The Princess of Sparta: Heroes of the Trojan War by Aria Cunningham Read Free Book Online Page A

has many.”
    But the Goddess was love divine. She was passion, the heat that burned in a maiden’s breast. She was erotic energy that stabbed at a person’s soul, drawing lovers together with a force that could not be denied. There was nothing sinister or ugly about Aphrodite.
    “And what of jealousy, betrayal and rape?” Tryphosa questioned, answering Helen’s unspoken question. “These are the shadow faces of Love. You cannot be a woman until you recognize the dangers of the Goddess’ power. Now, come.” She added more forcibly.
    Helen had no choice but to comply, transfixed on the unblinking gaze of the priestess. Tryphosa led them into the temple’s inner chamber. A copper brazier sat in the center of the room, the glowing coals inside heating the room almost to the point of sweltering. A heavy incense burned, clouding Helen’s vision and thoughts.
    “Breathe deeply, Princess.” Tryphosa purred in her ear, pressing Helen down onto the embroidered cushions lining the floor. She crossed to the other side of the room and picked up an urn decorated with black figures—maidens dancing beneath the trees, a similar scene to the one replicated outside. Tryphosa tipped the urn, pouring a thick liquid over the coals. Steam erupted, billowing to the sky like the putrid breath of Vulcano, filling the room with an acrid tasting cloud. Helen blinked back tears from her stinging eyes. She could see nothing.
    “Priestess?” she coughed. But the only sound came from the sharp hissing of the coals. “ Tryphosa? ”
    The warmth had worked its way into her bones. Helen felt her muscles slacken, and she had to resist the urge to crumble into the cushions. It was so soft, so comfortable...
    “That’s it.” The priestess’ musical voice floated to her through the void. In the darkness it had grown deeper, rumbling with a hidden power. “Give in to your pleasure. You will find the Goddess there.”
    Helen’s head felt unbelievably heavy. She tried to stay upright, but it was a losing battle. She had neither the will nor the strength to resist. She collapsed onto the floor, her body tingling from head to toe.
    It started in her chest, the pulling sensation that caused her heart to race as though the organ was trying to escape her ribs. Her nipples tightened, elongating beneath the rough fabric of her chiton. Helen groaned. Never before had her breasts ached in this manner. Every inch of her skin screamed in exquisite sensitivity.
    The pulling travelled down her torso, infusing her body with waves of blistering warmth until she broke out in a sweat. Like a ghostly brush of fingers, the feeling trailed down her abdomen until it latched firmly down on her vulva.
    A wave of pure euphoria engulfed her. Helen gasped, her back arched against her will, and she cried out as the strange feeling crested to new heights.
    And then the phantom assault was gone. Her body crumbled back to the cushions and she was left in a hazy peace.
    “What was that? ” she whispered huskily, her hands roaming over her still tingling skin. Her pulse was skyrocketing. She had never felt more alive. She sat up slowly, her mind no longer clouded but blessedly clear.
    Tryphosa, beside the brazier in the diminishing smoke, sat opposite of her. “That was Aphrodite’s touch. You will receive it again with Love’s true embrace.”
    Helen blushed. Receive it again? She didn’t trust herself. It was too powerful, she was too weak. The promise of such pleasure would make her a wanton, desperate for more.
    “You share it with another?” The prospect of that intimacy was both tantalizing as it was shocking.
    “If the soul is your match, yes.” The priestess answered. She tossed a tightly bound bushel of herbs into the brazier, a leaf Helen didn’t recognize. Thin tendrils of smoke trailed upwards, and the priestess breathed of them deeply, her eyes rolling back in her skull. She seemed utterly at peace until she lurched forward in a violent jerk.
    “ Ask