Page 55 of Axios

I had woken early and came to see her, needing her to answer the questions that had troubled my sleep the night before.

“Well, go on with it,” she said, clearly uncomfortable of my scrutiny. “What is it you want to know?”

“Why have you agreed to allow Haden to court you?”

Her mouth opened as if she were about to answer, but then she closed it again and shook her head. She brushed the front of her clothing, dusting off nothing and only doing it to avoid looking me in the eye.

“Leanna. Answer me.”

Her honey-colored eyes focused on me. “Haden and I are meeting for a stroll. Nothing more.”

“Yet, you do not favor him.” I reached for her hands and cupped them in mine. “Tell me. What has brought this change? Is it Eryx?”

“No,” she answered, gently squeezing my hand. “I am sorry to say I have been stubborn on this matter. It was not that I did not favor Haden, but rather, I did not favor the idea of marriage to anyone.” She left my hold and walked to the small window to gaze out into the back garden she adored so much. “I wanted freedom. To do as I wished whenever I wished it.”

I touched her arm. “You can still have that. If you choose Haden as your husband, he will bring you happiness. Perhaps, it is not the life you wanted, but it will be a great life nonetheless. He would never dishonor you. This, I know.” Haden had his flaws, as did we all, but if I trusted anyone to be with my sister, it was him. “However, bear this in mind. You do not have to do anything you do not wish.”

She shook her head. “But, Mother—”

“It matters not what Mother wants, Leanna. It isyourlife.”

If our father had been alive, it would have been different. He could’ve forced her to marry anyone he wished, yet since it was only our mother, she had less power.

“I should go,” she said, smiling for the first time that morning. “He will be waiting for me.”

Then, I saw it. The spark. She might have been against marriage, but in that moment, a glimmer of excitement was visible in her eyes, and it was all the reassurance I needed.

As I walked back to the barracks, I was in higher spirits than I’d been in earlier.

I’d left before Eryx had woken and assumed he’d be wondering where I went. Knowing him, I was sure he already suspected. We’d spoken a bit the night before about my worries over Leanna, and even though I hadn’t made the decision to see her until I woke, I was sure he knew.

When I returned, our quarters were mostly cleared of the other men, who had gone to morning meal. Only Eryx, Theon, and Ian remained.

Theon passed me on my way inside and grinned before rushing out. Ian nodded to me as he passed and left as well.

Eryx stood with his back to me, dressing. He wore no tunic, but he’d slipped on a pair of bottoms that cut off at his upper thigh and showed his long, muscled legs and the defined curve of his backside.

My heart thrummed in my chest like a hummingbird’s wings as I took in the sight of his godly perfection. I approached him from behind, placing a kiss at his nape.

He stopped and leaned his head back against mine.

“How is your sister?”

I smiled, adoring how he knew me so well. Somehow even better than I knew myself.

“She is well,” I answered, wrapping my arms around his waist and feeling the hard muscles of his abdomen beneath my palms. “If I am not mistaken, she seemed almost eager to meet him. Perhaps, she is fonder of him than I presumed.” My wandering hands moved from his ribs and sunk lower. “But I do not wish to speak of my sister in this moment.”

He grabbed my hands.

“I must go,” he said in a firm tone.

I released my hold on him, and he turned to face me. His green eyes were distressed. Upon seeing them, my stomach twisted with nerves.

“Ery… why do you refuse me?” My tone betrayed me and reflected the tension I’d attempted to keep at bay. “Have I wronged you?”

“You have done nothing, and I do not reject you.” He shook his head. “My mind is elsewhere. On training. I must leave to meet the boys.”

Even as he spoke the words, I knew they were false. Eryx had never lied to me, and yet, there he was. My apprehension spiked higher. Something was wrong.