Page 32 of Warrior

Which is good, because I don’t take well to thievery.

One thing is out of place, though.

A white envelope taped to the center of the handlebars, blocking the gauges.

There’s no one else in the alley. I swing my leg over, straddling the seat, and remove the envelope. It’s barely glued shut and cracks open easily under my nail.

Midnight at Madness.

Unless you want me to burn *your* house down, little goddess?

A full-body shivercomes over me. Only one person has called me little goddess… and only one would use that threat.

But he’s picking Madness?

He knows.

I grit my teeth against that thought. Would Gabriel give me up so fast? Not that he promised this to be our secret, just…

I crumple the envelope and note. At the top of the alley, I toss it in a waste bin. Then continue on toward Olympus. My brother and his friends might still be gone, but that building has long been a safe harbor.

Well, minus the few months it was taken over by the Hell Hounds.

The ride is quick, and I park in the shadow of the behemoth. Instead of going to the cliffs, I head in through a side door. Itrigger one of the secret passageways in an alcove and climb the stone steps slowly, my hands on the walls. The tight staircase curves, and I eventually reach the second floor.

Out into the open hallway, down to another alcove. Up again.

The third floor is quiet. I could’ve gone up the outside, through the window—like old times, when I needed to get a message to Apollo.

Dark times.

The rush inside me has faded to a gentle caress. I step into the room that was once my brother’s and sit hard on the bed.

Can’t go home because of Reese.

Can’t go to Bow & Arrow because of Antonio—or rather, the lack thereof. And also Kade…

Can’t go to Starlight because fuck Saint.

The echoing loneliness is removed from me, but it stings all the same.

I care, and at the same time, I don’t give a shit.

I’m alone.

Alone-alone.

And it’s totally, completely, one hundred percentfine.

9ARTEMIS

At midnight,Kade slides into the seat across from me.

I’ve been here for two hours, though.

“Artemis,” he greets me.

Not Tem, notlittle goddess. He’s not quite as singed as I expected. Truth be told, I don’t know what I wanted. A loss of eyebrows or arm hair? Soot smeared across his cheekbones?

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