Thief of Olympus (Greek Myth Series Book 3) (3 page)

Cleverly, she turned her back toward the thief, pulling his arm closer so the blade of her own sword threatened to cut into her neck. She hoped it looked convincing that he had meant to take her hostage. The baby cried in the process.

“No!” she shouted. “Move away,” she commanded her warriors. “He means to take me prisoner along with the baby. He will kill me if you do not comply.”

She could only hope Zarek would go along with the plan. With her body pressed up against his, she could feel his heart beating against her back. The friction of their bodies together, their baby in the midst of the hold, it almost felt right for one brief second of her Amazon life.

“What are you doing?” he whispered.

“Saving your life,” she ground out. “Now back away slowly and pretend like you want to kill me.”

“Who said I have to pretend?”

She could feel his hot breath on the top of her head. She could also feel her patience being tried. She knew Zarek’s will to prove his dominance was strong, but this was not the time to challenge him. If he did not proceed with her plan, the Amazons would kill him and her baby.

“Lysandra, throw us the baby,” called her mother, arms stretched out in apprehension.

“But he will kill me if I do,” she cried, elbowing Zarek in the ribs, silently asking his participation.

“Yes,” he said, thankfully joining her ploy. “Any of you take a step toward us and I’ll kill her and the baby.”

“Not the baby,” she warned him softly. “That’s what they want. You are ruining the whole plan.”

“What plan?” he whispered back. “If you would have just given me the baby to begin with, we wouldn’t be in this predicament.”

“Just do what I say, and you’ll escape with your life.”

She heard him grunt, then let out a breath. “I like to do things my way.” He whistled, and on his command the wild horse came trotting to his side like the gentlest of beasts.

“How did you do that?” Lysandra asked in surprise. With one whistle he’d controlled an animal it was taking half her warriors to catch.

“I have a way with animals,” he said. “Besides, it is my horse.”

The horse neared, and in one slick move he whisked the baby from her and mounted the steed, still holding her sword in one hand. He left her standing there alone, her plan now spoiled. He had no intention of taking her with.

“What are you doing?” she spoke softly. “What about our plan? You can’t just leave me here. My warriors will kill me if they find I’ve deceived them.”

He held onto the horse by gripping its mane, all the while keeping his eyes on the warriors as they crept forward to protect their princess.

“I don’t want you. Just my son.”

“You take one, you get both,” she said, clasping onto his arm and pulling herself up behind him. Then as her warriors rushed forward, he had no choice but to direct the animal away from the Amazon village. She had succeeded after all.

Four

Zarek fought for control of the horse, but the feisty Amazon sitting behind him directed the horse by the mere squeeze of her powerful legs. Zarek couldn’t help but remember the night those same legs squeezed around him as they rolled around the floor of the tent in heated passion. She had both him and his horse under her spell, and he didn’t like it one bit.

They had managed to escape the Amazons, and he knew it was only because Lysandra had directed him through secret passages of the forest he never knew were there. Had she not been beneficial to his plan, he would have dumped her along the road. He wondered if Daedalus was able to escape while he had stalled for time. The old man was a true friend to help him with the distraction of flying at night through the sky. Zarek had used the Amazon’s fear of Harpies against them to insure the safety of Daedalus.

“You do realize if it weren’t for me, you would be dead right now,” she growled into his ear. Her hot breath caressed his lobe, and her soft unbound hair brushed against his face. His son lay in the crook of his arm, content and quiet - so unlike the baby’s boisterous mother. He pushed her hair away from him, longing to run his fingers through it, or possibly rip it from her head, but not allowing himself to do either.

“If it weren’t for me, my son would be dead.”

“Our son,” she smugly corrected him. “And you are wrong. We only managed the escape because of my knowledge of the woods. I know secret places that no other Amazon is even aware exists. Go left through that group of trees ahead and it will take us into a hidden cove by a stream.”

He turned to look at her, her face now very close to his. Her blue-green eyes glowed with admiration as she looked down at the baby, yet her face remained stone-like.

“You were going to sacrifice him to Artemis. Why should you care how I refer to him? And why should I listen to what you say?”

“I was going to do no such thing. I had planned on convincing my mother to spare his life.” She directed the horse to the hidden cove without his consent, and snatched up the baby and dismounted before he had the chance to stop her. Quickly, thinking she might try to run off with his son, he slipped from the horse holding the sword in front of him to remind her she was weaponless and he still in control.

“Oh, really?” he asked. “And what were you going to do when your mother said no?”

Her body stiffened and she looked away. He felt he’d won this round. He guided his horse to the stream to drink, never taking his eyes off her.

“Don’t even think of escaping with my son,” he warned her. “Matter of fact, I think you had better hand him over. ” He held out his hand for the baby, but she just pulled his son closer to her bosom and made her way to the edge of the water. She sat down on a rock and turned her back toward him.

“What are you doing?” he asked suspiciously, hurrying to her side. That’s when he saw his son suckling at her breast. He froze in place and looked the other way, not wanting to be tempted by the sight of her bare flesh.

“My son needs to suckle,” she said sharply. “And I think even a thieving, no good cur such as yourself would not take food from a baby.”

He stuck her sword through his belt, knowing she was going nowhere at the moment. She had a point he couldn’t argue. As much as he wanted to grab his son away from her and take off through the forest, he could not deny his son the nourishment of mother’s milk.

“Drink up,” he said, looking at the baby. “Because after tonight you’ll have none of this. ’Twill be goat’s milk for you, son.”

Her head snapped up, her attention pulled from the baby to look at him. Even in the darkness he couldn’t help but see the anger flashing in her eyes. She was not at all pleased by what he’d said, but he really did not care.

“You cannot give a newborn goat’s milk. He will not take it. He needs me. You cannot deny him nourishment. ”

“He would not be denied nourishment,” Zarek said sitting on a large stone next to her. “Just yours. If he doesn’t want goat milk, I have a wet nurse back at Castle Thrace who will be very accommodating.”

“And I have half a mind to level you to the ground right here,” she spat, “for even considering such a thought. And then I’ll take your horse, leaving you to the wrath of my Amazon sisters.”

His hand went to the hilt of the sword, as he realized she had the means to do just that. While he had inherited a kingdom and been raised a thief, he hadn’t been trained from childhood in the warrior arts. He was more or less self-taught. Her skills by far surpassed his own where warfare was concerned. She had been born to fight, and war ran a rampage through the blood in her veins.

“You wouldn’t do that,” he said, testing her. He was ready should she try to run, or even kick out at him, but she did neither. Instead, she turned her face back toward the baby and watched intently as the infant had his fill.

“I will raise my son by myself,” she said, putting the baby over her shoulder and patting it lightly on the back. She did naught to conceal her exposed breast, and once again Zarek looked out over the stream rather than straight at her.

“How can you do that?” he asked, his hand slipping from the hilt of the sword to his leg. He felt the wanting for her below his belt and stood to make himself more comfortable. “You cannot go back to the Amazons with the baby and you know it. They will kill my son as soon as you step foot into the camp.”

“Aye,” she agreed, shifting the happy baby to her other shoulder and pulling her clothing back into place. “I cannot go back, but I can go forward.”

“Go where?” he asked with a slight laugh. “There’s nowhere you can live in the woods where the baby will be safe. The Amazons will find you sooner or later.”

“Then I guess I should find a more secure place to raise my child. Perhaps a fortress of sorts where there will be walls around me.” She got to her feet, the baby sleeping peacefully in her arms.

“I fail to see how you can protect my son.”

“I am an Amazon warrior,” she reminded him. “I am capable of doing anything I put my mind to.”

He pondered the thought. No doubt this was true, but he also knew he couldn’t leave the baby in her hands.

“That is my son you’re holding,” he said lowly. “He is my heir and will someday inherit the kingdom of Thrace. He would not be going with you. Nor would he be raised by a bloodthirsty Amazon. He is going to Thrace with me, and you are not coming along.”

“Really?” she asked nonchalantly, heading for the horse. “And do you mean to tell me you can find your way out of these woods without my help?”

Zarek looked around, suddenly feeling very disoriented. If he had stayed to the main path, he would have had no trouble returning to Thrace alone. But once again she had bested him. She’d taken them through so many twists and turns while running from the Amazons, he was no longer sure of his direction.

“If I wait for sunrise, I will know exactly how to return to Thrace.”

“And do you really think you can outrun a tribe of angry Amazons in the daylight?”

“I am a thief. I can make my presence invisible when I so want to, as you have already seen.”

“True,” she said, hoisting herself and the baby atop the horse. “But can you make a hungry, wailing baby invisible as well?”

He cursed under his breath, knowing he had no choice. He needed Lysandra not only to guide him out of the forest, but to keep his son fed and quiet so he could make a successful escape. He hoisted himself onto the horse in front of her, already feeling the warmth of her body against him as her thighs rubbed against the back of his legs. Desire coursed through him, but he pushed the lusty thoughts away. Once they made their way safely back to Castle Thrace, he planned on ridding himself of her. He had what he wanted. He would not need her once his son was safely inside the castle gates.

“All right,” he said gruffly, retrieving his son, though she held stubbornly to him at first. “So guide us out of here and be quick about it.”

It wasn’t long before they approached Castle Thrace. Zarek slowed the horse just outside the gate. Without turning to talk, he instructed her in a low voice. “This is where you get off, Princess.”

“I am not going anywhere without my baby.”

He stopped the horse at her comment. “The baby stays with me. Now get off the horse.”

She was quiet for a moment, and Zarek was sure she was devising some wretched scheme in that pretty little head of hers. Then she nodded slowly as if in agreement, but he did not believe it for a moment.

“All right,” she said. “But I want my sword returned first.”

He flung her sword to the ground, thinking she at least deserved a way to protect herself. He wouldn’t need it now that he had returned to his castle. He hadn’t even brought his own sword to the Amazon camp. A thief could not afford to bring such a large weapon which would only get in his way and lead to his discovery.

She slid from the horse and ran to her sword. She picked it up and faced him, but he just laughed.

“Not much you can do without a horse.” He dug his heels into the horse’s sides and charged toward the castle. He had almost made it to the barbican when the sound of a shrill whistle sent his horse turning and heading back in the direction from which he’d just come. He tried to redirect it, but the horse would not obey. It headed straight for Lysandra who continued to whistle. It stopped right in front of her in a cloud of dust.

“You are not the only one who can do that trick,” she told him. “I had a horse once, not long ago, but I lost it in battle.” She reached out and petted the animal’s head. “I think your horse has taken a liking to me.”

Betrayed by his own horse, and he couldn’t blame the animal one bit. The woman was alluring. He couldn’t help but imagine her bare legs squeezed around his waist the way she’d squeezed them around his horse.

She lunged forward with her sword and Zarek pulled back on the horse’s mane in defense. The horse veered up on its hind legs and rent the air. Struggling to keep hold of the baby, Zarek couldn’t also stay mounted, and fell to the ground. The baby cried in alarm, but he protected it against his chest, and his son was not harmed. His hand moved to reach for the dagger at his waist, but the tip of Lysandra’s sword stopped him.

She stood above him, one hand on her waist, her other hand aiming her sword right for his heart. The breeze blew her long red hair up into the air around her, only adding to her fierceness.

“Men are nothing but perpetual liars,” she remarked. “You were going to leave me at the Amazon camp and just take my baby. Even after I saved your worthless hide. And once again, I have guided you through the forest and you plan to cast me off like yesterday’s rancid food scraps.”

“We are not always worthless,” he told her, looking at her lips. “Matter of fact, there are a few things in which we excel.” He brought the crying baby closer to his chest to strengthen his words.

“Stand up and hand me the baby.”

He did as instructed, the baby instantly calming in her embrace. He ran a gentle finger across the baby’s cheek, then slowly reached up toward hers. She jerked back, and raised her sword, but when he reached out to caress her face, she lowered her weapon. Then, with his thumb, he wiped away the trickle of blood from her neck. The feel of her skin was tempting, and he couldn’t help but trace her lips with the tip of his finger. When she closed her eyes and let out a small moan, he leaned forward and caressed her lips with his own.

One of his hands slid around her waist, pulling her closer, while the other unarmed her gingerly, her fingers loosening around the hilt as his kiss consumed her attention. The sword dropped to their feet, alerting her attention, but he pulled her back to him and kissed her roughly this time. With the passion she emitted, he almost forgot his masterful plan. Her free hand reached out and clutched his tunic, and he willingly responded to her advance. Her tongue shot out and entered his mouth and with a groan of need, he returned the favor. How he wished he could continue this foreplay with this alluring woman. What he would give for one more night in the throes of coupling with this powerful, aggressive, Amazon princess. But he couldn’t. He had work to do. He had a son to raise.

He slipped his arm around the baby, but it cried at his touch. Her body stiffened in awareness of his plan and he knew he had to move quickly. He snatched the baby away from her and backed away. Her eyes shot open, this time the longing in her eyes turning to something between hatred and revenge.

“You tricked me again,” she scowled, sounding more disappointed with herself for letting him do it, than he for ever attempting it.

“I kissed you,” he corrected her.

“But only for the sake of stealing my baby.”

He found himself unable to answer. He had used her to get what he wanted, but in the process he had found he didn’t want to hurt her. This was the first time since he’d become a thief that he felt regret at deceiving someone. His gut tightened, and a hollow spot occupied the place where his heart used to be.

His men, led by Daedalus, came rushing from the castle with horses and weapons, ready to protect him. Lysandra reached for her sword, but his foot atop it stopped her from taking it.

“Don’t even think you can fight off my army of men.”

The baby cried louder, and Lysandra’s eyes shifted from her sword to the baby in his hold, to the men coming at her at full speed.