Gladiator Heart (23 page)

Gaius gave her a victorious smile that made her shudder in revulsion. “I hope Valeria will be comfortable here with me. It can get lonely living outside the city.”

Both men sat there looking at her expectantly, so she figured she was meant to say something.

“Indeed, your home is lovely,” she replied lamely.

The intense, burning look in Gaius’s eyes troubled her greatly and she could focus on nothing else. He meant to make some sort of attempt on her, and she could only guess what since Crispus was there. It’s what he’d do if they were alone that truly frightened her. She was safe from worrying about it for today.

But then her cousin finished with his wine and rose to his feet. “I must take my leave of you now. The games will be starting soon and it’s a good journey back to the city. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the day more without my company.”

Panic exploded inside of her. She broke out into a cold sweat and her heart beat against her chest in a frenzied, frantic rhythm. Her entire body shook and trembled with fear.

He was leaving her here?

Gaius rose to his feet and bowed his head. “Thank you for taking the time to visit my home. You are welcome any time.”

Crispus leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “Good day, cousin. I’ll see you back at the palace later.”

Valeria was left sitting on the couch, stunned and completely paralyzed by the numbing terror of what was about to happen. When Gaius came back and stood before her, she couldn’t make herself look up at him. Any reaction he sought to get from her would have to be forced out of her.

Gaius gazed upon his acquired prize. Valeria sat unmoving on the couch with her hands folded in her lap. She wouldn’t raise her pretty face to look at him, so he went down to his knees in front of her.

“I’ve been waiting to get you alone.” He curled a finger under her chin and lifted her head so he could look into her blue eyes.

He’d never seen a woman more beautiful. With her delicately arched brows and high cheekbones it was impossible not to recognize her imperial ancestry. Her full pink lips parted on a breath and revealed her even, white teeth. Gaius was anxious to mount this fine mare and sire many noble children on her. Desire stirred in his loins, and he would not be put off any longer.

He inclined his head, bringing his mouth close to hers. “Kiss me.”

She stayed still as a statue and refused to do what he’d asked. Getting more forceful, he placed his hands on her knees and wrenched her legs open, then settled his body against hers before she could close them. She fought with him and tried to pull away, but he locked his arms around her and held her in place so he could kiss her.

He moved his mouth over hers, devouring its sweet softness and thrusting his tongue between her lips, much in the same way he wanted to thrust himself between her legs. His heart pounded erratically, pumping blood and desire through his veins. A sense of urgency drove him to take her right on this couch before she could get away from him again. Gaius held her closer, tighter, grinding the hardness beneath his toga against her in signal of what he had in mind. She braced her hands against his chest and moaned in protest as she tried to break free of him.

A flash of lightning illuminated the sky and a brisk wind blew through the atrium before a loud clap of thunder shook the entire villa. Gaius had expected the ominous clouds to break into a storm, and now Valeria would be caught here until it passed. He might have the entire night to lay claim to her body. No gentleman would send a lady away in a storm.

Releasing her from the kiss, he gazed into her angry, frightened eyes. He’d soon replace that look with one of love and devotion. She only had to give him the chance. And since Valeria had made it clear she would give him nothing, he’d take what he wanted from her, when he wanted it, for however long he wished to have it. He owned her now.

“A storm is coming.” He nuzzled her ear and gently nibbled on her neck. “Shall I take you upstairs to my bed where we’ll be more comfortable?”

He couldn’t wait for her to answer, his need for her was too overwhelming, so he swept her into his arms and carried her upstairs. It was time to show Valeria her proper place. On her back in his bed.

Valeria cried and begged as she wriggled around in Gaius’s strong arms, unable to free herself. Lightning flashed with its eerie white glow and thunder cracked and rumbled as a torrential, hammering rain began to fall outside. Gaius was going to rape her, and no one would even hear her screams over the deafening sound of the storm.

“Please, Gaius,” she cried, tears now running in wet tracks down her face. She struggled with all her might. “Let me go.”

His face was a mask of stone and a muscle quivered at his jaw. He stared straight ahead as he carried her through the hallways leading to his rooms at the back of the villa. Growing desperate when they entered his bedroom, she slapped at his face and moved to smash her elbow into his throat.

He caught her by the wrists as he dumped her on his bed, then pinned her arms over her head and trapped her beneath his heavy body. Valeria unleashed a scream and tried to buck him off her, but he drowned out the sound by closing his mouth over hers in a hard, brutal kiss.

She prayed to the Gods, hoping this was that one prayer they would choose to answer, but Gaius pressed on, capturing both of her wrists in one of his hands and lifting the skirts of her tunic and stola with the other so he could fondle her sex with his rough, searching fingers.

“Don’t touch me!” Valeria kicked at him, making solid contact with his thigh.

An angry roar bellowed from him and he released his hold on her to lock both of his hands around her throat, cutting off her next breath.

He stared down at her, his face twisted and contorted with rage. “You will learn to respect me.”

She pried at his fingers, attempting to loosen his hold so she could breathe. When he squeezed tighter, panic took over. She clawed at his hands, gathering skin under her nails, then she went for his face. He released her in time to grab her wrists and once again pinned her arms to the bed.

“I wanted you to enjoy this,” he said in a harsh, raw voice. “But now I’m going to enjoy it.”

His green eyes were wild and blazing with lust as he held her down with one hand and tore off his toga with the other. He wore only a short tunic beneath and she could see evidence of his arousal protruding from under it. She twisted and kicked as he climbed on top of her, then he released her hands so he could work at removing her clothes. She punched at him while he tugged off her cape, but he let her hits fall on his arms and chest, not seeming bothered by them. Next he yanked at the ribbon binding her stola and tore it free. He gathered the bodice of her stola in his closed fists and rent the fabric in half, splitting the garment down to her waist and exposing the sheer tunic underneath.

His hands grasped her breasts, and still she fought him, but he was successful in freeing the tender mounds from her tunic so he could grab and grope at them. Gaius became focused on his task, his breathing ragged and uneven as he lifted her skirts around her hips. He left himself completely open when he reached down to guide himself between her legs.

Valeria went at him for one, final attack before he completed his violation of her. He was going to hurt her, and she wouldn’t go down without a fight. She slammed the heel of her hand into his nose with all her strength, and as his head flew back with a howling yell, she crushed the blunt side of her forearm into his throat, stifling the loud yell into silence.

He backed away off the bed, holding a hand over his bleeding nose, looking simultaneously shocked and enraged beyond all comprehension. Valeria wasted no time. She flew up from the bed and rushed past him, gathering her torn stola around her while she twisted through the dark hallways. She had to move fast before he could catch her. A flash of lightning momentarily lit up the villa as she raced down the carpeted stairs that led to the atrium.

“Valeria!” Gaius shouted in a strangled cry of fury as he chased after her.

The pure outrage in his voice terrified her, and when a loud crash of thunder echoed it, she clumsily slipped on the last few stairs, losing her footing and sliding down to the tiled floor on her backside. Her heart raced madly and she panted to catch her breath while she hurried to scramble to her feet. Gaius would kill her if he caught her. She just knew it. She had to get away.

The rain pouring down through the openings in the ceiling made the tiles in the atrium slick and slippery, so she used extra caution as she made her way to the set of doors that opened onto the veranda outside.

“Stop right there!” Gaius shouted, his deep voice booming as loud as the thunder overhead.

She spared him a glance over her shoulder, able to discern the rage glistening in his eyes and tensing his muscles. He bolted after her, and she skirted around one of the shallow pools at the far end of the atrium to reach for the doors, when his hands caught her stola from behind. She turned abruptly, yanking at the fabric to free it from his grasp, and caused him to slip on the wet tiles and fall, banging his head on the hard edge of the pool as he hit the ground.

Valeria stood frozen, holding her breath as she stared down at him. She waited for Gaius to move or get up, but he didn’t. A puddle of blood stained the black and white tiles around his blonde head with a deep shade of crimson.

Dear Gods!

She’d killed him.

Had she?

Or was it a trick to snare her?

“Gaius?” she whispered, but her voice was lost in the sound of the drowning rain.

She didn’t know how long she stayed there, but eventually the lightning flickered out. The sound of thunder grew distant as the worst of the storm passed. She stood staring down at Gaius while the cold rain continued to fall, plastering her wet hair to her face and soaking her all the way through. Red was all she could see as the puddle of blood continued to grow larger.

Valeria didn’t know what to do. In all the scenarios she’d played out in her mind, none of them had ended like this. Did she just leave and pretend none of it happened? Or did she get help, even though he’d tried to rape her? If he was alive, he’d be sure to make her suffer for this accident.

If he wasn’t alive, she’d be guilty of murder, and what would they do with her then?

In any case, there was no good ending for her. Valeria brought a shaking hand to her mouth to quiet her frightful sobs, but nothing could stop them from coming. Was any of this her fault? The whole scene had played out like a dream she had no control over. If Gaius hadn’t been following her, he wouldn’t have slipped and hit his head. But, if she hadn’t attacked him and ran, he wouldn’t have been chasing after her.

The shock and despair settled in as she stood shivering in the rain. It was like her mind shut down and her body took over. She had to get out of there.

Her feet carried her over to the doors. Her hands lifted the handles and the wind blew them wide open. Then she was racing across the slippery, green lawns and into the forest, never stopping to look back. The trees tossed their branches to and fro and the cold, hard rain pelted her face. She ran to the one place where the evils of the world could never touch her.

The rain had stopped by the time Valeria reached the city. She felt like a drowned rat as she stood in front of Lucia’s door and banged on it with her fist. People passing by on the street gave puzzled glances to the sobbing woman holding the front of her torn stola closed while water dripped from her soaked hair and clothes. Valeria didn’t care. It would be impossible for anyone to recognize her in this tattered state.

The servant girl swung the door open, and when she realized who she was looking at, she called for Lucia and beckoned Valeria inside.

“You were supposed to be here hours ago—” Lucia stopped short when she caught sight of Valeria.

Her poor girl looked like she’d been trampled and drowned in the river, then spit back out onto dry land. She was soaked from head to toe. Errant leaves were stuck in her long, tangled hair and her clothes were torn and dirty. She held her arms tightly around herself and shivered and shook as her teeth chattered.

“Fetch a blanket,” she ordered the servant.

“Have the games started yet?” Valeria asked in a strained, choked voice.

“They were delayed because of the rain.” Lucia noticed dark bruises around her neck. “Gods, my sweet girl, what’s happened to you?”

Her daughter had been in the north for weeks with an army of men and had come back looking better than she did now. Someone had abused her girl, and she was going to find out who it was and set Rufus on them.

Of all the things!

Lucia cursed the Gods. She was on good enough terms to do so. What had Valeria done to deserve this? She was a good girl with a kind heart, exactly as Lucia had raised her to be.

“I need some fresh clothes so I can go to the arena,” she said in a raspy voice that lacked any emotion.

Forget those bloody games, Lucia thought. She planted her hands on her hips. “I asked what happened to you.”

“Will you give me fresh clothes so I can go, or not?”

Lucia couldn’t believe that after Valeria had suffered some kind of injury all she could focus on was going to the damned arena to see a man fight. What feelings did she really have for this northerner?

Tristan.

The girl was in love with him, it was as simple as that, and she faced an impossible future, yet standing here in such a state of turmoil and disarray, Valeria looked determined to fight the Gods themselves in order to get what she wanted.

Her daughter reminded her very much of herself.

Lucia suddenly realized that she might have done the girl a disservice by raising her to be so headstrong and independent. Valeria wasn’t an emancipated woman. She belonged to a man’s world and her impudence would only earn her suffering. Men wanted compliant, submissive women for wives, and that was something Valeria would never be.

“Come inside to the kitchen.” Lucia put a gentle hand at her back and urged her further into the villa. “The fires are warmer after a storm.”