Page 19 of Charmed By Apollo

Finally, he was alone once more, so he went back to doing what he had been doing before his sister interrupted him—allowing his thoughts to be consumed by a certain shifter.

Geri.

He scrubbed a hand down his face. And he thought the aftermath of their first encounter had turned him into a fool. But it was the second one that had turned him utterly mad. Because this time, he had left the ball in her court, and here he was, pining away like some idiot, waiting for her to call.

Would he ever?—

Apollo, I need you.

A tug in his gut made him clutch at his stomach and his eyelids shut tight. The ground beneath him disappeared, only to return in a split second. He took a deep breath, allowing the chilly air to fill his lungs.

Chilly?

Just a moment ago, he’d been basking in the fresh spring sunshine, but now he was definitely somewhere else. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the vast whiteness around him.

Snow. And trees. Lots of them. Most of them pine trees, from the smell of them.

“What the fuck?”

“It’s me.”

His heart did a little skip in his chest at the sound of her familiar voice.

“Geri?” Spinning around, he came face-to-face with the object of his fantasies and the bane of his waking thoughts. “Where the hell are we?”

“Anchorage. Alaska. I…called for you.”

Oh right.

He cast a spell so that the moment she did call him, he would be instantly transported to her side.

Perhaps that piece of magic he had left with Geri had been too powerful.

Oops. He’d never done it before, and he didn’t think he would be literally summoned at her words.

But she called for him, and he was here now.

“Oh, so…” He took a step toward her. “What can I do for you?” He raised an eyebrow meaningfully at her. “Got another itch to scratch?”

“My grandmother died.”

Every iota of his libido evaporated at that one sentence. “Oh fuck.” Raking his fingers through his hair, he took a step toward her. “Geri, I’m?—”

She held up her hands. “No.”

“No?”

“I don’t need your condolences.” Her lips tightened. “Just the truth.”

“Oh? In that case, you look like shit.” He meant that in the best way possible of course, because she looked worse than shit. The dark circles under her eyes nearly occupied half her face, and her hair looked like she hadn’t showered for days.

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “No, what I need is for you to give me an honest answer.”

“And what might the question be?”

“Can you bring my grandmother back from the dead?”

It took a moment for her words to sink in, but even then, he wasn’t sure he heard her question right. “E-excuse me?”

---