Chapter 50
There was a resonating slap and the sound of metal clashing violently against metal before a sword would fly aimlessly through the air and land on the ground a few feet away from the scuffle.
"Again!" Ares breathed out authoritatively, growing impatient while he waited for Xena to walk over and pick up her sword.
The Warrior Princess mumbled a few choice words under her breath concerning the War God and just what he could do with his attitude as she walked over to her blade and retrieved it. He was being such an arrogant ass and for the first time since she had met him he was being cruel to her. It was only pissing her off and she reached up and touched softly against her cheek where the War God had struck her just a few moments ago. She rubbed against her sore cheek, he was holding nothing back and she once again mumbled some obscene comments about him and then walked back over to her starting position and just glared at him.
"Don't think I didn't hear that." he told her sternly and he smirked a little in amusement when she just rolled those piercing blue eyes of hers at him defiantly.
"I don't know what you mean." she said sweetly to him, "You must be hearing things."
They were once again in a fierce battle against the other, swinging and slashing their swords at one another. Xena was finding it hard to keep up with his constant attacks and just when she thought that she was finally going to get a lucky break and teach him a lesson, the War God once again knocked her blade from her grasp.
"Again!" he barked.
They continued that same routine for several more hours, fighting against one another with a fierce passion and ending it the same way every time, with Ares knocking her blade from her hands with a brute force and her having to go and retrieve it and having to endure his ridicule over and over again. Why was he being so harsh with her? Granted, she knew that his training wasn't going to be easy but she hadn't expected him to be so severe either. This was the War God she had heard about, the cruel and unforgiving one and she vaguely wondered what had happened to the one that she had come to know. She was starting to hate him and his constant arrogant comments about how she was too distracted or she wasn't paying enough attention and how she could have easily avoided some of his attacks if she had only set her mind to it. His remarks were infuriating her beyond words and soon their swords were locked together and she then shoved him back roughly and she was going to counter act that move with a swipe to his midsection when he once again backhanded her across the face hard and she stumbled back from the powerful blow.
"Is that the best you got?" he asked scornfully.
"I'm just getting started War God." she hissed back, the anger flaring in her eyes as he continued to mock her.
"We'll see about that." Ares said nonchalantly, seeming as if he was growing bored with the whole situation.
She attacked once again but the anger she was now feeling towards the Olympian was only clouding her judgment and thus, her moves started to become a bit sloppy. She was fighting now just to try and get any hit against him and to wipe that overconfident smirk right off of his face. One swipe of her blade later and then the next thing she knew her sword was once again being extracted from her hand and she soon found herself on her back with the War Gods' blade held at her throat.
"It seems I made a mistake with asking you to be my Chosen." he told her while he stared down into her fiery blue eyes, "Clearly, what I thought you possessed, you don't. I can see why Athena wanted to kill you." he told her coldly.
He watched as the fire danced behind her eyes, the temper flaring as she grew angrier with him. Come on that was it, all she needed to do was focus that rage and he was trying to push her into doing just that. Her untamed fury is what made her a good warrior but it was also her weakness and he needed to get her to control it instead of blindly letting it take her over. When she got too fired up, the anger would get the best of her and she would take it personally and that's when her movements would get sloppy. She would lose the focus that she had at the start of their little squabble while she let herself get consumed with her rage.
At his words, she closed her eyes for a brief second and when she opened them again he saw it. There it was, what he had been waiting for, the fire that burned with a fierce determination and a focus as her mind finally settled on what it was she had to do. Oh, he was going to enjoy this next battle, he knew she could do it, all she needed was a little push. Ares walked away from her and waited for her to get to her feet again and she picked up her blade and didn't even give him a chance to utter a single word, she was already on him.
Xena was a flame with a small hatred for the War God at his words. How dared he talk to her like that when she hadn't been the one to come to him, he had come to her and now he had the nerve to doubt her abilities? What he had said about Athena though, that had stung worse than the slap across the face he had given her earlier and it even hurt her a little that he actually thought that. And that conceited smirk that was just plastered on his face the whole time was incredibly unnerving. She was going to smack it right off of his face, and she viciously fought against him, determined to do just that, and after some time she actually managed to get the upper hand on him. She had him on the defense and she cunningly smiled as she moved to deliver the final blow that was going to ensure her victory against him.
With one quick strike with her sword, she disarmed him and she even managed to knock him to his knees, victoriously holding her blade at his throat. She glared down at him, pressing the tip of her sword into his neck cruelly, she had him! She felt on the top of the world at finally having knocked that goofy grin off of his face and having shown him that he was indeed wrong with what he had said but soon, a confused look came across her face when Ares just stared up at her and began to smile.
"Well done my dear." he told her proudly and soon began to applaud her, "All you had to do was focus that anger and you did."
What… ? She couldn't believe it, it was all a test and he had been pushing her and goading her into it, saying all of those things just to get her to focus her anger. To attempt to try and give her the necessary ability to beat him, not because he thought he had made a mistake and she was actually worthless, but to actually push her beyond her limits and give her a purpose , the thought was completely mindboggling to her. After a few more moments, Ares soon removed her blade from his throat when it seemed that she wasn't going to remove it on her own anytime soon and he stood up from the ground. They had been training for the better part of the day and he took her sword from her hand and softly placed it back in its scabbard and made his own reappear in its sheath. He held out his hand to her and Xena just looked at it for a moment, was he serious?! After everything that he had said to her did he really expect for her to just go with him just like that? She was mad at him and the last thing she wanted to do was to be anywhere near him at that moment and she then gazed back up to his eyes rebelliously so she could tell the War God just what she thought of his little gesture.
Any words of malicious intent had soon died in her throat though before she could even think to lash out at him because there it was, that blasted look again shining in his brown eyes for her. The same one she always saw in those auburn eyes of his whenever he was looking at her, one of pure admiration, mixed with a small amount of desire, and all hint of any malice he was showing towards her from earlier was gone. She didn't know what to think with his sudden change in attitude, clearly it had been a test but what a way to push someone! Although she was angry with him, she actually appreciated his strong approach. It pushed her out of her comfort zone and tested her on a level that she had never gotten with Athena. Everyone else had been too scared of her to push her too far but the War God could take what she could dish out and adapt to her skills and sharpen them even better. She hesitated for a few moments, studying his hand for a few seconds longer, thinking that his out stretched hand meant so much more than it was actually saying and she then cautiously slipped her palm into his and then brought her eyes up to meet his soft brown ones.
Ares grasped her hand firmly in his own, she was mad at him and he knew it. His words had wounded her pride, even though she was trying to act like she was unaffected by them and he then gently tugged her closer to himself and softly enveloped her lovingly in his arms and placed a few adoring kisses against her forehead. His sweet, sweet Princess… her vanity was hurt and he knew just which words were the ones that had cut the deepest. Since she was less than enthusiastic to have been standing there in his arms, choosing to brood over what he had said and stubbornly refusing to make eye contact with him and deciding to just stare a hole through his chest and pout… Gods did she look incredibly sexy like that…! Ares soon leaned down and captured her lips in a sweet, tender kiss that caught her completely off guard from the warmness of it. The kiss only lasted for about thirty delicious seconds, lips brushing gently against the other while it deepened a little as an essential yearning formed between them, but to Xena it seemed to have lasted three times as long and by the time the War God had pulled away, her hands were wrapped firmly around the edges of his vest and her body apparently just wanted to be stuck to him since she was now glued to him while his hands rested comfortably against her waist. He didn't give her a chance to dwell on the gesture and he took a hold of her hand again and he soon led his Princess back into the temple and started to head down a hallway.
She wasn't sure where he was taking her, and her mind was still reeling a little from that unexpected kiss and her reaction to it, but she followed him nonetheless until they came to a door. He pushed it open and escorted her inside and she looked around to see that they were now in the baths. The War God let go of her hand and walked over to one of the baths and started to prepare it for her. One simple wave of his hand and the water was already steaming a little and the scent of lavender soon filled the space. So it appeared that in his absence, the War God did not forget what scent she liked to use and that thought intrigued her greatly and she just watched him warily while he made several blue candles light up around the tub and then he walked back up to her and led her to her bath.
He stood closely behind her once they reached the edge and started to gently massage her shoulders and Xena let out a pleasing sigh at the contact as she leaned into him a little. The War God soon moved his hands to her armor and started to slowly unlatch it from her body. Xena immediately stiffened when she felt him start to remove her clothing but sensing her nervousness, he acted like the perfect gentlemen. He unhurriedly moved his hands against her body, slowly peeling her out of her armor and he couldn't help the satisfied smirk that came across his face at feeling the way that her body responded to his touch, he loved it when she shivered. Having removed her armor successfully, he slowly slipped the straps of her battle leathers off of her shoulders. He ran his fingers against the newly exposed flesh lightly for a moment and then leisurely moved the material down her body until it got to her waist.
Xena could feel his hot breath as it hit against the side of her neck while he was removing her clothing and she couldn't help the small tremor that went through her with the War Gods' delicate movements. Ares had soon gently wrapped his right arm around her waist and slowly slipped his hand beneath the material a little- that was now bunched around her belly- and he splayed his hand against her abdomen. He nuzzled his head against hers and breathed her addictive aroma in and soon he slowly worked the fabric further down, sluggishly guiding it past her hips and then letting it fall to the floor until his Princess was standing naked in front of him and he gently held her to him for a moment and she softly placed her hand on top of his.
He soon worked his other hand slowly up her body, running his fingertips teasingly along her hip and enjoying the feel of her silky skin while going higher, slightly allowing his fingers the joy of touching her and once he got to her shoulder, he moved her hair out of the way and placed a tender kiss at the nape of her neck. On instinct, completely enthralled with his caresses, Xena had tilted her head to the side a little to give him better access and, accepting the invitation, he placed a few more sweet kisses against her skin. She tasted divinely and he couldn't help himself as he indulged on her delicious flesh a little more, nipping softly at her skin before placing his lips back over the area to soothe what he had just bit. It didn't help matters that he could feel her rapidly increasing pulse beneath his lips every time he touched against her skin and the soft moan she had released made his grip on her stomach tighten its hold.
She was like a drug and he couldn't get enough of her addictive presence, there was just something about her that he couldn't quite grasp yet. He wanted all of her, that was a given, but there was something else too that was within his reach of figuring out but was still eluding him of what it was at the moment. He softly trailed his way up the side of her neck, indulging in his Princess any way that he could, placing feather like kisses as he went and moving his hand back down her body, gradually working his way to her waist, then her hip and soon the tender flesh of her thigh and he slowly worked his way between her legs when he sensed her hesitation and he halted his descent. Patience…. she would come to him soon enough but that didn't mean that he couldn't make her yearn for him in the meantime and he teasingly let his hand linger on her thigh before he unhurriedly began to make his way back up her body.
Xena was indeed enjoying the War God's pleasing ministrations but she felt so exposed standing there. Plus, this was the standard type of situation that she was supposed to be trying to avoid, not letting him do as he pleased and touch her the way that he was doing. But like always, the strength that she needed to pull away was constantly late on its arrival, somehow seeming to get delayed by his intoxicating presence and now there she was, standing naked in front of him while he moved his hand and lips against her skin, arousing her immeasurably but knowing that she couldn't let herself cross that line with him. Her breathing became a bit more labored when he moved his hand just underneath her breast, inhaling a sharp breath when his fingers grazed just the tiniest amount against it. A slight whimper escaped her the moment his lips touched against that sensitive spot on her neck that he seemed to always know just how to find. That, and not to mention his constant touch against her skin, roaming freely against her body and his fingertips soon moving to her breast where he started to leisurely tease her nipple made a very sexy moan fall out of her mouth. Oh dear Gods, she thought that she was going to convulse into orgasm just from his mere touch alone. His touch felt so good, making her want to feel it in so many other places as well but she was trying to keep that wall intact and so she did the only thing that she was capable of doing at that moment; her body tensed under his touch and it was enough for the War God to stop what he had been doing.
He removed his hand from her abdomen and then offered his hand to her, which she gladly accepted after a few seconds- still too long for his liking- and he helped her into the bath. She sat there a little anxious by his presence, fidgeting with the sponge as a means to keep her mind distracted from him and soon Ares started to massage her shoulders to help her unwind, he wanted her to be comfortable around him and not pause for a second on the thought of whether or not she wanted to go with him. Xena couldn't help but start to relax at his soothing touch, moaning slightly at his gentle ministrations, this was just what she needed and soon the War God proceeded to wash her. Ares took the sponge that she was holding on to just a little too tightly from her hands and shortly took a hold of her arm and started to run it over her skin. He worked his way to her back, leisurely moving the sponge in small circles and slowly moved it over every inch of her exposed flesh, dipping his hand further into the water so that he could reach her lower back also.
He worked his way back up her body, marveling at the tantalizingly bronzed skin that he had beneath his fingertips and just wanting to run his lips over every inch of her succulent flesh and he soon started to run his hand over her back as well, followed closely by the sponge while his need to touch her was becoming overwhelming. He turned her around so that she was now facing him and then started to run the sponge softly over her cheeks, cleaning her face a little from the little bit of dirt that covered her gorgeous visage. He ran his fingers tenderly down the side of her face, lingering for a moment on the slight blemish that was starting to form on her cheek from their fight earlier. Those expressive sapphire eyes of hers were getting to him, he felt like he was drowning in them and he ran his thumb against her sweet lips for a minute, losing himself more in her gaze while her eyes seemed to keep holding him captive before he finally managed to snap himself out of it and moved along and drifted the sponge down her neck and made his way to her chest.
Xena held her breath when he started to move it against her chest and slowly work his way downward, but to her immeasurable surprise, he did not go any lower than the tops of her breasts, deliberately allowing his fingers to graze over them and causing her eyes to drift shut slightly at the feeling of it when his fingers swirled around her nipple playfully. Ares then handed the sponge over to her so she could finish washing herself because if he continued he would soon join her in that bath and he would pin her against the side of it and fuck her senseless for the rest of eternity. It certainly wasn't a bad way to spend the rest of his life and he was so very tempted to do just that.
Xena quickly took the sponge from his hand and turned her back to the War God, clearly seeing the hunger building in his eyes and proceeded to finish her bath and wash the places that he had missed. He was still there with her though and as she moved the sponge down to her abdomen, the War God started to gently wash her hair. He just couldn't stand there and not touch her and he took the soap and started to lather it into her silky raven tresses and Xena moaned a little at the pleasing sensation of him running his fingers along her scalp. Once she finished washing herself, she patiently waited for the War God to be done also, enjoying immensely his attentiveness. She would have thought that this invasion of her privacy would have made her angry with Ares for not giving her some time to herself to take care of such a private activity, like bathing, but having the War God tend to her like this, she soon discovered that she truly liked it. She did not feel for a second that he was intruding on her personal space, on the contrary, he was actually helping her relax after their long tiring day of training.
When the War God had finally finished getting all of the soap out of her hair she turned around slowly to face him, she wasn't sure how to get out without exposing herself to him. She wasn't ashamed of her body and he had practically undressed her and then some, but she was a little nervous of standing there naked in front of him and having him run his curious eyes over her nude form. His gaze affected her anyway when she had clothes on and the sexual tension that was rising between them was becoming unbearable… Still, when Ares simply ran his fingers down her cheek and then walked away from her, she frowned to herself as he headed away from her, unable to understand why he was leaving now. Did she do something wrong, she really didn't want him to go but she couldn't get out with him watching her like that. She didn't know what it was that he was always looking for when he would stare at her, it made her self-conscious. Her thoughts were put to rest though a few moments later when she saw him grab a towel and head back over to her. She just stared up at him once he reached her and he held the towel out open for her and the War God averted his gaze so that she could get out without feeling uncomfortable. Who would have thought, a considerate God of War?
After a moment of uncertainty, thinking that this was probably a bad idea, Xena swiftly stepped out of the tub and walked carefully forward to Ares and hesitantly stepped into the towel and he soon wrapped it around her body, encasing her in his strong embrace. He moved it gently against her skin so he could dry her off, and as she stared at his chest, she couldn't help wondering why he was doing everything the mortal way and then she shifted her eyes up to meet his and there he was, studying her with those probing auburn eyes of his, making her skin flush under the heat of his gaze. He could certainly have her dry within an instant with just a simple wave of his hand but yet he had chosen to take his time, moving the fabric against her skin to make sure he got all the water off of her upper body. All this time, he had kept his eyes locked with hers and soon he moved the opening of the towel to the front of her body and opened it a little, revealing her body to him but he did not break his gaze. He moved it up a little and wiped the water droplets off of her cheeks and he then tied the towel around her nude form. He reached up and ran his fingers through her wet strands of hair and after a few strokes her hair was completely dry. Xena smirked to herself, so he could dry her instantly if he wanted to... show off! The War God then offered her his hand again and she accepted it, without hesitation this time and he led her out of the baths and down another corridor.
They walked for a little while- and apparently, no words needed to be said between them- her hand tightly clasped within his as he led her down the hallway and then they came to another door and he pushed it open and led her into the room. Her blue eyes quickly scanned the area and took in the massive bed chamber. Were all the rooms in his temple always this big? Ares gave her a small smirk, as if knowing what she was thinking, and then let go of her hand and walked over to a chest and opened it and pulled out a crimson nightgown and slowly walked back over to her. He draped the shift over his arm and then moved his hands to where the towel was being held together and softly pulled it away from her body, exposing her to him once again and then he let the towel fall to the floor carelessly. His hungry eyes stared intently into hers while he slowly worked his hand up her side, teasingly running his fingers along her body, making her shudder from the contact, and then he took the silky nightgown and gently glided it over her head and slowly smoothed it down her curvaceous form until he had her covered again. He let his fingers linger at the bottom of the material, softly moving them in small teasing circles, inching them a little higher under the fabric and then gradually worked his way back up her body and rested them against her waist. This was a battle that he was slowly losing, she was the biggest temptation that he had ever had, making him constantly be in a battle with himself to try and control his actions while he just wanted to devour her every second of the day.
"Just call if you need anything." he murmured out and then he leaned forward and placed a tender kiss against her head. He stood there for a moment longer, just staring into her eyes, restraining himself from touching her again and then he just walked out of the room and left her there, aware of the fact that had he stayed there any longer then he wasn't going to be able to keep his hands off of her and he would soon tear off of her enticingly sexy form the delicate fabric that he had just carefully placed on her, tossing her on to the bed and crawling his way between her legs, finally making her his by endlessly sliding his cock into her.
Xena was at a loss to explain what had just happened between them. He was being so gentle and caring with her, that she didn't know what to think about it anymore. The whole time he kept taking her clothes or whatever piece of fabric that stood between them off of her, she thought that he was going to devour her. She had seen the pure lust in his eyes every time their gazes met and the fact that he had managed to keep his eyes from roaming over her body that had been so openly displayed to him shocked her. The desire between them had been built to an excruciating level and she thought that had he touched her one more time at any moment then she would have pushed him down on that bed and they were going to fuck each other wild until they had collapsed into each other's arms from pure exhaustion.
Reigning in those arousing thoughts that she foolishly allowed invade her mind, she finally looked down at the material that he had so carefully slipped onto her body and she ran her hands over its silky soft surface….again a perfect fit! The War God was going to be a hard one to figure out and she soon made her way over to her bed, that was at least big enough to fit three people, and climbed into it and found a single crimson rose lying on the pillow. She smiled softly to herself, gently running her fingers against the petals, it was a minor gesture but it was one that for some strange reason made butterflies flutter in her stomach every time she received one from him, and then she picked the rose up and placed it on the table that was next to the bed. She moved to lie down in it and she couldn't believe that it actually smelled like him. Well, this was his temple and she figured that his scent was bound to be imbedded into a few things but she did not expect it to be in her own sheets and after everything that had just transpired between them, smelling that aroma had sent a rush of lust coursing through her entire body.
How was she supposed to go to sleep smelling him the whole time, it only made her body crave his touch even more then she already did and now she was sexually frustrated. She knew very well what it could be like, hours of endless pleasure while the War God worshipped her body until he felt the need to bring her to orgasm. Which considering the few times that she had let herself indulge in him, she knew that she was going to enjoy every last bit of his sweet torture and she huffed out an irritated breath with her current situation. Sleep was not going to come easy for her tonight, not with his scent arousing her beyond words and no way to sate what was now building in her from their erotic encounters that they had engaged in. The way his lips would move against hers, making her get drunk on his kiss, the feeling of his fingers as they moved so wonderfully in and out of her at a tempo that drove her crazy, stroking her in just the right way that had caused her indescribable pleasure every time he plunged them back into her…
Gods how she wished that he would just penetrate her already with something that she knew was going to be equally as filling- no actually it was going to be far more pleasurable- while he moved it constantly within her. She soon felt herself become wet from her own teasing, sexy thoughts of how she and the War God could have been spending this night if he had only touched her one more time. The thought of feeling Ares taking possession of her body, stretching her and then having him thrust himself relentlessly inside of her was driving her to the point of insanity. She wanted to know what it felt like, she was no virgin but never had she wanted someone so deep inside of her as much as she did the War God.
After several more moments of wild fantasies in which Ares was making love to her endlessly, moaning out her name as he filled her with pleasure again and again, she just laid there extremely aggravated. She was trying to block out his fragrance that was annoyingly invading her senses, making her body long unbearably for his while her mind kept replaying everything that had happened. They had made their vows to each other after what one might call a rather interesting way to start the morning and she was now his Chosen. She had felt their bond solidify, what she hadn't realized that had already been there before had been made even stronger once the Fates had bound them to each other. The start of a whole new beginning awaited her, one that now included the War God at her side and it was off to a very promising start.