by Nhys Glover
‘Asmina is good, Cyra. I want her to stay with me, but I want to come with you to find Mater. Don’t leave me behind. I’m not a little child. I’m big enough not to be any trouble…’
‘Galerianna, you are a little child. Stop this nonsense at once,’ Appius snapped impatiently. ‘Do you think this is a game we’re playing? An adventure? Mater will die if we don’t get to her. You’ll only slow us down.’
The child reacted as if she’d been struck. Her chin wobbled and tears formed. ‘I just wanted to help…’
‘You’ll be more help if you stay safe, sweetling. We can do more if we know you’re safe,’ Cyra soothed.
‘Whatever we plan to do, we need to do it quickly.’ Leonis said.
‘You will come with me?’ Appius asked Leonis, suddenly more boy than man again.
‘If you find a safe place for the child then Cyra and I will go with you. We’ll probably be too late to be of use, but Bendis has had a hand in all this, I see her will at work. She has brought you to us, and so, if you go after your mother, we’ll go too.’
‘Yes, we will,’ Cyra seconded his decision, even as she stroked the child’s hair.
‘Then I’ll go and find a place for Gali while you find us a ship heading to Syria?’ Appius said, looking for direction from Leonis.
‘Yes. The women can stay here while we’re gone. Antoninus’ slave must be taken care of though. I don’t trust leaving him here where the child is. His loyalties are to his master,’ Leonis said.
‘He needs to die,’ Cyra said firmly.
Every eye turned in her direction.
‘What?’ she demanded as she saw their reaction. ‘It’s the only way. If he talks, people may listen. If he’s released, he might try to take Gali again. He would have killed me if his master told him to. I saw it in his face.’
‘I have the poppy syrup. If too much should be put in his wine no one would know what killed him,’ Asmina said, pulling the small vial from her pouch. ‘I could take food and drink to him in his cell. It would be expected as we are owned by the same man.’
‘You would kill him?’ Cyra asked, seemingly unsettled by how fast her solution was accepted. Leonis didn’t know if she’d ever taken a life. He doubted it. What she’d suggested made sense, but it was a huge step for someone like her to advocate death and then be part of the plan to carry it out.
‘To keep my little mistress safe, I would do it gladly. I agree with you. Xerxes is not a good man. He would have killed anyone his master told him to kill. I feared he would kill this child had she not stayed quiet.’
Cyra’s face hardened as she looked at the Nubian. ‘Then it is decided. This evening you take him food. They won’t find him until morning and we’ll have taken ship by then. No one will know where you’ve gone if you stay hidden with Gali. His death will be a mystery.’
Cyra lay on the pallet alone in the small room they’d all shared only a brief time ago. She wondered at the turn of events that had occurred in the space of only a few short hours. It all seemed so impossible, and even this morning she could never have imagined things going so well for them.
Her mind turned to the next stage of their journey. They’d revisit Delos and Rhodos on the way to Syria, she expected. Cyra wondered what it would be like to see those places again now that the worry of Gali was off her mind and everything was different between her and Leonis. Of course, there was still Galeria to worry about, but as she was not a captive and she was with Nexus, her concerns were limited.
She and Leonis wouldn’t be alone from here on out, though. Appius would be their constant companion. That would certainly change things. If she wanted to feast on the big blonde man again, it would be very difficult with a chaperone. Not that Appius would care what she did with Leonis. She was beneath his regard, but she wouldn’t bed the Dacian without privacy.
At that moment, the door opened and Leonis stooped to enter the room. He looked around in silent query.
‘Appius has taken Asmina to deal with Xerxes and then plans to go on from there to place Gali with the Marcellius family. They just left. Have we a ship?’
‘We do. The Hubal. The Syrian vessel is heading home tomorrow morning. We should be at Seleukeia Pieria in seven days if the wind is with us.’
‘Galeria should be there by now. What if they’ve found Papia already and are on their way back?’ She slid over on the pallet and motioned him to join her.
Leonis dropped to her side in a moment and reached out to stroke her still sand-encrusted hair. She’d managed to clean up a little since gaining her freedom, but she’d need to wash her hair to be free of the gritty sand.
‘We’ll check at every port. They’ll cross our path if they’re heading this way to go to the Pontus. But I doubt they’ve found her yet.’ His voice was low and gravelled, telling her things that went further than his words. He wanted her. She turned her head to kiss the soft skin of his inner arm.
‘By the gods, wildcat, I thought I’d lost you today,’ he said as he pulled her into his arms. ‘I have never been so scared.’
Cyra felt her heartbeat increase as she breathed in his familiar, pleasing scent. He was scared for her?
‘More scared than when you faced the lion? I find that hard to believe.’ She teased him gently, kissing his neck.
‘Far more scared than that. I only faced death then. This time I faced losing you.’ He jerked back a little, as if shocked by what he’d said. With bravado he continued. ‘Pleasure like you give me is not easily replaced.’ He made his voice light but she was starting to see through him. Or was she only seeing what she wanted to see?
‘I thought you’d leave me there after I did such a thoughtless thing. You warned me not to do anything stupid, and the first chance I got that’s what I did. But I didn’t mean to. It just happened.’ She laid her head against his chest, listening to the heartbeat that was almost as rapid as hers was.
‘You thought I’d desert you? Is that all you think of me?’ He drew her away from him and his face was set in fury.
‘I deserved it. I put Gali at risk. I put you at risk. I was a fool. If you had left me to face the consequences of my own stupidity it was only what I deserved.’
His face lost its affront and became naked with need. ‘I could never have left you with that man. The only reason I went after the child was because I knew you’d have my balls for dinner if I didn’t get her back first, but I was ready to be as thoughtless as you when I saw that bastard with his arm around your neck. It took every bit of my training to stay patient… to keep my distance. I wanted to tear his head from his shoulders for hurting you.’
He pulled her back against him and kissed her face over and over again, with little desperate kisses that told her more than his words did how he’d felt. It confused and excited her. It was not fear of losing their pleasurable releases that had worried him. It was fear of losing her. Hadn’t she felt it when he’d clung to her in the boatshed and again when he’d pulled her against his side after she’d reunited with Gali? The man cared about her, and she… well she cared about him, too. Not that it would make a difference. Not that they could be together after all this was over. Not that his feelings for her would stay constant. He was a man, and men always moved on when it suited them. Her father had… and look how her master had changed from indulgent lover to sadistic bastard once the lust wore off.
No, though her heart tried to deny it, she knew the truth. What they had now would not last, but in this moment, they still had each other and an empty room, and it was enough.
‘Bar the door in case Appius comes back. It should be a while. He’ll probably stay for dinner, but who knows…’ she said softly, stroking his arm.
He was gone from her side and then back in almost a blink of an eye, drawing her up onto her knees with him. Before she could tell him nay, he’d stripped her of her tunic and loincloth and was kissing every bare inch of her flesh as if he was a starving man gorging on the first food he’d seen in days.
She forgot about her scars, she forgot about their future, and she even forgot about Galeria and little Gali. All she could think about was the man who was making her body thrum with excitement.
She wanted this. She needed it. He wasn’t the only one who was starving for what they had between them. With desperate hands, she plucked at his belt, trying to get it off him, trying to get him as naked as she was. Her eyes needed to feast on the beauty of his body. Her hands needed to feel every smooth, hard inch of him. Especially the hard length that pressed against her now, greedy for her.
He took the job from her and before long was naked, just as she needed him to be, kneeling on the pallet with her pressed against him as he ran his hands up and down her back and kissed the top of her head while she nibbled and licked at his chest. Such a big man, in so many ways, and yet he seemed just right to her. He fitted her like a glove, or possibly, she was the glove surrounding him.
When his mouth found hers at last, the kiss was deep and hungry. It told her yet again how much he had feared losing her, how much he needed her in this moment. How desperately he wanted her. It didn’t matter to him that she was only half a woman, it didn’t matter that her stupidity had almost ruined everything. All that mattered was the two of them, together again like this. Greedy for each other. Wanting to pleasure and be pleasured in turn.
‘Thank you…’ she said into his hungry mouth between kisses.
‘For what? I haven’t finished yet.’ He smiled against her lips. She had to smile back. He was such a fool, even when they were fevered with lust.
‘For saving me today. For making sure Gali was safe… If you hadn’t been with me, I would’ve been lost…’
He stopped kissing her long enough to look down into her eyes. His seemed even bluer than usual in the fading light from their little window.
‘I’m glad you see it that way… and you’re welcome. But I did nothing that I didn’t want to do. I have no choice anymore. No choice at all…’
Before she could ask what he meant he was kissing her again, his tongue invading her so completely that she lost her thoughts and became only sensation. Her hands found his arousal and closed around it, claiming it, wanting it in her hands and inside her body. It was hers. For as long as this lasted, it was hers. He was hers, and she wanted all of it, all of him.
‘Now, Leonis… now, please…’ she moaned out as she tore her mouth from his, pulling him down onto the pallet with her. The rustle of shifting hay in the pallet was drowned out by their panting. He spread her legs and used his fingers to find his way into her hot centre. This was what she wanted, this invasion, but not just with his fingers. She wanted him, big and hard and pulsing with need inside her.
But before she could voice her needs, his clever fingers sent her spiralling into her first release. She cried out and arched her back, giving over to the sensual pleasure that washed over and through her. Before she had fully come down from the first he was stroking her again, his touch so exquisite she found herself in the throes of another release only moments after. Breathlessly, she reached down to still his hand.
‘No more. I want you. Please… now. I can’t wait any longer.’
And he did her bidding. His fingers left her body and then she felt his hard length pressing at her weeping entrance. Then he began to fill her, inch by slow, pleasurable inch. She had found him big the last time, but it seemed that he was even bigger this time. She watched his closed face in wonder as he sought entry into her depths. He looked so handsome, focused as he was, holding onto his control by just a shred.
Finally, when she felt his hips touch hers she knew she’d taken all of him and the thrill of it sent her over into another release. When her body stopped convulsing, she saw his face. He was holding himself still, so still, every muscle taut and trembling.
‘Now, Leonis… now,’ she urged him. No more waiting. No more holding back. She wanted him thrusting deep and hard. Now!
He did her bidding yet again. His first full thrust was accompanied by a guttural grunt, the second with a groan. After that, he bit into her neck to keep from making more sounds. The pain was electric, and this time it was she who cried out, digging her nails into his back as he pumped harder and faster into her body. He was slick with sweat now, his muscles so hard her nails could barely find purchase.
Then, when she thought she could take no more and the splintering flash of release took her again, she heard him cry out like a wounded animal and convulse against her, driving himself so deep inside her she wondered fleetingly if he would reach her heart with his rod of pulsing iron.
And that was her last thought as her shattered body convulsed once more around him, holding him tight as she lost herself in oblivion.
When she came back from that blissful place, it was to find him pressing her down into the pallet so heavy she could barely draw breath. But it felt so good she couldn’t bring herself to ask him to move. He’d do it himself momentarily, if the last time was any indication. His concern for her comfort and wellbeing was always uppermost. It still left her in wonder. What man ever put a woman’s needs first? Were all Dacian’s this considerate?
When he lifted his sweating body off her, she breathed her first deep breath and chuckled.
‘Needed that, did you?’ he said in that sexy, gravelly voice he only used at moments like this.
‘Needed what? The sex? You are that arrogant to think I needed that?’ She was teasing him and she could tell from his chuckle that he knew it.
‘Not the sex. I know you needed that. I meant to breathe. You needed that breath you drew in the moment I lifted my hulking weight off you.’
‘Oh, I wouldn’t say that I needed to breathe…’ She grinned, feeling her cheek touch his bristled chin as it remained poised over her.
‘You don’t need anything do you little wildcat… or you won’t admit to needing anything. Not even to breathe.’
‘I needed you today. I would have been lost without you today, and I needed this… more than I thought possible. I still need it, though I doubt I have energy enough to do that again.’
With a little laugh, he shifted off her completely and lay down at her side, not drawing her with him. Having him gone so completely was too painful, so she shifted over so she could rest her head on his chest. She caught his contented grin as she did so.
‘What?’
‘I wondered if you’d come to me if I left you to decide… glad you did.’ His arm tightened around her. ‘I need to have you next to me, skin to skin… like this. I’d have you there every minute of the day if I could.’
She smiled and sighed. ‘Well you can’t, and sometime soon we’ll have Appius back here. Do we sleep in each other’s arms with him around?’
‘Of course. He isn’t going to care. He’s a man. And if he starts getting jealous he can go out and find himself a woman and we can do this again.’
‘But not while he’s around. I know men do that… but I don’t want…’
‘Not while he’s around. What’s between us is private… special.’
She nodded silently and kissed his salty chest. ‘Good. We should eat…’
‘I know. But in a few minutes… I just want to rest like this for a few minutes…’
It took Appius bashing on the door sometime after dark to wake them.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Seleukeia Pieria, SYRIA
Galeria wasn’t sure what she’d expected when their small craft docked at the outer harbour of Seleukeia Pieria early the next afternoon, but it certainly wasn’t the huge bustling city port she’d found. The massive cliffs that surrounded the plain were colossal, and the wall that ran from the sea to the mountains on the western side was impressive. What made it even more impressive was that it zigzagged its way around the full perimeter of the city and ended several miles south of the harbour near the mouth of the River Orontes.
A Syrian sailor who was passing stopped momentarily to point at the citadel farther along the rocky point
within the ancient walls, and then off to the south where the river lay. ‘When our first King, Seleukos, founded this place hundreds of years ago, he was said to have climbed Mount Kasios and asked Zeus to tell him where best to found his port. He made sacrifices, and an eagle swooped from the sky, claimed the meat and flew off to this very place. Eight days later, he performed the same rites again and another eagle led him to Antiochia, which is ten miles inland along the Orontes. This is Zeus’ favoured place. You will enjoy your time here.’
The sailor hurried away, leaving Galeria and Nexus to study the bustling seaport more closely. Galeria didn’t care who founded the city, or which god protected it, and she wasn’t here to enjoy herself. All she cared about was the military port nearby where the Praetorians would have docked had they arrived before them.
‘Will you go with me to make inquiries?’ Nexus asked.
This surprised her. It was common practise for him to set her up in a safe inn before he went asking after the Praetorians. He’d told her this was because she was a distraction. She wasn’t sure if he meant that she was a distraction for him or for the sailors and harbour authorities to whom he spoke.
Galeria wondered why this time it was going to be different. The question must have been written on her face because Nexus gave her a stiff, little smile. ‘We haven’t time to waste. If they’ve arrived, we need to know about it. After we have a clear idea of the situation we may be heading straight to Antiochia.’
She nodded and smiled her understanding. Things between them had been stilted and uncomfortable since the night before. The easy camaraderie they’d established had vanished with the passion they’d shared. Now it felt like Nexus couldn’t stand to be around her, and he was anxious and impatient to have his duty over so he’d never have to see her again.
That thought filled her with an empty, dull pain in the region of her heart. She understood why he felt that way, but it still hurt, and it would hurt even more when he finally went his own way.
