“Oh, come on.” I groaned. “You make me want to hurt myself.”
“But love, child, love is the root of all that is good, and the root of all things that are evil. Love is the root of the Apollyon.”
I shifted to my other foot. “Yeah, I think this is around the time I say goodbye. I hope you have a nice trip back to whatever hut you crawled out of.”
Her free hand snaked out, covering mine. Her skin felt papery thin, dry, and so gross. I tried to jerk my hand back, but she held on. Her strength was unnatural. Her eyes fastened on me. “Listen to me, child. Fate is afoot. Things cannot be undone. Fate has looked into the past and into the future. History is on repeat, but this is the time to press ‘stop.’ To change everything.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m sorry. You’re not making—”
“Listen to me!”
“I’m listening! But could you speak a coherent sentence for once?”
Piperi’s fingers slid over mine, and then she let go, wheezing. “I ain’t nothing no more. You must see what I’ve shown you. Hear what I have spoken. Nothing is what it seems. Evil hides in the shadows, plotting its plans while you fear the daimons.”
I scowled. “I don’t fear daimons.”
Her black eyes pierced me. “You should fear those who follow the old ways. Those who do not seek change and cannot allow things to continue as they are. And what a path, what a path the Powers have chosen. The end, the end is near. He,” she japed at the sky, “will see to it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, for the love of the gods, this makes no sense.”
She shook her head again. “You don’t get it. Listen to me.” Piperi poked me in the chest with one bony finger. “You must make a choice between what is fated and what is unknown.”
“Ow!” I stepped back. She jabbed me again. “Hey! Knock it off!”
“Take the risk or suffer the consequences!” She stopped suddenly, her eyes growing wide as her gaze darted around the otherwise silent garden. “You must not accept gifts from those who seek to destroy you.”
“Or candy,” I muttered.
Piperi ignored my sarcasm. “You must stay away from the one who brings nothing but heartache and death. Do you hear me? He brings nothing but death. Always has. Know the difference between need and love, fate and future. If you don’t, everything your momma sacrificed will be for naught.”
That caught my attention—perhaps because it was the clearest thing she’d ever said to me. “Who is he?”
“He is not what he seems. He has them all fooled—has him fooled. Poor child doesn’t see it. He doesn’t see it, and it has sealed his fate.” She sighed. “That one plays both sides. You don’t know—you wouldn’t know. He—” She jerked backward, the cane slipping from her grasp. The thing hit the marble sidewalk, shattering into a dozen thick pieces.
I grabbed for her, expecting her to fall flat on her face. So I was surprised when she didn’t fall over… and utterly shocked when she folded in on herself, flaking away until nothing remained but a pile of dust.
CHAPTER 9
“THE ORACLE HAS PASSED.” LUCIAN WHIRLED AROUND, addressing each of us. He looked ridiculous as the white robes twirled around his slender body. “Another has come into power.”
I had a headache.
Apparently, the oracle dying wasn’t a big deal. Grandma Piperi was ancient. I just happened to stumble upon her on her dying day or something—lucky me.
Woo.
Leon raised one massive arm and pinched the bridge of his nose. This impromptu gathering of the minds had not been going well. I’d come straight to Marcus after Grandma Piperi poofed, and from there, Marcus had called everyone to his office. Unfortunately, Lucian had brought a very contrary Seth. And worse yet, Aiden had already been in Marcus’s office for whatever reason.
Marcus took a deep breath. “Alex, what happened exactly?”
“I’ve already told you everything. I ran into her in the garden. She was talking one second and the next, she just sort of poofed—”
“She poofed?” Seth laughed. He lounged in the corner, arms folded across his chest, and that damn smile plastered across his face. “Seriously?”
“Yes, she poofed. Like she was there one second and the next she was a pile of dust.”
“We just don’t poof, Alex. That doesn’t happen.”
“Well, it did. She poked me in my chest with her bony fingers and said some crazy stuff. Then she poofed!”
Seth’s brows flew up and he laughed again. “What have you been doing today? Smoking something?”
Addressing Marcus, I threw up my hands. I had no idea why Seth was being such a jerk to me. He’d started in the moment he’d stepped into this room, and now I wanted to kill him. “Does he have to be here?”
“He is where I need him to be,” Lucian answered instead. “And I need him here.”
“Can he shut up, at least?” I missed the more charming version of Seth. This version sucked. “There’s no valuable need for him to comment on everything that comes out of my mouth!”
“I’m commenting on everything, because it sounds like you’ve smoked some crack,” Seth countered. “Where have you been all day?”
“Seth,” Aiden warned. It was the first he’d spoken since the meeting began. He had changed into his Sentinel garb, and I was having one hell of a time not looking at him. “Can you be quiet for five seconds?”
Seth’s yellow eyes snapped fire. “Does he have to be here? He’s just a Sentinel.”
“He was here before any of you were,” Marcus responded with a tight smile. “And Seth, please try to contain the comments.”
Seth slouched against the wall, raising his hands in surrender. “Sure. Sure. Go on, Alexandria. Tell us how she poofed again.”
“I’ve already explained it,” I said. “It’s pretty easy to understand. Even for you. Or did you wake up on the wrong side of stupid this morning?”
“Alex,” Aiden sighed. “Just talk to Marcus.”
I stiffened. “Sorry. If he says one more word to me, I’m going to take that dagger off that wall and shove it through his eye.”
Seth straightened, every cell in his body rising to the occasion. “Well, that’s brave for a little Apollyon in training. If you want to try it, I’m game.”
“Seth!” Marcus yelled, slamming his palms down on the table. Several ledgers and books shuddered.
My hold on my temper stretched to the breaking point. “You know what? I bet your mother wanted to drown you after you were born.”
“Alexandria!” Marcus started around the desk. “Would you two—”
“And there’s a reason why mothers turn daimon and try to kill their daughters.”
I shot across the room, aiming right for the dagger behind Marcus’s desk. Aiden cut me off. I considered barreling through him, but he looked like he would employ every measure possible to keep me from killing Seth.
“Don’t,” Aiden ordered in a low voice. “Just ignore him.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” I seethed. “I want the dagger so I can cut him.”
“Cut me?” Seth laughed. “What are you—a street thug Apollyon about to shank me?”
Lucian sat down in one of the leather seats. “So much passion between you two,” he murmured. “Can be expected, I imagine. You two are one and the same. Let them go. We can continue this conversation without any more interruptions, entertaining as they are.”
I stopped. So did Seth. Actually, everyone in the room who didn’t appear to be on drugs stopped and stared at Lucian. “What?”
Smiling like he knew some huge secret, he flicked his wrist elegantly. “Let them go. Alexandria has already told us what has happened. The oracle has passed and another has come into power. Let them work through their lovers’ quarrel in private.”
Even Seth’s eyes widened at that. I had a more vocal response, one that caused Marcus to look like he wanted to shove me in a dark room and never let me out again.
“We have not yet determined what the oracle told Alexandria,” Leon interjected from the corner. I’d almost forgotten he was there.
“She’s already told us what she could. What was it, dear?” Lucian simpered in my direction. My hand itched to smack him upside his head. “She said that fate can be changed? Is that not great news? The oracle was referencing our two Apollyons.”
I scowled at him. “Why does everything in your head automatically go back to the Apollyon?”
Lucian waved his hand again. “Let them go.”
Aiden’s hard stare bounced between us. “I don’t think that’s a good idea at the moment. One of them may seriously injure the other.”
I wondered if he really thought that or if the idea of us “handling” our “lovers’ quarrel” in private bothered him.
Marcus sighed. “I think it is an excellent idea, as we aren’t getting anywhere with both of them in the roo—”
“I thought Lucian needed Seth here,” Aiden interrupted, eyes like chips of ice.
Something ridiculously stupid sprung alive in my chest. Aiden was jealous? “You know what?” I shot Aiden a defiant look. “Let’s go. Come on, Seth. Let’s go continue our lovers’ quarrel.”
Pushing off the wall, Seth arched a brow. “Yes, my love, that sounds absolutely fantastic. Don’t forget to grab a dagger so you can poke my eyeball out. Oh, that’s right.” He fixed a sympathetic look on his face. “Only a trained Sentinel can carry a dagger.”
I shot him a sneer, and then whirled around and stalked out of the room. My head pounded like crazy, and even though I’d agreed to leave, I didn’t want to continue talking with Seth. We actually made it to the first floor before all hell broke loose.
Seth grabbed my arm and dragged me into one of the empty offices, slamming the door shut behind him. “You little brat, what the hell have you been doing all day?”
I pulled my arm free and moved to the other side of the office. Seth stalked after me, and I thought of the lion from earlier. All he needed was a swishing tail. I laughed, not able to help it. The image of Seth with a tail was kind of funny.
Seth stopped short, scowling. “What’s so funny?”
I sobered up. “Jeez, nothing.”
“What have you been doing all day, Alex?”
“What have you been doing?” I sidestepped him, putting some space between us. “And why don’t you seem to care that the oracle died?”
“Alex, she was ancient. At least a couple of hundred years old. It was bound to happen. Lucian is right. Another has come into power and blah, blah.”
“She died right in front of me! It was a bit unsettling.”
Seth cocked his head to the side. “Do you want me to host a pity party for you? I’m sure I can wrangle up a few people who can help you commiserate.”