complete both phases of your training without causing too much inconvenience to either of you.”
Obviously he hadn’t heard about Patrick’s and my last conversation and how he’d said he never wanted to see me again. I don’t think Patrick could have been any more inconvenienced had he been blindfolded and had his arms tied behind his back for the rest of eternity.
“Our Alliance tends to be more laid-back and had you been any other Immortal on your own, we wouldn’t have insisted the training be completed. But given your powerful gift, we feel that training is of the highest priority.”
I cleared my throat, wanting to ask if there’d been any retaliation from John’s Alliance due to a member of ours—namely, ME—killing one of theirs. “When will I be starting back up?” I asked, trying to distract myself.
“Approximately one week,” he answered, looking chagrined. “Since Patrick is still not aware of this recent development, it may take a little coaxing and time before he’s ready to play teacher to you again.”
So Hector was aware of the biting words Patrick and I’d exchanged.
“But a week at the latest.” He pushed off the wall and headed towards the door.
“I’m sorry I’ve caused so much trouble for everyone,” I whispered, not sure why I was apologizing to him—someone I’d never spoken with before—just needing to apologize to someone. “I’m trying to be better—to not make such a mess of things.”
He stopped in the doorway, not turning back to me. “A good friend of mine once told me that trying was the opposite of doing. He told me this when faced with an impossible mission. One that would consume decades of his life, one that would set him against his family and friends, and one that would likely never result in his desired outcome.”
I looked off to the side, letting his words absorb.
“This friend, as if fighting fate itself, somehow managed to achieve his mission.” He turned his head back and I could feel his eyes penetrating into me. “Don’t try to be a better Immortal, be a better Immortal.”
I cleared my throat and nodded, knowing he was right. Trying was just that: trying. I’d had my share of trying—with little success—it was time to do . “Whatever happened to your friend?”
“You should know,” he said, when my eyes met his. “The friend I speak of is William.”
I wouldn’t have been more surprised if he’d just named Marcus Aurelius. Of course the impossible mission should have rung a chime—the shunning of family and friends, a decades-long search—but hearing Hector speak with such respect of William and knowing I was the one responsible for upending his happy ending made me want to ignite that deadly power on myself.
“Could you tell them hello for me?” I couldn’t imagine how ridiculous it would sound to the Haywards to hear Hector’s message of hello from me, but not having the strength to relay anything else, this would have to do.
Lifting the collar of his suit, Hector turned his head away from me. “With everything that’s happened, I really don’t think that would be a good idea. For your sake . . . for their sake, try to forget them.”
I exhaled through my nose. “‘Try?’” I quoted back to him. “Don’t you mean, ‘forget about them?’”
“Patrick was right.” I heard the amusement in his voice as he started down the stairs. “You are a quick learner.”
CHAPTER NINE
OLD FRIEND
“I’ll take a cosmo,” the geek-meets-chic guy leaning across the bar ordered, yelling above the music that was raging somehow louder than last night. It was Friday and Mikey had warned me the weekends were busy, but we must have a different meaning for the term “busy.” Mine was a steady flow of customers ordering drinks, adding to my apartment rent. His was bodies sardined to bursting, stacked on top of the shoulders of whoever was willing to oblige.
“Mikey,” I shouted over at him. “What’s a
Obviously he hadn’t heard about Patrick’s and my last conversation and how he’d said he never wanted to see me again. I don’t think Patrick could have been any more inconvenienced had he been blindfolded and had his arms tied behind his back for the rest of eternity.
“Our Alliance tends to be more laid-back and had you been any other Immortal on your own, we wouldn’t have insisted the training be completed. But given your powerful gift, we feel that training is of the highest priority.”
I cleared my throat, wanting to ask if there’d been any retaliation from John’s Alliance due to a member of ours—namely, ME—killing one of theirs. “When will I be starting back up?” I asked, trying to distract myself.
“Approximately one week,” he answered, looking chagrined. “Since Patrick is still not aware of this recent development, it may take a little coaxing and time before he’s ready to play teacher to you again.”
So Hector was aware of the biting words Patrick and I’d exchanged.
“But a week at the latest.” He pushed off the wall and headed towards the door.
“I’m sorry I’ve caused so much trouble for everyone,” I whispered, not sure why I was apologizing to him—someone I’d never spoken with before—just needing to apologize to someone. “I’m trying to be better—to not make such a mess of things.”
He stopped in the doorway, not turning back to me. “A good friend of mine once told me that trying was the opposite of doing. He told me this when faced with an impossible mission. One that would consume decades of his life, one that would set him against his family and friends, and one that would likely never result in his desired outcome.”
I looked off to the side, letting his words absorb.
“This friend, as if fighting fate itself, somehow managed to achieve his mission.” He turned his head back and I could feel his eyes penetrating into me. “Don’t try to be a better Immortal, be a better Immortal.”
I cleared my throat and nodded, knowing he was right. Trying was just that: trying. I’d had my share of trying—with little success—it was time to do . “Whatever happened to your friend?”
“You should know,” he said, when my eyes met his. “The friend I speak of is William.”
I wouldn’t have been more surprised if he’d just named Marcus Aurelius. Of course the impossible mission should have rung a chime—the shunning of family and friends, a decades-long search—but hearing Hector speak with such respect of William and knowing I was the one responsible for upending his happy ending made me want to ignite that deadly power on myself.
“Could you tell them hello for me?” I couldn’t imagine how ridiculous it would sound to the Haywards to hear Hector’s message of hello from me, but not having the strength to relay anything else, this would have to do.
Lifting the collar of his suit, Hector turned his head away from me. “With everything that’s happened, I really don’t think that would be a good idea. For your sake . . . for their sake, try to forget them.”
I exhaled through my nose. “‘Try?’” I quoted back to him. “Don’t you mean, ‘forget about them?’”
“Patrick was right.” I heard the amusement in his voice as he started down the stairs. “You are a quick learner.”
CHAPTER NINE
OLD FRIEND
“I’ll take a cosmo,” the geek-meets-chic guy leaning across the bar ordered, yelling above the music that was raging somehow louder than last night. It was Friday and Mikey had warned me the weekends were busy, but we must have a different meaning for the term “busy.” Mine was a steady flow of customers ordering drinks, adding to my apartment rent. His was bodies sardined to bursting, stacked on top of the shoulders of whoever was willing to oblige.
“Mikey,” I shouted over at him. “What’s a
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