“A second later, there was a knock on my door and a booming voice. 'Alexandria?'Seth stilled above me, panting. 'You have got to be freaking kidding me.'Leon knocked again. [...] 'Lucian is requesting your presence immediately.' Another gap of silence followed. 'He is also requesting to see you, Seth.'Seth frowned as the gleam in his eyes faded. 'How in the world does he know I'm in here?''Leon...just knows.' I pushed at him weakly. 'Get off.''I was trying to.”

“No." I backed up, running my hands along my hips. "You told me to not give up on Seth. And now you want me to?""I don't want you to give up on him," he said, voice taking on a pleading edge. "There's still hope for him, but only if you can truly reach him. And being the head of Seth's fan club isn't going to do it."I laughed then. "That was so you when you were... you know, around. You totally had a boy crush on him.”

“You think I don't know?' I heard Seth say in a smug, knowing way. 'That I didn't know this entire time I've been gone?''Know what?' Aiden sounded surprisingly calm.Seth laughed softly. 'She may be here with you, right now, but that's just a moment in time in the big scheme of things. And all moments end, Aiden. Yours will, too.'I wanted to throw open the door and tell Seth to shut up.'Sounds like something on the back of a twisted Hallmark card,' replied Aiden.”

“Seth glanced back over his shoulder at the door. “Alex, you’re starting to worry me. Insult me… or something.”

“The Guards in front of the dais turned and froze. Then they scattered like roaches.Apollo moved up the aisle. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”“I will find you! We’re connected. We are one!” Seth was still screaming.His gaze fell to the god. He sneered. “You want to fight me now, in yourtrue form?”“I will fight you in any form, you little punk-ass brat.”Seth laughed. “You can’t kill me.”“But I can beat the living snot out of you.”

“Seth threw me a mischievous grin. “I can’t have Marcus just walking in on us. What if I want to snuggle on these cold New York nights?”My frown increased. “We don’t snuggle.” He dropped his arm over my shoulder, and the scent of mint and something wild tickled my nose. “How about we cuddle?” “We don’t do that either.” “But you’re my cuddle bunny. My little Apollyon cuddle—” I punched him in the side.”

“He hadn’t left, and apparently, Seth was a cuddler.”