“What do we have here?” He gave me a lazy smile. “A half eager to make my acquaintance?” He looked back at the other girl, then to me.

“Oh, wel … I thought you were someone else. Sorry.”

Amusement sparkled in his eyes. “I guess I was being presumptuous, wasn’t I?”

I couldn’t help but grin. “Yes, you were.”

“But weren’t you being presumptuous by assuming I was someone else? Does it matter?” I shook my head. “Wel , I should introduce myself.” He took a step forward and bowed—literal y, bent at the waist and bowed. “I’m Deacon St. Delphi, and you are?”

My jaw almost hit the floor. Honestly, I should’ve known the minute I saw his eyes. They were nearly identical to Aiden’s.

Deacon’s lips turned into a smug grin. “I see you’ve heard of me.”

“Yeah, I know your brother.”

His brows rose. “My perfect brother knows a half-blood?

Interesting. What’s your name?”

Clearly annoyed with the lack of attention, the girl behind him huffed and slipped around us. My gaze fol owed her, but he didn’t spare her a glance. “My name’s Alexandria Andros, but—”

“But everyone cal s you Alex.” Deacon sighed. “Yes. I’ve heard of you, too.”

I took a sip of my drink, eyeing him over the cup. “Wel then. I’m afraid to ask.”

He walked over to the counter and picked up a bottle, taking a healthy gulp. “You’re the one my brother spent months chasing after and now is saddled with training.”

My smile turned sour. “Saddled with?”

He chuckled, dangling the bottle of liquor from his fingers.

“Not that I’d mind being saddled with you. But my brother…

wel , he tends to rarely enjoy what’s in front of him. Take me, for example. He spends the bulk of his free time making sure I’m behaving like a good pure instead of enjoying myself. Now… he’l spend al his time making sure you behave.”

That made little sense to me. “I don’t think your brother is very fond of me at the moment.”

“I doubt that.” He offered me the bottle. I shook my head.

Pouring himself a drink, he smiled widely. “I’m sure my brother is very fond of you.”

“Why would you—”

Sitting the bottle aside, he picked up a glass and placed a finger to the rim. Flames shot around the glass. A second later, he blew the fire out and downed the glass. Another damn firestarter, which was another thing I should’ve known. Pure’s affinities toward certain elements tended to run in families.

“Why would I think that?” Deacon leaned down as if he were about to share a major secret. “Because I know my brother, and I know he wouldn’t have volunteered to get any old half-blood up to par. He’s not the most patient of people.”

I frowned. “He’s pretty damn patient with me.” Except maybe for today, but I wasn’t sharing that.

Deacon gave me a knowing look. “Need I say more?”

“I guess not.”

He seemed to find that equal y amusing. Wrapping his free arm around my shoulders, he steered me toward the porch and right into the path of Lea and Elena, the girl I’d met in the lounge my first day back. The only reason I remembered her name was because of her über-short haircut.

I sighed.

Deacon looked sideways at me. “Friends of yours?”

“Not real y,” I muttered.

“Hey redhead,” he murmured. “Looking good.”

I had to give it to said redhead. Lea looked exquisite in the slinky red dress that clung to every curve of her body.

She was hotness—just too bad she was a complete and total bitch.

Her gaze drifted over me and then Deacon’s arm, which stil hung over my shoulder. “Oh gods, please tel me you’ve spil ed a drink on your shirt and you’re temporarily walking with her to hide the stain. Because Deacon, I’d rather floss my teeth with a daimon’s back hair than parade a growth like that around.”

Deacon raised his brows at me. “Guess you’re right about the ‘not real y friends’ thing.”

I gave him a bland look.

He turned a megawatt smile on Lea. He even had dimples, ones I was sure Aiden would have if he ever real y smiled. “You have such a pretty mouth for such ugly words.”

Lea simpered. “You’ve never cared about how I’ve used my mouth before, Deacon.”

I gaped at Deacon. “Oh… wow.”

His lips curved into a half smile, but he didn’t respond. I scooted away from him and tugged Caleb back to the sprawling porch. It wasn’t too crowded now. Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed that Lea and Deacon had stepped further back into the room.

“Okay. Did I miss something while I was gone?” I asked.

Caleb’s face scrunched up. “What are you talking about?”

“Are Lea and Deacon messing around?”

He busted out laughing. “No, but they like to talk a lot of smack.”

I hit him on the arm. “Don’t laugh at me. What if people thought they were? Lea could get in some major trouble.”

“They’re not messing around, Alex. Lea’s stupid, but not that stupid. Even if they are trying to change the Breed Order laws, no half around here is wil ingly going to fool around with a pure.”

“They’re changing the Breed Order?”

“Trying is the key word. Succeeding is a total y different story.”

Caleb’s eyes shot wide at the unexpected voice. I spun around, nearly dropping my cup. Kain Poros sat on the edge of the railing, dressed in Covenant fatigues. “What are you doing here?”

“Babysitting,” Kain grumbled, “and I don’t care what you’re drinking, so stop looking for a place to dump your cup.”

Once I got over my shock at his blasé attitude toward underage drinking, I smiled brightly. “So they’re trying to change the Breed Order?”

“Yep, but it’s meeting a lot of resistance.” He stopped, his gaze narrowing on a half who was getting too close to the bonfire someone had decided to start. “Hey! Yes! You!

Get the hel back now.”

Caleb reached around me, inconspicuously sitting his cup down. “I hate that they even cal it the Breed Order. It sounds so ridiculous.”

“I have to agree.” Kain nodded. “But that’s what they’ve always cal ed it.”

We’d gathered a little audience at this point. “Wil someone please fil me in on what the hel they’re trying to change?”

“It’s a petition to remove the order against the two breeds mixing.” A boy with brown hair cropped close to the head smirked.

“A petition to al ow halfs and pures to mix?” My eyes went wide. “What brought this on?”

The pure boy snorted. “Don’t look too hopeful there. It’s not going to happen. Al owing halfs and pures to mix isn’t the only thing they’re aiming for. The Council isn’t going to go against the gods and they sure as hel aren’t going to al ow halfs on the Council. It’s nothing to get excited about.”

The strong inclination to launch my cup at his face was hard to ignore, but I doubted Kain would stand for that.

“Who are you?”

His eyes sharpened on me, obviously not liking my tone.

“Shouldn’t I be asking that question, half-blood?”

Caleb cut in before I could respond. “His name is Cody Hale.”

I ignored Caleb and scowled at the pure. “Should I know who you are?”

“Knock it off, Alex.” Kain climbed off the railing, effectively reminding me of my place in the scheme of things. If Cody said jump, I’d have to say how high. Mouthing off at him wasn’t how a half treated a pure—ever. “Anyway, I overheard Council members talking about it. The halfs from the Tennessee Covenant have a strong fol owing. They’re petitioning to be on the Council.”

“I doubt they’l get anywhere there,” Caleb said.

“We don’t know,” Kain responded. “There’s a good chance the Council wil hear them in November, and maybe even agree.”

My brows rose. “When did this al come about?”

“About a year ago.” Kain shrugged. “It’s picked up a lot of movement. The South Dakota Covenant is also getting involved. It’s about time, too.”

“What about here and New York?” I asked.

Caleb snorted. “Alex, the North Carolina branch stil exists in the Greek times and with the main Council being located in New York, they’re going to hold onto al the old rules and rites. Upstate is a total y different world. It’s brutal there.”

“If there’s such a huge movement then why are Hector and Kelia in so much trouble?” I frowned, remembering Caleb tel ing me their story.

“Because nothing has passed, and I think our Ministers are looking to make an example out of them.” Kain’s mouth tightened.

“Yeah, a way of reminding us of where we belong and what happens when we don’t fol ow the rules.” Jackson pushed through the little group, smiling in spite of how depressing his words were.

“Oh, for the love of the gods,” Kain snapped. Twisting around, he loped off the porch. Two halfs were trying to get a dune buggy started. “You two better not even be within a mile of that thing by the time I get over there. Yes! You two!”

Talk about the petition dwindled off as more plastic cups were passed around. Apparently, political discussion was only social y acceptable before the third cup. I was stil mul ing over the Breed Order and what it could mean when Jackson sat down on the swing next to me.

I glanced up, smiling. “Hey.”

He flashed a charming smile. “Have you seen Lea?”

“Who hasn’t?” I giggled.

He didn’t find that nearly as funny as I did, but my catty remark served two purposes. Jackson glued himself to my hip the rest of the evening, and when Lea reappeared, her face turned a mottled shade of red when she saw how close Jackson and I were. And we were real y super-close on the porch swing. I was practical y in his lap.

I tipped my cup at her.

The narrow-eyed look she sent my way said it al .

Pleased with myself, I turned back to Jackson with a smug smile. “Your girlfriend doesn’t look too happy.”

“She hasn’t been since you got back.” He ran a finger down my arm. “What’s going on between you two, anyways?”

Lea and I had always been like this. I imagined it had a lot to do with the fact both of us were aggressive, confrontational, and pretty damn awesome. But there was more; I just couldn’t remember it. I shrugged. “Who knows?”

Zarak final y appeared and was most happy to see me.

Thanks to him and Cody, everyone was keen on the idea of moving the party elsewhere by taking mommy and daddy’s Porsches down to Myrtle.

Since I had my hands ful with Jackson, I’d lost track of Caleb at some point, and I hid my half ful plastic cup behind the swing. I was okay with the happy buzz, but I was only a few sips away from a dizzy, fal -on-my-face buzz.