Page 55 of Nemesis

His fingers twitch.

Another wave rolls over us, and it’s easier to go under than get caught on top of it. When we break the surface again, I push my soaked hair out of my face. Wipe my eyes. My makeup is smeared, I’m sure of it.

What gives him the right to possess me?

I kick harder, drifting closer, and his gaze flicks to my lips.

Not that he would ever kiss me in a million years.

Saint Hart?

More like Saint Heartless.

“Stop,” I whisper. “Just…stop.”

“I’m not doing anything.”

I scoff. “Okay. Then why do you care?”

He pulls at the sweatshirt, his fist still tangled in it. Why?

Why is he still holding on to me?

The movement sloshes the water between us, splashing it up into my face. His face.

“I don’t.” His voice is rough.

He’slying.

The relief that loosens my chest surprises me. I cannot—no, I will not—face the truth. Not this morning, not from him.

“Then let go of me.” Another challenge. My brow lowering, my glare not subtle.

He does, and I push away from him hard. I kick for the ladder, ignoring my pounding pulse. Unlike when Kade and I climbed it, Saint gives me space. He waits until I’m a few rungs above him to start. My muscles ache when I’m halfway up. The sweatshirt weighs a million pounds, and water pours off me.

I hope it hits Saint in the face.

As usual, when I get to the top, I flop onto my side, then roll onto my back.

Saint climbs up a second later, pausing with his knees digging into the rocks like he’s paying a penance to some demon.

Or Nyx.

The thought twists my gut, and I force myself to my feet.

I came here for peace, not to be shoved off the cliff.

And sure enough, Jace is waiting for us at Olympus with a scowl fixed firmly in place.

“Jace,” Saint greets him. His tone and expression are both far away. “Didn’t see you.”

Jace grunts. His blue eyes flick to mine, and there’s a softness there that usually is reserved for his family.

Which, recently, hasn’t really included me.

Look—don’t get me wrong. I love him as much as I love Apollo and Wolfe. They’re all my brothers, in a way, but they’ve all been caught in the throes oflove. I respect that enough to take a step back, even if I don’t understand it completely. Doesn’t mean they don’t care, it just means they’re preoccupied.

And maybe that’s how the Cyclopes slipped into Sterling Falls.

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