Kyra

Chapter One

Through the endless green of the Godly Amazonia, a redhead spat and hissed as she was tugged through the grounds. The wind had her long curls whipping behind her, making her ears pop.

Shoots of grass lodged themselves between her toes as she was yanked alone, an Amazon warrioress either side of her.

The taller of her two guards, Erika, glared at her and tugged harder. "Quit dragging your feet across the floor."

Kyra scoffed, kicking up a fuss, she dragged them even more. "Maybe if you let me walk for myself I wouldn't have to."

Erika wasn't so easily convinced. "Are you really that stupid?"

"I can walk by myself."

"You're already in deep shit. Do you want to see where fighting will get you?"

Ah, yes. An hour ago, Kyra's life had been completely normal. Bland, really. Until she'd put her foot down. They'd been in a normal routine training session. Things had been running smoothly. And then Kyra, the loudest and most outspoken of the Amazons her age, had refused to train unless someone told her what she was fighting for.

Stumped, the two session leaders—Erika and Leda—had offered no explanation. And since Kyra wasn't budging, they were dragging her to the big bad bossman himself.

Like that will make any difference.

Ares had bigger things to deal with than one measly Amazon.

"Let her go, Erika," Leda tutted, the calmer and more reasonable of the two. "Kyra's a big girl. She can walk by herself."

"And run off?" Erika asked snottily. "I don't fancy chasing her today. The girl might be insolent but she's damned speedy too."

"Thanks Erika." Kyra squared her shoulders, a pushy grin about her face. If I'm going to hell... "I had no idea you think of me so highly."

"Deep shit, kiddo." Erika yanked on her arm harder.

Releasing her own grip, Leda sighed. "She won't run off. Kyra's a smart girl. She won't push her luck."

"But—"

"You heard what she said," Kyra sassed. "Let go."

Erika didn't release her grip immediately. An intense stare down commenced between the older women. I'm placing my money on Leda. Or she would, if Kyra had money.

"If she runs, you're getting her."

The bitch finally released her. Kyra made a show of massaging her arm where the hold had been.

"If I run, neither of you will get me."

"You're not helping this," Leda chided.

"Can you blame me? I bruise like fruit."

Not a lie. Kyra, unlike the women standing either side of her, was still plagued by mortality. If she broke, she had to wait to heal. And if she ached, she'd work to shake it off. Handprints already emerged across her tanned flesh from where Erika had been holding her.

"You best apologise now then whilst you still can," Erika warned. Even as she said it, Kyra got the sense that was the complete opposite of what she wanted. Of all the Amazons Kyra's age, it was her that Erika constantly butted heads with. She was the most stubborn. The one with the most questions. The one who could never accept her lot. Kyra knew for a fact that Erika would take great pleasure in the younger girl being taught a lesson. "Ares will leave you with more than just a bruise."

Don't think about it.

Thinking about it would make it real. Kyra knew she was in for a beating. But maybe she could get the big guy to speak before he smashed her to smithereens. Besides, Kyra was a big girl. It would take more than some big guy in an office slapping her around to stop her fight. She'd had years to think all this through.