Salvaged Soul (The Ignited Series Book 3) (29 page)

Alec took both of my hands in his. “You know when the turning point was. I know you do.”

The sun reflected in his eyes, creating an illusion difficult to look away from. Though they were still ringed in gold, they didn’t appear evil to me. If anything, the gold only made his eyes look more stunning—and magnified his persistence as he gazed at me. But I had no idea what he wanted me to say, so I shook my head.

“I heard what Lillian said last night,” Alec said. “About us giving each other the strength to overcome it.”

“Yeah, but . . .”

“I believe her,” he added confidently. “I felt it, Kris. I was right there . . . and the moment I kissed you, I felt this strength, this ability to overcome it that I hadn’t had before then.”

I looked away, hesitant to admit that I had felt it, too. Because what could that mean? For Alec and me to have a connection like that? Did it mean anything?

Alec dropped my hands, and started walking again. “I don’t know what to make of it, but I know that it did something . . . to both of us.”

“Maybe it just distracted us enough to . . .” I trailed off, because I really didn’t have an explanation.

Alec chuckled as he glanced at me. “It was definitely a distraction.”

We walked in silence for a few moments, both lost in our own thoughts about what the kiss had done . . . if anything. Despite having been there and having experienced it, I was reluctant to accept Lillian’s theory. Part of me suspected she had only said it in front of Nathan to cause problems.

Finally, Alec said, “So I guess the next time I get the evil vibes, I’ll kiss you, and see what happens.” One side of his mouth curved up.

“Alec . . .” I started.

His grin dropped as he turned to me. “Look, Kris, I know you’re in love with someone else.” He exhaled heavily as he looked down at his shoes. “But just because you love him doesn’t mean I stopped loving you.” My eyes widened, and he continued quickly, “Relax. I’m not going to act on it. Not until the next time I need to test this theory anyway.”

“Alec . . .”

“Kris, that was a joke.”

“Was it? Was it really just a joke? I thought it was possible for us to just be friends,
but . . .” Now I wasn’t so sure.

Alec gripped my shoulders. “Kris, I’m going to make it possible for us to be just friends, okay? How I feel about you doesn’t matter.”

“How can you say that? Of course it matters.”

He shook his head adamantly. “Your friendship matters more. You’re the best friend I have, and I can’t jeopardize that. I
won’t
jeopardize that.” There was a long silence before he added, “Nathan knows, so don’t worry about that.”

“He knows what?”

“He knows how I feel about you,” he amended. “Apparently, I get a little sappy when I’m drunk, and we had a moment that I’d rather not relive right now . . . or
ever
.”

Alec shivered as if the memory caused him distress, and I laughed. That was when I knew that we would be okay.

We had to be okay. Because I felt the same about him. Callie might have been my oldest friend, Nathan may have had my heart, but Alec had claimed a big part of me that would always be his. Despite our past, and our history, he would remain one of the most important people in my life. Always.

We didn’t talk about kisses and feelings, death and dying, or powers and evil impulses again as we strolled back to the village center. After the heaviness of our earlier discussion and the events of the night before, I welcomed the meaningless banter that Alec and I shared over the ugly sand creatures we scared along the way.

When the village center and the devastation caused by the attack came into view, my mood sobered. Though the wounded had been moved and all the scattered weapons had been gathered, blood still stained the ground and smoke still rose from the smoldering mounds that had once been the two dormitories. Only a few Kala continued to work, and I wondered if everyone else had finally retreated to the mess hall for rest.

I wondered if I would find Nathan there, but as Alec and I neared the mess hall, I spotted him walking toward us. Though his droopy eyelids suggested that he desperately needed a break, he managed a small smile.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Alec said to him. “We need to talk.”

I shot Alec a curious look, but his eyes remained fixed on Nathan as he covered a yawn with his hand.

“It can’t wait?” Nathan asked.

Alec glanced at me before he answered. “I’d rather not.”

Nathan yawned again, and pointed to a nearby bench. Though splintered from bullet holes, it was one of the few benches still upright. “At least let me sit down for this.”

I took a seat next to Nathan, inviting myself into the conversation. Alec stood in front of us, and hooked an amused eyebrow at me before addressing Nathan.

“Last night, before all hell broke loose, I got that letter you sent me,” he said.

Nathan lifted his head out of his hands. “Well, as you can see, I survived, so there’s no need for you to honor my request.”

My curiosity piqued at Nathan’s hard tone, but Alec waved a hand in dismissal.

“I’m not talking about that,” Alec said. “You said the gods were going to have the demigods who were going after immortality destroyed?”

“Yeah. Before we left, they asked Jared to put together another team to assist in tracking them down. What’s your point?”

Alec glanced around, taking in the chaos surrounding us. “How is he going to do that now?”

“I don’t know,” Nathan groaned. “I heard that everyone is going to relocate to the Australian base while the dorms are rebuilt. A few will stay behind to get things running again. I guess he’ll get the Australians to help.”

“What if we do it?” Alec suggested eagerly.

Nathan stared at Alec for a few seconds, as if he didn’t understand what Alec was suggesting—or didn’t believe that Alec could be that crazy. My initial reaction mirrored his.

“
You
want to go after the demigods?” Nathan finally asked.

“This relief that Kris and I have now . . . it’s not going to last,” Alec responded. “I think Lillian might have been right about how we managed to overcome the evil in us this time, but it’s still there. It’s going to happen again unless we can sever our ties completely.”

“Yeah . . .” Nathan cocked his head to the side as he studied Alec. “About that . . .”

“Yes, I kissed Kris,” Alec blurted out. “But I’m not going to apologize for it, because . . .” Alec trailed off as his gaze shifted to me. “Well, I’d do it again if I had to, and it did help. We’re here, not evil, because of some connection we have.”

My eyes swung toward Nathan nervously. He had yet to say anything to me about the kiss, but from the chill in his eyes, I suspected he had a few words to say to Alec about it.

So much for them finally getting along.

“You’re saying you would do it again?” Nathan asked Alec with forced control. Only the tick in his cheek hinted at his anger.

Alec glanced at me. “I told her I wouldn’t . . . unless I had to, assuming Lillian’s theory is right.” Before Nathan could respond, Alec continued, “And that’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Lillian’s theory?” Nathan questioned. “Or the fact that you think you can kiss Kris whenever you want?”

Oh God. I slumped down in an attempt to make myself smaller. Suddenly, I wished I hadn’t invited myself into this conversation.

Alec, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered at all. “If Lillian’s right, and if Circe needs Kris to finish this curse, then she’s going to try to eliminate me,” he explained. “And if I
am
helping Kris fight her evil, what’s going to stop her from joining Circe when I’m gone?”

Nathan remained silent as he glared at Alec, and I wished now more than ever that I had prophetic abilities. Because I knew Nathan was screaming some silent thoughts.

Then again, it was probably best for me to not know what they were.

“That is assuming Lillian’s theory is correct,” Nathan finally said.

“Of course,” Alec agreed. “But I think she
is
right. That means Kris and I need to sever our ties to evil before it’s too late.”

Nathan glanced at me before turning back to Alec. “We tried. I don’t know what else—”

“I think I know how to do it,” Alec interrupted.

At that, I perked up. “How?”

Alec turned to me. “I know your charming specialty wasn’t your best, so you might not have noticed like I did last night. After you destroyed Temulus, I felt . . . lighter. More free than I had in a long time. Even more so than after I kissed you.”

“What are you getting at, Alec?” Nathan asked.

“I tried to charm someone this morning, and I couldn’t do it,” he gushed excitedly. “It’s like I lost a piece of my Skotadi that was connected to Temulus. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Not all of it, but enough. I think destroying Hades’ other three demigods might set us free completely.”

“You do know where Hades’ demigods are hiding, right?” Nathan questioned.

“I do,” Alec answered breezily. “The way I see it, I’ve been told to go to hell so many times, I figure it’s about time for me to go see what all the fuss is about. I’m looking forward to it.”

Nathan covered his face with his hands as he groaned. “You know Kris is going to have to be the one to destroy them?”

“I thought you said in your letter that there were others,” Alec said.

“Two other demigods who aren’t in on this immortality scheme,” Nathan replied grimly. “But once the other nine know what we’re doing, they’re going to come at us with everything they’ve got.”

“Perfect.” Alec shrugged. “Let them come to us.”

“I’m not going to risk her safety,” Nathan returned heatedly. “Not for something you just . . . have a theory on.”

“Wait a minute.” I placed a hand on Nathan’s shoulder. “They’re going to come after me anyway. Circe needs me. Temulus was just the first. The others will come soon.”

Alec looked at Nathan with a satisfied nod. “Wouldn’t you rather strike first?”

“Or at least be prepared,” I added, forcing Nathan to look at me like I had grown a second head.

“You’re serious? You want to go hunt down the demigods?” he asked me.

“I’d rather do that than wait for them to come for me again, and prevent more meaningless death and destruction.” I waved a hand to indicate the damage done last night. “And besides . . . I think Alec might be right. Getting rid of them might be the only way to free us from them completely.”

Nathan looked down at his feet for several seconds. Finally, his head nodded fractionally. “Okay. If that’s really what you believe it’s going to take.” His eyes lifted to Alec. “But we do this the smart way. With careful planning.”

“Of course,” Alec replied.

“I’ll talk to Jared,” Nathan offered. “We’re going to need . . . everything. Weapons, money, and manpower.”

As Nathan and Alec discussed necessities, my mind wandered to what exactly I had gotten myself into, and I started to question my ability to pull this off. Just as quickly as the doubt crept in, I pushed it away in favor of determination. I could do this. I would do this.

Because I had to. My life and my future, along with everyone else’s, depended on it.

“We’ll start making arrangements now. Just let me talk to Kris for a minute.”

Nathan’s last few words broke through my thoughts. As Alec left, I nibbled on my lip in anticipation of what he wanted to talk to me about. I suspected I knew—the only thing we hadn’t talked about yet.

Before he could say anything, I spun to him. “It wasn’t what you think,” I gushed.

He smiled faintly. “What do I think? What was it?”

“Alec was
there
. He was about to go over the edge, and then he kissed me. I happened suddenly, and I didn’t know what he was doing until it was too late. But then, I didn’t actually stop him when I did realize because I knew he thought he
needed
to kiss me . . .” I stopped with a shrug when I realized I was rambling.

Nathan’s lips quirked up. “You’re saying he kissed you before you realized he was going to kiss you?”

“Yes. I didn’t have time . . .” I stopped when I realized the point Nathan was making. “Okay, I get it. The same thing happened with you and Lillian.”

“Only I stopped it right away,” he muttered.

He wasn’t even mad. But the uncertainty I heard in his voice caused me to lower my head in shame. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled.

“Look, Kris, I know you and Alec have . . .” He looked away with a shrug. “Hell, I don’t even know what it is, but I told you before, I’m done pushing you away from me because of it. I told you I would fight for you, and I meant it. And if you tell me it was nothing more than what you just said, then I believe you. I don’t want to fight with you anymore.”

“I don’t want to fight either.”

“Good.” He planted a kiss to my forehead. “Besides . . . that wasn’t really what I wanted to talk to you about.”