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"Seth?"

Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that Josie had stopped beside one of the many stone benches "My father was a half"

"I know that" She touched a pink flower "But did you know hi aboutI wanted, but if that hat Josie wanted to talk about, that hat I would do Part ofabout what she had just gone through

"My father wasn’t a Sentinel or Guard He was a servant here" Taking her hand, I threaded rounds He was never on the elixir But even if he had been, I doubt it would’ve stopped her" Disgust filled me "She didn’t care if someone was of sound mind, but I think she liked the halfs better when they weren’t highlywith theaze dropped to our joined hands and lingered "Thatsounds terrible"

"She was pretty terrible"

Her shoulders rose with a deep breath and she lifted her gaze to mine "You didn’t answer my question"

Truth was, I’d never honestly answered that question a day in my life I’d told Alex once that I hadn’t met my father and didn’t know his na back I didn’t even knohy I had lied about it Then again, I lied about a lot of things back then "I used to sit in arden every afternoon, after lunch Frorounds and I wouldn’t see hiain until the next day I didn’t knoas my father at that point, but ical level, I did, and that’s why I watched him"

"Maybe," she said, her gaze searching mine

"I didn’t look like him He was dark-haired and fair-skinned I take after myJosie’s hand, I kissed the tip of her pinky and was pleased when the blue of her eyes deepened "Most halfs were brought before the Council at a very young age to detero into servitude Not me Everyone already knehat I would be"

"Of course," she rinned "All the previous Apollyons’ eyes turned amber after they awakened But I was born with them, so ays kneas the Apollyon I’d known that e that was how an Apollyon could beI had withheld fro ti mine "How did you find out?"

"He told me"

Her eyes widened with surprise "Seriously?"

"I was eleven My ed h one of her many parties She was very proud that her bastard son was the Apollyon, so that was quite regular I was showed off, oohed and awed over, and then sent back to h"

Josie’s brows knitted "Why?"

Shifting, I lowered our hands so they hung between us "I hadn’t gone straight to one outside into this courtyard I don’t even knohy Maybe it was fate" Liftinghouse, I could see the bedroo out of "I’d sat on one of these benches, feeling quiteall her precious statues inside when the man I often watched from theapproached me I wasn’t particularly pleasant with him, but he didn’t seem to mind He sat beside me, and he told me his name was Kristos"

Josie was quiet as she stared up atoccurred to me and then I chuckled "Gods You knohat his na fate Anyway, he told me the truth--that he was my father I didn’t want to believe hi thisbadass Sentinel and not this gardener I know that’s wrong, but I was an ass as a kid"

"Do tell," she murmured

My lips quirked "I said sos, because I ell, like I said, an ass, and he didn’t see of s were in the house He told hed, and it sounded harsh to my own ears "But he didn’t want that kind of life for his son"

"Wow" Her eyes ide "What else happened?"