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Seth’s chin came up "We need to see Lucian now"

The Guard straightened "The Minister has retired for the evening You wil have--"

A brutal burst of wind rushed from behind us For a second, I couldn’t see past thein my face, but when I did, ust hit the Guard in the chest, sla him halfway up the wal of my stepfather’s opulent foyer The wind quieted, but the Guard reh the door and looked at the other Guard "Go get Lucian Now"

The Guard peeled his eyes off his coworker and hurried off to do Seth’s bidding I fol owed Seth in, ether "Seth? Seth, what are you doing? You need to stop Like right now You can’t do this! Busting into Lucian’s house--"

"Be quiet"

Retreating to the furthest corner of the foyer, I stared at the Guard The air crackled with tension and power--the Apol yon kind of power I pressed against the wal as it crawled over my skin and inched its way deep inside me

A decent amount of commotion and movement at the top of the stairs drewstaircase, clad in pajagle, but it came out kind of short and hysterical

Lucian noted lanced at the Guard suspended up against the walFinal y, he gave Seth a strangely calm look "What is this about?"

"I want to kno long you were going to continue this htered in our sleep!"

My mouth dropped open

Lucian’s voice remained level and cool "Let the Guard down and I wil tel you everything"

Seth didn’t look like he wanted to, but he dropped the Guard, and not very gently The poor man crashed to the floor "I want to know the truth"

Lucian nodded "Why don’t weroom? Alexandria looks like she could real y sit down"

Seth glanced over his shoulder with a frown, as if he’d forgotten about me I must’ve looked pretty pitiful, because he nodded I half debated et very far Besides, beyond the fear, I was also curious as hel as to as going on

We went into a slass wal s I practical y col apsed in the white wicker chair The Guards fol owed us, but Lucian waved them off "Please notify Dean Andros that Seth and Alexandria are here He wil understand" The Guards hesitated but Lucian assured them with a dismissive nod When they left, he faced Seth "Sit?"

"I prefer to stand"

"Uht and too high "Soht want to check it out"

"It wil be taken care of" Lucian sat in one of the chairs besidewith you"

A tiny scoff huffed out ofhis hands against his checkered pajao, the oracle told your hteenth birthday, you would becohed out loud "That Is Ridiculous"

"Is it?" Seth turned to face me He looked like he wanted to shake me

"Uuys… " My voice trailed off as I remembered what I’d read in the book Aiden had loaned me Al at once, I felt hot and cold

"Before Rachel e left, she confided in Marcus He didn’t agree with her decisions, but she felt she needed to protect you"

"Protect me from what?" As soon as those words left my mouth, I already knew the answer Protect me from what’d happened to Solaris I shook my head "No This is just too crazy The oracle didn’t tel Mo the other part, the one where she said you wil kil the ones you love? That is not the important part What is important is you wil beco Seth here was the best way to discover if what the oracle had said was correct"

Seth paced the length of the sitting room "It makes perfect sense Why I… sensed you the first day No wonder your ht she could so the mortals" He turned and eyed Lucian "Why would you want to bring us together?

You knoil happen"

"We do not knoil happen" Lucian returned his gaze "There have not been two of you in over four hundred years Things have changed since then So have the gods"

My eyes bounced between the There’s no way I’m what he is There’s no way"

"Then how do you explain what happened outside?" Seth glared at nored him "It’s not possible"

"What did happen?" Lucian sounded curious

Lucian’s eyes danced between us as Seth explained about the blue cord and how, for a few seconds, we’d heard each other’s thoughts

It was clear he wasn’t surprised

"It is real y nothing to be concerned about What you experienced was just a way of recognizing one another

This is the reason I assigned you here, Seth We had to see if she was the other half The possibility--it was too great an opportunity to pass up I just didn’t expect it to take this long for you two to coether"

"Is it worth the risk?" Seth frowned "If the gods didn’t know about her before, they wil soon You could have just let this be Is her life nothing to you?"

My stepfather leaned forward, his eyesSeth’s

"Do you understand what this e everything, Seth Yes

You’re powerful now, but when she turns eighteen your poil become limitless"

That seeods--they won’t al ow that to happen"

Lucian leaned back "The gods… have not spoken to us in ages, Seth"

"What?" Seth and I both shouted That was soht there