— dammit!” My skin burned from where she’d jabbed me in the upper arm. “That hurt like hel .”

Her lips curved in a faint smile, but her words dripped disgust. “You wil be reminded in six months to receive another dose. For the next forty-eight hours, please try to refrain from unprotected sexual activities.”

Try to refrain? As if I had uncontrol able animalistic urges and jumped every half in sight? “I’m not a sex-crazed skank, lady.”

The pure turned her back, clearly dismissing me. I jumped off the table, tugging my sleeve down. I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten about the Covenant’s mandatory birth control for female half-bloods. After al , the offspring of two halfs were like mortals and useless to the pures. That had never real y bothered me since I doubted I’d ever develop a parental urge. But the pure could have at least given me heads up before she’d stuck me.

When I returned to the training room, Aiden eyed me rubbing my arm, but I didn’t explain. From there, he moved on to another favorite of mine: getting knocked down and jumping to my feet.

I sucked at that, too.

By the end of practice, every muscle in my back ached and my thighs felt like someone had sucker-punched them.

I was a little slow in rol ing the mats. So much so that Aiden eventual y took over.

“It’l get easier.” He looked up as I limped over to where he was piling the mats. “Your body wil get used to it again.”

“I hope so.”

“You should hold off on the gym for a few days.”

I could’ve hugged him.

“But you should definitely do the warm-up stretches at night. It wil help loosen up your muscles. You won’t be so sore then.”

I fol owed him to the door. It sounded like good advice.

Outside the training room, I waited while Aiden shut the double doors.

“Tomorrow we’l work on the jump some more. Then we’l move on to blocking techniques.”

I started to point out I’d learned several blocking techniques, but I remembered how quickly the daimon had tagged me in Georgia. My hand went to my shoulder and over the slightly irregular scar.

“You okay?”

Dropping my hand, I nodded. “Yeah.”

As if he could somehow read minds, he stepped forward and brushed my thick ponytail back over my shoulder. The slight touch elicited a shiver. “It’s not bad. It’l be gone soon enough.”

“It’s going to scar—it has already scarred.”

“Some would say such scars are badges of honor.”

“Real y?”

Aiden shook his head. “Yes. It shows how strong and how brave you were. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Sure.” I forced a quick, bright smile.

I could tel by the look on his face he didn’t believe me, but he didn’t push it. I limped off, heading back to my room.

Caleb waited outside my door with a handful of shopping bags and a nervous look on his face.

“Caleb, you didn’t have to do al that. And you’re going to get busted over here.”

“Then let me in your room before I get caught. And don’t worry about the shopping. I got some hot chicks to try clothes on for me. Trust me, mutual y beneficial day for me.”

I snorted as I limped over to the couch and eased myself down. “Thanks. I owe you.”

Caleb launched into al the things I’d missed during my absence—that was how I was referring to it now—while I pul ed out various jeans, dresses, and shorts I doubted met the Covenant dress code. I shook my head. Where in the hel I was supposed to wear some of this stuff? On a street corner?

Apparently not much had changed. Everyone stil snuck off and hooked up with everyone. Lea had successful y pitted two or three boys against one another in hopes of getting between her legs. Jackson looked like the winner if yesterday had been any indication. Two halfs a year older than us, Rosalie and Nathaniel, had graduated and were now Sentinels, and I was beside myself with envy. After today’s practice, I doubted Aiden stil thought I had any raw potential.

Luke, a half I used to hang out with, had come out of the closet last year—not that being gay or bisexual was even remotely a big deal around here. Being the children of a bunch of horny gods who sure didn’t discriminate when choosing their sexual partners left little to be shocked about when it came to sex-related activities.

It appeared I was the only virgin around here. I sighed.

“Was your training that bad?”

“I think I broke my back today,” I deadpanned.

He looked like he wanted to laugh. “You didn’t break your back. You’re just… out of practice. In a couple of days, you’l be kicking Aiden’s butt.”

“Doubtful.”

“So what did he want yesterday? Man, I’l be honest. I’m waiting for him to pop in here and beat the crap out of me for being in your room.”

“Then you shouldn’t be in here if you’re scared.”

Caleb ignored that. “What did Aiden want yesterday?”

“I think Lea ratted my ass out. Aiden knew about the thing in the rec room. He real y didn’t bitch me out, but I could’ve done without the lecture.”

“Damn, she is such a bitch sometimes.” He sat back in the chair, running a hand through his hair. “Maybe we could burn off her eyebrows or something. I’m sure Zarak would be down with that.”

I laughed. “I’m sure that won’t help my cause.”

“You know, I hooked up—”

“What?” I shrieked, nearly coming off the couch. Wrong move. It hurt. “Please tel me you didn’t hook up with Lea?”

He shrugged. “I was bored. She was available. Not bad at al —”

Disgusted, I tossed a pil ow at his head and cut him off. “I don’t want to know the details. I’m just going to pretend you never admitted to that.”

A grin appeared on his lips. “Wel , it seems like Lea’s determined to get you in trouble if she ratted you out.”

I lay back down, thinking about the others in the room. “I don’t know. What about the pure who was in the room?”

“Who? Thea?” He shook his head. “There’s no way she would’ve told anyone.”

“What’s Thea doing here, anyways?”

It was odd to see any pure at the Covenant during the summer. They stayed during the school year, but when summer came, they went off with their parents—probably traveling the world and doing other ridiculously expensive things. Fun, total y cool things. Of course, they had Guards who accompanied them on their adventures, just in case a daimon got any ideas.

“Her parents are on the Council and they don’t have any time for her. She’s real y nice, but super-quiet. I think she’s got the hots for Deacon.”

“Deacon, as in Aiden’s brother?”

“Yup.”

I could tel there was something behind the fact Thea liked him. “What’s the big deal? They’re both pures.”

Caleb arched a brow at me, but then seemed to remember I hadn’t been here for three years. “Deacon has a reputation.”

“Okay.” I tried to work out a sudden kink in my back.

“So does Thea. And let’s just say Thea wins the purity award.”

Good to know I wasn’t the only virgin. “And?”

“Deacon’s reputation is… more of the—hmm, how do I stay this nicely?” He paused, looking thoughtful. “Deacon takes after Zeus—that kind of reputation.”

“Wel … opposites attract, I guess.”

“Not that opposite.”

I shrugged, and then winced.

“I almost forgot. You won’t believe what I heard today in town. One of the shop owners was busy running her mouth while I was checking out, total y uncaring about who could hear her, but—oh yeah, by the way, that shop owner probably thinks I’m a cross-dresser now.”

I giggled.

His eyes narrowed at my apathy. “Anyways, do you remember Kelia Lothos?”

My lips pursed. Kelia Lothos—the name did sound familiar. “Wasn’t she a Guard here?”

“Yeah, she’s about ten years older than us. She got herself a boyfriend.”

“Good for her.”

“Wait for it, Alex. You must wait for it. His name is Hector

—not sure what his last name is. Anyways, he’s a pure from one of the other communities.” He stopped for dramatic effect.

I ran a hand over my ponytail, not sure where he was going with any of this.

“He’s a freaking pure-blood.” He raised his hands.

“Remember? Not al owed.”

My eyes popped wide. “Oh no, not good.”

He shook his head and strands of blond hair fel over his eyes. “I can’t believe they were stupid enough to even consider something like that.”

The fact that we weren’t al owed to have any type of romantic relationship with a pure was a rule ingrained in us since birth. Most half-bloods didn’t even question it, but then again, most halfs didn’t question much. We were trained into obedience from the get-go.

I tried to find a comfortable position. “What do you think wil happen to Kelia?”

Caleb snorted. “She’l probably be stripped of her Guard duties and sent to work in one of the houses.”

That fil ed me with annoyance and resentment. “And Hector wil get a smack on the hand. How fair is that?”

He looked at me strangely. “It’s not, but that’s what happens.”

“It’s stupid.” I felt something tighten in my jaw. “Who cares if a half and a pure get together? Is it real y a big enough deal that Kelia has to lose everything?”

Caleb eyes widened. “It’s the way it is, Alex. You know that.”

I folded my arms, wondering why I felt so strongly about it myself. It was the way things had been for eons, but it seemed so unfair. “It’s wrong, Caleb. Kelia’s basical y going to end up a slave al because she hooked up with a pure.”

He was quiet for a moment and then his eyes zeroed in on me. “Does your reaction have anything to do with the fact your new personal trainer happens to be the pure al the chicks drool over?”

I made a face. “Absolutely not—are you insane? He’s going to end up kil ing me.” I paused, sinking down in the cushion. “I think he plans on it.”

“Whatever.”

Stretching out my legs, I pinned him with a glare. “You forget I spent three years out there in the normal world—a world where pures and halfs don’t even exist. No one checks someone’s godly pedigree before going out with them.”

He stared off in the distance a few moments. “What was it like?”

“What was what like?”

Caleb fidgeted on the edge of the chair. “Being out there, away from al of… this?”

“Oh.” I propped myself onto my elbow. Most halfs had no idea what it was like. Sure, they mingled in the outside world—mingled being the key word—but they were never a part of it, not for any amount of time. Neither were the pures. To our kind, the mortal life seemed like a violent one, where daimons weren’t the only evil things people had to worry about.