by Nhys Glover
“The worst kind of fool,” Phaedrus agreed. “So we know the who of this and the why, but does that get us any closer to knowing where Marcus has been taken? He would not have gone easily. He may be badly hurt.”
Orion frowned, tapping on the table thoughtfully. “If the settlement has been searched, then he is not here. That leaves taking him further into Britannia or to Gallia. As the men who took him have likely journeyed from Rome to carry out this crime, I doubt they will take their chances with the local tribes. So Gallia or Germania Major perhaps. But not too far away, as they would have to wait for a message from those who were sent to return Acca... Ennia to her uncle. Once they get word she’s safely on her way to Rome, they would release him to find his way back here, I assume.”
An idea started to form in my mind. I started giving voice to it as it came to me. “What if we were to let my uncle’s men have me, at least long enough for them to send word to release Marcus...”
“No, definitely not. I rescued you from one set of kidnappers, I am not giving you to another set,” Orion argued, his blue eyes ablaze.
“But what if it was not Accalia...” Typhon said slowly, his own eyes alight with excitement. “What if we passed some slave girl off as Ennia Corvus and let them take her back to Rome. It’s unlikely they’ve ever seen her in person.”
“They might hurt the girl if they find out they have been tricked,” I argued, though the idea was better than mine. I had no desire to be in my uncle’s clutches, even for a short time.
“Then we make sure they don’t find out. Once she reaches Rome and your uncle it will be too late. I hardly think he would kill a slave girl out of spite,” Typhon said, growing more excited the longer he thought on his plan.
“Where do we get such a girl? She would have to look enough like Acc...Ennia and be able to speak and act like a patrician. Not an easy feat,” Orion pointed out.
Phaedrus grinned slowly. “I think I might just know someone who could do the role justice. My master took me to a theatrical performance yesterday. For the Floralia, you know. One of the minor characters was a girl who looked a lot like you, Mistress. Her part required her to speak with an educated accent and she did it well enough. You could buy her from the players for a price, I am sure. If you promised her freedom as well as a trip to Rome she might be more inclined to be convincing.”
“An actress?” I said, mulling over the idea. “Someone like that might be able to pull it off. But what about you?” I looked at my men. “Would you go back to Rome with her? You are still slaves.”
“Your uncle’s men don’t know that.” This was Asterius who was also warming to the idea. “They’d know we’d be accompanying you, but for all Etruscus knows we might have been given our freedom. You father did promise it to us, after a –”
“You were given your freedom. Your manumission documents were enclosed with the marriage contract,” Phaedrus interrupted politely but insistently.
I breathed a sigh of relief. One less thing to worry about. Even if we could not get Marcus back, and I had to return to my uncle, he would not have my men. They were safe. Or as safe as gladiators ever could be.
For a moment my men seemed a little dumbfounded. Then they shook off the news and returned to the matter at hand.
Orion continued as if there had been no interruption. “So when we hand you over to your uncle’s men we will choose to stay behind to search for Marcus. Or that will be our excuse... No, wait. You can ask us to stay behind to look for Marcus. Or your counterpart can.”
“Do we then search for him?” Talos asked.
“We can follow and keep a close eye on the bastards. When they send a messenger, we follow him. We don’t have to recue Marcus as much as collect him. In fact, if we find him and have the marriage contracts with us, Accalia can be married at any fort where legitimate witnesses can be found,” Typhon said, almost jumping off his stool in excitement.
His mood was contagious. For the first time since hearing of Marcus’ abduction I felt hope.
Chapter Six
ACCALIA
I paced the small room my men acquired for us. It had been decided that, until my uncle’s men had made themselves known to the new Ennia, I would need to stay in hiding. Though few would look twice at me because of my clothing, it was those few we had to worry about. Already we may have put our plan in jeopardy by arriving at the government buildings. Hopefully, with the chaos that was occurring at the time, no one had taken notice of me.
Though I understood the need for discretion, I hated being hidden away like some kind of indecency. And I knew from past experience that I would quickly go mad if I was confined for too long without fresh air or the opportunity to stretch my legs. Anxiety churned my stomach so badly that I wanted to vomit up what little food I had consumed that day.
As I continued to pace and grumble under my breath, the door opened and Asterius entered, a broad grin on his too-handsome face.
“You look like one of those wild lions from the arena. In their tiny cages they pace and growl and swish their tails,” he said jauntily.
I was not amused. “I will bite your head off like one of those lions if you try to make light of my situation. I have been in here for hours, and I have no sense of time passing. It could be day or night outside for all I know.”
Asterius pulled me in for a hug and kissed the top of my head. It was borderline patronising, making me consider punching him in the belly. I would have done so, too, if I thought it would have made an impression. But the muscles across his belly were so well developed it would have been like hitting armour. So I satisfied myself with grumbling under my breath every swear word I had learned from my pack over the years.
“Oh, little she-wolf, it isn’t as bad as all that, surely. And just so you know, it’s just sunset. Phaedrus has already found us our prize and we have paid a fair price for her. She’ll be coming here shortly so we can turn her into the best version of you we can manage.”
“Where will she be sleeping? Not with us I hope,” I grumped, pulling at a loose thread in his tunic. It was a coarse garment and not comfortable to lean against. I could not imagine wearing it for any length of time. I was lucky that my men always managed to find me tunics of a finer, softer fabric than their own, even though I was not supposed to be able to afford such finery.
“Once we have her the way we want her, we will make our way back to the port under the cover of darkness. In the morning, when the dock gets busy, we will make much of coming ashore and arranging transport up to the township. We’ll then go directly to the governor’s residence, which is within the old fortress, and she’ll stay there. Phaedrus has apprised his master of our plan and he’s happy to support it. Once we have her settled, one of us will remain there as her guard, and to make sure she plays her part properly, while the rest of us will return to you.”
I felt unsettled by this plan. My men would be alone with this actress all night and one of them would remain with her every night after that. Likely rotating so they could have time to rest.
I knew about women performers. They were all prostitutes, and many performed quite lewdly on stage for the benefit of their lecherous audiences. I did not want to trust my men around someone like that.
Asterius lifted my chin and stared into my eyes. His were liquid brown, their lids lowered sexily. “Do you think we would be interested in someone like her when we have you?”
“If she is prettier than me and accommodating... I... I would not blame you,” I said through gritted teeth.
Asterius’ playful mood evaporated in an instant, and he gave me a small shake. “I accepted you saying such a thing when we were not committed, but now... I’m insulted. Do you still think me some kind of dog who’d mount any bitch in heat?”
Shocked by his shift and the vehemence of his words, I felt my bottom lip begin to tremble. That was not what I had meant. Surely he knew that was not what I meant.
My distress must have been evident beca
use he sighed heavily and shook his head. “I have not taken a woman since before Sardinia. Don’t you understand? No one else comes close to you. And now you are mine in all ways, it is as if I am a eunuch where other women are concerned. You might think less of me for that. Others would. But it’s what it is. And I’m sure it’s the same for the others. This girl could be Aphrodite come to earth and naked for the taking and we would tell her no.”
I knew all this, I supposed. They had told me before. But it was hard to believe it still. Yes, I knew they cared about me. I was part of their pack. And we shared a special bond. But men took women as they pleased. It was their way. Women were the ones who were expected to remain loyal to only one man.
I laughed a little at that thought. I failed badly in that regard. I was not loyal to one man. Or even two or three. I had four men I craved and took pleasure with. Four men I loved. How could I expect them not to at least be drawn to other women when I was aroused by all of them?
“I can see your brow puckering as you think this to death. Can’t you accept that we lust after only one woman? She might still be a bit on the scrawny side because she refuses to eat enough to keep a bird alive, but she meets our needs well enough.”
He was joking again, but I felt the sting of the insult all the same. “Scrawny? Is that what you think? I have been trying to put on weight. But it is hard when the food is never very... appetising.”
Asterius rocked me backward and forward in mock frustration. “Aghh, woman, you’re impossible. Don’t you know a joke when you hear one? These gentle curves...” He ran his big hands down over my torso, paying special attention to my breasts and hips. “These curves are just perfect.”
His touch had ignited an all-too-familiar flame in me, so I lifted onto my tiptoes to wrap my arms around his broad shoulders.
“I love you,” I said simply, letting go of all my insecurities and concerns.
Asterius’ expression softened, and a look of such tenderness reflected back at me from his luminous eyes that it stole my breath away. “I love you too. More than you’ll ever know.”
His lips came down on mine, soft and inviting. I opened to him instantly, welcoming him like a long lost part of myself. He moaned into my mouth and ran his hands up my naked thighs and under my tunic. I had removed my bindings when I realised I would not be leaving the room for some time to come, and at least I was comfortable in my confinement. Now I appreciated the foresight.
Now Asterius made the most of my bare breasts under my tunic, moulding the mounds to the curve of his palms and rolling the nipples between his fingers and thumbs. The little zing that ran through me had me gasping.
“How long before the girl arrives?” I moaned into his mouth.
“Not long. But there’s time,” he got out as he moved from my breasts to undo the intricacies of my loincloth.
In moments, the fabric dropped away and his fingers were sliding along my cleft, teasing me. I was too impatient for games. I had already begun undoing his loincloth as well, desperate to have his shaft buried deep inside me.
It was always like this for me now. It took no more than a heated look from any of my pack-mates to have me feeling empty and needy. What that said about me, I was not sure. But I could not have changed it, even had I wanted to.
And I did not ever want to.
Asterius backed me against the wall as he kissed me again, more fiercely this time. I felt mad for him. Desperate with need. Before he had a chance to press into me with his fingers to stretch me, I had my legs wrapped around his waist, my core pressed against the rigid heat of him.
“Gods, Accalia.... Keep that up and...”
“And what?” I challenged.
“I’ll ram myself inside you and pin you to the wall. No preparation, just hard and fast,” he threatened.
I laughed and kissed his mouth feverishly as my response.
His answer was to grab himself and press against my entrance. In the next instant he was as good as his word. I was impaled on him and the tightness of my core had us both gasping. But I was wet and ready and, as he drew back and then drove in again, I felt my slick cavern mould itself around him.
“It’s never the same. Each time I do this it feels like the first time. I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m awake and this isn’t just one of the many erotic dreams I’ve had of you,” he said into my ear as he began to find his rhythm.
“Oh... Oh... that feels soo... Oh!” was all I could find to say in response. My brain had stopped working. I did not even know how he could find that many words to string together. Maybe he was not as involved in this as I was.
His loud groan in the next instant told me I was wrong on that account. He threw his head back and the muscles in his neck and shoulders stood out as he tensed, holding back. Sweat had broken out on his face and was trickling down his jaw. I licked it up, loving the salty taste of it. Loving the taste of him.
The thrusts grew harder and more insistent. All focus was internal. The world could have exploded around us in that moment and I knew neither of us would have noticed. All that existed was the place where our bodies were joined and the sensations of pure pleasure that were coursing through us.
I felt my peak approaching and broke from a kiss so I could narrow my focus even more on the point of our joining. The slap, slap, slap of our bodies as they came together was like a harsh and primitive drum beat.
“Oh... yes, yes... Ohhh...” I cried as I began to crest the wave and lights exploded behind my closed eyelids. I arched into my Greek god, needing to get him as close and as deep as I could in this final moment.
He roared out his own release and pressed deeper. I felt my body swallowing down his seed, ravenously devouring every drop.
When the last ripple of my release had finally come to an end, I untangled my legs and slid my feet to the floor. Asterius pressed his face into my neck as he rested his head against the wall behind me, still panting hard.
“I like it when I have you to myself,” he mumbled tiredly, nuzzling me with his nose.
“Are you sorry?” I found myself asking, though I knew I should not. I knew the answer. I had been told more times than I could remember. Yet it never quite sunk in.
“I love my brothers. I want them to be happy. You make them happy. If there are moments like this when I selfishly enjoy having you all to myself... it only shows I am not perfect. But perfection is boring.”
“It is not selfish... It is natural. I wish... I wish...”
He lifted his head and dropped a kiss on my nose. “No, you don’t. You’d never wish to have one of us over the others. That’s why this works. It’s the only way it could work.”
I nodded, knowing he was speaking the truth. “I know. But it is nice to have just one of you to focus on. I get lost in the sensations sometimes... they get so overwhelming when we are all together. I lose track of who is who... Is that terrible of me to admit?”
He laughed tiredly and nuzzled my neck again. “Understandable. We do not leave you much of a brain to think with at those moments. I take it as a compliment that we can get you to that place.”
I turned my head so I could kiss his damp, slightly bristly cheek. Because he plucked the hairs from his face, those bristles, when they appeared, were never stiff and rough. I liked the slight abrasiveness of them.
“Do not fear that we will stray, my love. This whore is like sewer water when we already have the finest wine in our hands. Why would we ever choose her over you?” he said by way of farewell as he drew away from me.
Feeling the loss of his damp body intensely, I fought the urge to follow and plaster myself against him again. But time was not on our side, and I did not want to be caught out by this whore. She might think to take advantage of my men because that was what I did. So I did what I knew I had to do: cleaned myself with the water in the bowl in the corner before replacing my loincloth.
The timing was perfect. I had no sooner pulled down my tunic than the door was open
ing and Orion strode in, followed closely by a short, thin girl and my other two pack-mates. The room was crowded by then, and we all had to shuffle into corners to allow us space. Our pallets were stacked against the walls until they were needed.
I studied the girl as she studied me. We were of a height and our builds were similar. I had a few more curves, I was pleased to note, likely because slaves rarely ate well. Her hair was a darker brown than mine and her eyes a little darker as well, but not noticeably so. Only someone who saw us side by side would see the difference. Was I prettier than she was? No, I could not say that. She was a beauty, likely the reason she had been picked as a performer. But I had seen women like her after a few years living as she did and what beauty they had quickly faded.
That would not happen to me, would it? I did not take care of my looks the way an ordinary Roman patrician did. They spent fortunes on cosmetics and salve to enhance and prolong their youth. And they never lived a hard day in their lives. Me, on the other hand... well, every day was gruelling. Yet I had what most of them did not. I had the kind of happiness most of my counterparts would never know. I hoped that would keep me looking beautiful for my men.
“This is Laria,” Orion introduced the girl to me. “What do you think?”
I tipped my head to the side and examined her a little more. Not for her looks this time but for her manner. She seemed nervous and intimidated, neither of which a patrician would ever show.
“You know what we are asking of you?” I asked Laria, instead of answering immediately.
She nodded silently, eyes too wide.
“Then start showing me you can do it. No noblewoman would cringe like a mistreated cur.”
