The Spirit Seducer (The Echo Series Book 1) by Alexa Padgett Page A

needed to stop doing that. I couldn’t get distracted by those perfect white teeth. Gah! Look away, Echo.
    “Are you a god?” I asked, forcing my gaze back to his.
    Zeke shook his head, the corner of his mouth lifting again. “No more than you are.”
    “But you can move between the different planes.”
    “I can. Yes. That’s because I am Earth.”
    “You can’t be a planet. That doesn’t even make sense,” I sighed.
    “Each of the Four can control an Element. I control earth. Rather—the ability to move easily around on it. I can also manipulate certain manifestations of the world like trees, grass, dirt.”
    I absorbed this, narrowing my eyes as I considered the implications of his statements.
    “One of your parents is a god? Not Sotuk.” I held my breath. I so didn’t want to be Zeke’s sister.
    “Definitely not Sotuk, though my father is a god.” He rolled his shoulders. “Not that he’s much of either.”
    His tone was hard. A warning. I stepped back again. Zeke measured the space between us before his eyes drifted back up to my face. He catalogued my features, probably taking in my widened eyes. He crossed his arms over his chest. Defensive, much?
    “I fight demons, mostly,” he said. His casualness was magnified by his concern for me, which did more to mitigate my fear than his words. “I fell into that role—a demon fighter—back when I was thirteen and they ambushed me. I was surrounded before I knew what happened.”
    “How’d you get away?”
    Zeke raised his brows. “I didn’t, but they found out pretty quick I wasn’t going to let them rip me apart. I was good at kicking ass and decided to get better. As one of the Four, we’ve had two options to stay alive: fight or hide. You and Layla were in hiding. Who knows where the fourth of us is. I was the main target.”
    “I’m sorry,” I whispered, and I was. Thirteen was so young. I was eight years older than he’d been, and I was still completely unprepared to deal with whatever the hell I was involved in now.
    “I’m not. Learning to fight—both well and dirty—helps us all. You, me, Layla. We’re a team, Echo.”
    I sucked on my bottom lip, absorbing his words.
    “Masau asked for my continued help to keep demons where they belong—in the lower worlds. He thought it would slow down the prophecy, give us time to plan. The demons have gone after you, your mom, and Layla so often that protecting you became my de facto job.”
    “But how did they know where to find us if we were hiding?”
    Zeke smirked. “Demon-sense.”
    At my blank look, he rolled his eyes. “They can sense magic—smell it or something.”
    “But not the gods?”
    Zeke shrugged. “Seems that’s a no. Otherwise Coyote would’ve visited long before now.”
    “Why wouldn’t the demons tell the gods about us?”
    “Because then the gods would want to drain you of your powers. This world, it’s survival of the strongest. That comes from magic. He who owns the most power can destroy enemies and rule large swaths of the worlds.”
    “So demons want my magic, too?”
    “Yep.”
    I was small, untrained. No wonder he’d said I was an easy target. My muscles quivered with the primal need to run, hide.
    Zeke was helping me, talking to me about the ways of the world. I needed to trust someone, and right now, this part-god who knew my clothing size and favorite ice cream was my best bet.
    “You like your job?” I tried to keep my voice neutral. I don’t think I succeeded. “Stalking me?”
    “I don’t stalk anyone. The demons were drawn to Santa Fe because of all that banked power. I took them out before they could hurt you. Or Layla.”
    Somehow, I doubted that. His answer was off, unsatisfying. Because I didn’t know what else to say, I stepped farther away from him. Emotions rolled through me, some puzzling because they felt like emotions about me. I threaded my fingers through my hair, tugging at the ache building in my scalp. So far the pain