Chapter 3

Marzanna's Point of View

Fuck Ixion indeed. The bastard had deigned to fuck me senseless for the last decade and then departed without warning. Left me to watch over his domain.

What could be so pressing that he would simply leave without a word? It's not like I had asked him to be with me for eternity. On the contrary, I had made it extremely clear that I wanted nothing of the sort.

So, one dead deer won't fucking harm him.

Besides, keeping Axlan alive and around me might give me a bit of entertainment. From his reluctance to accept the proposal to the hard lines on his face, I knew he wasn't eager to be around me.

This was like a breath of fresh air to me.

"Are the shackles really necessary?" I asked, keeping my eyes trained on the man in front of me.

He stood between two of my guards. Looked more uncomfortable now than he had when we were in the orgy. It only confirmed that he wasn't very eager to be in my presence. 

Little did he know I visited my animals almost every day.

"Yes, goddess. It was a strict order from Sekhmet. She refuses to put you in harm's way by letting a prisoner wander around freely, goddess." The one on the left replied.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I cocked out a hip. Placed my hand on the curve of my stomach. "He will be living in the compound from here on out. There is no need to detain him with shackles. How will he clean out the shit from the animal pens with his hands bound?" 

The two guards looked at each other. Shrugged at the same time.

Sometimes I swore Sekhmet only copied and pasted them into existence. Although, I knew that she didn't have that capability. But she trained them so relentlessly that none of them were able to think for themselves.

Had no thoughts in those heads of theirs.

"Fine," I huffed and took a step closer to them. Axlan struggled against their grip as I moved closer. Eyes darted left and right for anyone who might help him escape. No one would dare but it was amusing to think he might find someone. Anyone.

"What are you doing?" He snapped, hackles raised as he looked at my hands.

"Restraining you to the confines of the temple grounds and binding your ability to touch me without my permission." 

A simple spell, really. I would simply bind his energy with mine. Conjure up a wall between us that only I could break down. This way, he wouldn't have to be restrained. 

Axlan blanched at my words. Shied back into the arms of the guards. And away from my hovering hands.

But there was nowhere he could go. Nothing he could do. They would never let go of him. Not even if he begged for his life. Completely loyal dogs.

Touching my fingers to his temples, I closed my eyes. Envisioned the energy floating between us. Pin-pointed exactly where his was hiding and simply... attached my own to his. 

Done with the restraining.

Pulling back a bit into my own mind, I erected a wall between us. A small hole ran through the wall where my energy flooded into his. Kept him bound to the temple premises. 

I reached out to the wall with a mental hand and touched it. The thing glimmered before me. A shining golden light. Ripples danced down the sides of it as I retracted my hands and opened my eyes.

Nothing was getting through.

"Now, you might feel a bit dizzy for the first day or so. Human minds are fickle little things but other than that, you will be fine. Come, let me introduce you to my treasures." I said and stepped away from him.

The guards remained at his sides. Refused to move or unshackle him.

White-hot anger simmered across his face. Blotched red spots formed just beneath his sculpted jaw. A single vein throbbed down his neck.

I smiled up at him, standing on the tips of my toes and still unable to match our gaze. But my face was much closer than it had been before. Mere inches apart.

"You can take the shackles off now," I whispered to the guards, refusing to break our gazes.

Axlan simmered again. His very breath came out in a rather shaky wave.

If anger was a person, I would no longer imagine Sekhmet. Instead, I would imagine him.

This extremely good-looking man that most certainly wanted me dead.

Both guards moved in and I moved away from him. Continued smiling. Spun on my heels and headed for the pens at the back of the temple. Far beyond where I held my parties but almost right beneath my room's window.

Every morning I could wake up and look at the animals I rescued. Loved so very dearly. Ixion had gifted me most of them but I never saw them as gifts. Rather, I studied them. Loved them. 

Some even allowed me to speak with them mentally. 

Something I had discovered I could do about a hundred years prior on accident. Through this line of communication, I came to find out horrendous things. How they were being hunted for their tusks or fur. Some were left orphans as infants.

All of them were eternally thankful for the god of the hunt and animals. And the goddess of spring, who showered them with kindness.

Finally, I heard the click of the shackles. The rattling of chains as one of the guards hooked them to his armor again.

One. Two.

"What the-" 

A loud crunch sounded and I whirled around just in time to see Axlan socking the next guard. The other one had a bleeding nose but felt for his sword on his back.

It was no longer there. Instead, it was in Axlan's hands. 

He swung down on the guard to my right. Which was blocked with a plated armguard. The guard tried to attack but left an opening so minuscule that I never imagined someone would be able to get close.

But he did. And the sword went through the guard with ease.

Axlan paused to look at me, noted the amusement on my face instead of the horror. This spurred him on to go even faster. Drive harder against the second guard.

Metal clashed with sparks around them. Axlan grunted from the force. Hurriedly stepped backward and swung again. This time, the guard kicked out his leg as he dodged, effectively tripping Axlan.

He got on top of Axlan in a heartbeat. Aimed to shove the sword through him in the next.

Until Axlan rolled his hips. Got the guard off balance. Somehow got his knee between the man's leg. A sickening crack sounded as he held onto the guard's midsection and pressed his leg down toward the ground.

The guard groaned. Forced himself to work through the pain, as he had been taught. But Axlan was already swinging with his sword.

And off went the guard's head. 

 The world sucked in a breath then. Filled the space around us with a vacuum as Axlan stood up, face full of blood. Hair coming out of his braids. It was the first time I noticed the tattoos that crawled along the sides of his scalp.

Runes. 

Each and every one of them to honor someone else.

He had been a warrior, no doubt.

And just like that, all of the air returned around us again. I inhaled. Blinked.

When I opened my eyes again, he had run a few paces towards the woods. Carried the sword by his side as he surveyed his surroundings.

He was heading west. To the part of the property that ran linear with the temple walls. 

As I suspected, he went crashing into the barrier I had constructed. The one that kept him here, unable to go unless I willed it.

Another second passed and Axlan shoved his hands into his filthy hair. Looked back at me with menace.

No amount of fighting and killing was going to get him out of this place. Get him away from me. That was all up to him. If he proved himself, I might just let him go.

Six months.

"At least you didn't kill my favorite guards," I called to him with a crooked smile on my lips.

A growl pierced the air around me.

"For fuck's sake!" 

"Not fuck, me. You can't leave, or did your dense mind not grasp that context? Now, stop making a spectacle of yourself and come back." 

Something sparked in his eyes then. Primal. Hungry. His gaze settled on me with stifling heat.

Axlan came running back to me but this time, his sword was up and ready. Held out in front of him.

When he got to about two meters in front of me, the sword touched the mental wall. Power rippled between us. Sizzling all around us. 

His eyes flashed wide as he stepped back.

"And here I thought you would be more difficult to figure out," I said and turned. "Follow me. The animals are hungry and I need to show you how to take care of them. I don't have all day."