Awakening (Book One of the Eklektos Series)

Chapter Thirty Six

Ares was, as expected, training in the Colosseum. Kali couldn't remember ever seeing him anywhere else. But she had never seen him train on his own before. He was always teaching students, or watching the demigods practice. That morning, he was alone, and he was either ignoring her or hadn't noticed her arrival. Kali knew that she shouldn't have been surprised by the strength in his swings, or the ease with which he moved his enormous sword, but she was. Impressed would have been the more accurate word.

"Keep staring at me like that, and I might decide to make something of it." Kali started at his sudden words. That might have made her blush once, but his voice was lacking its usual warmth. She hadn't even realised it was normally there until it was gone. He turned to her with disinterest and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you here?"

"I came to apologise." She mumbled.

He turned away from her again and stated "There is no need. I should have known that your newfound determination would ebb. It was foolish of me to believe you wanted to get stronger."

Her shiver had nothing to do with the chill in the winter air. His empty tone was laced with a rage that she had never heard before. He had a bad temper; she had been on the receiving end of it before. But this was different. She should be angry at his assumption, but she hung her head; she knew that she had let him down. Tears burned in her eyes. She was sick of feeling fragile and useless. And she would not let the god of war see how weak she really was.

She turned to leave, her head still low so that her hair would cover her face, but stopped when Ares barked, "Why did you come here?"

Kali did not turn to face him again and she clenched her fists to keep the tremor out of her reply. "I told you...I wanted to apologise. For missing yesterday's sessions."

"And your excuse?"

"I..." She surreptitiously wiped her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat before turning back to him. "It doesn't matter."

"I'll be the judge of that." He snapped, impatiently. But Kali didn't miss the way his eyes swept over her, when before he had avoided looking at her directly.

"My fire got away from me a little...that's all. I'm not quite as fireproof as I thought, apparently. It did a number on me." She clenched her jaw before adding "And destroyed pretty much everything I own."

Ares watched her silently for several moments before moving closer. He was close enough to touch her, but he didn't. He saw her bowed head, and the tears sparkling in her eyes, and he frowned. She glanced up to look at him and he raised a hand to her cheek, stopping just an inch away from her skin. He hesitated there too long and murmured "One more chance, little one."

"Why?" Kali's eyes were wide as she looked up at him, and if not for the talisman at her throat he would not have been able to keep from kissing her. As it was, it was a struggle.

"You know why." And she did. Ares sighed and finally dropped his hand. "Now I'm sure you have better things to do than waste your time with me."

It would be dangerous to correct him. Kali hated seeing anyone look vulnerable or lost...but anything she said would just encourage him. She wondered for a moment if she really had been stringing him or Hermes along before Hades had admitted his feelings for her. She wouldn't have known how to effectively reject them anyway, but she wasn't sure she had ever really tried.

Forcing herself to stay silent, Kali nodded in an attempt at showing respect and hurried away. She had preferred Ares when he had been brash and arrogant. The more of his vulnerabilities he exposed to her, the harder it was to remember all the reasons she had never wanted him. She loved Hades, more than she had even thought possible. But she didn't know how to handle Ares' feelings for her. Hermes at least brushed everything off with humour. Ares was so intense, and she didn't like the idea that she was hurting him.