Sentinel

Growing frustrated, I looked behind me when I heard a door close somewhere in the suite.

“You know he’s right inside your room, waiting. And he’s probably doing pushups or something to keep him from coming in here and stopping me…” He bent his head, so that his mouth was inches from mine. “From getting this close.”

I sucked in a breath as the cord in my belly jumped.

His lips formed a half-smile. “So, why don’t you help out the Saint and go back to him before we make another scene.”

Taking a step back, I met his gaze. “Don’t be a douche.”

“Don’t be a pain in my ass.” He reclaimed the distance, crowding me, and for a second, unease gave way to a spark of fear. “It’s better if I go out with Perses.”

I didn’t understand the sudden shift in mood with him. While he’d been in the cell, and after the evil god twins had been yanked out of me, Seth had been understanding and repentant. Now he was back to the Seth I wanted to shank with a rusty spork.

What’s up with you? I tried the whole mental path thing, hoping it would help. The last thing anyone needed was the two of us going at each other’s throats.

His eyes flared. “Nothing is up.”

Bull. You’re incredibly moody.

“Incredibly moody?” Seth tipped his head back and laughed. You have no idea.

“Then tell me.”

Seth blinked and then he leaned in again, speaking loud enough for everyone and their mother to hear. “I’m really not interested in talking with you. Other things? Maybe. You know, for old times’ sake.”

“You were wrong,” Aiden announced from behind me, appearing in the doorway like a damn ghost. “I wasn’t doing pushups to stop myself. I was just visually entertaining myself with all the different ways I could break your jaw. So back the hell off.”

Seth snickered as he pushed off the wall, raising his hands. “Look, all I was doing was telling her I would pull babysitting duties. She wanted me to stay and you to go. Don’t hate on me.”

My nails dug into my palms. I’m on to you, jerk-face. You’re trying to piss me off on purpose.

Seth winked, but then the door behind him swung open and Perses swaggered out, dressed in a white suit.

Momentarily distracted, I moved so I could see around Seth. “Where did you get the suit? Wait. I don’t even want to know.”

Perses laughed as he checked himself out in a gilded mirror. He wasn’t wearing a shirt under his jacket, and when he turned, the cut of his broad chest really drew the eyes. Speaking of eyes, they looked mortal now. “So the male Apollyon is babysitting me.” He walked up, clapping a large hand on Seth’s shoulder. “That will work.”

Remarkably, Seth had no reaction to the Titan getting all hands-on. “We’ll have fun.”

There was something in Seth’s voice that said he wouldn’t be having that much fun. I folded my arms, feeling like a mother who knew her child was about to go out and raise all kinds of holy hell but couldn’t prove it. It wasn’t that I thought Seth was going to try to take out Perses and run back to Ares. I believed with every cell in my body that he hated Ares as much as I did, but there was something going on.

“What happened to your face?” Perses asked, startling me as he twisted back to the mirror and straightened his jacket.

Aiden stopped whatever he was doing behind me, which probably involved giving Seth “I’m going to kill you while you sleep” looks, and placed a hand on my lower back. “That’s none of your business,” he snarled.

The Titan simply laughed deeply. “The pure-blood is touchy, isn’t he?”

Seth snorted as he headed for the door. Apparently he was going to wear his Sentinel uniform for his night of hell-raising. The daggers and gun were no longer visible, but I knew he still had them on him. “You have no idea,” he replied.

“You know…” Perses faced us once more, and his brand spanking-new irises shone like polished obsidian. “I could end you in half of a second.”

I shifted so I was standing in front of Aiden. The knot of unease between my breasts grew and then doubled when Aiden somehow ended up in front of me.

“I know you can end me with a snap of your fingers,” Aiden said, his body tense. “But it is still none of your business.”

The smile on Perses’ face widened.

I forced my muscles to relax as I stepped to stand side by side with Aiden. “Ares did it.”

Perses cocked his head to the side as his gaze moved from me to Aiden and back. “I assume those are not your only scars?”

I shook my head.

At the door, Seth had paled visibly. He looked like he wanted to bolt. I couldn’t blame him. So did I.

“How bad was it?” Perses asked.

While I had no desire to discuss this with anyone, let alone Perses, we needed to keep the Titan somewhat happy. And if that meant strolling down Awkward Lane, then so be it. “It was really bad. He kicked my ass.”

The Titan was unaffected by the statement, but he tipped his chin toward Seth. “Where were you when this was happening? Aren’t Apollyons bonded if there are two at the same time?”

Seth didn’t answer immediately. “I wasn’t there for her,” he said, and those words were like a cold wind.

“Interesting.” Perses shrugged his broad shoulders, stretching the material of his suit jacket. “It’s a shame.”

I frowned, not following where he was going with that statement. “What is?”

“What was done to you,” Perses replied. “I bet you were beautiful at one time.”

* * *

Sitting on the most comfortable couch known to man, I picked at the dinner Aiden had ordered from room service after Perses and Seth left to go do things it was best not to think about. Aiden sat beside me, the TV was on, and we were trying to be normal, but my mind was elsewhere. I felt edgy, restless.

Aiden laughed softly, drawing my attention. A small smile pulled at my lips. “What?”

“You haven’t heard a word of what I’ve been saying, have you?”

My cheeks flushed as I shook my head. “Sorry. I’m just distracted. What were you saying?”

“It honestly wasn’t anything important.” He put his empty plate on the glass coffee table and twisted toward me. Taking the plate from my hands, he also set that aside, and then faced me. “Are you okay?”

With anyone else I’d get annoyed with that question, but coming from Aiden, it made me love him more. “I’m fine. Really, I’m not lying.”

“Something is on your mind.” He reached out, gently clasping my cheek and causing a delicate shiver to skate over my skin. “You’re still beautiful. You know that, right?”

A wider smile pulled at my lips.

“What Perses said isn’t true.” He bent his head, brushing his lips over mine. The touch was barely there, but I felt it in every part of my being. “You are still as beautiful as you were the night I saw you standing in that warehouse in Atlanta.”

I placed my hand on his chest, kissing him back as his heart jumped under my palm. “Thank you, but it’s not what Perses said that’s bothering me.” I pulled back, running my teeth over my tingling lower lip. “I mean, yeah, I’m as shallow as the next girl, and hearing that kind of sucked, but it’s not like I haven’t accepted that I’m not going to be entering beauty pageants any time soon.”

“What’s going on in there, then?” Aiden tapped his forefinger off my temple.

At first, I wanted to say nothing and just enjoy this quiet time with Aiden, because I doubted we would have many more moments like this for a long time, but there was no reason to keep things to myself. No matter how small it was, I owed that to Aiden.

“It just seems bizarre to be sitting here while everything is going on.” I shook my head, frustrated for a