Axios: A Spartan Tale (Axios Series)

by Jaclyn Osborn

“I treasure you,” he finally spoke. “Not a day passes where I do not thank the gods for placing you in my life.”

The moment where our gazes locked seemed to last ages, both of us frozen in an instant of wondering and what ifs. And then it passed, the connection breaking as I turned my back to him and walked out into the night. The king and the soldier—the life that could’ve been but wasn’t meant to be.

I imagined the word being swept away from the hill top and carried through the meadows before leaving Sparta and traveling to other cities, finding other lovers in the midst of confessing their love and giving them the courage to answer with honesty.

You and I will never part, my warrior. In this life and the next, we will be just as we have forever been: side by side.

Seeing the dead warriors upon the ground, some who were so young their beards hadn’t even begun to grow, I did not see a victory. Only the effects of a war we had no purpose being included in.

He kissed my forehead, such a simple action, but one that made me feel cherished. Beloved and treasured in a life that called for brutality.

“I wish to spend the time we have left sheathed inside of you,” Eryx whispered before nipping my ear with his teeth and grinding his hips into mine. “Being joined with you is the only bliss I have ever known.”

“If we are to die, we do so together. You have always been by my side, and that is how it will forever be.”