Lionslayer's Woman

by Nhys Glover

  This was passion. This was connection. This was what she had wanted and waited for all her life without knowing it.

  Then fingers weren’t enough. She wanted to be filled. Truly filled.

  ‘Nexus… please….’ She managed to get out, gasping as another wave of pleasure took her as the heel of his palm ground against her sensitised flesh.

  ‘Yes… my heart, I’ll give you what you need soon… but first…’ His hand ground against her again and she felt tendrils of pure ecstasy curl out from a place within her folds. Her body jerked from the onslaught, but even this pleasure wasn’t enough. She wanted more. More.

  He changed the angle of his fingers and used his thumb to circle the spot where the sensations were arising. Oh, gods, what was this? He was driving her mad with desire. That place was aching for his touch and he was giving it to her, just what she needed, as if he felt what she felt.

  Then something happened, something stunning. She felt her body convulse as the pleasure peaked. Clamping his hand to her, she rode out the wave until it ebbed away. Only then, could she open her eyes and look at him.

  Those dark eyes were filled with pride and pleasure. Had she done something right? It certainly felt right from her side.

  Then his hand was gone and she felt bereft. Until he edged his aroused flesh against her opening and her body wept at the contact. Yes, this was what she wanted. This!

  He eased into her body, inch by stretching inch. For a moment she was sure he wouldn’t fit, and then he pushed deeper and pain shot through her. His comforting words lulled the sudden fear that arose with the pain.

  ‘Shhh… that was all the pain you’ll feel… just relax, my heart… just let me love you…’ His deep voice was a sensual touch all its own. She obeyed him without thought.

  Then he was moving deeper, and though it felt tight and a little uncomfortable, it no longer hurt. Finally, he stilled, and she looked up into his intense, vulnerable features. What was he feeling? His face seemed to be virgin territory now. She’d come to know every expression written there, but this… this was unlike any she’d seen before.

  Before she could think further, he began to move again, drawing back out of her and then thrusting in. She felt the thrust to her very core and the cry that escaped her lips was pure pleasure. Then she lost all sense of time. There was only his body creating a rhythm with her own, driving them both higher and harder… pulsing deep inside her like a heart ready to explode.

  Then it did. And she exploded with it, letting out, in one long, ecstatic cry, all the overwhelming pleasure that was washing over and through her. Until she was drained… empty… and complete… and she fell to earth.

  There was no need for words. Both of them knew it as Nexus shifted to the side and took her with him. They lay in stunned silence as the last of the quake ebbed away from their shattered bodies.

  How did I never know that such feelings were possible? Why didn’t Cyra tell me this was what awaited me?

  However, questions didn’t matter now. Nothing mattered but their cooling bodies and the sense of total contentment that filled her being.

  No matter what came next, nothing would ever be the same. She would never be the same, and her love for the man beneath her knew no bounds.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  9 August 82 CE, Darvydanus Estate, Durnonovaria, BRITANNIA

  Cyra felt uncomfortable riding up to the large roundhouse on the hill. It was different to any house she’d ever seen and the people they passed on the way up to the estate were different, too. Celts, they called them, specifically Durotriges, so Leonis had explained to her. They were hardly romanised at all.

  As they reined in their horses, Gali started to wriggle like a puppy in front of her. She wanted to get down. Her excitement was catching. After more than a month of travelling, they had finally reached their goal. What they expected none of them were sure, but at the moment, it was enough to be here.

  A warning had obviously been given of their presence, because the roundhouse door opened and the most beautiful woman Cyra had ever seen came out to greet them. Her hair was golden brown and her eyes the colour of a verdant forest. Her body was big with child.

  ‘Leonis… Leonis?’ The woman looked surprised and then terrified at the sight of him. Cyra didn’t know what frightened her.

  ‘Nexus is well. We had to split up. He shouldn’t be far behind us. Is my mistress still here?’ Leonis asked as he jumped down from his saddle and came to help Gali and then Cyra down off their mount. It had only been a short ride from the town but she was glad it was over.

  ‘She’s visiting Allyn’s father with Lucius; giving me a bit of breathing space. This one’s due any day and I’m exhausted all the time. Come in, please. Who’s this sweet child?’ Livia asked as she stroked Gali’s hair. The girl preened under the attention.

  ‘This is Galerianna Donicii. And this is Cyra, her nurse.’

  ‘Tutor,’ Cyra and Gali corrected at the same time.

  Livia laughed and clapped her hands. ‘Oh, I can see these two will fit in very well around here. Come in. You look different Leonis… less angry, I think. Maybe it’s because you’ve been shorn.’

  Leonis groaned but accompanied it with an amused grin. Less angry? She’d never really seen him angry except when he thought she was being threatened in some way. What had changed him in the months since he’d been here?

  They all entered the roundhouse together and Cyra was again struck by how different it was to anything she had known in her life. This was not a Parthian home nor a Roman one. It wasn’t even like the Syrian houses she’d seen when they were there.

  The inside was dark and smelled of burnt wood and damp earth. In the thatched roof, Cyra could see a hole that let out the smoke from the central fireplace. The room was divided off at the back into rooms, but here at the front it was just one large living space. To Cyra it appeared primitive, for all its comfortable Roman additions.

  Livia led them to the oddly out of place roman couches that surrounded the open fireplace. She took one for herself and reclined, obviously glad to be off her feet. A slave girl approached and offered her an elegantly crafted drinking vessel. She took it gratefully.

  ‘Please sit and have some wine. It’s our own vintage.’ Livia indicated with her hand that the slave girl should serve them as they took seats on the couch on the opposite side of the fire.

  Cyra felt odd to be sitting like an equal with this noblewoman, and she edged closer to Leonis who seemed perfectly relaxed in the strange environment. Was this what his home in Dacia was like? They’d never really discussed such things. In so many ways, she still didn’t know him.

  ‘I’ve sent for Allyn, but I’m too impatient to hear what’s happened to wait for his arrival. We can repeat it all later,’ Livia said, looking at them intently.

  Cyra felt Leonis’ arm creep around her back. Gali was too excited to stay seated and she’d wriggled away from her and begun to poke around the room curiously.

  ‘Gali, don’t be rude,’ she chastised the child.

  Livia just laughed. ‘Please, children need to explore. If you like, Gali, is it? You can go outside and take a look around.’ Livia turned to Cyra to go on. ‘She can come to no harm here, I assure you. Lucius runs around the place like a wildman. I’m not sure why he hasn’t been kicked by a horse or fallen over a ploughshare by now, but children seem to have a sixth sense for avoiding such things.’

  Gali didn’t have to be told twice. She took one quick look at Cyra to make sure she approved and then disappeared out the door they’d just come in.

  ‘So, now the child is out of hearing. Is it bad, whatever you have to tell me?’ Livia’s face had lost its smile. Cyra realised that much of her lightness had been an act for Gali’s sake. She was still deeply troubled, even though Leonis’ assurance that Nexus was well had seemed to reassure her.

  ‘Bad enough. Nexus and I didn’t get there in time to warn the family. While Cyra and her mistress G
aleria were at the beach, Praetorian Guards attacked the house and killed Donicus and all his slaves. They took Papia and little Gali prisoner. Papia was taken by the guards to Syria, where she was going to be sold into slavery outside the empire. Gali was taken by Antoninus, Galeria’s suitor. We believe he’s responsible for Donicus being on that list.’

  ‘Oh, this is terrible. You obviously got the child back. Where’s Nexus?’

  ‘When we arrived, Galeria and Cyra had only just come upon the destruction. We offered our help to rescue mother and daughter, but we had to split up. Cyra and I went after Gali and Nexus and Galeria went after her mother. We got Gali back and Nexus got Papia back, but Galeria was captured by slavers and sold to her suitor. We had to orchestrate her escape then, which we did. Then Cyra and I came back for Gali before Antoninus went after her again. Nexus was going to follow us here with Galeria when they found a way to escape Ephesus safely.’

  Livia stared at him with her mouth open. ‘All this has happened since you left? It sounds like you’ve crossed the empire and back trying to do all this.’

  ‘Several times,’ Leonis said with a laugh. ‘I have no desire to see another floating crate for many years to come!’

  Livia smiled and so did Cyra. He was still playing the clown. From Livia’s expression, this was a side to him she’d never seen.

  ‘You two have become close, I take it,’ Livia said, indicating the way Leonis kept his arm around her.

  ‘Yes. I’m hoping that whatever your mother decides to do with me now, she finds a way for Cyra to stay with me but it’s very complicated. That’s why we decided to come back here. Livianna and Sabinus have to sort this out. The Praetorians were told to leave no witnesses alive, but there are two who did witness it and the rest of us who know what was done. If Caesar finds out, he’ll send out more assassins to finish what was started.’

  Livia frowned. ‘Hmmm. This is bad. Where’s Papia? Mater will want to know she’s safe.’

  ‘In Antiochia with family and her son by now. Appius was involved in all of this, too. We met up with him in Isthmia when we were trying to get Gali back.’

  At that moment, a tall, dark-haired man dressed as a Roman entered the roundhouse. He was a startlingly handsome man with blue eyes almost a bright as Leonis’. He came to his wife’s side quickly and kissed her forehead before taking the couch next to her and across the smouldering fire from them.

  ‘Well, this is this situation…’ and Livia very quickly summed up what she’d been told.

  ‘Nexus is handling things?’ Allyn asked, after he’d heard the whole story.

  ‘If you mean has he been drinking himself to death? Then, no, he’s pulled himself back from the brink. I think Galeria’s done a lot for him,’ Leonis said.

  Cyra looked at Leonis, surprised by what he’d said. She’d known Nexus had grieved for his lost love and that when they’d first met he’d been a soulless man, but she hadn’t realised just how bad he’d been.

  ‘I’m glad to hear it. He’s the best man I’ve ever known. Without him, neither Livia nor I would be where we are now. A man like that deserves to be happy.’

  Livia nodded in agreement and reached over to take her husband’s hand. ‘I just hope they make it here. Nexus is very capable but even he can’t stand up to the might of the Roman Empire alone.’

  ‘He’s done pretty well already. I’m sure he’ll get Galeria back here safely. After that it will be up to Livianna, I expect.’

  ‘Yes… My mother and her husband know the political world well. They’ll know what to do. Oh… oh…’

  Allyn looked over at his wife in consternation as her lovely face twisted in pain. ‘What?’

  ‘The baby… Allyn the baby’s coming, and fast. It’s coming fast. Send for Hathia… ohhhh…’ She grimaced as another sharp pain shot through her body.

  Allyn looked like he’d been shot by an arrow. His face was as white as the moon and just as stark. He jumped to his feet, yelling orders to the slaves inside the roundhouse. Then he was down on his knees in front of Livia, holding her hands tightly in his.

  ‘It’s all right, love. It’s all right. We better get you to the bed…’

  ‘Can I do anything?’ Cyra asked, coming to Livia’s side, too.

  ‘No, no. Thank you. Please, make yourselves at home. We don’t have slaves here. You are guests to us, although Mater will think differently… oh…’ Livia said, panting hard under the onslaught.

  As Allyn led his beloved wife away, Cyra felt a pang of envy. How she wished it were she who was about to bear Leonis a child. But even if that were possible, she would never feed a babe from her own body. It amazed her how much that thought hurt.

  Hand in hand, Leonis and Cyra went outside to find Gali and give the couple some privacy.

  15 August 82 CE, Durnonovaria Township, BRITANNIA

  Nexus helped Galeria down off the gangplank and then put her hand into the crux of his arm. It felt good to hold her at every opportunity.

  Since that day on Crete, the love he felt for this woman had been growing exponentially. It made him feel like a different man. Lighter and happier than he could ever remember being. Even though the future was still uncertain, he was determined to keep her with him. She was his life now.

  ‘Galeria!’ They heard a female voice cry out above the general noise of the small port. Galeria looked around for the owner of the voice, her face already split into a wide grin. It could only be Cyra.

  Sure enough, under an arm and between two hulking wharf-slaves, Cyra wriggled to reach them. Then she was running down the wooden dock toward them. Nexus let go of Galeria’s arm so she could fully embrace her friend, and as the girls cried, laughed and hugged each other repeatedly, he looked on with proud delight.

  She didn’t look like the shadow of a woman she’d been when they’d helped her escape in Ephesus. Now she’d blossomed into the beautiful, tranquil lady she was meant to be. She even wore her hair differently, loosening the tight knot she’d previously worn so that its natural waves surrounded her face.

  Looking at her sparkling grey eyes, glowing cheeks and the proudly uplifted chin, Nexus knew that his love was partly responsible for this remarkable transformation.

  ‘Oh, we’ve been so worried. We expected you sooner. We’ve been here six days! And Livianna and Caesar’s cousin have been working on our problem since they got back from Allyn’s father’s estate.’ Cyra gabbled excitedly.

  ‘We took the long way to avoid crossing paths with… you know.’ Galeria’s face lost a little of its happy glow, but then she moved on. ‘And we stayed a few days on Crete so I could regain my strength.’ The secret smile she sent his way made him grin. That was one way to describe what they’d done in those few days of bliss.

  Cyra must have caught the exchange because she grinned mischievously, too. ‘Galeria, you’re positively blooming. Have you been feasting?’

  Nexus wasn’t sure what she meant by that but it was clear Galeria did because she blushed deeply and two delightful dimples appeared in her pink cheeks. Her eyes twinkled even more brightly. Gods, she was beautiful!

  ‘Not Galeria anymore, and, yes, you could say that.’ Galeria, or Myschia as he was now trying to get used to calling her, wrapped her arm around his and rested her head on his shoulder. It was a gesture of possession and contentment and it made him feel even prouder.

  ‘I’ve been coming down here every day waiting for you. Leonis is collecting stores that just came in… there he is! Leonis!’ Cyra was waving her arm and yelling at the top of her voice. Nexus looked over the heads of the crowd and saw a familiar leonine head. In moments, the Dacian was at Cyra’s side. He was grinning broadly at the sight of them.

  ‘Thank, Bendis. We’ve been worried about you. Let’s get you to my mistress so she can tell you what they’ve decided,’ Leonis said as he put his arm around his happy lover. Cyra’s face told of the love that had so clearly continued to bloom between the two. Nexus was happy for them, although
he saw problems ahead for them, owned as they were by different people. But as one of them was Galeria and her plan was to free Cyra, he thought their problems weren’t insurmountable.

  As they made their way to the wagon, the women chattered on like magpies. Nexus used the time to take in the old town with new eyes. This was a place he’d spent nine months of his life drinking himself to death. Now it felt as if that had been someone else. That poor bastard had been so weighed down with useless guilt it was surprising he’d survived as long as he had.

  ‘Yes…’ came the whisper that he hadn’t heard since Antiochia. He didn’t bother looking around. He knew it was Niobe, and he now knew what she’d been trying to say to him all along. There was no need for guilt. She wanted him to be happy, and if this lovely woman gave him that happiness, then she was overjoyed.

  Love was not a fixed commodity, he was learning. It didn’t need to be apportioned out so one person got it all and another nothing. The more love you gave, the more there was to give.

  He’d loved four women in his life – each in a different way. Two of those women were now dead, but that didn’t mean he loved them less.

  Niobe was his first love and he would always regret they hadn’t had more time together. But regret was not the same as guilt and even that bitter-sweet emotion was offset now by the knowledge that she was still with him. Would always be with him.

  And his mother would always have a place in his heart forever, but his guilt over her death was now gone. He’d seen how a mother could react to the loss of her child, even after losing her husband and her whole life. A woman could survive that. Papia had survived that. His mother could have survived his assumed death. That she hadn’t was more about her than it was about him, he now realised.

  It didn’t make her wrong. There was no blame to be attributed to this tragic tale. Knowing his mother had been very like himself, it was likely she had somehow taken responsibility for his death and that unnecessary guilt was what had killed her. Just as his guilt had almost killed him. If not for Livia he would never have found a way to exorcise his ghosts so he could learn to live again.