Pure (51 page)

Seth sat up, and without even looking, I could feel his eyes boring holes in my back. “Alex…?”

I hated our super-special bond—absolutely loathed that whatever I was feeling fed into him. There was no such thing as privacy anymore. I sighed. “I’m fine.”

He didn’t respond.

“Yeah, I’m going to class in the morning. Marcus will have a fit when he gets back and realizes I haven’t been to class.” I flopped onto my back. “Seth?”

He inclined his heard toward me. Shadows cloaked his features, but his eyes cut through the darkness. “Yeah?”

“When do you think they’re coming back?” By they I meant Marcus and Lucian… and Aiden. My breath caught. It happened whenever I thought about Aiden, and what he’d done for me—what he’d risked.

Easing down on his side, Seth reached across me and grabbed my right hand. His fingers threaded through mine, palm to palm. My skin tingled in response. The mark of the Apollyon—the one that shouldn’t be on my hand—warmed. I stared at our joined hands, not at all surprised when I saw the faint lines—also the marks of the Apollyon—making their way up Seth’s arm. I turned my head, watching as the marks spread across Seth’s face. His eyes seemed to brighten. They’d been doing that a lot more lately, both the runes and his eyes.

“Lucian said they’d be back soon, possibly later today.” Very slowly, he moved the pad of his thumb down the line of the rune. My toes curled as my free hand dug into the blankets. Seth smiled. “No one’s mentioned the pure-blood Guard. And Dawn Samos has already returned. It appears Aiden’s compulsion worked.”

I wanted to pull my hand free. It was hard to concentrate when Seth messed with the rune on my palm. Of course, he knew that. And being the tool that he was, he liked it.

“No one knows what really happened.” His thumb now traced the horizontal line. “And it’ll remain that way.”

My eyes drifted shut. The truth of how the pure-blood Guard died would have to remain a secret, or both Aiden and I would be in deep trouble. Not only had we almost hooked up over the summer—and then I had to go and tell him that I loved him, which was totally forbidden—I’d killed a pure-blood out of self-defense. And Aiden had used compulsion on two pures to cover it up. Killing a pure meant death for a half-blood, no matter the situation, and a pure was forbidden to use compulsion on another pure. If any of it came out, we’d both be totally screwed.

“You think so?” I whispered.

“Yes.” Seth’s breath was warm against my temple. “Go to sleep, Alex.”

Letting the soothing sensation of his thumb against the rune lull me away, I drifted back to sleep, momentarily forgetting all the mistakes and decisions I’d made in the past seven months. My last conscious thought was of my biggest mistake—not the boy beside me, but the one I could never have.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Acknowledgments are so tricky. I always feel like I’m forgetting someone terribly important. So I’ll start with the business side of things. Huge thanks to Kate Kaynak and the team at Spencer Hill Press—Rich, Kendra, Marie, Osman, Carol, and Rebecca. Without you guys,
The Covenant Series
wouldn’t even exist. Or if it did, it would be pretty bad without your editing, marketing expertise and general awesomeness.

Much thanks to my family and husband for your continuing patience and support when I ignore you while writing. Love you guys. Thank you to my agent Kevan Lyon, for rocking it out.

To my friends: Lesa Rodrigues, Julie Fedderson, Dawn Ransom, Cindy Thomas, Carissa Thomas, and everyone else, you know who you are, thank you for always being there for me when I need a break away from people that aren’t real or when I need to brainstorm.

Speaking of brainstorming—I don’t know what I would do without Lesa, Julie, Carissa or Cindy. You guys rock my socks. You are the awesome sauce with an extra helping of sauce.

Julie—you are still my rockstar.

A huge, GIGANTIC thanks to all the book bloggers out there, spreading their love of reading and their passion for it along with discovering new authors. You guys do this for free, in your spare time and are my go-to peeps. Without you guys, honestly,
The Covenant Series
wouldn’t be half of whatever success it may be. You all don’t nearly get the thanks you guys so very much deserve.

Jennifer L. Armentrout lives in West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. Well, mostly. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write. She shares her home with her husband, his K-9 partner named Diesel, and her hyper Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent her time writing short stories... therefore explaining her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes Adult and Young Adult Urban Fantasy and Romance.

Come find out more at:
www.jenniferarmentrout.com

Praise for
Half-Blood

A USA Book News BEST BOOKS 2011” Finalist

“Amazing doesn’t even do this book justice.”

— The Magic Attic

“This book is made of awesome.”

— Muggle-Born

“Jennifer Armentrout has delivered an action packed book full of twists, romance, and paranormal powers and a great unique Greek Mythology.”

— Mundie Moms

“I was completely blown away and left utterly speechless.”

— Amy G., The YA Sisterhood

“
Half-Blood
is an action-packed thrill ride that pulled no punches. Full of fantastic mythology, great storytelling, forbidden love, and danger at every corner,
Half-Blood
has something for everyone. ”

— Reading Angel

“
Half-Blood
is pure awesomeness. I loved this book from beginning to end.”

— Bookittyblog

“Armentrout’s writing and characters kept me entertained and thrilled about the world that she has created… This book is sexy, kick-ass, and entertaining.”

— Fantastic Book Review

“Alex may just be one of the most kick-butt heroines of YA fiction here lately.”

— Letters Inside Out

“
Half-Blood
is a book that will sink its teeth into you and won’t let go.”

— [Fict]shun

“When I finished
Half-Blood
, all I wanted was more.”

— Collections

“Intense, dramatic, and downright un-put-down-able.”

— 365 Days of Reading

“It pulled me in and didn’t let me go until the final page. Actually, it never really let me go because I am completely aching for the next in the series.”

— Two Readers Review

“One of those books that you open to read and then set it down four hours later, head spinning like you’ve spent an afternoon on the tilt-a-whirl with the biggest grin on your face.”

— The Irish Banana Review

“
Half-Blood
is so complete in its great pacing, developed characters and balance between mythology, romance, and action.”

— Read Me, Bookmark Me, Love Me

“Can I just say wow, wow, and wow? Yeah, I loved this book that much.”

— Book Passion for Life

“
Half-Blood
takes the WOW factor to a whole new level.”

— Mindy, Books Complete Me

“
Half-Blood
completely blew me away! I could not put it down and stayed up till 4 am just to finish it. It’s one of those rare books I’ve added to my “must read again” list!”

— Confessions of a Bookaholic

“This book was awesome!”

— Crystal’s Reviews

“Jennifer has this amazing way of sucking me into the story and making it so I never want to leave. I absolutely could not get enough of this amazing book.”

— My Bookish Fairy Tale

“Very captivating, it’s a great debut novel.”

— The Fable Faerie

“
Half-Blood
is fast-paced and full of action. It’s definitely a great read that brings in elements of mythology, but stays fresh.”

— Letters Inside Out

“This book has everything: the scary monsters, the dangerous quests, the annoying family members, the steamy scenes... I just couldn’t get enough.”

— iLive, iLaugh, iLove Books

“A wonderful new YA series that no one should miss reading.”

— Books to Brighten Your Mood

“Oh. My. Goodness... I really wanted to just enjoy this one and let it soak in slowly. Please read this!”

— I’m a Book Shark

“
Half-Blood
is an exciting first book in a series that promises to get even better (if that is possible!)”

— Books to Brighten your Mood

“If you want to lose yourself for a couple of days, just plain out fall-off-the-face-of-the-planet-and-not-remember-what-else-is-going-on-in-the-world, lose yourself... THIS BOOK WILL DO THAT! I was completely blown away.”

— YA Bound

“This is a book you will finish, and weeks later still be mind blown about, just trying to think of the words to use for how much you loved it.”

— Ya-Aholic

“Oh, how I loved this book!”

— Book Loving Mommy

“An awesome debut that shouldn’t be missed.”

— Birth of a New Witch

“If I could describe this book in one word it would be: AMAZING!!”

— Catching Books

“I cannot express how much I enjoyed this book.”

— Moonlight Book Reviews

“It will entrap you from page one and seduce you all the way through.”

— Shortie Says

“
Half-Blood
is a book you cannot put down! A one sit read!”

— Ivy Reads

“Oh my gods, I can’t even tell you how much I love this book! ...Completely entertaining and utterly compelling,
Half-Blood
has definitely earned its place high up on my favorites list! Even if you’re not a fan of Greek Mythology, I recommend this book wholeheartedly. It’s the kind of book you want to go back and read again immediately.”

— Mimi Valentine

“This is definitely my favorite mythology-based book to date... I definitely give this 5/5 and I cannot wait for the next installment,
Pure
.”

— The Cait Files

“I was blown away.”

— Going from Nobody to Somebody

“Armentrout officially has me hooked on this series, and I may go crazy waiting for the next installment.”

— IB Book Blogging

“Jennifer L Armentrout has written a page turner worthy of a one sitting read. Clear your day. It’s literally impossible to put
Half-Blood
down until totally devoured....and then you are licking your lips for more.”