He glared at Artemis, hoping she’d take the hint.
But she just stood there, looking all tragic, just like Terese.
Enough was enough. “I’m taking Terese home.”
“Home?” Artemis blinked. “You mean, your place here in—”
“No. Home.” It was past time his little vampiress saw his island. He’d been longing to see her strolling on his white beach under the sunlit sky.
“Are you sure about this?” Artemis asked.
“I don’t understand—” Terese began.
“Very sure.” He called forth his power. Felt the telling change in the air. “But don’t worry, sis, I’ll invite you to the wedding.”
Chapter Eight
“Wedding?” Terese managed to shriek the minute the world stopped spinning.
Apollo grinned down at her, his dimples winking, and those sexy blue eyes flashing. “Yeah. Wedding.”
She pushed against his arms and struggled to her feet. But the minute her feet touched the sandy shore, her knees gave way.
He caught her right before she plopped face-first onto the beach. “You need more blood.”
Yes, she did, but she wasn’t going to drink from him. Not now, not when she knew—
He pulled her close to his chest, lowered his head toward her, and exposed that tempting neck of his. “Take what you need, Terese.”
“No.” She clenched her teeth. “I-I can’t take anymore from you.”
“Why not?” He glared at her. “Haven’t we been over this? You’re a vampire, you need blood. I’m an immortal, your perfect supplier.”
Terese shook her head. Too much had happened. She needed to think.
The sun! She was actually in the sun!
She glanced away from him. Her gaze roved to the pristine white beach. The sand was so soft, so pure…it looked like sugar. And the glistening water…so dark and blue. The waves brushed the shore, white caps streaming in a beautiful banner.
“This is my home,” he whispered as his lips trailed down her cheek. “Delos. My sister and I were born here many, many years ago.”
“I-it’s beautiful.” It was. Paradise. She wished that she had her paints so that she could capture this raw beauty on a canvas.
“My mother was one of Zeus’s lovers. One of his many damned lovers.”
She ached at the pain in his voice.
“When she got pregnant, Hera was so furious that she cursed the earth, determined that no land would allow my mother to birth us. Hera wanted us all to die, you see.”
“I-I’m sorry.”
He took a deep breath. “This island resisted her curse. It welcomed my mother. My sister. Me. It’s been my home, my refuge, for as long as I can remember.” A brief pause. “And when we marry, it will be your home, too.”
Marry. Okay, why did he keep saying that? “We aren’t getting married,” she gritted, pulling back.
His brilliant blue eyes narrowed. “Why not?”
Why not? Did the man want a list? “Because I’m a vampire, for starters! Remember? I need blood—”
“And you can take mine.”
“I can’t stay in the sun—”
He grabbed her arm. “Yes, you can. With my blood, you can stay in the sun forever.”
Her fingers trembled. She balled her hands into fists. “You give me blood. You give me sunlight. Hell, Apollo, it’s all about me, don’t you see that? It’s not right!” He deserved…more. So much more than she could give him. “Since I met you, you’ve been protecting me, helping me. Saving me. But it has to stop. It’s not fair to you, you shouldn’t have to—”
He kissed her. Hard. Deep. His tongue plunged past her lips, claimed her mouth, left her hungry and aching.
“I want you,” he rasped as his head lifted. “Every time I see you, every time I smell your sweet scent, I want you.”
But wanting wasn’t enough. Not enough for an eternity. “And what happens when you stop wanting me? When you grow tired of me?” He’d leave her. She’d go back to the darkness.
“I’ll never grow tired of you. Never.”
Terese shook her head. “It won’t work—”
“Do you want me?” he asked her softly, cutting through her words.
Helplessly, she nodded.
“Do you—do you care for me?”
Care for him? Care didn’t even begin to cover how she felt, and that was why she couldn’t stay with him. With every moment she spent with him, her feelings grew. Soon, very soon, she’d be in too deep. When he left—
“I love you, Terese.”
“Wh-what?” No, no, surely he hadn’t just said—
His gaze held hers. “I’ve fought for you. Killed for you. Did you ever wonder why?”
She could only stare at him, stunned.
He smiled. “I don’t normally go around offering to spend the rest of my very long life with women I just want.”
He loved her. “Y-you deserve more. Someone who is whole, someone—”
Anger flashed in his gaze. “You are whole.”
“Someone who can walk in the light with you—”
“You can.”
“Only if I take your blood!”
His gaze held hers. “Don’t you understand? Can’t you see? You are my blood. My heart. My life. Everything, Terese. Everything. From the moment I first touched you.”
Desperate hope filled her. “Apollo…”
“But if you don’t want to be with me, I’ll let you go.” He stepped back, and his hands fell away. “I’m not like that sick bastard Eric. I won’t force you to stay when your heart wants to be free.”
No, no, he wasn’t like Eric. Could never be. Apollo was strong. Good. Her light. “My heart wants to be with you,” she whispered, certainty rising in her chest. “I-I love you.” She didn’t even know when she’d begun to love him. When he’d rescued her from the burning sun? When he’d healed her wounds? Given her back her art?
Or had it been that first night? When she’d looked up and seen his blue gaze watching her with hunger in that smoke filled bar?
He pulled her into his arms. Kissed her with fierce need. She realized it didn’t really matter when she’d begun to love him.
It only mattered that she did love him. That she’d love him forever.
“I want to marry you, before all the gods and goddesses in Olympus,” Apollo told her, his voice gruff with emotion.