Apollo Chapters for the Dopamine!

I can’t believe it is fricking June already! It’s the first day of winter here in Australia, and I have been fighting the big sads by seeing Hadestown and Beetlejuice shows, hanging with friends, and slogging my way through Valentine’s book. Prepare yourself…it’s going to be a long one because Val just has to overachieve like that.

Apollo’s book is out late this month so I thought it would be the perfect time to drop a few chapters here on the blog and give you some sneak peaks of the chaos that is to come.

If you must have more straight away, Apollo early access chapters are on my Ream Stories every week and we are only a few chapters off finishing. You can check out my Ream here!

Now…onto to the sneak peeks!

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Dragons and Alchemy

Since there have been dragons, humans have wanted to hunt them. 

They drove them into the lands of Faerie hundreds of years ago until all that remained of them were legends. Tales spoke of the devastation their fire could cause and of the brave men who hunted and slew the beasts so they could never destroy villages again.

What was rarely spoken of, however, was the suffering the dragons had endured for years before being driven to destroy a village. Their kind had been taken by sorcerers for their bodies and blood so their magic could be drained away to fuel terrible spells. Their bones had been crushed for snorting powders and elixirs, and scales and horns sold off as trophies.

The dragons had fled Albion before there were none left to make the journey. They found a home in Faerie, where all creatures, no matter how strange or wild, could find sanctuary. A curse sealed the doors between Faerie and Albion, and for fifteen hundred years, they were safe.

Now, the doors had been reopened. Magic had been restored, and Albion was beginning to discover it still had a few dragons left. But they weren’t the only ones who had learned of their existence.

There were those who still had records of a time when dragons were the key to great spells and ancient workings. Blood mages and alchemists who hungered for those rare ingredients that had once fueled their spells. Time had only armed them with the technology to dissect, study, mutilate, and murder their way through a whole variety of new species, all at their leisure.

One type of dragon was prized above all—the gold dragon. Legends said that their blood was the key to creating the Philosopher’s Stone. Turning lead into gold was the fairytale. What the stone really represented was true and lasting power. They only needed a gold dragon to achieve the impossible.

Unfortunately, someone had found out that a certain magician was on the cusp of becoming the dragon they so desperately needed. Such a prize could not be overlooked, and now, the hunt was on.

What they didn’t know was that someone else was hunting the golden dragon, and they had no intention of letting anyone claim so much as a hair from his golden head.

Chapter One

Apollo Greatdakes had been drinking steadily since six o’clock in the afternoon. He had bowed out as gracefully as he could from Bas and Bridget’s mating party. He was ridiculously happy for his baby brother, but he was also jealous enough to spit. He had to get away before he said or did something that he shouldn’t.

The party had been made all the worse because Apollo’s mate had been sitting across the table from him, throwing him a knowing, sexy smile every now and again.

Fuck you, Lachlan Ironwood, and your perfect fucking face.

Hours later, Apollo didn’t know which club he was in or where he was in Dublin, and he really didn’t care. It was dark and packed, and that was all he needed to know. For one damn night, he wanted to pretend he was still the carefree man he had been before he started playing games with Lachlan.

What he really needed was to be dicked down so hard, his soul left his body. He had been horny since Lachlan had cornered him in an elevator weeks ago. No matter how many times he tried, he couldn’t take the edge off himself—and it wasn’t for lack of attempts. So tonight, he was going to find someone to do it for him.

One guy in particular was doing a solid job of catching Apollo’s eye. He was tall and had dark hair and eyes. He was cute. Not Lachlan Ironwood smolder-your-pants-off hot, but cute enough.

What the hell? Why not. Apollo grinned his come-hither smile, and like an obedient dog, the guy did hither quickly to his side of the bar.

“I have been trying to get your attention since you walked in here,” the stranger said with a soft accent.

Apollo smiled wider. He had snagged a French boy.

“Maybe I wanted to play hard to get,” he replied in perfect French.

Cosimo had made sure languages were a considerable part of their curriculum. As an alchemist, Apollo found learning multiple languages helpful when dealing with old manuscripts…and picking up hot tourists.

“You speak my language like a native. You are full of surprises, golden one,” the stranger purred into his ear. “Can I buy you a drink?”

No, Apollo’s dragon grumbled. Not mate. Want mate.

“Absolutely! Make it a double, sweetheart,” Apollo said out loud. His dragon had caused him enough problems. He was the boss of his own body and could do what he wanted.

Mistake, the dragon insisted, when Apollo accepted the drink. He didn’t even know what he had ordered. Ah well.

“I’m Jean,” the guy said.

Apollo screwed up his nose. “We don’t have to do names. The night is a bit young for that. How long are you in Dublin?”

“Just the night.”

Apollo smiled and tapped his glass to Jean’s. “Excellent. Just the kind of length I like my relationships.”

Jean laughed. “You are too beautiful to be tied down. A night with you would be honor enough.”

“Ahh, the French. You always know just how to say the right thing,” Apollo said and patted the guy’s cheek.

They drank, and they danced, Apollo feeling like he was floating out of his body as Jean whispered filthy things to him in French.

Apollo tried not to flinch every time the other man held him a little too tightly, and he managed to avoid his mouth every time he went in for a kiss.

Apollo wanted to cry in frustration. The guy was hot enough. He was available for one night only. It was perfect. Why did his stupid body not want to get in on that?

A face flashed through the dimly lit club. Dark hair and blue eyes were vibrant even in the darkness. Apollo blinked, and the phantom was gone. His heart was racing, and his palms were slick with sweat. He was too wasted to know if what he had seen was real or not.

Great. Now, he was hallucinating Lachlan Ironwood.

No. No. No. Not tonight.

Apollo pulled Jean close and whispered in his ear, “Let’s get out of here.”

“Read my mind, mon cheri,” Jean replied and nibbled on his ear lobe.

Apollo didn’t feel anything. Maybe he was too drunk for sex? Oh, well, he would find out soon enough.

It had been raining outside, and a damp chill had settled over Dublin’s streets. Apollo linked arms with Jean so he wouldn’t slip up on the footpath. He didn’t know where they were going and didn’t care.

Suddenly, Jean pushed him up against a parked van and kissed him. It had been a while since Apollo had been kissed, and his mouth was startled by the sudden invasion. Not as startled as his leg was when Apollo felt a sharp stab in his thigh.

Apollo looked down at the slim needle that Jean was pulling out of his leg. A strange taste bloomed on Apollo’s tongue, and he opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to swallow.

“Ohh, what’s that? Morphine…and something else,” Apollo said, his brain not working as it should as he smacked his lips a bit more.

“Don’t worry, mon cheri. I am going to take good care of you,” Jean said sweetly. He opened the van door, gently helped Apollo inside, and clipped his seatbelt on.

“Thank you. I don’t think my hands are working. You really have to give me the recipe of what you just injected me with. It feels like my head is full of rainbows,” Apollo said cheerily.

Jean shut the door before he climbed into the driver’s seat.

Apollo’s inner dragon was trying to tell him something, clawing at his awareness, but his inner voice was no longer working. Apollo smiled wonkily, enjoying the peace and quiet he hadn’t had since magic had been restored.

“Relax, Monsieur Greatdrakes. Enjoy the rainbows. I will keep you safe,” Jean said and started the van.

“So nice,” Apollo murmured. He was relaxing back into the chair when he realized he had never told Jean his name. Ah, well, at least the drugs were nice.

Chapter Two

Most of the time, Lachlan Ironwood thought he was an easygoing, reasonable adult. Tonight was not one of those times.

Lachlan knew Apollo was in a self-destructive mood the moment he left Bas’s party. He just had a look in his eyes that made Lachlan worry. The one that said he was spiraling, and he was going to do something dumb or dangerous. Knowing Apollo, it would be both.

Lachlan couldn’t leave Apollo alone when he was in a mood like that, or fuck knows what would happen to him.

He told himself he wouldn’t interfere or be seen. He would just…keep an eye on Apollo in case he got in trouble.

After a few hours, he was getting more and more interested in interfering. Apollo was more wasted than Lachlan had ever seen him—staggering, laughing too loud, far too vulnerable. And vulnerability on Apollo made Lachlan’s skin itch.

Lachlan couldn’t leave Apollo until he knew he was home safe again. It was 3:00 a.m., and Apollo didn’t appear to be interested in going home to his own bed. No, he was allowing some random guy to whisper in his ears and grind against him on the dance floor.

Apollo was a terrible dancer, but he knew it and didn’t care. That was always what made Lachlan smile. He wasn’t smiling now. He was chewing cupfuls of ice to try and soothe his temper. The cold, crunching jolt in his teeth usually helped on a stakeout. Tonight, nothing was going to help the burning possessiveness in his gut.

Maybe he had spent too much time around the fae. He had never felt this kind of possessive feelings for anyone else before. Maybe he didn’t need to be a fae or a shifter to realize the truth—Apollo Greatdrakes was the only person he wanted.

Lachlan had known from the beginning that loving Apollo would be like treading his heart into the dirt, and it still hadn’t dissuaded him. Apollo wasn’t the type to be tied down to anyone. And he was a dragon to boot, which meant he had some mystical magical mate somewhere waiting for him.

It wouldn’t matter if he was dating Lachlan or not. When Apollo found his mate, it would be game over. The dragon in him wouldn’t want anyone else, and Lachlan would just have to bow out as gracefully as possible. Lachlan would do his best to back down and walk away, but he would have to leave Ireland for his own sanity. Fuck. Life never used to be this complicated.

Lachlan was about to order another drink when he saw the sleazy stranger wrap an arm around Apollo and steer him toward the club exit. No fucking way was Lachlan going to let Apollo go home with someone when he was too drunk to barely stand. It would be too close to date rape for Lachlan to risk it. Apollo could be angry at him all he wanted. This wasn’t happening.

Lachlan pushed his way through the tight crowd, trying to follow them. He got groped more than once but ignored it in his single-minded determination to get the fuck out of there.

Lachlan crashed out of the door and into the wet streets. He looked left and right, trying to spot them. A laugh tinkled brightly from down a side alley, and Lachlan ran. He would know that laugh anywhere.

Lachlan slid on the stone streets and made it around the corner in time to see the stranger shove Apollo up against a van and kiss him. Lachlan halted, bile creeping up his throat. He hesitated, suddenly unsure if he was about to cross a line. Fuck it. He looked up in time to see the stranger pushing Apollo into the van.

What the actual fuck? Lachlan started to run as the guy pulled the van out into the street. His small throwing daggers were between his fingers before he could think about it. Lachlan moved out into the middle of the road and let them fly at the oncoming van.

Two hit the front tires, blowing them out and forcing the driver to swerve. The wet street had the van sliding and crashing hard into the parked cars.

Lachlan ripped open the driver’s door and dodged the baton the stranger swung at him. He got out of the car, and Lachlan smiled. He had been spoiling for a fight, and this asshole was going to be the perfect way for him to blow off some steam. He let the guy swing at him a few times before stepping forward into his space and disarming him with enough force to break his wrist.

The stranger’s snarls in French were cut off by Lachlan’s fist breaking his nose. He crumpled to the ground, and Lachlan grabbed him by the throat.

“Tell me why you were trying to kidnap him, and I might take it easy on you,” he growled.

The man laughed, cold and bitter. “The Sanguis Vitae will have their prize, and there’s nothing you can do to stop us.”

He spat out blood, and magic burned hot in the air. This fucker was a mage. Lachlan dropped him as the spell spread the spilled blood from the mage’s broken nose and sealed over his mouth. He was suffocating himself on purpose.

Lachlan dug his fingers into the hardening blood, trying to claw it off him, but it was no use. The mage’s eyes rolled back into his head, and he was dead.

“Fuck!” Lachlan shouted. And then he heard singing.

“On the good ship lollipop…” Apollo crooned in the back of the van.

Lachlan pulled the back door open and found Apollo hanging awkwardly off the bench seat, tangled in a seat belt.

“You okay in there, bright eyes?” he asked.

Apollo smiled wonkily. “My head is full of rainbows. Jean…gave me the good drugs.”

“He was trying to kidnap you.” Lachlan used one of his daggers to cut the seatbelt straps and caught Apollo before he could fall.

Apollo snorted. “Rude.”

Lachlan let out a relieved sigh when he saw Apollo wasn’t bashed or bruised. He was drunk and high, but he wasn’t hurt. “Okay, golden boy, let’s get you home.”

“Noooo, don’t take me back there.” Apollo’s arms flailed wildly. “They are all lovey dove faces, and I can’t. I don’t want them to see me like this on their happy, perfect night.”

Lachlan knew exactly what he meant. “Okay, I won’t take you home. You need to stay here for a moment, okay?”

“I can’t go anywhere. The pixies ran away with my legs,” Apollo whispered. “I think they will want my arms next.”

“I’ll find them. They won’t be back for your arms. Just stay.”

Lachlan left Apollo singing to himself. He hoisted the body of the driver up off the road and threw it into the back of the van. He grabbed the keys out of the ignition and locked the doors before he went back to the side for Apollo. He was still sitting where Lachlan had left him. His singing had become verbatim quoting of Shrek 2. He tried not to laugh. At least Apollo was funny when he was wasted.

“Let’s get you out of there, golden boy,” he said gently.

Lachlan lifted Apollo up and over his shoulder before sliding the van door shut and locking it as well. He would send someone back for the van and the body. He hid the keys in the front wheel well and steadied Apollo’s bulk on his shoulder.

“Wow, your ass is so perky. I’m going to need a handful of coins to see if they bounce,” he said and gave it an experimental squeeze.

Lachlan tried not to jump with every pinch. In any other situation, he would have loved Apollo groping him. It wouldn’t be right to think anything of it when he was so drunk.

With a sigh, Lachlan carried the unrequited love of his life to where he had parked his own car and tried really hard to ignore the dick rubbing against his shoulder with every step he took.

Chapter Three

It took twice as long as Lachlan would have liked to get back to Ironwood Manor because his passenger demanded to go through a McDonald’s drive-through for ‘supplies.’ Apollo still couldn’t feel his legs, but apparently, his stomach was working just fine.

While they waited for his order, Lachlan woke a few of the hunters he had been training for Kenna and sent them out to retrieve the van.

He had never heard of Sanguis Vitae. That wasn’t surprising. Ever since the fae returned, all sorts of crazy clubs were on the rise. Magic was out, and humans wanted a taste even if they lacked magical abilities. What he had seen the mage do with his blood tonight was enough to know that he had been no fucking amateur.

As soon as Apollo had food in front of him, he finally stopped singing and quoting in order to stuff his mouth. If Lachlan hadn’t been feeling ultra paranoid about someone trying to kidnap Apollo, he might have found the whole thing ridiculously cute.

The Ironwood manor was dark and quiet by the time they finally arrived. The sun wasn’t going to be up for a while, but Lachlan knew he wouldn’t be getting any sleep.

“Hang tight to that drink if you want to keep it,” Lachlan warned and picked Apollo up in a bridal carry. “And no singing and waking the house up.”

“I like it when you try to be bossy. It’s so cute,” Apollo said and bopped Lachlan on the nose. He giggled when Lachlan snapped his teeth at him. “This is my emotional support Coke and must come with me.”

“Fine. Just don’t drop it.”

Lachlan carried him through one of the back doors that led into the kitchen and almost ran into Imogen. She was in a satin kimono, eating toast. She took one look at them and grinned.

“Well. This will be a surprise to absolutely no one,” she said and chuckled filthy.

“It’s not what it looks like. Someone just tried to kidnap him and injected him with something. I’ve sent the recruits for the car,” Lachlan explained quickly.

Imogen’s eyes went black, and her smirk slipped into a snarl. “Who dared touch one of us?”

Lachlan had seen Imogen angry enough not to be intimidated by the changes Arawan’s magic had wrought in her, but he was always glad she was on their side.

“Some French blood mage. Said something about Sanguis Vitae. I don’t know who they are, but I have to get Apollo upstairs and dosed with an antidote.”

“Nooo, I like rainbow head,” Apollo said forlornly. He rubbed his nose against Lachlan’s neck. “Smell so good.”

The darkness seeped away from Imogen’s eyes. “Have fun with that. Here, you might need this.” She ducked into a cleaning cupboard and pulled out a bucket. She looped the handle around Lachlan’s wrist, which was tucked under Apollo’s legs.

“We will find who did this, Lachie. I promise,” she said, her eyes darkening again.

“Thanks, cousin.”

“I love you guys so much,” Apollo said, his eyes filling with tears.

“Come on, love bug,” Lachlan sighed. “Let’s get you into bed.”

He adjusted Apollo’s weight and carried him to the elevator. He usually took the stairs, but Apollo wasn’t light or small. He was also starting to wriggle, which wasn’t helping Lachlan think unsexy thoughts. Apollo was starting to doze by the time Lachlan got him into his room, set him down on the bed, and put his drink on the bedside table.

“Ohh, dizzy,” Apollo said and fell back onto the pillows.

Think unsexy thoughts, Lachlan told himself. He hurried into the bathroom, found his antidote kit, and pulled out a vial that Apollo himself had made. The label read ‘Roofies Be Gone’ with a smiley face. According to Charlotte, it helped with any kind of dosing, and Apollo had started giving extra vials of it to the Ironwoods for their hunters to carry.

“Time for your medicine, Apollo,” Lachlan said, coming closer with the vial.

Apollo pulled his face away. “Don’t want any.”

Lachlan pinned his arms above his head, and when Apollo opened his mouth to protest, he tipped the vial in. Apollo swallowed in surprise and coughed. Lachlan let him go and went to fill a cup with water.

“Drink this,” he said, offering it to Apollo.

“Dirty trick,” Apollo muttered but still had some water. He chased it with more of his icy Coke but then lay down with a groan.

Lachlan put the bucket on the floor next to the bed and started to take off Apollo’s shoes for him.

“You are going to hate me so much in the morning, but I’m not going to let anyone take you,” Lachlan said, removing one shoe. He was wearing rainbow-striped toe socks. “Gods, I wish you could not be adorable for five fucking seconds.”

“Never hate you,” Apollo murmured into the pillow.

“No?” Lachlan pulled off his other shoe and couldn’t resist running a thumb over the arch of Apollo’s foot.

“No,” Apollo giggled, moving his foot out of his hand. “Can’t have you, but can never hate you.”

Couldn’t have him? That made no sense. Lachlan had made it crystal clear at the hospital just how much he wanted him.

“Lachlan?”

“Yes, Apollo?”

“I…”Apollo’s face went white, and he leaned over and threw up in the bucket. It was bound to happen.

With a sigh, Lachlan returned to the bathroom and wet a clean face towel. He put it on the back of Apollo’s neck and held his golden curls back from his face.

“You’re going to be okay,” Lachlan said softly.

Apollo only threw up again. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Lachlan waited until Apollo was sleeping before he grabbed his laptop and set up on a couch in the sitting area that adjoined his bedroom.

As the only Ironwood male cousin, he had always had a separate space from his female ones. It was how the peace was kept. Growing up, large sections of the manor house had been locked up because there hadn’t been enough people to fill them.

Now, the place was a training grounds and a place for hunters to stay when they were in Ireland. His little set of private chambers was more important than ever.

He really wanted to sleep, but he didn’t want to in case Apollo needed him again. He had thrown up on himself, and Lachlan had to strip him out of his ruined clothes and into some of his own before putting him back in bed.

Lachlan was starting to think the gods were testing him because in his mind, the first time he got to strip Apollo out of his clothes was a lot sexier. He didn’t know what had delighted him more—the sigil tattooed under his naval or his tight boxer briefs that were the same rainbow design as his socks. He looked but he didn’t touch, and he felt like he deserved a gold star for that.

Lachlan rubbed at his eyes, groaned in frustration, and got to work. First, he sent an email to Layla, asking her if she knew anything about the Sanguis Vitae and if she could look into them.

He didn’t have her skills in researching, and Layla was keeping track of any new groups that were popping up. A lot of them were occult societies and weren’t much to worry about, but the ease with which the mage had used blood magic was still worrying. The fact they were targeting Apollo was even more so.

He was an excellent alchemist, and the Greatdrakes were famous for their abilities, especially in magical circles. He would have to ask Cosimo about them too.

They couldn’t overlook the fact that their extended family were also people of importance, and people still viewed Kian as a monster who attacked London.

Lachlan would love to see anyone try to kidnap Kian. He might know how to play nice with the government, but the Blood Prince still lingered under the surface. There wouldn’t be enough left of his attackers to bury.

Lachlan ran a hand over his tired eyes again. He needed coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

***

Ahhh let the games begin! I’ve been waiting so long to write Apollo and Lachies story and I had way too much fun writing. Expect chaos and shenanigans from the whole family.

If you would like to pre-order it you can grab it here. Us indies always appreciate it, but don’t worry it will be released on KU as per usual AND the paper backs will be out the same day because new meds make Alessa organised for once.

That’s all from me, happy reading!

Alessa x