Chapter 24
And he'd given it to her and in doing so, he took.
He had no trust of hers to break. If he had, he'd broken it in Fleuridia before he left her. But if he'd gained any since their reunion (which was doubtful), last night, he'd have shattered it.
When her eyes opened later that morning, the effects of the tea abated, she'd know it.
And she'd hate him for it.
He sighed, closing his eyes and ceasing running his fingers through her hair so he could wrap his arms around her, certain this was all he'd get. When she woke, she'd be lost to him.
For good.
There would be no winning her. It had only been a day and in that day, her adorable stubbornness, even her exasperating peevishness, he realized he wanted to win her more than he had before. And in her adorable stubbornness and exasperating peevishness, Apollo also realized the challenge of doing this was even more difficult than he earlier suspected.
Which made him wish to best it all the more.
Now it would be impossible.
Surprising him at the intensity of it, this knowledge felt like a weight crus.h.i.+ng his chest.
But he'd had a broken dove in his hand and instead of setting about mending it, from near on the moment he brought her to his world, he'd done nothing but tighten his grip, fracturing her further.
He opened his eyes, sliding his hands over her soft skin, and in her sleep she pressed her face deeper into his neck, arched her torso into his slightly then relaxed on an unconscious fluttering sigh he felt in his gut.
And that was when he saw the flash of green that streaked across the room.
A warning shot.
b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l.
He knew what that meant and he knew why she was coming.
It was she who left the tea.
His frame tightened and he gently slid Madeleine off his body. He rolled away from her and found his feet on the floor by the side of the bed. He had his breeches on with all the b.u.t.tons done up when the green mist started swirling in the room. He'd pulled his sweater on and was standing with his hands on his hips when she formed three feet in front of him.
"You'll speak quietly," he commanded immediately. "Madeleine is sleeping."
The witch looked to the bed then to Apollo.
"Madeleine?" she asked, thankfully her voice was soft.
"Her name in this world," he explained.
"Madeleine," she said it like she was tasting it on her tongue. "I approve of this name," she shared.
He didn't respond to that because he didn't care if she approved or not. Maddie approved of it. Indeed, she'd claimed it with a vivacity that was vaguely troubling.
But it meant something to her so it was hers and it didn't matter what the witch thought of it.
"The adela tea," he stated and felt her eyes grow intense on him.
He saw her shadow give a delicate shrug. "You were taking too long."
He was right in what he'd deduced when she fired her warning shot, indicating she was coming. Valentine had left the adela tea for Maddie to find. And drink.
He felt the skin around his neck get tight and his voice was a growl when he said, "That was sly and scheming."
He saw her head tip to the side. "Are you arguing the results?"
He didn't respond to that.
Instead, he said, "You have not made the road Madeleine must travel any easier."
"Oh, cheri," she purred. "I don't know about that."
He fought back the urge to lean into her threateningly. "In times like these, a woman like that, you play?"
"It wasn't me playing last night, Ulfr..." she hesitated and finished, "for five hours."
He continued to struggle with his anger as he clipped, "You watched?"
"It was gravely annoying, your gentlemanly behavior."
He ground his teeth.
"But," she went on, "your capitulation was spectacular."
He came close to losing his struggle and warned, "I would leave me now, witch."
"Calm, cheri," she urged. "I only watched until you tackled her. As magnificent as that was, I left you to your enjoyment of each other and waited the duration the effects the adela tea normally lasts. And considering your obvious"-she swept a hand his way- "virility, I gave it even more time. Only then did I check to be certain I could come to visit. By the time I did, cuddling had commenced."
At least she gave them that.
He decided to move on.
"And the reason for you coming to call?" he prompted.
She ceased playing and did not hesitate in her caustic reply.
"The reason I've come to call is to warn you to stop messing about and claim her." He drew in a quiet breath and her voice was lower when she warned, "If you don't, I will."
Apollo felt his entire body get tight
She threw out a shadowy hand. "I allowed you to have her because I thought I knew the man you were, Ulfr. A heart as mighty as Goliath. And yet, when I check in on her, she's with Hans. She's with Remi. She's with Derrik." She put significant stress on Derrik's name and continued. "Who, I might add, followed you and he's in the room across the hall and, just a warning, cheri, he heard your activities with..." she paused, "Madeleine last night and he's not best pleased."
Apollo's eyes cut to the opposite wall and the witch kept talking.
"What she was not, in the times I checked, was with you."
He looked back to her as she went on.
"I let you have her because I thought you'd mend our little dove's broken wings. You have not. You haven't even tried. And if you don't, I'll take her back with me and make her safe. The Apollo of my world will suffer much more than a severed hand if he gets anywhere near her."
"You will not..." he drew in a sharp breath and finished, "take her."
Valentine grew silent.
Apollo didn't.
"You will not again meddle in our affairs," he ordered.
Valentine remained silent.
"And you will cease your devious machinations against her," he concluded.
"The sharing of adela tea with a partner is a beautiful experience, creating memories to cherish and a closeness unsurpa.s.sed. It is not a devious machination."
"Only if you care about and trust the partner you're sharing it with," he returned. "It is if it's taken without your knowledge or given against your will."
"I think you mistake how she feels about you," she shared.
"I think you've not been paying close enough attention as you spy for I'm very aware of how she feels about me and I do not think you are."
"No, cheri" she whispered. "You're very aware of how she struggles to find her footing in a new world, with a new life, around people who care about her and don't abuse her or neglect her, something she has not had since her birth. Indeed, mon loup, you're bearing the brunt of that. But with a heart as mighty as Goliath, I'm counting on you to persevere."
That heart she spoke of felt tight at her words and he grunted, "Explain."
"I think that should come from our colombe, don't you?"
Apollo said nothing.
He sensed her body relaxing as she asked, "Would you like to hear news from Bellebryn?"
"You have it?" he asked back.
"Of course, cheri."
"Then share it," he demanded shortly.
He heard the smile in her voice even as she said, "It's not good. Or, I should say, there isn't much to it. The scouting party returned, all intact, fortunately, without finding any of their targets, unfortunately."
"So the she-G.o.d Minerva, Baldur and the others remain hidden," Apollo muttered, frustrated, not to mention concerned.
"They do," she confirmed. "The Drakkar immediately wanted to send another scouting party, led by him, but I had a word and he's changed his mind."
This, he didn't understand.
"Frey and his men are very good at these kinds of missions, witch."
She shook her head and retorted, "During their situation, Frey was separated from his love due to injury and knew he would return to her. But you will note that Dax Lahn nor Noctorno volunteered for such a mission. When they were separated from their loves, they had no way of knowing they would be reunited. They are not so eager to be separated again." She paused and this pause was heavy. When she spoke again, her voice was the same. "I would suggest you learn from that."
Apollo said nothing. He knew all about the affairs of Frey, The Drakkar the witch referred to, and his Finnie, Dax Lahn and his Circe and Prince Noctorno and his Cora.
Starting the war with Middleland, Frey had been gravely injured and taken by the elves to their world under the ice to be healed. Finnie did not know he lived on and that was her torture. But Frey always knew he'd go back to her.
Lahn's Circe had spirited herself back to the other world. Lahn had sent a man to search for a way to bring her back, knowing for months, and feeling the accompanying anguish as they were separated that he might not find that way.
And Minerva had torn apart Tor and Cora. As she had united their souls at birth, it was a cruelty unimaginable and brought on physical pain to endure as well as emotional. Both struggled with the agony for weeks, both desperately searching their worlds to find a way to reunite before they bested that challenge.
And he'd lost his Ilsa therefore he knew what that felt like, well worse than the others because there was no way on any world to get her back.
His eyes moved to the bed and before he could form a thought or force his heart to start beating without that tightness shrouding it, the witch spoke again and he looked back to her.
"You are aware that Lavinia and I are concerned that there are too many coincidences linked to our foes and the couples united over the worlds. Dax Lahn and Noctorno take that into account, I would a.s.sume, with every breath. I urge you to remember that in your dealings with Madeleine."
He was aware and he was in agreement that there seemed to be far too much linking the couples who found each other, spanning universes, and the ones who they feared conspired against the peace and prosperity that both the Northlands and the Southlands currently enjoyed.
They had their own strengths, however. The most powerful witch in Lunwyn, Lavinia, was aligned with their fight and had formed a closeness with Valentine, who had, for a fee (and not coincidentally, part of that substantial fee included a sack of the now priceless adela tea) agreed to help.
They were a formidable pair.
It would remain to be seen if they were more formidable than their foe.
"I have taken pains to keep her safe," Apollo reminded her.
"For a day. The rest of the time, your men have," she reminded him.
He didn't reply, for he had none as she was right.
Dawn began to force its way around the curtains but the room was still mostly in shadows as she stated, "Now I will leave you." She turned and motioned to the door. "You have things to see to across the hall."
The green mist was forming but Apollo still addressed her. "I have a bath and breakfast to see to for Maddie. Then I'll address the issue across the hall."
The mist illuminated the room and her, and he saw her cat's smile before she purred, "There's my Goliath."
He had no idea what she was talking about and no intention to ask. Even if he did, he would have no chance as she faded away.
When she did, Apollo walked to the windows. Pulling a curtain back slightly, he a.s.sessed the sun's rays and noted they were deeper into the dawn than he suspected.
With a sigh, he dropped the curtains and moved to the fire. Pulling back the screen, he fed it more fuel, stirring it until it was blazing.
He then returned the screen and walked to the bed, sat on it and wrapped his hand around the side of Maddie's neck.
"Madeleine, my dove, wake," he whispered, giving her a squeeze.
He watched her eyes blink and again, before she turned only her head on the pillow and stared somnolently up at him.
And it wasn't lost on him he saw nothing but Maddie.