“But I am not a person. I am a spirit.”

“The only difference between you and me is the outer crust. I have a body. You do not. But a soul is a soul. I’d prefer not to force anyone to do something they don’t want to do.”

“Very poetic of you. Yet you dragged me here and trapped me in a poor man’s circle.”

“Number one, I didn’t drag you anywhere. You chased me…”

“Yeah, that was good sport. I couldn’t refuse.”

“Two, you tried to root around in my middle last time. This is a necessary precaution.”

The spirit spread his hands. “Touché. So. Why am I here, then, in this poor man’s circle?”

“You’re really worried about the engineering of the circle,” Alexis muttered, sitting cross-legged in front of Kieran. Bria muttered about the wastefulness of blowing money on a fancier setup. “I called you here because I’m in need of training, and I don’t know anyone else who can do it.”

“Don’t you? You must’ve come from someone. Who is your father or mother?”

“My mother was not a Demigod, and she died. She asked not to be called back, and I will respect her wishes. My biological father kills his kids.”

“Ah.” The spirit nodded. “Not ideal, no. Magnus would crush you. Well I’m sure the other Demigods of Hades would give their left foot to have you at their disposal. There is no one better to train you than them.”

“They’d give their left foot to use me. To turn me into something I don’t want to be.”

The spirit’s eyes flicked to Kieran. “But hasn’t he used you in the same way?”

Kieran shifted slightly from side to side, guilt pressing into him, but Lexi didn’t even hesitate.

“No. He tried to push me away. I became the weapon I most feared in order to protect the people I love. I’d do it again if I had to, although I hope I never have to.”

“Hmm.” The spirit looked over the flickering candlelight into the growing darkness. “I’ve killed a great many people.”

“I know.”

“Good people, too. I’ve trapped and used spirits at will. I’ve toppled leaders and murdered minions. Babies? Sure, why not. Killing good people for money? Yes, please. I do love gold. Some would say I don’t have a heart. Others that I do, but it is as black as the hole whence I came. Many agree that I am the absolute worst. Just the worst. The worst what? Everything. It’s a catchall. And yet you want to be trained by me?”

“I’m kind of between a rock and a hard place right now. You’re all I’ve got.”

He laughed again. “Way to make a guy feel wanted.” He nodded and looked around at the grass, the trees, and the house. “A palace would’ve been nice. This is a little…domestic for my tastes.”

“Weren’t you kept in a dungeon?”

The spirit stood in a fluid motion. “You should never listen to gossip.” He dusted himself off and shot a pointed look at the boards in front of him. “Yeah, sure, I’ll train you. But you gotta let me out of this place.” He met her eyes again. “Without trying to control me. I’ll only do this as a free man. I was forced into slavery in life. I will not be forced into it in death.”

A shock of anxiety rolled through Kieran from Alexis, matching his own. She hesitated, thinking about it. Then she moved forward to let him out.

15

Alexis

“Wait,” Bria said after I’d filled her in. She moved another candle. How she could keep the positioning straight was beyond me, because she hadn’t written anything down. “Wait. Let’s think about this.”

I took a step back. No emotion crossed the spirit’s face. He was too calm by half. Smooth as they came. More charismatic and handsome than a spirit had any right to be—at least one I’d need to spend a bunch of time with.

“What happened that last time he had free rein?” Bria asked as hot wax ran over her fingers. She grimaced but didn’t move to put the candle down.

“We didn’t have a chance to chat last time,” I answered, adrenaline running through me. I was making things up at this point. I didn’t trust him to save my life. But I needed him. I hadn’t been lying about being between a rock and a hard place. It was either him, a spirit I could control in a pinch, or a Demigod who could control me. Eventually, the choice would be taken from me. “He was disorientated.”

“I was testing her,” the spirit answered. “This time, too. Your soul mate has boosted your power, Alexis. He’s positioned you smack dab in the middle of a level five and a Demigod. I want to play with it. Maybe with you, if he’ll share.”

“Ew.” I didn’t relay that last bit to the rest of the group, although Kieran, of course, heard it. His muscles went taut.

“But you have been raised with morals,” the spirit went on, his smile faltering. “You have been raised to know the difference between right and wrong. It is one of the first things stolen from a Spirit Walker. And while you are courageous in the face of your fear, determined when you are out of your league, and steadfast when your loved ones are in danger, you are still mortal. You are still human. You can still be broken and then reprogrammed. A Demigod will know how. It is only because of the Demigod beside you that it has not happened yet. You got lucky, lady. Real lucky. But luck is not eternal. You need to start designing your own fate.”