The Scent of Sage and Vengeance

by Lacuna Reid

  I’ve got to get to the bottom of this…

  I’m not sure if it has anything to do with the past lives, but surely it all must be connected somehow.

  As I change into my PJs, I think back to the incredibly steamy dream I had of the Ancient Greek life… some of them involve making love with multiple incredibly hot soul mates at the same time!

  The cultural norms were different back then… sure, but that expression of our love was also forbidden. These days, it’s not illegal or anything, but how often do you find a group of guys all willing to get into bed with one woman?

  I get into bed alone, still feeling high on Elias and still curious about Gino and why he seems to suddenly be busy any time we get close.

  Is it because of Theo?

  Somehow, I don’t think so. It’s probably something more personal to Gino himself, I just can’t put my finger on what’s going on in his head, and I’m eager to find out more about this mysterious man with the quicksilver tongue.

  I pick up my book and start reading a great reverse harem novel about a Witch with three boyfriends… and somehow, I can relate! If only they were all actually my boyfriends for keeps…

  Later, as I close my eyes and drift to sleep, there is one wish in my heart, please… whatever powers exist out there… please don’t make me choose… please let me have all of them.

  I fall asleep thinking about Gino, wondering why he hasn’t seduced me when he’s had multiple opportunities to… I try to remember the dreams I had of him as Alfio, and as the memories swim into my mind, I drift off to sleep.

  Chapter Eight

  Mya

  The morning light filters into the sleeping chambers in such an elegant way that I like to linger here after all the other priestesses have gotten up, to spend a few moments collecting myself before beginning the bustle of temple life. I’m combing my hair when I hear Amedes asking after me from outside. I follow his voice and find him talking to one of the other priestesses. As he turns towards me piercing me with those golden eyes, I feel a flutter of butterflies through my chest.

  I instinctively wrap my hand around my own waist. Wishing it was his.

  “Mya” he says. “I was just checking to see how you were settling in.”

  “Splendidly, I love it here, already.”

  Amedes steps towards me. I could cut the tension with a knife. He reaches out to stroke a stray strand of hair from my shoulder, his fingers sending a tingle of connection across my skin

  How is it that this almost-stranger has so much power of my body?

  “Mya” he says. Leaning towards me.

  I wait, but the words don’t come.

  Instead, there is a flow of energy, as if a dam has burst between us and I know he can feel it too. All the words are washed away in the invisible flood of feeling. I want nothing more than to lean into him, to surrender, but I know that would be inappropriate.

  “Yes,” I say eventually when I can find the words. “Were you going to ask me something?”

  “There’s something special about you. I can tell,” Amedes says.

  I feel a warmth emanating from the center of my chest outwards, as if his attention has struck a match and lit a candle inside me.

  There’s something powerful between us.

  And even then, in that moment before he turns away, my mind flicks back to the blacksmith and his muscly chest glowing in the light. As Amedes turns and walks away, I imagine both these glorious men. I imagine them approaching me, caressing me, anointing me in the sacred oils, worshipping my body.

  What has gotten into me?

  Chapter Nine

  Mira

  I lie in bed, half awake, sweating in my sheets. My thoughts are with Theo… Theo who was Amedes… my difficult lover…

  A strange music drifts through the room. It sounds like a music box. My curiosity gets the better of me and I follow it to the wardrobe.

  No…no… no…

  It must be coming from that stupid box.

  Impossible…

  It’s the box from Cliff. The one I’ve avoided opening so far because I don’t want to think about my old life. I’d rather bury it or burn it, but the music has piqued my curiosity.

  What the hell is Cliff playing at?

  I rip it open to find nothing except a single wilted rose and a small black jewelry case. The music has stopped. I open the case, with the strange feeling that I know what’s inside. Three diamonds gleam back at me in the moonlight.

  My engagement ring.

  There’s nothing in the case to suggest it could have made the music.

  It must have been all in my head…

  I hear a door slam and look up. My room is empty. It’s a still night with no breeze.

  Was someone in my room?

  I throw the box and its contents back into the wardrobe and dive into bed. I grab my phone and message Theo. I think someone was in my room. Help?

  I lie in bed, looking towards the door, hoping someone isn’t hiding in the bathroom, or behind the furniture. I try to slow my breathing and fail. My heart is beating so fast, it might as well leap out of my chest. Five minutes later, I hear the sound of multiple footsteps on the stairs. They pile into my room: Theo and Elias and Helio and Gino. These four men I hardly know, and yet I trust… these men I’ve just met, and yet, I’ve known them for lifetimes.

  They check every square foot of my rooms, looking for the invader.

  “There’s no one here,” Helio says.

  “Tell me what happened, Mira.”

  “There was music… coming from my wardrobe, and then the door slammed. Someone must have snuck in here.”

  Cliff… it must be Cliff… that controlling creep is the only person who’d think that would be a good idea.

  “Music?” Theo asks, his voice changing, becoming coarser.

  “Is it anything to do with this?” Helio, who was inspecting the wardrobe, holds up the tattered remains of the box, opening the case to reveal the ring.

  Shit… I have got some explaining to do.

  “What kind of music, Mira?” Theo continues.

  “It sounded like a music box.”

  Theo’s face clouds over.

  “What?” I ask, but Helio clears his throat, gesturing to the ring in his hands. “Is there something you’re not telling us, Mira?”

  “Someone left that for me at reception… whoever it was, was here earlier asking for me, and he was probably here, in my room, playing music.”

  I look back at Theo but his expression is unreadable. What does he know that he’s not telling me?

  “Is someone stalking you, Mira?” Elias asks, his face full of concern.

  “I wouldn’t put it past him,” I say. “My ex, Cliff… he was controlling.”

  “Cliff?”

  “Clifford Maxwell”

  “No shit. Gino’s fucking business partner, man,” Helio says.

  “That’s what you said… I don’t understand… how does that work? Does he come here?” I ask.

  “He’s never even visited,” Gino says. “I’ve only met him in New York a few times. He’s only ever been a silent partner. I didn’t think he even knew about this place.”

  My shoulders slump and I let out an involuntary sigh of defeat. There is too much to think about right now. Elias and Helio both reach out for me. I glance at Theo to see his expression twist into a frown.

  Chapter Ten

  Mira

  Theo crosses his arms and raises himself up to his full height. “I’ll have Mira moved to the suite below mine,” he announces.

  There’s something in his tone that I don’t like, but I don’t want to be alone right now.

  “She can sleep with me tonight,” he continues, and despite my resistance, my tummy flipflops with desire.

  “Wait a minute,” Helio says. “Mira is a big girl. She can decide who she wants to spend the night with.” He winks at me, and I realize by the way my body responds, I’ve come to enjoy his cockiness
.

  I laugh. “Are you saying I get to choose which of you I get to bunk with?”

  It seems absurd until I see the look on all their faces.

  Pure. Fucking. Desire.

  Oh… shit… this is really happening.

  “Umm…” I take a deep breath. It’s a bit much to deal with at this late hour and opening the ‘present’ from Cliff is definitely a turn-off. “Can… can someone just stay here with me for tonight? I don’t want to be alone.”

  “Sure!” Elias and Gino say at the same time.

  “I’m in, princess,” Helio adds.

  “Fine!” Theo says. “Have it your way.” He storms out of the room, leaving us in stunned silence.

  “Don’t mind Theo,” Elias says in his sweet melodic voice. “He can be a bit of a control freak at times.”

  My gut tightens, partly in response to Elias’ words, partly out of guilt after the blissful night Theo and I shared a few days ago.

  “Don’t worry, Mira,” Gino says, as if he’s reading my mind. “It’s not you.”

  “It is… I kind of…” I’m blushing again. “Theo and I…”

  “Ha ha, we get it,” Helio says, leaning towards me.

  “You know?”

  “You will find we don’t keep secrets – not between the four of us,” Gino says, smoothly.

  “It might seem strange to you, Mira,” Elias add.

  “But we really do share… everything,” Helio completes the sentence, stepping even closer to me, wrapping his strong muscular arm around my shoulder.

  “Oh, you do, do you?” I say, slightly outraged by Helio’s insinuation, despite how much I’ve fantasized about this exact thing. “Do I get a say in the matter?”

  “Of course, you do,” Gino says. “But we’ve had more than enough excitement for one night. Surely you need to rest. Would you be happy for all of us to stay here with you?”

  “We can sleep on the sofa… or even on the floor if you like,” Elias says, always so generous and gentle.

  I want all of them, all over me, but I’m also too tired to do much other than sleep. I lie down in my bed. “There’s room here,” I say, patting the duvet beside me.

  “Are you sure?” Elias asks.

  “I’m actually totally exhausted,” I say. “But if any of you want… it would be so nice to just be held right now.”

  “I’m not a cuddler,” Helio says. “I’ll leave you to it. But, Mira, if you ever want your other needs attended to, just come and find me.”

  He winks at me again as he leaves.

  Gino and Elias strip down to their boxers and climb into bed with me. I only just realized they were fully clothed in the middle of the night. Does that mean they were still awake? I have a slightly paranoid feeling that they were all up, late at night, having a meeting, talking about me!

  There are no secrets between them…

  I don’t dwell on this for long because Elias has climbed into bed behind me, slipping the covers from underneath me and pulling them up to my chin. Then he wraps his arms around me as Gino gets in the other side of the bed, pulling my arms around him. For a moment there’s a burning tension between my legs, between us… all of us… and then I surrender to the tiredness and drift off to sleep, feeling so blissfully peaceful, as if we were made for each other, and the pieces finally fit.

  Chapter Eleven

  Mya

  I’m in the temple courtyard garden, still aglow with sensual delight from the night before… from Amedes taking the form of the God and claiming me as his Goddess. I’m taking my time in the herb garden, pausing occasionally to hold the soft leaves up to my face to inhale. Their scent reminds me of Alfio, who I was hoping to see out here. The garden is empty, leaving plenty of room for my fantasies about Alfio and Amedes and Lasonas and Teris, the blacksmith who I can’t seem to erase from my mind.

  “Mya,” I hear my name called softly from the side of the garden. I walk over towards the small building at the edge of the garden. Alfio’s angelic face looks up at me from his work.

  I crouch down, next to him, noticing that we are completely hidden from the temple here. It feels safe.

  “I wanted to talk to you, Mya,” Alfio says. “There is a connection between us and I need to know what it is.”

  “I feel it too,” I said, “and also with…”

  “With Amedes, and Lasonas, too.”

  “Yes… it’s strange. I’ve never felt this way about anyone and yet I’m here, falling in love with everyone.”

  “Not everyone,” Alfio points out, “there is something between all of us, although Amedes has always fought it off.”

  “You’ve known him for a long time, then.”

  “Yes, but he is higher born than us. He is a true Greek and we are essentially slaves, though we have much freedom, especially at the Temple.”

  “What do you think it is?” I ask, “The connection?”

  Alfio leans closer to me. He brushes his fingers under my chin, looking deep into my eyes.

  “It’s a connection of souls,” he says, “I’m not sure why we came here, to this life, but I know we came to be together.”

  “Isn’t that for the gods to decide?” I ask.

  “Possibly,” says Alfio, “if you believe in them.”

  It’s, as if he has slapped me with his words.

  “This is a temple,” I say, offended, “of course I do!”

  I stand to leave, but there’s a spark in Alfio’s eyes, and before I know it, he has cast his work aside and risen to meet me, leaning into me, pulling me close into a kiss.

  He withdraws, looking ashamed of himself.

  “I’m sorry,” he says. “You are a priestess and I shouldn’t have…”

  “Please don’t stop,” I say, leaning towards him this time. I dive into him, letting go of every thought that would hold me back. In that moment, I don’t care that I am a priestess; I don’t care that I’m breaking the rules. Everything melts away and we are just a boy and a girl; we are just two souls, connected, our lips melding together, our tongues entwined.

  There is a sound of footsteps, we freeze and glance up to see…

  “Lasonas,” Alfio says, leaning back from me, although there is no mistaking what we were just doing.

  There is a look in Lasonas’ beautiful deep green eyes of betrayal… of jealousy… of desire. He tries to back away, but Alfio lunges up, grabbing him by the robes and pulling him into the cloche where we stand.

  There is no room now, just a tension so heavy I can barely contain myself.

  “What is this madness, Alfio?” Lasonas asks.

  Instead of speaking Alfio wraps his arm around Lasonas, looking into his eyes, and kisses him deeply. A shiver of strange familiarity runs through me as I watch Lasonas stiffen, then relax into the embrace. He begins to kiss Alfio back, raising his hand to stroke the other man’s hair, then pulls back, as if he’s been burned.

  “What…?

  “I’m sorry,” Alfio says, “I can’t seem to restrain myself today.”

  Lasonas speaks in a low voice, full of fury and desire, “You were pulling me into this, so I would be implicated with you in… in deflowering this priestess.”

  “Excuse me?” I say, pretty sure that no one is deflowering me.

  “You’re not implicated, Lasonas, I just did what both of us have been wanting to do for a long time. Neither of us have bound our loins to the temple. We are free to connect as we please.”

  “Then why now?” Lasonas demands, still angry, still hungry for Alfio.

  “There was finally nothing in the way,” Alfio says simply.

  Lasonas turns to me and I can see his desire flare again.

  “Are you alright?” He asks with tender care in his voice.

  “Oh, me? Yes, of course,” I smile at him and he turns away, as if trying to restrain himself.

  I reach out towards him, my fingertips brushing the side of his upper arm, near where his toga is bound.

  “You ar
e bound to this temple, Mya.” He looks at the ground. “I have been here long enough to see other priestesses fall from grace. It never ends well.”

  “I am bound to the goddess Artemis,” I say, “She herself had many lovers and I can tell there is a connection between us.”

  Lasonas looks at the ground and then at me, I look back as recognition dawns on his face, “You mean…”

  I grab the fabric of his toga and pull him into me, his lips press heavily against mine, as if I’m water in a desert and he is a parched traveler, his tongue searches my mouth for answers to the sudden wave of emotion we three are caught up in as Alfio joins us with his arms around us, searching, pleading, yearning for more.

  A bell rings for the midday meal and I reluctantly pull away. I must leave, but I also must find a way to see these men again.

  “When can we… meet again?” I ask.

  “Not here… it’s too dangerous,” Lasonas says.

  “But…”

  “We could meet by the river at dawn,” says Alfio. “It’s empty there at that time.”

  “Before dawn, to be safe,” Lasonas suggests. “If it’s still dark, then people will be less likely to recognize us.”

  “And there are plenty of places to hide behind reeds and river trees…” Alfio says.

  My body tingles in anticipation.

  Chapter Twelve

  Mira

  My eyes flutter open to see the back of Gino’s light brown hair, the nape of his neck, dipping down to his limber, half-naked body. I feel Elias pressing in behind me.

  I must have died and gone to heaven.

  Everything around me is soft white fabric and tanned, ripped men. I wrap my arm around Gino, leaning my torso into him, and as I do, my behind slides back up against Elias. His hard cock nudges my butt cheeks and he groans, shaking himself awake.