GladiatorsAtonement

by Amy Ruttan

  Eratos let out a sigh of relief when he recognized her face on the outside of the wrought iron gate.

  “Anam cara, what are you doing here?”

  “A runner came, Thelonius will not be returning tonight. It seems he has found amusement in the baths.”

  Eratos let her inside, locking the gate behind her. “Would you not rather spend the night in your own chamber?”

  She shook her head. “Remember, I have come to make good on the promise to you—of visiting you here.” Taking his hand, she led him to his bed and pushed him down. Her hair tickled his bare chest as she pulled off his tunic. His cock already hard just from her presence.

  “You seem to be trying to distract me, little one.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you.” He chuckled as he kneaded her breast. “Why would you want to do that, I wonder?”

  “Since you caught me so unawares earlier perhaps I would like to see you pleasure yourself.”

  Eratos sucked in a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I would rather pleasure myself inside you.”

  Helena pushed him away and made him lie down against the hay. Slinging one leg over his waist, she straddled his thighs. “Touch yourself, for me.”

  He groaned but reached down and palmed his cock.

  “You are making me wet with need for you.” Eratos groaned as she took his free hand and placed it between her legs so he could feel her wetness for himself.

  Leaning down, she began to kiss around his abdomen, circling her tongue around his bellybutton. Eratos stilled, knowing exactly what she was going to do next. She kissed down to his shaft, running her tongue along the hard length of him.

  “Anam cara.” He moaned, his fingers running through her hair as she dragged her tongue up and down his shaft before sliding his cock into her mouth. A hiss of approval slipped through his teeth.

  He cried out and bucked his hips forward gently. She gripped the base of his shaft and slid her mouth up and off. Eratos growled in protest, but only for a moment as she circled her tongue around the head of his cock, applying pressure to the sensitive underside.

  “Helena, I must have you now.”

  Helena chuckled and positioned herself over his loins, still wet from her mouth. “How much do you want me?”

  Eratos growled again. “Do you even have to ask?”

  The flush of pleasure traveled across her face and down her neck like a warm caress. He reveled in the fact she desired him so, wanted him. Eratos’ hands slipped around her waist down to her bottom, cupping her cheeks. He lifted her up and positioned himself. Helena straddled him, the hard head of his cock rubbed up and down the slit of her pussy. Arching her hips forward, he entered her swiftly, burying his shaft deep inside her slick heat.

  Snaking her arms around his neck, she clutched his muscular shoulder blades. Burying her face in his neck, she inhaled his spicy, musky scent as he began to knead the cheeks of her bottom, pumping in and out of her. His fingers dug into her hips as he helped her ride him, sliding up and down the length of his cock. Grinding her hips, she matched his rhythm. Her nipples puckered and she felt his hot mouth on them, laving each with his tongue as he began to fuck her faster.

  Her body was so tense and he knew she was on the verge of releasing. His blood coursed through his veins like liquid fire. It was if he was going to melt.

  Digging her nails into his skin, she cried out as her pussy clenched fast and hard around his shaft, her orgasm flowing through her at the same moment as he grunted his release.

  Breathing heavily, she looked at him, her eyes piercing, seeming to delve deep into his soul. Then it struck him. He was falling for his former master’s wife.

  Helena could not remember the last time she had lain out under the stars and just watched the sky. The stars glittered like jewels. Once in a while she would catch a glimpse of one falling and she would gasp. Eratos chuckled, but held her close, keeping her warm.

  “My father once told me that a falling star was the gods racing their chariots.” An acute pang of pain assailed her. She missed her father so much.

  “I was told they were souls of those who had died honorably on their way to paradise.” Eratos spoke softly, tracing circles on her arm.

  Helena chuckled. “Well, that is a nice way to think of it too.”

  “Why do you hate Thelonius so much?”

  The question stunned her. “Why?”

  “Well, you know why I seek revenge. What is your reason? You’ve never told me, but I know something painful is hidden there.”

  Letting out a sigh, she moved closer to him, running her fingers over the scars on his chest. Scars she knew Thelonius had put there.

  “Thelonius planned my father’s death.”

  “Anam cara, I am so sorry.” She felt him kiss the top of her head. “Why?”

  “Because he wanted me, or should I say the money and prestige of having me as a wife.” She rolled on her back and stared up at the stars. “I was my father’s only child. He was a powerful senator with a lot of influence and money. It allowed my father to be picky over who was to have me. Many suitors tried, Thelonius even tried, but I could tell just by looking at him he was no good.

  “I told my father this and of course he turned down Thelonius’ suit. He was not going to marry me to someone I detested. Thelonius blackmailed my father, threatened my life if he did not hand me over. My father did not want to lose me and so we were married.”

  “I am sorry. It is a horrible fate to be tied to such a man.”

  “It is.” Helena sighed as she recalled her wedding night, fearing the worst. “My only saving grace was he did not touch me. He had no desire for me, only wanting my money. He did force me to watch him take a man though, one of his many slaves. I was horrified. I was still innocent, I had no idea.”

  “Did you tell your father?”

  Helena nodded. “I did, and my father threatened to go to the emperor, saying Thelonius could not keep up his end of the bargain by deflowering me. Not that my father wanted Thelonius to have me.” She let out another sigh, the tears stinging her eyes. “Thelonius was friends with a man who was head of the Praetorian guards. They came in the night and butchered my father’s household. After that, Thelonius moved me here, away from Rome, as punishment, I guess. He thought I wouldn’t be able to last being so far from the land I knew and love.”

  “But you survived.” There was pride in Eratos’ voice.

  “Yes.” She leaned on her elbow to look down at him. “It was not long after that when you came, and when I looked into your eyes I saw something, I felt something I had not felt in a long time.”

  “What was that?”

  “Hope.”

  Chapter Five

  Hope.

  It touched Eratos that Helena thought of him as a savior, but was he really doing her a favor by murdering Thelonius? He was not familiar with all the Roman customs and he wondered if she would lose everything with Thelonius’ death.

  “What is wrong?” Concern laced her words as she looked down at him. “Does something vex thee?”

  “Am I doing you a wrong by killing Thelonius?”

  Helena sat up. “You are not wronging me by ridding me of that jackal.”

  “Then why should I wait?”

  Helena bit her lip and looked away. “I cannot say.”

  “Is it because you will lose your status, your money?”

  “No.”

  “Then what?” He tweaked her chin, so she was looking at him once more. “What has he threatened you with?”

  “Your death.”

  Eratos was stunned. “My death?”

  “You do not know the kind of power he wields, Eratos.” She sat up. “He said if I helped you escape, aided you in any kind of way, then he would kill you. Throw you to the lions.” A sob caught in her throat. “He killed my father… I did not want to see you die. I could not let another innocent die.”

  “He killed your father because you went to your father for
help.”

  Helena shook her head. “Thelonius made it clear I was never to leave him, to be whole, intact and subservient to him. I made you wait, because I did not want you to die should he catch you…should you fail.”

  “Anam cara, I do not care for my life. I worry for you.”

  Helena smiled at him weakly. “You do not have to worry about me should he die.”

  “What will happen to you?”

  “I will stay here.”

  “Everything will remain in your name?”

  Helena smiled. “Yes, the money is in my name from my father. Once Thelonius is gone, everything belongs to me.” She touched his face gently. “Have no fear for my welfare. I would have you do away with him even if it meant I was destitute. Justice needs to be brought against Thelonius, for me, for you and others he has hurt.”

  “You are a remarkable woman, anam cara. You are very brave.”

  “I’m not. If I were brave I would have done away with him a long time ago, but I do not have the strength to do it. I was afraid then…now I do not care. I only want vengeance for my father and for you.”

  Helena lay back down and let out a sigh, of resignation or contentment Eratos didn’t know. Her eyes remained focused on the stars, and right now he could stay forever with her just like this.

  “Tell me of your home,” she whispered. “I told you of my past, tell me of yours. Were you married?”

  “I was intended, aye. Just as good as married.”

  “What was her name?”

  “Wenna. She had hair as black as night, coal-black eyes and fought like a demon.” Eratos smiled. “She had a wild, untamed temper.”

  “What happened to her?”

  “She was killed on the battlefield.”

  “She was a warrior as well?” Helena asked in amazement, her brown eyes round with wonder.

  “Aye. All the women were, unless they were suckling a wee one.”

  Helena shook her head. “So different, Roman women are not allowed to fight. We are to remain at home, by the hearth.”

  “Well, in times of peace our women remained behind. During wartime though they could be just as fierce as any man.” Eratos chuckled. “I think they even scared some of the legionnaires.”

  When he closed his eyes he was taken back to that battle, when they had charged down the hill, felling Caratacus the Aviragus in his attempt to defeat Scapula. The sounds of battle filling his ears.

  The smoke of smoldering ruins and flaming arrows clouded the heath. Making his way through the carnage, he saw Wenna with the next charge, getting ready to ride out into battle. Her mare pawed at the ground nervously. Riding over to her, he grabbed her reins and pulled her to the side.

  “What is the matter, Eratos?” she asked, fixing her gaze on him.

  “Let us leave, all is lost. We can flee over the sea, somewhere safe where we can be together.” He tried to pull Wenna out of the battle, but she pulled away from him.

  “We cannot abandon the Aviragus. Caratacus calls, we must defend our home.”

  He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. “You know we cannot win. Let us flee to the north, my father and my brother live with Boudicca. We’ll be safe there.”

  Her nose wrinkled up in disgust then. “They let the Romans rule them. They live in harmony with the devil. Are you a coward, Eratos? I would rather die on the battlefield than live amongst the wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

  Wenna ran from him then. Her black braid bounced against her back as she rode away. Eratos took his place in the line and when the horn called, he unsheathed his sword and fought.

  After the battle was done, when he was searching the battlefield he found her broken body. She had been trampled by a chariot after she had fallen, pierced by an arrow through her chest. Her black eyes lifeless, staring up at the smoke-filled sky.

  He tried to give her a proper funeral, but that was when he had been caught by the Roman general, who deemed him a worthy slave.

  Eratos had shorn his hair then, in mourning for Wenna, and for his one moment of cowardice. It hurt him still that their last moment she thought him a coward instead of a warrior.

  “You look sad.”

  “I was just thinking about the last time I saw Wenna.”

  “You loved her.”

  “Yes, but I don’t know if she was my true soul mate. I did not have a chance to discover it. She would have made a good wife, a good mother. A lot of things transpired after the battle. I didn’t even get a chance to bury her properly. I escaped several times before I was shipped to the slave markets of Egypt.”

  “Where were you trying to go?”

  “To my father and brother in the north, but then Boudicca fell to the Romans. My father was killed and my brother was enslaved as well.”

  “This is the brother who aided your escape.”

  “Aye. Taranis is free.”

  Helena snuggled in closer to him. “As you are.”

  “I am not free until I dispatch Thelonius to the shades.”

  Even then he wasn’t sure if he would be free of the ghosts that plagued him, but all of that was quickly forgotten about with Helena in his arms. When he set on his mission of revenge and agreed to her conditions he never pictured himself falling in love with Helena, and it terrified him.

  He couldn’t lose her, because he needed her like air, like water.

  He would die without her.

  Eratos shifted and propped himself on his arms, staring down at her. Her brown hair cascaded around her head like a halo, her skin was like cream, she was the fairest Roman he had ever encountered and he could see why she was desired above all.

  Thelonius may not have been attracted to her, but he was a connoisseur of fine things and Helena was exquisite. Her brown eyes were shining in the moonlight.

  “I want you,” he whispered as he nuzzled her neck. “Help me forget about the spirits of the past.”

  “I want you as well, Eratos. Love me.”

  “Oh, anam cara.”

  “No words are needed.” A single tear traveled down her cheek as she caressed his cheek. “I wanted to save you, but I did not have the strength to pick up a sword. For that I am sorry.” She reached out and slipped her arms around his neck, kissing him tenderly.

  “Helena, you helped me more than anyone could. At nights, when I was alone, your face came to me out of the darkness—you made me forget about the revenge and death in my heart. You made me want to live again.” He returned her tender kiss, but soon the kiss deepened into something more urgent as the reality of what they had just escaped began to sink in. He had come to Antioch with one thing on his mind and death riding his tails, for he knew if he killed Thelonius he would not live much longer. Now, with Helena in his arms, death was a punishment. He did not want to leave her.

  Helena was strong, though she did not think so. She was true warrior and she truly was his anam cara, his soul mate, and he knew he could never live without her.

  There was no life worth living without Helena in it, and now that he had found her he had to go on. He had to kill Thelonius before Thelonius sold Helena to the slave traders as he threatened to do.

  “Helena, I will do everything in my power to protect you. I want you to feel safe with me.”

  “I do feel safe with you, Eratos. I do, I trust you with every fiber of my being. You have made me feel alive again.”

  “I will not let anything happen to you. If I do then I shall not be able to live with myself.”

  “Hush,” she whispered as she began to kiss his neck. “Be with me, Eratos. Please.”

  Pulling her tight against him, he laid her down against his makeshift bed and began to kiss her again—pressing her down into the sweet-smelling hay that enveloped them. He was hard and ready for her, and she was wet and willing as she parted her legs. He entered her slowly, a shudder of pleasure rippling through him as her tight, wet sheath surrounded him. He loved the feeling of being buried deep inside her. She wrapped her legs arou
nd his waist and he began to move in and out of her rhythmically.

  There were no words to say at that moment. He had said everything that he had been keeping inside. Right now, he just needed to love her. Her hands cupped his buttocks, keeping him tight against her as he moved faster. She undulated her hips in time with his thrusts. She was moaning in pleasure and arching her back. He could feel her inner muscles squeezing his shaft and he knew she was coming. With a few more hard thrusts, he let out a guttural cry and spilled his seed inside her.

  When his breathing evened, he slipped out of her and rolled onto his back, taking her with him. She settled her head against his chest, her arms wrapped around him, her legs entwined with his.

  Eratos wanted to tell her he loved her, but he could not. He was afraid if he said anything then he would shatter the dream.

  And right now, he just couldn’t stand the thought that their time together was going to end.

  Helena said nothing—he just held her close under the stars. “Do one thing for me, Eratos.”

  “Anything, anam cara.”

  “Just be careful when you take on Thelonius. I-I would hate to see you hurt again.”

  “I promise, anam cara.”

  I promise.

  He only hoped he could keep this promise to her.

  Chapter Six

  Thelonius did not return for several days. Every day he sent a runner to inform Helena he was not returning. It made her nervous, and she wondered if he was going to take flight again.

  She knew beyond a shadow of doubt this was their only opportunity to strike at Thelonius. Thelonius had hiding places all over the world. Eratos could spend the rest of his life chasing her husband.

  It scared her, for it meant Eratos would continue to pursue him and she might never see Eratos again. She wanted Eratos to stay with her, but it was selfish to ask him to remain when he deserved the right to blood atonement for all the transgression Thelonius had brought upon them. She was selfish for asking him not to kill Thelonius sooner, but she was afraid Eratos would die, not only physically but spiritually. Somehow, deep down she knew she would not be healed, nor would Eratos be healed if Thelonius was killed. The hurt would still continue.