As she expertly blocked yet another one of his blows, she took a second to catch her breath before she in her turn launched her attack, but he could easily see in the effort she had put into raising the sword head level that he had worn her out . The slight flinch of her biceps as she made an attempt to take advantage of the small opening he had left for her, would have passed unnoticed for many of her possible opponents, but not for him.
This was not a fair fight anymore, and he knew it . As good a fighter as she was, she was no match for a god ….Not yet at least , and that was something that needed to change, he silently said to himself while with one powerful strike he broke her blade in half , leaving her dangerously defenseless against him. Her cerulean eyes showed no fear though. She was not intimidated in any way by the dramatic development of the situation. Neither his bold move nor the prospect of having to fight him with her bare hands had managed to trigger panic inside her overly stimulated mind. Either way, that was a confrontation she was planning to win, regardless of the double effort she was supposed to put into it.
Noticing the ferocity in her eyes, the War God could no longer hold back that satisfied smirk he had been doing his best to repress ever since their one on one started .He had done an outstanding job in training her so far. By Olympus , he was so proud of her !
''Last chance to beg for mercy , Warrior Princess!'' he mockingly advised, swinging his sword playfully a few times while his brain did the hard work – figuring out an effective strategy to defeat her as quickly as possible that is, without hurting her ego too much . For nothing in the world would he have wanted to break her spirit in the process.
''In your dreams ! '' she hissed at him, and by the way she had flexed her right leg he knew perfectly well what her next move was going to be.
The few milliseconds that followed felt like lasting for a lifetime…The force she put into that jump as she got ready to leap into the air -most likely to bounce over his head and attempt to cleverly kick him in the back, the way her midnight black tresses were lifted by the wind just moments before her feet rose from the ground, her perfectly toned yet utterly feminine body contorting into the air …By the Fates themselves, she was a spectacle to watch, a wild, wounded beast that would rather die before surrendering to anyone and he could only find one single word to describe her properly - incredible!
...And to think that she had told Aphrodite that maybe she wasn't his type…..and that maybe his standards were higher….What in Tartarus had she been smoking?! Why would she even think that, he couldn't help wondering , while with the perfectly executed move of the formidable tactician that he was, he swiftly changed his position, enough as to grab her leg and pull her with a thud back down. Before she could even blink, she was at his feet, his sword pointing at her throat.
''Too predictable, Honey. You should really learn a thing or too about surprise attacks'' he patronized, making sure to click his tongue at the end, aware of just how much she hated the gesture, and he was just about to spice his line up with yet another sting when right out of nowhere , he felt his blade flying from his hand. The rough force which she had used to ruthlessly kick the weapon away would have surely broken any mortal's wrist. That was definitely a move he had never seen her use before.
''How's that for a surprise attack ?''she barked, once again standing and ready for action, but this time he refused to go easy on her. A low blow to her legs and a merciless strike to her midsection was enough to make her wince in pain. Before she even realized what he had done, her back collided roughly with the cold marble column of the temple and one of his arms was pressing uncomfortably against her neck while his other one was resting casually against the white surface of the stone.
In the few seconds that followed, just like it was supposed to, her survival mechanism accelerated its functions, forcing her to fervently look for an escape. Much to her dismay, he was way too close to kick him in the groin though- the strength he was using to keep her pinned there was a bit too much for her- and to top it all, she was dead beat.
As the sun had almost set, only a faint glimmer of light was still playing in her hair, turning the dark into an almost reddish brown, and for an instant the War God also considered his options.
He could simply call it a day and tell her the next practice would start first light tomorrow as usual , he could take her back to his sister's temple where she had chosen to stay for a few days -at the Love Goddess' nerve racking pleas- or…he could …..
He didn't dare finish that thought though ….There was no point in doing so ….she had barely turned 16, still a child as he had always told his sister whenever the subject came up – despite the fact that all mortals were babies compared to the extended life line of the Olympian gods…
And yet, for some reason, he couldn't take his eyes off her and he definitely couldn't get himself to loosen his grip on her and let her go…..Her nearness was driving him crazy, and the uneven sounds of her shallow breathing combined with the sight of those half parted lips tempted him beyond measure, making him wish he had ended their little clash a bit differently.
Despite trying to make abstraction of his sister's love expertise, their last dialogue still echoed into his mind, clouding his judgement.
''Geez Bro'! Can't believe you haven't kissed her yet…..I mean what's wrong with you? She's gorgeous!''
''What's wrong with me ?! What 's wrong with you ? She's only a kid Dite! ''
''Oh puh-lease! You gotta be kidding me!'' she laughed, unable to believe her ears. " She's 16 for crying out loud! Most mortal women her age are already married and pregnant with their first child! You should definitely make a move on her! ''
''Would you stop telling me what to do?!'' he snapped at the intrusive goddess, irked by the very nature of the conversation.
''She's in love with you, dummy! And it's not like I can't see those flames burning under that horrible leather vest too! So what are you waiting for ?!''
''You're unbelievable! Can't you just mind your own business?!"
''That's precisely what I'm doing! I'm the Goddess of Love, remember?!''
''Yeah well that sure doesn't give you the right to meddle into my love life!"
''Your LOVE life huh ? Wasn't really expecting a full confession this quickly but ok…''
''That was not a confession !''
''Right …..Whatever you say, Stud…..Still, if you ask me…''
''Which I'm not…''
''….you should at least let her know you're interested in her, before she gets the wrong message ….Just sayin', you know ?''
So what exactly was he supposed to do now? To actually tell her she had managed to capture both his heart and his imagination beyond reason was kinda lame, as for not saying anything on the subject, now that might prove to be a terrible idea in the long run …..Every single scenario that involved words and hints about his feelings literally dug pit mines into his stomach in the most uncomfortable and daunting way.
In conclusion, unpredictable as he always was, he didn't choose option number one and he definitely didn't go for option number two . Instead, he chose option number three which was way naughtier than the previous two combined….Without a second thought, aware that had he waited one moment longer he would have changed his mind, he gently pressed his mouth against hers into what was supposed to be a short, innocent kiss- an opportunity she immediately tried to use in her advantage by shoving him violently back in the attempt to create some space between them, but he barely budged.
Needless to say , that only inflamed his passion even more, and everything changed with that zing that ran through them both the instant their lips touched again, an electrifying sensation that Ares had never felt before, with anyone . It felt as if within that intimate gesture, he was finally whole, as if he had just stumbled upon a piece of him that had been missing all this time. Unable to control himself, his fingers clenched mercilessly around her neck while his other arm snaked around her waist, pulling her into him, using his bodyweight to keep her pinned against that column. From the outside, his gesture seemed undoubtedly a tad too melodramatic- not too much to be offensive though but enough as to let her know that he was in charge.
What had initially started off as a slow paced tender kiss, had turned within the blink of an eye into a lustful, demonically passionate, breathtaking interaction- that kind of union that has the ability to freeze time and space, and that avalanche of emotions running through him, from head to toe was not only unexpected but unfathomable just months before he met her.
At this point, it's safe to say that he did not simply want to kiss her , he wanted to devour her, and that tantalizing way in which her back was arching towards him while for a fleeting moment her palms rested on his shoulders -right before they shifted towards the back of his neck, pulling him even closer- was only pouring more and more fuel on the fire.
His chest was heaving and as his tongue darted even deeper in her mouth, adding a bit more pressure into their kiss, he could feel her body shaking slightly with growing arousal. This was definitely new for her, he could easily tell it by the unsure and slightly unsynchronized way in which her tongue was moving against his , but he couldn't care less. She had a lifetime ahead to learn – an eternity if she were to accept his offer and become his Chosen, and by all gods, not one day would pass by without him enjoying the softness of those luscious lips…
When he finally realized that being a mortal, air was a must in her case, her breath came out in ragged gasps. Inexperienced and shocked as she was by his rather animalistic approach she had obviously forgotten to actually breathe. Heat was radiating from her body like a furnace and as their eyes connected , he could see that savage fever burning in her bright moons, a quenchless desire that he recognized far too well. He could have effortlessly possessed her then and there and put an end to that unbearable, constant sexual tension between them – that at the end of that kiss had become almost palpable- but a quick fuck was not what he wanted from her….not by a long shot…
''So this is what it feels like ….''she whispered, the tips of her nails barely touching his lips…
His small frown made her continue her line….
''…A kiss…..''
He didn't reply right away. He just took his time into placing a few affectionate little kisses on the tips of her fingers before his lips moved to the crock of her neck, and his own pulse began to race maddeningly again as he could feel hers underneath her skin.
''I guess it depends …'' he softly murmured, fighting the urge to take ther interaction a step forward.
''On….?''
''On what you're willing to feed them love, lust, betrayal, affection, admiration, revenge... You name it! "his voice dripped with a hard to miss sensuality and as his tongue swiped softly against the marble smoothness of her skin , causing a small jerk in her body, Xena couldn't help thinking that her question must have sounded rather foolish to him and that it didn't precisely need an answer in the first place.
As if to correct her innocent mistake, she turned her head slightly, enough as to capture his mouth in a sweet, tender kiss, a short, childish one that lacked almost completely that dark temptation he had previously aroused in her, making her vibrate in ways she had never known existed.
In return, he framed her face between his palms and once again he was amazed to discover that beyond that wild need to claim her as his own, there was something else …Something he couldn't really put his finger on, but it had something to do with how overprotective he felt from the moment he laid eyes on her. Whatever it was, it scared the life out of him for the sheer reason that he could not control something he was not familiarized with.
''It's getting late, Sweetheart." he finally found it in himself to utter." Do you want me to take you back to Dite's temple ?''
A half spoken ''Sure…'' immediately followed.
''First light tomorrow ?'' she inquired just as she was stepping away from him, the shadow of a discreet smile still brightening up her beautiful face.
''You got yourself a date !'' he laughed, winking at her .
His heart leaped of course, when , seconds later, as she entered the temple, he heard his sister's inquisitive voice .
''Ok , Warrior Babe, what's with that goofy smile ….? '
''What smile ?''
''Come on, don' t leave me hangin'….The suspense is killing me! .''
A burst of childish joy exploded from young Xena's chest .
''He kissed me Dite! He kissed me !''
A squeal of boundless happiness accompanied by clapping – the Love Goddess' trademark reaction when she was ecstatic- was impossible to miss.
''He did not!''
''Did too!''
''Gods Babe ! I'm so happy for you guys! I told you so! ''
''No need to rub it in my face though!''
''Can't help it , Sweetie Pie , sorry! Come on, take a seat. I wanna hear all about it…!How did it happen , what was it like.. …Don't leave anything out! "
Rolling his eyes at their girlish chit chat, the War God finally stepped into the aether. As much as he hated clichés, he appeared to be currently living in one-old demanding boss, falling in love with his teenage hot, star employee…. How cheesy was that ?! And yet ….waiting for that first light to see her again was going to fell like eternity….
