The War God's Woman 2

9. Eros' Broken Mind

Beads of sweat rolled down Eros' face as he gritted his teeth and desperately tried to break the bonds that held him. His white hair was plastered to his handsome face and the strands had darkened like dirty snow. Taking a deep breath, he tried again. His face was grey and his eyes had dimmed, no longer shining gold. The longer he stayed imprisoned by a loveless god, the weaker his powers became.

Eros howled, his cries reverberating across the cave. But in that moment of despair, a memory flickered like a fragile candleflame in the back of his mind.

"I'm a monster. Fuelled only by desire." 

He'd said those words, a long time ago. Eros gasped and stopped struggling, clutching onto this memory and wanting to remember more. Closing his eyes, he focused and, like flicking on a switch, he saw Psyche's face in his mind's eye.

She was beautiful. A young woman, with her hair tucked behind her ears and her legs crossed under her. Eros' heart stuttered as he thought about her face and remembered how she'd looked at him - with large, searching eyes.

"But desire is like love, isn't it?" She'd asked in response.

Cupid's gaze had dropped down to Psyche's parted lips. A sly smirk had made his lips twitch and he'd used his powers on her, making her heart race and her blood warm.

"Desire isn't love." He'd told her, watching her pupils dilate as he leaned in close to her. "Desire is selfish. Desire makes us do... shameful things." Eros had felt her breathing change and watched colour bloom across her cheek. He'd rested his cheek against hers and whispered in her ear. "In the dark, where no one can watch us."

He'd moved, about to kiss her. But Psyche had moved also. She'd scrambled away from him and he'd frozen, surprised to see tears glistening in her eyes.

The memory faded and Eros was left stunned. A torrent of emotions overwhelmed him. Thinking of Psyche, even without the rest of his memories to explain his feelings, he knew absolutely that he loved her. The thought of her face made all breath leave him. The memory of her voice had sent a thrill through him - but also an intense longing.

Sighing, he hung his head in defeat. Nobody knew where Psyche was now. Perhaps, somewhere in his lost memories was the answer, but he had no way of getting it. And, besides, he was trapped in Hephaestus' torture device.

Eros' head snapped up suddenly, hope kindling in his tired eyes. Sweat dripped from his chin and rolled down his panting chest as he listened intently. Someone had entered the cave. And it wasn't Hephaestus. As the being approached, Eros tensed in his shackles.

**

                  Sage woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of someone breaking in. The back door had been slammed against the wall and whoever it was, wasn't even attempting to be quiet as they crashed around the kitchen. Sage sat bolt upright, unsure what to do. She heard sounds from Jaz's room, telling her that he was already on the move and heading downstairs to investigate.

Sage turned on her bedroom light and squinted from the glare. With fumbling movements, she tried to quickly put on a dressing gown and locate her phone. The banging stopped and Sage heard the sound of Jaz's murmuring voice. She kept her phone in her hand, ready to call for help should she need to, and crept cautiously out of her bedroom.