Discord's Apple

“Why are you here?”

“Do you always ask so many questions?”

He looked away, blushing. But he didn’t know how to act. This was all so strange.

She answered him. “Apollo brought me here.”

“You’re a prisoner as well,” he said, perhaps too eagerly.

She shook her head. He could see her shape in the water, rippling, without detail. He could see himself reaching to touch her. It had been so long since he’d spoken to a woman. Cassandra at Troy had been the last.

Her expression turned sly, as if like a god she knew his thoughts. “Did you rape many women at Troy?”

Angrily, he said, “I raped none.” He’d been so tired, twice beaten and too weak to hold a woman, much less have her. At least, that had been his excuse to himself.

She stared at him until he felt as naked as she was. Then she said, “I believe you, hero of Greece.”

Water rippling around her, she came to the edge of the pool and reached a dripping hand to touch him. The coolness of her skin sent a shock up his arm. To hold her to him would still the heat flushing along his body. Graceful, slipping like a breeze, she pulled herself out of the water so she was sitting next to him, in all her soft and pale glory. Then she kissed him.

He threw himself into lovemaking, her eagerness feeding his, both of them clawing off his tunic. He told himself he should slow down, enjoy every moment of her beauty and vigor, but he was desperate for her touch, her mouth, her body. On top of her, at the edge of the pool, rushes and lilies as a backdrop, he moaned as he entered her, and the stresses of his captivity left him.

The sound of applause carried across the pool. Sinon looked. Across the way, on a stone bench, sat Apollo, clapping, watching them as if this were a play. Celeste, her head tipped back, her expression contorted with ecstasy, didn’t seem to notice.

Sinon’s cheeks burned red, anger filling him all over again. He pounded into her harder than he should have, and at the moment of his release—she melted. She turned to water, a flood that slipped out of his arms and back to the pool.

He was left kneeling, breathing hard, soaking wet. Apollo grinned. He’d planned the whole thing. Damn him.

Scowling, Sinon stood, grabbed his tunic, and marched away.

Another time, invisible hands tied him to his pallet, face up. Then Apollo arrived and toyed with him, bringing him to the edge, evoking pleasure even as Sinon resisted. Sinon even laughed once at a ticklish jab. It was an unexpected noise. Apollo untied him and left him exhausted, humiliated, confused.

He had no way to track the time.

7

Under the open collar of Alex’s shirt, the bronze chain glinted. He’d told Evie it was a curse, keeping him alive and ageless, when all he’d ever wanted was to die. He’d offered to slit his wrists then and there to prove it to her. She insisted she believed him. One way or another, he’d bleed all over her car and she didn’t need that.

It just looked like a necklace.

Evie had to turn around and go back. She’d raced from the hotel and made the quicker right-hand turn. While she could travel side streets to avoid driving past the hotel again, she still had to go through town to get back home. Through town and the police checkpoint. Evie stopped.

Three patrol cars—Hopes Fort’s entire law enforcement fleet—were parked across Main Street, blocking it. At least half a dozen people were crouched behind open car doors, aiming their handguns at her as she slowed to a stop. Hopes Fort had only a handful of officers, but a number of part-time deputies served as well, in addition to the Citizens’ Watch volunteers.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” she said. Her voice felt stiff. Silent, Alex stared hard out the windshield.

Johnny Brewster stood behind the barrier of his open car door, gripping his gun in both hands. “Get out of the car! Hands up, out of the car!”

She shouldn’t have hesitated. She didn’t expect herself to hesitate, but she did. Maybe because Alex didn’t move either. This felt odd, an out-of-place sensation—like that stranger’s hand around hers. Like a door was closing to trap her in a dark room. I’m getting paranoid.

“What do you want to do?” Alex said.

She wanted to go home. “I think we should get out. Slowly. This is just a misunderstanding, I’ll explain it to Johnny. It’ll be okay.” She hoped that saying it would make it true.

“Get out of the car!” Johnny was snarling, his face turning

red, furious.

Evie opened her car door. Alex opened his. She climbed out and straightened, holding her hands up by her face. On the other side of the car, Alex was doing the same.