"Information or I get my lady some hedge clippers," he shared.

The man's eyes grew round for a half a second, before he covered it and declared, "I demand a trial."

"You'll not sit in prison, doling out information for leniency," Apollo shot back. "You talk here, or you die here."

Nice. That was a good line.

"You're already to answer to Queen Aurora for coldblooded murder," the man retorted, tipping his head toward the man in the chair.

"The queen is just," Apollo whispered. "But she also lost her husband to the schemes of traitors."

The man blanched.

Goodie.

Now we were getting somewhere.

Apollo moved back to target. "Who sent you?"

The man said nothing.

"Again, who sent you?" Apollo repeated.

The man remained silent.

I watched the staring contest from close up.

It was scary. It was also frustrating.

"For G.o.d's sake, would someone just get me the hedge clippers?" I snapped.

Apollo again looked down at me. A second later, he pulled me away from the man but pushed me gently to the side and I found myself not held by him but-I looked up-by Achilles.

"Take her to the dower house," he ordered. "Stay with her."

"But-" I started as Achilles rounded my waist with an arm and started pulling me away.

Apollo's eyes sliced to me.

"Dove," he said softly. "Go."

I glared at him. Then I glared at the man on the hook.

I transferred my glare back to Apollo and blew out on a sigh, "Oh, all right."

Apollo's eyes moved over my face but I lost sight of him when Achilles turned me to the door.

I was out the door but it wasn't yet closed behind me when I heard him say, "Hans, hand me those clippers."

The door banged shut.

I smiled.

Chapter Thirteen.

Lioness In my crazy dream that was tinted blood red, I heard Apollo order from far away a growling, "Leave us. Now."

My dream drifted to some ruins around a pool filled with blood when I felt my cloak that I'd wrapped around me to keep warm after Achilles finally got me to lay down thrown off.

I blinked.

My skirts were tossed up.

I blinked again, twice, fast.

And I came awake when my tights were torn down my legs.

My heart instantly racing, I shifted up hurriedly, pushing up the bed but got only so far when two strong hands wrapped around my ankles, dragged me back down and tugged them apart.

I gasped when a man covered me.

Through the firelight casting a weak glow through the room, I saw Apollo's face.

I should have relaxed seeing as it was him, but the look on his face made my entire body go wired.

His hand drove into my hair, fisting as he rumbled, "You are a lioness."

Hunh?

"What? What's going on? Are you-?"

He cut me off. "Not even of your blood, not even a word exchanged, barely a glance, for them, you sank a blade into a man's flesh."

I thought I knew what he was talking about so I said, "Well, yeah. I did. But why are you-?"

His mouth came to mine and I shut up because I could see his eyes were afire. They were searing into me and they were doing it in a particular way.

I knew that way. It was slightly different, not charged by adela tea.

But it was also the same.

His next words proved me right.

"You're going to take me now, Maddie, and warning, my dove, I'll not be gentle."

Yes, his eyes were burning in a particular way.

My stomach dropped.

"Apollo," I breathed then he was gone.

But he didn't go far.

My skirts were thrown back up, my panties torn down my legs and his mouth was there.

Holy cow.

At his touch, more precisely how really good it was, my back arched off the bed and my heels dug into the mattress, but not for long. He grasped me behind the knees and threw my legs over his shoulders. After he accomplished that, he scooped my a.s.s in both of his hands, brought it up, pressing me deeper into his mouth and he fed.

And boy, how he fed.

My hands went to his head, fingers sliding into his thick hair. My heels dug into his back. My neck arched and my lips parted, pants whispering out as Apollo wasted absolutely no time taking me there.

And then I was there, teetering over the edge, my o.r.g.a.s.m within reach, it was going to be good, and I whispered, "Baby."

Then his mouth was gone.

Before I could even whimper, I was rolled to my stomach, my hips yanked up roughly and he pounded inside, filling me.

"f.u.c.k yes," I breathed, my fingers curling into the covers.

"Ride my c.o.c.k, Maddie, take it yourself," he ordered and then I felt the slap of his hand sharp on my outer thigh.

I jumped even as heat radiated from the sting to right between my legs and I did what he ordered, rearing back, f.u.c.king myself on his c.o.c.k.

Another smack to the thigh, another jump, more sting, more fire burning to the heart of me and, "Harder, poppy."

Oh G.o.d.

This was good.

I'd never been spanked.

And I wanted more.

I moved faster, took him harder, gasping and straining against him.

"Am I in there?" he growled.

Oh yes. f.u.c.k yes. He was in there.

"Yes," I whispered.

His hands spanned my hips, his fingers digging in, he stopped my motion and slammed in himself, staying deep and grinding.

"Am I in there, Madeleine?"

"Yes," I gasped.

He started driving fast and deep and I got another smack on my thigh with, "Remove your gown. I want to see your skin."

As he f.u.c.ked me from behind, I did my best to make short work of sliding out of the dress I'd worn on our first date, and an entire twenty-four hours (and more) besides. This left me in nothing but my black bustier, my b.r.e.a.s.t.s spilling out the cups with his violent movements, my nipples skimming the covers and it started to move over me again.

"This a.r.s.e, G.o.ds, your beautiful a.r.s.e," Apollo groaned, running his hand over the cheek of my a.s.s even as he continued to thrust inside me.

And I felt it. My climax was right there.

I reached for it.

He pulled out.

G.o.d!

"No!" I cried.

His hands came to my ribs. He yanked me up to kneeling in front of him and one hand went directly to my breast, cupping it, as the other one went between my legs.

"Not without me, dove," he growled in my ear.

"Hurry," I begged.

His finger hit the target as he rubbed his c.o.c.k against my a.s.s.

My head fell back into his shoulder.

Nice.

"You're magnificent," he groaned.

"Tha-thank you," I whimpered, pressing into his hand between my legs at the same time tipping my a.s.s to push against his c.o.c.k.

His finger and thumb found my nipple, rolled then pulled.

My entire body jerked and I moaned, "Baby."

I got another roll of my nipple and a demanded, "Again."

"Baby," I breathed.

He buried his face in my neck. "G.o.ds," he groaned before his teeth sank into my flesh.