Chapter Three
Apollo
“You’re hopeless, Apollo!” Grannie laughed, brushing dirt from her hands as she surveyed the garden bed in the Asphodel Meadows.
“Who, me?” Apollo gasped, leaning on his spade and blinking innocently. “Don’t say that, Grannie.”
Grannie gave him a playful squint. “Well, I never knew gods couldn’t do everything. Imagine that—a sun god who can’t tell the difference between a weed and a tulip!”
Apollo glanced down at the limp green stalks he’d just uprooted and winced. “They looked suspicious!”
“Oh, you gods,” Grannie said, shaking her head with mock exasperation. “All that power and not a lick of sense when it comes to gardening.”
Apollo straightened up and sniffed. “I’m excellent at other things, you know.”
“I’m sure you are, dear,” Grannie said, giving his arm a teasing pat. “But maybe leave the plants alone next time.”
Apollo sighed, tossing the stalks aside as Grannie chuckled and bent back to her planting.
He watched Grannie and couldn’t help noticing how much of Geri he saw in her—the same spark in her eyes, the same fierce stubbornness.
He remembered how gutted Geri had been when Grannie passed and how he’d tried everything to help her through it, even when he didn’t have a clue what to say.
They’d been through some heavy shit together, but somehow it had pulled them closer.
What started as pure, blazing lust had turned into something way bigger, a bond strong enough to last forever.
It still amazed him that Geri hadn’t lost her Grannie completely and got to have these moments with her.
Hades had given her a rare deal—visits to the Underworld so she could see her grandmother whenever she wanted.
It wasn’t the same as having Grannie up top, alive and kicking, but it was better than nothing.
And as Apollo stood there, listening to the older woman laugh, he figured that was what counted.
And honestly, that felt like a pretty solid win for all the chaos in their lives.
Apollo glanced over his shoulder, eyes finding his mate on the far side of the garden.
Geri was crouched over a patch of soil, gently pressing new flowers into the earth.
But she wasn’t really seeing them—that faraway look on her face said it all.
Through the bond, he could feel the tension humming inside her, like a bowstring pulled too tight.
Grannie caught where his gaze had landed and let out a knowing little hum. “She’s still worried, huh?”
“Yeah,” Apollo admitted, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “The Council hasn’t decided yet, and they won’t even tell me when they’re gonna meet to make a call.”
Grannie clicked her tongue, folding her arms. “Well, she’s always been a worrier, even though she’s strong as steel under all that. You know what you should do? Give her a distraction.” She gave him a sly wink.
“Oh,” Apollo said, a grin curving his mouth. “That’s something I’m really good at.”
“I’m sure you are,” Grannie shot back, lifting a brow. “Especially since you’ve got a she-wolf for a mate.”
“Touché, Grannie. Touché,” he let out a laugh, shaking his head. “Let me go check on her.”
He crossed the garden toward Geri, dusting dirt and bits of leaves off his arms as he went.
He knew he probably looked like a mess, but judging by the small smile tugging at Geri’s lips, she didn’t seem to mind.
When she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, warmth bloomed in his chest, pushing back the cold knot of worry he’d been carrying.
But he could still feel her unease pulsing faintly through their bond like a low drumbeat. “You’re still stressed,” he said, catching her gaze. “Don’t try to hide it. I can feel it. Guess gardening didn’t work its usual magic today.”
She let out a breath, shoulders sagging. “I can’t shake off the thought of the council’s decision.”
“I have an idea,” he said, grinning. Without giving her a chance to protest, he waved a quick goodbye to Grannie and grabbed Geri’s hand.
A blink later, shadows swallowed them, cool stone pressing in on every side. Apollo glanced around, grinning.
Geri blinked up at him, disoriented. “What are we doing here?”
“I know one thing that can be a good distraction,” he replied, pulling her in for a kiss.
In the place where they first hooked up, what was it a year ago? It didn’t matter; she leapt at him, and their mouths and tongues clashed hungrily.
Apollo felt the anxiety draining out of her, and in its place, a new wave of heat pulsed through their bond. Well, that was fast. The nerves were gone, replaced by something far more interesting.
Horniness. Definitely horniness.
He bit back a laugh. He loved being bonded to her.
“Don’t worry, baby,” he said. “I’ll give you what you want.”
His hand slipped between them, unbuttoning the fly on her jeans and sliding under her panties. “So ready for me.” A finger slid into her tight warmth. “Such a needy, greedy little pussy.”
She ground against his hand. “Don’t make me wait.”
“Why not? We have a lot of time, and I can’t have you all anxious thinking about what’s to come. This is, after all, a distraction.” Another finger joined the other one, and slowly, he began to pump them in and out of her.
“Apollo,” she panted. “Please.”
Chuckling, he removed his hand from her panties, making her whimper. However, he pulled down her jeans and panties to her ankles, then slipped them off her feet.
Kneeling before her, he looked up at her. “My favorite view,” he said as he parted her thighs and pressed his face against her wet folds.
Geri let out a groan and grabbed onto his shoulders. He licked, teasing her pussy lips and sucking her clit just the way she liked. He brought her to the edge, pushing her until she was shaking with need. When he stopped all of a sudden, she cried out, “Apollo?”
“Do you trust me?”
“With all my heart and soul.”
And as she spoke, he felt it, their bond vibrating with a deeper resonance, pulsing with something fierce and new.
“Good.” He grabbed her hips and turned her around to face the wall. “Just stay there.”
Geri gasped as his hands cupped her ass, kneading them, then spread them. Apollo figured it was time to up his game—and why the hell not? He wanted to distract her, and if he could make her feel good in the process, then that was a win for both of them.
He leaned forward, pressing a slow trail of kisses down her back, his tongue sliding down the line between her asscheeks.
“Apollo–oh!”
And then he felt her shiver beneath his lips, and he grinned, knowing he was getting exactly the reaction he wanted. When he stroked his tongue against the tight ring of muscle of her back entrance, she jerked away from him, but he kept her in place with a rough tug of her hips.
“Wow,” she jolted and gasped. Her body reacting to the unfamiliar rush of sensation, and the raw, unguarded response sent a bolt of satisfaction through him.
But he knew there was one way to tell if she really liked what he was doing, so he moved his right hand to her front.
He groaned when he felt how wet she was and how easily his fingers slid through her slick folds, stroking her in time with his tongue.
He had barely touched her swollen clit when her body spasmed, her back arching and pressing her ass into his face.
Not even close to finished, Apollo dragged it out—slow, deliberate, savoring every reaction—then he pulled back her hips and spread her thighs, his tongue now lapping at her arousal, and sucking her pussy lips.
“Delicious,” he proclaimed as he rose. “Every inch of you is delicious. But now. . .”
He couldn’t wait anymore, and all their clothes disappeared with a snap of his fingers.
When she tried to turn to face him, he stopped her. “Stay there,” he said, lining his chest to her back. The thick head of his cock pushed at her entrance. “You want this cock?”
She moaned as she pushed back against him. “Yes.”
“Then say it.” He teased her with the tip, rubbing it against her wet lips.
“I want your cock inside me,” she whimpered. “Please.”
Using one hand, he pushed her hair away from her neck. “You know I can’t say no to you, baby.”
He slid his cock into her with one rough stroke, then he clamped his teeth down on her neck, right above the claiming mark he had given her the first time they bit each other.
She cried out, a raw, primal sound tearing from her lips as if the sensations flooding her body were too powerful to contain.
And he knew another way to drive her absolutely fucking crazy—he slid his fingers through her hair and gave it a yank. She bucked her hips back at him, screaming his name as her orgasm ripped through her. At the exact moment, his cock pulsed within her as he joined her.
He couldn’t quite explain it, but being with Geri was different—like every touch, gasp, and moment burned hotter and brighter than anything he’d known.
Their bond turned his pleasure into hers, each surge echoing back between them until it felt infinite.
And when she finally cried out again, her body trembling and undone by the force of her release, it was the most devastatingly beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“Was that a good distraction, baby?” Apollo said, grinning against the back of her neck. His cock softened as he slipped out of her.
“I can–”
A loud knock interrupted her before she could finish her answer.
“Fucking hell, Apollo. This again!” Hades yelled through the door. “I just came from the council meeting and have news.”
“Uh, could you use your magic to dress us?” she whispered.
Apollo shook his head, a grin tugging at his lips, and gently spun Geri around before pulling her flush against him. The sound of her stifled giggle made his chest tighten with affection.
“We’ll be waiting in my office. You better be there in five minutes.”