Goddess of Light (Goddess Summoning #3)(61)

"See me," he said. "This time really see me."

As they joined together she looked at him. He was power and beauty and love all melded into one being. How had she ever believed that he was just a man? Her mind struggled to grasp the elusive truth of what she was seeing as their bodies flamed in his blinding, immortal light. What was he? What was happening to her?

Apollo saw panic flicker in her eyes, and he framed her face with his hands, forcing her gaze to remain locked with his. With an enormous effort of will, he commanded his body to still.

"Look deeper," he said. "Look beyond the strangeness that you fear. Can't you see your reflection in my soul?"

The blue of his eyes held her even more intimately than their joined bodies. She was trembling with the intensity of her emotions. And there, beneath the new power that radiated from him, she found Phoebus - the heart of the man she knew. In that heart she saw the reflection of her own longing and need and emptiness, and she suddenly knew that by filling him, she would complete herself, too.

"What are you?" she whispered.

"Your soul mate."

His voice shook, and despite the awesome power that so clearly radiated from him, Pamela thought he suddenly looked very young and vulnerable.

"Yes," she breathed, feeling the fire begin to reignite deep within her. "You are my soul mate."

She pulled him down to her, and with a wrenching moan he thrust into her again, unable to hold back any longer. When the world began to explode, she buried her face in his glowing shoulder and hung on.

In the Great Hall, Artemis suddenly sat straight up. She drew a deep, cleansing breath. Gone! The bond with the mortal was gone. Apparently, her magic had tipped the scales in her brother's favor. And it was about time. She stretched luxuriously, enjoying the absence of the ever-annoying itch that had been Pamela's unfulfilled heart's desire. Then she settled back on her well-stuffed chaise. She would have liked to have retired to her forest - a run in the moonlight would be refreshing - but, no, Apollo still needed her to ensure no nymphs would glimpse him returning the mortal to her own world. It was really of little consequence; their dealings with the mortal were almost completed. Now that Apollo had won her heart, Artemis predicted that he would tire of Pamela quickly. Soon everything would return to normal, and their escapade in the Kingdom of Las Vegas would be nothing more than a semiamusing memory...

Artemis ignored the prickle of doubt that niggled at her mind as she remembered her brother's earnest proclamation of love. Apollo's soul mate was a mortal woman? It was simply not possible.

Hidden in the shadows, Bacchus smiled and waited.

Chapter 20

Something was wrong. Apollo knew it in the same way he knew the many languages of man, or the voices of musical instruments - innately, on the most elemental level of his being. The warm shape in his arms stirred. Automatically, he tightened his arms around her. Pamela...

Apollo's eyes shot open. What had happened last night? They were naked on his bed. Think! he commanded his addled brain. Remember! And the events of the evening rushed through his memory. He stifled a groan. He had lost all control. How? Why had he not been able to -

He knew the answer before he finished the thought. The feast had been filled with the intoxicating power of a goddess. And he knew who that particular goddess had to be. Artemis!

"Apollo!"

As if his thoughts had conjured her, the goddess's impatient whisper sizzled through the room.

He turned his head and glared.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. "You know dawn is close to breaking. Do you want the mortal to be trapped here?"

Shocked, Apollo sat up. That was what was amiss. As always, the God of Light had felt the coming of the blazing chariot that ushered dawn into the sky. Instinctively he had known that it was past time for Pamela to be returned to her world. Last night he had revealed too much. How would her mortal mind ever grasp what it had gleaned from their uninhibited lovemaking, as well as accept that she was trapped in Mount Olympus? He remembered the fear that had flickered through her eyes when he had revealed himself to her.

She wouldn't be able to understand it, not truly. Or if she did, he could only imagine how it would change her feelings for him. No, it was too soon. He must get her out of Olympus. By the time the portal reopened, he would have an explanation for the unusual night. He would spend more time with her and solidify her feelings for him, feelings she had only admitted under the influence of his sister's magic. He scowled at Artemis again.

"Go!" he whispered back at her. "Make sure the Great Hall is empty. I will follow with Pamela."

"Hurry..." she said as her body dissipated.

"Phoebus?" Pamela's voice was groggy. She blinked sleepily and rubbed her eyes. "Where..."

He clenched his teeth and reluctantly passed his hand over her face, instantly fogging her mind and dulling her senses.

"You must dress. We have to leave," he said, leading her gently by the hand into the adjoining room where he found their discarded clothes.

Numbly, she complied. He hated himself as he hastily tugged on his own pants while Pamela mechanically dressed herself. Her underthings, like his shirt, were totally ruined. The memory of the passion he had felt when he tore the clothes from their bodies shivered through him, causing his loins to stir. How was he going to live without her touch for five days? His will wavered. He did have a choice. He could bespell her and keep her with him until the portal opened again. He touched her face and, even with her mind shrouded by his magic, she swayed towards him. It would only be a week...