by Noah Harris
“I’m sure he would love to hear you say that he’s anything at all like me.”
“You’re both incredibly headstrong, self-reliant, determined, and tough.”
“The difference is, I’m a werewolf and naturally tough, with plenty of training to get me out of shit. Sometimes I can’t tell if Dean gets through things through sheer luck or balls of pure steel.”
Apollo grinned, following Dante through the twists and turns the tunnel took. “Probably a bit of both.”
“Damien should have had a little talk with me about thinking Dean was an easy target,” Dante said wryly.
Apollo winked at him, not caring that Dante wasn’t looking. “Poor Dante, beaten up by a human with a stick.”
“As much as I want to say I can’t believe a human stood his ground against a big ass wolf, I kinda have no choice since it’s Dean we’re talking about here. And for the record, it was Mikael who beat my ass, thank you very much.”
Apollo only chuckled, knowing full well Dante hadn’t intended to do more than scare the hell out of Dean all those months ago. “I guess that taught you a thing or two about sticking your nose in Mikael’s business.”
“I told Father it was a bad idea.”
Apollo froze. “It was Samuel’s idea to go after Dean?”
Dante winced, closing his eyes with a groan. “I swear to god, I don’t know when my mouth got so big, but it really needs to quit.”
Apollo stared. “Seriously?”
Dante sighed. “Alright, yes. But he didn’t want me to hurt Dean.”
“Did he say that or did you decide that on your own?” Apollo demanded.
Dante turned to him. “Okay, look. At the time, I’m sure he didn’t care one bit about Dean, but he didn’t want to attract too much attention by having a human get killed by a wolf attack. Obviously, things are different between them now, and I might even call it better, way better. It’s just how it was then, and he’s come a long way. Father wouldn’t do anything to hurt Dean now.”
“Does…Mikael know?” Apollo asked.
Dante’s eyes widened. “No! Why the hell would I tell him that? Bad enough that in his mind, I came butting into his business, and even worse that Father…well, did what he did when Mikael brought Dean around. I’m not going to turn around and tell him his dad ordered me to scare the shit out of Dean.”
Apollo lapsed into silence then, letting Dante take the lead once more. He’d always known there was more going on behind the scenes and had always suspected Dante had been a key component. It hadn’t entered his mind before that Samuel might have been responsible for what had looked like an impulsive and foolish intervention on Dante’s part.
“How often are you going to take the fall for someone else, Dante?” Apollo asked quietly.
Dante stopped, not turning around. “I do these things willingly.”
“I just don’t understand why, in this one instance, you chose to take the fall. Samuel sent you away after that, in an effort to keep you and Mikael from being around one another. Was that really because he wanted you two to cool off, or because he was afraid you’d spill the truth to Mikael?” Apollo demanded.
Dante glanced over his shoulder. “Apollo. I know you mean well, and I know you’re saying all this because you care. But I care too, and so does Samuel.”
“But he’s willing to let you take the blame, even when it was his choice, his orders.”
The light of Apollo’s flashlight came to rest on Dante’s chest, splashing its light onto his face. Apollo was shocked to see a weary and saddened smile on Dante’s face. It was as though their entire discussion was squeezing the last bits of strength and happiness right out of Dante.
“Look, I get it, I do. But he takes on a lot already. He’s the alpha Apollo, just about everything he does, success or failure, comes back on him. He has the lives of every member of our pack in his hands. If he fucks up, then that puts everyone at risk. Yeah, I don’t always agree with some of the shit he does, and sometimes I think what he does is screwed up. But he’s doing the best he can. He’s not perfect, but he’s doing the best he can,” Dante told him, voice soft.
“And what about you? Do you just take the weight of the burden on your shoulders?” Apollo asked.
Dante squeezed Apollo’s shoulder. “Yeah. I take on what he can’t. I do what he can’t do because he’s gotta be the leader, he’s gotta be the figure that everyone can respect and look up to. By me doing the dirty work, he can be clean and shoulder the rest of it.”
Apollo looked at his feet, not looking up as Dante turned away once again, heading further down the tunnel. It didn’t seem right for Dante to take it all on by himself, even if he was doing it willingly. It was exactly what Dante had been doing his whole life, and it was clearly taking its toll on him.
Apollo looked up, calling down the tunnel. “Why do it alone?”
Dante stopped. “What?”
Apollo’s heart slammed against his chest. “He’s not alone, Samuel that is. He has someone at his side, helping him, listening to him, holding up part of the weight.”
Dante turned slowly, his gaze wary. “Yes.”
“So why can’t you?”
Dante’s eyes widened, almost fearful. “I…”
Whatever Dante was going to say was cut off by a deep rumble that echoed its way up the tunnel. Apollo winced, looking around for the source of the noise as it grew into what he could only think of as a roar. A cracking sound ripped through the still air of the tunnel, and dust filled the air.
Apollo flicked the light up at the nearest sound, eyes going wide. A fissure had opened up in the ceiling, spreading down the length of the tunnel with horrifying speed. Apollo turned his wide eyes to meet Dante’s equally terrified expression, their gazes locking. Time seemed to stand still until a small chunk of the ceiling dropped to the floor, accompanied by another horrid grinding sound. For one moment, Apollo would swear he saw a blue light pop into existence further down the tunnel, from the direction of the center of the network of tunnels.
And then the world around him shattered into chaos.
Chapter 7 – Dante
~~*~~
Knowing what was to come, Dante hurled himself forward, trying to get to Apollo before the ceiling collapsed on them both. The cave was filled with the rending scream of stone grinding against stone, filling the air with dust and flecks of rocks. The ground beneath his feet shook and quivered, throwing him into one of the walls as the rumbling became an explosion of sound.
Instinct brought his arms up over his head as the once-solid ceiling crumbled. The crash and boom of the tunnel caving in drowned out the sound of the rumbling. Even his cries of fear were lost in the cacophony of collapsing stone.
Pain flared up his back as a heavy weight slammed him into the ground. Dante’s mouth opened, inhaling a cloud of dust as he fought for enough air to cry out. Sprawled on the tunnel floor, Dante could only watch helplessly as more chunks of the ceiling shattered to the ground around him, spraying him with shards of splintered rock.
The horrible grinding sound grew quieter as the ominous rumbling receded. For a moment, all Dante could hear was the patter of small rocks and dirt falling onto the solid floor all around him. Darkness surrounded him as he fought to clear his lungs of the dust he’d inhaled. A groan managed to escape him as the weight on his back pinned him to the ground, keeping him from moving.
Flashlight still in hand, Dante pressed the button, letting out a low cry of relief as it came to life. The light illuminated the tunnel, or at least, what wasn’t buried in rock and dirt anyway. Dante looked around, guessing the tunnel had collapsed in chunks rather than the entire thing coming down at once. Most of the collapse had happened around him, with only the large hunk on his back having fallen where he’d been standing. There was, however, a solid wall of rock between where he’d been standing at the moment of collapse, and Apollo.
“Apollo,” Dante croaked, still fighting to speak around his roughe
ned throat.
Clearing his throat, he hocked a dirt-filled wad of spit and tried again. “Apollo!”
His heart skipped as he heard a low rumbling noise. Dante held his breath, listening closely to the muffled sound of moving rocks. When the sound grew quiet, Dante let out his breath with a shaky groan.
From somewhere to his left, Apollo’s muffled voice called out. “Dante?”
Dante let out a shaky laugh, not caring that there was a hint of a sob to the sound. Apollo sounded distant, the effect of being on the other side of the pile of rocks, but damned if he wasn’t alive and he sounded okay.
“Apollo! Are you okay?” Dante called, craning his neck to look at the wall next to him.
There came the sound of more movement, and Apollo’s voice sounded a little louder. “I am. I was only knocked back, the worst of it fell around you. Are you okay?”
Dante laughed. “Well, let’s just say that if I were a cat, I would have used up one of my lives. Fucking ceiling fell in around me, but most of it missed me.”
The scraping of moving rocks stopped. “Most?”
Dante glanced over his shoulder. “There might be a piece of ceiling sitting on my back right now.”
“I thought you said you were okay!”
“I can say with some confidence that nothing is broken or bleeding…much. But I can’t really move to prove that either, it’s pretty fucking heavy.”
“Damn it all,” Apollo cursed, and the sound of moving rocks resumed in earnest.
It wouldn’t be the first time Dante had found himself in a close call. At least this time around, he had someone else with him, and there was a certain comfort in that. It didn’t mean they were out of the worst of it though, and Dante cringed when he heard the shuddering sound of more heavy stone crashing to the ground.
“Be careful, the tunnel isn’t going to be very steady,” Dante warned, eyeing the air above him warily.
“I’m not going to leave you sitting there by yourself, pinned,” Apollo growled.
Dante wanted to tell him that the sentiment was sweet, though it might get them killed if Apollo managed to bring the rest of the tunnel down on top of them. His words died in his throat when a rock shifted again, and a flash of skin could be seen through the gap in the wall. Relief flooded Dante as Apollo’s face appeared in the hole, looking out at him with wide and worried eyes.
“Hey handsome,” Dante said, not caring what came out of his mouth in his flash of relief.
It felt as though it took an eternity for Apollo to manage to move enough rocks for there to be a sizable gap. Before Dante could try to tell him to be careful, Apollo began squeezing through the hole. Dante watched, holding his breath as Apollo’s bulk was shoved through the gap, first one shoulder, and then the other. Apollo reached to the ground, gripping it tight and pulling himself along through the hole.
They both froze as a low grinding sound echoed in the air.
Apollo’s eyes met his. “Hell.”
“Apollo, go back!” Dante hissed, trying to reach out and shove the man.
“Like hell,” Apollo growled, yanking even harder at the ground.
“Don’t be stubborn, you asshole!”
With a snarl, Apollo’s arms bulged, and he shot free from the hole he’d been crawling through. Almost immediately, another cascading sound of rocks bore down around them. As Dante watched, the hole Apollo had just occupied closed as a heavy flow of stone tumbled down in a crash.
When the sound stopped, Dante snapped his head to Apollo. “You moron! If you had been even a second slower, that would have been your legs getting crushed!”
Apollo pushed himself up from the ground, brushing himself off. “And yet it wasn't me getting crushed.”
“But it could have been!”
“And that rock on your back could have crushed your skull, and it didn’t. I’m not going to sit here and argue about what could have happened or not. I’m getting you free, and then we’re getting out of here,” Apollo grunted, crouching down beside Dante.
“Father’s going to be pissed that we didn’t get a full look through,” Dante groaned, trying to crane his neck to see what Apollo was doing.
“Samuel can fuck himself for all I care,” Apollo said, his huge arms bulging as he gripped the bottom of the rock pinning Dante.
Dante blinked, shocked not only by the language but the pure vehemence in Apollo’s voice. Worse, Dante could feel a little flutter in his stomach as he caught the fire burning at the back of Apollo’s eyes. Coupled with the sight of Apollo’s thick arms straining impressively, Dante could feel his body winding up.
“Not the time,” he muttered to himself.
“What?” Apollo asked as he shoved at the rock.
“Nothing,” Dante called back quickly.
Dante sucked in a breath as the rock against his back began to move at a slow, painful speed. Apollo gave another low grunt, his boots shoving against the ground as he heaved upward. With a low groan of appreciation, Dante felt the pressure against his back give way little by little, until finally, with a crash, the rock was flipped up and off him.
Dante let himself sprawl outward, panting for air. “Shit, didn’t realize how much that thing was stealing the air from me until now. Fucking rude of it.”
Apollo bent down beside him, reaching out to tentatively touch Dante’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”
With a groan, Dante pushed against the ground, forcing himself onto his hands and knees. The muscles in his back protested, and he winced as he arched, trying to stretch as much as he could. Sitting back on his legs, Dante took a deep, steadying breath, assessing his body as he let it adjust to its rediscovered freedom.
After a moment, Dante nodded. “Like I said, nothing broken, and pretty sure nothing fractured. Going to be feeling this one for a few days, though. It’s not every day a mountain tries to fall on top of you…again.”
Apollo’s eyes were wide as he reached out, hands placed on each side of Dante’s face. “You scared a few years off my life."
Dante gave a shaky laugh, nodding. “Yeah, I think I scared a few off my own too. At least I can say I don’t need a new pair of underwear.”
Apollo said nothing, staring at Dante with an intensity that felt as though it would scorch Dante’s face if he continued to stare back. Heat flushed his cheeks, and he averted his gaze, unable to bear the strength of the fear and concern in Apollo’s eyes. It didn’t help that he’d been pinned to the ground only moments before, turned on by his friend’s strength and anger.
He became brutally aware of the sound of their breathing and just how close Apollo was to him. Apollo’s hands didn’t draw away from him, however, and it felt like his touch was boring into Dante’s core. Nervous energy buzzed through Dante as he looked down at Apollo’s arms, unable to help wondering what it would be like to be first held down and then wrapped up, safe and warm in them.
At war with himself, Dante forced himself to calm down as best he could. Looking up, he leveled his gaze with Apollo’s, breath catching as their eyes met. Something in Apollo’s eyes had changed since he’d looked away, and the fire in Apollo’s stare left Dante’s mouth dry, and his chest tight.
“Apollo…”
And then Apollo’s mouth was on his.
Dante’s entire body froze, his eyes all but popping out of his head as Apollo’s lips pressed in tighter. His arms hung in the air beside him, locked where they had begun to jerk back in his surprise. His mind stuttered, trying to race over what was happening and simultaneously grind to a complete stop.
The man who was both his best friend and the one he’d craved to be with for as long as he could remember was kissing him. Not just kissing, but pressing himself closer, holding onto Dante’s face as though he was the last life preserver in a stormy sea. Yet for the life of him, Dante couldn’t figure out how to move his body, to take his frozen arms and wrap them around Apollo, pulling him in as close as they could get. His heart screamed for him to move,
but his shocked brain had slammed on the brakes and refused to budge an inch.
Then, Apollo began to draw away, and Dante could feel the wilting strength in Apollo’s fingers. As Apollo slowly moved his face away, Dante could see the frown, disappointment, and hurt written on his brow. It was a terrible idea, the worst idea, but Dante felt strength surge into his limbs once again. Apollo deserved to have so much better than the disaster Dante could offer him, but he’d be damned before he let Apollo leave with such a heartbroken expression on his face.
Dante’s arms shot out, clumsily wrapping around Apollo’s neck and holding tight. With a low grunt, Dante pulled the startled Apollo back, crushing their lips together just like he knew he should have done in the first place. Apollo tensed in surprise, his hands shifting down to Dante’s shoulders, where his fingers dug in as he gripped hard.
Heat built in Dante’s chest as their mouths worked together, growing in intensity and desire with each movement of their lips. A soft noise rose from his throat, desperate and needy as he felt himself pushed backward. Dante collapsed, both under the weight of Apollo’s body against his, but also because he was too weak to keep himself upright. Apollo’s body pressed against him, bearing down with his warm bulk.
“Dante,” Apollo breathed, his voice trembling and yet full of such heat.
Dante arched his back, pressing his hips up into Apollo’s, groaning as he felt his friend’s body, hard in every way, grind against him. His head spun, thoughts whirling in a mass of sharp emotions he couldn’t pin down, and fading away before they could settle. Body tingling from head to toe, Dante clutched at Apollo, holding on out of both an unrealized fear and the eternal desire he’d held deep in his heart for so many years.
A sharp crack broke through the haze of their passion, their bodies freezing. Dante jerked as a pebble fell from the wall of rocks beside him, pinging off his forehead. Apollo’s eyes met his; their lips still joined as they waited to see what would happen.
Apollo pulled back slowly, eyeing the crumbling rocks. “We should…probably figure out how to get out of here soon.”
