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Chapter 4
Elyse
I was at the training center. Alone. Heracles often went out saving the world, and I wasn’t sure what exactly he did—it wasn’t the way I did things. But I was happy for him finding his thing. And I told Ares and Poseidon I needed some space, just an hour. So, I came down here for training, which always put me at ease when stress consumed me.
Heracles living his life for himself had been a long time coming. Between him being a hero and going to see his dad all the time—what was up with that?—I didn’t see him nearly as often as I used to.
But that was okay. I could train without him. I was no longer the student and he wasn’t the teacher anymore. In many ways, we were equals, which sounded ridiculous, even in my head. This was Heracles, known for his strength, his heroic deeds, and adventures. But I was powerful enough that he didn’t have to coach me as much anymore. It just helped to have a sparring buddy who could actually take a hit.
With the power I possessed, I couldn’t exactly ask any of the other training center members to join in. I’d flatten them, and it wouldn’t do anything for me.
Not that I was ever here when other people used the center. I trained before the place opened or after it closed. It was better not to mingle with the humans. I didn’t fit in.
I used to resent having to keep my distance, but that ship had sailed a long time ago. When I met Hades and Apollo, in fact. When I discovered there was somewhere else I could belong, that I didn’t have to be an outsider.
After my warm-up, I worked a punching bag over, practicing hits and kicks, going over patterns and routines so they became reflexes. When I was in a fight, I didn’t want to have to think about what my next move should be.
Silence surrounded me, the dull sounds of my strikes against the bag and the noise of my breathing echoing off the walls. I liked it this way. Training with music in my ears distracted me, and I felt off-balance when one of my senses was cut off.
I felt X’s presence just before he spoke. Darkness swept over me like a chill in the air and an icy finger drew down my spine.
“I don’t know why you humans insist on pushing yourselves to the limit.” His voice was like gravel, a scraping sound that grated at my insides.
When I spun around, he leaned against the far wall, his arms folded over his chest, an amused look on his face. He’d be scary as hell to anyone who hadn’t seen him before.
He used to look like a man, tall and thin with dark skin and eyes that looked like they caught the light wrong whenever he turned. He was scary then, but now? He might as well be the devil. He’d lost the shape of a man with all the souls he’d devoured, taking on the form of a beast with long, sharp teeth and red eyes. Leaning against the door with folded arms was still a very human gesture, but there was no humanity left in this guy.
Every time I faced him, I did a double take because his appearance kept changing. But I knew X. I’d confronted him often enough. Fear thrummed through my veins, but I kept myself strong, grinding my teeth, refusing to show the monster the impact he had on me.
And even though Death himself was pretty damn scary, I was too pissed off to shake in my boots.
“What are you doing here?” I snapped.
“I told you I’d to come for you, little Lowe. And do I not make good on my promises? It’s my job to come for those whose time is up.”
“But you haven’t only killed the humans who were at their ends. You don’t care who you take.”
He squared his shoulders in a nonchalant way and it looked off with his large frame. “Logistics. Not my thing.”
He pushed away from the wall and took a step closer to me. I shivered, the fear that surrounded him running over me like a wave. I’mnot scared of him, I told myself. But I should be. He could end me if he chose to.
And he wanted to, as evidenced by the way he leered, by the multiple times he’d attempted to kill me already, by his sudden appearance when I was alone. I kicked myself for not being more careful, but I couldn’t let doubt creep into my thoughts. Not now. Not when I faced a monster.
He stalked closer, and I tried not to back away like a coward. I didn’t want to be close to him, but I had to face him at one point or another. I swallowed past my dried throat, trying to remind myself I was stronger now. Still, fear traveled in my veins, but I held X’s gaze steady.
He was aware of my vulnerability. That was no doubt why he’d come here when no one else was with me. Getting me alone was the best way to take care of me once and for all. But with X not showing up for weeks, I’d slipped out a few times for alone time, and yeah, hindsight was such a bitch.
“So, little Lowe, do you want to dance?” X grinned, his smile malicious.
I stiffened against the quiver encasing me. I refused to show him my dread, even though he probably sensed it. Creatures like X thrived on fear and death; they smelled it miles away.
Automatically, I sank into a battle stance, knees bent and fingers spread out a little. I didn’t have any of my weapons with me today since I’d meant to do some floor work. I wished I had something that would help me. Any weapon at this point would do. Even so, I’d have to deal because I had everything to lose. But this wasn’t just about me. The bastard had taken so many innocent lives, not giving their souls the choice of an afterlife; he’d kidnapped my friend, Catina, and then tried to trick me into believing he’d killed my father. Those memories melted my fear to replace it with a scorching inferno fueling my adrenaline.
I tensed, fists clenched, ready to fight, but X barked a laugh. It was a rasping sound, scraping over my skin, and I shivered the way I did whenever nails dragged down a blackboard.
“I guess that’s ayes,” he responded.
He strolled around me, and it was creepy as hell. He moved his legs as if he were walking, but he didn’t touch the ground, not really. The movement was more for the sake of the illusion. X floated above the ground, just a couple of inches, but it was enough to put me off my game.
