Free Dark Hunter 00 - Dark Bites (Novellas) by Sherrilyn Kenyon Page B

his cheek. “Please, let it go.”
    “You’re scaring me, Ari. I’ve never seen you like this before. I don’t understand.”
    Aricles fought the tears that choked him over what Apollo had done. He’d give the god credit – the bastard knew how to punish someone and ensure they’d rather die than tell another soul about it.
    Bathymaas sat down by his side and brushed the hair back from his face. “Is there anything I can do?”
    He still couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eyes. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to do that again. “Just stay with me for a little while… I don’t want to be alone right now.”
    She took his hand into hers and held it to her heart. “I have no intention of leaving you, precious… Have you eaten?”
    He shook his head.
    Using her powers, she summoned him a platter of meat, cheese, and fruit. Then to his complete shock, she hand-fed it to him. That went a long way in easing his horror, shame, and pain. But it still wasn’t really enough.
    Right now, all he wanted was to die.
    Bathymaas felt her own tears sting her eyes at the way Ari continued to act. How she wished she had the powers to read his mind or turn back time to see what had been done. She hadn’t been joking when she said he scared her. Something inside him had been broken.
    Wanting only to fix it, she conjured a bowl of water and gently cleaned his injuries. As she brushed her cloth over his neck, she paused at the sight of a bite wound.
    Apollo.
    It had to be. As part of her curse against Leto, Hera had condemned the twins to live on blood. Unlike the other gods, Apollo and Artemis had to drink from others in order to live. It’d been a harsh sentence, but Bathymaas had had no way to undo it. Not without killing the twins.
    “This was done because of me, wasn’t it?” she breathed.
    For the first time since her arrival, he met her gaze. “Nay, my lady. Never think that.”
    He could deny it all he wanted, but she knew the truth. This had been his punishment for stopping Apollo’s rape.
    In that moment, a darkness came over her. One that was bitter and violent.
    Terrifying.
    She’d never felt anything like it before. All she wanted was to exact revenge on Apollo for hurting him.
    And one way or another, she would make Apollo pay for this…

October 30, 12,249 BC
     
    Bathymaas ached at the sight of the tormented shadow that had yet to leave Aricles’s eyes since his fight with Apollo. A fight he still refused to talk about. It pained her that she couldn’t ease his anguish, no matter what she tried. Aricles had told her that she helped just by being with him, but she knew better.
    Apollo had left a lasting scar on his soul, and for that, she wanted the Olympian’s heart in her fist.
    Trying not to think about it, she sat in the circle of Ari’s muscular arms while they fished at their spot. Leaning against him, she could feel the deep beats of his heart against her shoulder blade. “I’m glad you stayed with me. I would have missed you terribly had you gone.”
    He kissed the top of her head. “I would have missed you, too.”
    “Are you homesick for your father and brother?”
    “A little, but I’d be more homesick for you had I gone with Galen to see them.”
    Those words thrilled her. “Are you just saying that to make me feel better for my selfishness in keeping you here?”
    “No, Bathia. Promise.”
    Rising up onto her knees, she turned to face him and pushed him back to rest on his elbows. “I want to take the sadness from your eyes, Ari. Tell me what to do to make you happy.”
    Aricles smiled at those precious words. “I’m happy just being with you.”
    She pressed the backs of her fingers against his whiskered cheeks. “Your smile is tinged with sadness and it makes me hurt to see it so.”
    Aricles closed his eyes and savored the warmth of her hand against his skin. He hadn’t touched her since Apollo’s attack. The shame had been too much for him and he hadn’t