Chapter 30
thirty
When stress hits, I run. I leave the city lights behind, chase the dark, and look for the stars.
Just like my dad taught me on one of our monthly visits to the planetarium.
It’s our thing, his and mine. But I still use them to find my way using their paths.
Get lost in the nebula. Let the atmosphere quiet me.
Ellis. The exam. It’s all weighing on me. But the worst betrayal?
My husband.
He might as well have asked if I was on my period.
I thought things were moving between us. Shifting in a way that made me feel safe. His questioning shoved me over the edge. He feels like an enemy.
But every time that feeling surges, I remember him sitting on that step in the Sanguine Manor, a bit of fear and resolve on his face. Getting me to safety. The way his body shielded mine from that wild pack of Betas.
And his eyes…
Those deep, solid brown eyes.
How they gazed at me on our wedding day at the altar. Like he was gifted with a prize he didn’t deserve.
Or, if I let myself believe it, like a man in love.
Without warning, the car swerves. My hands grip tighter, trying to correct the skid. A loud pop splits the silence, and the steering wheel vibrates hard. Front tires shudder. Then the back.
I’m shaking. Throat closing.
Pings of gravel hit the windshield as I attempt to pull the car over to the side of the two-lane. It’s pitch black out here. No streetlights or anything. Just woods lining both shoulders.
As I slow, I feel as though the car is riding on rails. The screech of metal twists my stomach. What happened?
Checking my surroundings, I turn on my flashers, then step out of the car. In the cold January air, there’re no sounds. No wind, either.
I turn on my phone’s flashlight and inspect my tires… Both of the front ones are flat. Confused, I aim the light in the direction I came from. Nothing sticks out along the road that I can see. Even when I venture back along the route I passed.
A high-pitched whine cuts through the dark. I freeze.
Then whip around. There’s nothing there.
It’s hard to take in air. My lungs feel constricted. But I race back to the car, hurrying inside, and lock the doors. Probably just an animal. Either way…it’s not safe to sit out here.
A sharp crack hits the side window, and I scream. Grip my throat. My pulse thunders in my ears as I scramble to grab my phone and press the one person I feel could save me.
“Hey, tulip—” His voice is warm. Steady. So soothing, I tear up.
“Apollo? Help me.”
The darkness fades in and out in front of me. My blinking hazard lights around the car, creating ominous shadows. Was that something moving? Or am I just going crazy?
“Wha— Where are you?”
“I’m out on state route one fifty. And…” I hold my breath at the sound of a click. I don’t know what it was.
“And what, baby?”
With a sinking feeling in my gut, I look at the doors…
They’ve been unlocked. I press the button again, but they unlock once more.
“And someone’s following me.”
A rock the size of a boulder slams against the windshield, spider-webbing the glass into a million cracks. Like a feral animal, I scratch at the steering wheel and shriek. My fingers fumble over the lock button, and I press it again.
It unlocks.
And again, and again. I’m in a battle with an unseen enemy.
I think I have mace in my glove box. I rip it open and almost go blind with panic. My head fills with cotton.
Inside sits—
A lollipop in its plastic wrapper.
Dizziness swallows me whole. When I sit up, a murmur of Apollo’s voice brings me back.
“Stay with me! I’m almost there. Fuck! This light! I’m running it. Scout? Tulip? Hello? Fuck my life!”
“I’m-I’m here,” I say, but my teeth are chattering and my voice comes out like a whisper. “Apollo?” I can’t help the crack that breaks through as I plead with him. “Help me.”
“Stay on the phone. Do not hang up.”
I whimper as the locks bounce up again. My thumb presses against the button until it almost breaks under the pressure.
“Listen to me, Scout Griffin. I got you.”
His stern call out of my new name stuns me to the point I almost focus out of my terror. Scout Griffin…
I’ve never wanted to be her more than right now.
As I lift my blurry eyes to the rear-view mirror, every muscle in my body locks tight. A hooded figure looms in my back seat. And before I can move, scream, blink, or think…
It pulls a lollipop out of its darkened mouth with a pop.
And gives it a twirl.
I bolt. Not waiting to play the locking game again. I pull on the handle, throw the door open, and sprint down the road. The back door opens behind me, so I pump my legs faster, diving toward the misty woods.
Thick footsteps crunch on leaves just over my right shoulder. I circle around in a wide arc, hoping to make it back to my car before the shadow. If I can get in, I could drive away on bald tires. Sure, it may destroy the car, but at least I’ll save my life.
Headlights burst through the trees ahead—bright, blinding—my salvation. I race toward them, waving my arms to cut the person off. Flag them down. Force them to take me away.
I dive in front of it, the fender clipping my hip. The car screeches to a halt.
Glancing toward the woods, I catch a wisp of a hooded man lingering near the edge.
Apollo jumps from the driver’s side and yells, “Duck!”
I drop to my knees, head cradled by my hands, sobbing, snot pouring from my nose. Shaky breaths rock my body.
Two shots crack over my head. I plug my ears and scream, the sound deafened as it’s ripped from my lungs.
“Fuck!” Apollo rushes to my side and stuffs his gun into his hip holster. “He’s gone.”
His brawny arms gather me up, and he swings me inside his car. Reaching over my lap, he buckles my seatbelt, then slams my door shut.
Hurrying back to his side, he jumps in, revs the engine, and darts away. The push of the seat at my back is comforting. As is the big hand that slides over and grips both of mine in his.
“Talk to me! What happened? Are you okay?” His eyes keep flicking to the rear-view mirror. Twisting his head around, he scans behind us.
“It was someone messing with me.” I sniff. “I was driving, and my tires popped. Both front ones.” I glance in the side mirror. “Should we go back and get it?”
“No way. My brothers can get it towed to the closest Griffin Motors. We’ll get it all patched up; don’t worry about that. I’m just… Damn it, tulip. I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re safe.”
My heart rate slows, and I lock the moment into my memories forever. The way he leans across the console, his grip tightening on my hands. How his thumb strokes a wayward tear off my cheek. So gently it tickles.
“The-the guy had a lollipop, Apollo. He put one in my glove box and was sucking on one. He was in my car. I think he had an extra key fob or something because he kept unlocking it—” Cursing under my breath, I tense up. “It has to be Ayan fucking with me.”
Apollo’s neck grows stiff. “Ayan Dutta again?” His jaw clenches.
“Oh!” I gasp, brushing a finger over his ear. “You’re bleeding!”
He hurriedly swipes it away and drags his palm over his trousers. “Must be from glass or something.”
I nod. Wait. “What glass?”
“Uh, not sure.”
“Caliphylla! What if Ayan had a gun and shot out my tires! And grazed your ear!”
Apollo takes a deep breath. “Yeah, he may have. Whatever it is? We need to keep you safe.”
The entire way to our place, he never stops touching me. And when I attempt to get out of the car, he holds up a finger in warning. “Stay.”
Then he marches around and opens the door for me. Not only that, but he pulls me into his arms, slams the door behind us, and strolls toward our apartment like I weigh nothing.
He finally sets me down before unlocking the door. “Don’t move. I’m checking things first.”
With careful attention, he scans our surroundings, then enters inside, holding up his gun.
In a minute, he’s returned, tucking the weapon back at his hip. “It’s okay. Everything’s still locked up and no one’s here.”
He shuts and bolts the door behind me, slipping his hand over my shoulder.
“Do you believe me now?”
“About the freezer lollipop?”
“And about Dean Dutta?”
He spins me around to face him, then lifts my chin with a crooked finger. “Look at me. I may be slow, but I believe you. We’re in this. I’ll protect you. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll protect you, Scout. Got me?”
I tilt my head. “Slow?”
With a shrug, he gives a small smile, then points toward the bathroom. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
But the word sticks with me.
Is that what he thinks of himself?
Before I know it, I’m half naked, standing in front of our bathtub as it fills. Coconut scent rises from the steam, soft and warm.
“These are weird. Smell good, though,” Apollo says, tossing in a second bath bomb.
The surface bubbles so high, I fear it’ll spill over the rim. “You just need one,” I giggle.
“Oh, shit. Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I’ll get extra comfort from it. And the oils from my skin should help dissipate the bubbles.”
He loosens the buttons on his shirt and tugs it out of his pants, tossing it toward the hamper.
His pecs are firm and covered in ink. Delta symbols.
A griffin. Some Greek letters. A building that looks ancient.
And on his back, a full spread of the god Apollo shooting an arrow.
I let my hand reach out to smooth over his skin. He responds with a sharp inhale.
“These are beautiful. I didn’t take the time to study them before.” I stop breathing. “What’s this?”
In the rubble of the arched doorway Apollo the god stands in, where the arrow has struck, is a…Rod of Asclepius.
“Just like mine,” I whisper.
His Adam’s apple bobs with a swallow. “It is. My brother did this one, too.”
I lift my eyes to meet half-lidded ones. “We match.”
With a slow nod, a pleased grin crosses his handsome face, revealing those dimples that make me weak. “We always did.”
“You got the same tattoo before me?”
“Yeah.”
“Why do you have it?”
“Apollo. He’s the Greek god of healing.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”