Star Gods, стр. 18
“What?”
“I was stabbed by a third year Luminary, or someone who took the identity of one.”
“I’m not following.”
I lick my dry lips. “His name is Neil. The Star God I mean. I drew him in my sketchbook. He came here and told me that I had to save this girl without you or any other Star God’s help.”
Ashe looks at me with disbelief. “A Star God named Neil was in this house without Tyce or me knowing?”
“He put something over the house or just you two. You went about your day not even knowing he was here.”
“He went against code, Zeke. He can’t just enter another Star God’s home without permission, you had to know what he was doing was wrong.”
“He gave me a direct order.”
“He set you up,” Tyce corrects.
“Maybe. I don’t know.”
“You should’ve come to us, Zeke,” Ashe says.
I swallow, hard. “I know that now.” More tears trail and I disgustedly swipe them away with the back of my hand. “I didn’t know what to do then.”
Tyce sits on the coffee table and places his arm around Claire when she joins him. “Obviously, you would’ve chosen differently had you known this was an ambush.”
“Don’t take this too personally,” Claire says. “But you look like hell.”
“I feel like hell.” My brothers exchange a look of concern I choose to ignore. “Did she say anything to you, Claire?”
“Only that she didn’t understand what was happening.”
“I don’t think she knows she’s part Star God,” I say.
“Female Star Gods don’t have abilities,” Tyce reminds. “How could she know?”
“She appeared alone before Neil showed up,” I reply.
“You’re saying she traveled here?” Ashe questions.
“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying.”
“That isn’t possible,” Tyce responds.
“How else would she have appeared in the alley?” I argue. “Magic?”
“I don’t know what’s going on here,” Ashe interrupts. “But I have a feeling we’re not even close to being done with whatever this is. I’m going to grab you some water, Zeke, then I want you to crash out here, got it?”
I nod. “Yeah, but...”
He glares at me. “Got it?”
“Okay, but…”
“No buts, Zeke.” Ashe heads toward the kitchen. “Tyce, I’ll keep first watch, you get some sleep.”
“I’ll brew up some coffee before I hit the bed.” Tyce messes my hair with a hand as he passes.
“Ashe?” I call.
“I’m not arguing with you on this, Zeke,” he says as he comes back into the living room.
“So, she could be part Star God?”
He hands me the bottle of water with the top already removed. “Anything’s possible. You were given that message for a reason. We have to figure out if any of the Luminaries sent it, or if we have another situation on our hands. Try to get some rest, I mean it. I’ll be in the kitchen.”
I settle back down on the couch and stare at the ceiling, rerunning the night’s events through my mind.
Our house is quiet, except for the deep breathing of Ashe in the recliner. I slowly sit up and rub a hand over the still lingering pain in my stomach. I’m hoping Ashe is right in it being residual pain left over from a very serious injury.
I silently scoot off the couch, creep past Ashe, and down the hall to the bathroom. When I come out, I stand there a minute, staring at the light on under my bedroom door. I don’t want to freak her out any more than she already is, but I need to speak with her and hopefully get some understanding of what this is all about. Very carefully, I push my door open until I see the girl sitting on my bed, holding something in her hands.
I try not to react when her violet eyes dart my way. She quickly slaps my family photo back onto my end table before scooting back, drawing her knees up to her chest.
“That’s my family.” I point to the picture. “An old picture, obviously.” I leave the door ajar, gazing around my otherwise empty room. “I’m Zeke Cartwright, I brought you here.”
“I know.” She looks at me out of the corner of her eye drawing her knees up tighter to her chest. “Sage. My name is Sage.”
I notice now she’s wearing one of my Martin and Sons t-shirts, as well as my sweatpants, her feet bare.
“Claire dug these out. She said you wouldn’t mind since I was covered in your blood.”
“I call that an even swap. Where is Claire?”
She draws hair behind an ear. “With someone named Tyce.”
“One of my brothers, you met him before.”
“Why am I here?”
“Believe it or not, for your protection.”
“From who?”
“I’m still sorting that out.” I step forward and she glares at me. She looks even more familiar in person and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why. “Is it okay if I sit?”
She draws her feet back more and nods. “He stabbed you.”
I rub my stomach while I sit on the corner of my bed. “Yeah, he did.”
“And your brothers healed you, with their hands.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re okay now?”
Claire must’ve explained about my brothers healing ability for Sage not to question more about it. “For the most part.”
“But you don’t know who he was, the one who chased me and stabbed you?”
I rub my forehead trying to beat back the fatigue plaguing me. “I might, he may have been what we call a Star God.”
“A Star God?” she questions.
“Yes.”
“What does that mean, Star God?”
I cringe. “Otherworldly?”
“Do you mean an alien?”
“Yes.”
“Aliens aren’t real.”
“Considering that you saw it first hand and you’re speaking to one, I’d have to argue that.”
She glances at my family picture, then back to me.
“I promise you, we’re good half-aliens.”
“Half-aliens?”
I nod. “Yeah. Half-human, half-alien.”
“From Mars?”
I chuckle. Everyone associates aliens and martians from Mars. “No, Planet Eos.”
“Eos? I’ve never heard of it.”
“You won’t hear of it. Planet Eos is named after the Greek god who is father of the stars. Our planet is undiscoverable and undetectable from human astronomers.”
Her violet eyes pierce me as she