I awoke at twilight and felt somewhat revived from the previous evening’s events. I had trouble falling back to sleep, worrying Apollo had seen the markings on my neck and knew who I was. If he told Roth, my plan could be ruined. I hoped he was too busy being a perv to notice, but I wasn’t fooling myself. If he read the runes, he knew. I could only hope he wouldn’t tell.

My stomach growled like an angry mountain lion. I wanted to find Bart and get another bite of his delicious scones. I threw on a pair of jeans and a simple gray t-shirt before making my way back down the hallway I’d strolled through the previous night, now taking time to investigate the rooms whose doors were open. I walked into a study with a solid desk and packed bookcases lining every inch of space on the walls. I marveled at the sheer number of books Roth had collected over the years. Had he read all these? Or just collected them for looks?

My every free moment since being dropped on earth had been filled with two things: returning to Olympus and reading. If I couldn’t hunt with my sisters, I could read the human’s tales about them. If I couldn’t gain the favor of Artemis, I could follow her stories through the pages. The stories gave me hope to carry on, to return, to be a huntress for Artemis again. The imaginary world in the pages was not so unlike the very real world of gods, devils, and angels I had long been a part of.

I trailed my fingers along the spines as I walked around the room. The very feel of the leather and smell of books was a comfort to me. If someone could have bottled “book smell,” I was certain I would dab it behind my ears like my mother used to do with vanilla.

“Should have known you were some kind of nerd.”

Startled, I whirled to see the blonde from the night before prancing into the room. She wore a pink negligee that left nothing to the imagination. She gave me an appraising up-and-down look before perching herself on the edge of the desk.

“What are you doing here, anyway? I heard you didn’t please the master. Figures.” She shot me a withering gaze.

I tried to ignore the twinge of jealousy at the thought of Roth with this physically perfect woman who dared to stand here taunting me. “Corinne, I presume?”

“The one and only.” Her sneer demanded an answer.

I strode up to her, only inches from her face. “I think it’s best if you keep your mouth shut when you’re around me. I wouldn’t want Roth’s favorite plaything to lose any teeth.”

“Just so long as you know I’m his favorite.”

“One of many, I’m sure.” I couldn’t believe this fool was trying to stake a claim on an incubus. The horses were already out of the barn on that one.

“He’s mine. Don’t touch him, and I won’t hurt you.”

I let out a wheezing guffaw, doing my best to infuriate Corinne. I could only hope the female would strike me. Then it would be open season. “Roth’s yours? Maybe you didn’t see—what was her name—oh, yeah, Anne in the bed with you last night.”

“Oh, she wasn’t for him.” She took a small step closer and licked her lips as she glanced down at my mouth.

“Not in your wildest dreams.” My hands curled into fists, the need to pound the female’s face with my fists almost overwhelming.

Corinne smirked and made her way out of the study. “I’m glad we understand each other about Roth. And, by the way, my room’s right across the hall. You’re always welcome for a little girl talk.” She purred her invitation as she disappeared into the hallway.

My skin crawled, and I left the study and headed down to the dining room. “Is everyone but Bart some kind of sexed-up sexy sex maniac looking for sex all the freakin’ time?” I muttered as I followed the delicious smell of food that wafted through the downstairs.

“What was that, carissima?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin to hear Roth’s smooth voice right next to my ear. “That’s it. You’re getting a collar with a bell, mister.” I tried to get my heart back into a regular rhythm, though I suspected the fright wasn’t the only thing that sped it up.

“I think I just might have one of those upstairs.” He held the dining room door open for me.

“Of course you do.” I noticed his gaze was glued to my ass as I walked past.

A large dining room table presided over the center of the room, at least twenty chairs along its sides. Rich people. I shook my head. Toward the far end, Apollo sauntered in from the foyer and pulled out a chair. He beckoned me over. Shirtless, his thickly muscled body practically glowed with vigor, and his bright eyes had a mischievous twinkle. Typical.

“For you, my lady.” He added a confident smile.

The ghost of my mother, Nona Satterfield, pretty much forced me to take the proffered chair. Being a lady was important, even in the hollows of Alabama.

Roth gave Apollo a look that would have melted the skin off anyone who wasn’t a god. As it was, Apollo ignored it and settled in next to me. The chair creaked under his weight. He didn’t seem to notice.

“Did you miss me?” Apollo draped an arm over the back of my chair and rubbed a lock of my hair between his fingers.

Before I could retort, Roth bit out, “Apollo, a word?”

“I’ll be right back.” Apollo chucked me under the chin, and I pondered grabbing my butter knife and sinking it into his thigh. But he was up and gone before I could go through with the ill-advised plan. It was a good thing, especially since I’d been considering making an attempt at talking him into never revealing what my runes meant.

I’d also heard a distinct growl from Roth when Apollo touched me.

Both men walked into the hallway, where a quiet argument ensued. I hurried to the door to hear more, afraid Apollo would spill about the meaning of the runes on my neck. To my chagrin, I made out the words “cockblocked” coming from Apollo and “son of a bitch” coming from a furious Roth. When Roth saw me listening in, he closed the door in my face. I pressed my ear to the door but couldn’t make out the rest of the conversation, so I took my place back at the table. My secret seemed safe for the moment, at least.

Bart was busily bringing in plate after plate of food, making my mouth water and making me lose interest in the argument that was getting louder by the second.

After a few minutes, the voices stopped, and Roth returned sans Apollo. They seemed to have worked on their conflict resolution skills, since he wasn’t bloodied and panting this time.

“I apologize for the inconvenience. Let’s dine, shall we?”

“You don’t have to protect me from him.” It was a halfhearted protest, since my eyes were riveted to the fresh baguette that lay before me. And I certainly wasn’t going to tell him that even though Apollo was a gorgeous god, I preferred Roth’s tall, dark, and handsome looks to Apollo’s golden-boy glow.

“Apollo just wants to use your body. That’s what he does.” Roth waved his hand dismissively.

“You mean he didn’t like me for my winning personality?” I met his gaze.

“Please. Apollo only cares about his pleasures.”

I snorted. “And you’re so different, incubus?”

Roth seemed to consider his words carefully as he ran his long fingers across the back of the chair. “Where you’re concerned, yes. Now, no more talk of him. Let’s dine.”

I didn’t take kindly to being told what to talk about, but I could no longer ignore the sumptuous feast.

Bart had cooked a delectable dinner of beef bourguignon with buttery roasted vegetables and fluffy rolls. I tried my best to be ladylike and limit the food on my plate, but the doleful look from Bart had me loading up more food. After all, I didn’t want poor Bart to think I didn’t like his food, now did I? Take that, Mama. Roth watched with interest as I ate, offering me more wine and food as I went.

“Does your incubus have a thing for watching women eat?” I asked when he pushed the tray of rolls toward me again.

He laughed. “I just find that food is one of the simplest pleasures in life. One that I’d like to share with you.”

I pushed the plate away. “You really know how to get into anyone’s pants, don’t you?”

He leaned back in his chair. Had that been hurt that flashed across his eyes? I found it hard to believe an incubus of Roth’s caliber could ever feel unhappy about a comment on his wooing prowess. But there it was, written plain as day for a split second.

“Look, I—”

“Shall we go?” He cut me off, rising from the table.

“Yeah, I’m ready to work. I think your study would be perfect.”

“I’m afraid not, carissima.”

“Then where, in your sitting room?” I was trying to figure out where I could plug in my laptop.

“We’re going on a field trip.” He gestured for me to accompany him into the foyer.

“No, we aren’t,” I said with what I hoped was finality.

“Do you want to know about my life?” He bristled slightly at my defiance.

“I thought we already cleared that up.”

He softened his stance, apparently trying a different tack and no longer ordering but asking. “The best way for me to tell you about it is to show you.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. An incubus specialized in one thing…and he wanted to show me? Again? Hadn’t I seen enough of his sexcapades last night? No matter. If I had to watch him bed every woman in town to get him where I wanted him, so be it. The thought burned in my gut, but I would do whatever it took.

“Fine, but tell me where we’re going.”

“It’ll be a surprise.” He once again gestured for me to join him. The solid muscle of his chest rippled beneath the black button-up shirt he wore. What would that strong chest feel like pressing down on me? I realized my nipples had hardened at the very thought. Cursing the fact I’d worn a bra with no padding in the cup whatsoever, I reluctantly rose and followed him to the front door.

“Chilly, is it?” He smirked. “I simply must ask Bartholomew to do something about the temperature.”

To my dismay, his intense gaze only made my nipples harder. It didn’t help that when I looked up at him, I noticed the strong line of his jaw and felt the sudden urge to trace it with my tongue. Some sort of incubus magic? It had to be. Why else would I be even a little bit interested in him?

“My eyes are up here.”

“Don’t be ashamed of what you want.” His eyes flashed with those unmistakable embers.

I crossed my arms over my chest and met his gaze with a hard one of my own. “Don’t think for a second you have any clue what I want.”

He pressed his palm against my lower back as I walked past him toward the front door, and his whisper caressed my ear, making my breath hitch. “I believe I have a pretty good idea.”