She screamed when a hand caught her shoulder, swung her around.She raised her arm to strike at Apollo.
But it wasn’t her cousin.It was a large man with a hard face, a scar several shades lighter than his dark skin slashed across one cheekbone.“What’s wrong, miss?”
“There’s a man after me.”And she saw him behind her rescuer.Apollo bore down on her, every angle of his body honed for a single purpose: catching her.“Please help me.”
Her rescuer nodded, cracked his knuckles.By the time he’d swung around, Apollo was but a few steps away.
“That’s him,” Diana said, pointing.
“Right.”Her rescuer reared his fist back and slammed it straight into her cousin’s nose.
Apollo staggered backward.“Bloody hell!”
The man hit him again.This time Apollo fell, sprawled in the dirt, parting the sea of trousers and skirts now gathered around them.He held his nose and blood, red as a heart’s beating, poured from his nose.
“Stay right there,” her rescuer commanded, “unless you want another.”
Apollo looked wildly at the growing circle of onlookers around them, and he didn’t rise as her rescuer led her down the street.
“Thank you,” she said.“Thank you.”But where did she go now?What could she do?“Who are you?”
“You can call me Ned.”
“Ned.Thank you.I cannot thank you enough.You’ve saved my life.”
He grunted.“That’s what I’m here for.”
She stopped, and it took a few steps for him to realize he’d left her behind.He returned to her side.“What’s wrong, miss?”
“What do you mean that’s what you’re here for?”
“Ah, that.Lady G sent me to keep ya safe.Seems I was a bit too late.I looked too conspicuous inside the shop.Stepped out.”
“Lady G?Who is that?”She’d heard the name before.Recently.But where?Difficult to think, her mind still muddled, still breathless, still backing away from the plummeting edge.
He turned a corner, ushering her down a narrow, dark alley.“Lady Guinevere.You bought a p?—”
“The potion.”When cold water seeped through the toe of her slipper, she paused.This… was not a good idea.She may have run away from the lion and into a tiger’s den.Damn.
“Aye, that’s it, miss.I’m sure you’re right sharp when you’re not scared for yer life.”
“I try to be.”She rubbed her temple.A drum pounded inside her skull, but she tried to get the smart part of her brain spinning, thinking.“Lady Guinevere sent you to look after me?”
“To guard ye, aye.”A small conveyance sat like a spider at the end of the alley.He opened the door and held out a hand.“In ya go, then.”
“And where are you taking me?”She did not venture closer.The main street was behind her, a few steps away.
But where was Apollo?Had he followed them?
“Ah, yer scared.Understandable, miss, understandable.But I’m not gonna hurt ya.I’m gonna take ya to Lady G now.Promise.”
She looked over her shoulder.Lighter out there.A man ran by, a blur of brown hair and pumping legs.It might not be Apollo.
But her body wasn’t convinced.Her heart stuttered, and her palms sweated.Hot.She hid them behind her back and willed her pulse under control.No one else could see her dothat.Slowly she walked forward and let Ned help her into the unmarked hack.
“Atta girl.”Ned winked and closed her in.The hack shook as he took his seat up top, and the coach lurched forward with echoing clip-clop of horse hooves.
She clenched the edge of the seat.A grave mistake.But what option had she?Now that Apollo knew, and now she knew what Apollo was willing to do… she could not go back.
