Bleed For Me by Cynthia Eden

Chapter One
    Oh, how the mighty had fucking fallen.
    Apollo drained his whiskey in a gulp and slammed the
empty glass back on the scarred bar top.
    Humans buzzed around him. Laughing, talking, and
making themselves at home in the hovel that his brother Ares called
a bar.
    Once, Apollo had lived in golden luxury, his every
single whim instantly met by the thousands who worshipped him.
    Now, humans worshipped their technology. The gods
were gone. Their power just a myth…or so the humans thought.
    The bar in New Olympus, Florida, seemed just like any
other along the small strip. At least, that was the way the place
dubbed Hades appeared to those who didn’t know how to look for the
truth. Humans were packed inside the place, yes, but there was
magic inside the bar as well.
    Gods and goddesses often slipped inside Hades,
enjoying their chance to mix and mingle with humans. Humans might
have forgotten the ancient power of the gods, but that didn’t mean
that the gods had forgotten
them.
    We do love to play with you.
    And Apollo was in the mood to play. Unfortunately,
this night was proving to be as boring for him as the others that
had passed before it in the last century. So many days. So many
nights.
    He sat there, gaze drifting toward the door, his body
was curiously tense. Energy hummed just beneath the surface of his
flesh.
    And then
she
walked in the door of Hades.
Midnight black hair, glistening red lips. One look, and Apollo knew
that he wanted her.
    What a god wanted, he took. Some rules didn’t change,
no matter how much time passed.
    The woman sauntered across the room, moving slowly on
two inch black heels. She wore a skin-tight leather dress that
molded to her high breasts, clung to her slim hips, and barely
brushed the top of her thighs. The tempting expanse of her legs
drew his gaze. Pale, perfect legs. Legs that he couldn’t wait to
feel, wrapped around him and holding to him as he thrust deep into
her body.
    Damn. She was a pretty thing. With wide, dark eyes,
high cheekbones, and a straight little nose. Her chin pointed just
enough to stop her from being
too
perfect. Apollo had
never liked perfection.
    And her lips…so red. So full. Her lower lip was
slightly fuller than the top, and he had the strongest urge to
cross the room and kiss that pouting lip. To suck it. He wondered
what her lips would feel like beneath his mouth. Hmm…how would she
taste?
    Perhaps he should go find out.
    Apollo shoved away from the bar and began to stalk
his prey. Other men had noticed her, and they were already closing
in, but he didn’t really mind the competition. Once the lady in
black saw him, she’d forget the others.
    Women wanted him, they always had. Hell, he wasn’t
the fucking sun god for nothing.
    He strode through the crowd, waving his fingers and
shooing the others out of his path with merely a thought. Then he
was in front of her, less than a foot away, close enough to smell
the light scent of jasmine that clung to her skin.
    He smiled, deliberately stretching his lips to
showcase his dimples. Several nymphs had told him that he had
fabulous dimples. “Hello, my love. Welcome to Hades.” Or, as close
to the underworld as he planned to get anytime soon.
    The woman blinked at him but her expression remained
perfectly blank.
    Ooohhh.
His cock tightened. A challenge.
It’d been far too long since he had a challenge.
    She inclined her head slightly. “Hades…is this your
bar?” A slight southern drawl coated her husky words.
    He liked her voice. It was a voice he could imagine
hearing in the darkness. “Ah…” What had she said? “It’s my
brother’s place.” Good thing he’d decided to wander in tonight.
Boredom could be such a bitch.
    The woman nodded, a vague, polite gesture. And tried
to brush past him.
    Uh,
no.
    He caught her arm and took a moment to admire the
soft, silken feel of her skin beneath his fingers. “I’m
Apollo.”
    Her eyes—at first he’d thought they were black, but
now he saw