Thief of Olympus (Greek Myth Series Book 3) Read Free

fearless woman to spawn true warriorship into his offspring’s blood
    Zarek’s parents had been robbed and killed by bandits when he was just a child. He was raised by these bandits, and taught to steal for them to survive. Zarek was only ten at the time, and very light-footed as well as light-fingered. He’d done as instructed, fearing for his own life, but when he was old enough and strong enough, he one day escaped.
    He had been on his own for the last five and ten years, trying to create a better life for himself. Now he was the king of Thrace. No longer would he have to steal to eat. Riches at his fingertips, he had everything he could ask for. Except an heir. But soon he would. And he would some day teach his child to rule by the fist. His son’s strength and courage would gain the people’s respect. His child would never have to grow up like Zarek had, stealing and begging just to survive. He would make a name for his son, and the boy would be accepted by all.
    He settled atop his throne, running a hand through his hair. A glimmer of a gemstone caught his attention from beneath a nearby marble table. He reached over and picked up the ring he’d almost forgotten he’d thrown there in disgust nine months ago. It was her ring. The Amazon princess named Lysandra wore this on her naked body the night they’d coupled. Afterward, he found himself slipping it from her finger without her knowledge. It was a habit he couldn’t stop. He’d taken her ring for a memento, intending to give it to his own son one day as naught more than a token of his success.
    He pushed the gold and amethyst ring onto his smallest finger, admiring it in the light of the sun coming through the window. The light shone through the opening, reflecting off the stone, casting hues of purple and dark blue against the carved wood of his ornate throne. He rubbed at the gold ring, making it shine. He had taken this to show the Amazon woman she had no control over him. But every time he looked at the ring, he knew it was done in vain.
    He’d seen her in his dreams nearly every night now since her coming-of-age. She’d haunted his thoughts and seeped into his brain at the most inopportune times. He closed his eyes and rubbed the stone against his lips, tasting the oils of her skin upon it. Spicy, yet scented with the faint breeze of violets on a warm spring day. Her vibrations ran strong through the stone, melding with his own. Desire surged up his spine as he remembered the ecstasy they’d shared that night. Coupling with her far surpassed any experience he had ever shared with a woman. She had been strong and forceful like the north wind, but when she’d shattered in his arms, he sensed a frailty deep within which called out to him, begging for his existence in her life. An uncertainty that pushed past the warrior façade had shown in her eyes. Mayhap she wasn’t as hardened as she portrayed herself to be while in his presence.
    He wanted to see her once again. He needed to taste her upon his tongue. To feel her body joining with his, struggling for control until her strength dissolved under his touch and she surrendered in his arms. Something he knew she would never do willingly. He cursed, trying to pull the ring from his finger, but it wedged and would not move past his knuckle. Her essence encompassed him until he thought he’d go mad from want. He closed his eyes, trying to push the memories from his mind, but all he could see was her face beneath his closed lids.
    This was not how it was supposed to be. This wasn’t at all what he had in mind when he had decided to go to the Amazons for a child. Everyone knew the Amazons hated men and only wanted them for mating purposes. Because of this, he had no qualms about using one of them for his own needs as well. He wanted a child - not a wife. Now if he could only remember that, mayhap he’d be able to sleep soundly at night.
    Through the open window, Zarek spotted his messenger in the sky. He