Chapter 13
Istare out the window as our limo cuts a path through familiar tree lines. We’re an hour into the drive to Fox Hall, our country estate, and already the vise around my chest is easing. The sprawling estate is packed with memories, most of which involve my father.
Mom said she wanted to get away from the stress of the city and spend quality time with me, but based on the frosty drive so far, she just wanted to get away from Aden while she decides his fate. She never directly addressed what happened at the gala, but the “impromptu” trip this morning says plenty.
“You’ve been unusually quiet,” Mom says. “Is there anything you’d like to talk about?”
I suppress a laugh at this possible murderer’s attempt to “mother” me.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re upset.”
“No. Just confused.”
“About?”
I shift in my seat to face her. “You and Aden.”
She huffs and presses her lips together. “He isn’t who he pretends to be.”
That’s hilarious coming from her, but her evasive response doesn’t surprise me.
I’ve always resented the fact that Mom kept me in the dark, but maybe I should be glad she doesn’t trust me with the truth. If what Aden said about The Shadow is the Wells’ family “truth,” I want no part of it.
“Is that what the blowup at the gala was about?” I ask, studying her reactions for all the things she won’t say.
“It was nothing.”
“Didn’t sound like nothing. He was really upset.”
“He was being dramatic. Really, Gabi. Where’s this coming from? Since when have you been interested in my love life?”
“Since your love life resulted in us fleeing from your boyfriend at the crack of dawn.”
“Nonsense. Can’t a mother want to spend time with her daughter?”
Sure, but not this one. Nothing about this feels right, but I’m also not ready to push. I’m trapped with her for now, and while this trip will be a great opportunity to probe for information, it could also be dangerous if she suspects my ulterior motives.
So instead of my true response, I roll my eyes to put a bored-daughter persona back in place.
I mumble “whatever” and turn back to the window.
A wrought iron gate welcomes us down a long stone drive lined with thick oak trees, triggering a wave of nostalgia.
So much of my childhood was spent here. Summers and school breaks occupied by riding horses. Reading in cozy hiding places around the grounds. Playing hide-and-seek in the gardens with the staff and children of guests when they were visiting.
Even as a teenager, I enjoyed the occasional escape to a quieter life, but I haven’t visited once since my father disappeared.
I’m still basking in old memories when we pull to a stop in front of a majestic stone mansion. The lavish structure screams of another era, a time when horses were a necessity not a hobby, and a line of staff would be waiting to meet us. The décor inside always felt the same due to my father’s love of tradition and my mother’s love of ostentatious wealth.
Now, it’s just Nadine, the household manager, who descends the elaborate front steps to greet us.
“Ms. Wells!” she says as the driver helps Mom out of the limo.
“Nadine. Good to see you. I trust the house is in good order?”
“Your rooms are ready for you. The chef is preparing lunch which should be available shortly. Hello, Gabriela. It’s lovely to see you as well.”
“Hi, Nadine.” I offer a sincere smile for the woman I’ve known since I was a baby. She’s certainly not the nurturing type, but like everything else about this place, memories paint a more pleasant picture than reality.
“Would you care for any refreshments while you wait?” Nadine asks.
Mom shakes her head. “I have some matters to attend to, then perhaps we’ll lunch by the pool. How about it, Gabi?”
I return a tight smile. “Great. I need to shower first anyway.”
Mom nods and we go our separate ways.
Fresh out of the shower, I pull back lace and jacquard curtains to view the lawns from my bedroom window. The towel caresses my bare skin as more history floods in, but my thoughts quickly take a newer, more heated, direction.
It’s only been a few hours and I already miss Aden. A lot.
My phone buzzes on the oversized canopy bed, stealing my attention. Heart racing, I leave the window and flop onto the mattress to check the screen.
Butterflies spread through me like they always do when I see Aden’s name. We’ve been texting all morning, which has been making the ache for him worse, not better.
The messages started innocent enough. He was worried about me and making sure I was okay after our talk. But then he sent a selfie of a goofy smile just to make me smile.
The photo was so uncharacteristic of the man who guards his image so fiercely, that it lodged in my heart. His photo led to one of my own, which led to another, which led to me holding my phone with a grip that clearly wants to be holding something else.
Pulse pounding, I open the latest from the man I can’t get out of my head.
Aden: Not the same without you.
The corresponding image makes me slump backwards on the bed with a frustrated groan.
At first glance, it’s a photo of the empty rooftop pool with the waterfall feature in focus. Blurred slightly out of focus at the bottom of the frame, however, is every mouthwatering line and groove of his body as he lounges on a deckchair.
Of course, he took care to provide evidence that he’s naked and lusting after me too.
I stare at the image for a long time, imagining him stretched out on the chaise, eyes closed, absorbing the sun. One arm is tucked under his head, the other resting on his chest as he poses naked and gleaming.
He said he was Apollo, and the top result of my internet search said, “God of Sunlight.” It gave me chills to think back to the first time I saw him at Sin Gin.Even in the dark club, he emanated an aura that made me think of sunshine. Maybe part of me knew the truth right from the beginning.
Now, this “God of Sunlight” has blown up my world in a way I never could have imagined.
Miss you too, I write back. FYI your pic is out of focus.
He returns a smirk emoji that sends another flash of heat through me.
How does he even make emojis sexy?
My thoughts return to other scorching moments on that roof. Cian and Aden. Aden and me last night.
A stab of sadness pierces through the longing.
He’s not yours. He will never be yours.
It’s a painful reminder, but with the life-or-death nature of our intimate contact, the volatile history with Mom, herconnection with The Shadow, and Aden’s own quest, it’s hard to have any hope of a future.
He told me he loves me. I feel the same, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him. How could I? There’s not much chance of success when the fact that your crush might be an ancient deity isn’t even the biggest barrier to a potential relationship.
It would be nice if that reality was enough to quell the burn in my belly, but apparently my hormones have no appreciation for realism.
While my brain screams the truth about our situation, my libido has Aden braced over me on the bed.
His beautiful lips hover just above mine, on the verge of an explosive kiss. His hard cock drags over my center, scorching it in all the right places.
I grip his shoulders to lock him against me and sample the wet skin on his neck. Licking. Sucking. My hands run up his back and tangle in his damp hair, claiming him in a desperate hold as I writhe against his hard length.
My real hand slides down my front, landing where he should be between my legs. With a sigh, my fingers find the spot that’s been screaming for him since the first time I saw him.
“Aden…” I breathe out as my fingers rub and stroke.
Heat builds in my core, spreading into my belly and throughout the rest of me. My hips move in pursuit of his phantom cock. He’d feel so good. On top of me. Inside me. Hard and hot, a mix of power and grace.
Rush after rush jolts through me with each rapid caress. He’s all I see. All I feel. All I want, as the fire rages and the stars flicker in my periphery.
I’m floating higher, burning hotter. My rigid body is teetering on the edge, crying out for release.
“I know you want me, Gabi. What would you do to have me?”
Anything. Fuck, I’d do anything.
My body tenses and white-hot pleasure courses through me.
I gasp at the explosion.
My hips grind against my hand as I massage gently through several pulsing aftershocks. It feels like relief, then quickly fades into despair.
I’ll never have him the way I want. This is the closest I’ll get, and it kills me that I seem to be the only person on this planet who can’t.
“Blair suggested a risotto, but a salad seems the better choice, don’t you think?” Mom takes a dainty nibble of a strawberry to prove her point.
I run my fork through the colorful contents of my plate. The afternoon breeze ruffles my hair while the gentle lap of water from the nearby pool provides the soundtrack for this lunch from hell.
Mom insisted on “lunching by the pool” after avoiding each other all morning, but it’s been more like pretending to “lunch by the pool” while waiting for the real reason I’m here. Plus, the smell of chlorine is torture now.
“What is it, Gabi? Don’t you agree?”
I glance up and try to read the subtext behind this bland topic. Her expression actually makes it look like salad is the most pressing issue in her life right now. It’s eerie the way she can chameleon her way into any situation.
Aden’s confession about his god-ness isn’t the only thing that’s been haunting me since that explosive conversation. If what he said about my family is true, I have way more to worry about than the fate of my father.
“Her salads are great, I’m just not feeling all the bullshit,” I mumble.
She fires a sharp look, but I’m tired of these games. I’m ready to fight.
“Excuse me?”
I drop my fork and shift to face her. “Can we stop pretending this is some family bonding retreat? We’re here because you’re pissed at Aden. What’s really happening there?”
“Nothing. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I was standing right there, Mom! I heard every fucking thing you said to him at the gala.”
She stiffens. “Your language is inappropriate, as is your involvement in the situation. You have no idea what was actually going on.”
“No? So it wasn’t that he ruined everything by not fucking some random guy you threw at him? Because it sounded pretty clear from all the barking.”
“Gabriela!”
“What?! I’m so sick of this! Everyone else might fall for your bullshit, but I’m done pretending. Where’s Dad? How about we talk about that for a second?”
Her gaze narrows at me. “I’m not having this discussion with you. We’ve been over this a million times. He ran off with?—”
“Stop it! No, he didn’t! Where is he, Mother?! What did you do to him?!”
She gasps, and I want to scream at the ridiculous shock on her face. There’s no audience here. She can quit the act.
“What did I do to him? Why would you even say something like that?”
“You know why,” I hiss. “He ran off with a mistress? Please. I didn’t believe it the day you told me and I sure as hell don’t believe it now.”
Mom slams her napkin on the table. “Enough. I don’t know where all of this is coming from, but it needs to stop.”
“It comes from the fact that Dad vanished into thin air, and you’ve acted shady ever since!”
“How dare you?! I’ve done nothing but try to protect you, and you’d accuse me of being shady? You want shady? How about what you and Aden have been doing behind my back?!”
I tense at the accusation. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the fact that you’re in love with my boyfriend!”
My blood goes cold at the murderous look in her eyes. I open my mouth to deny it, but no words come out. Seconds tick by like hours, until I finally manage to pull something from my spinning brain.
“You can’t be serious,” I force out.
She barks a bitter laugh. “What, you’re going to deny it? I see the way you look at him, Gabriela.”
“We’re just friends. Besides, he’s notyour boyfriend. He wasn’t your anythinguntil this conversation. You’re just trying to deflect from the real topic.”
Her gaze narrows on me, and I know she’s not buying my defense. Well, now she knows how I’ve felt for the last six months.
After a long pause, she leans forward, eyes trained on me. “Don’t fall into his trap, Gabi. Whatever he’s showing you isn’t real. That boy’s livelihood depends on making people believe he’s what they want. He’s an expert at making you think you’re special. That skill is incredibly valuable to me right now, which is the only reason I haven’t sent him packing, but don’t let it fool you. Stay away from him for your own good. You’re better than that.”
She sinks back in her chair, and I avert my glare to the table. I know she’s deflecting from my inquiry about Dad, gaslighting me about everything going on. I know that, and yet…
A cold trickle seeps through me.
She’s not entirely wrong about Aden. Most things are an act with him. I’ve seen over and over how he molds to expectations to get what he wants from people. What if the glimpses past the fa?ade he’s offered me are just more lies he crafted to hook me? Maybe he knows that’s the narrative I want and is playing the role I want to believe.
The ugly truth is that my internet search yielded more than the “God of Sunlight.” Sure, Apollo is linked to many positive attributes. The stories about music had me melting from memories of him at the piano. The frequent links to archery and the lyre sent my mind to the inked images on his back.
I thought the bow and harp were tattoos, but maybe they’re something more ingrained, almost like a natural brand that manifests as part of his human form. I even read something about Apollo having the ability to heal which filled my mind with all kinds of questions and possibilities.
But for all those heartwarming accounts, there was plenty of information I wanted to ignore. Story after story told of humans doing ridiculous stuff at the behest of entitled gods. The deities show up, uproot the human’s existence, then say, “Oops sorry for fucking up your life. Now you have to be a tree for the rest of eternity.”
How many times has Aden/Apollo swooped in to steal the heart of a maiden and… What, exactly? Pretty sure it never ends well for the maiden.
He’s a fantasy come to life, literally a god who gets whatever he wants. According to every one of those stories, if he’s decided he wants me, I can’t trust a single thing about him.
“I’m sorry, Gabi,” Mom says gently. “I know that’s hard to hear, but it’s only because I care about you and don’t want to see you hurt. People like Aden are leeches. They serve their purpose, but they’re not good for you beyond that.”
And the spell breaks.
No!
I snap my attention back to the liar in front of me, furious that she almost manipulated me into turning on Aden with one comment.
I know what I feel when I’m with him, what I seein his eyes when our souls connect, and it’s not a leechwho’s exploiting me.
The real leech is sitting at this table.
“Last chance,” I say in a harsh tone. “Tell me the truth about Dad. I know he’s not on a tropical island with some mysterious girlfriend. I’ve been investigating his disappearance since the day he left, so just tell me the truth for once in your damn life. You killed him, didn’t you?!”
Her eyes go wide as she stares in shock. “I… killed him?”
“Yes! I know he was in the Watershed District right before he vanished. Is that where it happened? Did you pull the trigger yourself or did you take the coward’s way out and pay someone else to do it?”
“Gabi…” She shakes her head in disbelief. I’m not buying it.
“Stop with the bullshit and tell me the truth!”
I flinch when her fist pounds the table.
“You want the truth? Fine. Here’s your precious truth. The truth is I wish he were dead after what he’s done to us.”
Her expression turns ice-cold. “Your father didn’t leave us for a woman, Gabriela. He left us for something infinitely worse, and trust me, that bastard is very much alive.”