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I can't believe I'm about to participate in this. It further sinks in as Apollo removes his pants again and sits in a contraption similar to the one we'd previously used. My respirations pick up when he asks me to secure his lower half.
Hands shaking, I comply but try again to sway him. "Apollo, you know you don't have to do this. Are you sure?"
He gives me a peaceful smile. "I'm very sure, Nightingale. Just hold my hand— and maybe distract me some, yes?"
Closing my eyes briefly to center myself, I shift to be closer to his upper body. I’d been able to block the contents of the room out during the heat of the moment, but now the clinical feel and scent is threatening to drag me back into my personal hell. Maybe the guys are onto something with desensitizing me to it and making it mine instead of a traumatic place. I know I can walk out of here anytime I want to— and neither of them will ever harm me. Possibly, in the future, I can replace those old memories with new ones.
Marcus curbs my internal musing, and I realize I've neglected my distraction duties. "All set over here?"
I go to say yes, but my mouth refuses to work when I spy the metal tray-stand he's wheeling over— and its contents.
"Lark! Nightingale, answer me. Marcus, I can't reach her! Get her." Apollo's voice sounds like it's coming from a distance, tinny and distorted.
"Lark? You're okay. You're with us." Marcus' face appears in my view, and I start to be able to focus. "Hey, there you are." He reaches out, stroking my cheek with the back of a finger.
Looking around, I notice I've managed to back across the room and up against the wall. I must have lost some time because I don't remember moving. "I'm sorry," I blurt out, and Marcus' gray eyes darken.
"Don't you dare. We pushed you too far." His ire turns into regret as he tips his forehead to mine. "We shouldn't have asked, especially not in here. We thought...well, we thought it might help us all. We were wrong, and I apologize."
I'm so done. Steeling my resolve, I gather myself together. "No." Surprise and worry light his face as I push him away. "I want my life back, and I'm going to have it, damn it. We're doing this."
Pride replaces the concern as I pass him, moving back to Apollo who is struggling, almost comically in his half-dressed state, to reach his restraints. I place my hand on his, halting his efforts. "If you still want to, I'll stay."
Apollo seems torn with indecision. "I'm not sure if we should let you stay, Lark. I don't want to be responsible for causing more trauma." He slumps back into the chair, eyeing me carefully.
"It will be fine. I wasn't expecting a replica of the damn thing to pop up. Although, you'd need one to do it, I suppose."
Apollo shares an indecipherable glance with Marcus. "I was actually able to recover the original. It seemed serendipitous at the time. Now… not so much."
I pale a bit at the revelation, but I'm determined to go through with this since it's what he wants. Besides, I'm not the one it's going to be touching or the one wielding it.
Marcus, being his usual practical self, goes back to the tray. After donning gloves, he applies a gel to the inside of Apollo's thigh. "That will take a few minutes to work, so hurry up and decide."
With a time-limit imposed, Apollo considers it and eventually nods before looking up at me. As the hiss of the flame signals the heating of the brand, he seizes my hand. "Distract me?"
There are limited options for a distraction, but I'm thinking he means more comfort than anything. So, deciding to shove my fears down and away, I boost myself over the top of him and straddle his waist.
"This better?" With my position he can't see what's happening.
"Yes, better than what I had in my mind." He reaches up to pull me down for sweet kisses that start to move into carnal territory.
Marcus taps my thigh from behind, and I settle more firmly onto Apollo before trailing my lips down his jaw to his neck. When I get to the corded part at the base where it connects to his shoulders, I sink my teeth in without warning.
He stiffens, emitting a hoarse shout even as I feel him harden under my ass. He almost immediately shouts again, this time in agony when Marcus applies the hot metal.
And then it's over. When I release my grip on his neck, I peek back to find Marcus applying more gel and a bandage.
Apollo gains his composure, and I can feel his heart rate beginning to slow back to normal under my hand that's resting on his chest.
"That fucking hurts."
A half snort, half choke comes out of my mouth as I give him a look that says he's an idiot. "Umm...yes. Yes, it does." I smack a hand to my forehead. "Did you think it would feel good?"
Slightly chagrined, he answers over Marcus' chuckling. "I like a bit of pain if you haven't noticed, but that nonsense is on another level. Thank you for staying, it means a lot. But could you get up and let me go? I'm done with being stuck here and plan to find some ice when we get home."
"Already have you covered, Sun God." Marcus winks at Apollo's annoyance.
"Why do you steal my names? First Nightingale, now this?" I'm fairly certain he's not actually annoyed, but it is kind of funny.
