APOLLO’S GIFT
A Fantasy Romance
By
Sandy L. Rowland
AMAZON EDITION
PUBLISHED BY
Sandy L. Rowland
Apollo’s Gift © 2013 Sandy L. Rowland
All rights reserved
Amazon Kindle Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. The ebook contained herein constitutes a copyrighted work and may not be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, or stored in or introduced into an information storage and retrieval system in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the copyright owner, except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This ebook is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, businesses, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
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Books by Sandy L. Rowland
APOLLO’S GIFT
CONQUERED
DEDICATION
To my husband Rob, who continues to make love real.
CHAPTER ONE
Something drew Cassie Priam to Delphi.
She trudged the path, her hiking boots crunching with each step. The fragrance of cypress, wild flowers and sun-baked earth brought visions to her mind of another time. Ancient Greece, when seekers of knowledge had climbed Mount Parnassus to bring gifts to the oracle, and gain wisdom. Cassie had dreamed of the path she now trod, but those night visions centered in a time three thousand years ago when Apollo had ruled the spot.
The summer-blue sky welcomed her. Cassie stopped to adjust her wide-brimmed hat, opened her bottle of water and gulped. The cool liquid splashed over her lips, leaving drops, trickling down her neck and between her breasts. The temple wasn’t much farther. Odd, but she’d known the place before ever setting foot amid the columns, as if she belonged there.
She’d always had an interest in Greek myth, but these last months bordered on obsession. This trip was supposed to get her mind off her last break-up. It had shaken her. Friends insisted she join them for a summer in Europe, gain a new perspective, maybe have a fling with some hot Italian or Greek. Yeah, like that was going to happen. She’d shared a few meals with a nice guy called George, but it was too soon to risk her heart. While her friends had enjoyed the nightlife, she’d huddled in her hotel room and read Homer. No wonder guys dumped her. She was a math major for hell’s sake and didn’t have a romantic bone in her body, much less an adventurous spirit.
Her friends were still sleeping off their dancing and wine when she’d left early this morning. Tonight she’d fly home to Washington. Back to her well ordered and predictable life of logic and reason. She’d welcome it after this bizarre fixation with Delphi.
Turning off the Via Sacra path, she entered the site. Stone lined the area, half tumbled and decayed. The foundation remained a footprint. When she closed her eyes she could imagine the grandeur of perfectly chiseled pillars towering above her. And envision the carefully guarded crevice, the world’s navel, where the oracle had raved her prophecies.
Sun heated her khaki shorts and lemon yellow t-shirt until sweat dampened them both. Cassie pulled off her hat, fanned herself with it and moved into the protective shade of a secluded cypress tree. She sat on the ground amid the weeds and leaned back against a rock slab of decaying wall. Summer warmth leached from the stone into her bones. Staying up late reading and waking early to make her trek added to heat-induced drowsiness. She just needed a quick close of her eyes.
* * *
Cassie squinted against harsh light. “It’s that dream again,” she grumbled. She shielded her eyes from the glare with her hand. Her vision adjusted. Sure enough, she sat in the rough robe of a priestess amid pristine columns of Delphi in its prime. Even her dreams were dull. Babbling nonsense over a pit. How silly was that?
“Cassandra,” said a male voice loaded with seductive timbre.
She shifted her gaze in the direction of the voice and locked onto an incredibly handsome man standing beside a pillar. A mane of golden waves topped with a laurel wreath crowned his classic features, and accentuated eyes as blue as the Mediterranean set against a golden tan. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Blinking, she focused on the exquisite masculine form. Not a statue, but worthy of marble. This was an interesting change. “Um, you must have me mixed up with someone else.” The man had to be a god. No mortal looked that good. This dream was looking up. She shifted her toga and got to her feet.
He smiled, the kind that movie stars flashed and weakened more than a girl’s knees. “There’s no mistake. I’ve brought you a gift.”
He strode toward her, his muscles rippling with fluid movement. The man was beyond beautiful. She didn’t bother asking how he knew her name. It was a dream and the rules of logic held no sway here. But after being dumped by the last guy, she was cautious of a tryst, even with a vision. “I’m not who you’re looking for.” She twisted her linen garment in her fingers.
He closed the distance between them. Even in the day’s heat, she felt warmer with him near. His mouth tightened. “You’re my Cassandra.”
“Your Cassandra?” She’d just read the story of the Trojan War again last night. Her stomach plummeted. If her dream cast her as Cassandra ancient prophetess of Troy, then this hot specimen had to be…“Apollo?”
“Yes.” His gaze pierced through her like twin beams of cobalt light.
“Of course!” Standing in the presence of a god should have terrified her, but it didn’t. This was only a dream, making conversation with deity no big deal. Maybe he came from a bit of over-ripe goat cheese she’d eaten earlier.
“You remember me?”
“Not really, but you do seem familiar.”
His full lips tightened into a firm line. “I am Phoebus Apollo. Son of Zeus. God of light and prophecy, among other things.”
“You’re fantastic, so imperious and arrogant. Much better than I’d imagined.”
“Imagined?” His eyes narrowed.
“Yes. You’re better looking and have such a commanding presence.” The dream Apollo didn’t appear to enjoy her compliment. Sparks shot from his eyes and it creeped her out.
“I am Apollo.” The ground quaked, knocking her to the earth. “And you are Cassandra, my priestess, Oracle of Delphi and my consort.”
The ground continued to shake. The man’s body lifted four feet above her and hovered, glowing like a lit candle. Her heart slammed against her ribs. She tucked her head and curled into a fetal pose, trembling. Cassie awaited the god’s wrath. If she died in her dream, would she expire in real life?
The shaking stopped. She waited, but nothing happened.
Cassie opened her eyes to slits. She hadn’t been annihilated. No thunderbolts streaked across the sky, and no fissure gaped to swallow her whole. Tremors had put her off balance, but they weren’t worthy
of panic. Get hold of yourself. This was only a dream. Any minute she’d wake. And since this was her dream, she refused to cower. Lifting her head. Why not enjoy it and have a little fun? “Great Apollo, what is your will?” She did her best to sound serious and sat back on her heels.
He floated like a cloud. “I’ve come to give you a gift.”
“Beware of Greeks bearing gifts,” she murmured. “Thank you for the offer, but I couldn’t possibly accept.”
“It is my will.” Another tremor sent her to all fours and her hand struck rough stone.
“Fine.” She shifted to her bottom and rubbed a red patch on her palm. “What is it?”
He landed beside her, his white robes fluttering in the breeze. “The greatest of all gifts, prophecy.”
She got to her feet and glared at the dream masquerading as Apollo. His warm breath grazed her cheek. “Oh, no,” she argued. “That never turns out well.”
“I admit that in your previous incarnation things didn’t go as I’d planned.” He shrugged one shoulder. “But I’ve negotiated with Hades, and paid a high price so your soul could take form in this body.” He leaned over her. “You’re my Cassandra, Princess of Troy.”
“Whoa! You bought my soul?” She backed up into a marble wall. “Even if I believed I had one, I’m sure it would belong to me. Who said you could buy it?” This was a nightmare. “And this whole prophecy deal, that was a disaster. Apollo gave Cassandra that gift and then cursed her so no one believed her warnings. I think I’ll pass.”
“No, faithless, mortal woman. The curse came by way of your lie. You promised me your virtue and then spurned me.” His honeyed voice had taken on a definite edge.
“Hey, not me.” She threw her hands up in defense. “Cassandra was murdered ages ago and my virtue is not open to discussion. I don’t even believe in gods and prophecy.” Wake up, Cassie. Wake up.
“Hear me.” He stroked her hair with the tips of his fingers sending a tingle over her scalp. She wanted to move away but couldn’t, his soft, seductive tone freezing her in place. “You have a chance to make amends and give yourself to me. Honor your promise and all will be well.”
“For who?” Even for a dream, this was a pretty lame line.
The corners of his mouth twitched. “You are still pure.”
“Well, that’s none of your business.” Heat rushed into her face. She brushed the dirt from her robe and glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
“I am a god and discern that you haven’t known a man.” A satisfied smile spread across his full, perfect lips. “I am pleased.”
“Right,” she grumbled. The man was exasperating.
“You doubt me.”
This had gone on too long. “Enough already. You’re part of a dream brought on by hot sun and a romantic location, nothing to take seriously.”
At least six foot five, he towered over her like an ionic column. He moved closer, pressing her against the wall. Her heart thumped in response. He’s a dream, a deliciously tempting dream.
He leaned in, his mouth a kiss away. His breath tantalized with the scent of nectar. “I’m real and eternally serious.”
She licked her dry lips. Maybe she was wrong and this wasn’t a nightmare but a really, really good dream.
“This is no dream.” He brushed his lips over hers, soft, warm and as addictive as the fabled ambrosia. She leaned in wanting more, but he denied her. “It’s done.”
“What’s done?” she murmured.
“The gift is given.”
“No. Wait.”
“Once given, I can’t take it back.”
Panic tightened her chest. It’s a dream. Damn it. “Take it back.” She sputtered and spit. Something had to rid her of his gift. “I won’t use it. Prophecy or not, nothing can make me tell people.” She wiped her wet mouth on her sleeve.
A beautifully irritating smile spread over his mouth. “Ah, Cassandra, you haven’t changed. The same argument you tried in your last incarnation. I’ve missed this.”
“Ugh.” She stomped her foot. “This is my dream. I’m in control and I refuse.”
He tilted his golden head and studied her. “I think not. It’s against your nature to leave thousands to die when you have the ability to warn them.”
She squared her shoulders. “This is not the city of Troy and I’m not your dead princess. Even if this gift were real, which it’s not, no one would listen to me. People don’t believe in prophecy these days. I don’t even believe in it. They’ll shoot me full of meds and lock me in a rubber room.”
His eyes softened. “Millions will suffer if you don’t try.”
“Millions?” Definitely a nightmare.
* * *
Cassie jolted awake. Her palms were damp, her heart pounding. What a nightmare. She rubbed her mouth with the back of her hand, hoping to remove the memory. She shuddered. It was only a dream. It had to be. Gods didn’t exist; neither did divine gifts and curses. She followed her urge to spit away what clung to her lips, but the slight pressure of a kiss remained.
The sun remained high in the sky. She couldn’t have slept for more than a few minutes. “Apollo, really,” she muttered. It would figure that the hottest guy she’d ever met would be an annoying figment of her creative mind. “Men are jerks.” She shook her head and her gaze fell to her hat lying beside her, a wreath of laurel laid over the wide brim.
“Damn.
CHAPTER TWO
“So beautiful.” Apollo watched unseen as Cassandra stepped into the steamy shower. Travertine tiles lined the walls, but it wasn’t the stone he focused on, it was the woman. He’d had many lovers, but this ebony-haired beauty had weighed on his mind for the last three thousand years. Was it her soft curves, long legs and violet eyes that captivated him or her inner fire?
Cassie turned to face him and threw her head back, water pouring over her dark tresses, molding them against her shoulders and around her ample breasts like fingers holding ripe pomegranates. He hungered to taste that fruit. Indulging in the temptations of the flesh no longer dishonored a mortal father or a woman’s position. And this mortal woman tempted him. Beads of moisture ran over her satin skin and dripped from her rosebud nipples, calling him to suckle at her warmth, and then lower to that temple created by the gods, where he would worship for long, blissful hours.
But he wouldn’t compel her. It was within his power to act as Zeus often had, and transform into a shower of gold or rays of welcoming light, cover her innocence and know her. Take her. Apollo shook his head. He’d changed, grown perhaps, if it were possible for the gods to become more. He desired more than Cassandra’s body, he wanted her eyes to sparkle at his approach, and her heart to leap with joy at his touch. He wanted her love. Artemis might be right; he thrived on competition and a challenge. Gaining Cassandra’s love was a challenge. Cassie had spurned him ages ago and he hadn’t taken it well.
Not this time. He had a plan.
She dried herself with a pink towel and rubbed almond-scented lotion over her delectable curves. How he longed to be that lotion and glide against her skin. He breathed in and released it slowly. Or taste it, licking up the sweet oil for the promise of something sweeter, Cassandra. He groaned within. The wager demanded that he wait. He refused to leave her virtue and safety to chance. He’d watched over her since birth and, seen or unseen, he’d stay by her side. Even if it tried him. Like this moment. This time he’d handle it differently. Rather than trading the gift of prophecy for pleasures of her flesh, he’d given the gift to tie her to him. Cassandra had no idea of his true intentions. How could a mortal understand the mind of a god? Once she called upon him for aid, and knew his heart, she’d willingly consent to his will. But her consent wasn’t enough; he demanded her passion and her love. He’d woo her in her dreams and bring her warnings as she slept. The maniacal ravings of ancient times would be a cruel punishment in this world.
Humanity lacked faith. They no longer prayed to the gods or valued their wisdom, but looked
to small oracles they held in their hands to gain knowledge, phones, pads and computers had replaced Delphi and Olympus. Foolish mortals. The gods existed and it was time humanity remembered.
He’d gifted her with prophecy, now to point her in a direction to use it. Something small to start….Apollo lost his thought as Cassandra bent over to retrieve a towel from the floor. Perfectly rounded hips set upon shapely legs met his hungry gaze. The woman tried him and she didn’t know it. His fingers itched to caress those mounds and pull her against himself. One day soon, after she valued the gift, knew it’s importance, and her desire matched his own, then he’d have her. Not before.
* * *
Cassie’s mother eyed her over a cup of black coffee at breakfast. Her raven hair was cut short to control the riot of curls threatening her sleek look of flawless skin and navy suit. “It’s for the best. Your father and I agree that living at home while you attend school will bring much- needed opportunity. You only met rabble and brought home poverty-stricken students when you lived in the dorms. We want more for you.” She scraped butter from her toast and nibbled a dry corner.
“I appreciate the thought, but I liked those people. They were real.” Cassie shoveled blueberries into her mouth and chewed.
“Real? Planning for your future, that’s real. Spending your time working out equations and avoiding social activities, it’s just not right. What kind of life is that for a beautiful young woman? It’s just not…” Her mother pursed her lips. “You need situations where you can meet the right people.”
Cassie breathed in and out through her nose as she finished chewing and silently counted to ten. By right people, her mother meant wealthy young men with bright futures and the appropriate family connections. Cassie didn’t care for any of it. She’d dated enough of those men and they’d all walked away from her. She’d resigned herself to the fact that they didn’t want her. Why torture herself? Numbers didn’t judge, and she preferred their silent acceptance and calculated outcome to romantic failure. “I have plans for my life. I want to…” Her mother’s phone vibrated and hummed beside her plate.
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