“Hmm?”

I inhaled deeply. “The… tattoos were more unsettling.” I watched him closely. His reaction would tel me if I was crazy or something.

Aiden came to a complete stop. “What?”

Oh man, I was crazy.

He came down a step. “What tattoos, Alex?”

I swal owed hard at the sharp look in his eyes. “I thought I saw some markings on him. They weren’t there at first, but then they were. I… guess I’m seeing things.”

Aiden exhaled slowly, his eyes on my face. He reached out, smoothing back a strand of my hair that had come loose. His hand lingered against my cheek, and in that moment, there was nothing more important than him touching me. In a daze, I stared up at him.

Al too quickly, his hand dropped to his side and his eyes met mine. I could see there were several things he wanted to say, but for whatever reason, he couldn’t. “We have to get going. Marcus is waiting. Alex, try to be as nice as you can be, okay?”

He started back up the stairs, and I hurried to catch up with him. “So, was I seeing things?”

Aiden sent the Guards at the end of the hal a meaningful glance. “I don’t know. We’l talk about it later.”

Frustrated, I fol owed him to Marcus’s office. Lucian hadn’t arrived yet and Marcus sat behind his big, old desk.

He looked as he had in the lobby, but minus the suit jacket.

“Come. Have a seat.” He motioned me forward.

I trudged across the office, relieved Aiden wasn’t leaving me alone. He didn’t take the seat next to me but remained along the wal in the same spot he’d stood the first time I’d found myself across from Marcus.

The whole scenario didn’t bode wel , but I didn’t have a lot of time to dwel on it. Even with my back to the door, I knew when Lucian’s group approached the office, but he wasn’t causing the smal hairs on my arms to stand up. The moment the Apol yon entered the room with my stepfather, al the oxygen evaporated.

Fighting my body’s almost overpowering need to turn around, I clenched the arms of the chair. I didn’t want to acknowledge Lucian, and I didn’t want to look at the Apol yon.

Aiden cleared his throat, and my head snapped up.

Marcus stared down at me with narrowed eyes. Oh… crap.

My legs felt oddly numb as I forced myself to stand.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Seth take up position alongside Aiden. He gave the pure-blood a curt nod, which Aiden returned. Because I didn’t see those tattoos, I al owed myself to lift my head.

Instantly, our eyes met. His gaze wasn’t a flattering one.

He was checking me out, but not the way most guys did.

Instead he studied me. As close as we were, I realized he was young. I hadn’t expected that. With al that power and reputation, I’d expected someone older, but he had to be close to my age.

And he real y was… beautiful. Wel , as beautiful as a guy could be. But his beauty was cold and hard, like he’d been pieced together to look a certain way, but the gods had forgotten to give him a touch of humanity—of life.

I felt the other stares, and when I looked at Aiden, he wore a perplexed expression as he watched me and Seth.

Marcus… wel , he looked expectant, as if he were waiting for something to happen.

“Alexandria.” He nodded toward Lucian.

I suppressed the impulse to groan loudly and lifted my hand, wriggling my fingers at the Minister of Council. “Hi.”

Someone—either Aiden or Seth—sounded like they swal owed a laugh. But then the unreasonable happened.

Lucian stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me.

I froze, my arms stuck awkwardly at my sides as the smel of herbs and incense assaulted my senses.

“Oh, Alexandria, it is so good to see you. After al the years, and through al the fear and worry, you’re standing here. The gods have answered our prayers.” Lucian pul ed back, but he kept his hands planted on my shoulders. His dark eyes scanned every inch of my face. “By the gods…

you look so much like Rachel e.”

I had no idea what to do. Of al the reactions I’d expected, this hadn’t been a possibility. Whenever I’d been around Lucian in the past, he’d always looked at me with such cool disdain. This bizarre display of affection knocked me speechless.

“The moment Marcus notified me that you were found safe, I rejoiced. I told Marcus I had a place in my home for you.” Lucian’s eyes settled back on mine, and there was something I didn’t trust in that warm gaze. “I would have come sooner, but I was attending to Council business, you see? But your old room… from when you stayed with us is stil intact. I want you to come home, Alexandria. You do not need to stay here.”

My mouth dropped open at that point and I wondered if he had been replaced by a nicer pure-blood in the last three years. “What?”

“I’m sure Alexandria is just overcome by her happiness,”

Marcus commented blandly.

There was that choked sound again, and I began to suspect that Seth was the culprit. Aiden was too wel trained to slip up twice. I stared at Lucian. “I’m… just confused.”

“Confused? I can imagine. After al that you have been through.” Lucian released my shoulders, but then he grabbed my hand. I tried not to let my cringe show. “You’re far too young to suffer as you have. The tag… it wil never go away, wil it, dear?”

My free hand went to my neck self-consciously. “No.”

He nodded sympathetical y, and then led me to the chairs. He let go of my hand, readjusting his robes as he took a seat. I slumped into the other chair.

“You must come home.” Lucian’s eyes bored into mine.

“You don’t need to struggle to catch up with the others. This life is no longer necessary for you. I’ve spoken with Marcus at great length. You can attend the Covenant in the fal as a student, but not one in training.”

I couldn’t have heard that right. Halfs didn’t attend the Covenant as students. They trained or they went into servitude.

Marcus sat down slowly, his bright gaze fastened on me.

“Alexandria, Lucian is offering you a chance for a very different life.”

I couldn’t stop it. The laugh started in my throat and bubbled out. “This… this is a joke, right?”

Lucian exchanged a look with Marcus. “No. This is no joke, Alexandria. I know we weren’t always close when you were younger, but after al that has happened, I have seen where I have failed you as a father.”

I laughed again, earning a disapproving glare from Marcus. “I’m sorry.” I gasped as I pul ed myself back under control. “This is just so not what I expected.”

“You do not need to apologize, my daughter.”

I choked. “You’re not my father.”

“Alexandria!” Marcus warned.

“What?” I looked at my uncle. “He’s not.”

“It is al right, Marcus,” Lucian’s voice fil ed with velvet-covered steel. “When Alexandria was younger, I wasn’t much of anything to her. I let my own bitterness rule everything. But now, it al seems so very shal ow.” He turned to gaze at me. “If I had been a better father figure then maybe you would have cal ed for help when your mother took you away.”

I ran a hand over the side of my face, feeling like I’d stepped into a different world—a world where Lucian wasn’t a giant douche, and where I stil had someone who was technical y family and actual y cared for me.

“But that is in the past, my dear. I’ve come to take you back home.” Lucian gave me a thin-lipped smile. “I’ve already spoken with Marcus, and we agree that—

considering the circumstances—it would be for the best.”

I snapped out of my haze of dumbness. “Wait. I’m catching up, aren’t I?” I whirled around in my seat. “Aiden, I’m catching up, right? I’l be ready in the fal .”

“Yes.” He looked past me at Marcus. “Quicker than I would’ve thought possible, to be honest.”

Thril ed that he hadn’t thrown me under the bus, I turned back to my uncle. “I can do this. I have to be a Sentinel. I don’t want anything else.” My voice rasped with desperation. “I can’t do anything else.”

For the first time since I’d met Marcus, he actual y looked pained, like he was about to say something he didn’t want to. “Alexandria, it’s not about the training. I’m aware of your progress.”

“Then what is it?” I didn’t care that I had witnesses to my panic. The wal s were closing in, and I didn’t even understand why.

“You wil be taken care of,” Lucian tried to look reassuring. “Alexandria, you can no longer be a Sentinel.

Not with such a horrific conflict of interests.”

“What?” I looked back and forth between my uncle and stepfather. “There’s no conflict of interests. More than anyone, I have a reason to be a Sentinel!”

Lucian frowned. “More than anyone, you have a reason not to be a Sentinel.”

“Minister—” Aiden stepped forward, his eyes narrowing on Lucian.

“I know you’ve worked hard with her and I appreciate that, St. Delphi. But I cannot al ow this.” Lucian held up a hand.

“What do you think wil happen once she graduates? Once she leaves the island?”

“Uh, I’l hunt and kil daimons?”

Lucian turned to me. “Hunt and kil daimons?” His face turned paler than normal—which was saying something—

as he turned to Marcus. “She doesn’t know, does she?”

Marcus eyes closed briefly. “No. We thought… it would be for the best.”

Unease slid down my back. “Know what?”

“Irresponsible,” hissed Lucian. He lowered his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.

I shot to my feet. “Know what?”

Marcus looked up, his face drawn and colorless. “There’s no easy way to say this. Your mother is not dead.”

CHAPTER 11

NOTHING EXISTED BUT THOSE WORDS.

Marcus stood and edged around his desk. He stopped in front of me. The pained look had returned, but this time it was also mixed with sympathy.

The clicking of the wal clock and the gentle hum of the aquarium motors fil ed the room. No one spoke; no one pul ed their eyes from me. I had no idea how long I stood there staring at him while I tried to piece together what he’d said. Nothing made sense to me at first. Hope and disbelief crashed together, then a horrifying realization as I understood the sympathetic look that had crossed his face.

She was stil alive, but…

“No… ” I pushed away from the chair, trying to put distance between his words and me. “You’re lying. I saw her. The daimon drained her, and I touched her. She was so… so cold.”

“Alexandria, I’m sorry but—”

“No! It’s impossible. She was dead!”

Aiden was at my side, placing a hand on my back. “Alex

—”

I twisted out his grasp. His voice— Oh, gods—his voice said it al . And when I looked at him, saw the sorrow etched across his striking face, I knew.