Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“Apollo…”
“Daphne,” he snaps, walking toward the door. “I need to go deal with this. I’m sorry.” Without saying another word, or even walking over to the bed to give me a simple kiss goodbye, he leaves and heads to the study…again. Just like every single damn day of our marriage before we came to Olympus Manor.
The pang in my heart from his hasty rejection quickly turns to anger. The anger turns to rage. The rage turns to defiance.
All right, fucker! You don’t want to go into town, then I’ll go by myself!
Yanking my own clothes on in a fury, not paying attention to what I actually put on, I then storm out of our room to go check on my sister. Peeking my head into her room, my anger dissipates a little when I see her tiny and beaten body in a deep slumber, sleeping away her nightmare. It doesn’t take long for my anger to return when I leave her room and head downstairs. Apollo hurt my ego, my feelings. I asked for one damn day off and practically threw myself on him, only to be cast aside for his damn father. The Godwin family always suffocates.
“We need to talk. Athena is on the chopper heading this way,” Apollo says as he comes out of the study with an empty coffee cup in hand.
Son of a bitch! Did he not even see that I’m mad? I don’t give a fuck who in his family is coming.
“Have fun visiting with her,” I snap. “My sister is still asleep, and I’m going into town before the storm comes in.”
“What?”
“Did I stutter?” I’m being a bitch, but I don’t care. My temper has blown and there is no pushing it back in once I get going on a rampage.
“What the fuck has gotten into you?” He takes a few steps toward me. “And you’re not going into town right now. It’s important you and I have a discussion about that text I got.”
“Oh, now you have time to spend with me,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I guess Daddy Dearest doesn’t need you any longer?”
“I don’t like how you are speaking or acting,” he says with warning laced throughout every syllable.
“Well, I feel the same way. I don’t exactly like how you’re acting either,” I counter as I put my hands on my hips and take a step toward him as a predator would slowly stalk its prey.
“And how is that?” he asks, pausing as if he’s genuinely baffled that I would be angry at all. “How exactly am I upsetting you? Because I said I had to do some work and respond to my father?”
I say nothing, but that is answer enough for him.
“I haven’t been in the office since we got here. I’m trying to deal with a shitload of work remotely, and my family is still reeling from the death of my brother and your—”
“Yes, I know! My betrayal! They want me dead—”
“Yes. They do. For which I’m essentially buying us time to figure it the fuck out,” Apollo interrupts, acting much more calmly and in control than I am. “But that text that has you so pissed off was them telling me that they don’t feel as if I’m handling things any longer, so now they are sending Athena to take care of it.”
“We are all one big happy family now, right?” My stomach coils and I almost want to throw up. The truth of the matter is I hate this family. I truly do. His father interrupting our perfect morning is just a small taste of what’s coming the minute we reenter real life and have to live in Seattle again. “It doesn’t matter what you do or say. I’m the enemy now, and you know it. But I won’t sit here and think about that today. So, I’m going out. Your sister will just have to kill me on another day.”
Apollo storms toward me and grabs my arm firmly. “You are not going anywhere. So stop this nonsense before you piss me off.”
I snatch my arm away from him and take a few steps away. The pain in my gut nearly suffocates me when I realize he doesn’t even try to deny that his family wants me dead, nor does he try to reassure me that my life isn’t in danger. It’s what I feared. Apollo may have forgiven me, and my penance may be paid with him. But the rest of the Godwins will want vengeance.
“I know you were supposed to bring me to Olympus to kill me. And just because you changed your mind, doesn’t mean they have. It’s why we’re still here, right? You were stalling because you know it’s true. We can’t just return to Seattle like nothing has happened. And we can’t just stay here forever either. Athena isn’t coming to just have a chat with us, or to threaten me, or to just—”