y do have al the power in this.”

  His eyes opened and they shone like two giant, tawny jewels. “What?”

  My fingers tightened around his, and his lips parted, al owing a sharp sigh to leak out. Then, slowly, careful y, I loosened my hold on his fingers. Interesting. “Nothing.”

  “I never should have told you the truth about that.” His voice held a certain rough edge to it. “You do, at least for now.”

  I ignored the last part and pul ed my hand free before the marks could touch my skin. We didn’t say anything for a couple of minutes. I leaned back against the pil ows and Seth closed his eyes once more. During that stretch of silence, I watched the steady rise and fal of his chest. He almost looked like he was sleeping. Relaxed as he was, the beauty of his face didn’t look so cold or methodical.

  This time, I was the first to break the silence.

  “So… what are you doing?”

  “Now?” He sounded sleepy. “I’m making up plans. Things I’m going to show you—in training, of course.”

  My brows rose. “I don’t see how there is anything you can show me that Aiden can’t.”

  Seth laughed then, and when he spoke, his voice was smug and knowing. “Oh, Alex, I have a lot to show you.

  Things that Aiden wil never be able to teach you.”

  Staring down at him, I admitted to myself that there was a teeny tiny part of me that actual y looked forward to whatever it was that he planned on showing me. I felt confident that it would be entertaining if not fruitful.

  We real y didn’t talk after that, and al too soon, the excitement of everything faded, leaving me exhausted. My eyelids started to get too heavy to keep open, and I wanted nothing more than to kick Seth over, so I could lie down. As it was, he took up quite a bit of space sprawled across the middle of my bed.

  Not al that surprising, Seth opened his eyes then and looked at me. When he gave a little half smile and pushed himself to his feet, I wondered if he’d sensed he was about to get a roundhouse kick in his side.

  There went the element of surprise.

  “You leaving?” I asked, because real y, I had no idea what else to say.

  Seth didn’t answer. He lifted his arms above his head and stretched, showing off a row of taut muscles as the black shirt rode up his stomach. The image of a c
at flashed before me. That was how he moved, feline and predatory. It was a subtle grace neither human nor half.

  “Do you know what your name means? Your real name—

  Alexandria?”

  I shook my head.

  He smiled slowly. “It means ‘Defender of Man’ in Greek.”

  “Oh. That sounds cool. What does your name—?”

  Suddenly, he bent at the waist and swooped in. He was so damn fast I didn’t even have a chance to jerk back, which by the way, is total y a natural reaction when the Apol yon comes at someone that quickly.

  He brushed his lips over my forehead, lingering only long enough I could be positive he’d placed a gentle kiss against my skin before straightening.

  “Good night, Alexandria, Defender of Man.”

  Stunned, I mumbled something along the lines of goodbye, but he was gone before I could ful y get the words out. I reached up and brushed my fingers over the spot his lips had touched. His gesture was weird, unexpected, wrong, and… sweet.

  I eased down and stretched out my legs. Staring up at the ceiling, I wondered what the next couple of months held in store for me. For the most part, I came up empty.

  Everything had changed—I had changed, but the one thing I could be sure about was between Aiden and Seth, I’d be learning lots of things.

  ***

  The fol owing afternoon, I remembered the card from Lucian I’d dropped on the table. I slipped my finger under the crease and tore it open. I slid the money out, and for the first time, I actual y read the note.

  It wasn’t bad or too fake, but stil , nothing stirred in my chest as I stared down at his elegant handwriting. No matter how much money he sent me or how many letters he personal y wrote, he couldn’t buy my love or erase the suspicion surrounding him like a thick cloud.

  But his money was going to buy me some pretty sweet shoes soon.

  With that thought in mind, I showered and found something to wear that covered the worst of the tags.

  Keeping my hair down helped with the neck situation, but it didn’t cover al the splotches.

  To my surprise, the Guards didn’t stop me when I crossed the bridge to the main island, but as I prowled the main street, I had a feeling of being watched. A quick glance over my shoulder confirmed my suspicions. One of the Guards had broken away from his partner on the bridge and kept a discreet distance behind me. Perhaps Lucian or Marcus worried I’d make another run for it… or do something else incredibly irresponsible.