“It saidsentient alignment, David.”
With a great sigh, David sank against his pillows. As Sean adjusted to the dimness, he registered the disheveled gold of David’s hair and the hand over his eyes, shielding himself from the light.
“I was sleeping, in case you didn’t realize,” David said, voice rusty.
“Wake up.”
“I am, you fuckwit. What do you want?”
“Sentient alignment!” Sean said again.
He pushed himself from the bed and reached for a shirt. “Do you see why we won’t be able to hide it?”
“How long?” Sean asked. “We have no idea if this is happening over days or years.”
David perched at the end of his bed, rubbing his face.
A band of steel tightened around Sean’s forehead. He winced as he sat beside David. “Why would she do this?”
“Haven’t we covered this already? What time is it? You’re such an asshole. I have to be up early for drills with that torturer you call a trainer in the morning.”
“So do I,” Sean said, nonplussed.
“Yeah, but he actually likes you. And the crowds don’t try to kill you merely for existing.”
“What are you complaining about? You spend most mornings with Anna squirming around on top of you.”
A slow grin lit up David’s face.
“Did you know there’s a prophecy?” Sean asked.
The grin fell away, and David’s body stiffened. He met Sean’s eyes, and the crystals above lit to a slight glow, casting long shadows about the room. “There is?”
“So you didn’t know? You haven’t read it?”
David’s voice went dead. “No one told me. What does it say?”
“I don’t know,” Sean admitted, ignoring the incredulous glance shot his way. “I’ve been avoiding it, honestly.”
“Are you serious? What iswrongwith you?”
Fury spiked and faded. “I’ve had a lot to deal with, in case you haven’t noticed.”
“Right,” David said flatly. “And I’ve been having a party.”
“Bel said there’s a possibility…I might…kill you. Or vice versa.”
Silence greeted this declaration, and Sean gathered the courage to meet those incensed green eyes.
“That’s unfortunate,” David said, each word sharp, “since we sort of, oh, I don’t know, share a soul now.”
“I’m not even sure this prophecy is aboutme.”
Dragging a hand down his face, David said, “Of courseit’s about you. Have you met you?”
“I am not the person they think I am,” he said for the thousandth time.
David sighed. “Do you know what I thought earlier today when I realized they wanted to kill me?” Sean cocked his head, so David went on. “I thought…I get it. I’d kill for him, too.”
