Read Deer in Headlights (Hearts and Arrows 1) (Good god series) for Free Online Page B

into her lap and absently fiddled with the tassels. “Lex is a perfect match for him. She’s never been in love, so when it happens with Dean, it’s going to hit her like a freight train.”
    “The love train?”
    “Yes, filled up with chocolates, stuffed animals, and bad poetry. If I had to bet, which I realize we are, I’d say they’re perfect for each other.”
    “Well,” Perry licked her fingers as she held the donut gingerly in her other hand, “you happen to be the universal expert on the subject, so I can’t say that I’m surprised. Devil’s advocate, since that’s technically what I am, what if Apollo wins?”
    “Do I have to think about that?” Dita shifted in her seat.
    “I think it would be prudent.”
    “Well, I’ve beaten him hundreds of times before, so my track record should speak for itself.”
    “You do own the competition pretty fiercely, Dita, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare yourself, just in case.”
    “It’s kind of hard to prepare for losing when you haven’t done it in three thousand years.”
    Perry eyed her. “Try.”
    Dita sighed. “I don’t know. I can’t forget that look in his eyes. Maybe he’ll give me a run for my money this time. Our little feud has gotten to him, but it’s gotten to me too.”
    “You’re not one to forget.”
    “No, I’m not. How can I forgive him? He murdered Adonis.” Dita shook her head. “If he wins, I guess I have to give up a token, but I can’t imagine what our lives will be like if I do.”  
    Perry watched her silently, but Dita didn’t notice. She stared across the room at nothing in particular as her thoughts drifted back in time to the day that forever changed her life.

    The day that their feud began, Aphrodite sat under an old, gnarled olive tree in a small clearing in the woods of old Greece, waiting for Adonis. They always met in a valley that seemed to bloom with wildflowers, no matter the season. Poppies dotted the green grass that swayed in the breeze and climbed the walls of the mountains that surrounded the quiet place. The sky was blue and clear, and two fat little pipits landed nearby, chirping their small song.  
    They flew away together, weaving around each other until she could see them no longer.
    “My goddess,” Adonis said, his voice full of awe, “how lovely you are, always, but today especially so.”
    Her white robes billowed behind her as she made her way into his arms. “My love.”
    Adonis leaned back and brushed her hair from her face. “Hello, dearest.”
    She smiled up at him and ran a hand through his golden hair that hung in curls around his angular face. It was said that he was the most beautiful man ever created, which was the truth. Her eyes traced his blond brow over crisp blue eyes, then followed the line of his perfect nose to the steep slope of his generous lips as he smiled.
    “My goddess,” he said, “what have I ever done to deserve the grace of your affection?”
    “Just existing is enough.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, “I will hold you forever.”
    “Forever is long for a mortal such as I.”  
    Aphrodite pulled away, her mood sullen in an instant. She took a seat under the tree again and picked a star-shaped crocus from the grass. “Forever is the blink of an eye, if you would only drink nectar.” She twiddled the stem of the small violet flower between her thumb and forefinger, and it spun around wildly, flying in a blur as she avoided his eyes, trying not to sound impertinent.
    Adonis inspected his fingernails. “I will, when I am ready. I have not experienced living enough to settle into eternity.”
    That is true enough , she thought. At twenty-three, he had been alive for only a moment in time, and they had only been together for a few short years of that. Humans were fragile creatures, and the thought of losing him so soon after having him for her own was almost too much to bear.  
    They had argued over the matter