Page 67 of Charmed By Apollo

“I—no, wait, it’s not that. I do. I choose you. I want to mate with you.” She chewed at her lips. “But, see, mating is a shifter thing. When a shifter’s animal side finds a worthy mate, then the human side can choose to mate with that person. The pair give each other these claiming marks, bites that will be permanent, and their souls will be forever entwined. They’ll be able to feel each other’s thoughts, know their emotions, even if they aren’t around each other.”

“And what’s wrong with that? I love you, Geri.” He gripped her upper arms and looked her straight in the eyes. “Let’s claim each other. I want to bond with you.”

“See…I don’t know if it will work.” Her shoulders sank. “If you were a human, it wouldn’t matter. Shifters do mate with humans. But you’re a god…and…once I die, you could die too. It happened to my parents.”

“Your parents?”

“Yeah. My dad died in a car accident, and my mother—” she sobbed.

He quickly gathered her into his arms. “Geri, I’m sorry.” And it all started to make sense now, why she was so closed off, and why she was so afraid of opening herself up to love. “But can’t you see?” He chuckled. “This is perfect.”

“P-perfect?” She looked up at him with tear-stained eyes. “How?”

“I’m immortal. I’m never going to die.”

“Yeah, but I’m not,” she reminded him. “Those months after my father died and my mom lingered on…they were terrible. She was in such pain, she wouldn’t eat, she wouldn’t sleep…until she just withered away. Apollo, I can’t do that to you. I won’t.”

“What?”

“I can’t…we can’t bond,” she said. “I love you too much to do that to you.”

“Geri…” The love in her glowing eyes was so sincere, he could feel it in his chest. Like her heart was his heart, like they were already one, beating together. “I don’t care. I would suffer a thousand painful years if I could be with you.”

“But—”

“But, no.” Leaning down, he kissed her softly. “You’ll claim me as your mate, and I’ll do the same. Because I love you, and I want to feel what you feel and know your emotions. I want to be part of you. And besides, you don’t have to die.”

“What do you mean?”

“You can be immortal too…if you want.

“But how?”

“By eating the golden apple of immortality,” he stated. “I mean, if you want to.”

“I want to be with you,” she said. “But will that even work? I mean, don’t I have to get permission to become an immortal? Like Persephone’s father?”

Georgius, Persephone’s father, had been cursed by Zeus and ripped apart from his family for millennia until the god of thunder’s treachery had been exposed. Now that the curse was lifted, he was able to petition the council to give him immortality so he could live forever with his wife.

“We’ll do the same. I’ll petition the council, and we’ll have Persephone and Hades on our side, but…” He thought for a moment. “I don’t think we’ll need their help.”

“Why?”

“Well, one of the ways to gain immortality would be if you were pledged to a god or goddess, and you can prove your love was true and worthy,” he said. “And if we became mates and the council saw our bond was real, they would let you eat the golden apple.”

Her expression turned hopeful. “Really?”

“Really. But, you have to be sure, Geri. Immortality isn’t what it’s cracked up to be sometimes,” he warned. “You’ll watch all those important people around you grow old and die. It can get lonely.”

“But not if I’m with you,” she said. “And Persephone and Hades. And I can always visit my grannie in the Underworld.”

“Oh, yeah…and your brother too?” He saw a hint of sadness on her face at the implication. “I mean, you know, someday, a long, long time from now. And your friend, whatshisname?”

“Adonis.” Her mouth curled up into a smile. “He’ll finally realize the truth…well, maybe.”

Apollo frowned. “Maybe?”

“Nothing.” She tapped a finger on her chin. “So, I’ll never grow old, I’ll be with all my friends and family, and I get to keep you? Is that what you’re saying?”

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