Please, he begged no one in particular. If I am worthy of anything at all, please let me break this curse. If not for me, for her. A shiver passed down his spine and he shuddered, pulling Sage closer as they made their way back toward The Aegean Inn.
19
November 1, day of the Satyr Moon
Sage turned the key in the lock to her apartment as quietly as possible. It was seven in the morning, and she didn't want to wake Darcy. After all that happened the night before, she needed to spend time on her own…in her own bathroom and obtain some of her own clothes. Not to mention she needed to e-mail her professors and let them know she'd miss classes this week. Adonis hadn't liked that she was leaving for a few hours, but since he had those pills now, it wasn't like he would suffer before she got back.
Maybe he thinks I'm not coming back. That I won't be there for the Satyr Moon.
Adonis had some emotional baggage, namely assuming no one was on his side when it counted. She'd prove him wrong though. Sage prided herself on fierce loyalty. Yes, he'd been a bit of a jerk when they'd first met, but knowing him now—that had been a front. He protected himself from being hurt by new people. If she didn't show up tonight, it might break him.
No denying that Adonis had been hurt, badly, namely by that bitch of a goddess Aphrodite. He'd done some bad shit in the lowest point of his life, but he'd rebounded, sought to redeem himself. She shook her head as she pushed open the door. The coast appeared to be clear, and Sage quickly and quietly closed the door and tiptoed to her bedroom. Once inside with the door shut, she turned on the light and almost screamed. Not because the goddess of love herself lounged on her bed in a petal-pink silk robe. No, because her room she had decked out in blacks and purples was now awash in the same shade of pink and flowers. So many flowers. The smell hadn't hit her until she turned on the light, and now she nearly choked on the fragrance.
"What are you doing in here?" she whispered fiercely, wheezing. "And what did you do to my room?" The bitch was diabolical in this redecoration. Sage's gaze drifted to the statue of Persephone she often left flowers at the feet of, only to realize it had been replaced with one of Aphrodite. Oh, hell no. She glared at the goddess, waiting for her answer.
Aphrodite waved a hand nonchalantly. "Relax, I'll put it all back once I leave. You can't expect me to be in a room with the likeness of that Underworld harlot when I am the one who has the means of getting you what you want, can you?" She blinked those big lashes at her. "Also, your roommate is fast asleep, so she won't hear us. No need to whisper."
Fear sank to the pit of her stomach like she'd swallowed a cement block. "What did you do to her?"
"Simple sleep charm, nothing more. She'll wake up in a few hours, shiny and new." The goddess actually giggled and flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder.
What did Adonis ever see in her? Sage's gaze dropped to the goddess' cleavage and perky breasts barely concealed by the thin silk robe. Oh, right.
Well, if Darcy wasn't going to wake up any time soon, there was no reason to stretch out this conversation. "Fine. Tell me what you want and leave. I have a busy day…and night." Sage waggled her eyebrows on the word night, relishing the scowl that overtook the goddess' expression. She definitely didn't like that.
Good.
"You know exactly why I am here. I want Adonis back, and you have to fuck him to make that possible. It's not like you don't wish to have him between your legs. We both can have our wishes if you let me help you help me."
Crazy exes were the absolute worse. Sage couldn't fault Adonis for falling for someone like this, but it was proving to be a real pain in her ass. "He doesn't want you back, sugarplum. Get that through your dainty blonde head. I'm not condemning him to a relationship he doesn't want, whether that means you, me, or anyone." If Adonis didn't need her after whatever happened with the Satyr Moon, that was his choice. It would break her heart, but she would respect it. She'd hoped that he had developed the feelings he said he did, but if things went wrong tonight, anything could happen.
Anger quickly masked itself into a sickeningly sweet smile as Aphrodite stood and stalked toward her. "He's only pretending to want a relationship with you so he can become human again. Whatever makes you believe he would choose to stay with you afterward when he can have a goddess?"
Aphrodite put her hands on Sage's shoulders and spun her around to look in the mirror over her dresser. The purple had faded from her hair, leaving behind the copper red she'd been born with. In the lighting of the room, without any makeup, her freckles were stark against her pale skin. Next to Aphrodite, who practically sparkled and glowed, she looked out of place.
Once upon a time, Sage had despised her appearance. Back in school when the popular girls had made fun of her. She wasn't blonde enough. Tan enough. Skinny enough. Unfortunately, Aphrodite had made a grave error in using this against her. Sage had already fought and won this battle. She didn't dye her hair purple because she
