Evangeline continued to scream and hit Apollo with her fists, hard enough that she might even leave bruises. Yet he barely felt the blows.

She’d chosen Jacks, again. She’d chosen wrong, again.

Apollo had tried to save her. He’d tried to protect her, but he hadn’t been enough. He could see that now. The spell Jacks had cast on her wasn’t going to be broken by anyone who was merely human. It was just too bad that Apollo couldn’t be human and still save her.

It didn’t take long for him to make his way back to the arch that had brought him to the clearing with the phoenix tree. He hadn’t seen Jacks coming after them through the flames, but he wasn’t feeling optimistic enough to hope that meant Jacks was dead.

But it didn’t really matter if he was alive. Apollo didn’t think Jacks would be able to use the arch on his own. He wouldn’t be able to take Evangeline away from him, not this time.

Pain sliced through Apollo at the thought.

He wished he could rip the damn protection cuff off her.

But he had expected the pain this time. And he was used to pain; he’d felt it constantly under the Archer’s curse. But this pain was much worse.

He stumbled and nearly dropped Evangeline as he went through the arch.

“Let me go!” she screamed. “Please! Please, I have to go back—” She continued to cry. “If you care for me at all, let me go!”

Apollo finally dropped her on the ground. She tried to crawl away. But he was larger and stronger. He grabbed her by the ankle and yanked hard enough that she landed on her stomach. The pain that lashed through him this time was nearly blinding. But it took only one pull to make her fall. Then he used his body to keep her immobile as he reached for the shackles he’d attached to his belt.

“No!”

“Calm down, darling.” He shackled her arms first, behind her back. “Don’t do this!” she screamed and thrashed, kicking both legs wildly.

She got him in the shoulder once. But then he managed to grab her and bind both legs at the ankles.

He immediately stumbled away once it was done. The pain was nearly unbearable now. Apollo doubled over and retched at the side of the tunnel where he’d brought her.

He thought about leaving her there. He wasn’t sure how much more pain he could handle. And he wasn’t even certain he needed her there with him.

But he still loved her. He looked at her, bound on the ground, pink hair clinging to her cheeks as she cried. She’d betrayed him and broken his heart, but if she had only a few minutes left on this earth, he wanted them to be together.

“Don’t worry, my sweet, soon enough this will all be over,” he whispered. Then he picked her up once again and carried her in his arms.