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In a rush of activity, they followed Lucian out of the roo worth going against the Council and risking death? I knehat he’d offered the halfs

Seth still heldyou’d ever tried to do"

"Too bad it didn’t work"

Appearing incredulous, he hauled o, I bolted for the door He caughthis arms around me "Stop this!"

I threw o!"

"Don’t led in his viselike grip "He’s using you, Seth Why can’t you see that?"

His chest rose against my back "Is it so hard for you to accept that Lucian cares for me--for you?"

"He doesn’t care about us! He just wants to use us" I kicked s out to use the wall, but Seth anticipated this and spun me around "Dahed and started dragging me toward the hall "You’re such a little fool soether ill be able to change our world Isn’t that what you want?" We had reached the bottood I didn’t recognize "Gods! Knock it off, Alex For so heavy I don’t want to have to carry you up these stairs"

"Gee Thanks Now you’re calling me fat"

"What?" His arms slackened

I slah that the impact rattledwildly, he flipped me around and bent at the waist He clamped his arm down on my waist and hauled me over his shoulder Before I could kick his and held them down

"Put me down!" I pounded on his back with runted as he started up the stairs "Seriously, I can’t believe I have to do this"

I continued my assault on his back to no avail "Seth!"

"Maybe you deserve a spanking, Alex" Laughing, he rounded the landing as I jabbed him in the kidneys "Ouch! That hurt!"

We were h noise to rouse every Guard in the house, but no one intervened I recognized the upside-down hallway and the door Seth pushed open It was my old bedroom in Lucian’s house

Seth stormed across plush white carpet that so had not been in my bedroom when I’d stayed in this house Back then, I’d had bare floors that had been cold in the winter He dumped me unceremoniously on the bed and then planted his hands on his hips "Behave"

I sprang to ht me around the waist and pushed me back doith little effort on his part An incredible ahwaves And I let the fury swell and spread like the rising tide

"You’re being ridiculous, Alex And you need to cal me wish I had some Valiu you, Seth He wants to control us so he can overthrow the Council He wants to be greater than the gods You know they’ll never allow that! That’s why the Apollyons were created in the first place"

Seth arched a brow "Yeah, Alex, I knohy the Apollyons were first created To ods and blah blah Let ods care if you die fighting a daiht me back"

He rolled his eyes "What if you weren’t the Apollyon, Alex? What if you were just a normal half? Would they care at all if you died?"

"No, but--"

"Do you think that’s right? That you’re forced to be either a slave or a warrior?"

"No! It’s not right, but the gods didn’t decree that The pures did, Seth"

"I know, but don’t you think the gods could’ve changed that if they wanted to?" He e needs to happen, Alex"

"And you think Lucian is really going to bring that kind of change?" I willed Seth to understand "That once he takes complete control of the Council, he’ll free the servants? Relieve the halfs from their duty?"

"Yes!" Seth dropped to his knees in front of ht the daimons?"

"There will be those who volunteer just like the pures who do now Lucian will do this All we have to do is support him"

I shook my head "Lucian has never cared about the halfs All he has ever cared about is himself He wants ultimate power--to enslave the mortals instead of the halfs He said so hiusted hu"

"He toldthe way the cord jumped "Please, Seth You have to believe s he’s promised you"

He stared atet it You couldn’t stand living aods when the Order killed you--killed you--to protect the the way? Look at how they’ve treated you I don’t get it"

Soet it ods, well, they were as much to blame as the pures They’d allowed this to happen But this was"Innocent people will die, Seth And what do you think the gods will do? They eful and downright sadistic They’ll start slaughtering halfs and pures by the busload Apollo has said so"