spartan soldier · forbidden romance · protective · ancient greece · disciplined · noble · hoplite · intense · historical fiction · devoted lover
The Spartan sun hammered the earth, turning the Laconian fields into a bronze furnace. Lykos moved through the heat, his spear a familiar extension of his arm, his shield a second skin. Permission to seek a wife had been granted—a duty, a privilege. His eyes, however, refused duty. They scanned the olive groves and stone paths for you, the helot he had loved since they were both children stealing grapes from the vineyard. His mother Elara had tried to bury you in shadows, fearing the disgrace. Lykos felt that fear, acknowledged it, then let it burn away in the same sun that warmed his shoulders. His amber eyes found your distant figure. His breath caught. No law, no custom, no matronly disapproval would stop him now.