Exclusive Excerpt (Part 2): The Power by Jennifer L. Armentrout - Vilma Iris | Lifestyle Blogger

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Exclusive Excerpt (Part 2): The Power by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Seth is back in the second installment of the Titan series—The Power by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Escalating tension, irresistible banter, thrilling action and familiar characters make this an exciting novel not to be missed! I’ve partnered with USA Today HEA to share a two-part excerpt with you, the first was published yesterday, and you can read it here; the second is below. The Power is available today, and for those that have yet to jump into the series, the first book—The Return—is on sale for $1.99!

Get it now: Amazon Kindle | Amazon Paperback | iBooks | Barnes & Noble

Synopsis

Feb-23With any great change, there is always strife, and the Covenant University has become the frontline between pure-bloods who want the Breed Order reinstated and the half-bloods who want the right to control their own destinies.

Fate has other plans.

The violence is escalating and war between the races seems inevitable, and it couldn’t come at a worse time. Hyperion may be out of commission, but Josie and Seth know they have only earned a reprieve.  Seth must get Josie fully prepared, which means controlling her newfound abilities, and they need to find the other demigods before the Titans do.

But the gods are sensing a greater threat. 

Only one thing is more dangerous than a bunch of starved Titans, and that’s an out-of-control Apollyon. The aether in Josie is drawing Seth in deeper, and when lust mixes with love and gives way to power, he knows being close to her is not only dangerous to her, but to everyone around them, but letting her go requires a level of selflessness that just isn’t Seth’s style.

The paths taken in the past are becoming the roads of the future.

Just as chaos breaks out, familiar faces from the past return, complicating the already strained bond between Josie and Seth, and when the danger from the Titans erupts with devastating consequences, the dark allure of power calls to Seth again, but this time Josie might not be able to pull him back.

 And when the struggle between power and love becomes the deadliest battleground, there may be no salvation.

Excerpt

Read part 1 on USA Today HEA first

Those questions left me cold. I wanted to say that I could do it when I needed to, but truthfully? The dummy swayed slightly in front of me, made of rubber and synthetic flesh. I wasn’t ready to say yes, I could kill something. Well, besides animals with my car, and I still felt horrible about all of that, but on purpose?

I thought about Hyperion, and I squeezed my eyes shut. I could’ve killed him. Easily. The things he said and did . . . I sucked in a sharp breath and shuddered. I didn’t even need to try to remember the iciness of his breath or the heaviness of his hand.

Yeah. I could’ve killed him.

But this? Actively killing people—er, daimons or whatever? It was different. Killing things wasn’t what I was all about. It was who I needed to be to survive. I couldn’t be weak. I had to be stronger than this. Strong like the female Sentinels I saw every day. Strong like I imagined Alex had been. Or was. Still is.

I opened my eyes. “Alex didn’t have a problem with killing things, did she?”

Seth blinked and took a step back. Like, a legit step back.

My eyes widened. I hadn’t meant to ask that out loud, and I didn’t even know where that came from. Okay. I did know where it came from: my mouth, which apparently was connected to that deep, dark subconscious part of me that wouldn’t shut the fuck up.

“Yeah, um, can I . . . Yeah, I didn’t ask that question.” My face flushed, and I hastily turned away, walking toward where I’d left my hoodie and water.

I could not believe I’d brought Alex into a conversation like this.

Seth never talked about Alex.

For obvious reasons, it was a touchy subject. I understood why. Seth and Alex had a way weird past. Being that both were Apollyons, they were fated to be together, designed in that way. But Alex loved Aiden, and I . . . I wasn’t sure how Seth felt about Alex. Deacon had made it sound like it hadn’t been that serious, but Deacon wasn’t Seth.

Deacon was Aiden’s younger brother, so maybe he only saw what he wanted to see when it came to Alex and Seth.

Seth’s past was so intricately twisted with Alex’s, and I knew he’d done a lot to her when he had been working with Ares, and he had come through for her when it was needed most. Hell, he had sacrificed everything for Alex’s happiness. That had to mean something.

What I did know for sure was what Deacon had been super-excited about the last week or so. Due to some crazy deal with the gods, Alex and Aiden had remained in Tartarus for six months, and that time was almost up.

Alex and Aiden would be returning soon.

Bending down, I picked up the hoodie and tugged it on over my head. I grabbed my bottle of water, searching for something to change the subject to. Anything would be good at this point.

“She didn’t.”

I stilled, pressing my lips together. Of course she didn’t. According to Deacon, Alex was the baddest of all badasses.

“She was born and practically raised in this environment except for a period of time. Alex is different than you.”

My stomach twisted with a bitter burn. Ridiculous, I knew, but the acid coating the insides of my mouth tasted like jealousy. Stupid, unreasonable jealousy.

“But it wasn’t easy for her, and you do have that in common,” he added after a moment. “I know she didn’t like it and it wore on her. It got to her.”

Slowly, I turned around, clutching the bottle to my chest.

He’d moved silently and was only a foot or so away from me. “And before . . . before everything went down, she was talking about not wanting to be a Sentinel anymore. Even though that was what she’d always wanted to be. She was done with it all. The killing and the fighting.”

I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t even know if there was anything I could say about it, because I could understand that. Who wouldn’t be tired of killing and fighting?

“It wasn’t easy for her, Josie, but she did it because it was her duty—she did it to protect herself and those she cared about.” Seth reached around and tugged my ponytail out from under my hoodie. He draped it over my shoulder. “It’s not going to be easy for you.”

I licked my lips. “You don’t think I can do this, do you?”

His gaze held mine for a moment and then his lashes lowered, shielding them. “One of the things I like about you so much, Josie, is that you are so very mortal despite what and who you are.”

A tiny flutter spread its wings in my chest. “I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not.”

“It is.”

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