Page 73 of Axios
Quill bumped his arm. “Swallow your food before you speak.”
“Kiss my arse. You aren’t my mother,” Theon countered, bumping Quill back. Then he looked at Haden and repeated his question.
“Nervous about what specifically?” Haden inquired, although by the expression on his face, I was certain he already knew.
“About bedding her!”
“At last, you will know a woman’s touch,” Quill added, nodding fervently. “I have heard other men speak of sex by saying women are very wet… you know, down there between their legs. Like oil.”
I grimaced and pushed my plate away, no longer having an appetite. Sexual intimacy was a thing all individuals eventually experienced in their lives. Natural and expected. Yet, I did not wish to hear such things of my sister.
Fortunately, the conversation shifted away from Leanna and to the army that had just returned to Sparta.
Nikias—our former trainer and man I greatly admired—had been amongst them. The jagged scar on his face was now paired with another across his left eyebrow and he walked with a noticeable limp. But he was alive and well. The limp he carried would prevent him from future battles as a hoplite soldier. Which for a Spartan, perhaps he might’ve preferred death to a life as a cripple.
“There is to be a celebration in honor of their return,” Theon said. “A night of dancing and festivity. We should attend.”
“Yes, Haden need not be the only one getting his prick wet tonight,” Quill added, earning chuckles from the men around him. All except for Theon, who glowered and looked in the other direction. “Perhaps I can discover how wet and soft a woman truly is.”
And that was precisely what he did.
Not long after the celebrations had begun, he sought out a woman, and I caught them kissing and groping each other near the stables before sneaking off together. Theon watched after them and then stormed off to where Ian and Melias stood.
I did not know why he seemed so angry. Was he jealous that his best friend had his attention elsewhere? Or possibly, he was just in a foul mood and it had nothing to do with Quill. Whatever the reason, I did not think on it much longer.
I was enjoying my time—and trying to distract myself from what I knew was happening between Haden and Leanna.
Eryx and I sat by the fire for the majority of the night and listened to the men tell stories of their time in battle.
They spoke of such atrocities that my stomach turned. Villages being burnt—women and children along with them. One man told of how he had stood beside another man and watched as a sword was thrust into the man’s neck, of how he would never forget the screams of the men being slaughtered around him.
Eryx did not seem bothered. He leaned forward with interest, hanging on to every word the soldiers said. No matter how gory the details or how horrid the actions, he eagerly listened and often asked questions once they were finished talking.
“You should’ve seen the king,” another man said before taking a drink. “Agesipolis might be quiet, but when he is on the battlefield… he is a man to be feared. He laid siege on one city, and the city’s walls were high and the crops had just been gathered, so the people would’ve been able to hold off for a while. But no. The king had the idea to block off the main river near their city and caused it to flow right into their wall. After a while, the water weakened the wall and put the lower ground of the town underwater, leaving them no choice but to surrender.”
I listened, amazed, as he spoke of the king. I imagined the AgesipolisIknew as he talked, trying to fit the two men together. The kind man and the aggressor.
Eryx, on the other hand, appeared irritated at the mention of the king. I couldn’t hold it against him. If he had kissed another, and I was forced to listen to stories about the man, I’d probably look as if I wanted to kill something too.
I reached and clutched his hand.
He met my stare and exhaled. The dark expression in his eyes was replaced with determination. And love. He squeezed my hand before turning back to the men and asking further questions about the war.
I lost interest in the conversation and tuned into the smells around me: cooking meat, the fire, and a floral scent that wafted in from the nearby meadow of flowers. I also reveled in the feel of Eryx’s hand in mine, knowing that as long as he was by my side, I could endure anything.
***
The next day, we awoke and immediately gathered around Haden. He had his beefy arms covering his face as he slept. Quill kicked at his legs, and Haden jolted awake. His red-rimmed eyes were telling that he’d gotten very little sleep, as was the scowl he wore.
“Why do you all stare?” He groaned and glared at us.
“How was it?” Quill asked. “Do you feel different now that you’re married? Did they shave Leanna’s hair off? When did you return to the barracks?”
Eryx slapped the back of Quill’s head, rolling his eyes. “Let the man answer one question before you ask another. Plus, if memory serves me right, you bedded a woman last night, so why you’re so eager to hear tales of it astounds me.”
Quill responded by scoffing at Eryx.
Haden rubbed at his eyes and sat up. “It was…” He shrugged. “I do not know how to describe it, and even if I did, I would not tell you fools about it. All you need to know is it was the best night of my existence, and it nearly killed me to have to leave her there and come back to all of your ugly faces.”
