by Jaye Shields
That night when sleep finally claimed her, two things were different. She surrendered to the comfort of Ares’ shoulder, and the warmth of his strong body, and for the first time in days, she slept free from nightmares.
****
The goddess of chaos sneered and walked away from the image of Ares and his slave woman within the belly of the coliseum. The purpose of his presence was to show the people the glory of the Olympians and yet it was obvious, he performed for the female. Never before had Eris seen him give affection to a single female—including herself. The anger swirling in her belly caused bile to rise in Eris’ throat. The game had not gone as she imagined. Perhaps as referee, she would have to change the rules…
Chapter Six
When the next day’s battle arrived, Ares was glad for it. Sleeping in the same cell with Eirana was proving to be torture. The way her cheek rested perfectly against him… All night his human body was flooded with need, his mind spinning intoxicating images of what her body would be like. What her face would look like in the depths of passion…
The roar of the crowd couldn’t drown out the sound of Eirana’s words on repeat in his head. She’d only said thank you but to him it’d meant so much more. It’d meant I trust you. He’d seen it in her bright green eyes as she’d held his gaze. Those eyes would haunt his dreams long after he returned to Olympus.
The emperor addressed the eager crowd. “You all have seen this man fight. The slave that claims to be a god…”
Ares let the announcements echoing through the forum fade from his mind and enjoyed the human emotions coursing through him. In that moment, Ares knew that he’d never experience true glory in the human realm unless he held Eirana in his arms.
The emperor’s voice boomed. “In his last fight, the Tiro refused to take the life of his opponent. Today we will not offer him the choice.”
With the ruler’s last words, a door opened and fifteen gladiators strode forward. Excitement set his blood on fire. The greater the adversary, the greater the glory. Ares’ odds of survival as a human were slim.
Those odds were the kind he lived for.
Ares rushed forward sword in hand until a sound halted him in tracks. A feminine scream echoed across the coliseum floor. Turning his back on the gladiators before him, Ares realized a second battle was occurring on the other side of the coliseum.
Horror replaced excitement as he spotted the women and children from the cell. Ares ran toward them, followed closely by the other gladiators determined to run him down. In the distance, Eirana ran from a gladiator with the young Camilla in her arms.
Ares skidded to a halt and turned to greet the gladiators once more. The nearest one held a long spear in hand. Ares lunged forward and caught the man off guard. Finding the small spot of the man’s arm not covered by armor, Ares swept his sword in a violent arc, severing the limb that held the spear. Ares caught the spear before it hit the ground and launched it over fifty yards. The spear soared through the air like a missile before embedding itself into the back of the gladiator pursuing Eirana.
The next two gladiators reached Ares and swept toward him with unbridled fury. Fueled by the desperate need to get to Eirana, Ares rolled beneath their blows so that the gladiators took each other down. Ares grabbed the swords from the injured gladiators and took off once more in the direction of Eirana, and the violent scene across the coliseum.
Many of the gladiators had bypassed Ares and were now cutting down the defenseless females. His body ran hot with fury at the image. His human body flew across the coliseum floor until he was beside Eirana just as another gladiator was upon her. Ares drove his sword through the back of the man. The acts intended by the gladiator had deemed such savagery necessary.
When the brute fell, Eirana’s frantic gaze found his and he pulled her into his arms. It’d been automatic. Now the warmth of her body melted into his and he never wanted to let her go. Then he realized some of her warmth was wet. Blood.
“You’re hurt.” He searched her body for the injury but when she screamed, he turned to avoid an attack from behind. One arm swept her behind him as his other beheaded the attacking gladiator. A young girl’s cry erupted from nearby, and Ares realized the young Camilla was beyond terrified. Eirana knelt before her trying to console the young girl, but Ares pulled her back up to search for the wound.
“Please. It is not much. Please defend us, Ares.”
The sound of his name on her tongue stirred his true nature with fierce abandon. She wanted him to defend her. He met Eirana’s courageous emerald gaze and seized the moment he’d been waiting for. Ares slipped his hand through her hair and brought her to his mouth. His lips found hers and the earth shattered. Eirana’s lips parted and she took his tongue into her mouth. The act nearly brought Ares to his knees, but the sound of an approaching gladiator forced him to break the embrace.
Ares turned and met the gladiator with his sword. In only moments, he’d rendered the gladiator nothing more than another bloody body on the ground. Eirana’s eyes had grown large with worry so Ares stroked her cheek, letting the sensation of her skin against his take him to a new high.
The battle swirling around him could wait no longer. Ares handed one of the swords to Eirana and she hefted it, unafraid to put it to immediate use.
“Come back to me, Ares.” She locked eyes with him and he suppressed the urge to kiss her once more.
“Tell Camilla to shut her eyes.”
And then, he went to work.
****
The kiss left Eirana breathless, but then it was over just as soon as the horrifying world around her had begun to fade away. She’d begged Ares to defend the women, and yet she felt like a coward for wanting him to stay by her side. Chaos swirled around her in a bloody clash of swords and screams of violence, and death oaths.
The short gladiator sword Ares gave her to use fit well enough in Eirana’s grasp. Her brothers had taught her enough in the ways of steel. She’d be happy to use it if any gladiator came near her and young Camilla. The poor girl was frightened beyond measure.
“Don’t worry, gearrchaile.” She spoke to the girl in Gaulish, hoping the smooth words would calm her even if the meaning were unknown. Eirana clutched Camilla close to her side and watched Ares slay the gladiators one by one.
The strong man carefully maneuvered over the bodies of the fallen women slain by the gladiators. Eirana had spent a week beside some of the women, and now their faces lie embedded in the blood-soaked dirt of the coliseum floor.
Camilla’s hands clutched the fabric of Eirana’s skirt as she peeked out at the violence. The young girl pointed to a spot in the fray and Eirana’s breath stopped. Ares had already left a trail of death in his wake. Wielding swords in both hands, he leapt through the air and sliced through gladiator flesh, finding the crevices between thick armor. Landing on the ground, Ares rolled to avoid the sword of another fighter and drove his blade into the back of the man’s calf. The blow brought the gladiator to his knees only to suffer a beheading. Ares’ gaze was dark and cold as stone as he rendered the bodies of many men useless. Eirana’s heart weighed heavy for being glad for it. So much death, and yet, she was safe.
“Eirana!” Camilla’s scream brought her to attention and Eirana turned just in time to meet a gladiator upon her. Eirana had no choice but to throw Camilla out of the way. A hard landing would be better than her trampled by a three-hundred pound gladiator.
The growl of the man caused Eirana’s courage to spike and she raised her sword to meet his. A sound like lightening rang in her ears as steel met steel. The strength of the gladiator was too great and although she used both hands to grip her sword, the might of the man forced her to her knees. With the blade still raised over her head, Eirana eyed the opening between the giant man’s legs and rolled through just before her strength collapsed.
At her sudden move, the gladiator fell forward. Eirana used her momentum as she rolled through his legs to slice his groin with her sword. She�
�d never forget the sound of tearing flesh but as the gladiator fell into a pool of his own blood, Eirana was glad for it. There was one less gladiator to claim an innocent life.
Camilla ran into her arms and buried herself in Eirana’s skirt. Her light brown hair matted from blood spilled on the ground where Eirana had pushed her. Women crowded behind Eirana and the child, taking refuge as Ares claimed the attention of the remaining five gladiators. Although the odds weren’t in his favor, Ares was utilizing both swords to break the men down. Gashes sent two down to their knees but before the remaining gladiators could aim their blows, Ares leapt toward them with lethal grace, swinging his blades so that none could come near without a beheading.
The crowd became a constant thunder as they cheered. When only two gladiators remained opposing Ares, Eirana began to notice a chant from the crowd. Although she didn’t speak Latin, they were words she’d heard often enough.
Kill. Kill. Kill.
Ares seemed fueled by the crowd’s words and knelt. Eirana’s heart stopped as the two gladiators brought up their blades, smiling as they arced down with their blades. In a rush of speed, Ares was off his knees and drove his swords through the guts of the men simultaneously. Blood poured onto the ground and the satisfied cries of the crowd grew louder.
The women behind Eirana began to cheer, knowing that Ares had saved them once more. Ares strode closer to the space in the stadium where the emperor sat. While his well-muscled thighs carried him across the amphitheater, his bloody swords hung by his sides leaving a trail of crimson in the sand.
Eirana realized the crowd had begun to chant something new.
Ares. Ares. Ares.
The emperor stood and gave the signal for silence. The crowd quieted only when Ares stood a mere fifteen feet from the podium where Caesar sat.
Even from across the coliseum, Eirana made out the ruler’s fierce glare. Surely, this time her savior was a dead man. After all, the Romans didn’t like to be beat at their own game…
Chapter Seven
Ares met the powerful glare of the emperor. He could see the man grinding his frustration through a forced smile.
“It seems as if you have won over our audience. Tomorrow I will have to offer you a true challenge, and prove to my people once, and for all, that you are but a mere man. I will show them how you bleed.”
With that, the emperor departed before the crowd was able to leave. Ares walked back toward Eirana and the others as the guards forced them back toward the underground walls of the coliseum. Ares found Eirana’s hand and squeezed it so she would meet his gaze.
“Are you all right?” His hand went to her wound.
Instead of answering, her worried gaze settled over him and for a moment, he thought she would kiss him. Gods, he wished she would.
A guard interrupted them at the front gate of the slave quarters. “You. Tiro.”
Ares gritted his teeth at the epithet. He’d just slaughtered 30 gladiators and yet the man called him by the title of “young gladiator”.
“The Doctores has other accommodations planned for you tonight. You are to get a good night’s rest before your next fight tomorrow.”
Ares grasped Eirana’s hand and wrapped an arm around her so that her weight rested on him. He knew her wound had to be throbbing even though she hadn’t mentioned it. “She comes with me.”
The guard leered at her. “The Doctores will provide you with a clean woman if you so desire.”
Ares grit his teeth, glad that Eirana couldn’t understand the roman dialect. “It will be her or I go nowhere.”
The guard unlocked the cell but didn’t look happy to do so. “This way.”
As soon as Ares had Eirana out of the cell, the gate slammed behind them and young Camilla and the other female slaves were left in the cold dark quarters. Ares boiled with fury and his human heart constricted at leaving Camilla behind. Now he knew why so many soldiers he led to war were so frightened. The human heart was a fragile thing, and Ares was quickly learning that human emotions made it impossible to leave loved ones behind. Ares had led armies into battle for centuries, and yet Ares had never had anything on the line for himself besides his own glory.
Still carrying Eirana’s weight against him, he wondered about the depth of her wound. Blood soaked the abdomen of her dress, and yet her face showed only courage. When they arrived at a staircase, he decided to carry her rather than let her ascend the flight in her injured state. Ares swept Eirana into his arms and continued to walk down the hall. She weighed but nothing. He wished he could rectify that and see her body swell with health once more.
Finally, they arrived at a door. “You will be locked in, so do not try to escape. You will be retrieved before the battle tomorrow and she will be returned to the slave quarters.”
The room held a large comfortable bed, a dresser, and many of the other comforts a man would expect. He would thank the Doctores when he had the chance but for now, he led Eirana to the bed. While she sat, gazing at the surroundings with relief, Ares made his way to the pitcher of hot water on a dresser. Pouring it into a washing bowl, he retrieved a cloth and returned to the bed beside Eirana.
“You fought bravely today.”
Ares swept the warm cloth over her body, cleaning the skin that longed to shine like alabaster once more. The Romans had ensured her beauty be covered in filth. Only roman royalty had the opportunity to shine. Even in her imprisoned state when she’d been covered in blood and dirt, Eirana had still shined brighter than every other woman in Rome.
Her voice penetrated the room for the first time. “Many women fell.”
“I am sorry that it took me so long to realize what was unfolding on the other side of the arena. The emperor was playing a sick game with me.” Ares guided the cloth across her skin, rubbing gently to free the grime and dried blood from her flesh.
“You did more than any man could do. And you saved Camilla and me once more.”
“You saved yourself and protected Camilla, and I am in awe of your courage. But then, the Gauls always did fight with such fervor.”
“They still do.”
Eirana’s words echoed through his mind and his throat dried, for as the God of War, he knew that the tide had turned. The Romans would indeed conquer what stretched of the Gaul world. Ares thought to change the subject but instead, focused on Eirana’s soft skin, and removing all traces of her imprisonment, and the gruesome battles, she’d experienced.
“There’s no point in cleaning the dirt off. Tomorrow I’ll be back in the cell, perhaps even the arena, and covered in it again. I’ll be bloodstained once more.”
“You’re worthy of being worshipped, you know that?” Ares dragged his eyes away from the cloth against her skin and met her gaze to show her his truth. “No matter what happens to you, I will always be there to take care of you.”
“Why?”
Her hand trembled slightly within his grasp as he continued to buff away the dirt embedded in her skin. She was scared? In truth, so was he.
“In the past, I have been fueled by rage and glory. Victory was my drug, and people worshipped me for it. But now…there is nothing I want more than to be at peace…with you.”
The bright hue of Eirana’s gaze matched the silky emerald fabric of the bedding, but a shiny haze washed over her vision. At his words, a single tear gathered at the inner corner of her lid. “My words make you sad?”
“Ares,” her soft voice caught, as if she dared not utter the next words. “During all these times of war, I have known only death. War has destroyed my courage to love. I loved my brothers and I watched them fall. I loved my mother, and yet I watched her burned alive by the Romans.”
“War is not only about death, I swear it. I’ll go to war for you. I’ll go to war to bring you freedom, peace, and the courage to love once more.” His throat ached before the next words escaped. “Even if it is not me, I’ll fight for you to have the courage to love another. There is nothing beautiful about this world un
less you are free to share your love with another, have a child, a family of your own, for I have known no heart like yours.”
“You barely know me.” Her words were weak, and Ares knew she was truly hearing him.
“I know you better than I have ever known anything.”
Ares dipped the cloth into the hot water provided him by the Doctores’ guards. The wound in her abdomen was in need of cleaning. As if she sensed his intentions, Eirana met his gaze and her fingers went to the fabric at her shoulder. Slowly, she stood and slipped the loose dress from her shoulders. The dirt and bloodstained cotton fell to the ground, revealing a long gorgeous body. Ares’ appreciation of her came to an abrupt halt when he caught sight of the wound. It was worse than she let on.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered to her softly in Gaulish. Taking her hand, he guided her to lie on the bed once more. The expression on her face was uneasy, and he realized she’d never been naked before the eyes of a man. His groin stirred at the thought but his heart quelled any needs that grew, for the urge to heal her was far greater.
Eirana’s body molded into the soft bed as Ares squeezed more hot water out of the cloth and raised it to her wound. It was deep enough that she’d require stitching, and she had already done much bleeding. It was a surprise that she had remained on her feet so long.
Something stirred within Ares’ stomach. Many human emotions left him unsettled. Concern, fear, and awe for the courageous woman whose strength rivaled many of the men he’d led to victories from Olympus.
As the hot rag connected with the wound, she uttered a soft scream. The pain of the wound renewed at the hot impact. His heart broke upon witnessing the pain reflected in her expression. The wound would need more than he could do.
