For a Roman's Heart

by Denise A. Agnew

  The man left, and Adrenia turned toward Terentius. His eyes were hard and unforgiving. “Did he hurt you?”

  “No.”

  She’d seen this side of him before, when he’d killed the man who tried to run at her with a knife the night her parents died. Still, when it transformed his face, she saw the hardness, the discipline, and a man capable of fighting to the death.

  “Never wander away like that again,” he said.

  She crossed her arms. “I did not wander away. I glanced at that woman’s cart and a herd of soldiers blocked my way. When they cleared, I couldn’t see you anywhere. That’s when the soldier grabbed my arm.”

  He drew in a deep breath. “What if they’d dragged you off before I saw what was happening?” His expression turned softer, his eyes mellowing. He sighed. “You are a small woman and very pretty. These soldiers can be unruly when they spot a woman. When I saw that brute with his hand around your arm...” His nostrils flared. “If he hadn’t released you...” The implication lay in his tone. He put his arm out. “Hold on to me. From now on, never leave my side when we are among soldiers.”

  His imperial tone piqued her rebellious side, but she slipped her hand over his bicep. “You told them I’m your wife.”

  “It’s better if they think you are.”

  Before she could retort, assert her independence in any fashion, he moved down the Via.

  Adrenia steered the question back to where they’d been earlier. “You seem worried. You’ve acted that way all day. Or as if you’re angry with me.”

  She felt his gaze on her but didn’t look his way. He cleared his throat. “You’re mistaken.”

  She knew he lied, and impulsiveness pushed her to continue. “Are you worried your commanders will be displeased because you haven’t found Sulla? What if Sulla left the area? How is such a man to be found?”

  It took her a second to realize he’d stopped on the Via.

  “Are you reading my thoughts?” he asked.

  “Not this time.” She smiled. “I never try to read thoughts. They sometimes just find me.”

  His frown entered his eyes, and anger tightened his mouth. “Whatever you do, do not say anything about your...your ability to see things while we are at this function.”

  Ire stiffened her spine. “Terentius, you know I would never do anything to embarrass you. Not...not intentionally. Would you rather I stay back?”

  “What?” His voice went sharper and more annoyed. “Of course not. I didn’t say that.”

  He strode forward again, and for a moment renewed irritation almost paralyzed her. She didn’t need him telling her what she could and couldn’t do. She’d hoped to escape this when her father and mother had died. Of course, he hadn’t answered her questions about his worries. Were all men this obtuse?

  When they reached Piso’s home, they stepped through a single, freestanding structure nearby another cluster of buildings. This one held a small atrium with a mosaic fish and dog motif on the floor. A soldier ushered them into the area beyond. The crowded room, which held about twenty-five people in a tight space, quieted as Terentius and Adrenia arrived. As all eyes stayed upon them, Adrenia’s fingers tightened over Terentius’s bicep. His presence comforted, but inquisitive stares penetrated Adrenia. She didn’t like it.

  Terentius walked toward a man who wore a blue cape, braid and fur as a part of his attire. Balding but still handsome, the man appeared many years older than Terentius.

  “Sir.” He bowed at the waist, and Adrenia did the same. “Thank you for inviting us into your home.”

  The man’s wide smile held an air of insincerity. “Terentius, how do you fair?”

  Terentius nodded. “Very well sir. May I introduce my wife, Adrenia.”

  The finely robed man bent at the waist. “My pleasure, ma’am.”

  Adrenia released Terentius’s arm and dipped at the waist. “Sir, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

  Piso’s dark eyes and swarthy complexion gave him an exotic look. Though he was shorter and less muscular than Terentius, his features were regular and handsome. His gaze landed on her hair—it still hadn’t grown out as much as she’d like, and this morning she’d fought with it for hours attempting to tame it.

  “I’m sure the pleasure is all mine,” Piso said. “Please partake of wine and food. There is plenty to go around.”

  Adrenia and Terentius circulated among the other guests, wine goblets in hand. Adrenia quickly discovered the men had nothing to say to her. The room grew stuffy, the food scents cloying. At one point a short man took Terentius’s attention, and Adrenia wandered to another corner of the room.

  “Why hello, Adrenia. Fancy meeting you here, all dressed like a proper lady.”

  She couldn’t mistake the viper-sharp female voice. Oh, no. No. She didn’t want to see or speak with Cordia. She turned and confronted the younger woman. Elaborate didn’t describe Cordia’s dress quite well enough. Her beautiful hair, designed in artful coils and ringlets, held a weave of shiny, thin thread that shimmered like gold. It probably was gold.

  Cordia’s smile approached a self-satisfied smirk. “I see you’ve found your place as Terentius’s concubine.”

  Taken off guard by the insult, Adrenia didn’t speak.

  “Come now, Adrenia. Have you lost your tongue?” Cordia asked.

  The answer came out of nowhere, precise and with a droll, bored tone. “Apparently not, if I’m Terentius’s favored concubine.” Adrenia couldn’t repress a smile. “What’s the matter, Cordia. Lost your tongue?”

  Adrenia started to turn away, when Cordia caught her arm. Cordia’s face went red as her lips parted. The younger girl’s face filled with restrained fury. “You think you’ll get away with stealing him from me? I’ll have him back after you’re dead. I’ve put a curse on you. Your weavings will crumble, your food taste like wood shavings. Terentius will never make you his official wife. After he sees that you can’t bear him a child, he’ll turn to a real woman like me.”

  Adrenia trembled inside, but she’d be damned if she’d show it. “Release me.”

  Cordia snatched her hand away, as if Adrenia’s skin burned her flesh. The girl stalked away. Adrenia tried to throw off the trauma of dealing with the spiteful girl, but it dug deep inside her and refused to diminish. She searched around until she saw Capito and Longa.

  Longa left her husband’s side and came toward her, hands outstretched. “My dear, how are you?”

  Adrenia smiled, though she wanted to scream that she hated this gathering. “I’m fine. And you?”

  Longa tipped forward so she could talk lower and Adrenia could still hear. “Dreadful.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Capito says there is an excellent chance he’ll be sent to Germania within a month or less.”

  Adrenia clasped her newfound friend’s hand a little harder. “Germania. So far away?”

  “Indeed.” Longa’s eyes, normally clear and cheerful, lacked liveliness.

  “Why would they send him away from the fort?”

  “Marcus Aurelius continues to fight barbarians within the region.” Longa released her grip on Adrenia’s hand. She fiddled almost nervously with the palla that fell to her shoulders. “Capito says the fighting will progress and war against barbarians is long and expensive. The legions chew up and spit out soldiers with great regularity.”

  “Oh, no.” Adrenia couldn’t keep the words from slipping out. “That means Terentius...”

  “It could. Perhaps you should ask him if he has heard anything.”

  Adrenia longed for the goblet of wine she left on the table. Anything to dull the horrific thought of Terentius leaving her and traveling into battle. “Now isn’t a good time for me to ask him anything.”

  “Oh, dear. Did you fight?”

  Adrenia kept her voice low and modulated. “No.” She changed emphasis. “That means Capito could be gone a long time.”

  “Most likely.”

  “Oh, Lon
ga. I’m so sorry.”

  “Our work together at the shop will keep me occupied. I will be all right,” Longa said.

  “Sorry about what?” Terentius asked, handing Adrenia her once abandoned wine goblet.

  She drank a sip before answering. “Longa says Capito might be sent to Germania.”

  Terentius kept his voice low. “I knew that. He told me recently.”

  Longa’s eyes flashed. “Before he told me, apparently.”

  Terentius slipped his hand around Adrenia’s upper arm. “I have something I need to tell you. Could we speak over here?”

  Longa smiled. “Don’t worry. You have your privacy.”

  Tight-lipped and grim, Terentius watched Longa slip away.

  When he didn’t speak right away, Adrenia asked, “Is something wrong?”

  “In a way, yes. I should have told you this the other night...”

  Humor sparked inside her, and she placed her hand on his chest and gazed with adoring intent into his eyes. “You were distracted the other night.”

  His mouth tilted up at one corner, his eyes warming with remembrance. Goddess, she loved that expression. Her body reacted by rote, heating to his and recalling the passion they’d shared.

  He cleared his throat. “I was distracted, but now I’m all business. Capito isn’t the only one leaving for Germania.”

  It didn’t take a seer to guess who he meant. Her heart sank, her body feeling twice as heavy, filled with desolation. She couldn’t contain the horrific scene rising inside like a black wave roaring in from the ocean.

  Terentius and Victor stood clad in helmets, mail armor, their swords at the ready as they formed and arranged the soldiers around them for battle. Tall trees soared on all sides and guarded the dark places. In the distance the huge opposition army built its ranks. They clattered their shields and pushed their swords into the sky, shouted taunts and obscenities. The maneuvers and the arrangement of the soldiers on both sides meant nothing to her. She smelled fear in their sweat; some men knew this would be their last battle. Others, like Terentius and Victor, refused to allow fear to bend their will. Terentius and Victor moved forward to lead the troops. Ballistae shot stone projectiles and flaming objects to torment the barbarian hoard. Catapultae hurtled bolts into the enemy’s ranks, and men in pain screamed. Adrenia shivered as the vision came sharper. Her heart pounded as the vision grew in intensity. Men, horses and swords clashed. Pilum pierced shield and then flesh. Lancea flew through the air and impaled. Gladii cut and thrust. Stark fear rose in her throat as a huge man charged toward Terentius. Terentius held his spatha ready to cut and slash. Another barbarian swung his stone ax at Victor and caught him in the ribs, sending Victor down with a guttural cry. As two men advanced on Terentius, she knew he could not cut down both of them.

  A cry ripped from Adrenia before she could stop it. “No! Terentius!”

  The room silenced, and all eyes turned toward her and Terentius. Terentius released her arm.

  Longa and Capito headed through the crowd toward them. Adrenia’s cheeks grew warm with embarrassment. Would Terentius suffer for her folly? For a vision she didn’t understand and that filled her with terror? Whispering and strange looks followed, and Adrenia turned away from the curious faces. Terentius’s mouth hardened with disapproval, his eyes flashing.

  “Is something amiss?” Capito asked as he arrived at their side with his wife.

  Longa put her arm around Adrenia. Her expression accused Terentius. “She’s shaking.”

  Terentius heaved a long breath. “Everything is fine. Adrenia, we’re done here for this evening.”

  “But...the night has just started. I—”

  “We’re done now.” He took her arm, and though he wasn’t rough, the command in his voice and touch said there would be no argument.

  Terentius walked away toward his host, made apologies and told him his wife was ill.

  “My dear, what happened?” Longa asked as she steered Adrenia to the atrium and away from prying eyes filled with varying degrees of pity, curiosity, and even contempt.

  When they left earshot of the crowd, Adrenia managed a short accounting of what she’d seen. Longa knew Adrenia had visions, but Longa had never witnessed them.

  Adrenia pulled her palla over her hair. “Terentius is very displeased.”

  Longa squeezed her shoulder. “I would say so. Capito looked none too happy.”

  “I saw it, Longa. Terentius and Victor are in great danger if they go to Germania. So is Capito.”

  Longa straightened, eyes filled with anxiety. “What did you see? Was Capito hurt?”

  Adrenia shrugged, a heavy weariness now lying upon her shoulders. “I don’t know. Victor was hit and Terentius...”

  “Oh, my.” Longa’s lips thinned. “This is grave indeed.”

  “Then you believe me?”

  Longa nodded. “I do.”

  Terentius stepped into the atrium in short order, his cheeks suffused with color. He bowed toward Longa. “Good day, ma’am. We make for home.”

  Terentius took her arm again, and she trotted along beside him for quite some time without speaking. Terentius’s displeasure was as dark as the night. Light flickered from torches along the walls, but the black weight in her heart couldn’t be illuminated. Deciding she’d say nothing until they reached his quarters, Adrenia hoped she could salvage her relationship with him. When they reached his quarters and went inside, he didn’t speak.

  She watched him anxiously as she stood in the center of the room. She slipped the palla from her head and looped it over a chair back. “Terentius? I had a terrible vision. If I could have controlled seeing it, I would have.”

  He removed his clothes item by item, each important symbol and battle-scarred piece. He remained silent while he sat on his bed and took off his boots. Before long his beautiful body stood naked before her. His cock lay semi-erect between his legs—not something she expected.

  He strolled around the room as if she did not exist, and her anger drove her to respond. “If you are angry with me, just say so. Your silences are infuriating.”

  He found a wine krater and poured some into a goblet. “I am angry. I thought we agreed there would not be visions, no scenes.”

  “My visions are not controllable.”

  He strode across the floor until he stood right in front of her in naked glory. Despite the irritation radiating from him, she couldn’t ignore how his maleness affected her. Her pulse raced and her breathing quickened.

  “Then why did you tell me you could control them?”

  Failure rose up and swallowed her, a sense she’d ruined whatever chance she might have for acceptance as a centurion’s woman. “I didn’t say that exactly. I promised to try and be...suitable tonight.”

  He gulped his wine. “When you heard I was going to Germania this so-called vision just appeared?”

  “Visions come whether I want them or not. I saw a battle scene. You were there with Capito and Victor and fought against a large force. I sense terrible danger for all of you.” Impulsively she clasped his forearm with both hands. “Don’t go to Germania.”

  Though she expected his animosity to continue, some of its potency drained from his eyes. He handed her the wine goblet. She took a grateful sip and it soothed her tight throat.

  “I know you too well to question the accuracy of your visions,” he said. “Be that as it may, we leave for Germania within a day. Tomorrow will be taken up by preparations. After tomorrow night I will not...we won’t see each other for months.”

  Brutal knowledge sent a shockwave of hurt piercing deep. The news shouldn’t have blindsided her, but it did. She should have known this could happen. She twisted her fingers together as her body went cold.

  Her voice trembled as she spoke. “It is October, and winter has come. They can’t send you on a campaign.”

  His eyes snapped with impatience. “It will take some weeks to reach our destination. By that time the first stirrings of spring may
arrive. Then there is preparation before battle.”

  Her throat tightened further. “I... I am sorry I disrupted the event tonight. I regret it deeply. If I could change it, I would.”

  When his expression remained icy and remote, every bad thing she had ever thought about herself came to a head. Dignity she hoped to hold onto dissolved under his censure. Losing his affection wounded more than she could have imagined. She turned away and hung her head. Before he could react, she headed for the door and had it part of the way open before his big hands slapped down on the door and shut it.

  “No,” he said. “Please.”

  She turned around and found her back against the door, his arms caging her. “Would you make me be a prisoner, just like I was in my father’s home?”

  His gaze boiled, but not so much with fury as with a feral strength that screamed animal desire. “Of course not.” His voice went hoarse, a sexual nuance threaded through every vowel. His lips touched her forehead. “It’s dangerous out there. If you went out alone, I’d fear for you.” His voice softened to a husky, compelling whisper. “Your safety is everything to me.”

  Her heart melted a little. So he did still care. At the thought of him leaving, her heart returned to a dull, throbbing beat.

  Terentius cupped the back of her neck, his eyes retaining an untamed ardor. Unspoken words hung between them, and for her part, she couldn’t force them past her lips. She feared and ached for his touch. His chest heaved up and down as if he’d taken a long run. As he tilted his head and moved in closer, excitement moved in her heart and body.

  He kissed her with ferocious passion. Adrenia’s arms went around his neck, and she returned his compelling embrace with exhilaration. Wine flavored his mouth and tongue.

  He drew back quickly. “I believe your visions, Adrenia, but you must restrain yourself from showing them in public.”

  She almost pulled from his arms. “I did not lie to you. I can’t control my visions. They come when and where they will.”

  Caught between anger and surging passion, she strained against his touch, and he held her tighter. “You don’t understand. If men in power at this fort learn about your visions and decide they are true, they’ll want to use you. Or their superstitions will require that they ostracize you. Their wives will fear that you want their husbands for your own. No god, not even Jupiter or Mars, will save you. The mob that attacked and killed your mother and father would seem small and petty in comparison. Don’t let your foreknowledge be your death.” His eyes looked tormented. “I could not bear it if anything happened to you.”