Ares pulled her into a private chamber that had once been his study, closing the door behind them.
Lara, did not noticed the smell of earth. What she remembered was the scent of old books and cedar that used to fill the room. Her heart was pounding too hard, her thoughts tangled in a confusion she could no longer unravel.
Ares had brought her there because he did not want prying eyes following them.
For once, they were alone.
Ares turned toward her, his expression softer than she had ever seen it.
"Yes, I did," he whispered, leaning close enough that his breath warmed her ear. "For you, my empress."
Something inside Lara broke.
Perhaps it was the tenderness in his voice.
Perhaps it was the strange, aching familiarity of being in his arms—as though some forgotten part of her had been waiting for him long before she had ever known his name.
Ares froze for the briefest moment, as if he, too, had been struck by the weight of something neither of them could explain.
