The Warrior God (The Ares Trials #1) - Eliza Raine Page 0,2

Those soft eyes, that gentle voice, those expressive hands.

The best-case scenario outweighed the worst-case. I was going to do it.

I was early, so there was nobody else around as I pushed the double doors to the lecture room open. My heart hammered in my chest as I stepped into the room. I was really going to do it. I was going to tell him how I felt. Maybe not that I was in love with him, I didn’t want to scare the shit out of him. But definitely that I was into him.

Joshua was a part-time university psychology lecturer, part-time anger management shrink. The university let him use his office for one-on-one sessions, and one of their larger lecture rooms for group. I’d never made it to university. Surprise, surprise.

Sadly, Joshua’s building wasn’t one of the many beautiful old university structures that dotted London and looked like something out of a fairytale. It was a concrete monstrosity built in the seventies, and the lecture room looked like any other boring office, just a bit bigger, with lots of cheap plastic chairs.

I stumbled as I reached the ring of seats set out for us crazies in the middle of the room.

Someone was lying on the floor, in the center of the circle of chairs.

Joshua.

“Joshua?” I ran forward, dropping to my knees beside him, about to turn him onto his back when I froze. Blood. There was blood, pooling beneath him. I watched in dazed slow-motion as the surreal-looking red liquid spread, approaching my knees. Logic seeped through my shock. If the blood was spreading now... this must have just happened.

I leaped to my feet, my fists raised, my muscles swelling as instinct took over.

“Where are you?” I roared at the unknown threat. “Show yourself!”

The air in front of me shimmered, and then there was a blinding white flash. My hands moved to cover my eyes instinctively, and I could feel the anger building inside me.

I was ready to fight.

I dropped my arms and blinked rapidly, clearing my eyes.

And gaped.

A man was standing on the other side of Joshua. And he looked like no man I’d ever seen.

He was seven feet tall at least, and was wearing gleaming golden armor like a freaking Roman soldier. His face was covered by a massive shining helmet with a red plume, and his arms and legs were made of muscle, thick ropes of it wrapping around his limbs like Arnold fucking Schwarzenegger.

He reached out with his sandaled foot and poked at Joshua.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I yelled, darting toward him. “Why have you done this?”

The eyes in the helmet snapped to mine.

“You are more interested in challenging me than saving him? That confirms it. You are the right one,” the man said, his voice deep and abrupt. His words took me aback, and I realized he was right. I needed to help Joshua.

I shoved my hand in my jeans back pocket, pulling out my cellphone and fumbling to unlock it.

“Stay right there! I don’t know why you’ve done this, but I’m calling the police!”

The man ignored me, flipping Joshua over with his foot, and there was an awful squelching noise. Blood soaked the front of his shirt, and his eyes were glassy and staring. I froze, senses swimming.

“Is he dead?” Please, please, please don’t let him be dead, I prayed, the backs of my eyes burning.

“Yes. He is dead.”

I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me, my stomach flipping.

“No, no, he can’t be.” I dropped to my knees again, feeling for a pulse in his neck.

There was nothing.

“His human body is dead. The police will think you did this,” said the man simply.

“What?”

“You are here, alone with the body. And human police are fools.”

“Human police? Who the fuck are you?”

I stared up at the armored giant, my head swirling, red seeping into my vision. This couldn’t be happening.

“I am Ares, God of War.”

“Ares? The fucking Greek god?”

“Yes. Stop saying fuck. It is unladylike.”

“Unladylike?” I realized I was yelling as I got unsteadily to my feet. “Why did you kill him?”

“Stupid girl. I did not kill him. And only his human body is dead. His soul has been stolen, taken to Olympus.”

I felt myself sway slightly, then a surge of adrenaline shot through my veins, steadying me.

“You need to start talking sense, right now,” I hissed.

The huge man glared at me a few seconds, then sighed.

“I am Ares, the God of War. And you are Enyo, Goddess of War. I did not kill