Seduced by the Gladiator

Author:Hawkeye, Lauren [Hawkeye, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2013-01-29T06:00:00+00:00

The next week passed in a blur. I had expected grumbling from the rest of the brothers in the ludus when it was announced that both Christus and I were to take part in the arena games, but except for expected anger from Bavarius and his friends, the men seemed almost to feel pity for the pair of us. We were offered extra porridge and army bread at meals, and some even used their coin from the arena to purchase us wine. They all offered advice and fighting techniques, and we took them with straight faces, though inside I was beyond irritated.

How did they think that I had managed to rise to the top of their ranks, if I did not already know these things? But they were being kind, so I held my tongue. Still, I could not help but feel that all of the offerings were, in the way, a last meal.

The men did not think that we would be coming back. Hell, they knew that one of us was not.

Darius was the sole man who did not treat either of us differently. His laughter may have been a little more forced, and I might have caught him shaking his head sadly at moments when he thought that I was not looking, but for the most part he tried to make our last week before the game as normal as possible.

The last evening, before Christus and I were to be taken to the holding area of the special arena that had been modified just for these games, Darius sat to the side of the training area with me. We were indulging in a rare lazy moment, training over for the day but the sun not yet set. We passed a cup of wine back and forth between us.

I had found that wine greatly helped to ease the anxiety that fought to take me over whenever I was sober.

In front of us, Christus sparred with one of the men who had been especially kind that week. Antonius was demonstrating his skill with the net, and Christus was soaking up the new knowledge eagerly.

“He is doing all of this for you, you know.” I turned to my friend sharply, but he had hidden his face in his cup.

“What are you speaking of?” I knew, of course, but I somehow needed to hear it from another.

“All of this training.” Darius gestured expansively with his large arm. I turned with him, watching the focus, the concentration on Christus’ face as he struggled to gain control over the net.

“He intends to keep you alive. He does not hold the same hope for himself.”

That night, after the evening meal that we both forced down, Christus and I found ourselves colliding with heat in the room that was no longer just mine.

His lips were on mine, the door to the room shut snugly behind us. These moments, where we were alone, together, were what had gotten me through the week.

His touch erased every worry, every thought, from my mind.

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