Read Online Elixir (Covenant) by Jennifer L. Armentrout - Free Book Online Page B

bed, her weight seeming nonexistent. Her headache was a sign.
    The Elixir was wearing off. Tomorrow would be the fourth day.
    The thought of giving her another dose chipped away at me. Hours passed as I lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling, watching the thin slips of moonlight reach across the darkness. The quilt twisted with my legs as I flipped onto my side. Could I do it again? Hand her something that destroyed her very core and watch her take it with that innate trust in her eyes?
    I squeezed my eyes shut, folding my arms beneath my head. There was no other choice. Apollo needed to find a way, because she couldn’t do it on her own. Sleep finally claimed me, but it didn’t last long.
    I was jolted awake later. Darkness cloaked the room and the couch felt infinitely smaller than before. The scent of… peaches surrounded me. Something warm and soft pressed against my side, wiggling closer. Hands clenched the old t-shirt I’d dug up the day before.
    My eyes flew open.
    The top of Alex’s head came into view as she placed her cheek on my chest and let out a little sigh. Every muscle in my body locked up. Was I dreaming? I think I stopped breathing. What was she doing over here, on the couch. with me?
    “Alex?” My voice sounded gruff. “What are you doing?”
    She lifted her head enough that I could see the shreds of amber peeking out from behind her lashes. The shattered eyes were the damndest thing to see at night. “My head hurts.”
    I started to sit up, but Alex shifted, throwing a leg over mine as if she was asking me not to move without saying a word.
    “Uh…” I’d never been more unsure in my life, or unable to read a person. “Do you want me to get you some more aspirin?”
    “No.” She placed her head on my chest again, snuggling down. “It feels better now. Empty.”
    I swallowed. Hard. “Empty?”
    “Mmm-hmm,” she murmured, shivering. “It’s quieter when I’m near you.”
    My heart stuttered. “Quieter? Are you hearing things? A person?”
    “I don’t know. It’s like…” She yawned, splaying her hand across my chest. “It’s like someone talking to me far, far away. Does that make me.?”
    Seth . Anger surged through me and I fought to keep it out of my voice. “What?”
    “Crazy? Does that make me crazy?”
    “Not at all, agapi” I lowered one arm and reached down, tugging the quilt up so it covered most of her. “Can you make out what the voice is saying?”
    She shook her head. “I don’t want to know. I don’t have to, do I?”
    “No.” I ached for her.
    “Good,” she said, and I wondered if she smiled. “Can I stay with you?”
    “Always.” Good gods, I didn’t want her to be anywhere else.
    Silence fell between us, and her breathing became steady and deep. So the headaches were a sign of Seth trying to contact her, which explained the brief flashes of pain I’d seen before the Elixir and confirmed my suspicions all along. The connection hurt somehow. And now the bond was muted, but it meant she definitely needed another dose tomorrow.
    A new wave of fury rolled through me, but I kept my body relaxed, not wanting to frighten her. I’d truly believed that Seth had grown to care for Alex, perhaps even love her in his own way—whatever way that was. Especially after Caleb died, he’d cared for her, protected her when I hadn’t. In New York, he watched over her and would’ve killed without a thought to make sure no one learned that she’d killed a pure in self-defense. Had it all been a ruse? An act to ensure that Alex would live so that she could Awaken, giving him the power of a god-killer?
    Yeah, I’d never fully trusted the punk, moments when I’d seen something I could never name in his cold eyes—eyes that had belonged to Alex for a period of time. Something about him set off my warning system and pissed me off like nothing else. That could’ve just been his interest in Alex, but still.
    I’d never expected him to hurt her.
    If I ever got my