Read Online APOLLO RISING (The Apollo Saga, Book 1) by Sage Arroway - Free Book Online
Authors: Sage Arroway
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started, realizing that his only chance of release was to open up, “I don’t really have any control when the wolf takes over. I’m still me, you know, but more like a car, and when the change happens, the wolf’s driving.”
She leaned forward in her chair; her brow was furrowed. “Does it hurt?”
“At first, yeah. Especially when I fight it.” Surprised at how easily he’d said that, he carried on, “There’s never been a welcomed change, that’s for sure.”
Allie nodded in agreement, “Makes sense.”
“But after that, I’m just idle and it does what it wants and then I come back. It’s not really complex, it just wants to do what wolves do.”
By this time she was sitting on the edge of her seat. “And what do wolves want to do, exactly?”
“They’re animals. They like to kill, they need eat, they want to…” he paused, feeling a powerful wave of awkwardness come over him.
“They want what?” she pressed.
This is why I don’t like talking about this , he thought. “I’d rather not say.”
“Just tell me,” she insisted, waiving his choice to be polite.
Hesitating, he whispered softly, “You know, to… fuck .”
Allie waited a full five seconds before she broke out in another fit of laughter. “You’re kidding!” she said, once she was able to talk again.
He shook his head. “It’s not like that,” he disputed, even though he wasn’t totally sure what it was like. “It’s more like if you take away all the thinking, planning, reasoning we do all the time as people. And pump yourself full of rage and hunger. And that’s all you are, teeth and claws, fueled by basic animal instinct.”
“You make it sound so glamorous,” she said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
“Yeah, it keeps the whole rockstar thing from going to my head,” he joked. Taking advantage of the reduced tension, he tried his luck once more. “ Now will you untie me?”
She smiled, a soft but stern grin, “Not yet, Rockstar. I’m not done.”
Again, he relented while she continued her questioning.
“Have you ever tried to control it?”
“Control it? What do you mean?”
She lifted the shotgun from her lap and sat it on the bed behind her. Tyler took that as a good sign.
“You said you can’t control it. Have you ever tried?”
His eyes widened. “Why would I want to?”
“Well,” she began slowly, seeming to choose each word with deliberation, “maybe the wolf doesn’t always have to drive.”
The image of him pushing the wolf out of the driver’s seat made him laugh. “I don’t know about that, but if I ever find a werewolf who’s willing to scoot over, I’ll be sure to ask him to.”
“I’m serious,” she insisted. “Have you tried? Maybe if you learn how to control it, you don’t have to let it control you.”
“It’s not that simple,” he argued. “Look, I don’t expect you to understand. But when you’re like this—me—you just do the best you can. You keep track of the lunar cycle and make sure you’re alone when you change. And…” he paused, gazing into Allie’s big brown eyes, “hope that when you wake up, you haven’t hurt anyone you care about.”
She was silent for a few minutes more before asking another question. “So who shot you?”
Breaking his stare, “Honestly, I don’t know who they were.”
“They?”
He nodded. “Yeah, there were three of them. I’m pretty sure they drugged me. I woke up in some kind of warehouse and the next thing I know, they’re beating the hell out of me.”
“You’re lucky they didn’t kill you,” she remarked.
“It wasn’t for lack of trying.”
“They never said who they were?”
Tyler had been thinking about that, but he wasn’t any closer to knowing who they were than Allie was. Though he had a suspicion. “I’m pretty sure they were werewolves, too.”
“Really? What makes you so sure?”
“At first I thought they might be the Mafia, but something they kept asking me...." He
She leaned forward in her chair; her brow was furrowed. “Does it hurt?”
“At first, yeah. Especially when I fight it.” Surprised at how easily he’d said that, he carried on, “There’s never been a welcomed change, that’s for sure.”
Allie nodded in agreement, “Makes sense.”
“But after that, I’m just idle and it does what it wants and then I come back. It’s not really complex, it just wants to do what wolves do.”
By this time she was sitting on the edge of her seat. “And what do wolves want to do, exactly?”
“They’re animals. They like to kill, they need eat, they want to…” he paused, feeling a powerful wave of awkwardness come over him.
“They want what?” she pressed.
This is why I don’t like talking about this , he thought. “I’d rather not say.”
“Just tell me,” she insisted, waiving his choice to be polite.
Hesitating, he whispered softly, “You know, to… fuck .”
Allie waited a full five seconds before she broke out in another fit of laughter. “You’re kidding!” she said, once she was able to talk again.
He shook his head. “It’s not like that,” he disputed, even though he wasn’t totally sure what it was like. “It’s more like if you take away all the thinking, planning, reasoning we do all the time as people. And pump yourself full of rage and hunger. And that’s all you are, teeth and claws, fueled by basic animal instinct.”
“You make it sound so glamorous,” she said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
“Yeah, it keeps the whole rockstar thing from going to my head,” he joked. Taking advantage of the reduced tension, he tried his luck once more. “ Now will you untie me?”
She smiled, a soft but stern grin, “Not yet, Rockstar. I’m not done.”
Again, he relented while she continued her questioning.
“Have you ever tried to control it?”
“Control it? What do you mean?”
She lifted the shotgun from her lap and sat it on the bed behind her. Tyler took that as a good sign.
“You said you can’t control it. Have you ever tried?”
His eyes widened. “Why would I want to?”
“Well,” she began slowly, seeming to choose each word with deliberation, “maybe the wolf doesn’t always have to drive.”
The image of him pushing the wolf out of the driver’s seat made him laugh. “I don’t know about that, but if I ever find a werewolf who’s willing to scoot over, I’ll be sure to ask him to.”
“I’m serious,” she insisted. “Have you tried? Maybe if you learn how to control it, you don’t have to let it control you.”
“It’s not that simple,” he argued. “Look, I don’t expect you to understand. But when you’re like this—me—you just do the best you can. You keep track of the lunar cycle and make sure you’re alone when you change. And…” he paused, gazing into Allie’s big brown eyes, “hope that when you wake up, you haven’t hurt anyone you care about.”
She was silent for a few minutes more before asking another question. “So who shot you?”
Breaking his stare, “Honestly, I don’t know who they were.”
“They?”
He nodded. “Yeah, there were three of them. I’m pretty sure they drugged me. I woke up in some kind of warehouse and the next thing I know, they’re beating the hell out of me.”
“You’re lucky they didn’t kill you,” she remarked.
“It wasn’t for lack of trying.”
“They never said who they were?”
Tyler had been thinking about that, but he wasn’t any closer to knowing who they were than Allie was. Though he had a suspicion. “I’m pretty sure they were werewolves, too.”
“Really? What makes you so sure?”
“At first I thought they might be the Mafia, but something they kept asking me...." He
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