CHAPTER 30

Our Hummer was the party car—the cool one. Or at least that’s what I believed. Between Luke and Deacon, the ten-hour drive to the wilds of South Dakota wasn’t turning out to be that bad. Poor Marcus looked like he wanted to duct tape the two boys’ mouths shut after two hours of their nonstop rundown of the last season of Supernatural. I wasn’t complaining. Then, Luke moved on to this new show about thrones and dragons, which he tried to explain to Aiden. Considering that Aiden was a fan of old black-and-white TV shows, Luke wasn’t getting very far.

Marcus looked like he had a headache, which mirrored how I felt. It had nothing to do with the boys’ chatter or the ridiculous—but hilarious—car games they insisted on playing. And I was pretty sure that, if Deacon leaned between the seats and punched Aiden on the arm one more time he saw a Beetle, Aiden was going to the pull the car over and strangle him.

I was also sure Marcus would hold Deacon down. The man had to have a wicked bruise on his leg from the last punch Deacon had delivered.

But after the fourth hour, restlessness set in. Minutes from turning into the kid the parent threatens to turn the car around on, I tried to get some rest. It wasn’t like the scenery was much to look at. Lots of fields. Then lots of hills. Then lots of trees. Boredom itched at my skin as I stared at the wards, drawn in Titan blood throughout the car, that kept the gods from sensing me. But the fact that I was stuck in the vehicle for the foreseeable future wasn’t the worst part. The steadily increasing throbbing in my temples sent a nervous rush through my system.

Seth was there, pecking away, waiting for that moment he could pop in and have a chat. Part of me almost welcomed it, because it would be something to do, but that was so stupid. Talking with Seth wouldn’t help anything. He was on one side of the fence and I was clear on the other side.

I didn’t want to think at all.

Twisting in the seat, my eyes met my uncle’s. I smiled as he nodded at Deacon. The pure had finally passed out, with his cheek plastered against the window. Beside him, Luke was staring out the window, jaw locked down tight.

Not wanting to wake the talkative beast, I said nothing and turned back around. My booted foot slid over the sickle blade resting on the floor. We were just as stocked and well-armed as we’d been when we drove to Kansas.

I settled in the seat, carefully stretching out my legs when I really wanted to flail about. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Aiden’s amused grin. I made a face at him and he laughed softly.

Time slowed down to a crawl. Every time I looked at the clock on the dashboard I would’ve sworn two hours had gone by, but it was only twenty minutes later. When we hit the halfway point, Solos called Aiden. They needed to get gas.

Aiden wasn’t thrilled about it. “We’re too close to Minneapolis.”

In other words, we were too close to a heavily populated area. Nearly every major city in the U.S. had communities of pures on the outskirts. Where there were pures, there were daimons. And that also meant there would be Sentinels and Guards—those who might be working with Lucian.

But we didn’t have any choice. Both vehicles were running low on gas, and it was either stop now or run out of gas in the middle of nowhere and get eaten by wild coyotes and bears.

We pulled into a decent-sized travel area and I immediately reached for the door handle.

“I prefer you’d stay in the car,” Aiden said, unbuckling.

I frowned. “Why? I have the talisman.”

“I know.” He shot me look. “But knowing our luck, someone will recognize you.”

“But I have to use the bathroom.”

“Hold it,” Luke said, opening the car door. “I’ll get you something to snack on, and some water—lots of water.”

I glared at him. “That’s so wrong.”

Everyone but me rushed from the Hummer and I flung myself back against the seat, folding my arms. I got that we didn’t need another god smackdown in the middle of the gas station, but damn…

Aiden headed toward the other Hummer while Marcus pumped gas. Here I was, the freaking Apollyon, and I couldn’t even go inside to get a bag of beef jerky by myself. Geez.

A few moments later, Aiden came around to my side of the car. I debated leaving the window up, but I rolled it down. He leaned in, resting on his forearms.

“Hey,” he said, grinning.

I knew I was pouting, but I couldn’t feel my butt.

“Olivia and Lea are checking out the bathroom. Looks like it’s outside and around the back.”

“Oh, thank the gods.” I slumped in my seat.

His grin spread on one side. “I’ll make sure Luke gets you something other than water.”

“You’re the best.” I popped forward and kissed him quickly. “I mean it.”

On his way past us, Marcus’ eyes narrowed. “I feel like I’m going to need to separate you two.”

Aiden’s cheeks flushed as he pulled back and cleared his throat.

Marcus stopped beside him, folding his arms. “Especially the sleeping arrangements. And I’m not naïve enough to—”

“Whoa!” I cut in. “Not a topic that I’m willing to delve into.”

Marcus gave me a bland look. “You are my niece and I’m your guardian.”

“I’m eighteen.”

“And you’re still too—”

“Olivia! Bathroom break!” I threw open the door, nearly knocking Marcus over. Shooting my uncle a quick grin, I darted around him.

Aiden grabbed my arm. “Be careful.”

“Of course. Other than dying of fumes and wanting to hurl, it’s just a public restroom.”

He still looked like he wanted to escort me in there, but Marcus was also eyeing Aiden like he wanted to punch him again. Aiden let go and I joined the girls at the sidewalk.

“What’s going on over there?” Olivia asked.

I looked over my shoulder. Marcus’ mouth was flying a mile a minute, and Aiden stood there, stiff and silent. I grimaced. “You don’t even want to know.”

“Probably has to do with the fact that you and Aiden are having sex,” Lea announced, crossing her arms.

My jaw dropped.

“Nice.” Olivia swatted her one the arm. “Way to just throw that out there.”

Lea shrugged. “Hey, it is what it is. He’s a hottie. I’d be doing it with him every five seconds.”

“Okay. Thanks for sharing.”

Olivia eyed the other half. “Speaking of having sex like a horned-up rabbit, have you heard from Jackson? He wasn’t at the Covenant when…” She looked around and lowered her voice. “He wasn’t there when Poseidon went nuts.”

“No. My cell died and I don’t have a charger.” Her eyes narrowed on the overcast sky. “I don’t know what he might be doing. We weren’t really as close as you guys think. At least, we didn’t talk a lot.”

Olivia snorted.

“I don’t think he’s with Seth and Lucian,” I said as we started around the corner of the cement building.

“Why?” Olivia tucked a tight curl back.

“Remember when Jackson got his face rearranged?” We’d stopped outside the bathroom door, and I could already smell the funk. The girls nodded. “I’m pretty sure Seth did that to him.”

“Holy crap,” Olivia murmured as she slid the key into the door. “Because of what Jackson did to you in class?”

I nodded. Jackson had taken sparring too far, planting his boot in my face—I had a tiny scar to prove it—and I was sure that Instructor Romvi had goaded him into it. As we headed into the bathroom and I looked for a somewhat decent stall, I wondered if Romvi was still alive.

Romvi had disappeared after Linard had delivered Head Minister’s Telly’s ultimatum, and Seth had had members of the Order hunted down, as they were the only real threat to us. As terrible as it sounded, if he had met his end, I wouldn’t be too torn up. Romvi’d had it out for me from day one.

The trip to the bathroom turned out to be uneventful, since I didn’t consider the risk of catching hand, foot, and mouth disease to be an event.

Back in the Hummer, with my lap full of Skittles and other assorted goodies, I was surprised by the fact Medusa hadn’t appeared in the toilet and tried to eat me. Perhaps this trip wouldn’t be so bad.

I glanced behind me, past where Deacon and Luke were sharing nachos. Marcus’ arms were spread along the back of the last seat. His gaze was focused on the back of Aiden’s head like he could somehow bore holes through it.

Okay. Perhaps this trip wouldn’t be so bad for me. Aiden on the other hand…

Flipping to the front, I caught Aiden’s gaze and offered a sympathetic smile. “Skittles?”

“Please.”

I dusmped some into his open palm, then picked out the green ones.

Aiden grinned at me. “You know I don’t like the green ones?”

Shrugging, I popped them in my mouth. “The few times I’ve seen you eat them, you leave the green ones behind.”

Deacon popped his head between our seats. “That’s true love right there.”

“That it is.” Aiden’s gaze flicked to the road.

I flushed like a little schoolgirl and focused on the remaining pieces of candy until Deacon drifted back into his seat. I handed all the red ones to Aiden.

A couple of hours after we’d hit the traffic apocalypse outside of Sioux Falls, the open skies had darkened and night was only minutes away. Knots formed in my stomach as I thought of the distance between me and the University evaporating. We were still about four hours away, but that was nothing after being in the car this long.

The University was nestled deep in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Not near Mount Rushmore, but in the part known as the Northern Hills. It was a heavily protected wilderness, only reachable in vehicles such as the one we were in. People had to know what they were looking for to even see the entrance to the school.

I’d never seen the University in person, but I knew it looked like something straight out of Greece. Like all the Covenants, the mortals believed the school to be a part of an elite, invitation-only education system. Even though I was sort of excited to see the school, my nerves hummed for a different reason.

My father could be there—or he could be on his way there.

Hope soared in my chest and I felt giddy for a few seconds. I didn’t know what I’d do if I saw him—probably something along the lines of pouncing and tackling the man, and I so hoped I wouldn’t bawl like a baby and embarrass myself.

I knew I shouldn’t get my hopes up. My father might not be there. He might never show up there. He could be dead.

My stomach tumbled, and for a moment I thought I was going to hurl.

The thing was—and what I kept trying to tell myself was—I didn’t know. And there was no reason to get worked up either way. And I had more important things to concentrate on, like how in the hell I was going to convince a bunch of Sentinels and Guards to risk death by warring against Seth and a god.

Aiden’s cell went off, and the look on his face as he listened wasn’t good.

“What?” I asked, feeling my stomach drop again. I wondered if I had an ulcer… or if that was even possible.

“Got it,” he said into the phone, and then snapped it shut. “We’re being followed.”

I spun in my seat, just like Marcus and Luke did. The headlights from Solos’ Hummer were right behind us. I squinted. Several car lengths behind there was another set of headlights. I wasn’t an expert on those things, but it looked an awful lot like another Hummer.

Sentinels and Guards loved to drive Hummers. The bigger the better and all that jazz—probably making up for something else. Mortals drove Hummers too, but every instinct was telling me it was Covenant-issued and not a friendly.

Crap.

“How long?” I asked.

“Since we passed Sioux Falls,” Aiden replied, eyes flicking to the rearview mirror.

“There’s an exit coming up—take it. We need to get off the main highway.” Marcus cussed as he leaned back, pulling out a Glock. “Good news is that the road will be clear of mortals. Bad news is that the roads will be clear.”

There would be no one around for either side to worry about exposure, if they even cared about that anymore.

“Tell Solos to follow,” Marcus said, “and to get close to us.”

As Aiden relayed the message to Solos, I kept my eyes glued to the stretch of highway behind us as we hit the ramp and flew down the dark, back road. Then I saw what Aiden hadn’t said, and what Marcus must’ve realized once Solos had moved into the other lane.

It wasn’t one Hummer; it was two, and I was sure both were packed.

Double crap.

Luke was straining to get a better look. “We can’t let them report back, guys. If they haven’t already. We’re too close to the university.”

“So you really think they’re his—Lucian’s?” Deacon asked, gripping the back of my seat.

Aiden nodded. “Everything’s cool, though. We’ve got this.”

The strength in his words—the determination to get everyone through this—was so like him. No matter what, he held it together. He might falter a step or two, but he weathered the blows and he never gave up. Not on me. Not on his brother. And never on life. Gods, no wonder I loved this man.

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.”

Pushing 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.