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  “Come in… I won’t bite,” he said to me.

  I slowly stood up and removed my dress and the undergarment covering my sex. I walked toward the pool and got in. It wasn’t too deep, as I was able to stand, leaving the water underneath my breasts. I stayed in the corner. After a moment, Achilles opened his eyes. He turned his head to look at me.

  “Come here.”

  I wanted to protest, but I knew if I did, he could probably make it hurt even more. I slowly moved forward and stopped in front of him. From this angle, he was humongous, and I had to take a step back. His hand shot out, and he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me into him. I didn’t expect this kind of reaction to him as my body touched his. My body seemed to burn as his hand caressed my back. He stared into my eyes and I looked down. His other hand lightly grabbed my jaw making me look back up at him.

  “I want you to look at me, Alana.”

  As I heard my name on his lips, it did something to me. I shivered, not understanding what was happening. I looked at the intense gaze in his eyes as he observed me. Then, before I could expect it, he kissed me. I was in shock. The men who had taken my body never kissed me. I had never been kissed before, and it burned me. It burned everything inside me, making my lips respond. I wanted to repeat the kiss, loving the sensation and feeling of his mouth on mine.

  His hold on my jaw grew tighter causing my mouth to open, and his tongue snaked into my mouth. At first, he teased my tongue, inviting it out to play. I followed his lead and touched his tongue with mine. A deep sound escaped his mouth as he pulled me even closer. I felt his member against me, but there was something else distracting me. A moan escaped me, and he captured it with his waiting mouth. Achilles didn’t hesitate as he removed his hand from my jaw and gripped my butt. He pulled me up his body. I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.

  His member probed at my entrance. Before I could say anything, he slipped inside of me with ease. His member filled me to the brink. I gasped as he pulled away from my mouth. I tensed, not able to handle it.

  “Alana…” he called out to me. “Relax. Let me in,” he said.

  The kisses he laid on my shoulders and in the crook of my neck caused me to relax. He pumped into me. For the first time, I enjoyed giving my body, and I should’ve known better. I should’ve laid back on his bed instead, void of emotions, as he pumped into me, but I did not. I was full of emotions as he filled me, causing tears to escape my lids, due to being treated as a woman not a slave. A woman a man craved to touch, to kiss, to make love to and to caress. This is what he did to me.

  “That’s it, Alana…” he said my name as if it was a prayer to the gods. “Just let me in. Let me in.”

  Little did we know those three beautiful words would be the cause of our deaths.

  Achilles

  I waited for the gods to answer my prayers for my love to see me, but they never answered. I sat with her as they prepared my body. I was a warrior, and I would be sent off as one. I continued to look over Alana, until the dungeon seemed to shake with trumpet sounds. The processes of sending me off was starting. I turned to look at her. She started to cry again. I realized she wasn’t afraid of being in there at all… She was afraid she wouldn’t get to say goodbye to my body.

  She started to beg again. “Please! Please let me say goodbye to him. I won’t ever do anything else wrong, I swear it!” Her voice was hoarse, but she insisted.

  Moments passed and then footsteps got our attention. I knew those steps anywhere; it was my mother. She stood in mourning for me, as she watched Alana. I knew my mother. She was not a bad woman. Everything she ever did was for me, and now, she had lost me. I understood her grief, her pain, but could she understand mine or Alana’s?

  “Before everyone gets here...” My mother began. “You may go up to bid Achilles farewell. Even if I am not fond of it, my son loved you. He truly loved you, and I could never take that away from him.”

  I looked over at Alana as she stared at my mother. “Get up love, and come see me, I beg of you.”

  I felt like she heard my plea as she stood up and walked over to the front of the cell with weakened knees. No one said a thing as Alana followed my mother down a hall, then another, leading to the main room where my body was showcased.

  As soon as Alana saw me, she ran to me. She ran to my body and sobbed. My heart was not at peace as I thought it would be. My love yearned for me, and there I was watching her and not able to get back to her.

  “Gods, please. I plead with you. Give me another chance to be with her. Another chance to love her even more. One more chance to hold her in my arms.” This was my second prayer to the gods.

  Maybe I was turning religious or desperation drove me mad enough to pray. My mother was decent enough to allow us some time alone. All the guards stood outside of the main room as Alana sobbed and touched my face. Her soft voice was life to my ears. “Achilles, you are my heart. You saw the depth of my soul and allowed me to be loved. You gave me the chance to love someone and, for this, I will forever be grateful. I will forever love you. My heart is yours, always.”

  Her words were like vows to me.

  “As is mine love. My heart is yours, always,” I responded to her, knowing she could not hear me.

  A commotion outside caught our attention as the voice of Cyril boomed.

  “Achilles is dead. Now, promise me what you owe me. I want Alana.”

  Who was he talking to? I wanted to go see, but something made me look back at Alana. She was sniffling as she pulled something out from her thigh. I smiled, knowing I taught her how to hide a small weapon between her thighs with a strap holding it up. My chest swelled with pride, but that was shortly lived as I watched what was happening next. Alana caressed my face with a small smile on hers.

  “I want to be with you more than anything else. I don’t want to live in this wretched world without you. I will not be Cyril’s in mind, body or soul. I am yours.”

  As she said this, the small knife came into view, and she plunged it into her gut. She did it the way I showed her, in a way that would end a person’s life quickly and efficiently.

  “NO!” I bellowed, but it was too late. No one could hear me.

  I ran to her side as she sank unto the floor. I dropped to my knees as I tried to hold her in my arms but couldn’t.

  “Love, love please live.”

  “I will not live without you, Achilles. Don’t ask me to,” she replied.

  Astonished, I stared into her eyes as she gazed right at me.

  “You can see me?”

  She smiled just like the sweet angel she was.

  “I do. I want to be with you, Achilles. Don’t leave me,” she pleaded with me.

  “I would have never left you, Alana. Never! I would have been by your side.”

  She started to cough and rapidly lost more blood. Her life would end in a matter of seconds. I looked at the doors, yet no one stepped through.

  “The gods have failed us. They took you from me, and, because of it, I am taking what they gave me, thinking it was precious. I am taking the life I didn’t want to live, until you saved me.”

  “Shhh. Love, stop wasting your breath. Someone will come in time.” I was growing with hysteria.

  She clicked her tongue. “A warrior ‘til the end. I love you, my soul,” she said as the essence of her life floated away.

  I roared so loud the whole room shook, causing some plaster of the wall to fall around my body. Everyone stepped back in the room to see what had happened, and when they saw Alana, they rushed over.

  “She’s gone! She’s gone, you imbeciles! You did this! All of YOU!” I bellowed out, shaking the room one more time.

  My eyes burned, as this great warrior cried my soul out for the woman I loved. I watched as her blood made its way from under her body. It stayed there and disappeared into the floor. I gasped, and, as I was about to speak, Alana’s body vanished before their eyes. They scrambled to
get mine, but they were too late. I, too, vanished into thin air. My ghost felt the pull and, before I could resist, I was sucked in to a black hole.

  Chapter 1

  *The year 2018*

  Elani

  I shouldn’t be taking more shots, but I needed to relax. I was celebrating with my friend, Stacey, as we both had days off from work. I shook my head because the same place we wanted to run away from, we were here running up our tab on drinks. I smiled at our bartender of the night, Jace. He nodded his head at me as he went over to another customer. I took the shot and left the glass on the counter as I took Stacey’s and my drink back to the dance floor. I was happy that, as a bartender, I was able to balance drinks through crowds, even if the one tonight wasn’t big. Times like these made me happy to be here. Other times, I thought about finishing school and becoming a teacher like I’d always wanted to be. I shrugged off those thoughts, planting a smile on my face once more.

  I finally reached Stacey with her on and off boyfriend, Charles. I fake smiled at him for not going to get her drinks. I handed Stacey hers, and the music boomed in my ears as I sipped the drink in my hand. Stacey squealed as Despacito by Luis Fonsi came on, and she moved her hips to the music. I started laughing instead of getting annoyed like I usually did when she played this song repeatedly in our apartment.

  I danced to the music, not putting too much effort into the moves. My gaze wandered toward the door, and a group of burly men walked in. My eyes widened as I counted six of them. I tapped Stacey’s shoulder, signaling for her to turn around. She turned to look in the direction I was looking. She whistled, and I started to laugh. As the last of them walked in, my laugh caught in my throat. He was huge. From his height and build, he must’ve been about six-feet, three-inches with a wide frame. His physique spoke volumes of intense work out. I wondered if he had an ounce of body fat.

  A black tee hugged his biceps and chest, showcasing the outline of his chest. His faded, dark blue jeans hugged thighs that looked like they could crush just about anyone. My gaze trailed the full length of him to his large feet, covered in black boots, that looked like they could stomp you dead. My eyes continued their perusal back up his body. As I looked at his face, my heart ached. I rubbed the left side of my chest over my heart.

  His shoulder length, golden hair shined as he removed his black cap to run a hand through his hair, then he put it back on. He turned, and his piercing, green eyes focused on me. He looked startled, while my heart began to rapidly beat in my chest. I felt an overwhelming amount of fear, hurt, and heartache submerge me. It physically hurt to stand there. His eyes never left mine as he stood frozen to the spot. Then, as if he snapped out of it, he began to walk toward me. I wanted to run, yet my body stood in place, as if it knew… it was waiting for him. Those eyes, they looked familiar. They looked like I knew them, but if I knew them, why would I ever forget them?

  Ales

  I knew it was her the moment we made eye contact. I had crossed oceans, countries, cities, and even endured harsh weathers, just to find her. My heart nearly leaped out my body when I spotted her. She was more beautiful than I could ever remember. I looked at her hair pulled into a messy bun. I wished she would let it down for me to see the way her hair made her look so angelic. Her brown eyes stared into mine as if she could read me. She was as small as I remembered. Her five feet were nothing compared to my height. Her hips and thighs flared in the black jeans she wore with a black tank top that barely kept her breasts contained. I felt the taste of her body on my tongue and everything came alive, finally.

  I didn’t think. No, I couldn’t think, as I made my way toward her. She looked ready to run, but my long strides didn’t give her much time to think. After a couple of strides, I stood in front of her, and she looked up at me. I smirked. She was no longer that timid, shy girl I knew. She was bold enough to look up at me as I towered over her. I was aware the girl who stood next to her was watching, but I didn’t care. I reached out and caressed her cheek, causing her to shiver.

  “Alana…” I whispered her name. I wasn’t sure if she heard me over the music. “I’ve crossed oceans and eras to find you. Now that I have, I will never let you go.” I leaned in and kissed her.

  Just as she did the first time I kissed her, she paused. She froze and then her lips seemed to recognize mine, prompting her to kiss me back. She kissed me with such longing and desperation I got lost in her, forgetting everything around us. I cupped her face with my hand. I felt the soles of her shoes on top of my boots. It seemed she wanted more leverage to kiss me. She used to do this, so she could get more of my kisses, even though I would never deny her anything. Just as quickly as I kissed her, the kiss ended as she pulled away. She looked confused for a moment, then her senses came back, and, without much thought, she smacked me. It took me a moment to register what just happened.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” she yelled at me.

  I don’t know what turned me on more, her smacking me or the way her eyes burned with passion as she yelled at me.

  I shouldn’t have, but I smirked. I could tell she didn’t recognize me and also what the advisor the gods sent me, Patrocleus, who went by Patro, had told me about her memory. Patro was once my good friend and brother to me, and we both searched for Alana. Now, there she was. He told me the gods bestowed upon him the details of her condition of forgetting our love and who I was. Yet, the first thing I did when I saw her was kiss her. There was an overwhelming urge to taste her. The only decent thing I could kiss in such a public area was her lips. She tasted even better than before. I felt the small shove as it jolted me out of my thoughts, and I focused on her once more.

  When I looked at her, she stopped her attempts, and I saw her visibly tremble.

  “Is there a problem here?”

  I looked up to see the source of the voice. It was coming from a male, and I was ready to break his bones for coming to my woman’s defense.

  “Jace…” Her sweet voice called out his name in an endearing way. I didn’t like it, not one bit. “It’s okay. I’ve got this,” she continued as she placed her small hand on his chest.

  My eyes narrowed at her. She looked at me as a low growl escaped my throat, and she looked at what caused it. She quickly removed her hand from Jace’s chest. Then, as if questioning her actions, her eyebrows furrowed.

  “Don’t kiss my girlfriend again!” Jace yelled.

  “GIRLFRIEND?” Both she and I turned our heads toward Jace as if he grew three heads.

  I cocked my eyebrow and looked down at her, tilting my head. I had no right to act like this, especially when to her this was her first time meeting me. However, I couldn’t stop myself. If they were truly dating, I would take her from him, not caring about the consequences. I must’ve taken a step without realizing it; she was now in between me and Jace trying to stop a fight from starting.

  “Elani… What are you doing?” I heard her friend say to her with concern in her voice.

  “Elani…” I tested her name on my tongue to see if I liked it as much as Alana. “Elani…” I said once more to myself.

  “Please....” I heard her say. I looked down at her, feeling her small, warm palms on my chest. “Please, don’t do this.”

  I looked at her astonished. She was pleading with me, a mere stranger to her. Yet, she didn’t notice the way my body reacted to the way she called out to me. Did her subconscious know without her realizing it? She pleaded with me as if she wanted me, but she pushed me away physically.

  My men must’ve realized what was going on. I saw them in my peripheral vision.

  “You good, Ales?” Patro asked me.

  I smirked down at Elani and took a step back away from the warmth of her hand. I did a bow she used to find funny before. When I looked up, she tried to mask a smile on her face. I smiled knowing, even if she didn’t remember me, I knew her inside and out.

  “I bid you adieu, for now, Elani, but I’ll be back now that I know where to find you.”

>   She shivered at my words, although her smile didn’t disappear. I knew she didn’t notice what was happening. I stood upright and walked away with my men.

  Patro clapped a hand on my shoulder.

  “Finally, my brother. We’ve found her.”

  “Yes, Patrocleus, we finally have.”

  Chapter 2

  Elani

  My breath quickened as the insides of my body constricted. I didn’t get what was going on. My head fell back on my pillow as I gasped. I couldn’t register what was happening until my body convulsed. I felt him before I saw him as he lapped at my sex cleaning me up with his tongue. I reached out, running my fingers through his soft golden hair. His hair was longer, and I loved the feel of it on my fingers. I didn’t want to stop touching him.

  “Please…” I begged him. Why was I begging like this?

  He came up with a smile on his face as he hovered over me. My scent was all over him, and he took pleasure in it.

  “Say it again, my love,” he requested.

  “What would you like me to say, my liege?” I asked with a knowing smile on my face.

  He positioned himself at my opening, entering me only a little bit. He paused, and I knew he was struggling to not thrust inside of me.

  Through clenched teeth, he spoke.

  “Say my name as if you’re praying to the gods,” he pleaded with me.

  “You are all of the gods to me,” I genuinely said.

  He heavily groaned.

  “I’ve spoken to you about this, love. You cannot say such things to me while I’m restraining myself.”

  “Yet, it is the truth I speak to you, Achilles. You are my heart.” A tear fell past my eye, and he thrust into me at that moment.

  I shifted up the bed, and he pulled my body back. He began to move, resting his nose into the crook of my neck.