I started backing out of the room. “I seriously don’t want to hear about any of this again. I’m just going to pretend this conversation didn’t take place.”

“Alex. Stop.” Seth stepped toward me.

I glared at him. “Don’t fol ow me! I mean it, Seth. I don’t care if you can throw me through the air. If you fol ow me, I’l jump off a freaking bridge and take you with me!”

“Let her go.” Lucian gave an elegant wave of his hand.

“She needs time to… come to grips with this.”

Surprisingly, Seth listened. I left then, slamming the front door behind me. My thoughts bounced around my head in a chaotic mess on the way back to the island. I barely noticed the air was no longer thick with smoke. Someone had taken care of the boat fire. The Guards at the bridge looked bored when they waved me through.

Minutes later, I crossed the campus and the section of sandy beach separating the faculty and guest lodging from the rest of campus. Under no circumstance was I—or any student for that matter—al owed to wander around their housing, but I needed to talk to someone—I needed Aiden.

Aiden could make sense out of this. He would know what to do.

Since most of the little houses were empty for the summer, it was easy to figure out which one was his. Only one of the nearly identical cottages had a light on inside. I stopped in front of the door and hesitated. Coming here—

not only would I get in trouble, but so would Aiden. I couldn’t even begin to wonder what they’d do if I were discovered in a pure-blood’s cabin at this time of night. But I needed him, and that was more important than consequences.

Aiden answered after a few seconds, taking seeing me standing at his door remarkably wel . “What’s wrong?”

It wasn’t late, but he stood there dressed as if he’d been in bed. The low-slung pajama bottoms looked better on him than Lucian. So did the tank top. “I need to talk to you.”

His gaze dropped the length of me. “Where are your shoes? Why are you covered in sand? Alex, talk to me now.

What happened?”

I looked down dumbly—my sandals? They were lost somewhere on the main island, never to be seen again.

Sighing, I pushed the tangled strands of hair back. “I know I shouldn’t be here, but I didn’t know who else to go to.”

Aiden reached out and took hold of my arms in a gentle grasp. Without saying a word, he led me into his cottage.

CHAPTER 16

AS AIDEN GUIDED ME TO HIS COUCH AND SAT ME

DOWN, he had this look about him. It was sort of dangerous and comforting at the same time. “Let me… get you a glass of water.”

My gaze crawled over his living room. It wasn’t much bigger than my room back in the dorm, and much like mine, it was devoid of anything decorative. There were no pictures, favorite paintings, or artwork cluttering the wal s.

Instead, books and comics lay scattered across the coffee table, lined the numerous bookshelves, and sat stacked on his smal computer desk. No television. He was a reader—

probably even read the comics in ancient Greek. For some reason, that made me smile.

Then I noticed the corner of the room, between the bookshelf and the desk. A guitar leaned against the wal , and several colorful guitar picks formed a line on one of the shelves—every color except black. I knew it—those hands were used for something graceful and artsy. I wondered if I could ever get him to play for me. I’d always had a thing for guys who played guitars.

“You play?” I tipped my chin toward the guitar.

“Occasional y.” He handed me a glass of water, and I downed it before he sat beside me. “Thirsty?”

“Mmm.” I wiped away a few drops off my lips. “Thanks.

What’s up with the picks?”

He glanced at the guitar. “I col ect them. A weird habit of mine, I guess.”

“You need a black one.”

“I guess I do.” Aiden took the glass and set it on the coffee table, frowning when he noticed the tremble in my hands. “Alex, what happened?”

My laugh hitched in my throat. “It’s going to sound crazy.” I stole a quick peek at him, and seeing the concern for me on his face was nearly my undoing.

“Alex… you can tel me. I won’t judge you.”

I kind of wondered what he’d thought happened.

His hand came out and wrapped around mine. “You trust me, right?”

I stared at our hands, those fingers. You are fated to be with him. Those words had a shattering effect on me. I pul ed my hands free and stood. “Yes. I did. I do. This is just so crazy.”

Aiden remained seated, but his eyes fol owed my erratic pacing. “Try starting at the beginning.”

I nodded, smoothing my hands over my dress. I started with the party. The look on Aiden’s face hardened when I told him what Cody had said and turned even more dangerous when I explained how Seth had kil ed someone’s boat. I told him everything, even the skeevy part with Seth, and how we were “two halves” or whatever.

Aiden was a remarkable listener. He didn’t ask any questions, but I knew he caught everything I threw down.

“So, it can’t be true, right? I mean, none of this is real.” I returned to prowling the length of his living room. “Lucian said it was why Mom left. The oracle told her that I was the second Apol yon and that she was afraid that the gods would… kil me, I guess.” My laugh sounded a little shril .

Aiden ran a hand through his hair. “I suspected something strange when Lucian wanted to bring you back to his house. And when you said you’d seen Seth’s markings… I can’t believe I’ve been around someone so rare this entire time. When do you turn eighteen, Alex?”

I slid my hands down my sides nervously. “March fourth.”

Less than a year from now.

Aiden rubbed his chin. “When you spoke to the oracle, did she say anything like this?”

“No, she only said I would kil the ones I love. Nothing about this, but she said so much crazy stuff.” I swal owed, hearing the blood rushing in my veins. “I mean, looking back, some of the things she said made sense, but I just didn’t understand.”

“How could you understand?” He came around the smal wooden table. “Now we know why your mother would take such a risk in leaving the safety of the island. She wanted to protect you. The story of Solaris is truly tragic, but she stood against the Council and the gods. That’s what sealed their fate. Not what was written about them in the books.”

“Why would Solaris do that? Didn’t she know what would happen?”

“Some say she fel in love with the First. When he stood against the Council, she defended him.”

“That’s so stupid.” I rol ed my eyes. “She basical y committed suicide. That isn’t love.”

Aiden gave the briefest of smiles. “People do the damndest things when they’re in love, Alex. Look at what your mother did. It’s a different kind of love, but she left everything because she loved you.”

“I never understood why she left.” My voice sounded young and fragile. “Now I know. She real y did leave to protect me.” The knowledge sat like curdled milk in my stomach. “You know, I kinda hated her for pul ing me away from here. I never understood why she would do something so risky and stupid, but she did it to protect me.”

“It must bring you some sort of peace to know why, doesn’t it?”

“Peace? I don’t know. Al I can think is if I wasn’t some kind of giant freak, she’d stil be alive.”

My words caused a flicker of pain to cross his face. “You can’t blame yourself for this. I wil not al ow it, Alex. You’ve come too far for this.”

I nodded, looking away. Aiden could believe whatever he wanted, but if I hadn’t been the second coming of the Apol yon then none of this would’ve happened. “I hate this. I hate not having control.”

“But you do have control, Alex. What you are gives you more control than anyone else.”

“How so? According to Lucian, I’m Seth’s own personal electrical outlet or something. Who knows? No one does.”

“You’re right. No one knows. When you turn eighteen—”

“I’l be a giant freak.”

“That’s not what I was going to say.”

I raised my eyebrows and looked at him. “Okay. When I turn

eighteen the gods are going to kil me in my sleep? That’s what Seth said.”

Anger turned his eyes dark gray. “The gods have to be aware of you. I know this doesn’t make you feel better, but if they wanted to… get rid of you, they would have already. So when you turn eighteen, anything wil be possible.”

“You’re acting like this is a good thing.”

“It could be, Alex. With two of you—”

“You sound like Lucian!” I moved away from him. “Next you’re going to be tel ing me I’m Seth’s super-special other half and I belong to him, as if I’m some sort of object instead of a person!”

“I’m not saying that.” He closed the distance, putting his hands on my shoulders. I shivered under the weight of his hands. “Do you remember what I said about fate?” I shook my head. I remembered how he’d found my shorts distracting. I had that wonderful subjective memory feature.

“Only you have control over your future, Alex. Only you have control over what you want.”

“You real y think so?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

I shook my head, doubtful that I could believe in anything at this point, and started to slip away, but Aiden’s hands tightened around my shoulders. An instant later, he gathered me close to him. I hesitated, because being this close to him was possibly the sweetest kind of torture.

I needed to break away… move as far away as possible, but his arms circled my shoulders. Slowly, careful y, I rested my head against his chest. My hands fel to the curve of his back and I inhaled deeply. His scent, a mixture of the sea and soap, fil ed me. The steady beat of his heart under my cheek warmed and comforted me. It was just a hug, but gods, it meant so much. It meant everything.

“I don’t want to be to this Apol yon thing.” I closed my eyes. “I don’t even like to be in the same country as Seth. I don’t want any of this.”

Aiden smoothed his hand down my back. “I know. It’s overwhelming and scary, but you’re not alone. We’l figure this out. Everything is going to be okay.”

I pressed closer. Time seemed to slow down, al owing me a few moments of the simple pleasure of being in his arms, but then his fingers sifted through my hair, finding their way to my scalp, and from there, he guided my head back.

“You don’t have anything to worry about, Alex. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

Those forbidden words wrapped around my heart, forever etching into my soul. Our eyes met. Silence stretched between us as we stared at each other. His eyes shifted to fierce silver and his other arm slid to my waist, tightening. His fingers drifted from my hair and slowly traced the curve of my cheekbone. My pulsed thrummed through me as his intense stare fol owed his fingertips. He moved them down my face and then over my parted lips.