Page 55 of Charmed By Apollo

She chuckled softly, a blush heating her cheeks. “Yeah, it was a bit strange not having you around when I woke up,” she admitted, leaning into his embrace.

His expression softened as he brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, his gaze meeting hers with warmth and affection. “Well, I’ll do my best to make sure I’m always here when you wake up,” he promised, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “No more disappearing acts, I promise.”

She gazed into his eyes, and a soft smile tugged at the corners of her lips. The warmth of his embrace and the sincerity in his gaze filled her with a sense of contentment she hadn’t felt in a long time.

“I believe you,” she said softly. “And I’m glad you’re here now.”

Apollo returned her smile, his own expression mirroring her contentment. “Me too,” he assured her. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

She leaned into his embrace, and they held each other close. After a moment of quiet, Apollo gently broke the silence. “Are you ready to go home?” he asked softly.

She lifted her head slightly, her eyes meeting his. “Go home? No, of course not,” she replied, her voice resolute. “Not yet.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I still don’t have Grannie back.”

“Oh, I see…” His brows furrowed together. “I guess we could brainstorm some more and see if we could find another way.”

“Another way? What do you mean another way? I’ve been thinking about this, Apollo. There’s so much death in the world. Someone dies every second of the day, and some don’t deserve it. But there are other people who do.”

“Geri,” he warned. “I don’t like how?—”

“Please, let me finish.” She held up a hand to stop him. “Yumil didn’t specify what kind of life she wanted—only that it had to be human. What if it was a murderer? Or a rapist? Or what if I found someone who was about to die a painful death? I would be doing them a favor.”

“Doing them a favor?” Apollo’s voice rose. “Are you listening to yourself right now, Geri? You’re talking about killing someone. A live, human being. Someone with thoughts and feelings, with mothers, fathers, children…”

“But if they were going to die within minutes anyway, so what?”

“But you don’t know that.”

She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’ve killed before.”

“Yes, but that was war. And if I’m right, you’ve never killed anyone before.”

“No, but?—”

“Please, Geri, you can’t do this. Taking someone’s life…it will destroy you.”

“It won’t be someone I know, and it will be someone who was going to die anyway.”

“But who are you to decide that for them?” He scrubbed a hand down his face and then stood up. “Alright, we’re done here.”

“Done?” Irritation rose in her at his words. “What do you mean, done?”

“We’re going home and forgetting about this quest.” His ocean blue eyes pierced into hers. “I wanted to come along with you to protect you and also to help you in your grieving process. I was hoping you’d quit along the way and come to your senses, but clearly, that’s not going to happen.”

A pressure built up behind her eyes. “Q-quit? C-come to my senses.” Hot fury glazed through her. “This is what you were thinking this entire time? That I was on some fool’s errand, and you were some benevolent companion, watching over me?”

“Wh-what?” He took a step forward. “Geri, no?—”

“Stay away from me!” she commanded. “So, this is how it is. You never wanted to help me. Did you already know that the Siquijor Stone couldn’t help me? Or that the vampires wouldn’t be able to bring Grannie back? Or maybe you do know how to bring her back, but you won’t tell me because you just wanted me to run around, chasing my tail, and for what? Because you wanted to teach me a lesson?”

“Wait a minute, that’s not fair,” he said. “I never lied to you, not once. The truth is, I had to learn to accept that Hyacinthus was gone, to help myself get over the grief. And yes, I thought maybe you would too, but I never interfered, nor am I keeping anything from you.”

“Then why the fuck did you agree to come with me?”

“Because I love you.”

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