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Larisa awoke to the sound of a rumbling growl. What was it? Where was she? In alarm, she bolted upright on the straw mattress and stared at the unfamiliar surroundings of the torchlit labyrinth.
“You’re finally awake.” Darron stirred beside her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “I was just thinking of home and feeling restless.” He patted his abdomen and stared at it with suspicion. “There’s a strange emptiness inside and terrible sounds coming from within. I feel unwell. Could this body already be dying?”
A low growl grumbled again. The rumbling noise was her empty stomach protesting in sympathy. “You’re not dying. We’re just hungry. Our stomachs are empty. We need to eat.”
He appeared confused. “And you know it’s time to eat because your stomach makes angry sounds?”
“Yes. It’s not always so loud. Sometimes, you just want to eat something because food looks or smells good.”
He rubbed his nose against her hair and sniffed. “You smell good. What does food smell like?”
How could she answer that? “What type of food? There are so many.” She thought of creamy goat milk cheese. “Some things smell strange, even bad, but they’re delicious.” Sunny yellow lemons came to mind. “And some things can smell wonderful but have a sour or harsh flavor.”
His expression remained neutral. “What is flavor?”
She sighed. Did he truly not know? Darron looked like a wild half-animal warrior god, but he asked questions like a child. This would be a challenge to answer properly. “A flavor or taste is a distinct sensation you have in your mouth, but your nose gets involved too. When you bite into food, your nose will sniff it and guess what it is and your tongue will tell you if you guessed right.” There, she did it. That wasn’t so difficult.
“So.” His brows met and locked as if deep in thought. “Do you not know what you are putting in your mouth until your tongue tells you what it is?” He frowned. “I can think of many possible situations where that would be undesirable.”
“I need to know exactly what I’m putting in my mouth, and I’m usually very choosy.” But at that moment she was starving. Catullus had fed her a few crusts of stale bread and a handful of olives during the forced march, and she’d been too heartbroken to care about the lack of nourishment until now, as her hunger came on strong. “I’m not sure how much time has passed since I arrived here, but I’ve eaten little to nothing in three days.”
“I haven’t eaten ever.” Darron chuckled. He remained sitting upright with a pile of blankets over his lower body, which hid his furry legs and tail. “I was waiting to share my first meal with you. Perhaps you’ll teach me what to eat and how to eat it.” He gestured for her to look over her shoulder.
She glanced behind. Several clay amphorae and a platter brimming with fresh fruit, crusty loaves of bread, olives, and cheese were laid upon a bronze charger. Impulsively she reached for a pear. “How did you know what I was craving?”
A beaming smile lit his face. “I studied your thoughts while you were asleep.”
“Oh.” What else had he seen about her? Did she have no mental privacy from this man? The thought was disturbing. She bit into the juicy pear, savoring its sweetness. “So you know about food?”
“Yes, I know that you need nourishment to keep a living body healthy. I was merely ignorant about the varied signals of hunger. I am new here. The many sensations this body feels are confusing. I have not figured this out.”
Darron was such easy company to be in that all sense of threat fled. “You’re doing well.” And so polite, considering the poor fellow was half-animal.
“I did sense you were very hungry, but is there anything you would refuse to eat? I can manifest any sort of food you might desire.”
“Most anything fresh will be fine.” Should she risk being vague? He was new to Earth. “You do understand people don’t eat people, right?”
“I have heard odd tales that in certain circumstances, during times of extreme famine or war, some humans do eat people—”
She shuddered in revulsion. “I’m not that hungry. I don’t and I never would eat another human.” Leaning over the platter, she picked at the contents, which appeared appetizing. “Let’s explore what we have here. It all looks delicious.” Larisa reached for a round loaf of bread, tore it in half, and plucked a piece from its soft center. She brought it to her lips, opened, and chewed slowly, feeling a comforting sense of utter satisfaction. Bread had never tasted so good. It was dense with toasted seeds and sweet with honey, and made her mouth water. The simple fare was literally saving her life, and she was so grateful for it.
He watched her, enraptured as she ate.
She reached for more bread. Her gaze met his. “You do know, don’t you, that people on the mainland think that a great bull roams the island’s caverns, waiting to be fed sacrificial victims?”
Darron looked at her sideways. “They are wrong. We do not eat them. Those young men and women are taken away to become teachers in other realms.”
Did she really want to know? “What other realms?”
He looked incredulous. “Earth is not the only realm men may walk in, though it is perhaps the most beautiful. I’ve always loved it and longed to be part of it. You are so lucky to be born of Earth.” His stomach growled like a whining dog.
She laughed. “That’s only going to get worse, and then you’ll get grouchy. You should eat something now.”
“Like this?” Darron picked up a stout pear, opened his mouth, and bit it in half, bottom first. The large chunk lodged in his mouth and stretched his jaws wide. His eyes bulged with an uneasy look that verged on panic, and he gagged as juice dribbled down his chin. He froze midaction, seemingly at a loss as to what to do next as he tried to bite down on and swallow the unwieldy portion.
The poor fellow looked ridiculous and was in real danger of choking. “Take smaller bites and chew. Be careful. Don’t breathe in and swallow food at the same time.”
The warning came too late, and the wedge of fruit shifted. He made gurgling sounds, and his eyes watered as he grimaced and gulped. Darron spat out the uneaten portion of pear with a gasp. “That hurt! You made eating look so simple and pleasurable, yet it’s not.”
Larisa reached for an amphora, which she hoped was filled with water, and passed it to Darron. “Drink this, carefully, and clear your throat.”
He held the amphora to his lips and drank. A trickle of dark wine escaped the side of his mouth. “This I like.”
It wasn’t water. She was tempted to snatch the amphora away. What effects would wine have on a Minotaur? This could get awkward. “Go lightly with the wine, especially since you’ve not had it before. You might want to start with water.”
“I tried water earlier.” He took another long drink. “I prefer wine.” The effects of the wine were almost immediate. Every few moments he looked at her with a languid, sexy expression. He finished the contents of one amphora and reached for another.
She watched with amusement as he drank. Darron appeared young, perhaps a few years older than her. His large, dark eyes were luminous, reflecting just the slightest hint of something otherworldly. “You might want to slow down on the wine until you understand its effects.”
He grinned, and the edges of his lips were stained purple. “So far I feel happy and relaxed. This is lovely stuff, the pride of the vineyard. How could there be any ill effects from drinking too much wine?”
Where to start? He had a nasty surprise brewing: headache, nausea, and every sound no matter how small would assault the senses like the screech of a harpy. “Wait until tomorrow morning. It will be clear to you why drinking too much too quickly is a bad idea.”
“Why should I wait?” He gulped more wine. “Can I experience the effects now? I am curious and open to all earthly experiences.”
“Trust me, you don’t want to know what it feels like.”
Darron thrust the amphora into Larisa’s hands. “Drink. Join me in this glorious feeling.”
She gently pushed the clay pitcher back into his grasp. “I have to put some food in my stomach first, or else I will get sick.”
He patted her knee. “Larisa, my small female, please eat. I do not wish for you to be sick.”
My small female? The way he said it so innocently and with such pride made her cheeks flush. “May I ask something personal? While we were resting, I had a strange dream. I dreamed I saw Asteria.”
Darron’s eyes lit with bright intensity. “That wasn’t a dream. It was a shared thought. Asterions can do that. While you were sleeping, I remembered my decision to come here.” He paused and leaned closer. “I’m pleased you were able to share the thought and see it clearly. When you’re ready, perhaps we can share more. But first I want you to eat something.” His voice carried a note of formality. “May I feed you?” He reached for a small bunch of red grapes and tugged one free.
Larisa’s stomach growled in anticipation. Everything on the platter looked appealing, and she wanted it, but beneath Darron’s sweet gesture, she sensed the act of sharing food with him meant more than simply filling her belly.
He held a dark grape to her lips. A look of expectation shone in his eyes. “Thank you.”
“For what?” For a moment the fruit hovered unclaimed in front of her. “What exactly am I saying yes to?”
His smile crooked to the side in a charming way. “In allowing me to feed you, you give consent to take the next part of the journey.”
“Where are we going?” she whispered, even though there was no one near.
“Why be told when you can see it with your own eyes?”
There was nothing menacing about his demeanor, but was this journey safe, and did she have a choice? Her curiosity to know more was overwhelming, so she parted her lips and accepted the grape from his fingertips, biting through its tart skin to its juicy center.
With his voice calm and low, he whispered, “Look at me and don’t be afraid.”
Larisa gazed directly at Darron, and for a fleeting moment, his face was not a man’s at all. He glowed from within; his skin shimmered, his features smoothed, and he transformed into a sparkling pillar of light. His image was so brilliant she could barely look upon it. Squinting against the glare, she glanced away and waited for the brief but startling vision to fade. A moment later he was once again a handsome man with big brown eyes and a set of ivory horns sweeping outward from his head. She gasped in astonishment. “It’s too much. I can’t look at.... I don’t know what to say.”
“That’s my true face, and it’s not appropriate for Earth. You have a similar light inside—”
“I do?” That was impossible to believe. What she had seen was the pure essence of divinity. “No.”
“A human soul is a beautiful thing, and yours is very bright. It does not show on the surface as mine does, but I can sense it.” Darron brushed his hand against hers. The gentle gesture was soothing.
“What are you, really? Why are you here?” She was so overwhelmed. She had not meant to sound rude, but did.
He smiled and gently fed her another grape. “From the first moment I heard tales of Earth, I knew I belonged here, and waited patiently for the opportunity to cross into your world. So few Asterions are allowed passage. Being here is like winning a great prize. I’ve dreamed of living as a man and being part of everything earthly. Where I am from, there are no oceans, vineyards, or animals. Sex as you understand it does not exist. I observed Earth for years, but I’d never experienced anything so pleasurable as taking the form of a man and touching you. I want to thank you for that gift.” He lifted a round loaf of bread from the platter, tore it in two, and handed her half. “Break off a piece and feed it to me.” A note of hope lifted his voice. “Please.”
That wasn’t asking for too much. She tore a small chunk of bread from the loaf and brought it to his lips. “Why did you appear as a bull within the labyrinth?”
He parted his lips, took the piece of bread from her fingertips, and carefully chewed and swallowed. A look of satisfaction at having accomplished so simple a skill shone in his eyes. “When the Asterions first came to Earth countless generations ago, we took the form of animals that humans would admire, covet, and make use of. Living among you as animals was the easiest way to become accustomed to bodies and observe humanity without causing conflict. Many of us found adapting to the complex emotions of the human mind, and the conflicting needs of a body, extremely challenging. Most Asterions were only able to make half the transition toward becoming human. Over time, the Asterion council lost interest in trying to master the use of human bodies, but a few persisted and became adept as Earthlings. A traditional animal such as a bull is still the simplest and most comfortable form to take. It’s large, powerful, and on this small island, only a human would dare to challenge it.”
A shiver of apprehension raced through her. Long ago, a priestess had told her the word “Asterion” was older than stone and meant “starry master” or “ruler of stars.” She leaned closer. “Are you a god? You said you weren’t, but you sound like one.”
“No.” He reached for more wine. “Don’t be intimidated by the word Asterion. I’m physically different from you, but as I said, our souls are similar. I envy all that you have, and all that you can enjoy on Earth. I begged the council for the chance to live even a single day as a man.” He gently pushed the platter toward her. “Share with me. Eat and drink your fill. Afterward, there’s something I want to show you.”
Larisa helped herself to a little of everything and washed it all down with a generous serving of wine. Darron carefully observed her choices from the platter. He ate whichever items she chose, following her lead, and imitated her every gesture no matter how casual or meaningless it might be. When she had finished eating the simple but delicious fare, she was content. “I’m finally full.”
“This is what I wanted to show you.” Taking hold of the edge of the blanket, he lifted and dropped it in a teasing manner, but didn’t let her see what was beneath. “Ready?”
A nervous smile froze on her lips. Oh no. Here it comes.
He kicked free of the blanket, exposing perfectly formed, muscular male legs that were dusted with a few silky hairs instead of a brushy animal pelt. His face beamed with joy as he wiggled his toes. “See, the hooves are gone!”
As she admired his long legs, her gaze swept toward his naked cock. Her face warmed and she tried not to stare. Not only did everything look perfectly normal, but he was also an overall gorgeous man. “You have long, thick feet, and they look very nice.” The compliment sounded so awkward, she cringed.
With an exploratory touch, he stroked the side of his ankle and reached lower to tickle the sole of his foot. “That feels strange! Almost unbearable in a wonderful way.” He laughed. “I am becoming more human and have already gone farther in a shorter time than many other Asterions before me. I should thank you for that, Larisa. You are good company and an excellent teacher.”
It was a pleasure to watch Darron discover things. Seeing the excitement on his face over the simplest acts, like trying to tickle his own feet, tugged at her heart.
“Sit with me.” He stroked the mattress, coaxing her near. “I want you beside me.”
His guileless expression invited trust, so she scooted across the mattress and nestled against him. She gazed at his strongly angled face, thinking him to be the masculine ideal, if still a bit too animal-like with the horns.
He brushed a stray curl from her cheek. “What do you think of me?”
Couldn’t he read her thoughts? “Don’t you already know?” Tracing her fingertips along the soft strands of hair that ran down the center of his chest, she stopped at his abdomen that had no sign of a belly button. “You’re the most amazing being I’ve ever met.”
“I think the same about you.” A crooked smile warmed Darron’s face, and the tiny lines around his eyes fanned. For the first time, a slight scar above his brow became noticeable. Other small flaws or interesting details emerged; callouses formed on his hands and freckles appeared on his chest that had not been there before. Every moment that passed seemed to make him more human. He gently touched the sides of her cheeks and lifted her chin. “It makes me happy to look at your face. My heart feels full. Do all Earthlings enjoy looking at faces?”
How should she answer that? “Yes, I believe that is true, but most of all we enjoy looking at our loved ones.”
His gaze searched hers. “A loved one? There is only one? I thought Earthlings were capable of great love for all—their gods, families, land, and the beasts in their care. Was I mistaken?”
“You are right, but there are many types of love. Love for different things...” She was getting herself into trouble here. “Feels different.”
“Larisa, you are not a thing. In my thoughts you are a loved one. When I first saw you, you were so scared. I was shocked to read your thoughts and see what you were expecting, yet you overcame your fear quickly and opened your heart to me. Such resilience shows how strong and capable a human can be. You didn’t have to trust me, but you did and offered your heart anyway. This is the biggest reason I find Earth fascinating. Humans are physically vulnerable yet so willing to take risks.” He leaned closer and his lips brushed her hair. “When I look at you, my heart feels joy and I want to kiss you. Which sort of love is that?”
Was she qualified to discuss this? No. “Romantic love.”
Darron kissed the top of her shoulder, allowing his warm breath to bathe her skin, and then nuzzled against her throat, the slight beard grit on his chin tickling the delicate area below her ear. “Romantic love? What sets that apart from loving a beautiful tree that gives fragrant blossoms and fruit?”
That time she expected his question. “When two people feel a deep connection, sometimes a silent communication takes place that only they share.” Her mother and father had loved that way. Her mother, Andrea, had only to wink at her father and he would smile and do as she wished without having to be asked.
“So the communication between lovers is perfect and there is never disagreement between them? It sounds wonderful. I can’t wait to experience it.”
Was she really having this conversation with a man from another realm? She owed him a more accurate account of how things truly worked between lovers, and she was so unqualified. She’d never been anyone’s lover, not really. Her throat went dry. “I don’t think that’s what I said, and I don’t want you to be disappointed, but romantic lovers have a lot of disagreements, maybe even more than other people.”
His mouth opened in shock. “What about the silent communication only they share? Why don’t they use it?”
“It can go sour. Words and actions can be easily misunderstood. Sometimes, someone will say the wrong thing and you care so deeply about them, it hurts more than it should.”
“But they still love each other and continue to communicate?”
“Most of the time.” She paused. Catullus’s son, Ares, was notorious for ardently seducing and later ignoring the many young women he’d meet on festival days after everyone had too much wine. Though Ares always denied romantic involvement, he’d been forced to offer compensation to many a neighboring village. “But be warned, romantic love can go terribly wrong for one or both partners.”
“You are warning me about romantic love because you care about me?” Darron’s eyes reflected the warm fire tones of torchlight. “It sounds risky, but someday I hope to explore a romantic connection.”
Someday? Did he mean to leave this place and possibly leave her behind? The thought caused great conflict and that worried her.
His eyes twinkled. “May I kiss you?”
She had been curious about what his kiss might be like. “Yes.”
He cupped her face and, while looking into her eyes, drew her against his chest.
A breathless thrill raced through her as she parted her lips and allowed his mouth to glide across hers. The touch of his lips was soft and carried a hint of honeyed wine. Tangling her fingers in his hair, she held him close in a deepening embrace, brushing her lips against his and gently exploring. Cradling the back of her head, he held her in a sweet but demanding kiss, its raw lust tempered with gentleness. She sensed how careful he was being to not rush or startle her.
He lowered his hand to tenderly stroke the side of her thigh and nudged her tunic higher. “I want you,” he whispered. “Do you want me?”
“Yes.” She said it in complete sincerity. It would be so easy to give herself to him.
“Larisa.” His next words were spoken with a distinct nervousness. “What if we created a child?”
His expression was so serious, her skin pebbled and she shifted away from him. “Would the child be more like me?” She hesitated. “Or you?”
He smiled, but the edges trembled as if he dreaded a swift rejection. “It would be an equal blend of Asterion and Earthling.”
What was her true relationship to him? Would she be like a beast in the field to be collected, cared for, and bred? Her hand sank lower on his back until she felt.... “I meant... would the child have a tail and horns?”
“Would it be a disgrace if that happened?” he asked innocently.
Her breath caught. “The child could never pass for human. As its mother, I would love it, but there are many others who would fear it and demand its destruction. To have my newborn taken from me and slaughtered would crush me.”
“I would never allow that to happen.” His brow furrowed. “The child would be half Asterion and no doubt a very valuable member of any group. Several of Hathor’s daughters were born with cow heads, and they are absolutely beloved in Egypt, and considered to be very desirable....”
She gulped a tense breath. “Let’s discuss this later. There may be nothing to worry about.”
“That’s right.” He caressed the sides of her face. “With your help and love, I can fully become a man and live above in the sunlight with you. I want that more than anything.”
“I don’t understand.” Her voice cracked. Weren’t they trapped here? “You can transform and leave the labyrinth? Why are you waiting? Let’s go.”
Darron smiled at her with a sweet, crooked grin. “You don’t like my tail, do you?”
She shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what to say.
“Be honest.” He glanced over his shoulder at the offending appendage.
She gazed at his strong profile lit by flickering torchlight. There was plenty to appreciate about him. His face was ruggedly handsome and his solid warrior body made her feel wonderful. Even his ivory horns had an air of majesty. Why did he have to bring up the one thing that troubled her? “It’s not that I dislike it....” She hesitated. “It’s just so... animal.”
Darron stood and offered his hand. “Come with me.”
She grasped his hand and rose, smoothing her rumpled tunic with her other palm. “Where are we going?”
He reached for the torch with his free hand, removing it from a niche in the wall. “Deeper into the heart of the labyrinth.”
The labyrinth was a less formidable place than she had first thought, but it was not comfortable. The closeness of the walls and an almost constant rumbling beneath her feet caused a sense of unease. Going deeper into the earth did not appeal to her. “Why?”
“For me, the only way out is by going inward. On Asteria, a labyrinth is considered the ideal safe place to begin life on Earth. Some visiting Asterions never fully attained human form or even left the labyrinth, but I want more. I want to live above as a man, but to do that I must have the permission of the Asterion council and a specific purpose to fulfill on Earth. Perhaps we can find that purpose together.” Darron held the torch aloft, glanced over his shoulder at his flicking tail, then smiled. “Follow me.”
They left the small chamber and walked into a passageway that split into three narrower paths. Darron chose one that barely accommodated the width of his horns. “I hope I picked the right passageway,” he mumbled. “It’s a lot easier navigating a labyrinth as a formless spirit. I usually just floated through obstacles instead of walking around them.”
Here the air was so humid and still, the cavern walls dripped with sweat. The sight was unsettling. “You don’t know your way around down here? You said you were here for years.”
His long strides made it hard to keep up, but he seemed determined to reach his goal as quickly as possible. “I was, but being in a physical body makes it an entirely new experience. Now five senses are involved. There are features to the labyrinth that simply did not register with my spirit self. Until now I never had to cope with textures, smells, or even shadows.”
The tip of one horn scraped the wall, and he winced and pulled away. “See? I’m still learning. Before, I simply followed a thought and the thought would take me directly where I wanted to go. It was much easier.” Half-lit by torchlight, his features appeared even more dramatic. “But I have no regrets about taking a physical body. This is the best adventure I’ve ever had.”
“What exactly were you on Asteria?”
His mouth compressed and he seemed to be collecting his thoughts. “Light is the easiest answer. I had far less substance than the priest you met upon your arrival.”
As she held his hand, her fingertips explored his beautifully formed, articulate fingers that felt as strong and work-weathered as any man’s hand she’d ever touched. “Was the priest an Asterion too?”
“No, he’s from another race of beings who are also interested in the denser physical realms, but they have yet to master the art of taking on any sort of physical form. These beings, like the Asterions, are in awe of Earth and all that is possible here. They simply assist in our work and observe.”
What would the people of Kreios think of this? They’d probably go mad with fear or jabber a thousand questions like a crazed flock of birds. It was due purely to Darron’s gentle presence that she was able to keep her wits about her at all. “Why did you wait so long to take form?”
Glancing at her sideways, he smiled. “I had no choice. I had to be physically initiated into your realm. I couldn’t simply will myself through the portal, though I did try.” He laughed. “Someone had to come to the labyrinth and offer a few drops of blood in order for me to take physical form.”
As they negotiated the many twisting turns, Larisa became disoriented and was convinced they were wandering in circles. At every corner she expected to see the straw mattress and half-eaten platter of food, but eventually they came to a rounded chamber with a large, sparkling silver disc embedded in the wall that was similar to a flattened shield.
As they approached the disc, it rippled to life as if it were the calm surface of a pool.
“Go ahead,” Darron encouraged. “Look into the mirror. It’s the past made clear. Of course, you can’t go back, but you can see it for what it was.”
Was that a good idea? Her past was complicated and often difficult. A chill skittered over her skin. “What will I see?”
“I don’t know.” Darron released Larisa’s hand and allowed her to approach the mirror alone. “It’s not my past.”
Taking cautious steps, she moved toward the silvery oval of shifting light, at first seeing only a young woman with long curls, large brown eyes, and a dusty linen tunic that looked the worse for wear. Then recognition bloomed. “Mother?” In her earliest memories, this was exactly how she remembered her mother, Andrea. “You’re alive and so pretty, but why are you so dirty?” Larisa wanted to reach out and hug her mother, who now appeared troubled, but when she did she discovered the surface of the mirror was hard, and there was no one there to touch. “What’s wrong? Why can’t she hear me?”
“Larisa, that’s not your mother. That’s you.”
She stared in disbelief, lightly touching her nose and chin. “Oh! That’s me?” The breath fled her body. Was that what she looked like? She stood in front of the mirror, stunned as an unwelcome wave of emotion washed through her. “My mother has been gone for years, but now I look just like her.”
Darron stepped back to give Larisa room to move in front of the mirror. “Your mother must have been very beautiful.”
“My father always said so.” This was almost too much to fully take in. She pointed at the disc and her reflection pointed back. “But that’s not really my mother, it’s me?”
“Yes. You’re seeing yourself as I see you.”
“But this is now and not in the past. How does the mirror show the past? Can I see the people who came before me?”
“The Ancestors? Yes. But it also shows the people who have shaped your past. Look.”
The surface of the mirror rippled, and the image of her betrothed, Alecto, shimmered into form. His was a familiar face that conjured mixed emotions. Shortly before his death, their marriage had been arranged for the following summer. In the mirror, Alecto looked back at her in death as he had in life, with restless fire burning in his dark eyes. A man of action and quick temper, he was always ready to fight. At the slightest hint of battle, he was the first to gather his weapons and sound the call. A great warrior, inspiring and brave, he was the son her father never had, and he had been her father’s first choice of a future husband for her.
Alecto would have been the right man to follow in her father’s footsteps as warrior and village chief, but had he been the right man to provide a loving household for her? That question had never been broached. Through narrowed eyes, Alecto continued to stare back at her. His stern expression almost dared her to entertain warm feelings about him. Alecto was from an allied tribe, and he and Larisa had known little about each other, a fact that mattered nothing to him. Status and land were all he required in a wife. She was a chief’s daughter and therefore a worthy prize. They had rarely been alone together and allowed to talk freely. All she truly knew about him was what she had gathered with her eyes or overheard while they were in the company of others, such as the times Alecto and her father shared detailed conversations about weapons and battle strategies. Not once had Alecto asked a personal question about her preferences or hopes.
In the mirror, beyond as if floating in the distance, the faint image of a flickering campfire crackled, and she was reminded of the single sweet thing they had shared. One night, beside a campfire when no one was looking, Alecto had grabbed her wrist, pulled her onto his lap, and kissed her with delirious passion. The kiss had left her breathless and proved to be an exciting invitation to a new world of erotic desire. She’d loved it and wanted to experience more, but aside from the stolen kiss by the fire, they’d been strangers. After his death, she’d been left wondering about all the things she didn’t know about him and never would.
The mirror darkened and Alecto’s image faded. She had wanted love, a home, and children of her own, and Alecto had been the one chosen to provide those things, but would he ever have been happy staying home with a wife and babies? He’d lived life as he wanted, forever on the march, and perished in glorious combat. When he died, she’d felt great sorrow for his unlived life—but she now felt deeper sorrow for the narrowness of that life.
“You look troubled.” Darron stood closer. “What are you thinking?”
“I was thinking how tragic it is that the people of my village spend their lives and energy fighting with our neighbors and achieving so little.” She turned to face Darron. “When our boat washed ashore on your island, I was awestruck by the Palace of Asterion. I never dreamed such splendor existed. My village is made of mud bricks and thatch. Each cottage is so tiny you can barely spread your arms without striking a wall. When I saw what the Minoans could build, I wanted to shout, ‘Why can’t we achieve that? Why must we spend all our time fighting?’”
Larisa reached for Darron’s hand. “My father and Alecto were obsessed with battle. They were brave men. I respect them both, but what a waste it all was. They left little of value behind, only broken hearts. During their lives, not a moment was spent on making the future better or more beautiful.”
Darron gazed at her with a conflicted expression on his brow. “Do you think the people of your village would be interested in learning new ways?”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I would hope so. There must be other things to do with our lives besides fighting to survive. For myself, I want to learn to paint the images I saw on the palace walls. Creating beauty for others to enjoy, especially if such beauty outlasted me, would make me happy.”
“Come with me.” He picked up the torch, placed his hand on her shoulder, and led her out of the mirror chamber. They walked along another twisting passageway, that time coming upon a dripping grotto. The air was warm and humid with steam rising from a natural hot spring.
Darron set the torch into a niche cut into the wall, then waded into the spring. He motioned for Larisa to follow. “Bathe with me.” He walked to the middle of the clear spring until the water reached his shoulders.
She stood nervously at the edge. Beyond the torchlight, the water was dark and forbidding. “I can’t swim.”
He held his arms open. “I’ll hold you. You’re safe with me.”
She did feel safe with him. Grasping the linen hem, she tugged the tunic over her head and tossed it aside. Marshaling her courage, she stood naked at the rim of the spring and allowed Darron to look at her. He smiled appreciatively at her round hips and thighs, and just as her face warmed unbearably, she waded waist-deep into the water.
Darron approached with a look of awe on his face. He scooped her into his arms and moved deeper into the pool. “My little female, you feel good to hold.”
Larisa wrapped her arms around Darron’s neck and pressed herself against the warm expanse of his chest. Being near him was comforting. His calm demeanor inspired trust, and she was fully able to relax and appreciate the pleasurable sensations of the spring as she allowed herself to float in his arms.
“See, there’s nothing to be afraid of, not when you’re with me.” Showering the side of her face with kisses, he walked toward the far edge of the spring and sat her on a smooth rock.
Something about the look on his face tipped her off that he was up to something. “What are you doing?”
“You’ve given me so much pleasure. I wish to return the favor and do something that would make you happy.”
Was he putting her first? Alecto would never have thought to do so. “What are you going to do?”
A glint of mischief shone in his eyes. “Tell me a secret you’ve never told anyone else.”
Her face warmed. Should she be honest and tell him a real secret? “Why?”
He traced his fingertips lovingly over the top of her shoulder. “I want to know something about you that only you know.”
“What if I don’t have any secrets worth sharing? I suppose I could just make a story up.”
“Then make something up and that will be our secret.” His eyes glittered with amusement. “Isn’t there something you’ve always wished for?”
Biting down on her lip, she thought hard. Her life had been completely ordinary until Catullus had decided that it would be to his benefit to deliver her to the island and dispose of her within the labyrinth. Except for being a chief’s daughter, nothing of note set her apart. Her story was common. At the age of fourteen, she had suffered the loss of her mother. A few years later, her father and Alecto followed. Everyone in her village had lost a loved one of one description or another, especially in this last brutal year. Suffering had a cascade effect. Endless warfare and the inevitable loss of warriors resulted in poor harvests the next season. So often, there weren’t enough able-bodied people to accomplish the heavy work of plowing the fields and maintaining irrigation trenches. With the predictability of a sunrise, those who did not die by the sword later starved. “My father always wanted a son to inherit his responsibilities, but I used to think I could be a good chief as well.” She licked her lips. “I mean, in my own way. Ever since I was little, I would ask my father, ‘Must everyone go to battle? Why not leave a few warriors behind to rebuild and replant?’ Of course, my comments were dismissed as an innocent child’s questions, like ‘Why is the sky blue?’”
“So, you’ve always wanted to be a leader?”
Did she say that? It sounded almost blasphemous when Darron said it. “I never wanted to be the sole leader of the group, I just wanted my opinions and needs heard. In that way, I think I speak for most of the women in my village. Who enjoys becoming a widow or watching their children starve? No one!”
“If you were in charge, what would you do first?”
Good question. Did she have a worthy answer? She couldn’t imagine Alecto listening to her opinions, or even caring if she had one. With Alecto, war was the only subject worthy of discussion, from which she was excluded. “I would build large grain silos of tightly fitted stone, line them with clay, and set fire on them until the clay hardened, sealing the inside like a water urn. That way, the rain and pests would be unable to get in. I’ve never done it, but why wouldn’t it work?”
He appeared pleased with her answer. “Your first act of leadership would be to build better storage and protect grain?”
“I would be protecting people, mostly women and children, from starvation. It is a just cause.”
“I agree.” He took hold of her and lifted her into the spring, turning in a lazy circle. “Your ideas are good ones.”
The spring’s warm water was relaxing, but his face had grown so serious that she became concerned. “What is it?”
“Perhaps I could help you. I want to stay on Earth and be part of your story.”
“Then stay.” She would love it, but Darron looked so different. Could the people of her village—or any village—ever accept him? She wrapped her legs around his waist. The sole of her foot brushed against the solid curve of his buttocks, but... she didn’t feel a tail. She bolted upright, straining to glance over his shoulder. “Where is it? The tail’s gone! How?”
Darron grinned. “You’re not going to miss it, are you?”
She kissed his lips. “Not at all.”
“The more you share with me, the more human I become. Taking a body brings great responsibilities, and I am willing to take on those responsibilities.” A somber note crept into his voice. “Larisa, I have one more important thing to show you.” He moved toward the edge of the spring. “Will you walk to the heart of the labyrinth with me?” He climbed out of the water and offered his hand. “I need your help making a decision.”
She took his hand and allowed him to pull her up. Was she qualified to advise someone from a race as wise and accomplished as his? “What sort of decision?” Water sheeted from her body as she reached for her rumpled tunic and tugged it over her head.
“The heart of the labyrinth is a direct portal to Asteria. If I am to stay on Earth in physical form, I must have the Asterion council’s permission to do something that’s never been done.” He picked up the torch and beckoned her forward. “Come.”