by C. Gockel
‘Bad boy syndrome,’ Coop explained in frustration. ‘Every woman secretly wants a bad boy to reform.’
‘I don’t think this one does.’
Coop cursed. Hermes eyed the apparently empty chair curiously. ‘Why does it matter so much? Get another girl. I’m sure there are plenty of human women around who’d be happy to keep you company.’
‘But Skye’s efficient. She works hard and isn’t afraid to stand up to me.’
‘Is that the only reason?’
‘Of course it is,’ Coop answered, annoyed. ‘What other reason could there be?’
Hermes shrugged and grinned. ‘None that I can think of, mate,’ he answered with a wink. ‘Anyway, would you like a drink? I can get the waiter to bring over a Scotch.’
‘Huh?’ Coop asked, momentarily lost in a reverie about what he could possibly do to encourage Skye to stay. ‘No, I’m fine. It’s too early for alcohol. I’ll have a coffee instead.’
Hermes’ grin widened. ‘Sure, Coop. Whatever you want.’
Skye wandered along the pretty cypress-tree-lined boulevard, thinking about what Hermes had told her. Of course Coop would have a string of women at his beck and call. Why would she have presumed otherwise? He was the God of Love, after all. She wondered why it bothered her so much.
Her brow furrowed. It was probably because she felt sorry for him. All that time he’d spent making other people fall in love and he’d probably never experienced love first hand himself. He never would with his cynical attitude. Her frown deepened. And yet she could sympathise with his position. Perhaps it wasn’t fair to all those people he shot his love bolts towards. But she remembered the look on the faces of the couple in Malaysia. How could that possibly be a bad thing?
She straightened her shoulders. No, she decided finally. He was just a petulant child who wanted everything his own way. Well, that wasn’t going to wash with her. In less than thirty-six hours, when he’d solved the problem of Apollo, she would be free of him. She could forget she’d ever had the weirdness of working for an invisible love god. She pursed her lips. Easy.
Chapter Sixteen
Coop kicked frustratedly at the wall, sending a cloud of red dust into the air. He had tried everything he could think of. He’d been nice to her. He’d offered her more money. He’d even worn the damn bell for the last two days at her behest. And Skye was still determined to leave. He was flat out of ideas. He watched her walk out of the bathroom wearing that stupid black skirt and prim and proper blouse and sighed. She’d tied her dark hair into a school-marmish bun. All it did was accentuate her cheekbones and give her a fragile, ethereal appearance.
‘Where’s Apollo, then?’ she asked.
‘You’re in a rush to see him again,’ he responded grumpily.
Skye jabbed a finger in the direction of his voice. ‘Don’t you dare, Coop. Don’t you dare suggest this is because I want to see him. Let’s not forget whose doing this was in the first place.’
‘As if I could.’ He grimaced. ‘Let’s get it over and done with. He’s over there waiting by the pier.’
It had been almost too easy to get the God of Sun and Light to agree to come and meet them. Coop had rather hoped Apollo would put up more of a fight but as soon as he’d mentioned Skye’s name, he had instantly agreed, champing at the bit to see her again. Coop had heard on the proverbial grapevine that Apollo had barely eaten or slept for the past week for worrying about where she was. Coop supposed he should be glad about that; instead he felt sad.
Skye peered off into the distance. The sky was already darkening into night but she thought she could make out a figure in the distance, leaning against the pier balustrade. She felt vaguely nauseous at seeing Apollo again. He’d been so horrible to her initially that she shivered at the thought of what might happen this time around. But it was clear there was no other way. If she wanted to be free of Coop, she had to do this.
Without waiting for Coop to say any more, she strode off in the direction of the lone figure. It wasn’t long before the jangle of the bell signalled that Coop was following her. Admittedly he’d been very nice to her since the afternoon with Hermes, keeping his distance when she needed space but also chatting and joking with her when she felt a bit lonely. Part of her wanted to stay. Just a small part. She had a good job and, when he wasn’t being a manipulative wanker, Coop was fun to be around. He made her laugh.
He’s also an alcoholic womaniser, she told herself. He lied and cheated to get her to Greece, just so he could get some petty revenge. The quicker she was out of this situation, the better. She picked up her pace. By the sound of the bell behind her, Coop had slowed his. Typical, she huffed.
Stopping and turning around, she glared towards where she imagined he was. ‘You’re going to do this quickly, right? You’ll shoot him as soon as we’re together?’
‘As my lady wishes.’
Skye’s eyes narrowed. Was that a hint of sarcasm? Huffing again, she continued onto the pier. It was time to get this over and done with.
She was barely halfway along the wooden structure when the figure at the end turned round and spotted her approach. He immediately began jogging towards her. Skye felt her stomach sink ever so slightly.
‘Skye!’ Apollo called out. ‘Where have you been?’
She rolled her eyes and stopped, waiting for him to reach her. The jangling bell behind her quieted as Coop halted to wait with her.
‘Make this quick, alright?’ she snapped, then immediately regretted her tone.
‘He won’t know what’s hit him,’ Coop murmured.
He reached inside his jacket pocket, pulling out his little golden box, flipped open the lid and began screwing the component parts together. His fingers trembled slightly and he cursed. Obviously he was nervous about what Apollo’s reaction was going to be once the spell was lifted. But that was ridiculous: Apollo had deserved every inch of the misery he’d experienced.
Coop cast a quick look at Skye, whose back was ramrod straight as she watched Apollo’s approach. She was right, though. She hadn’t deserved any of this. He sighed inwardly and lifted his weapon towards the Sun God until his heart was in his sights.
Apollo ran up and caught Skye in a huge bear hug, wrapping his arms around her. ‘I’ve been looking for you everywhere,’ he said, pulling back slightly and looking into her eyes.
Skye shifted uncomfortably in his embrace. ‘Well, you’ve found me now,’ she said, wishing Coop would get a move on.
Apollo smiled, displaying white, even teeth. She’d forgotten how good-looking he was. Skye had the impression from Hermes that Coop was even more attractive. . .
Apollo leaned in, clearly aiming to kiss her. Skye moved her head to the side just in time and his lips landed on her cheek instead.
Coop’s eyes narrowed. He sidestepped left and adjusted his aim.
‘You’re beautiful, Skye Sawyer,’ Apollo breathed.
Coop’s lip curled. Just because the Sun God thought he was in love with her didn’t mean he had to slobber over her like that.
‘Do it now.’ Skye’s voice was strained.
‘Do what?’ Apollo asked, confused.
Coop’s hand twitched a millimetre to the left and he squeezed the trigger. He watched carefully as Apollo frowned, then abruptly took a step back. ‘What…?’ he asked, looking at Skye in confusion.
She stared at him, unblinking. He reached up and rubbed absentmindedly at the spot where Coop had shot him.
‘It’s done,’ Coop said quietly.
Apollo’s face twisted and he stared behind Skye’s shoulder at where Coop was standing. A look of comprehension crossed his face, and he snarled, ‘Cupid. I might have guessed. This is all your doing.’
He shoved Skye out of the way and strode past her. ‘Where are you, you bastard?’
‘I’m here,’ Coop answered, making no move to get out of the way and allowing the bell round his neck to ring so the Sun God knew where he was.
Apollo curled up his
hand into a fist and lashed out, catching Coop on the chin and sending him reeling.
‘You dared to do that to me? To shoot me?’
Wincing in pain, Coop straightened up. He was very aware of Skye watching the proceedings with fearful eyes. ‘I’m sorry. It was a stupid thing to do.’
‘Stupid? You have no idea, you little prick. I’m going to bury you for this.’
He punched out again, but this time Coop moved out of his reach.
‘What? You can’t face me like a man and fight?’ Apollo sneered.
‘You hit me,’ Coop said tiredly. ‘It hurt. So you can go back and tell all your minions how you beat me. Congratulations.’
‘Oh, I’m just getting started. Come on, freak boy. Come and stand in front of me and I’ll show you what I’m really capable of.’
‘Apollo,’ Skye began, taking a step forward.
‘And you can shut the hell up as well. I bet you were in on the whole thing, weren’t you?’
‘She had nothing to do with this,’ said Coop.
‘Like I’ll believe that,’ Apollo said, scoffing. ‘Well, fine, Cupid. If I can’t see you to give you what you deserve, I’ll just use her instead.’
Without further warning, Apollo spun round and grabbed Skye’s arm, twisting it hard. She cried out in pain. Coop sprang forward, lunging at the Sun God.
‘Leave her the fuck alone!’ he yelled.
‘Why?’ Apollo twisted harder, a malicious smile spreading across his face.
Coop’s fingers snatched hold of Apollo’s arm. ‘Let her go. She had nothing to do with this.’
Tears of pain were welling in Skye’s eyes and she tried to pull away, but Apollo’s grip was too strong.
‘Let her go,’ Coop repeated.
‘You sound upset, Cupid,’ Apollo grinned. ‘Could it be you don’t want your little human girl to get hurt?’
Coop snarled and, despite his best intentions to allow Apollo to rage until it was out of his system, he yanked hard on the Sun God’s arm and balled his other fist up, slamming it into his face. Apollo let go of Skye and she crumpled to the side, clutching her arm.
‘I think maybe I’ve touched a nerve,’ he said. He glanced down at Skye. And with that he reached down, picked Skye up as if she were as light as a feather and threw her off the side of the pier. Her yell of surprise was suddenly muffled as she splashed heavily into the cold water. There was a shriek of pain from below.
Apollo smiled humourlessly. ‘You get a lot of jellyfish in these waters at this time of year,’ he commented.
Heart thudding with fear for Skye, Coop didn’t think any further. He launched himself up and over the railing, landed in the water with a gasp and grabbed hold of her flailing body.
Apollo leaned over the edge and looked down at the pair of them. ‘If you think I’m done,’ he shouted, ‘think again. I’m just getting started. You’ll rue the day you crossed me, Cupid.’
‘I’m already bloody ruing it,’ Coop grunted from the water, as Apollo strode off.
Skye cried out again, and Coop shifted his body round to her back, one arm curving round her collar bone. ‘Shh, it’s okay, I’ve got you,’ he reassured her.
‘It hurts,’ she whimpered.
‘I know. We’re not far from the shore though. Just stay with me.’ He felt tentacles brush past his own skin and began to kick, pulling Skye with him.
‘Kick for me, sweetheart,’ he murmured in her ear.
Skye half nodded, sniffing, and did as he bade, even though her body was crying out in protest. Despite the warmth of his body against hers, she was already shivering and the searing pain of the jellyfish sting was seeping into her bones, making her muscles convulse and jerk in response. She gasped as a wave rose over her head, filling her mouth and nose with salt water. Coop tightened his grip round her body and kicked harder.
‘It’s okay, Skye, we’re almost there,’ he said, half closing his eyes. He should have taken steps to protect her from Apollo. He’d known the Sun God’s fury would be thunderous but he’d not expected him to take it out on Skye. Coop’s muscles tightened. He should have known.
After what seemed an age to Skye, her feet were finally dragging along the sand. Coop picked her up by her armpits and helped her wade the last few feet to the shore. Her teeth were chattering with cold but her skin felt as if it was on fire.
‘It hurts,’ she moaned.
‘I know. Just hang in there and we’ll get you home and treated.’
‘Aren’t you supposed to pee on me or something to make it better?’
Coop chuckled softly. ‘It’s not far to the house. Vinegar will work better, Skye. Unless you really want me to urinate on you, of course.’
She shuddered. ‘It’s okay, I think I can manage to wait that long.’
He grinned. ‘I thought you’d say that.’
Coop reached down and scooped her up in his arms, cradling her shivering body in his arms.
‘I’m too heavy!’ Skye protested.
‘No, you’re not.’ He walked carefully up the ramp to the waiting car, then bundled her inside, buckling her into the passenger seat.
‘You can’t drive,’ she said as he got in and turned on the engine.
‘Of course I can.’
‘But what if someone sees you? Or doesn’t see you rather? What will they think?’
‘It’s a short drive, Skye. Stop panicking.’
His voice was warm and gentle but it seemed to be coming from a very long distance. Skye felt very light-headed.
‘He was so angry,’ she murmured.
Coop’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. ‘Yes, he was.’
She said something else. Coop glanced over and realised her eyes were closing and her skin was very pale, apart from the livid red marks where the jellyfish had stung her. Alarmed, he speeded up.
‘Don’t fall asleep, Skye.’
She moaned. He took one hand off the wheel and shook her. ‘Skye! Don’t fall asleep!’
Her eyes half fluttered open. ‘Not. Sleeping.’
‘Good. Hang in there. We’re almost home.’
The road curved round until finally the mansion was in view. Breathing a sigh of relief, Coop pulled into the driveway and stopped the car, then quickly got out and ran round to the passenger side. He flung open the door and reached in for Skye, picking her up again. He kicked open the front door, carried her into the living room and lay her gently down on the sofa. Then he sprinted into the kitchen, pulled out a bottle of vinegar and a clean cloth and rushed back.
He put some of the vinegar onto the cloth and began dabbing at the painful red marks. Skye stiffened in protest.
‘It’s okay,’ he hushed her. ‘Just stay still.’
Carefully pouring more vinegar onto the cloth, he continued to dab at the welts. She moaned again.
‘Skye, I’m going to need to take off your blouse.’
‘No,’ she shook her head.
‘I have to,’ he said gently. ‘I need to get to all the stings. You can trust me, I promise.’
Skye looked in the direction of his face and gave a small nod. He smiled down at her, brushed away the wet tendrils of hair from her face and began to unfasten the buttons on her blouse. He sucked in his breath when he saw the extent of the marks on her body. He’d bloody well kill Apollo the next time he saw him. Making sure every red welt was covered in vinegar, he laid the cloth to one side and picked her up again.
‘What are you doing?’ she protested.
‘You need to rest,’ Coop said, shifting his weight so she was secure against his chest.
He began to walk carefully down the corridor, passing her bedroom.
‘Wait!’
‘I promised you I wouldn’t go into your room, remember? Just relax, Skye. Don’t worry, I’ll look after you.’
Everything seemed rather hazy. Being carried by the invisible Coop was quite possibly the oddest sensation in the world. If she kept her eyes open, it appeared that she wa
s floating in mid air through the house. It made more sense to close her eyes than to let her brain struggle with what was happening. And her eyes were so heavy anyway, it was a struggle to keep them open.
‘That’s it,’ he said softly from above. ‘Just rest.’
She gave in to the darkness and succumbed to sleep.
Chapter Seventeen
When Skye woke the next morning and stretched out her limbs, the first thing that assailed her was the smell. It was as if she just walked out of a fish and chip shop after liberally dousing herself in vinegar. Her skin felt tingly and tight and there was a heavy weight curved round her waist. Opening her eyes, she took in her surroundings. She was in a bedroom and it wasn’t her own.
The bedsheets half covering her body were white, contrasting against the heavy mahogany of the bed frame. The room seemed similar to her own, but there was something more masculine about it. The warm weight against her skin tightened and pulled her closer.
Coop.
‘You’re awake,’ he murmured in her ear. ‘How do you feel?’
Trying to force herself to relax, she pulled away and sat up. Realising all she was wearing was her underwear, she snatched up the sheet to cover herself, blushing as she did so.
‘Uh, fine,’ Skye answered. ‘Fine. The stings don’t hurt so much now.’
She heard the bed creak as Coop sat up. He had to resist the urge to reach out and smooth away her hair from her face. He could feel himself hardening and moved further away to try to avoid alarming her.
He cleared his throat, hoping his voice sounded normal. ‘That’s good. I’ll nip down to the village and get some antibiotic ointment though. You were hurt pretty badly.’
Skye drew her knees into her chest. ‘Thank you,’ she said quietly.
‘For what?’
‘Helping me. You didn’t have to.’
‘You didn’t think I’d just leave you there, did you?’
Skye half-shrugged, a little embarrassed.
Coop watched her carefully. ‘I’m going to make him pay for what he did,’ he said finally.
