What if he doesn’t believe me?
It was impossible, after all.
***
She was taking too long. With a satisfied groan, Arsenius crawled off the sleeping furs. Rolling his stiff shoulders, he plodded in the direction Kyme had gone. He winced at how sore he was—from her beating, from the energy bolt, and from…that.
His grimace curved into a grin as he recalled everything they’d done together last night. Aye, any ache in his body was well worth the pleasure. He swore he’d never experienced such intimacy before. Not his insatiable lust, nor her matching burning passion. She was perfect for him.
He’d not told Kyme the entire truth about her electric shock. It wasn’t as pleasant as he’d claimed. He’d eaten the energy, but it had hurt. Yet somehow, the pain eased him. He thirsted after that release, just as he’d enjoyed being beaten by Thereus.
Aye, he and Kyme were made for each other. Meant to be together. The only question remaining was… For how long?
He wasn’t going to fool himself. Just because she’d submitted to him last night did not mean she intended to stay with him. Kyme had a life—one she’d been ready to return to.
Her obligations would always win. He wouldn’t take her family from her. They were part of why he loved her.
Their time together was limited. He could wallow in this miserable fact, or enjoy every second he had with her.
Arsenius chose the latter. His tortuous past had taught him to savor every moment of peace, of joy. Besides, he wouldn’t surrender her entirely. He’d beg for those two months with her every year. Even if he had to sink to his knees in front of her Queen. He grimaced. Hippolyta would love that.
He brushed aside a branch and the instant he spotted Kyme bathing in the pond, his cock hardened. He shook his head at the effect she had on him, on his body.
Water droplets shimmered like diamonds as they cascaded down her bare skin. The early morning sun’s rays illuminated her form. At the water’s edge, he savored every detail. The patter of the water trickling, like Elysium’s favored instrument. The mists swirling at the edges of the pond, hiding against the sun.
Kyme. Her damp hair clung to and curled around her body. A body he’d loved so very well the night before.
She pivoted and he was caught, so he grinned at her and waded toward her. He didn’t miss her blush and wide eyes, or the way she gasped as he pressed his erection into her belly.
“You can’t want to again.”
“Amazone, with you I could live for nothing else.”
She laughed and splashed him. “You need the cold water even more than I.” She flashed him a smile and strolled to the shore.
“Nay, don’t leave me.” He grabbed her and gripped her body against his. “Mayhap there are boars or wolves nearby.” He chuckled to distract her from the sincerity of his words.
In truth, he asked for more than her to not quit the pond. Guard your heart, fool. You cannot cause her to run again.
No, he couldn’t use his emotions to make her stay, but he could exploit hers. Arsenius tensed and engaged his assault. “Help me find my sister.”
From the way she no longer squirmed in his arms, he must have won. “I’m not… No longer chaste.”
“Verily? Aye, I hadn’t noticed.” He grinned and she slammed her elbow into his side.
“Your buyer,” she cleared her throat, “will not be satisfied with me any longer.”
“My buyer can remain ignorant. All I need is an audience.” He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “You’re my passage in. Will you help me?”
She twisted about in his arms, facing him. “What if your buyer decides to purchase me?”
A growl rumbled in his chest. “That won’t happen. To make sure it doesn’t, I’m redeeming a favor.”
“A favor?” Her fingertips traced swirling patterns across his chest.
“Hmm?” he murmured, his lips preoccupied with her neck. “Aye, some reinforcements.”
She arched her back to expose more of her neck. “And afterward?”
He summoned his control to coat his voice in apathy. “Afterward, I’ll return you to your people, with my thanks. With your permission, I’ll visit you in the spring.” His words stung his throat, because they weren’t what he yearned to declare.
I’ll marry you, we’ll have a dozen children, and live in extreme happiness together for the next thousand years or so.
He swallowed his promises. Uttering them would be like presenting his heart on a silver platter.
And Kyme didn’t want it.
***
His words were so distant, Kyme doubted everything she’d sensed before.
A bonded male would never renounce his mate, not for a day. Certainly not for ten months of every year.
What if he doesn’t love me? He’d spoken those words in the passion of their lovemaking. Perhaps he hadn’t truly meant them.
“Very well, I shall help you.” She matched his even tone.
Shrugging out of his embrace, she waded to the shore, rubbing her arms against the cold bite of his words. What if she’d been mistaken about his bonding mark? What did an Amazon know of bonded males, anyway?
Three days ago, she would have been elated. He was offering her everything she’d wished for. Now, the notion of him not loving her left her with far more chills than cold indifference.
Kyme squeezed back tears and squatted beside their makeshift bed. She wrinkled her nose as she examined the tatters of her dress.
Arsenius joined her, his demeanor thawed. He chuckled at her and tossed her a sack. Inside, she glimpsed food, water, and clothing for both of them. He’d planned this all along, certain he’d catch her.
She wasn’t sure whether to be indignant or flattered. His warmth eased her concerns for the moment, and she smiled back at him. After removing a tunic, she drew the garment over her head.
An apple rolled out of the bag and she snatched it. Her stomach twisting, she took a bite, and another, finishing it off. Her stomach rumbled in delight. She’d barely eaten in the past few days and her enthusiasm didn’t slow as she rummaged through the bag, stuffing delicious morsels into her mouth. She paid no attention to Arsenius until her appetite was sated. Glancing up, she grasped he’d been watching her the entire time.
“Forgive me.” Her cheeks flushed hot with embarrassment.
The crinkling in the corners of his eyes wasn’t from disgust or anger. No, much closer to empathy. As a slave, how many times had he gone without nourishment? Her stomach suddenly was too full and she recoiled from the food.
“I shouldn’t have. Are you hungry?” She arched a brow and offered him a chunk of dried meat. His eyes filled with tenderness as he sank beside her. He cradled her face in his hands.
“Nay, do not apologize. I should never have forced this upon you. I should never have—” Though Kyme was desperate to hear the end of his sentence, he wasn’t going to share it, not with her. His shoulders tensed, closing her off.
He grabbed the sack, tugged out his clothes, and dressed. “Come, it’s time for us to return. The others will be waiting.”
She slipped her hand inside his. They gathered their belongings and mounted his horse. As he wrapped his arms around her, Kyme vowed, somehow, she’d gather the courage to speak those monumental words.
Chapter Thirty-two
“Will you tell me about the day Lena was abducted?” On the ride back to Halcyon, Kyme questioned Arsenius about his sister. “I might be able to discern some clue as to who took her.”
His body tensed behind her. “I awoke in the middle of the night to the ringing of the alarms in the courtyard. The guards on my estate were shouting and scrambling to extinguish several fires. I ran for my sister’s chamber, across the corridor from mine. When I entered, she was gone. The bedding was ruffled, so…” His voice drifted off and she remained silent, giving him a moment to collect himself. “I knew she had slept.
“A band of human males burst in
to the room. Though I’d grabbed my sword, I was no match for them, then. I had been born with the name Aden—I was a gentleman, not a warrior.”
Her brows drew together at his confession. She hadn’t known he’d altered his identity, though she understood why. It didn’t matter, for he would always be Arsenius to her.
“I was thirty years old and barely a man. I cursed my father every day for denying me my morphos.” He shrugged as though he didn’t care, but the admission likely stung even more than the truth.
“The humans captured you?” Twisting around, she placed a hand on his arm.
“Aye,” he replied, his voice rough. “They bound and sold me to a galley ship. Six months later, the owner died and his son had no interest in the family business. We were auctioned off.”
According to Thereus, Arsenius’s human masters had him petitioning to return to the galleys. She dared not ask more about the last three months of his enslavement. Neither of them wished to envision his depraved masters. “Do you suspect humans stole Lena as well?”
“I pray not.”
Kyme hugged his arms around herself in an effort to soothe his past. “Lena is fortunate to have you.”
The iron cage around her constricted, and she regretted her words. Arsenius blamed himself for what happened. Even though it hadn’t been his fault.
Her heart aching for her tormented warrior, she stroked his arms, smoothing away the shame of his past. In an effort to distract him, she decided to reveal more about her past. Before, she’d been forced not to disclose her secrets. Now, nothing lay hidden between them.
Nothing except her affection.
“My mother died when I was four.”
“I am sorry for your loss.” His words were murmured kisses on the top of her head.
She pressed her cheek against his chest, the dark scent of him easing her words to roll off her tongue. “Do not be. I never wanted for a mother’s affection. Queen Hippolyta and my birth mother were close, so when she passed, the Queen cared for me.”
His chest rumbled beneath her cheek, proof that words had passed between him and her godmother, but she didn’t dare ask what.
Arsenius did not elaborate.
“Of course, I never knew anything about my father.” She shrugged. “I was always an exemplary warrior, and so when I passed my initiation, Artemis attended the ceremony. It was the first and only time I’ve ever met the goddess. She was so lovely.” Kyme smiled at the memory.
“Afterward, the goddess drew me aside and questioned me. My answers must have satisfied her, for she made me swear another oath to her, in exchange for my gift…” A lump in her throat prevented any further speech. She’d believed she’d renounced her gift for Arsenius, but her powers remained. Never had Kyme been so impatient for the Moon to appear, for her questions to be answered.
Nightfall approached and they made camp. As she secured the perimeter, Kyme stole glances at Arsenius. She was grateful for this time alone with him. Closing her eyes, it was tempting to imagine what a life with him would be like. In his presence, she was at ease, and yet any time he sent her that piercing look, with hungry, heated eyes, their passion became an electricity in the air. Would her need for his touch destroy her?
They roasted a hare over the fire as the stars emerged. The Moon rose high in the sky and Kyme shifted restlessly next to Arsenius. This was the perfect moment to declare her affection. When it was just the two of them. Before they had to face the world once more.
She placed her hand in his, sparks and warmth surging through her veins. Her lips parted, three small words hovered on the edge of her tongue.
“I must consult my goddess.” Angling her head aside, she cursed the cowardice of her heart. Her feet, however, eagerly jumped at the chance to be spared this humiliation.
Arsenius cleared his throat. “I do not think that is wise, Kyme.”
“I’ll return soon,” she promised him, hoping it was the truth. With gods, one never knew.
“At least allow me to stand guard.”
She shook her head. After a few moments alone, she’d gather enough courage to coax her tongue again. She glided in front of him and bent to place her hands on his shoulders. “I must go alone.”
“Very well, but you’ll probably be needing this.” He plucked an object from the pocket of his breeches.
My ring.
He scowled at her as he slipped the ring onto her finger, but her will was firm. Arsenius was the foundation of this issue. She refused to risk the goddess’s wrath further.
Kyme strode through the trees, into an open meadow. Kneeling in the Moonlight, instead of uttering her usual incantation, she sent up a different plea.
“Great Artemis, please show yourself to your humble servant. I am in need of your infinite wisdom.” Gods loved flattery, after all.
She waited in the forest for more than a quarter of an hour, before a burst of verdant light lit the trees around her. The illumination dimmed and shimmered into the form of a goddess.
Artemis. With lush dark curls brushing her waist and iridescent jade eyes, she was tall, lean, and muscular. Feminine yet capable. Just like the Amazons who served her.
A faint green glow the color of new foliage framed her as she spoke. “Kyme, my child. Might I presume this is about your gift?”
Ah, wise goddess.
“Yes.” She bowed her head.
“Your answer is clear, my child. You may keep your powers so long as you retain his love.”
She drew her brows together in confusion. “Why?” She clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle her question. The gods took great offense at bold demands.
The smile on her goddess’s face flickered. “Many things are above the conception of mortal minds.”
A tremor shook Kyme’s body. Cold sweat beaded her forehead. Her mouth grew dry, unable even to ask for forgiveness.
“A time of great peril approaches,” the goddess continued, her tone indulgent. “I cannot afford my Amazon numbers to dwindle further.”
Air rushed into Kyme’s lungs, stilling her trembling. Artemis overlooked her offense.
“I am pleased you have chosen a Son of Ares as your mate. Your children will be great warriors for our cause.”
Our cause?
Kyme lifted her head, but pressed her lips firm before she asked yet another impertinent question.
The goddess’s warm smile turned fierce. “Mistake me not, my child. This male, and this male alone, I permit you.”
“Yes, my goddess,” she squeaked, her constricted throat threatening to block her speech.
“You have served me well these past years, Kyme.” The goddess met her gaze. “When the time comes, you must embrace your true path.”
Before she was able to distinguish the emotion clouding Artemis’s jade eyes, she vanished. Kyme twisted her hands in her lap. She’d anticipated her mistress would be angry, not pleased. That prophecy had left her with more questions than answers, but she didn’t dare summon Artemis back. The warrior goddess’s wrath was not a fury she sought to experience.
Ares was sacred to the Amazons as well, so perhaps the gods had come to an arrangement. After all, Kyme and Arsenius were providing a great deal of entertainment for them.
So long as you retain his love.
The words caused her to smile brightly. Arsenius did love her. He simply guarded his heart. He’d exposed his affection once, and she was sure it would slip again. All she need do was wait for that moment and declare her love after he did. Cowardly, but Arsenius likely wouldn’t mind.
What of the goddess’s last words? Kyme frowned as she mulled over this riddle.
What, precisely, is my true path?
***
Many times on the trip back to Halcyon, Arsenius perceived Kyme was on the verge of speaking, only she’d bite her bottom lip and shift away, the words never spoken.
Last night, he’d prodded her again and again, but she refused to tell him what had passed between her and her
goddess. It mattered not. He would release her. In a few short hours, they’d arrive at his buyer’s location. He’d receive the information he sought and it would be done.
No more Kyme. At least, not until next spring. He rubbed his bonding mark.
Their time together could not be over. Like a petulant child, his inner self repeated, Nay, not yet. Not yet.
He wished for an excuse, any reason to delay, but already weeks had passed. It was time to finish this.
If only she reciprocated his love, he’d possess the fuel to never let her go. She would be his and the world be damned.
They’d fight together. They’d overcome his curse, the fury of her Queen, any obstacle.
Because they’d be together.
Arsenius shook off those volatile thoughts. He’d experienced too much of the tangible world to ever become a dreamer. Dreams were for those not cursed by the gods.
Contentment and peace were not in the future of Arsenius, born Aden, son of Ares and Elektra, former slave, now slaver.
Around noon, they approached the western entrance of Halcyon and passed through the boundary wards. The first part of his plan necessitated seeking out Nazrin. The winged male brothers owed him a favor and it was time to collect the debt.
It was obvious those two were full-blooded sons—with both parents as gods. They’d most likely been raised in the company of divinity, and therefore comprehended a great deal more about those celestial beings than Arsenius did. He required someone capable of negotiating with a god.
In this case, a goddess.
For his client was Persephone.
While not considered one of the twelve Olympians, Persephone was nonetheless powerful. And she was married to the fearsome Hades, Lord of the Underworld.
Of the three ruling gods, Hades was the brother of Zeus and Poseidon. When they overthrew their father, Cronus, the three divided the realms. Poseidon won the oceans and Zeus the earth, as well as becoming the Supreme Ruler of the gods and humans. Hades drew the short lot and ended up with the Underworld, where he reigned over the souls of the dead.
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