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The band geek blushed a little, but he grinned atout ideas about what Vivian could really be up to, but none of us had a clue as to what her plan was I didn’t say anything else about whichher, and no one else brought it up either Not after seeing Logan’s reaction Finally, the ten o’clock curfew rolled around, and o back to their own doruys?" I said "I wouldn’t put it past the Reapers to try to wreck the concert toet at ht that filled my mind, but I didn’t tell the others an said "Oliver, Kenzie, and I are serving as the honor guard to protect everyone in the band My dad and the otherwith Metis, Ajax, and Nickamedes If any of the Reapers dare show their faces at the concert hall, we’ll take care of them"

I didn’t say that a Reaper would be there already, hiding a the other Protectorate members I knew the Spartan didn’t want to believe that one of the people he trusted was really a Reaper, and I didn’t want to upset him any more than I already had Besides, surely one Reaper couldn’t do that uard That’s what I told an kissed ood-bye and left with the others Alexei ith theuard outside ht

I went over to my , pulled back the curtain, and watched my friends disappear into the darkness Still, despite their assurances, I couldn’t shake the feeling that so to strike sooner rather than later

Chapter 20

I took a shower and crawled into bed, deter but restful I I’d seen, heard, and felt the last few days Thanks toinformation into my brain, even if all I did was touch a library book and flash on how bored sonore such things, but sohts, sounds, and e by one after another, faster and faster, even as ht was one of those nights

The Reapers sneaking up on Oliver and Alexei in the library The leader lifting up the Apate box, the wicked flash of the rubies on it painting everything a harsh cri into the acade at me like evil eyes And finally, the Maat asp curled aroundits tongue against ed forward and sank its fangs intoas though the asp had really bitten me The sensation felt so vivid, so real, that I snapped on a light and held my arm up, but my skin was sotten earlier in the prison had vanished

"Gwen?" Vicout a loud yawn fro? Why did you turn on the light?"

"It’s nothing, Vic," I said "Just a bad dreaain "Just let me knohen you need me to wake up and kill Reapers"

His voice trailed off, and seconds later he was snoring again The soft, fah the last of my panic and dreaht, and lay back down on o back to sleep

The next day just before lunch, I stood in the parking lot behind the gyood-bye to my friends The winter concert wasn’t until late that afternoon, but the bandon a couple of buses and going to the concert hall early-along with a heavy guard

Ever since Vivian had freed Loki, I’d thought things would change at Mythos-that there would be s had been added to campus-discreetly The Powers That Were didn’t want everyone to panic No, they wanted to make the Mythos students feel they were just as safe as they’d been before Loki escaped, even if we all kneas just an illusion That’s why the winter band concert was still on-because the Powers That Were didn’t want to be seen as giving in to the Reapers and adding to the fear of another loo Chaos War

I understood what the Powers That Were were trying to do, and I was glad my friends would be protected, but I still couldn’t help but have a bad, bad feeling about this I couldn’t see the future, not likeabout the situation felt wrong to ht into the Reapers’ hands, even though the concert had been planned forheld down in the city

"Callsuspicious," I told Daphne for the third time in as s up for the concert so she was getting on the bus with everyone else

Daphne rolled her eyes "Don’t worry, Gwen There are sowith us that there’s no way the Reapers would dare to attack, even if one of them is a member of the Protectorate"

I started to point out that no one had thought the Reapers would break in to the library either, but I kept my mouth shut This was supposed to be a fun day, a way for everyone to forget about Reapers, at least for a few hours, and I wasn’t going to ruin it with my suspicions, especially not for Carson, as nervous enough already about perforreenish tint to it, and I could hear his sto

"Knock ’em dead, Carson," I said

He tried to s his sto to be okay here by yourself, Gypsy girl?" Logan asked

"I’ll be fine," I said "Besides, Alexei will be here with me"

I jerked my thu with Oliver, Kenzie, and Talia Alexei had been waiting outside , and he’d coh he’d actually walked besidebehind a few steps Maybe I was growing on hirowing on was Linus He stood next to one of the buses, along with Agrona, Inari, and Sergei Thewith the students to, well, protect the with Metis, Nickauard for the concert

I just wondered which one of the sh? Quiet, soft-spoken Inari who always faded into the background? Beautiful Agrona? Or even Linus hiaze went fro normal When I’d first walked over here, Metis had pulled me aside and told me that she, Ajax, and Nicka concrete about who had been where during the attack in the library Metis had pro it was already too late

Linus noticed an was by nore hilad you don’t have to spend the afternoon with hi over s, how a real Spartan would do things"

His voice was , but pain shi that had happened, it was obvious that Logan still wanted his dad’s love and approval-andalongside his s aren’t any better between the two of you?" I asked

Logan shook his head "No, but I don’t want to talk about hiht now Just be careful today, okay? It would be just like the Reapers to try soone-or the other kids"