Page 112 of Eryx

The darkening of his eyes told me he wished for the same.

As we approached the field, I was pleased to see the boys standing in a line, their eyes forward and their hands at their sides. A perfect display of obedience. Nikias stood beside them and started walking to meet us.

When we’d been on campaign, he had instructed the herd in our absence, but since we’d returned I had no need of him. Axios felt sympathy for him, though, and so I’d allowed him to stay and assist in the lessons.

“Good morrow,” Nikias greeted, smiling.

“Greetings,” Axios said, clasping his forearm.

I nodded to Nikias before striding forward to stand in front of the group. The carefree attitude I carried around Axios vanished when I was around others. I narrowed my eyes at the boys, studying each of their faces.

Demetrius and Cassius stood side by side, their eyes fixated on me as they awaited my orders. One boy in the line couldn’t meet my gaze. When I looked at him, he slightly cringed and looked toward his feet.

An army was only as strong as its weakest link.

And I’d found the weakness.

“Balen! Step forward.”

Balen jolted before doing as I ordered. In battle, a man must be prepared for anything. Every sense had to be on alert. Most importantly, a man had to know how to act on impulse. Attacks didn’t always happen when you expected them to, and the time it took to recover from the surprise of one could be the difference between life and death.

And so, I punched him.

Balen stumbled backward at the hit, taken off guard, and I reared back my arm to swing again. He recovered almost instantly and ducked beneath my swing before attempting a counter attack. I dodged his punch, but even so, I was proud of him. One day, I knew he’d be a great warrior, despite the nerves he carried.

As I continued training him, I was aware of Axios and Nikias speaking at the edge of the field. They often spoke, and so I thought nothing of it at first. But then I looked over at them after knocking Balen to the dirt and saw the worry on Axios’ face.

Whatever Nikias was saying upset him.

I dismissed Balen before addressing the group, “You must never allow your mind to be distracted in battle. You must be prepared for anything.” Then, I said louder, “Axios!”

Axios turned to me, surprise on his handsome face.

“Come here,” I said, waving him over. Irritation pricked my skin at the thought of him being upset, and I wished to distance him from whatever foolishness Nikias shared with him.

At my scowl, Nikias took a step back and lowered his gaze.

When Axios stood in front of me, I studied him. Dark lashes framed his honey eyes, and not for the first time, his beauty left me a little breathless. My concern outweighed my desire, though, and I held his gaze, wishing I could read his mind to know what Nikias had told him. He nodded, as if to tell me he was fine.

Good.

I then grabbed his arm and flipped him to the dirt.

Axios blinked up at me in surprise after he hit the ground. I smirked.

“See how easy it is for a distracted mind to give the enemy the advantage?” I asked, glancing at the boys. “An army is only as strong as its weakest man for we all fight as one. If—”

Axios quickly swept his leg behind mine and tripped me. Unable to catch my balance, I landed in the dirt beside him. I was both stunned by his attack and immensely aroused by it too. Axios jumped to his feet and gave me a self-satisfied grin.

“What was it you were saying about distractions?” he asked, arching a brow.

Oh, he was playing with fire. And he knew it.

“Allow me to remind you,” I said, smirking.

“You will have to catch me first,” he taunted with a challenging gleam in his eyes.

With calm determination, I stood from the dirt and faced him. A smile curved his lips as we moved in circles around each other, our gazes locked. I forgot about the boys watching us. I forgot about everything except for the gorgeous male in front of me and how I wished to have him on his back.