Tangles and Temptation (31 page)

Eris’s scowl deepened. “She shall be safely rescued. However, I shall not wager on her swift return to these lands. Her daughter, Aikaterina, shall likewise not be in residence for much longer. I intend to see them firmly instated in my household.” He waited for the scalding refusal. It did not come.

“Oh, I have all my faith in your rescue. And you have both my premature gratitude for her saving as well as my blessings for your future endeavors.”

The docile acceptance left Eris uncertain. He had expected a fierce argument, disagreement at the very least. His voice was laced with undisguised surprise as he inquired, “You would bless our union? Was it not just days ago that you voiced your strong objection? Has Thyone’s actions now soured your high expectations of the mighty Spartan race?”

“Your tongue is indeed as vicious as the very viper, lethal but direct. My opinion of Sparta is still of a high standard. I cannot hold an entire race responsible for a single man’s deviance. And as to my earlier words, it was naught but warning.” She shrugged delicately. “A man must know where he treads, lest he find himself submerged in a pool of hip-high sinking mud, uncertain of his recourse. However, I shall extend a warning. While Kyra’s blood brothers may be meek and soft, her father and step-brothers are not. Harm her in any way and they shall seek you with only a single ambition, retribution.”

Eris frowned. “I fear no man, father, brother, or otherwise. Likewise I shall allow no interference. Kyra belongs to me. Take assurance in the fact I shall always keep her content. To do otherwise would tempt her into leaving, and I will not lose her.”

Alta nodded curtly. “My heart shall be at rest then. While I held hopes Kyra would choose a mate from the ranks of Sparta, I am not surprised by her choice. She has always been a law unto herself, doing as she pleases. And may your heart also hold peace, for while a woman of Pandora is lustful, she will not stray once her love is evoked. If she willingly accepts you then you have my everlasting blessings and a guarantee of healthy, successful heirs. I love my husband dearly, and even in his absence find no yearning for another. Go in peace, Eris, gladiator of the House of Andromeda.”

As Eris nodded and made to leave, a short command was given. Aleka rose elegantly as she spoke. “I would have a word with you before you leave.”

They strode in silence to the very same ledge they had conversed at previously. Aleka broke the silence suddenly. “I would make a confession before you leave, Eris. Were you not the mate on my dear sister, I would have found myself unable to resist the temptation of pursuing you myself.”

The direct confession caught Eris unaware. “Forgive me, but you women have an unnerving ability to confound and disorientate my thought processes.” His lisp became more pronounced as he stammered uncertainly. “I find great pride in your words. However, I find my heart beats for only one. I have likewise respect and admiration for you, a woman who is able to lead a city and command such loyalty. I am sure that, should time be kind, you will find the one who stirs not only your blood but also the organ fiercely pumping it.”

Aleka colored. “Have no fear, mighty warrior of Andromeda. I simply clear the air so our future is not riddled with suspicion and secrets. I love my sister dearly and would not intrude upon what is hers. I will not see her hurt in any way, least of all by my hand. I offer you my best wishes in your future with Kyra. She is wise, a master of stratagem, and will make a good mate for you. You will find in her the gem we have come to love dearly and shall truly miss.”

Eris sighed. “I accept your words spoken with honesty and selflessness.”

Aleka eyed him closely as she continued, “You have a great burden that weighs upon your chest. Bear in mind, Eris, that while you have lost Kyra but once, I as leader of my people, with responsibility to each and every one within my keep, have lost her
twice
.” Her voice, quiet and broken, was riddled with guilt.

Eris touched her hand gently. “You are likewise weighed down with responsibilities. I believe our discussion held precisely at this spot was overheard by Thyone. He acted now, fearing his plot was close to being unearthed. It was not Kyra eavesdropping as I had thought. I give you my word she shall be saved. My honor shall allow no less.”

Aleka managed a thin smile. “Make haste. I would not want my father and brothers returning from their battles to this thorough failure on my part.” She turned and assessed the wide plantations ahead. With a deep frown, she admitted a third fear. “I will ask a single boon before you depart. Allow us the security of at least two of your men. My people are panicked by the news of Kyra’s disappearance from right within our keep. With most of our land’s warriors absent, escorting my father and brothers, your men offer them a sense of security.”

Eris smiled reassuringly. “I take
no one
with me.” Aleka blinked at his statement. Eris laughed and vaulted onto the high wall. His voice rumbled with amusement as he spoke. “No horse can match the speed and the determination of my beast. Now behold”—he held a finger to his lips—“tell no one of the beast revealed to you.” With that statement he leapt of the wall.

Aleka’s mouth opened on a silent scream as he disappeared over the edge. She ran to the wall and peered over. What she saw held her mesmerized long after he had disappeared from her sight. She watched as his body fell through the air, fast and free. He changed as he fell. His body stretched, and his limbs meshed and molded together. Vibrant green scales flashed gloriously in the sunlight as his body transformed. Huge and powerful, much greater in size and strength than the man, the beast fell to the ground.

He paused and looked up. The graceful swaying head rose as high as half the distance he had fallen. Brilliant-green, hooded eyes flashed as the narrow black slits assessed her. A single flick of a forked tongue darted out before he slithered around and swiftly wormed his way through the plantation, away from her view. Aleka held her breath the entire duration of the spectacle. Never before had she witnessed such magnificence. She watched as he blended beautifully into his surroundings. Her eyes strained for the very last sight of him. And even as the grass ceased in its elegant parting, depicting his path, her eyes lingered still. She did not know how long she had lingered. The lengthening shadows finally urged her indoors.

A still figure behind her made her gasp in surprise. “Negara. I did not see you here.”

Negara continued to assess the dark horizon as she whispered, “Impressive, is he not?”

Aleka nodded. “I agree, it is utterly breathtaking, magnificent.”

The older woman spared her a brief glance before returning her attention to the view once again. “It? It was not the beast to which I referred to but to the man himself.” She signed sadly. “But to truly recognize the true depths of the man’s masterful character one must be in possession of all the facts.”

Aleka leaned forward curiously. “What facts would those be?”

Negara’s soft response made her inhale sharply. “You see no hesitation in his steps, no uncertainty, no indecision. Yet he knows toward what he speeds. He knows it as he had seen it in his visions, visions that will not be denied.” She turned her eyes toward Aleka and whispered, “And that is the true character of the man. He does not dither, although he knows full well what the result will be. He races to his death. And yet he goes.”

* * * *

Eris stretched his body blissfully. The beast rejoiced in the freedom. Although Eris had now given the beast the dominant role, it was only in appearance. Eris still held control over the snake, from within. He saw through the eyes of the snake but could not speak through the mouth of the snake. He remained a constant presence within the heart and mind of the beast, directing and instructing. A great part of him also rejoiced. The snake was a part of him. And now that part was given the freedom to surface and explore. He flexed his body and welcomed each powerful shift. Turbulent torrents of strength and might surged through his veins. The snake moved fast, light. Its goal was simple. The course was set.

The snake slithered at a speed too fast for the naked eye. He stayed deep within the wilderness, far from the eyes of people. Although the distance he covered was lengthened by deviating through fields and forests, he adamantly stuck to his course. Leaving a wake of terror as people witnessed the presence of a gigantic snake was not his purpose. His presence would not be welcomed. The snake held still its violent, demonic appearance, and he would not be received with smiles and welcoming arms.

Night settled, and the rumble in his stomach reminded him that he had eaten nothing since the previous evening meal. Changing back into his human form and seeking food was not an option. Time was of the essence. Without stopping, he sniffed the air. Welcoming scents, blood and flesh, tender and fresh, assailed his acute senses. The need and hunger within the beast was great, but Eris curbed its appetite with ironclad resolve. He ignored the fierce vibrations upon the ground, an indication of great game. He concentrated solely on the tender, light tremors against the earth. His feeding would have to be curtailed to small meals, concealed within hovels, and far spaced. Consuming a great meal such as a hearty deer would tempt the beast to lie down and slumber, replete and satiated. He targeted instead smaller wild hare while in the dense forests and tender alligator’s eggs when he approached damp grounds surrounding rivers. He ate only enough to survive, and he ate while moving. A growling belly would allow no sleep.

The journey was hard and long. As his body wound and twisted, surging always forward, endless and constant, energy drained from him. The energy was not replaced, with his restriction on food and rest. Days began to pass in a blur while the nights found him pushing on even while his lidless eyes stared sightlessly ahead. Sleep and exhaustion called for him to halt, to coil his body in surrender. But he chased away the lethargy by eating less and less each day. Finally he even began to restrict his water intake. The scales upon his body ceased to glisten with health. The vibrant green glow was replaced by a sallow, pale, sickly pallor. His tongue darted out, dry and thirsty, as his head remained low, dragging against the ground it rarely raised from. As his vision began to fail him, seeing double and eventually hallucinating, he relied solely on his sense of smell. The sweet fragrance of the grass and rich, humid soil of his home called to him.

He slowed, but he never ceased. Kyra never left his mind. He drew strength from her constant present there. She beaconed to him with silent, challenging eyes. Each recollection of her tender flesh, each remembrance of her powerful embrace, fueled the determined beast. Even as Eris found his human presence swaying and fading into nonexistence, the beast lumbered on.

On the final day, when food and water consumption had ceased completely, Kyra continued to feed the beast with limitless purpose and hope. She fueled each contraction of its exhausted muscles, spurred every slow drawing out of its glorious length. The snake wanted its mate.
And it would have her.

The process of reverting back to his human form from that of a serpent was not as joyous and awe-inspiring as when he had taken the form of the beast. It certainly was not as free of pain. His body ached from the effort. He found himself on bended knees that refused to straighten. He stared longingly up at the palace gates. Walking the last few feet would be impossible. He crawled.

Everyone gasped and stared as the gate guards rushed to assist him. They held him upright and quickly rushed him to the king. His head hung low as he allowed the soldiers at his sides to bear the brunt of his full weight, though he was sure it was, at present, not great. He had been starving for the last few days. Dehydration had robbed his body of an equally staggering amount of vital fluids.

The king clapped his hands together briskly on his entrance and shouted, “Bring food and wine.” He rushed to his chair and grabbed his own cloak and wrapped it around Eris’s naked body. Eris tried to speak. A hoarse croak was all the sound he managed.

Vasilis Amyntas silenced him quickly with a reassuring and, fortunately, light squeeze to his shoulder. He grabbed the goblet brought in by the slave and fed it to Eris himself. “Do not speak yet. Quench your thirst and feed your hunger.” He dipped bread liberally into the wine and fed Eris patiently.

Had the situation not been as dire, Eris would have found either amusement or embarrassment at his king feeding him. For now he could do nothing to resist the only sustenance his belly had been blessed with in days. He ate hungrily and drank ravenously.

Finally, he acknowledged any more indulgence would surely make him sick and gently pushed the king’s hand away. His voice was coarse, rough, unaccustomed to use for days now, and ravaged by a painful dryness that refused to dissipate. “I thank you, sire. Where is she?”

Vasilis Amyntas dismissed the wide-eyed lingering slaves. He sat beside Eris and spoke softly, “Your messenger arrived not more than a day ago with news of Kyra’s abduction by the enemy.”

The muscles in Eris’s jaws clenched as he gritted out, “I sent no messenger. He is the instrument of her abduction.”

The king whistled softly. “Then it is good I did not take heed in his message. I adamantly refused to open the gates to the plantations even though he swore this to be your explicit instruction.”

Eris eyed the king in surprise. “How could you have possibly known I did not send him? He is exceedingly cunning and overly convincing.”

A short, humorless laugh echoed in the room. “Have I not told you before you left, I trust no one. Had you wished a message sent to me, you would have delivered it yourself. I have faith only in my princes, gladiators of the House of Andromeda.”

Eris tried to smile but found the effort too great. His parched lips were cracked and sensitive. He maintained his more comfortable dour look, and he nodded slowly. “Then you have acted wisely as befitting to one of your elevated position. Now tell me exactly what he had to say.”