Page 97 of Eryx

The arrival of the emissaries told me the treaty had, indeed, been threatened, and a city would soon request our aid. It was the only reason an outsider would enter Sparta’s borders. By the worry in Axios’ eyes, I knew he had come to the same conclusion.

“Let us visit your sister,” I said in an attempt to distract him from the worries plaguing his mind.

He focused on the men again. “But the envoys—”

“Will only speak with the council,” I interjected. “There is nothing we can do but wait. Come.”

Axios watched them a moment longer, his brow drawn tight, before releasing a breath. “Very well.”

Leanna was chasing Leonidas around the yard when we arrived. The two-year-old boy waddled through the grass, giggling. Flowers were in his closed fist, and soil fell from the stem. He had a habit of tearing flowers and plants from Leanna’s garden. It drove her mad.

“Oh, you are just like your father,” Leanna said, as she caught him and picked him up. “Meddlesome and stubborn.” She then kissed his little hand and proceeded to pretend she was biting his fingers.

He squealed and dropped the flowers.

“You say he is like Haden, yet he loves flowers like you,” Axios said, striding toward her.

Leonidas reached for Axios, and my lover gently took him from Leanna’s arms. Seeing him hold a child created a longing in my chest I would never dare speak aloud. He would make an excellent father, but it was a path neither of us would ever take.

“If he loves them, he should leave them to grow,” Leanna scoffed, though there was no actual anger behind it.

Axios ignored her as he smiled at the boy and poked his chubby cheek. Leonidas had black hair like his mother, yet he favored Haden in the face. And like his father, I knew he would grow to have broad shoulders and a bulky build.

“Do you ever wish for children?” Leanna asked, standing at my side as we both watched the people we loved.

“No,” I said. “To have children would mean being unfaithful to Axios, and that is a thing I will never do.”

“You truly do love him?”

At her tone, I peered over at her, seeing her concerned eyes and the slight down-turning of her mouth.

“I know his feelings for you,” she continued. “He speaks of you as if you’re a god, Eryx. Even when he says nothing, I see the truth in his eyes. I’ve watched the two of you since you were boys, and all that time, I could never read your true thoughts. I worry his affections are misplaced.”

“You believe I will hurt him?” I asked, keeping a steady voice even though irritation pricked at my skin.

“No,” Leanna answered, lightly patting my arm before dropping her hand. “I know you would protect him with your dying breath. However, I also know your stance on Spartan ideals, and I could not bear it if you turned him away someday out of duty. His body has been broken many times in the past, but losing you would be the one thing to destroy him.” Her dark eyes held my gaze. “You do not show your emotions well. You never have. But I see it now.”

“What do you see?”

She smiled and averted her eyes to Axios, who was bouncing Leonidas and making the boy laugh. “The spark in your eyes is the same one I see when Haden looks at me. I was a fool for worrying. Forgive me. I am perhaps a little protective over my brother.”

I felt no anger toward her. Leanna had watched over Axios when they were young, before he joined theagoge.With Amara showing nothing but disappointment in Axios, Leanna had often taken on the roles of both mother and sister. Their bond was strong.

Axios placed Leonidas on the ground, and the boy instantly took off.

“Leo! Stay away from the garden.” Axios ran after him. He then squatted beside the boy and pointed to one of the flowers. “Beautiful, is it not? If you pluck it from the soil, it will die.”

Leonidas pouted and touched the flower with his short fingers. He did not pull it, though. He only admired it a moment before withdrawing his hand.

I smiled when Axios looked back at me. His eyes then grew large, and before I could question it, I was lifted off the ground.

“A challenge to the death!” Haden roared, swinging me in a circle.

“You dare challenge me?” I hooked an arm around his neck and twisted my body to the side, wrangling free of his hold before slamming him to the grass. Staring down into his stunned gray eyes, I said, “Shall I slit your throat now or later?”

Haden smirked and exuded a defeated sigh. “One day I shall be victorious.”

“But it is not this day.”