Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign - By Phillip Jones Page 0,57

shook his head. He did not know why he would stop at only a kiss, but he did know something about Athena was intriguing, and for whatever reason, this something commanded his respect.

It was only a short while before Athena knocked at the door. She brought the plate of boar in and instructed the help to dump the hot water into the bathing tub. Once finished, she motioned for them to leave and then faced George. “Is there anything else I can do for you?” she asked. “Perhaps keep you company while you eat?”

“As a matter of fact, there is,” George responded. “Grab a seat and make yourself at home.”

While asking questions about the town, George found out that Athena also believed magic was real. Granted, she had never seen it used, but she vouched for its existence, and she knew of the mage Jason had told him about. She even knew where the mage lived and boasted about how his brother had been given the honor of traveling to some world she called Luvelles to study what, apparently, all magic users called “the arts.”

Holy crap, he thought. Everybody is on happy grass around here. Where in the hell am I anyway? She’s talking about another world as if it’s right around the corner. He played with the scruff on his chin as Athena continued to talk. Huh ... with this many people believing in magic, maybe there’s something to it. It sounds like Jason wasn’t as drunk as I thought he was. Athena has no reason to lie to me.

After Athena described how to get to the mage’s home, George redirected the conversation. Through subtle questioning about the coins he had on his person, he came to a full understanding of their value. By the way Athena spoke, it sounded as if he would have enough coin to purchase everything he needed to take a little trip without selling his Rolex.

As the moments passed, George explored his unexpected attraction for Athena. He asked her to turn around while he undressed and kept himself covered with a towel until he was in the tub. Something about this woman demanded respect, and it was obvious she liked him. The kiss he planned on giving her did not seem appropriate and would need to wait.

George wanted to ask about the two colorful planets in the sky, but determined this level of ignorance would not serve a purpose. “Thank you for the wonderful evening, Athena. I hope you won’t be upset if I excuse myself to get some sleep. I’m exhausted.”

Athena’s voice was soft, “Everything is well, honey. All I wanted was to make sure someone took care of you after your run-in with bad luck. Mishandlers are terrible people. All criminals belong on Dragonia.”

Dragonia? he thought. George was dying to ask more questions, but he did not want his ignorance to ruin their conversation. He leaned forward, placed his cheek against hers and whispered, “I wish women where I’m from were as sweet and as beautiful as you.”

The manipulator was surprised at how genuine his compliment had sounded. He actually believed what he was saying. “I’m sorry, Athena, but I’m so tired. If I don’t get some sleep, I’m gonna fall apart. Will you eat with me in the morning?”

“I would like that. See you in the morning then?”

“In the morning. I look forward to it.” George hated to admit it, but he really liked this woman, and resisting his feelings was not going to work. The way she treated him and the soothing sound of her voice when she called him “honey” made him feel special.

As soon as the door shut, he mumbled, “What are you doing, George? You’re not the kind of guy to get involved. You don’t have time for all that emotional crap.” He turned, walked across the room and sat on the edge of the bed. “But damn it, she’s so much better than anyone I’ve ever met.”

He watched the flame of the lamp flicker and smiled as his head hit the pillow. “Man, Athena’s a classy lady. What to do? What to do?”

Sam and Shalee popped into George’s head—not because he cared about their well-being, but more because he remembered the statue they had walked around inside the building they woke up in. The bronze man had held a staff in his hand. “Was that guy magical, too? I wonder if his staff turned things to stone.” He smirked. “Maybe it backfired, and he turned himself