Kyra

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Silence. Heavy and thick.

Ares tilted his head to the side, analysing her like she was some sort of alien specimen.

"Did you just challenge me to a fight, little Amazon?"

He said it like she was crazy. In other words, Ares was still stuck in the past, unable to wrap his head around the fact that she'd changed. Kyra was strong now. She'd always been strong—but she could hold her own against him in this day and age.

"You've broken into my home and put your dirty shoes on my desk. Can you blame me?"

"So this is how you wish for us to reunite? With violence."

"This isn't a reunion. We're not seeing each other again. You've come here because you want something. The answer is no. Let's not do this again in another thousand years."

Each word she said scratched that little bit more at his nerves. More reason to do it. Poking the bear could be stupid—but it might also work out in her favour. The angrier he got, the sloppier his fighting would be.

"You walked out of my life once," He answered stiffly. "Who's to say I'll allow you to do it again?"

And by the sounds of it, he was doing the same thing to her.

Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm.

"There's no allowing in this, your godliness. You don't own me anymore. You don't make those sorts of decisions for me."

"So that's what you want? Violence."

He rose, making his way toward her, no doubt another technique intended to scare her.

"Push the chair in."

He froze, fingers flexing in the air. Choosing to appease her, he pushed it back in beneath her desk.

"Bossing me around already. We're not even an hour in." And then he crossed the room, stopping when they stood in front of each other, chest to chest.

He was taller than her. He always had been. But he'd never made it so obvious in the past, visibly glaring down at her.

"Intimidated?" He queried.

"Not in the slightest. I've taken on bigger threats than you."

"Need I remind you of what would happen when we'd fight in the past?"

"Which time?" Her eyes narrowed. "I remember it happening often."

"That's what lovers do, Kyra." He stroked his hand beneath her chin, tilting her head back. "They fight. But what's most important is that they work through it in the end."

Kyra and Ares weren't going to work through anything. They weren't going to be anything. Certainly not to each other. Kyra wouldn't allow it.

"We're not lovers."

"No, but we were." Ill fitted lovers. Lovers who had no business being together. Lovers who'd never seen eye to eye and likely never would. "And we fought like lovers. Do you remember how we'd end in—"

She placed both hands against his chest, pushing him away.

I don't need to remember any of that.

"I remember our last fight. You were going to kill me."

They were supposed to be sent on battles. The Amazons versus some unknown enemy, fighting for a reason they were never allowed to know. Eventually, Kyra put her foot down. Left with no other choice, Ares allowed the rebellion. The Amazons picked sides. Before the fight was over, Ares had come to end her life.