Tamed in the Temple of Night

On the night the god of war fastened a new collar around my throat, the gods judged how perfectly I had been tamed.

"You're most beautiful when you lower your eyes."

The goddess of love smiled, and soft laughter moved through the banquet hall. I sat beside Ares's knee and smiled exactly as I had been taught.

His fingers traced the red jewel in my collar. Beneath the cold gold, an old wound throbbed hot against my skin.

"My mortal is more than beautiful."

Ares tilted his wine cup and looked down at me. Tenderness and possession burned together in his golden eyes, impossible to separate.

"Tell me. Who is your master?"

"Ares."

I answered without hesitation. The gods smiled in approval, and his thumb brushed my lower lip like a reward.

After the feast, Ares wrapped an arm around my waist and led me through the corridors of the red temple. I matched his stride until I heard a faint breath beyond a half-open bronze door.

There were bars at the bottom of the stairs.

Humans stood behind them with the marks of collars around their throats. No silk. No jewels. Even their names had been taken from their faces. The woman at the front touched the scar on her neck, then pointed to my collar.

The bars were not the difference between their prison and mine. They were only the part no one had bothered to gild.

The moment I stopped, Ares's hand closed around the back of my neck. His hard chest pressed against my back, and his mouth lowered near my ear.

"I thought I taught you not to look below."

The collar tightened with searing heat, but I did not look away.

After a moment of silence, he gave a low laugh. Interest colored his voice more strongly than anger.

"Very well. Tonight, I will not punish you for anything you say."

His fingertips pressed slowly between the collar and my pulse.

"You have spent years convincing the gods that you belong to me," he said. "Now look at me and tell me which of us was being tamed."