"Compliment me once we're out of here," I tell him, but a smile already teases on my lips. We reach the car and I jump on the back seat next to Ren. Apollo takes the wheel as Tristan sits next to him. We don't have time to fasten our belts before Apollo turns the engine on, puts the car in reverse, and slams his foot on the gas pedal.
We disappear in a cloud of dust, leaving both armies behind. I meet Tristan's eyes when he looks over his shoulder. We smile at each other.
Finally free.
CHAPTER 17
CASSANDRA
Apollo doesn't stop, not even when I tell him my bladder's about to explode. When we finally make it to a cheap motel by the entrance of Nowheresville, I'm two seconds away from peeing on the seat. Maybe that's what Apollo wants. Maybe he has a kink.
I tiptoe around the entrance, bent over and holding my hands in fists. Fuck, I need to pee. I need to pee so fucking bad. The receptionist goes on and on about the place not being a love motel, how he thinks we're about to have an orgy there, and how he doesn't want dog fur all over his sheets. Half a second. I'm half a second away from committing murder again.
Slamming my hand down on the counter, I glare at him, making sure I put the promise of death on my eyes. "I need the bathroom. Keys. Now."
He shudders, but I don't have the time to pride myself on my convincing nature. The moment he gives me the keys, I'm out, then up the stairs after the room. I dart inside, leaving the door open as I race into the bathroom, shoving my pants down, ignoring the dry blood on my clothes as I sit down and let the pee out with a deep sigh.
My pants are back on and my hands washed by the time the boys come in. Ren reaches me first, folding his arms around me. I hold him back, as tight as I can, soaking in the warmth of his shifter body.
"I missed you so much," I breathe against his neck. His long, dark hair slides down his shoulders to cover me when he touches his lips to my forehead.
"I missed you too," he replies, simply, and every word has a world of meaning. We stay like that for another moment, and Ren doesn't let me go completely when I pull back, arms around my waist.
The hotel room has an ugly wallpaper the color of blood. Everything else is a yellow I'm not sure was the goal when they chose it or if it's just the consequence of years of stains. There are two full-sized beds here, though I don't think they're big enough to fit us all. If Apollo is big, Tristan is twice as much. One bed would be small for him.
Apollo shuts the door and sits on the edge of a mattress. I watch him for a moment, his beautiful dark skin under the artificial lights, and the way his eyes sparkle when he looks at me. Squinting, I step closer to Apollo, Ren's hands dropping from my waist as I walk between the dragon shifter’s knees.
I trace the dark circles under his eyes. They were not here before, and with the color of his skin it should have been harder to notice them. For his circles to be this clear, they have to be deep. "Are you alright?" I whisper, though anyone could hear me in this tiny room.
Apollo's hands curl possessively around my hips. Fingertips sink into my soft flesh as he bites his lower lip. I cup his head, swallowing around the knot in my throat. Heat curls deep inside me, my heartbeat thundering in my ears.
"I was scared to shit," Apollo admits, and his admission rips through my chest.
"Sorry," I tell him, willing him closer, willing to curl on his lap until there's no space between us. My lips tilt into a smile, even when I know I shouldn't. "Does it make me an evil person I like you were worried about me?"
Apollo sinks his fingers into my flesh, a roar trembling in his chest. I know he's about to throw me onto the mattress, and I'm dying to have him against me, to remember his taste, to commit the feeling of his skin against mine to memory. Lust boils in my veins, and I press my legs together, aching for him.
But Apollo has other plans. He doesn't pull me closer — instead, he pushes me away an inch. "Now that we're not about to die. Who exactly is this new lost puppy you brought us?"
I look over my shoulder at Oreo. Tristan has put him down, and he sits next to the gargoyle with attentive ears. "I couldn't leave him behind. He's just a puppy."
"I meant," Apollo tugs me so I look at him, "Tristan."
"Tristan took care of me when I was with the Collector. He was kidnapped when he was a kid."
"So?" Apollo's fierce coldness here dampens my mood.
"So I brought him with me."
"Why?"
Tristan shifts uncomfortably behind me. Ren approaches from the other side. "Does it matter?" the wolf shifter asks. "He protected you two. I saw it. That's good enough."
Apollo shakes his head, his eyes on me. "Ren is one thing. He's your mate. Who's this guy? Do you think I can’t see how he acts when he’s close to you? Why is he even protecting you?"
My body warms and I step away from him. "Are you going to choose who I sleep with now?"
Apollo's brows rise and he shoots to his feet. "You slept with him?"