Athenian Slave (Book 2)

Chapter 45

AN - So sorry it has taken so long, this is the fourth version of this chapter, and while I am not entirely happy with it, but I will not stop rewriting, so here is the next chapter! Az x

Chapter 45

Charmion came to her senses slowly, after being swallowed whole by the darkness that always crept at the edges of her consciousness, to find Alexios demanding information from Hagne over what happened in Athens. With that, everything came rushing back towards her on why she was this way, but did not answer why there were more people in the room now than few moments ago. However, there was more than this to think on, she had to stop anything Hagne would say before Alexios found out a man he trusted had treated her in such a way. What would he think of her?

Before Hagne could answer, Charmion knew she had to distract him, she could not bear how he would look at her if he found out the real answer to what happened in Athens. All that came to mind was what was coming to her naturally. Launching herself at Alexios, she wrapped her arms around him and tried to climb into him. Her head burrowing beneath his chin. Knowing she had caught his full attention when he closed his arms around her and crooned soft noises into her ear, before lifting his head, and somehow silently making those in the room leave quickly, keeping the peace in the room and making it just the two of them to face the issue. The issue she wanted so badly to ignore, to bury in the sand and leave it there to rot for eternity.

She felt the wetness in her eyes stinging as she rapidly tried to clear them. The lump becoming a rock in her throat. His rough hands smoothed up and down her back. Letting her seep into his chest as she tried to work out what was to happen. How could she get around this now? Her reaction could not be denied, and she was beginning to realise no matter how she hoped he would not let this one go. He was too much her stubborn warrior to do so.

A stray thought wondered through her mind, chasing all the others away for a moment. He was hers. He was her stubborn warrior. And that was settled by the gods themselves now. He was hers as she was surely his and that meant what she held locked inside would be ferretted out by him at some point. That she knew, she just did not know if she could cope with what would happen if it came out now. Especially if that meant that she had to bare the darkest parts of herself on a day that should have been so beautiful.

His soothing whisper should have been expected but it still managed to make her jump with shock at the words which curled around her. “Charmion. You need to explain what happened in Athens.” He paused and it was thick with tension, as if he were trying to figure out how to word the next to her, in a way that would not offend her. “I am sorry Charmion. But seeing you like that tore out my heart and cut me deep. I cannot see that again and that can only happen is if I know what happened, so I can know what to do going forward. But if you do not tell, me I can only give you so long before I will force Hagne to tell me in your stead. It would kill me to do so when I wish you to trust me enough to tell me, but if I need to, then I will to protect you. However I need to.”