The Warrior God (The Ares Trials #1) - Eliza Raine Page 0,60

needed your power back for me to do this.” He leaned over me and took my other hand. My body reacted to his touch immediately, my pulse quickening of its own volition. I felt a stronger pull in my stomach, but before I could open my mouth to protest or question him, delicious soothing pulses washed through my arm. A tingle that wasn’t tickly or exciting, but completely relaxing, moved all the way from my spine and down my arm, and every muscle in my body went slack as I melted into the mattress.

For the first time since we had entered the gladiator pit, nothing in my body hurt.

“Gods have healing powers,” Ares said quietly, then let go of my hand. He didn’t move away though, his hair falling forward as he leaned over me.

“Even Gods of War?” I whispered, the soothing warmth fading, but no pain returning.

“Especially Gods of War. I had to wait until you regained your magic to use it though.”

“Why didn’t you do that with the manticore sting?”

“You were unconscious. I can’t use your power whilst you’re unconscious. And besides, healing a burn is not the same as healing poison. You’re still not that strong.”

I tried to get indignant about being told I wasn’t strong, but failed. He wasn’t insulting me. He was stating fact.

He had helped me. Nursed me. Why? For my power, obviously. But who’d have thought he would be so gentle? I looked into his eyes, wondering how anyone could look so sad and fierce at the same time. But then, I had been both sad and fierce most of my life. “Thank you,” I said.

He straightened, moving away from me a little. “You were injured with honor. You killed the Hydra.”

“You’re damn right I did,” I grinned at him. “Who needs magic, eh?”

“We do, to heal you,” he said, and my elation drooped a little. “You need to wash off the paste, it is no longer necessary.”

I frowned at my arm. “Shouldn’t I leave it there to protect the skin a bit longer?”

“Your skin is healed.”

“What?”

“The healing doesn’t just take away the pain, it heals your wounds. Your arm is fine now.”

I stared at Ares, the impact of his words crashing into me. “You can instantly heal wounds here?”

“Not everyone can. My sister can’t, for example. Her power is too destructive.”

“But... What’s the point in fighting if you can just heal?”

Ares faltered, his gaze dropping from mine. When his eyes found mine again, embers were dancing in his irises, but I felt no anger from him. “I am immortal. Today was the first time in millennia that I fought with the real risk of not just injury, but death.” The excitement in his low voice was infectious, and I felt my stomach tense as I recalled the rush of adrenaline that accompanied the build up to a challenge. “It was glorious.”

“So for thousands of years you’ve never been at risk of losing?” He licked his lips as he shook his head, and heat flashed in my core. “No wonder you’re so fucking miserable,” I said on a long breath. “It’s one of the best feelings in the world. The knowledge that if you best your opponent, you’ve earned it. The challenge laid out before you, the odds stacked against you.” All my muscles were tensing now, my pain gone completely, and my energy returned in force.

My chance to bask in the glory of my victory over the Hydra had been stolen by my injury, and now the elation was flooding me in a blissful tidal wave.

“I felt truly alive today,” Ares said. “And watching you fight with such courage despite having no power at all...” He stared into my eyes and the beat of a drum banged in the depths of my mind.

I had done it. I had won the God of War’s respect.

Only it wasn’t his respect I wanted now. The energy pouring through my body was all going to one damned place, and I couldn’t stop my eyes moving from his, down to his mouth, then further down, tracing the lines of his abs, the V of the muscles cording his stomach and hips, the low band of his pants.

The drums got louder, and when Ares took a ragged breath I knew for certain that he could hear them too. Before I could stop myself, I wrapped my good hand around the back of his head and pulled him to me, closing my lips over his. His hands came to