Free Apollo's Gift (The Greek Gods Series) by Sandy Rowland

kidding.” The rodent smirked. “You really do have a god complex.”  
    “Enough,” he growled. “No puny mortal dares to speak to me thus and live.” Apollo ground his teeth to curb the curse forming on his lips. He’d sworn to Zeus, but…
    * * *
    John swayed and fell back, wedging Cassie into the booth. His brown eyes were glassy as marbles. She pressed her fingers against his neck and checked for a pulse: strong and regular. Good. He might be okay, or at least she hoped so. Her relief for John’s welfare argued with her anger. “What’s wrong with you?”
    Apollo cocked his head. “Me? It’s impossible for anything to be wrong with me. I’m a god.”
    “Oh please.” Cassie rolled her eyes at him. “Trust me, there’s room for improvement.” She strained to push John into an upright position. “You could help,” she grumbled.
    The god waved his hand and John sat up, faced forward and then stared sightless at the opposing seat. Apollo perused the man and made a derisive grunting noise.
    Cassie narrowed her gaze at Apollo as he took the seat opposite her. “Make John as he was.”
    “Calm yourself. There’s no harm to him. I’ll waken him after you listen to me.”
    “The only thing I want to hear is the sound of your shoes scuffing the floor on your way out. Make it fast.”
    His lips pinched together. “You belong to me. It’s time you accepted your position as my consort and stopped debasing yourself with this man.”
    “How dare you,” she breathed. “I belong to no one and I’m not your plaything.”
    He smiled.
    Was he even listening or was he mocking her? “You’ll change your mind,” he said
    Mocking. “The hell I will. I’ll never change my mind. You’re a spoiled child that abuses power. Look at what you’ve done to John.” She pointed at his rigid body and the drool escaping the corner of his mouth. “Why on earth would I choose to be with you?”
    He chuckled, infuriating her more. Apollo had used his exceptional good looks and the kisses shared in her dreams to manipulate her. That was over. “Don’t laugh at me.”
    “You were serious?”
    “Ugh. Don’t I look serious?”
    He focused his blue gaze on her face and nodded. “I thought you wanted to make a game of winning you.”
    “Game,” she said overly loud, and noticed inquisitive looks leveled in their direction. She lowered her voice. “This is my life. God or not, I’m the one deciding how I live it, and it’s not as your consort or girlfriend.”
    His usual glow dimmed along with his arrogant attitude. “And my suit?”
    “What about it?”
    “I wore it for you.” His brows raised and he wore a hopeful puppy dog look.
    She breathed in the smell of smoky barbecue combined with honeyed Apollo and exhaled slowly. He was making an effort to win her. She might find it sweet if he hadn’t turned her life upside down and changed John into a zombie. Why did Apollo have to look at her that way, all sincere and contrite, with piercing azure eyes that melted her resolve and cooled her anger? Damn . “The suit is very nice.”
    He reached across the table and took her hand. His gentle touch warmed her skin. “I care for you, Cassandra.”
    Her mouth went dry. Apollo was wrong for her on so many levels. How could she entertain the desire coursing through her veins? Had she cared for him before in that other life? A tremor ran up her spine. Was that fear or affirmation? No. She refused to think it. Apollo was beyond difficult and she had an embassy to save and then get back to the real world and her life. “Return John as he was.”
    “Why? I prefer him like this.”
    “I don’t.” She glanced at Apollo’s large hand covering hers, his thumb lightly feathered over her palm, sending tingles up her arm . Stop it and focus. “John is a normal guy. We’re having a normal dinner. It’s what people do. Don’t interfere.”
    “I have no intention of interfering where the prophecy is concerned, but this