Page 62 of Between Two Kings

Apollo smirked. Even with the welt, he was devastatingly handsome. He touched his fingers to his cheek. “I would rather have a reminder of you.”

Tem was already wet. But his words made her wetter. “And I would rather forget this happened.”

“Would you? And why is that?” The welt on Apollo’s face was spreading. Tem could clearly see the impression of her wedding ring. When she didn’t answer, Apollo continued, “Is it because you are afraid of what we could be?”

That was not a question Tem was remotely prepared to answer.

“Or is it because you are afraid of what we already are?”

For some reason, vitriol built within her. Tem didn’t know whether she was angry at Apollo or angry at herself. At this point, it didn’t matter. She couldn’t stand his smug expression, how clearly he reveled in his victory. It was time to end this.

“We’re nothing,” she snarled. “You’re nothing.”

For the very first time, a shadow of hurt flashed in Apollo’s eyes.

It was gone so quickly Tem wasn’t even sure she saw it. But it prompted her to say, “I’m sorry—”

“No,” he cut her off. “You are not. And I do not want you to be sorry anyway. You are justified, and you know it quite well.” He stepped closer, and Tem’s cheeks flushed. “To accept your apology would be to comfort you.”

They stared at each other, inches apart, both breathing hard.

Finally, Apollo whispered, “Do not come to me for comfort, Temperance. Come to me when you want me to fuck you the way my brother will not.”

With that, he turned and disappeared.

Tem was left alone, too stunned to move, her heart pounding in her chest. Apollo was impossible. There was no other word for it.

And yet.

Flirting with Apollo was a thrill she hadn’t felt since flirting with Caspen: the appeal of the forbidden, the promise of more. The possibility of destruction. There was something about the other Drakon brother that drew her in, that tempted her. But Tem could not afford to be tempted. If she gave in—if she surrendered to her instincts and let Apollo fuck her—it would risk her relationship with Caspen. And nothing could make her do that. Tem didn’t believe him no matter how adamantly he claimed it wouldn’t bother him if she slept with his brother, and it wasn’t worth it to find out whether she was right.

Caspen was in their chambers by the time Tem returned. A wet leaf was stuck to his shoulder, dirt along his back. He looked up when she entered.

“Tem.” His eyes flicked down her body, and not for the first time, Tem wondered if he could sense what she’d just been doing. “Where were you?”

“Where were you?”

“Hunting.”

“Without me?” Tem tried to say it casually, but her hurt must have showed on her face because Caspen crossed to her and cupped her chin in his hand.

“I had to transition,” he said quietly. “I did not want to strain you.”

Tem nodded. It wasn’t fair of her to expect him to accommodate her pace when it was so much slower than his. It wasn’t until now that she understood how often Caspen had to hunt, that he required a steady supply of sustenance beyond what was available in the banquet hall. She could not blame him for going alone.

“I did not mean to leave you,” he said quietly.

“I know.”

A long moment passed before his expression suddenly hardened, and he leaned in. “You are hurt.” Caspen’s fingers brushed her cheek.

Tem winced as he made contact with the same spot Apollo had touched earlier. A cool pulse bloomed beneath her skin, and she knew Caspen had healed her. She wondered suddenly why Apollo hadn’t. “Nobody hurt me,” Tem said quickly. “I promise.”

“Then why are you bruised?”

She heard the fear and fury in his voice—knew he was remembering the time when she had come to him desperate and scared, right after Jonathan and Christopher had tried to touch her.

“I went to the Horseman with Gabriel,” she said, trying to decide in real time how much to tell him. “And there was a…protest afterward. It became violent.”