Temple of Temptation: Circle of Souls, #0

By Lacuna Reid

Mya wants to be a priestess at the Temple of Artemis, but she's resigned to live out her life with her family in the neighboring village, until a twist of fate leads her closer to the temple and closer to her wish. 

 

…all it takes is one glance

 

Theomedes, the handsome high priest, takes one look at Mya and knows she's destined to be a priestess of Artemis, but temple life has much more in store than she bargained for.

 

She meets a gorgeous scribe the temple doctor… not to mention the hunky blacksmith that she can't seem to get out of her mind… or her fantasies!

 

Mya feels she is fated to be at the temple, but as a priestess, she has taken vows to serve the goddess Artemis… so how will she cope with being deeply attracted to all four guys? 

 

Something is happening here, something not entirely of this world...

 

…and Mya is determined to figure it out, even if that means breaking her priestess vows to be with the men she loves.

 

A reverse harem set in Ancient Greece, and prequel to the Circle of Souls time-slip reincarnation steamy romance series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Twist Press
• Release date: Jul 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393869917

Book preview

Prologue

Iremember it clearly. The first time I laid eyes on the Temple, I knew it was my fate. The white marble structure, magnificent against the sky, seemed to glow with its own internal light from the torches within. I was only young, a child, in my sandals and a simple tunic, but I knew I needed to be there – to be connected with that place. I knew it in my bones. My family was in the city, visiting my aunt and uncle, having made the trek on foot from the neighboring village where we lived. We left our offerings outside the temple on our way. We didn’t even go in. I struggled against my mother, wanting to explore, but she held me firm. No, Mya, stay. The temple is for the priests and priestesses of Artemis. A shiver ran through me. This was the moment I knew what I wanted to be in life.

For a long time, the temple remained something that seemed to only exist in my dreams. I knew I had seen it in the flesh, but it was so removed from the drudgery of my day-to-day life. I would think of it often as I helped my parents with the animals and the grape vines on our farm in the small village that had always been my home. I was loyal to my parents, even with their simple, stoic life, and I couldn't abandon them when they needed my help. But that's only partly why I turned down the marriage proposal from Pellis.

We'd grown up together in the same village, but Pellis had always been aggressive. When we were children, he was obsessed with me. He would chase me around and never let me have a moment's peace whenever he was around. It came as no surprise to my parents when he came to ask them for my hand in marriage that I wasn't interested. I'd never been interested in any of the boys or men in the village, but Pellis repulsed me with his greasy dirty-blonde hair and pale grey eyes, which seemed to thirst for violence.

Still, after Pellis came to our house, we discussed his proposal. He had recently joined the Corinthian military and I knew the money he earned through that would have been a great help to my family and there would be the added benefit that he’d be away quite a lot. However, in the end, my parents could tell that that wasn't what I wanted in life – that it wasn't right for me. I kept thinking about what I really wanted, and my thoughts always drifted to the temple and the nearby city where my aunt and uncle lived. Some nights, I felt as if it was calling me, beckoning me.

When Pellis returned for an answer, I told him that my family did not approve. That was where I went wrong – why what happened was my fault. If I’d stood up to Pellis and told him the truth, then perhaps he would have spared my parents instead of taking his rage out on them.

I wasn't there when it happened. I came home one day to find their bodies. There was only one person I could think of who could have caused such carnage so ruthlessly. I knew there was no time to waste, so I quickly packed my bags and arranged to travel with some local traders, arriving on my aunt and uncle’s doorstep after nightfall. They kindly took me in, but that night, under the light of the full moon, I vowed not to let my emotions get in the way – to set my grief aside for my parents, in line with the stoic philosophy they were so fond of and to continue with my life. Dwelling in guilt wasn't going to help them. I would devote myself to hard work instead, to appeasing the Gods in the hope that they’d grant my parents passage into the afterlife. I trusted the people of my village to give them the proper burial; to pay the ferryman. However, it was also my own actions or lack of action – lack of courage and bravery – that I needed to atone for.

Chapter One

Mya

Seeing the Temple again is surreal. It’s smaller than I remembered, perhaps because I’ve grown. It’s also more magnificently detailed and every bit as captivating as it had been over a decade before when I had first glimpsed it. Ever since the moment I arrived in the city, I seek out every opportunity to be near the temple.

It’s a hot day when I notice him. I’m carrying a basket of fruit from the market, sweating through my light robes, and he’s on the steps of the temple, resting his head in his hands, as if tired.

Can I help you, sir? I ask.

He raises his head, lifting his eyes towards me. I feel a flash of recognition even though I’ve clearly never met him before and I’m sure something similar passes over his face too.

His temple robes are much more elaborate than mine and must surely be hard to bear in this heat. I admire his light olive skin, his honey-colored eyes, his tall and lean body, his hair with flecks of gold. There’s something about this moment that stops time.

I’m Theomedes, the priest says, and I don’t require your help but I do ask your name.

Mya, I say, bowing slightly. I don’t know the protocols for meeting a priest since we didn't have any back home.

Theomedes looks at me then, with a kind of intensity that I’m unfamiliar with.

You live in the city? he asks me.

I nod.

There’s a moment in which we both gaze up at the temple. My eyes take