It was then that Elle noticed Jack was no longer seated at the table. Looking around the entire dining hall, he wasn’t anywhere in sight. Not quite knowing how to get out of this breakfast, Elle suddenly stood while trying to figure out where Jack would’ve gone. “I’m excusing myself,” she said, causing Calais to snicker.
That was apparently the wrong way to excuse yourself from having breakfast with the royal family, but Elle couldn’t care less. She paid no attention to Khione’s words as she took off in a small jog out of the large dining hall in search of Jack. She didn’t bother considering if her behavior was rude or improper for a princess. Elle didn’t want to be in this place as much as Oritya wanted her there. The dislike was plenty mutual.
Once the doors were shut to the great hall, Elle tried to mentally calculate where Jack would have gone. Would it just be to his room? Somewhere else? Outside the palace? She had no idea. Elle had never exchanged pleasantries with Jack so that she would know his personal hotspots.
It was only after a long period of walking down the hallways did Elle realize she was plenty stupid for walking around the palace alone. Every hall she passed started to blur together. Every corridor looked exactly the same as the last. For a moment, Elle though she was going in circles. She eventually forgot where she came from a half hour after her journey started. At a certain point, Elle started to feel that eyes were on her. She glanced around nervously but couldn’t find anyone nearby. Still, the feeling she was being watched caused Elle to quicken her pace. That was when she heard the faintest sound of an impish chuckle. Maybe it belonged to Jack; maybe it didn’t. Considering Elle didn’t have many friends here, she hoped it was no one with hostile feelings toward her. Elle walked for over ten minutes before she started to climb a staircase that led to some unknown destination upstairs. Did it lead back to the bedrooms? She was certain she could navigate properly once she got to the floor where her room was located.
Elle continued to walk before a strange noise paused her pace. The sound heard was that of a bizarre scraping across the floor. “Hello?”
Her voice echoed gently throughout the long and empty hallway and even up the very long staircase. No response was given. There were no castle keepers to be seen. The feeling soon returned to Elle that she was being watched, but she couldn’t find anyone specifically looking at her. A giant ball of water fell off the balcony and splattered onto the floor. That was when Elle tilted her head upward to spot a great pair of yellow eyes watching her intently. The eyes were the size of tennis balls and seemed to glow in the darkness of the balcony staircase above her. The ball of water was not water at all. It was saliva.
Elle said nothing as she looked up at the yellow eyes. She truly wanted to believe the large animal was merely a very big stuffed animal. Unfortunately for Elle, the animal started to move. A low snarl of a sound was made, a rumble coming from the creature’s large chest. It caused Elle to suddenly freeze in place. Whatever was up the staircase saturated by darkness did not sound friendly. Backing up, the creature walked away from the icicle bars of the balcony to approach the staircase just a mere fifteen feet away from Elle.
As she slowly began to back step the way she came, it became evident to Elle what noise was making a deep growl from up the staircase. Out of the shadows walking into view, an incredibly large male lion started to slink its way toward the stairs.
Elle nearly stumbled as her brown eyes popped open in wide surprise. This was no common lion one would find in a typical zoo or out in the wild. This lion was incredibly large with very thick muscles that would make a large African lion look cub-sized. Its mane was a very large and bushy brown with a white streak running through the top of it. The lion did not possess regular claws; sharp talons longer than knives replaced where the claws were supposed to be. Two very sharp lemon-yellow colored fangs protruded from the creature’s mouth as it snarled again. The very worst part of seeing this animal was the sad realization that it was not tied to a leash. It was free to roam.
“Nice…big kitty…” said Elle quietly, her brown eyes bolted open with wide alarm. As the creature ran its hideously long, fork-like tongue over its muzzle, Elle realized the monster was eyeing her with one exclusive thought in mind: breakfast time.
Chapter Twenty-One
It was when the lion started slinking its way toward Elle that she screamed. Running was what Elle wanted to do most, but she wasn’t sure if that action would provoke the animal further. She slowly back-stepped as the animal slowly crept forward. The mammoth-sized lion was watching her with the exact same expression that Elle remembered seeing on animal documentaries when lions would watch gazelles. Only this time, Elle was the meek gazelle who didn’t stand a chance against the carnivore. What happened to be unfortunate was that the lion seemed to know that Elle held no chance against him. It roared a throaty growl and lunged.
Elle took off in a sprint. She descended down the long staircase as quick as she could before she took off in a mad dash toward the direction she came. She ran fast, launching her legs in long strides as best as she could. Elle felt strongly she was about to die. Luck could only propel her so far, and she seemed to be using up all her good fortune lately. She survived Jack’s attempt to kill her, and she survived her time in the arena. Both events, she was saved at the last moment. The first by Apollo, the second by Jack.
There was no one to come for her rescue now.
Elle ran as fast as she could force herself. There was no time for mistakes—simple things such as falling or stumbling weren’t an option—the behemoth was close to catching her. Elle struggled to remember which direction she came from. It was too easy to get lost in the palace, especially while running. There were no servants around. No one in the long, vast corridors could seemingly hear her screams. Elle ran as fast as she could as she heard the ginormous lion thundering after her. It snarled and snapped its teeth as it gave chase.
“SOMEONE HELP PLEASE!” Elle screeched as she ran. “ANGRY KITTY!”
Her shrieks were random and incorrect; this was no kitty. The giant animal bounding after her looked like a lion that was given an extreme amount of Miracle-Gro. It held the tongue of a serpent and claws that could tear through her flesh easier than ripping tissue paper. Elle’s sprint was no use. Not only was the lion at least four times bigger than her, it was much faster. She pumped her arms and legs only to be suddenly tackled roughly. Her stomach dropped as fear constricted throughout her. Elle crashed to the floor violently, terrified as a body hovered over her as it pinned her down onto the floor. To Elle’s sudden surprise, she found she was on the floor of one of the winter-themed bedrooms, but she wasn’t tackled by the lion. A new arrival had tackled her right before the lion had been ready to pounce on her.
Elle took a shaky breath as she tried not to bump heads with the person currently laying on top of her.
“Aiden…er…Apollo?” she asked, finding herself terribly thankful he appeared out of nowhere. Pulling himself off the floor and standing tall, the god of light glared down at Elle in a rather harsh manner that she was not used to. Only on a handful of occasions had Elle seen the man she previously considered her best friend angry. Never before had he ever glared at Elle specifically like this.
Apollo glowered at Elle for a very long time. “What kind of idiot goes prancing around a castle full of gods and monsters alone?” he snarled, his glare returning as he moved away from her.
Elle was taken aback by his sudden rude demeanor. She wanted to snap back a reply but was too frazzled by the near-death experience. Elle blinked a few times as she tried to compose herself. “Well, I didn’t mean to come across a lion…” she explained hastily, standing. “I mean, really, is anyone expecting a real-life lion to be on top of a staircase? I wasn’t. That could’ve caught anyone off guard when you think about it…” she rambled, brushing her dark hair from her face.
Elle wasn’t expecting Apollo to suddenly appear before her eyes to shove her against the wall. Her back hit the i
ce-themed painting on the wall with small force, but she didn’t notice that as much as she noticed the rather intense look in his eye as his cold hands settled on her hips. “Do you know how close you were to having your limbs torn off and used as a chew toy?” he asked coldly, his fingertips roughly digging into Elle’s waist as he held her against the wall.
This seemed like a trick question. Still being so very flustered, Elle struggled to develop a response. “Er…no?”
“Well, you were close,” Apollo snapped in agitation, his arms dropping Elle as he moved toward the door. “You are a magnet for trouble.” He shook his head while he muttered angrily under his breath. Surprised he was trying to leave so suddenly, Elle grabbed his hand gently to pull him back.
“Please don’t leave.”
“Why not? Are you looking to go throw yourself at more life-threatening idiocy that you’ll need someone to save your skin?”
Elle shook her head, trying not to let his mean words offend her. He was only worried. “No, I just miss talking to someone who doesn’t hate me.”
Apollo’s cold expression slowly dropped as he developed a familiar blank expression that caused Elle to nearly do a double take. She recognized that look. She’d seen it before, just not on Apollo. Elle squinted her eyes as she looked at him, a strangeness coming over her. He looked like her best friend Aiden and he sounded like him. Still, Elle wasn’t entirely certain it was actually Apollo standing before her eyes. There was something about him that gave Elle an off feeling.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“There’s something different about you.”
He snorted. “Yes. In actuality, I’m a couple thousand-year-old Lord as opposed to the college frat boy you always thought I was.”
Elle watched Apollo with wide eyes, recognizing that blunt sarcasm wasn’t really his forte. “You can stop being a jerk. I didn’t go looking for the lion because I’m on a suicide mission.”
“Are you suicidal? Because that would explain wandering around a palace you’re not equipped to handle.”
“You know for a fact I’m more of a homicidal individual instead of suicidal,” Elle teased lightly, a small attempt at lifting his bitter mood. Apollo gave a near laugh without too much humor. He still looked annoyed, but he was also amused. His light smile caused Elle to blush.
“What are you doing here?” said Elle.
“Why were you wandering the castle alone?” Apollo shot back.
“I asked you first.”
“Came to see you,” he explained with ease. “Your turn.”
“I wanted to find Jack.”
Apollo cocked an eyebrow to watch her in surprise. “Why?”
She didn’t know quite how to explain this. Elle desperately wanted someone to talk to, but she didn’t want that person to be someone who would just confide in Eros. “I want to talk to you like we used to, back when I thought you were my very best friend who would never betray me.”
Apollo watched her soundlessly after that soft reveal. He gave absolutely no response to her words. Taking his silence as the go-ahead to continue, Elle sighed. “Can gods…appear in dreams and show memories?” she asked, feeling insane even for asking such a thing.
Apollo clenched his jaw tightly. “Yes.”
“Could Jack…get inside my head and show me…memories?”
“Yes. He could also scramble your eggs and make you see manipulations, too. He could make it seem as though you were slowly losing your mind.”
Elle shook her head. “He didn’t do that.”
“How can you tell?” asked Apollo, his eyes looking a strange shade of dangerous. That also came off as odd to Elle. This wasn’t normal behavior.
“He wasn’t born evil,” Elle muttered, rubbing her neck gently. She glanced down at her deep red tunic she was given to wear today. She tried to concentrate on her feet and not Apollo’s penetrating gaze.
“It doesn’t matter what he was or who he used to be. It’s what he is now.”
“He was there the day my dad died,” said Elle quietly. “The very worst day of my life, he brought a few seconds of happiness into it that I wouldn’t have felt without him.”
“He also tried to stab you in the heart with a dagger. You forget that part, don’t you?” Apollo chuckled darkly.
“He didn’t want me to have his life,” Elle muttered before thinking of something entirely different. “Wait a minute…you’re usually on the pro-prophecy bandwagon. What, now you don’t want me liking Jack?”
Apollo’s mouth fell open in surprise. He quickly recovered, but that didn’t stop a strange look from crossing his face. He looked wounded. “You like him?”
“Not like the way I like you, but yeah.” Elle gnawed at her bottom lip. “I mean…uh…well, I don’t hate him anymore,” she mumbled, feeling terribly immature in the given moment.
“You like me?”
Elle fully bit her bottom lip. If she was in reality and not the land of gods, she would’ve been too fearful of telling Apollo that she had feelings for him. It was hard not to have a crush on him. He had such a likable personality along with always being a great friend to her. Then it came to light he was actually a traitor who knew their entire friendship she was some long lost fire princess. There really wasn’t time for such a reveal that she liked him more than a friend.
If they were still simply Elle and Aiden, maybe she could tell him about her feelings. But now, there were a lot of factors. Her impending marriage lingered in the air. Then there was possible rejection that maybe Apollo just wasn’t interested in her. Instead of feeling let down by Apollo’s surprise, Elle instead felt offended. “You never liked me romantically, did you?”
A blank expression crossed his face for a brief moment, reminding her of Jack Frost. “I think we should have this conversation another time…”
Elle stepped forward, grabbing his forearm. “No. I want answers. At senior prom, Billy Tyler asked me to go, and you provided a million and one reasons to why I shouldn’t. I ended up not going with him, and I wound up going with you as friends. Why did you talk me out of it? Was because you didn’t want me going with someone other than you or because I belonged to Prince Popsicle?” When she thought about it, it had always been Apollo who talked her out of dating the boys who occasionally asked. The impromptu kiss she had once had solely happened because it was a party Apollo had not attended with her and Lucy. Had he been, Elle could now guarantee the guy wouldn’t have had a chance to touch her.
Apollo’s jaw clenched. “We’ll talk about this another time—”
“We’ll talk about this now. Do you like me?”
“That’s rather blunt.”
“That’s not an answer. Did you lead me on a couple different times just to make sure I remained single and unattached?”
Apollo rolled his eyes before walking away. Already annoyed with Jack for not speaking to her after the bizarre trip down memory lane, Elle decided she wasn’t going to let yet another man leave her with lingering questions. “Why?” Elle snarled, pushing him with both hands. She wasn’t strong enough to harm him, but she now grabbed his attention.
Apollo suddenly disappeared before reappearing right behind Elle. He used his arms to lock hers around her waist. It didn’t matter how much Elle struggled; he was a lot stronger than she was. He overpowered her easily. Apollo brought her close to him, pressing her back against his chest. Elle suddenly got angry. She could feel the same strange sensation taking over when someone in this strange land made her incredibly upset.
A sizzling sound was suddenly heard. Apollo laughed softly as he held her in place. Elle felt strangely cold nestled against him. “Your whole body could start aflame and it wouldn’t hurt me. Do you know that?” he asked quietly.
Elle gently shook her head as she leaned her temple against his collar bone. She didn’t want to hurt him with her abilities. She was more sad than angry. Her memories flickered to the day her father died. Elle had unintentionally
burned the doctor’s skin without meaning to. Apparently, the sizzling sound just now happened because her skin was literally boiling.
“I just want to go home,” Elle said sadly, trying not to cry as she held Apollo’s arm that was around her waist. “I miss my family. I miss Lucy. I miss my dog. I miss the way Grandpa breaks absolutely everything he tinkers with, and I miss when Grams scolds him. I miss music and Netflix, I miss the coffee shop, and I miss school. Please, can I go home?” she asked sadly, annoyed by how Apollo slowly removed his arms from holding her. Wanting to be close to him again, Elle took a step closer and wrapped her arms around his neck.
He seemed very uncomfortable from the embrace until he realized Elle was not releasing him. Eventually, he sighed. “They’ve been watching over you since your father died.” His voice was low. “They will never let you leave.”
Elle considered this as she rested her head against his collarbone yet again. This was very strange to be so close to him. He didn’t radiate warmth as he did in previous hugs she’d shared with him. Apollo also didn’t smell the same. Right now, Elle caught the scent of pine needles and leather with a hint of mint. It again made her think of Jack.
“There goes your heart hammering again,” Apollo said quietly. He attempted to move out of the close embrace before Elle shook her head and held him close.
“You’re one of the only people who doesn’t look at me like a pariah. Please don’t leave,” Elle said, feeling her arms gently shake. “There was a lion. It wanted to eat me. Why?”
“That would be the wing belonging to Oritya,” Apollo said, looking as though he didn’t quite know where to put his arms as the young woman hugged him tightly. He awkwardly pet her head for a moment before dropping his hands to the side, not returning her embrace.
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