Jennifer Armentrout - Half-Blood

“And then some.”

I remembered what Deacon said about Aiden making sure I behaved now. “I’m… sorry. I don’t want you to feel like… you have to babysit me.”

Aiden gave me a sharp look. “Wel … thank you.”

I twisted my fingers together, feeling tongue-tied for some reason. “It must’ve been hard having to raise him, practical y alone.”

He snorted. “You have no idea.”

I real y didn’t. Aiden had been just a kid himself when their parents had been kil ed. What if I’d had a little brother or sister and I were responsible for them? There was no way. I couldn’t even put myself in that situation.

A few moments passed before I asked, “How… did you do it?”

“Do what, Alex?”

We passed the bridge and the Covenant loomed ahead of us. I slowed my steps. “How did you take care of Deacon after… something so terrible happening?”

A stiff smile formed on his lips. “I had no other choice. I refused to al ow Deacon to be handed over to another family. I think… my parents would’ve wanted me to be the one to raise him.”

“But that’s a lot of responsibility. How did you do it while going to school? Hel , while training?”

Graduating the Covenant didn’t mean training ended for a Sentinel. The first year on the job was notoriously fierce.

Time was split between shadowing trained Sentinels cal ed Guides and stil training in high impact martial art classes and stress tests.

He shoved his hands into the deep pockets of his black, Covenant-issued uniform. “There were times when I considered doing what my family would’ve wanted for me.

Going to col ege and coming back, engaging in the politics of our world. I know my parents would’ve wanted me to take care of Deacon, but the last thing they would’ve ever chosen was for me to become a Sentinel. They never understood… this kind of life.”

Most pures didn’t, and I didn’t ful y understand it until I’d seen my mother attacked. Not until then did I ful y grasp the need for Sentinels. Pushing the troubling thought away, I tried to think of what I remembered about his parents.

They’d been young-looking, like most pures were, and from what I knew, they’d been powerful. “They were on the Council, right?”

He nodded. “But after their death, being a Sentinel was what I wanted.”

“Something you needed ,” I corrected softly.

His step slowed and he looked surprised. “You’re right.

Becoming a Sentinel was something I needed—I stil do.”

He paused, looking away. “You would know. It’s what you need.”

“Yeah.”

“How did you survive?” He turned the question on me.

Growing uncomfortable, I focused on the stil water of the ocean. At night, under the light of the moon, it looked as dark and thick as oil. “I don’t know.”

“You had no other choice, Alex.”

I shrugged. “I guess so.”

“You don’t like talking about it, do you?”

“Is it obvious?”

We stopped where the pathway split between the dorms.

“You don’t think it’s a good idea for you to talk about it?” His voice held a serious tone that made him sound much older.

“You’ve barely had any time to deal with what happened to your mother… what you witnessed and had to do.”

I felt something tighten in my jaw. “What I had to do is what al Sentinels have to do. I’m training to kil daimons.

And I can’t talk to anyone. If Marcus even suspected I had problems dealing with it, he’d hand-deliver me to Lucian.”

Aiden stopped and when he looked at me, there was an infinite amount of patience on his face. Once again, I was struck by what Deacon had said. “You’re only seventeen.

Most Sentinels don’t make their first kil until a year or so after graduation.”

I sighed; now was a good time to change the subject.

“You know what you said about your parents not wanting you to have this kind of life?”

Aiden nodded, a curious look on his face. He probably wondered where the hel I was going with this.

“I think—no, I know they would be proud of you, anyways.”

He raised one eyebrow. “Do you think that because I offered to train you?”

“No. I think that because I remember you.”

My words seemed to catch him off guard. “How? We didn’t share any classes or schedules.”

“I saw you around a few times. I always knew when you were around,” I blurted out.

Aiden’s lips tipped at the corners as he stared down at me. “What?”

I took a step back, flushing. “I mean, you had this reputation for being so kickass. Even though you were stil in school, everyone knew you were going to be an awesome Sentinel.”

“Oh.” He laughed again, relaxing a little bit. “I suppose I should be flattered.”

I nodded vigorously. “You should be. The halfs look up to you. Wel , the ones who want to be Sentinels. Just the other day, they were tel ing me about how many kil s you’ve made. It’s legendary. Especial y for a pure—I’m sorry. I don’t mean kil ing a lot of daimons is necessarily a good thing or something to be proud of, but… I need to shut up now.”

“No. I understand what you’re saying. Kil ing is a necessity of our world. Each one takes its tol , because the daimon used to be a good person. Someone you may have known. It’s never easy to take someone’s life, but to stare down at someone you once considered a friend is… much harder.”

I made a face. “I don’t know if I could do it… ” I saw the amusement fade from his face. That must not have been the right response. “I mean, when we see the daimon, we halfs see them for what they truly look like. At least, at first and then we see them for who they used to be. The elemental magic changes them back so they look like they used to. You already know that, of course, even if you don’t see through the dark magic like we do. I could do it. I’m sure I could kil someone I once knew.”

Aiden’s lips pursed and he looked away. “It’s hard when it’s someone you knew.”

“Have you ever fought one you knew before they went al dark side?”

“Yes.”

I swal owed. “Did you… ?”

“Yes. It wasn’t easy.” He faced me. “It’s getting late, wel past your curfew, and you aren’t getting off easy for tonight.

I expect to see you in the gym tomorrow by eight.”

“What?” I’d assumed I had the weekend to myself.

He simply raised his brows. “Do I need to list the rules you’ve broken?”

I wanted to point out I wasn’t the only one who’d broken rules tonight—and that some people who weren’t me were stil currently breaking rules—but I managed to keep my mouth shut. Even I could acknowledge my punishment could be far worse. Nodding, I started to walk up to my dorm.

“Alex?”

I turned around, figuring he’d changed his mind and was going to order me to see Marcus in the morning and fess up to my bad behavior. “Yeah?”

He brushed a lock of dark hair off his forehead and flashed that lopsided smile. “I remember you.”

I scrunched up my face. “What?”

The grin increased to a ful smile. And… oh, man. He had dimples. The air in my lungs died. “I remember you, too.”

I WAS BEING PUNISHED.

It seemed that the part from last night’s conversation about not being al owed off the Covenant-control ed island wasn’t an assumption. Okay. I total y knew that, but honestly, was it real y that big of a deal?

It was a big deal to Aiden.

He carted my butt to the gym first thing in the morning and we spent the better part of the day there. He showed me a few exercises he wanted me to do, a couple of weight reps, and then a whole slew of cardio.