Chapter 30: Chapter 29: Sweet Mischief

Praxis turned around quickly, only to see flaming red hair and a mischievous smile that he would recognize anywhere.

Lysandra still looked as gorgeous as the first day he saw her. Memories of their first meeting, and the night that it spawned assaulted his brain. For a brief moment, he was able to put away the troubling thoughts of Astara and focus on the intense feminine energy of Lysandra.

She had scarcely gotten out a greeting before she barreled into him, colliding against his chest. She hugged him tight before pulling away, her green eyes locking on his.

“I’ve missed you terribly,” she said, her lips forming into a sexy pout. “Your two weeks away felt like a small lifetime.”

“It’s really great to see you again,” replied Praxis, meaning every word. “I’ve missed you as well.”

Though it was nice to see her, he wasn’t being entirely truthful about that last part. Lysandra had rarely entered his brain after meeting Astara, and he felt a little embarrassed about it now that she was right in front of him.

Had Astara blinded him that much?

Or was it because he hadn’t had much time with Lysandra before his exile?

“How was Corinth?” she pressed. “I haven’t been there since I was very young, even before Lysander was born. I’m sure you missed being home terribly?”

“Corinth had its perks,” said Praxis, being intentionally vague. “But you’re right—I’m definitely glad to be home.”

“And home just in time for the Feast of Hera,” she said with a beaming grin. “I’m really looking forward to this festival. Your mother has been all over the city preparing for it, and it looks like this is going to be a year to remember. I just wish she knew how appreciated her work was in setting up for it.”

“She’s been running herself ragged just trying to keep up. She really needs more help before the feast starts. I’m not sure how much of it she can take” said Praxis, remembering how his mother looked this morning. It looked like even with a night of rest, Doris had somehow looked worse. He couldn’t wait for this feast to be over.

To his surprise, Lysandra jumped all over that. “Do you think she would let me help if I offered? I’d be more than happy to do anything she needed.”

“Really?” asked Praxis. “Seriously, that would be wonderful. Come with me to the palace. We’ll go see what else needs to be done. I think just having an extra pair of hands would be great for her.”

Lysandra beamed with a genuine grin. “I’d love to help her. She’s done so much for the city after all, and there’s no one here who doesn't have a kind word to say about Queen Doris.”

Praxis was about to say something else when another redhead came strolling up behind Lysandra.

“Praxis! You’re home!”

Lysandra’s younger brother, Lysander, stopped in front of Praxis and offered his hand. The young man was flushed and sweaty, which seemed unnatural even in this heat.

“Good to see you, Lysander,” said Praxis, shaking his hand. “What have you been up to? Were you running laps around the market or something?”

“No, I’ve been training,” replied Lysander. “I’m trying to take your lessons to heart. Ever since you’ve been gone, I’ve really thrown myself into my training, hoping that you would see the results the next time we sparred together.”

Lysandra started to laugh and her hand on her brother’s shoulder. “That’s an understatement if I ever heard one. He’s been training obsessively, Praxis. I think he wants to become just like you.”

Lysander managed to look embarrassed. “Horn of Hades, will you not say things like that in front of him?”

“It’s quite all right,” said Praxis, grinning. “I’m looking forward to getting back to training myself. I feel rusty after all those days in Corinth.”

“When will you be leading our group training sessions again?” asked Lysander. “I thought you might be there this morning but you weren’t.”

“I’ll be there tomorrow for sure. And that’s when you can show me everything you’ve learned in the last two weeks.”

Lysander nodded eagerly and then leaned in closer. “From what I hear, we might be putting our training into motion sooner rather than later. Most of the men are talking about the Spartans. They think we will surely be next to be targeted by them, and we will need to be ready to defend Argos.”

“That’s always a possibility,” replied Praxis. “Although we can hope it doesn’t come down to that. I’d rather not face Spartan power on our own.”

“But we can still do it, can’t we?” asked the intrepid youth. “If you’re leading us, we can take on the Spartans and win!”

Praxis only grinned and shot a look at Lysandra, who was also amused. “We’ll do our best. And with men like you there, I’d pity any Spartan who lined up to fight us.”

That was definitely what Lysander needed to hear. The young man chattered about training for another few minutes before he excused himself, leaving Praxis alone with Lysandra.

“He still worships you, as you can see,” she said with a giggle. “Hardly a day goes by when he doesn’t talk about you. There are times when I think he won’t be satisfied until he is you.”

“He can be me if he really wants it,” said Praxis, chuckling. “My life is messy and complicated. It’s not that great once you’re actually living it.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” said Lysandra, taking a step forward until her chest was brushing against his. “I enjoyed my time with you nearly as much as he did. In a much different way, of course.”

“But of course,” replied Praxis, taking a moment to steal a glance at her lips. They looked just as soft and inviting as he remembered. Somewhere inside him, his hunger began to build.

Lysandra looked around for a moment before her green eyes locked on his. “Do you have time that we can be alone? With no disruptions?”

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There was only one meaning behind a question like that one. Praxis found himself nodding his head quickly.

“I don’t have any plans until dinner tonight. We have the afternoon to ourselves.”

She grinned coyly. “In that case, I think we have a few body parts that need to be reacquainted. Two weeks can be a very long time.”

Praxis wasted no time in honoring her request. He brought her back to the palace, where they dodged various members of his family before entering his private quarters. No sooner were they alone than was Lysandra pulling off her chiton, leaving her body stunningly naked before him.

“Gods, you’re breathtaking,” said Praxis as he looked at her.

He truly meant it. Even though Astara had pushed most of his thoughts of Lysandra out of his mind, it didn’t mean the sexy redhead was any less gorgeous. Having Lysandra in bed would be the highlight of just about any man’s life, and Praxis mentally chastised himself for forgetting about the sweet music their bodies made together.

It seemed that Lysandra wanted to waste no time in reminding him either. She’d barely stroked him to hardness before she was mounting him, not stopping until his manhood slipped entirely inside her body.

Their movements were rapid and fiery—a reminder of that very first night. Lysandra came multiple times before she was satisfied, but when she finally collapsed on his bed, she was wearing a very content smile.

“I really don’t want to go two weeks without that again,” she said, stroking his chest with her finger. “That was amazing.”

Though Lysandra seemed completely happy with the way the afternoon went down, Praxis was feeling a little conflicted. He’d succumbed so easily to sex with Lysandra after trying so hard to get Astara back earlier this morning. What kind of a man was he?

Even though Astara was quite adamant about their relationship being over, he knew the truth was much more complicated than that. And it wasn’t like he hated what he did with Lysandra either. In fact, he enjoyed every second of being with her.

So was the problem with him?

That was the sole question on his mind as he and Lysandra got dressed moments later. They made a quick stop to see his mother on the way out, where Lysandra was able to offer her services for the feast. Doris was quick to accept help this time, and a very content Lysandra left the palace late that afternoon.

“See you around tomorrow, maybe?” she asked, kissing him before she left. “I might have some free time in-between helping your mother.”

“We’ll see what we can come up with,” said Praxis noncommittally. He was still feeling at odds with himself about what happened, and he wasn’t quick to guarantee time together tomorrow.

Lysandra didn’t seem to notice his conundrum and she left happily. If anything though, he was in even more of a confused place as he arrived for dinner that evening with the rest of the family.

All the usual people were already there, and Praxis took his normal seat at the table, across from Eulalia, Damian’s first wife. One thing that stood out to him from the start was the fact that there was an extra place at the table, one that didn’t have anyone else sitting there yet.

“Are we expecting another guest?” asked Praxis to no one in particular.

Eulalia gave him a long glare. “My son has a guest joining us tonight. I’m sure you’ll find out more with the announcement.”

Praxis knew better than to question her. He shrugged off any further questions as he waited for dinner to start. As it turned out, he didn’t have to wait long.

Damian was the first to start speaking, and he stood up at the head of the table to look at his family. He raised a cup of wine to look at all of them.

“Dinner will begin shortly,” he announced, holding his cup high. “For now, we will celebrate the start of the Feast of Hera, and I’m sure this year’s feast will be completely unforgettable thanks to the preparations by my lovely wife, Doris.”

On the other side of the table, Doris bowed her head as a weary smile appeared on her lips.

“It seems only fitting that on this day that we honor the great goddess, Hera, that we find ourselves with personal reason to celebrate her name,” continued Damian. “Our noble goddess, the patron of marriage, of women, and of family, will bestow her blessings on our family once more tonight. And for that reason, I’m going to turn this matter over to my son, Xanthos, who had an announcement for all of us.”

With those words, Damian took his seat while Xanthos stood up on his side of the table. Next to him, his wife, Melitta, looked hardly pleased, which was a noticeable change in her demeanor. Normally, she would take every opportunity to celebrate her husband’s good name, but today she seemed sullen and suspicious, as if she had reason to already hate the announcement that was coming.

Looking back on it, Praxis should have been able to figure it out just from that observation alone.

“Cherished family, it’s a blessing to share this feast with you today,” said Xanthos, his words cloaked in deceitful shallowness. “As my father stated, my announcement today could not come at a better time than at the beginning of the Feast of Hera. For our family is about to grow even larger today. There is someone that I’d like to introduce to all of you. Someone who is about to become even more important to me.”

With those words, Xanthos looked to the door as he awaited the entry of their guest. Almost everyone at the table turned to watch as well, and many of them gasped when they saw the dark-haired visitor that appeared a moment later.

“I’ve decided to take another wife,” said Xanthos proudly as he introduced the newcomer. “She comes from one of the best families in the entire city, and with our marriage, we will unite two of the great scions of Argos under one bloodline. Family, I’d like you to meet my next wife—Astara!”

Praxis’ jaw hit the floor.

This couldn’t be right.

This had to be some kind of nightmare.

But why couldn’t he wake up?

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