Page 124 of Heir of the Beast

“Why? You have hunky Apollo.”

I take a second. ~Why?~ “Because if you bang him and he decides he likes you, he will not want to let you go. We need to be released.”

“No, ~you~ do.” She looks thoughtful. “Leenie, if I fall in love, do I get to stay? Even if it is not Apollo? Because bitch over here took him.” She winks at me.

Leenie opens an eye and nods. “Actually, you can, if the main objective is met. If the main objective is met, anything is possible.”

“Really?!”

“Really?” I say, shocked, sitting up.

“Interesting.” Laura looks like she just stole the crown jewels. She glances at me. “What?” she says with a laugh. “He’s hot, and why not save two men at the same time? Fairy Godmother Inc. will love us.”

“If he’s into you, I guess.”

She laughs, looking offended. “You’re telling me he has not tried to get with you once? I mean, he did pay a pretty penny for you, which is weird. It’s also weird that he has not so much as got to second base.

“So maybe he’s not into ~you ~ like he thought.”

Touché.

“He’s sick, Laura, thankfully. I do not want to cheat on Apollo because this guy has nice abs. So does Apollo, ~news flash~. I doubt that’s what the doctor ordered for him.

“Wild monkey sex is a must when you’re dying?” I deadpan. Oh yeah, and he thinks I am a trained killer and does not trust me as far as he can see. Nope, just a ~Disney Love Agent~.

Yeah, I don’t think he will buy that one.

“Right.” She looks thoughtful. “Worth a shot I guess,” she says with a feline look. “My time here is almost up and I want to get something positive out of it.”

“He views me as a threat from that nice little performance of insane archery.”

“That was impressive, I don’t blame him. That might have been a little too much to stay under the radar.” She looks at me. “I would have been so pissed if you shot me, though.” She raises a brow. “Risky shot.”

“Yeah,” I say, and get up from the lush bed. “Lucky for you, Pierce made me a badass.”

Laura rolls over and sighs. “I can sing like an angel, not that anyone gives a flying shit. It definitely didn’t land me Apollo.”

Mort laughs hard at that. “Flying shit.”

Laura glances at Mort. “Your agent is weird.”

“Understatement of the century,” I say under my breath.

The door opens and Mort and Leenie are gone in a flash. There are a lot of men telling us what to do.

They’re treating me differently than before. They stare a lot like I’m some alien—well, I guess I am. I get it and understand it. No more Mr. Nice Guy from Siron, I guess.

I’m actually glad. I want him to treat me like trash. It will allow me to shake this weird thing I have for him—this curiosity.

It’s nothing more than that, and on some level maybe it’s because he reminds me of Apollo. I think it’s the arrogance, the male dominance that’s almost irresistible to any female.

Nothing more than biological.

They say we can go on deck for a short while before dinner to celebrate the good news that they’re in contact with Minerva the Great and he has agreed to Siron’s terms on Eltson’s release.

His men are being held captive somewhere in the lower levels of the ship. For the first time I am excited.

I can see Apollo soon. He’s not dead and I can save him.

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