Chapter 74
Resting comfortably, with one leg draped over the arm of the chair he inhabited, his amber eyes slowly tracked the restless warrior as she paced back and forth a few feet in front of him. She looked like a ravenous lioness, wanting desperately to sink her vicious claws into her doomed prey before ferociously landing that lethal strike with her razor-sharp teeth straight to the jugular, savagely ripping flesh from bone. The God of War smiled a little from the mental image it gave him, and he had to adjust his position in the chair he occupied at the thought.
His gorgeous savage Princess, covered in her prey's blood, warmly cascading down her neck, flowing along her chest and vanishing between that tantalizing valley between her breasts as her body hummed from the excitement of her violent kill. He shuddered from the thought and had to suppress the low growl that was about to form in his throat as those images mercilessly invaded his mind, feeding his desire even more. By the Gods that was a site he was longing to see.
"What's taking so long?", it was the annoyed tone of her voice that drew the War God's focus back to the lethal beauty in front of him.
She huffed out another irritated breath before turning those captivating sapphire eyes to Ares, only to just as quickly tear them away from his analyzing stare. She hated it when he did that, it was like he was looking into the innermost parts of her. Beckoning out her deepest darkest secrets with those alluring eyes of his that she was entirely content with keeping in check. Over the last several weeks her anger was consuming her, she needed the rage though, relished it as a matter of fact. She would not allow herself to feel anything else, it was too much, and she could not afford to fall apart, not now.
"Patience my dear…", the words barely finished leaving his mouth before a dagger was sent flying his way and imbedded itself firmly into the back of the chair he was sitting in, mere inches from his head. The War God did not even flinch though, he just cocked his head to the side and let out a short, irritated breath, clearly unamused.
"Are you finished?", his mocking tone only succeeded in prompting another frustrated snort from the Warrior Princess and she walked over to him and ripped the dagger out from where she so skillfully stuck it, making a point to lazily run it down the side of his cheek.
"Not really…", she daringly told him as she dragged the tip of the blade along his chest, relishing at the feel of his skin beneath the knifes edge before decisively moving it to his throat and held it there, applying just the right amount of pressure to force the God of War to look up at her.
His eyes darted to the knife she held securely against his neck and then flickered back up to her rage filled blue ones. That fire of hers burned brightly inside of them, calling to him on a seductive whisper and his need to feel her engulfed him and he quickly reached up and grabbed Xena by the waste, pulling her down onto his lap, forcing her to straddle him. That fire within her blazed even more from his actions and he could not help the satisfied smirk that appeared on his face from her fury, causing her to dig the dagger in harder against his throat and had he been mortal she would have drawn blood.
"If it's my blood you want my dear….," he temptingly whispered to her, moving his hand up and torturously running his fingers down her neck, leisurely gliding his fingertips in a feather like touch across the tops of her breasts before possessively finding his way back to her hip and held her more firmly against him, "…. it's yours."
Xena could not help the slight shiver that went through her from his touch, those penetrating eyes never leaving hers as he challenged her to take what she wanted. That inner struggle waged within her again the longer she stayed within his embrace, his probing stare letting loose the part of her that was constantly clawing inside her ever since the moment she saw the light go out of Lycues' eyes. Somehow, the War God had a direct line to it and stroked it to the forefront. Damn him straight to Tartarus!
But that millisecond was all the time that was needed for her brother's name to escape the cage she kept it in and swiftly dashed across her thoughts. She felt the start of that nasty despair begin to rear its ugly head and before its icy grip could really have the chance to take ahold of her, Xena quickly disentangled herself from Ares' lap, needing to break the connection and angrily hurled the dagger across her tent, not even bothering to look where it went.
The inner turmoil that Ares had seen dance across Xena's face confirmed everything that he already suspected. She was not dealing with her grief, instead she was choosing to lock it away and although it was feeding the fire that was fiercely growing in her belly, something that he quite liked, if she was not careful it was going to destroy her.
"It's a two-day journey from here to Helios' temple.," he said, giving her the distraction that she needed to rein in what she was so desperately trying to hide.
"They should have been back by now. I do not understand why I could not have just gone myself.," she bit out more harshly than she intended to, shakily flexing her hands at her sides before curling them into tight fists before the War God could see. She was not weak, and she was not going to let her emotions rule her, especially in front of him.
But little did she fully understand, even after all this time, that the God of War was vastly attuned to all things that concerned his darling Princess. He was not going to push her though, knowing that he was going to be met with the same resistance that he had been getting from her for the past several weeks, four to be exact, and he was not trying to be her enemy. He did not mind that she was taking her frustration out on him, he actually rather enjoyed it, and for some odd reason the rage kept her head ideally clear and given what they were planning to do he needed her mind to be sharp, focused, there was no room for distractions. Yet, given how he knew she was not letting herself feel anything, there was still this nagging need in his own chest to know whether or not she still felt him.
He studied her rigid form for a moment longer, taking in just how tightly wound she truly was, and he slowly made his way to her. Just as he expected, she sensed his approach immediately and she stiffened even more, but she held her ground, refusing to give up an inch as he came to stand behind her. He gently laid his hands on her shoulders, a touch that seemed to jolt her and she instantly tried to break free from it, needing to keep the distance that she had created between them, but he held her still non the less, not letting her escape from him.
"Because….", he carefully whispered against her ear, "…. as marvelous a scene as it would be to see you destroy another Gods temple….", he softly inhaled her scent while he nuzzled his cheek against her hair as his fingers deliciously worked their magic on her shoulders, a satisfied grin pulling at his lips as he heard the sharp intake of breath escape from her mouth, "… anyone spotting you there would immediately foil the element of surprise."
It was the smallest imperceivable movement, but Ares felt her resolve give just the tiniest inch as she leaned into his touch just a fraction. That was enough for him, and he slowly turned her around to face him and she stared defiantly into his eyes. He just smirked at her rebelliousness, shaking his head slightly, stubborn as ever she was, and he gently ran the backs of his fingers down her smooth cheek. Those raging sapphires bore deeply into him, refusing to back down for one moment and he saw the faintest hint of what it was for which he was searching for.
Xena was doing her best not to let him in, but that damn overconfident grin of his was her undoing. And although she kept a tight grip on it, she knew he saw whatever it was that he was looking for the moment he softly tilted her face up more to meet his before gently cupping her face and gingerly wiped away a rogue tear that she didn't even realize had managed to escape from the light sheen of water that now glossed her eyes.
As if the universe was attempting to punish her for that foolish slip, a vortex had opened directly behind them, and they immediately pulled apart to assess the new threat. Even though Xena did not shy away from the danger, Ares still situated himself between his darling Princess and the portal, not daring to take any chances. Given his sister's recent sneakiness, he was not sure what to expect. As if reacting to the gallant display of chivalry on the War Gods part, two black vines shot out of the portal and swiftly wrapped around his wrists.
"What in Tartarus!", he yelled out, quickly snapping one of his arms free from its bind.
Another one suddenly shot out again, replacing the one that he had just broken and then another wrapping around his waist. Xena grabbed her sword and swung at the vines, cutting them loose from their tight grip that they had on the War God. But with each one that was slashed, another one replaced it immediately after, slowly pulling Ares towards the portal. A sea of black vines littered the ground as Xena tried desperately to get Ares free as he ripped them from his own limbs at the same time. With one swift swipe, she managed to once again free his arms and body and in retaliation, a few vines shot out and hastily wrapped themselves around her neck and torso, lifting her up into the air, brutally constricting her.
She gasped for breath, her hands urgently trying to claw at the vine to free herself, but she couldn't as they kept her locked in place. She could feel the air leaving her lungs as the vines squeezed her body tighter like a snake viciously coiling around her, her blood was pounding in her ears, the pressure mounting as she struggled to inhale as each attempt at a breath the vines constricted more brutally. She was about to lose consciousness as she frantically tried to gasp for one more breath when she faintly heard a menacing growl as Ares angrily tore the vines from her body and she fell to her knees as he flung them away. She felt his hands on her as he carefully unwrapped the last vine from around her neck and she greedily sucked in a lung full of air.
Her hands snapped to her throat, feeling as though she could still feel the vice-like grip that was once there as she choked, coughing on the air that she sucked in as if she could not get a sufficient amount fast enough. Ares searched out her eyes for a moment for reassurance that she was indeed ok, his hand lingering on her cheek as she rapidly inhaled another mouthful of air as he assessed the light bruise that was now forming around her neck, getting darker and darker with each passing second and his eyes darkened at the sight, a territorial growl growing deep in his throat. A fireball appeared in his hand at the sight, he would burn the who damn camp down before he allowed, whichever Godly bastard, which decided to try to take her from him.
In the next second though, a dozen more vines came shooting out of the portal all at once. All of them savagely wrapping themselves around the God of War and pulled him viciously back. He resisted with everything that he had, his boots digging hard into the ground as the vines dragged him closer to the portal, the vines tightening their grip as more slithered out and encased the War God and heaved harder, making his footing stumble. The Warrior Princess unsteadily got to her feet at the sight, picking up her fallen sword as she did.
Sensing the threat, before Xena could take a step forward, a vine quickly coiled around her sword, wrenching it from her grasp and sent it sailing in an unknown direction. At the same time, another one swept her feet out from under her, making her harshly collide with the hard ground with enough force to cause her head to bounce from the impact. Groggily she tried to clear the fog that was now rapidly consuming her mind from the momentary delirium that the collision had caused her, while at the same time, had the strangest sensation of something prickling along her leg.
"Xena!", he shouted, trying to rouse her from her confusion as the vine crept higher up her leg.
The God of War fought against his binds as he watched Xena slowly being pulled away, the haze still not clear from her mind as her head lightly bobbed back and forth as she tried to get her bearings again. He managed to tear one of his arms out from the vines' deathly grip on him and sent a fireball towards the one that had Xena, incinerating it before it had the chance to completely wrap itself around her body. He tore at the rest of them, setting them on fire, their ashes falling all around him as he managed to get loose once more. He immediately made his way to Xena, hurriedly kneeling beside her, reaching out to check the wound that she had sustained to her head from her fall as he noticed the pool of blood that began forming around it and before he could, the vortex exploded with hundreds of vines, all of which found their marks around the War Gods body before he could do anything to react.
They pulled tight, causing his legs to be jerked out from under him, making him fall onto the ground harshly. His one outstretched arm gripped into the dirt, his fingers digging viciously as they scraped across the ground, a trail being left behind as the vines continued their tug of war. The Warrior Princess slowly rolled over, reaching up to gently touch the tender spot on the back of her head and winced from the contact. Her blood gradually began to flow down her neck as she unsteadily made it to her knees, shaking her head to rid herself of the fog that still lingered. Her eyes adjusted to Ares being pulled closer to the portal and she inched forward towards him, steadying herself as she forced herself to her feet.
Before she had a chance to even attempt to free her God though, with one final hard pull, the vines rapidly yanked Ares into the portal, quickly closing the moment he entered it as Xena stumbled forward, her steps faltering from the blood she had lost and fuzziness that still clouded her mind, in one last failed effort to hold on to him.
"Ares!", she shouted out, immediately regretting it as her head pounded violently, causing her to wince out in pain as her eyes wildly searched the space where the portal had just been.
"Ares!" she screamed again, pushing through the pain it caused her throbbing head as if the demand in her voice was going to unleash him from his binds and bring him back to her from wherever that portal had taken him.
For several long moments, she paced back and forth around her tent, her own injuries forgotten as her mind raced with a hundred different scenarios and places that he could have been taken to. She chastised herself, this is what happens when she let herself feel something, the ones she cared about got taken away. It was becoming an obvious pattern, when you allowed yourself to feel you lost. Letting someone in… it was not a strength it was a weakness! First with Lyceus and now Ares, both of whom were savagely ripped away from her and the Warrior Princess' fury grew at the thought as she stopped dead in her tracks from her musings. There was only one who would dare to attack the War God in such a way and only one who would monumentally benefit the most from them being apart.
"Athena.", she breathed out so vehemently, her lips sneering up in disgust as she did not even like the taste of her Gods awful name on her lips as her hands balled into tight fists, causing her nails to dig into her skin violently as she drew blood.
"My lady…," one of her men cautiously spoke from the opening of her tent several long tense moments later. He was afraid to come in any further given the state in which he had found her in, not quite sure how long she had been like this.
When she did not answer him, he grew more nervous and hesitantly made his way closer to her. His eyes quickly scanned the area, taking in the disarray and silently wondered what had happened. He gulped fearfully as he attempted to gain her attention once more, not entirely sure he really wanted it.
"My lady…", he tried again, and Xena cocked her head to the side at the intrusive voice this time, clearly showing her displeasure for being interrupted from her thoughts. Her steely blue eyes finally turned towards the unwanted guest and the feral look he saw in them; he only ever saw that look upon the God of War's face and that clearly told him he had but mere seconds to make it out alive.
"I… uh… I…", he fumbled over his words as the intensity in her stare grew," … I bring you this My Lady.", he nervously muttered to her, clumsily unbuckling the bag at his side as her fiery stare seemed to grow more impatient with him.
At his ever-growing unwanted presence, Xena was becoming more irritated, she needed something or someone to take her frustration out on and seeing how she was less than pleased with her intruder, he will have to do. Her fury had not subsided in the least since the God of War was violently taken out of here… how long it had been, she was not sure, an hour ago. She causally picked up a dagger from a nearby table, lightly shifting it from one hand to the next as her pathetic excuse for a soldier continued to fumble with the bag.
After stumbling to get the satchel open, he eventually managed to do so and pulled out the one thing that in the end completely saved his life. The Warrior Princess' eyes widened at the object he held before her, she immediately put down her dagger and she quickly made her way towards him, needing to have it in her own hands. A wicked gleam appeared in her eyes as she forcefully took it from him.
"Get out!", she cruelly told him, and he wasted no time adhering to her command and hastily made his exit.
She gave the object a once over, assessing its strengths, after all, this was supposed to be able to kill a God. She could not have it faltering on her at the slightest movement. The Dagger of Helios… she clutched it in her hand tightly, admiring the contours of the blade, liking the way it felt and the power that it now gave her. It evened out the playing field and if that despicable excuse of a Goddess thought for one moment that she was going to just sit idly by while she disrupted her life however she saw fit then she had another thing coming. The Goddess of Wisdom better start counting her days, the Warrior Princess was out for blood, and she was going to have her vengeance. Starting with putting Athena's head on a spike.
Might not be what some of you were expecting given the ending of the previous chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it all the same. :) Things are about to get crazy! :D Don't hold back, feed the bard! ;) I'd love to know your thoughts on the matter.