Elysian Dreams (6 page)

* * * *

Aphrodite dug into the flowerbed with more vigor. In the hour since Harmonia had left, she’d been thinking. She’d felt bad after Harmonia had left, but now she had come to think she’d been right in telling her the truth. It was best Harmonia knew that at least for now what she felt for Apollo was not love. That would make things easier if he chose to reject her. Aphrodite didn’t think it likely, but she’d thought it had been best to keep that to herself. Apollo was more likely than not in for heartache where Daphne was concerned. However, he had still resisted even the urge to flirt with Harmonia based on what she’d been told. Even if he had only done it because she was Aphrodite’s daughter, he’d still shown her respect. He had a tendency to engage in a tumble with any female who was willing when he was upset, so the fact he’d not tried anything with a woman who’d openly said she desired him showed his respect even more.

Harmonia was not only beautiful but also intelligent. Her wisdom and wit more than matched any of her other charms, and she had a winning personality. Aphrodite had been more than a bit surprised to find she had feelings for Apollo. He seemed like the type of man Harmonia would like to see put in his place. Then again, that might be the appeal. Aphrodite had known more than one intelligent woman who had discarded reason and logic to chase a man who wasn’t exactly her type. She remembered how she’d spent years chasing Hermes, a man as different from her as Apollo was from Harmonia. Now though she wondered if Harmonia really had it in mind to not only catch him but also keep him. She had no idea what an attempt at taming or domesticating might do to Apollo.

“I’ve prepared a little speech to preface my request, so I hope you’re ready to hear me out.”

Aphrodite stopped what she was doing and looked over her shoulder. Hera stood exactly where Harmonia had been roughly an hour earlier. She stood up and took off her gloves. “A request?”

Hera nodded and strolled into the garden. She wore a green sundress and brown sandals. Her dark hair was pulled into a very long ponytail. She pulled off her sunglasses and hung them on her neckline. “Isn’t it a pretty day?”

Aphrodite smiled. “Yes, it is.”

Hera hesitated, but then she launched into her speech full force. “I know I’m nosy. I gossip too much and meddle too much. But you are as guilty as I am most of the time, so you can’t blame me for being curious.”

Aphrodite knew what was coming, but she tried to keep her expression casual. “About what?”

“Who my son is in love with! I’m dying to know. If you’ve agreed to help, you must know.”

Aphrodite hesitated. She’d been prepared for this and had an answer ready. “Hephaestus made me absolutely swear not to tell anyone, especially you. He wants you to know once he’s, as he put it, ‘secured his happiness’.” That was actually exactly how he’d put it, except he hadn’t made her swear to anything.

Hera groaned dramatically. “Oh, I knew he’d do something like that!”

Aphrodite forced a smile. “He does know you very well. I would never break my promise to him.” She felt a pang of guilt at the words, but she was too afraid of Hera not to make it very plain she wouldn’t reveal Hephaestus’ secret.

“Yes, he does know me very well. I do trust him, but this behavior is so unlike him. I don’t mean to say anything against him, but he can be dull as mud. I mean, just plain boring. And now suddenly he pops this on me? I hardly know what to think.”

“I was surprised as well.” If only she could tell the queen of the gods just how surprised.

“I’d say. Does it bother you?”

Aphrodite thought of many answers to that question, but she settled for, “No. It’s a little strange, but not that big of a deal. I’d like for him to be happy.” At least the last part was true.

“Can I ask something very personal?”

She swallowed. “Of course.”

“Were you satisfied when you two were together?”

“What?” Aphrodite had not expected that at all. What was she supposed to say?

“Well, I have no doubt Ares is amazing. I’m very proud of him in that arena, and very sure he takes after his father. But Hephaestus has always seemed so uninterested. In sex, I mean.”

Aphrodite was a little taken aback. She had no reason to be embarrassed. At certain points in their lives, she and Hera had fooled around more than once, including several threesomes with Zeus. They hadn’t been lovers. It had just been another aspect of their friendship, but the intimacy had still been there. Perhaps that was what scared her so much. She knew Hera wouldn’t hurt her no matter how upset she became when she learned the truth, but still Aphrodite couldn’t do it. Hera would feel betrayed when she discovered Aphrodite and Hephaestus were already married, and Aphrodite couldn’t face that yet.

“I was,” she finally replied. “He’s different from Ares. Still up for games, but he’s…” She paused, feeling a little tug on her heart. “He’s…uh…sweeter. Gentler. Very emotional.”

Hera smiled. “Thank you. Sorry if the question was weird. I always thought so. He’s really been waiting for the right girl all these years. That’s why he’s had so few lovers.”

Aphrodite was relieved Hera hadn’t made anything of her answer. The answer had actually surprised her. Hephaestus was right in what he’d said the other night. He’d always been making love to her, not just fucking her. Her chest felt tight, so she pushed the thoughts away. She didn’t want to think of those things right now.

“I agree. He thinks about sex as very personal. It has so much meaning for him.”

Hera sighed happily. “So many weddings! It’s been wonderful. It’s nice not to be the only old married woman anymore.”

Aphrodite laughed, and it was genuine. “You’ve never quite been that type. You’ve always had all the freedom you wanted.”

“Hmmmm. And up until recently, that’s been fine.”

Aphrodite didn’t need another problem to think about, but she was anxious to move onto another subject. “Something wrong?”

“Zeus has been very clingy. I think if I slept with someone else right now, he would feel more than jealousy.” She gazed at Aphrodite a long time. “He’d be desolate.”

“Really? Has something brought it on? A fight, a conflict? Something some of us have done?” Aphrodite had no idea what to expect, but Zeus behaving oddly was always something to be noted. And monitored.

“Not that I can think of. He began being more attentive after Poseidon met Layla, but lately he’s been far more intense. It’s like I’m being wooed by him all over again. He doesn’t just want sex. He wants long, leisurely dinners and romantic walks. It’s wonderful, but I’m feeling a bit smothered.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t think of anything that could have caused it.” She thought for a minute. “What about Ares getting married? You think it rekindled his fire or something? He’s not likely to start feeling old, but do you see what I mean?”

Hera nodded her approval. “A good point, though probably not the answer. His mind doesn’t always respond to outside influences like that.” She smiled. “Maybe I’m just that wonderful.”

Aphrodite relaxed a little bit. She had missed Hera the past few weeks. It had been terrible to be in conflict with and frightened of the woman who had been her best friend for so long. “That’s very possible.”

She tensed again though when Hera came forward and hugged her.

“This is better. We of all people should be friends.” She released her. “All will be right with the world once you make my son happy.”

Aphrodite was barely aware of what she replied or what else Hera said. She couldn’t stop thinking about how much Hephaestus’ happiness depended on her.

Chapter Five

Harmonia wanted to pay attention to her book, but she couldn’t. After rereading a paragraph twice, she put it down. She looked across the park. Two teenagers were chatting on the edge of the fountain, and a mother was shaking a toy at her little girl on a bench close by.

She wanted to be furious with Aphrodite. How could she say something like that? Harmonia knew she loved Apollo. Aphrodite had to know he and Daphne were not meant to be, so why wouldn’t she help her to give Apollo what he needed most? Harmonia knew she could persuade Zeus to look the other way if Aphrodite would only agree to help. He would understand how much it meant to her. She’d never been around him that much, but he was very kind to her whenever they did meet. Daphne couldn’t be happy if Apollo kept chasing her around like a lovesick puppy. He seemed to still love her, but he had admitted to being a bit confused. He’d been falling for her when that arrow lodged in his heart. His feelings had come to maturity too early. Perhaps the effects would wear off. Maybe hundreds of years of living without her and going on with his life would sink in now the spell was broken. He would find he didn’t love her, didn’t need her.

She sighed. She hadn’t seen Apollo since that night. She’d felt so certain he would be intrigued and come seek her out. She couldn’t understand what was keeping him away. She’d been tempted to eavesdrop on him and Daphne, but had decided against it. Now she wished she had. Had Daphne said or done something to give him hope? Could Hypnos have rejected her or hurt her in some way? Everyone knew about that now. Daphne loved Hypnos. Some believed it, but others said it would wear off. Since no one knew how Harmonia felt about Apollo, they speculated freely in front of her. No one knew that she’d found Apollo in that bar and taken him home, that she’d come on to him at the worst time ever.

She flipped through her book again. A werewolf was in love with a human but afraid of infecting her. She thought he was a jerk because he gave her mixed signals, kissing her on one page and running away two pages later. To Harmonia, it didn’t sound that complicated. She only had fifty more pages, but she knew the author would get them together in a nice and neat way, even if the book had been on the seventy-five percent off table. She looked at the author’s photo inside the back cover. He looked happy, a genuine smile on his face.

She watched the mother stand up and walk away pushing her little girl in her stroller. The teenagers were still talking. She needed to talk to Apollo. She wanted to apologize, to get to know him. She still didn’t believe Aphrodite was right, but if anything could ever happen between her and Apollo, they had to be friends. He had to know who she was. He would need to see her as more than the flirty girl who dragged him home because she was infatuated. She felt almost certain that was what he thought of her. He’d found her attractive and interesting, but he’d probably dismissed her.

She needed to use her brains instead of her looks to show him why he shouldn’t.

* * * *

Hypnos had not planned on trying to see Daphne, but Zeus refused to leave him alone. The king of the gods was not angry about what had happened, much to Hypnos’ surprise. However, he wanted Hypnos to come out of the Underworld and face what was happening. Hypnos hadn’t told Zeus why he was so reluctant to do so.

The more he was around Daphne, the more likely he was to tell her he was in love with her. He also knew it was even more probable she’d get him into her bed. Ever since they’d met, Hypnos had never been able to resist trying to make Daphne happy. He’d kept her safe from any outside influences. Had that been wrong? She could have had other friends, but if she’d been known to anyone in the Elysian Fields, or elsewhere in the Underworld, Hades would have found out. He would have come to Hypnos demanding to know how someone who wasn’t dead had come to be in his domain.

When she’d been close to a breakdown from the mental anguish her memories brought her, he’d let her drink water from the Lethe, the river of forgetfulness, without Hades’ permission. So far, the lord of the Underworld hadn’t said anything about that. Had that been the right thing to do? It had complicated everything when she was released from her spell and made it necessary for them to be alone. Then the real complications had come. If Daphne didn’t love Apollo, no one could blame her, but everyone would blame Hypnos if he were the reason she didn’t want to see Apollo. Zeus said she had been to see Apollo, but she hadn’t told anyone what happened apparently. Apollo was keeping to himself as well.

Hypnos had no idea what to expect when he knocked on Daphne’s door.

Peneus answered and smiled politely. He actually bowed slightly as he said, “Hypnos. I’ll go get Daphne.” He shut the door after ushering Hypnos in and went upstairs.

Hypnos remembered Daphne describing her father as old-fashioned, but he also sensed Peneus was nervous about having the god of death in his house. Hypnos had been forced to get used to that reaction again. Daphne came down by herself and smiled at him.

“Hello,” she said.

“Hello.” What was he supposed to say? He didn’t want to tell her Zeus had persuaded him to come so they could talk.

“So who sent you?” she asked.

He should have known he couldn’t fool her for long. “Zeus, actually. He wants us to talk because he thinks nothing can move forward until we do.”

“I agree. Can we go outside?”

“Yes.” He didn’t resist when she reached for his hand and led him out through the kitchen and into the garden. She moved to a bench and sat down. He did the same.

After taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, she smiled and said, “I’ve already told you how I feel. Those feelings are very real and not just something I was clinging to when I didn’t have all my memories. I’m sure Apollo is wonderful, and I want to make things up to him, but I won’t sacrifice my own happiness for that. I intend to fight to make you give us a chance.”

“But what will Apollo say?”

“Who cares what he says or thinks? I’m not going to lie to anyone.”

“I meant what might he say to persuade you to give him a chance? He leads a more normal life, if you can say any of us do. He doesn’t have powers you would ever have to be afraid of. He doesn’t live in the Underworld.”

“The Underworld was the only home I knew for a very long time. I could live there happily once Zeus and Hades gave their permission. Isn’t that right? If Hades escorts me in, I can enter and stay there? If we marry, I’ll have to live with you there, right? Like Hades and Persephone?”

“You’re most likely right about all of it. I haven’t given it much thought.” He had, but he didn’t want to just say yes because that would lead her to asking him why they didn’t move forward with their relationship. She obviously didn’t care, or simply hadn’t given any thought to, how most of the inhabitants of Olympus were going to react to every move either of them made.

“Well, I always paid attention when you talked about things like that, and I’ve done some research too. There are no special rules to keep you from loving me or marrying me. You’re compelled to return to the Underworld for a short time each day, but nothing keeps you trapped there. I could be granted the same status as Persephone. You have the same right to happiness Hades does, and you are just as free to exercise it. I doubt Hades or Zeus would deny us this.”

“I know. I want to be sure I do what’s right.”

“Because you’ve done so much wrong? I’ve heard about all of it. I’m not worried you’re going to attempt to ravish virgins or turn into a power-hungry rebel again.”

He looked over at her sharply. Her smile faded as she met his gaze.

“I didn’t mean that as an insult,” she said in a small voice.

He tried to control his temper. She hadn’t meant anything by it, but he didn’t like her poking around and talking about him with other people. “If you want to understand what happened to me and all I went through, then you need to ask
me
, all right?”

She nodded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do when you didn’t come to see me.”

“I understand.” He took a breath and sat back. “And you need to understand that I have a temper. That’s something you’ve never seen before.”

She smiled nervously. “I haven’t. You’re right. You startled me.”

“I did? I’m sorry.”

She shrugged a little, looking down at the ground. “The look in your eyes…”

“Scared you.”

She nodded again. “For a moment.”

“It’s good you saw it then.” He stood up. “Daphne, I want you to be happy. I want you to think about what you really need. My temper isn’t the only dark thing inside of me.”

“How long do you want me to do that? I don’t feel like I need to think about it much at all.”

“I don’t know, but I want time to think about it too. I only came because Zeus wanted me to.”

“You didn’t want to?”

“I did, but I wasn’t ready yet.” He had no idea how to explain it to her, but he didn’t want to leave her with the impression he was pushing her away. “Can’t you see I don’t want to be disappointed? I don’t want to get my hopes up.”

She stood up too. “I have no intention of disappointing you.” She put her hands on his arms and pulled herself onto her toes to kiss him. She wrapped her arms around his neck after a moment, and he couldn’t resist her sweet and insistent mouth. He pressed her soft body against his. He remembered how she’d felt, the sounds she’d made when she came, and most of all the way she’d been so sure that he was what she needed, that he was the only man she’d be happy giving her maidenhead to.

She pulled away and smiled up at him. Her eyes showed how aroused she was. “I promised Apollo I wouldn’t sleep with you until things were settled.”

“You told him? That’s good. You need to keep that promise. I’ll make sure you do.”

He started to back away, but she clung to him. “Hypnos, I love you. I want to hear you say it one day.”

He stroked her hair. He could say it, but he didn’t dare. She’d never turn back if he said it. She had to be sure, and he wouldn’t be satisfied she was until Apollo had actually tried to win her and failed. He wasn’t testing her, though he knew she’d see it that way. He didn’t want her to wake up one day and resent him or regret choosing him. Holding her at a distance was the only way he knew to make her sit back and think more carefully. He wasn’t going to mention their ability to kiss again. She seemed to have forgotten how surprised he’d been when his kiss hadn’t harmed her. If she knew she was the only woman he could kiss without putting her to sleep, she’d refuse to give Apollo another thought.

He kissed her forehead. “I’ll miss you until I see you again.”

She pulled away and seemed to accept his answer. “I will too.”

He turned away and walked out of the garden. His mind filled with visions of them making love. He wanted to take her properly, slowly. Their fevered coupling had been erotic, and his cock still responded to the memory, but he wanted more. He wanted to spend hours in her arms, but he wanted them both to be sure she’d never be as happy anywhere else.

* * * *

Apollo walked into his kitchen and stared at the stove. A roasting pan he knew was not his sat there, and two pots sat on the back burners, all covered. Something smelled amazing. He lifted all three lids and found a roasted chicken, steamed vegetables, and mashed potatoes that smelled richly of garlic. His small breakfast table was set, and a vase of flowers sat in the middle. He turned back again when he heard a bottle of wine being opened.

He saw Harmonia pulling the cork off the corkscrew. She smiled at him.

“This is to apologize for coming on so strong. And so inappropriately. Nothing romantic. A completely normal meal. I brought the wine simply because I love wine.”

Apollo had no objection to having dinner with her or talking with her, but he didn’t like this invasion of his home and his privacy. He’d come into the room to make a grilled cheese sandwich, so the chicken was no disappointment. He wished she’d asked though.

“You could have called me. I wasn’t doing anything tonight.”

“I wanted it to be a surprise. I thought it would be nice.”

“It is nice, but I’d have preferred it not be a surprise.”

She blushed, but she still smiled. “I’m sorry. Would you still like to have dinner?”

Apollo didn’t see any reason to say no. He wasn’t going to turn a beautiful and interesting woman away no matter what his situation, especially since she had just promised it would be ‘nothing romantic’.

“Yes, I would. I’d like not being alone.” He looked around. “Can I do anything?”

She shook her head. “Nope. Have a seat and I’ll bring it all to the table.”

He did so, watching her place the chicken on a platter and heap the sides into bowls. She wore a very becoming but modest light pink linen dress. He tore his gaze away when he realized he’d been watching her ass sway back and forth. Yes, she was hot, and yes she liked him, but how stupid would it be to come on to her after he’d been angry when she’d flirted so aggressively before?

Daphne had not given him an answer. He was focusing on that because most importantly it meant she hadn’t given him a no. Interesting as Harmonia was, and willing as she might be for anything from a one-time-only roll in the hay to being tumbled in his sheets every single night, he still wanted Daphne. He wanted to take her hunting. He remembered she’d liked that. Hopefully, he’d find out what else she liked soon enough.

As Harmonia set everything down, he searched for a distraction. He settled for talking about Daphne, hoping perhaps it would help maintain the “nothing romantic” atmosphere and help him out at the same time.

“Do you like hunting?” he asked.

“Artemis took me a few times. I don’t really like it.”

“Daphne used to like it a great deal. I’d like to take her. Do you think she’d like that?”

Harmonia focused on her plate for a few moments as she dished out some vegetables. “I don’t know. Her views on hunting may have changed.”

He didn’t follow her. He took a bite of mashed potatoes and that stopped his next question for a moment. “These are amazing.”

Harmonia seemed surprised. “Oh, thank you. I cook for myself a lot.”

“I can tell.” He tried the chicken, which had a sweet, bacony flavor in its glaze. “Wow. I’m impressed.”

She just smiled and blushed again.

He smiled too. He had to admit, whatever the context, he liked making women blush. He found it very becoming and thought it implied a strength of feeling, something else he liked in a woman. He stopped smiling. He needed to slow down. The last thing he needed was to start sweet-talking Harmonia.

“But why do you think she might not like hunting anymore?”

“She spent centuries as a tree,” Harmonia said in a tone that implied she was amazed he hadn’t considered this. “I think her feelings toward nature may have changed.”

“Oh.” She had a good point. “You might be right. Maybe I should tell her I want to spend some time with her and ask her what she’d like to do.”

“That sounds like a better idea.”

Harmonia seemed calm, aside from her blushes, but she probably wasn’t enjoying the conversation. Or was he being conceited? Was he only imagining she’d be more than happy for them to stop talking about Daphne? That she wanted something more to happen beyond talking tonight? He had to admit the idea had popped back into his mind when he noticed that her breasts looked fantastic, even though the neckline of her dress was very modest.

He focused on his food. Why had he agreed to have dinner? He was frustrated about Daphne, which was making him horny. That made this the worst time to be anywhere near Harmonia. Part of his mind wondered if Aphrodite still had it out for him.

A knock at the back door made him sure she still was, no matter how many times she’d tried to apologize.

Daphne stood there looking through the small window at him and Harmonia having dinner and drinking wine.

Harmonia had the good manners to pale and look at him apologetically. “Sorry.”

“You couldn’t have known. It’s fine.”

He answered the door casually, trying to look pleased instead of nervous. “Hi. Come on in.”

“I seem to be interrupting something,” Daphne said. She looked at Harmonia pointedly.

“We’re just having dinner. That’s all,” Apollo said.

“So, she won’t mind if I do this?” Daphne pulled Apollo close and kissed him full on the mouth.

Apollo kissed her back. She tasted sweet and felt wonderful, but something wasn’t right. He pulled back. “I don’t think this is what you came here for.”

Daphne looked between the two of them. “No. I came to give you an answer.”

“Maybe we should go in the other room.”

“It won’t take long.”

Harmonia stood up. “I’ll go.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Daphne said. “I came to tell you I love Hypnos. That isn’t going to change. I wanted you to know. He wants me to keep thinking about it, but I don’t see the point. No one could change how I feel about him.”

“Then why did you kiss me just now? To be hurtful and cause someone else pain? You don’t want me, but you’re still going to get jealous?”

“Well, maybe not jealous, but how about angry? You’re supposedly waiting for me to make up my mind, but you’re finding ways to pass the time.”

Apollo knew how it looked, but he also knew he was innocent. Maybe his thoughts hadn’t been chaste or one hundred percent loyal, but he knew he hadn’t done anything wrong. “We’re having dinner, and that is all. You remember one of my other powers? I can’t lie. Some wouldn’t consider it a power, but I do. It’s the perfect defense. I think Harmonia is pretty and smart and very interesting. She’s also very sexy, but we haven’t done anything. She’s told me she’s attracted to me, but I haven’t made a move on her. She came here on her own to try to help me take my mind off things.”

“Have you kissed?” Daphne asked.

He knew this would shatter everything. “Yes.”

“When?”

“The night you came here, after the spell had been broken.”

“Before or after?”

“Before.”

Daphne laughed. “You have not changed.”

“Wait, please!” Harmonia said. “I kissed him. I came on to him. It’s not his fault.”

“I can’t believe he didn’t fuck you.”

“We’ve done almost nothing but talk about you.”

“Between kisses and glasses of wine?”

Apollo held up his hands to silence both women. “Daphne, do you love Hypnos?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then go to him and tell him. This is pointless. I still want you, but I can’t honestly say I love you. The one thing I know is I don’t want to hurt you anymore. I’m sorry for how many times and ways I’ve fucked up your life. The best thing is for you to go.”

For the first time, Daphne truly looked angry. She turned back to Harmonia. “He kissed me too that night. Begged me to kiss him just once. It left quite an impression on him. Maybe you should play a little harder to get. He only wants what he can’t have.” She pushed past him and slammed the door behind her.

Apollo looked down at the floor. He didn’t feel sad. He felt as if he’d been shot with the same arrow that had made Daphne despise him. Maybe he had inadvertently ruined her life, but hadn’t she done the same to him? Hadn’t she refused to have the spell lifted even after Zeus himself had explained to her the hate she felt wasn’t real? Hadn’t she in essence cursed him to love her and only her all those centuries? No wonder every woman in his life had been nothing but a warm, beautiful body.

His vision clouded as he began punching the door in fury, over and over again. He only stopped when Harmonia used a spell to push him to the floor. Then the pain hit. He’d punched through the glass window. His hand and arm were bleeding.

As she pulled the glass out and dabbed at the wounds with a napkin, he noticed she was crying. How could she feel sorry for him after that display? Was she afraid? Had seeing him upset hurt her so much?

“There’s a towel over there,” he said quietly, trying to push all his rage down.

She grabbed the dishtowel off the counter and pressed it to the wound. “I’m sorry. What do you need?”

“In the living room there are colored bottles on one side of the wall behind the bar. Grab the red one on the bottom shelf.”

She did so quickly. As she came back he saw his blood had dripped onto her dress. He took the bottle and drank a little bit. After a moment, he looked at his wounds. The bleeding had almost stopped. “Sorry about your dress.”

“It’s just a dress. It doesn’t matter. I’m sorry I was here. If I’d had my guard up, I would have felt Daphne approaching. I let myself relax too much.” She wiped away the tears that had run down her face.

“That’s not your fault. I’m sorry I lost my temper. Her answer would have been the same no matter what. Your presence did nothing but make her answer come out cruelly.” He looked up into her eyes. “It dawned on me that she was as much to blame as I was. She refused to have the spell lifted. Zeus and Aphrodite made so many pleas, but she said no. Being stuck with that spell ruined my life too, but I had no choice. I had no chance to drink from the Lethe, or fall in love with someone else.”

“That doesn’t change how you felt about her. It doesn’t change the pain her words caused. She shouldn’t have been cruel because her ego was wounded.”

“I know, but I meant what I said about you. You know I can’t lie, but I have to say this so you understand. I think you’re amazing.” He stroked her cheek.

“Don’t do this.” She pulled away a little bit.

“What?”

“I don’t want your pity. I also don’t want to be your rebound girl.”

Apollo stared at her, confused. “Then maybe you should go too. Why come into my life at a time like this? Why come on to me the way you did, tease me?”

“I’ve apologized for that.”

“Yeah, you have.” He didn’t know what else to say. “You felt how attracted I was to you the other night.”

She moved away and stood up. “I’ll go.”

He stood up and stopped her. He held her face in his uninjured hand and kissed her lightly on the lips. “No woman has ever cried for my pain before.”

She looked so vulnerable. Her lips trembled as he moved in to kiss her again.

She pushed him away. “I think it’s your turn to make some decisions. I’ll come see you in three days. I’d like to talk then.”

He thought about what Daphne had said to her. “I don’t suddenly want you because I can’t have you. You know that I was intrigued by you. I don’t want you to run away too.”

She smiled enigmatically. “It will be better if you think before we talk about this anymore. I’d love to stay and keep kissing you, see what happens, but I care about you too much.” She held his gaze. “I don’t run from anything.”

“Not even a man who curses everything he touches?”

“All the curses and spells are broken. You’re getting a second chance.”

Before he could respond, she faded into a sparkling mist. He stared at the broken window and the dents in his door. He snapped the fingers of his good hand and fixed it. He was glad she’d left the wine. Maybe if he got drunk enough she’d come back and rescue him again.