by Vivian Leigh
For that brief time she found her immortality.
And then reality came crashing in. The minotaurs pulled themselves free of their vessel, and lay her back on the grass. Falina panted for breath, her body shaking as the minotaurs left her alone in the darkness.
After a time, she crawled toward the stream and slipped into the cool waters to clean herself.
A few minutes of splashing washed her clean, though the memory of what she’d just done hung in her mind. What would Cedric think of her if he knew?
She snorted. It didn’t matter. Cedric wasn’t coming. This was her life. Please the minotaurs, take what pleasure she could.
Immortality wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
***
They didn’t bother to bind her that evening. Falina lay on the riverbank and let her eyes close. Immortals weren’t supposed to be so tired. Or so sore. Even after the massage, her body still ached.
Snores rose from the trees where the minotaurs slept, and she was nearly asleep herself, when she heard something rustle behind her.
“Falina?” The voice was barely a whisper.
She turned to look, and startled when a man’s face peered back from the darkness. “Cedric?”
“Shh.” He slipped up beside her. “I’ll cut your ropes.”
“But...” Shame crashed home. She’d lain with half-a-dozen minotaurs. And she’d liked it. Immortality had a price, and she’d paid it willingly.
“What?”
“I’m not bound.”
“You aren’t?”
“Cedric, I can’t go. They aren’t the gods we thought they were, but they’re gods in their own way.”
“I... you... the cloth scraps...”
“Ced, I have lain with them.” She covered her face with her hands. “I am spoiled beyond your imagining.”
“I don’t care, Falina. I love you. Nothing they can do to you can change that.”
“Ced. They didn’t do it to me. I wanted it. I begged for it.”
He sighed. “Falina, I don’t care. I still want you if you’ll have me.”
“I... I can’t.”
He face fell. “The cloth scraps?” He tugged at her wrists. “They’ve had you bound. I saw it.”
“I know, Ced, but... This is my life now. I’ve been chosen.”
He closed his eyes, lifted her hand to his lips. “This is truly what you want?”
She nodded.
He let her hand fall, then slipped off into the darkness. Falina lay back down on the soft grass and cried herself to sleep.
***
Erarus woke her early the next morning, just as the first gray threads of dawn crept into the sky. “We must ride, Falina. Olympus waits.”
She pushed herself to a sitting position and nodded.
“Oh, and I have this for you.” He held out a fresh robe, white with gold threads.
Falina took it and felt the smooth texture. It was beyond anything she’d ever seen in Athens, even in the finest shops.
“Try not to let the hem unravel on this one.” There was no sparkle in his eyes as he said it.
Falina realized that he’d known all along. The cloth scraps hadn’t been subtle. They were as obvious the sunrise. “Thank you.”
She clutched the robe to her chest as Erarus walked away to rejoin the herd. Cedric had come, and she’d sent him away, and in so doing, she’d passed their final test. Immortality came with a price, and she’d never imagined it could be so high.
###
If you enjoyed this story, please consider leaving me feedback in the form of a review. Your comments guide what I write next. -Viv
Author Pages
Amazon | B&N | Kobo | ARe
Here are some other stories you may enjoy:
Abducted by the Centaur Tribe
Chloe is gathered with the rest of the virgins of her village when the centaurs come to claim their yearly sacrifice. When they choose to pass over the slave that the village offers and choose her instead, she's too scared to scream. The dozen bull centaurs hunger for innocent virgin flesh to replenish their herds, and Chloe must please them in ways she's never imagined if she hopes to survive.
This 9500 word erotic novelette is intended for adults only.
Available at Amazon, B&N, Kobo and ARe.
In the Prince's Harem
Bound at the wrists and driven mercilessly along the road to Persepolis, Laleh fears her life is to be one of misery and servitude. But in the palace of the Persian king, she learns that slavery has a different meaning when one is an attractive woman. Prince Xerxes takes whatever he desires, but with punishment comes rewards.
This short historical novel (approximately 90 print pages) contains sweet and spicy romance and is intended ONLY for adults.
Available at Amazon, B&N, Kobo and ARe.
