Kyra

Chapter Twenty-One

With pointed steps, Krya walked through the halls of Ares' castle in search of his office. She wanted to try, one more time, convincing him to change his mind. Or at least update training programmes, armour dispersion, anything.

The door to his office was ajar when she reached it. She readied to tug it open, freezing at the sound of voices coming from the other side.

Ares wasn't alone.

She held her breath, knowing she should probably announce herself. Instead, she backed herself up to the wall and peeked through the gap in the door.

Ares sat behind his desk with his winged friend, Eros, pacing in front of him.

"Are we going to keep dancing around what you've come here for or are we going to speak?" Ares asked.

He sounded angry, tense, annoyed. All tones Kyra was familiar with—but she wasn't used to the dynamic between these two men. This was Ares' best friend. A man Kyra hardly knew.

"I was giving you time to gather your thoughts."

"My thoughts are gathered," Ares answered. "Let's get this over with."

"You're normally happier to see me."

"That's when we're not talking about this."

"So you know what I'm going to say."

"Yes. I do."

So they were discussing something Ares' wanted no part in. An opportunity to get information? It was wrong to eavesdrop, but plenty of things went off in these halls that were wrong. Kyra listening in on a conversation she had no part in was nothing compared to all that.

"What are your thoughts on Nadine?" Eros asked.

Now Kyra really held her breath. She knew that name. She could still feel that blade being dragged across her back.

"She's a bitch," Ares responded with little pause.

"So that's why your Amazons went rogue and fucked with the battle."

There was that word again. Rogue. Kyra had been hearing it everywhere she went.

"My Amazons don't know about Nadine," Ares corrected hotly. "I struggle with Nadine after the bitch cursed my Amazons with dark magic. What happened at the battle was out of my hands. But it's been handled now."

"Amazon," Eros chided.

"Sorry?"

"Only one Amazon was cursed with dark magic and only one Amazon acted out during the battle."

They're talking about me.

Now Kyra had to stay. When would she get another opportunity like this?

"Are you accusing those events of being related?" Ares ground out.

"No. But the woman is. Nadine's going to become more involved in your life the more involved you get with this Amazon."

"Nadine will learn her place," Ares said smoothly. "She might control everything I do, but she stays out of this. I handle Kyra. No fucker else."

A shiver jolted down Kyra's spine.

"Possessive, no?"

"She's one of my Amazons. When Nadine goes out of her way and creates her own army, then she can tell them what to do. But she stays the fuck away from mine."

"Touchy subject? I wonder if you'd be this riled up if it were any other Amazon."

She could feel the heat of Ares' glare through the door. She risked a peek, finding the image in her mind accurate. The God didn't look at all happy.