Dark Bites

  That made even less sense to her. "Then why aren't you with them?"

  "What can I say? My brother wenches enough for both of us." Aricles paused as he saw her trying to understand his flippant explanation. She was so intelligent about most things, but when it came to human emotions, she was as childlike and innocent as Malphas had warned them. "The honest truth, my lady... when I was a boy and staying with my grandfather, my aunt came in late one night. She was hysterical and in tears to find herself pregnant from a man she thought loved her. She'd given her body to him and when she conceived his child, he'd confessed that he'd only been dallying with her and had no interest in making her his wife. My grandfather told me that women, unlike men, quite often confuse sex with love, and that many women attach great significance to the physical act. I loved and adored my aunt, and when she killed herself days later, after she'd gone to her lover and he'd again insulted and denied her, it tore a hole in my heart. I vowed that I would never hurt a woman like that, and that I would take no lover except for my wife."

  "But you're not married."

  "And that is why I'm fishing instead of wenching."

  "Oh," she breathed then hesitated as she digested his explanation. "So you've never had a woman?"

  Cringing internally from that question, Aricles blushed. "And I would deeply appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone that, my lady. Men can be quite insulting over such things."

  "Why?"

  "Honestly, I've never been quite sure. It seems to me they would be grateful that it's one less competitor in the market, and yet that's not how they see it at all. Rather they think it makes a man weak and effeminate to not tup every female he meets."

  Bathymaas tried to make sense of that as something began to tug at the pole in her hands. "Is this a nibble?"

  "It is, indeed." He moved to sit behind her and wrap his arms around her so that he could show her how to pull the fish in. The warmth of his body and rich, manly scent of his skin made her head reel in a way it never had before. For some reason, she wanted to bury her nose against his skin and revel in it...

  How very peculiar.

  His rock-hard muscles flexed around her as he lifted the pole to show her a wiggling fish. "There it is." He moved away so as not to get the water on her dress.

  He carefully placed the fish in a small wicker basket then wrapped the line and hook around the pole.

  "Is that it?"

  Aricles nodded. "I only need one for a meal. Some people fish for sport and release the fish after they catch it, but I only do that when it's too small or young to be eaten."

  He was ever kind and compassionate to all things. In spite of the fact that he was a lethal warrior, Aricles was a very gentle man.

  "May I watch you prepare it? I've never seen anyone do that before, either."

  "Of course, my goddess."

  He moved farther up the bank to where a small firepit had been prepared. Pulling out a knife, he sat down to remove the fish's scales.

  She studied the graceful way he set about his task. "You move with such expertise..."

  "I've been doing this a while."

  It showed.

  And that made her curious about him. "Aricles? Would you mind if I joined you again to fish another day?"

  "I would be honored."

  Bathymaas sat back and continued to watch him prepare his meal. Most likely, she shouldn't spend time with just him, and yet it wasn't right in her mind that he was alone when she knew people, as a rule, didn't like solitude. It only seemed fair and right that he should have someone to talk to on his days off, too, while the others sought other forms of companionship. Not to mention, she liked being able to ask him questions and have them answered. Unlike the others she knew, he didn't lose patience with her. And it helped her to better understand sentient mortals.

  Perhaps these excursions would benefit them both.

  March 3, 12,251 BC

  "They're incredible, aren't they?"

  Bathymaas wasn't sure what Caleb meant. "How so?"

  "Sorry, goddess. I forgot you can't understand nuances... The way the brothers move. As if they are one mind. Back to back. Perfect synchronicity. I don't know if it's from being brothers or twins. But I've never seen anything like it. If we had an army of them, we'd need no others."

  She agreed. They were incredible fighters. While the other four were the best of their breeds, they weren't able to defeat Galen and Aricles.

  "Are they ready to fight?"

  Caleb screwed his face up. "I don't know. Battle brings out either the worst or the best in everyone. Sometimes both. Hard to predict until they're in it, how they'll react."

  "They will stand united."

  "Spoken by a woman who has no feelings and who has never had to fight for her life against a harrowing number of vicious enemies."

  Bathymaas touched the scar on the demon's neck from a battle wound that had almost taken his head. Even before her birth, he'd been a warrior. "Were you ever afraid?"

  "For myself? No. I never cared if I lived or died. I just fought."

  "Does it help if you care?"

  "Again, goddess, depends on the person. Everyone is different."

  She watched as Aricles swung at Haides's head and then countered an attack from Phelix. "He is our best, isn't he?"

  Caleb nodded. "He's the one I'd want at my back."

  That was the highest testament Caleb could give. "How ironic that our best is the one who least wants to fight."

  Caleb snorted. "No, goddess. The real irony is, the demon who was born to end their kind is the one training them to hold back his own."

  "You were never evil, Malphas. You were born of equal parts."

  "And suckled on venom and hatred, solely. I completely disagree with you, my lady. The only good in me died a violent death. Vengeance is all that sustains me now."

  But she didn't believe that. She suspected Caleb denied his decency to protect himself from more harm. Otherwise he wouldn't be here with her, helping to train her soldiers. He would have joined his mother and sought to end the world they were trying desperately to save...

  Just as Aricles had denied himself any real pleasure or frivolity. To protect his brothers and father from the demons that often preyed on their small farm while his father was deep in his cups, Aricles had learned to fight like their attackers. To stay sober and vigilant at all times. She'd seen the scars on his flesh from the battles he'd had as a boy. A boy who should have been protected from harm, not left as the sole protector of his family. Battles his father knew nothing about. It was what had led Galen to learn to fight, too, and was a large part of why Galen hated their farm so much.

  If I'm to fight and die, it's going to be for glory and money. Not to save pigs and cattle.

  But Aricles fought only for his family.

  His quiet nobility was what she respected, and his intellect fascinated her. For a man who lived on a farm, he knew a great deal about philosophy and politics. And even more about nature and science.

  Had Aricles been born noble, he would have been a brilliant statesman.

  "Shit!"

  She arched a brow at Caleb's unexpected profanity. He started forward to where Monokles and Hector were about to kill each other, but before he could reach them, Aricles disarmed both men.

  "Here now! Is that really what you intend?" Aricles asked Monokles. "You want Hector's head?"

  "He didn't pull back." Monokles gestured to the wound on his arm. "I'm bleeding! And I want his ass for it!" He lunged, but Aricles caught him again and pushed him back.

  With the patience of an ancient priest, Aricles patted Monokles's shoulder. "And when the pigs dance, the cows feast."

  Monokles scowled. "What language are you speaking?"

  "It's an Atlantean saying. Don't give in to your temper. Angry eyes are blind, especially in battle. The best way to lose your life is to be so focused on the sword that dealt you the wound on your arm that you miss the knife coming for your heart." He
glanced over to Hector. "Never forget that one hand washes the other, and both wash the same face."

  That finally curbed Monokles's temper. "You should have been a philosopher, Ari." He held his hand out to Hector. "Brothers?"

  Nodding, Hector took it and smiled. "Always... Come, let's get that injury tended. I'm sorry I didn't check the length of my attack. It won't happen again."

  Bathymaas watched as Caleb led them off while Aricles waited for her approach.

  "My lady." The rich, deep timbre of his voice never failed to raise strange chills on her skin.

  "When the pigs dance, the cows feast? Another of your grandfather's sayings?"

  He grinned sheepishly. "It is."

  "You should write them down."

  His laugh added more chills to her. "If for no other reason than to make Galen insane."

  "How so?"

  "He hates those sayings. It's why he withdrew so quickly when I spoke it. He thinks they're as hokey as I am."

  "I don't think you're hokey, Aricles."

  "Because beauty sees only beauty... and you are the most beautiful of all." With a crisp salute that heightened the definition of his well-sculpted muscles, he followed after the others.

  Bathymaas bit her lip as she watched after him. She shouldn't feel anything at all, yet...

  Aricles fascinated her.

  And she couldn't wait to talk to him again when they were alone.

  May 30, 12,251 BC

  Bathymaas sat within the circle of Aricles's arms, holding the pole, while they fished and he read her a letter from his father about his brother Perseus's upcoming wedding. Over the last few months, she'd begun to look forward to their quiet afternoons and she didn't know why. Other than the sound of his voice did very strange things to her breathing and skin. She had no understanding of it at all.

  And as she leaned back against his hard, muscular shoulder and chest, and watched him read to her, she became curious about his lips. Before she could stop herself, she reached up and touched them.

  He paused to look down at her with an arched brow.

  "Are all men's lips as soft as yours, Ari?"

  A sweet smile spread across his face. "I suppose, goddess. But I don't make it a habit to feel the lips of other men so I don't know for certain." There was a hint of amusement in his voice.

  She loved the fact that he didn't comment whenever she said something inappropriate or ignorant. Unlike others, even Caleb, he never grew annoyed with her.

  And his lips intrigued her greatly. As did the line of his strong, sculpted jaw and the dusting of prickly whiskers that teased the flesh of her fingers. "Why do people kiss mouth-to-mouth?"

  "It's said to be quite pleasurable."

  "And have you ever kissed someone?"

  "Not on the mouth, my lady."

  All of a sudden, a part of him began swelling against her hip. Frowning, she sat up to look down at it. "Did you get injured just now?"

  His face turned bright red as he shifted and moved back from her a bit. "No, my lady."

  She was only more confused by his answer and actions. "Is that not why body parts swell?"

  He visibly cringed. "Most of the time."

  "But not all?"

  "No." He hesitated and cleared his throat before he spoke again. "That part of a man swells whenever he's... aroused."

  There was something she'd never considered or known. "I arouse you?"

  He turned even redder. "Forgive me if it insults you, my lady. I have no control over it. But don't worry, I respect your status and birthright, and I will never touch you inappropriately. I swear it."

  A peculiar sensation struck her chest like a blow. Was it pain?

  She wasn't sure.

  And she was fascinated by the bulge beneath his chiton. "Have you done this before?"

  His deep blue gaze burned into hers. "Every time you're near me, goddess. Or anytime I smell your scent."

  Her eyes widened. "But I've never felt you... not until now."

  He averted his gaze and shifted uncomfortably again. "I normally bind myself so that you won't."

  "Does that not hurt you, too?"

  By his expression, she knew he felt awkward and embarrassed. Yet, as always, he was patiently trying to explain the matter to her so that she could understand it. "A great deal. Yet I'd rather be in pain than insult you."

  "But you can't insult me. I don't have feelings for you to hurt."

  A tiny smile played at the edges of his lips. "I forget that, my lady."

  "How can you?"

  "Because you don't seem to be without them all the time. Like now... your brow is creased as if you're puzzled or confused, and those are emotions. You seem to be very caring and extremely inquisitive. All of those are emotions, too."

  Were they?

  "I have emotion?"

  "You seem to, yes."

  Could it be that she'd had emotion all along and never knew it? Her body did react to things, but she'd written them off as automatic responses she couldn't control.

  Like his bulge.

  Was it possible that those physical reactions were emotions she'd disregarded?

  "Ari? What do feelings feel like?"

  He set the pole aside and turned her to face him while they talked. "They're hard to define. But I shall try for you." His handsome brow furrowed as he considered it. "Well... sometimes I have an ache in my chest when my brother appears sad or is hurt about something. That's sympathy pain because I want him to be happy and healthy."

  "What does love feel like?"

  Aricles fell silent as he looked at the childlike wonder on her face. The way the sunlight made those incredible hazel eyes glow with her fire and beauty. In his heart, he knew he was already in love with her, had been for weeks now. Ever since she'd started joining him for his peaceful afternoons.

  But how could he explain what he felt?

  "There are different kinds of love." That seemed like the best starting point.

  "Such as?"

  "Well, I love my father, but that's more obligatory. He cared for me when I was a boy and I care for him now that he's older."

  "But you said he didn't care for you when you were young."

  Aricles licked his lips as he tried to explain a very complicated relationship that often left him as confused as she was. While he did love his father and would die for him, a part of him hated and resented his father, too. "He took care of us until the death of our mother. He was a great father when we were small. Then the loss of the woman he loved, crippled him until he could no longer support us emotionally." Or even financially. Rather, his father had given up on life for a long time. "Without my mother, he didn't want to live either, and so he crawled into his cups and stayed there. So someone had to take care of him and the farm." Aricles tried not to remember those first years after his mother's death. They'd been hard and harsh as he struggled with his own grief while trying to care for his brothers and father, as well as their farm.

  "So love is obligatory?"

  "Not exactly. I mean... yes, it is, but it's not."

  She rubbed at her forehead. "I don't comprehend this."

  Aricles pondered it for a moment. "Love obligates you because you want to take care of the person who holds your heart. Their happiness and well-being mean much more to you than your own. So yes, but it's not truly obligatory, because you don't really have to take care of them. It's your own desire that makes you feel such."

  "Ah... that makes sense."

  "And," he continued, "when they're gone from you, it's a harsh loss that haunts and saddens you. All you want is to see them smile. To watch joy light up their face, and to be with them."

  Bathymaas nodded. "I think I understand now." It was how she felt about him. She didn't like to see him struck in practice, and when he bled, it caused pain to her chest. Like now... she was still concerned with the fact that he was bulging when she'd never known him to do that before.

  And the thought of him hurting... br />
  It, too, gave her a pain in her chest.

  She lowered her gaze to his groin. "Why are you not bound today?"

  The color returned to mottle his cheeks. It was so adorable and sweet that it somehow made her want to touch them and ease his embarrassment. "I was injured in practice and didn't want to risk reopening the wound with the binding."

  She gasped. "Where were you hurt?"

  "Across my hip."

  Aricles caught her hand as she reached to see it. His breathing ragged, he stared at her with a pain-filled expression. "Please, goddess. I'm hard enough already. If you touch me there... it'll only be worse for me."

  "My touch hurts you?"

  He nodded.

  "Then why do you spend time with me?"

  He smiled at her as he let go of her wrist. "Because the pleasure of your company is worth the pain it causes me."

  That made no sense to her whatsoever. "I cannot comprehend mortal emotions. How can any pleasure be worth pain?"

  "It just is."

  The fact that he was willing to suffer to be in her presence brought a strange sensation to her stomach. She wasn't sure what it was, but it compelled her to lift her hand and lightly brush her fingers against his lips again. "Will you kiss me, Aricles, so that I can see why people do it?"

  He expelled a long breath and the light faded from his eyes. "I would love to, my lady. But I fear I've never kissed anyone like that. I'm sure I would bungle it."

  "I wouldn't know if you did since I've never had a kiss either. And even though you might bungle it, I still think I'd like to see what the fuss is about. Are you not curious, Ari?"

  Aricles felt his heart pound at her question. He was more than curious about how her lips would taste. But he was also a bit scared.

  Who are you to question a goddess?

  He was her servant and her warrior...

  Still unsure, he gently laid his hand against her cheek and stroked her lips with his thumb. "Are you certain you want me to do this?"

  She nodded.

  Ever so slowly, he lowered his lips to hers. The moment he tasted her, his entire body erupted with a heat so high that it made his past attractions to other women seem mild and insignificant. He shook all over as images of making love to Bathymaas tormented him. He would give anything to hold her like that, but he knew it could never be and he was lucky she'd allowed him this much.

  Bathymaas wasn't sure what to expect, but as his tongue swept across hers and his scent filled her head, something inside her splintered. Her breathing intensified even more... as did his. She felt his heart pounding against her hand. Strong and powerful.