Page 153 of Eryx

“Very much,” I answered.

“What is it with you and throwing me into bodies of water?” Axios asked, motioning to the stream. “And the current could have dragged me away, Ery. To my death.”

“You are being dramatic,” I said, stepping into the water and gathering him in my arms. Itwasa bit chilly, but it was a nice reprieve from the heat. “No it couldn’t. You are too heavy.”

He slapped my chest before dunking me beneath the surface. I slung my head as I jumped back up, my wet hair whacking him in the face. We wrestled in the stream for a while, and once we grew tired, we rested on the grass near the water to dry.

Tucking my arms behind my head, I stared at the blue sky and the white clouds slowly moving in. Then, I closed my eyes, focusing on the sun heating my skin. Listening to the birds chirping in the trees and the relaxing sound of the rushing water.

Axios shifted at my side before becoming still. Even without looking at him, I sensed him.

“I can feel your eyes on me,” I said, smiling.

“Ery, may I ask you a question?”

His serious tone made me open my eyes and turn my head. “Of course.”

“Now that we are men and have chosen our path… do you ever regret it?” he asked after hesitating. The question must’ve been plaguing him for a while. He trembled a little before adding, “Do you wish you would’ve married and had children?”

“No,” I said, touching his hand. “To wish such a thing would mean I regret my years with you, and that is a thing I willneverdo, Axios. There is no greater happiness than having you by my side.” But then my smile faltered as an ache burrowed into my chest. “Do you regret it?”

With the question came so many more I didn’t ask. Did he resent me? I couldn’t give him a family.

“Gods, no!” He held me tighter. “I only asked because of the chat we had with Haden earlier. How he and Leanna may be having another baby. It occurred to me that it might be something you yearned for. A son to carry on your name and to make you proud as Leo does for Haden.”

The tension uncoiled in my gut, and I could breathe easy once more. I cupped the side of his neck and stared into his honey eyes, hoping my love for him shined through. He returned my gaze and smoothed his hand up my back. We didn’t speak. There was no need.

I could live a million different lifetimes and I’d still choose him in every single one.

Chapter Thirty-Five

372 BC – Two Years Later

“Two hundred Spartans were killed!” a commander called Sphodrias exclaimed, pounding his fist on the tactical table.

The officers had called a meeting that afternoon after receiving news that part of our army had been attacked in Plataea.

“We should’ve never agreed to involve ourselves with Corcyra,” another said. “Thebes saw it as an act of war. The treaty is broken!”

“We need to act quickly,” I said above their bickering. “Thebes must not believe they have the advantage. We need to send an envoy and request for the peace negotiations to resume.”

Sphodrias eyed me suspiciously. “Quick to call for peace, are you? Are you a trembler, boy?”

I gritted my teeth at the insinuation that I was a coward. All men in the room knew of my father, and they held it over my head every time I spoke up during our meetings. A warrior must never fight out of anger, but with a calm determination.

I bit back my anger and studied the commander.

“If memory serves me right, you weren’t at Tegyra for the battle,” I said. “But I was. And I saw what the Sacred Band is capable of. Thebes is no longer intimidated by Sparta. You say choosing peace is cowardice, well I say inciting war when peace is possible is the act of a mad man. We must choose our battles and not be blinded by pride. If we retaliate against Thebes, it creates a never-ending cycle of bloodshed, and Sparta has already lost too many men in this fight.”

The other officers nodded their agreement and regarded Sphodrias for his response. He glared a moment longer before dropping his gaze to the table, his brow furrowed.

“Very well,” he said at last. “Send word to the other cities that a meeting will be held in Sparta.”

Once we were dismissed, I returned home to find Axios behind our house talking to the rabbits. I paused near the oak tree and watched him a while, smiling as he scratched behind their ears. It had taken him a while to earn their trust. When I suggested we make them into a stew, he had slapped my chest and called me a vicious beast. But I had only wanted to see his reaction.

“Did the meeting go well?” he asked, picking up one of the rabbits and standing. He never asked for the specifics of my meetings. Politics bored him.

Sparta was facing war again, something I knew would trouble him.