Page 86 of Eryx

After she left, I returned the dagger to my hip and walked over to the tree in front of the barracks. Leaning against the trunk, I stared at the field of swaying grass and waited for Axios and Haden to return from their hunt. When I eventually saw them enter the courtyard, I shoved aside the uncomfortable conversation with Amara and decided not to mention it.

Haden had caught several rabbits and Axios returned empty-handed. He was smiling, though, as he spoke of their time in the woods.

“We must leave for training,” I said, after checking the sun’s position in the sky.

Axios clapped Haden on the back. “Duty calls, my friend.”

Together, we journeyed to the small arena where our group awaited.

Now that we were no longer in theagoge, Axios had been selected to teach my herd of youths alongside me. He had been nervous in the beginning, but he had become a great instructor. The boys respected him just as they did me. Our teaching methods balanced each other; I taught the boys combat and survival skills while Axios focused on pain endurance and instilled in them principles of never backing down.

When it came to disciplining the youths, however, Axios had not the heart. He averted his eyes as I flogged one of them for disobeying.

The conversation with Amara lingered in the back of my mind as the day drew on. Axios and I trained the boys before dismissing them late in the afternoon. Still, I had said nothing about his mother’s visit. We washed in the stream, taking a moment to kiss and enjoy each other’s closeness before drying off and dressing. Axios wasn’t ready to return to the barracks, so we decided to travel to his favorite hill and sit atop it for a while.

“Tell me what troubles your mind,” Axios said, glancing over at me. The setting sun cast a dark orange glow on his hair and brought out the yellow tones in his eyes. “You have been distant all day.”

It came as no surprise that he’d sensed it.

“Your mother came to speak with me,” I said, angling my head toward the sky. “I’ve been unsure of whether I should mention it, but I do not wish to keep it from you.”

“What was it she wanted?” he asked.

I returned my gaze to him. He stared at the valley before us with a pensive expression on his handsome face. Mount Taygetus loomed in the distance, and as the sun inched closer to the peak, shadows spread over the mountain. The chill from earlier that morning returned as the golden light of day faded to darkness.

“Leanna and Haden are to be married,” I responded, watching his face for his reaction. He only nodded, as he already knew. Haden must have spoken with him about it during the hunt. “Your mother wishes for me to convince Leanna to marry me instead. I would give her strong sons with sharp minds, she told me.”

Axios clenched his jaw. “And what did you say to her?”

“I agreed to her request,” I lied, preparing for him to slap my arm and call me an ass like he usually did when I teased him.

Axios sucked in a breath and snapped his head toward me. The look of betrayal in his eyes pierced my heart. He truly believed I would ever do such a thing to him?

I smirked to let him know I was only jesting.

“You ass!” he exclaimed, punching my arm.

“Well, you should not be so gullible, Ax. Nor should you doubt me so.” My smile faded as I grabbed his hand. “You are all I want in this world. How many times must I tell you for you to believe me?”

Axios looked away, his brow furrowing. “Forgive me, Eryx. You took me off guard is all. I will not doubt you again.”

I released his hand and gripped his chin instead, turning his face back toward me. The doubt in his eyes was my fault… because of how I’d hurt him in the past.

“No, it was cruel of me to even jest about,” I said, as guilt gnawed at my insides. “Your doubt is my doing for years ago when I spoke of marriage. I only hope with time, you’ll realize I will never leave you.”

The pain between us was my fault. All of it. If I hadn’t made him doubt my devotion two years ago, he would’ve never spent the day with King Agesipolis and kissed him.

As Axios held my gaze, his expression softened.

“Whatdidyou tell my mother?” he asked, seeming more at ease.

I smiled, relieved that he had forgiven me. “I told her I would not take Leanna, nor any other woman, as my wife for I already belonged to someone. When she inquired as to whom it was, I told her the truth. That I loved her son.”

His eyes widened.

I had known I loved him for years. But Spartans weren’t supposed to love. The emotion was one expressed in poetry and songs. It was not meant for us. Therefore, I had kept the word locked away.

“You love me?” Axios asked, his eyes glistening.