An unseen force picked him up from the floor and flung him against the wall. The breath left him as he was pinned to the wall, a good ten feet above the ground.
The woman glared at him. "I should kill you."
"Please do so."
Artemis withheld the final god bolt that would have sent this human straight to Tartarus where he belonged, and let him fall to the ground. She'd never met anyone who didn't know her on sight. Never met anyone who couldn't feel her unearthly presence and god powers and yet this human seemed immune to them.
She watched as he pushed himself to his feet and stood defiantly before her. He was a handsome young man. She'd give him that. His face was flawless in its beauty. Dark blond brows slashed over swirling silver eyes that were searing with their hatred. No one had ever dared give her such a look.
His long blond wavy hair framed his features to perfection. It appeared softer than down and was every bit as inviting.
And his body . . . It was lean and well muscled. Tanned. Gorgeous. There was something about it that made her mouth water for a taste of him. Never in her life had she felt such an incredible pull toward any man.
More than that, he was taller than she, a mortal rarity that she appreciated.
"Have you any idea who I am?" she asked him.
"Judging from your anger and what you just did to me, I would assume you're Artemis."
So, he wasn't stupid after all.
"Then bow down and apologize."
Instead, he offered her an intense look that caused her stomach to flutter. He walked toward her with an arrogant swagger that made his entire body ripple like a panther's. A foreign aching need pounded through her. She didn't understand what she felt, but whatever it was, it left her breathless and weak.
He laid his warm hand against her cheek as he stared down at her face with those beguiling eyes that seemed to hypnotize her. "So, you're a goddess," he said, his voice thick as he boldly examined her. His pupils dilated . . .
Her stomach tightened even more. His nearness was searing. His eyes riveting.
She'd never felt anything like this.
Before she realized what he intended, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
Artemis couldn't breathe as she tasted him. Part of her was outraged that he would dare such, but another, alien part of her was thrilled by the unexpected sensation of his lips on hers. Of his tongue exploring her mouth.
His arms surrounded her as he pulled her closer to him.
Her head spun as he pulled back slightly and trailed his lips from her mouth to her neck. Chills swept over her, and at the same time an incredible heat built inside her. All she wanted was to pull him closer . . .
To feel every inch of his body.
He made an appreciative noise against her skin that made her ache. "You do taste divine."
He dropped to his knees before her.
"What are you doing?" she asked as he lifted one of her feet into his hands. She didn't understand what was going on. It was as if she had no control of herself. This . . . creature compelled her in a way that was wholly unnatural.
He looked up at her and her stomach felt as if it were turning over. "Kissing your feet, goddess. Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?"
Well, yes, but as he nibbled her instep she couldn't suppress a deep moan of pleasure. Artemis leaned back against the wall as his mouth worked magic on the sensitive tendons of her foot.
She'd never known such a rich, deep burn deep in her blood. And he didn't stop with her feet, he trailed his lips up her leg, to the back of her knee.
Artemis struggled to breathe.
Then he moved his mouth higher.
"What are you doing now?" she gasped as his warm breath fell against her buttocks.
"I'm kissing your ass. Isn't that people are supposed to do?"
"Not like that."
She groaned as he nibbled her high on her buttocks. She should stop him. He had no right to touch her like this and yet she didn't want this to end. It felt too good.
He nudged her legs farther apart.
With a mind of their own, her legs obeyed him. Artemis looked down to see him with his eyes closed as he tormented her with pleasure.
She felt his hands on her as he touched her where no man had ever touched her before. His fingers ran down her cleft, making her burn even more before he took her into his mouth.
Reaching down, she buried her hand in his hair as he tasted her.
Her senses went wild as she surrendered herself to him and the licks he gave that sent her careening to an unimaginable height. Every one sent a white hot shiver through her. Her throat went dry an instant before her body burst apart.
Artemis cried out as she experienced her first orgasm.
Terrified and embarrassed, she vanished.
Acheron sat on the floor in stunned disbelief. The taste and smell of Artemis permeated his senses. His body burned with aching need.
He'd never really tasted desire before. His body had always reacted to being stimulated by others or by drugs, but he'd never really wanted to touch someone.
Until now.
Now he wanted a woman . . . no, he wanted a goddess and that made no sense to him.
He laughed bitterly. "The least you could have done was kill me, Artemis," he shouted. That had been his only intent when he'd first approached her.
But the moment he'd touched her, he'd felt real desire.
Unable to fathom that, he wiped his mouth and pushed himself to his feet. Turning around, he looked up at her statue which bore no resemblance to her whatsoever. He gave her a sarcastic salute.
His body strangely hungry, he left the temple and made the long walk back to the palace alone. And with every step he took, his anger built even higher than it'd been before.
It was eerily silent as he walked through the marbled corridors of his father's home with no destination in mind. Everyone had gone to see Ryssa's sacrifice. He wondered idly if it would work. If Apollo's favor could be swayed from the Atlanteans to the Greeks,
Not that he cared. Neither the Atlanteans nor the Apollites had been any kinder to him than the Greeks had been.
All any of them wanted to do was fuck him.