APOLLO
“You, wait here.”
“Fat fucking chance, sticky fingers.” Thor snorts, keeping himself at my side. “When did you even get into my room?” Thor asks as we walk into my solo room. He should have stayed with the Omegas.
I grab the phone Declan gave me yesterday, pull up the feed of the three of them, and glare. Hudson is about as threatening as Thor, but when I saw him over Dream…
Stupid.
After Declan called, I snagged Thor’s phone. Then I watched Hudson. For hours. Until I fucking passed out.
“You were in the shower. I have cameras in there, just so you’re aware.” I thought it was obvious, but after his shower he walked around his room naked until he got into bed. I glance at him, snorting at the blush in his cheeks.
“I know. Was too tired to give a fuck by then.” He sighs, rubbing his forehead. Once the door shuts behind him, I flickthe locks into place. He gives me an odd look, lifting his brow. “Worried someone will break in?”
“Always.” I shake my head at how careless he can be sometimes. “You aren’t cautious enough. You rely too heavily on your size. Obviously. Or I wouldn’t have gotten into your room unnoticed.”
“Normally I am. I was alone in my hotel. I assumed I was safe in the private room, one that only I should have a key card to,” Thor huffs, and I scoff.
“You think you're safe, just because you’re alone?” I grab his phone out of the desk drawer and hand it to him. “Must be a nice feeling. Tell me, what’s that like?” I tilt my head at him, annoyed by his size. Annoyed that I can't feel his dominance or smell his scent.
“I meant safe from theft, Apollo. If someone with the intention to hurt me had broken in, my instincts would have rung the internal alarms.” He grunts, crossing his arms over his chest as he stares down at me. At some point over the last forty-eight hours he became tolerable.
Or maybe it was the night we met.
The night he saved me. He could have hurt me, done anything he wanted once I passed out from the drugs. Instead, he’s respected my boundaries and even kept his dominance at bay to make me more comfortable.
“Right.” I shrug, matching his stance. My indifference to his defense seems to bother him, because he frowns.
“I figured out you were in the Omega’s room, didn’t I? You think I did that by accident and not because I have strong instincts?” he argues. “Maybe you don’t feel like a threat to me, Apollo. Maybe my instinct is to trust you. Did you think about that?”
I roll my eyes, stepping away from him. My dominance is flaring, trying to measure his strength, his threat level.
“I don’t care enough to think about that.” I wave my hand at him as I pull a change of clothes out of my duffle. Lies. I do think about him more than I should. More than I want to admit.
“You care enough to chastise me," he grunts. “Enough to antagonize me and get me all worked up.”
“You were judging me for locking the door. For being cautious.” I snap, glaring at his offended wide-eyed look.
“I wasn’t! I was genuinely asking. If you think there's a real threat, I need to know. I can’t tell if you’re just being cautious or if you’re bracing for something imminent. You’re always extra cautious, which I’m not criticizing; I’m just not sure when to act, or if we’re just waiting.” Thor sighs, dropping his arms to his sides. “I know you have valid reasons.”
“Stop looking at me like I’m fragile,” I snarl, slinging a blade at his head. A reflex. A defense. I’m relieved when it lodges itself into the wall and not his skull.
“Damn, Apollo! I’m looking at you with empathy. I might look like I’m too big to have complex thoughts, but I have a damn heart. I can have empathy for you without fucking pitying you. Excuse the fuck out of me for hating the idea of you suffering.” Thor shakes his head, shoving his hands into his hair, tugging.
“Why do you care if I’ve suffered, Hawthorne?” I ask carefully, eyes narrowed on the man currently blocking my doorway and only exit.
“Because you’re a person… Because I’m human, with feelings. Does there have to be a deeper reason?”
I glare at him. “Fucking obviously. Why care aboutme?”
“You mean besides your charm?” He pauses, but I don’t dignify his sass with a reaction. “Despite the cruelty you have endured, you’re not cruel. I admire that. I know you won’t hurt the Omegas. You protect them without asking for anything in return.” Thor takes a deep breath and glances around the roombefore unblocking the exit. “Because I like what I see when I look at you. Despite the stubborn streak. And the attempted stabbings.”
“That's all?” I tip my chin up. It feels like he wants to say more. He smirks.
“I know that I can trust you not to jeopardize this mission, even if I can’t trust you not to throw daggers my way.” He teases, winking. “You’ll protect Dream and Beau with your life. You don’t need to care about me or even like me for me to see the good in you and care for you.”
“The last time I cared for someone, his father had me locked in a facility as punishment for us both. I cared so much I tried to save him and made everything worse for both of us.” A chill runs down my spine, just from thinking about Whitehill. “I spent years watching Alpha after Alpha prove every negative thought I’ve ever had about them come true,” I hiss. I don’t want to take my pain out on him, but he’s here, and he’s strong enough to handle it.
