The Dragon Legion Collection(10)

How could she have been so foolish?

Alexander dozed in her arms as he always did after his release, looking so handsome and relaxed that Katina wished she could let him sleep. But that was impossible. She’d put everything at risk with her impulsive and passionate greeting. She wanted nothing more than to stay wrapped in his warmth, but she heard the slaves preparing the evening meal. It was becoming darker, which could only mean one thing.

Her husband, Cetos, would return. What would he do to Alexander?

“Wake up,” she whispered urgently to Alexander. “Wake up! Alexander, you must leave.” She tried to get out of the bed, but he wrapped himself around her, holding her close to his warmth. He kissed her temple sweetly and she knew he’d fall asleep with her trapped against his nude body.

If only she could have enjoyed that pleasure.

“Not yet.” Alexander opened his eyes and granted her a sleepy smile that wrenched her heart. “Give me a moment, then we’ll greet each other again. The second time is always slower, and better.” He slid his fingers into her hair and would have pulled her back down for another kiss, but Katina squirmed out of his grip.

“No!” she commanded in an undertone. “You have to leave before there is talk.”

Alexander’s smile didn’t waver. “There’s probably already talk. I didn’t sneak into the village.” Katina backed away from him, searching for her clothes. “The meal can wait,” he murmured, then patted the bed beside himself.

Katina turned away from the temptation he offered, wishing she had been able to resist him before. She tugged on her chiton and knotted the belt swiftly around her waist, noting that her hands were shaking.

Cetos had such a temper. He’d only shouted at her in the past, but she feared that finding her first husband naked in her bedroom might push him too far. She already knew that he resented her choosing Alexander over him before.

The one thing they argued about was her determination to continue to wear Alexander’s ring.

“What’s wrong, Katina?” Alexander asked softly and she spun to find that he was watching her closely. His eyes glittered and he already sat on the edge of the bed, so taut that he looked poised to leap. She hadn’t even heard him move.

“Everything is wrong!” she whispered, not knowing where to begin.

“Everything is finally right,” Alexander corrected firmly. He got to his feet with purpose and crossed the room to her side. “I’m home, and we’re together again. We’ll raise our son and maybe have a few more.” He lifted her hair and pressed an enticing kiss to the side of her neck. Oh, how well she remembered that Alexander was never satisfied with one mating.

“There’s no time for this! You must go!”

Alexander sobered and his eyes narrowed. He flicked a glance around the bedroom, his gaze lingering on the second bed. His eyes seemed to brighten, and he turned in place, clearly seeking something. “Where’s the cradle for Lysander? Is he walking yet?”


Katina was impatient with the question. She picked up one of his garments and flung it at him. “What difference? He has no use of it now.”

“What do you mean?” Alexander froze, his expression horrified. “What’s happened to him?”

“He’s grown up, of course.” Katina poked at the garment he hadn’t yet put on. “A man named Pelias came last week to collect him.”

Alexander didn’t move. “Why?”

“For the agoge,” Katina said, not understanding why Alexander should be so shocked. The mandatory military training for the young boys of Sparta was part of his legacy to their son.

Alexander sat down hard on the bed, as if his legs couldn’t support him. “But a boy must be eight years of age for the agoge.”

“Yes. Please get dressed!”

Alexander gave her a challenging look. “Eight years.”

Katina stared at him as she understood his surprise. Her fear abandoned her, replaced by a ripple of anger. “Yes, he is eight.” She propped a hand on her hip. “Don’t you know how long you’ve been gone?”

If she’d expected him to deny it or make some excuse, she was to be disappointed.

Alexander stared around the room, as if seeing it for the first time. He surveyed every detail, but avoided looking at her.

His confusion tore at her heart, but she couldn’t understand how he couldn’t know how much time had passed. What game was he playing? “How long did you think you had been gone?”

Alexander’s expression turned weary. “It’s been as thousands of years for me.”

Katina bit her lip. Alexander wasn’t a poetic man and she knew it. He could be evasive, and he wasn’t one to easily share all the secrets of his heart. Now that their moment of passion had passed, she remembered all the fault lines in their short marriage. There was so much she didn’t know about Alexander. He couldn’t literally mean thousands of years, could he? Where had he been? What had happened to him?

As much as she wanted to know the story, there was no time to hear it. Not now. “You have to leave,” she repeated. “Please, dress yourself and go.”

“Go?” Alexander frowned at her. “Katina, I’ve dreamed of returning to you all this time. Why would I leave now?”

“Because you can’t stay here.”