Mark of Mars

by Juliet Anderson

  “I can easily leave the city for a few days. It would be for the best.”

  “Absolutely not. You will be given a safe place to stay until this is over. We might need you to identify the conspirators.”

  Marcus headed to the study door and admitted Senator Aurelius. How the hell did he know his father was here, Jenna thought. The man must have amazing hearing.

  Aurelius rushed in and took hold of Jenna’s hands. “I hear you have had quite a night, young one.”

  Jenna smiled. “It’s been eventful.” She was curious. Marcus had only left her side to get dressed, so how on earth could Aurelius know what had occurred? She was too tired to give it much thought.

  “My family will provide you with the necessary protection, Jenna,” Marcus announced.

  “It is really not…..”Jenna started to protest.

  “It’s not a matter up for debate, young lady,” Aurelius spoke sternly. “You are to stay with us until these trouble makers are caught.”

  Jenna glanced at Marcus who was wearing a particularly smug expression. She was not going to be that accommodating. “By staying with you, I would only be putting your family in danger.”

  “Very few people know that Marcus is my son and no-one will guess you are staying with us.”

  “I need to get a message to both temples as they will be worried for my safety.”

  “I will take care of that as soon as you are safely with my father.” Marcus took hold of her shoulders and looked her full in the eyes. “I can only do what I do best when I know you are out of danger. Please do this, for my peace of mind.”

  His voice was so full of concern, his eyes pleading, Jenna did not have the strength or will to fight. Perhaps they were right, she would be safer with Senator Aurelius. “Very well, I will go but on one condition only.” Both Marcus and Aurelius looked at her in surprise. They were two Roman powerhouses and this diminutive temple handmaiden was making demands.

  “What is the condition?” Marcus asked cautiously.

  “I know where the ambush is to take place and I can identify the Praetorian conspirator. I want to be there.”

  “Out the question, it is far too dangerous,” Marcus grunted.

  “Those are my terms,” she stared him down.

  “Fine,” Aurelius conceded. “You will have your way.”

  Marcus scowled at his father, clearly in disagreement. Jenna smiled triumphantly.

  “Can you give me a moment, father?” Marcus asked.

  “I will wait in the atrium.” Aurelius swept out the room.

  Marcus put his hand under her chin and gently tilted her head up so she had no choice but to stare into those wonderful black eyes. She felt she could quite happily drown in them.

  “My family will look after you well. They are aware that your safety is of paramount importance to me, Jenna.” He brushed his mouth over hers lightly.

  “Have you ever thought that I might worry about your safety?” Jenna murmured.

  He slipped his arms around her. “You have nothing to be concerned about, I will be fine. Although it pleases me to hear you care.”

  An interesting thought crossed Jenna’s mind. “Does Brutus live at home?” she teased lightly.

  “No,” Marcus grunted and kissed her with a little more force. “And if he even thinks about coming near you, I will castrate him.”

  As their kiss deepened, Jenna was suddenly overcome by a wave of tiredness which washed over her so quickly everything went black.

  CHAPTER 24

  Gaius had been pacing half the night. They had a missing student. This was the Institute’s worst nightmare. Luke had explained what had happened in the Via Lata, and Gaius could not blame him for Jenna taking off. But now she hadn’t been seen since dusk and it was heading towards dawn. Had she made it to the Marshall’s villa as Luke said was her intention? And if so, what the hell had he done with her. Or worse, if she hadn’t made it, Gaius didn’t even want to think about that.

  He had decided to wait until first light before calling in McVale’s security team to activate Jenna’s locator; that was if she was still wearing her wrist band. There was no point alerting them any earlier as they wouldn’t be able to move until morning.

  A noise at the front of the temple caught his attention. He never thought he’d say it, but he was relieved to see Marshall Vilnus appear from between the columns.

  He rushed over to him. “You have Jenna?”

  The Marshall nodded. “Yes, she is quite safe.”

  “Will you take me to her?”

  “That is not possible. She is out of harm’s way and I need to keep it that way.”

  “Jenna must be returned to her people.” Gaius tried to square up to the Marshall but he was not to be intimidated.

  “Are you aware of what she witnessed?”

  “Yes. That is why I need her to return to Arula. For her own safety.”

  “We need Jenna on hand to identify the conspirators, if necessary. After they have been caught, she will be at liberty to resume her duties at Apollo’s temple.”

  Gaius was feeling very uncomfortable. The Marshall had quite openly shown his interest in Jenna, and now he had her virtually captive. Surprisingly the Marshall picked up on his discomfort.

  “I will not harm, Jenna. Of that you have my word, Gaius.” He turned to leave then stopped. “Will you advise her temple that she is safe and will return after the conspirators have been caught?”

  “I will.”

  He watched the Marshall leave with a sinking feeling. Would he ever get Jenna back?

  Jenna awoke to sun streaming in through the window. She yawned and stretched out in the comfortable bed. She sat up suddenly glancing around the room in panic before remembering where she was. She slipped out the covers and padded over to the window. From what she could see, the sun looked high in the sky; it must be close to midday. She could not believe she had slept so late.

  She glanced around the room. Some kind soul had left a robe and other items on a chair for her. She looked down at the slip she was wearing, she couldn’t actually remember changing into it. She peeked through the door adjoining her bedroom, a bath was waiting for her. Keen to clean up quickly before seeing Aurelius and Claudia, Jenna had a quick wash. The joy of having an en-suite.

  A short while later she emerged refreshed and ready to face her hosts. She met Claudia out in the peristyle.

  “My dear, I am glad to see you up and about. You were quite exhausted when Aurelius brought you back.”

  Jenna actually had no recollection of leaving Marcus’s villa. She remembered kissing Marcus in his study and then everything after that was a complete blank. She was sure it would come back to her eventually.

  “I hope I am not inconveniencing you staying here,” Jenna felt quite awkward.

  Claudia flapped her hand. “No at all, Jenna. We promised Marcus we would look after you well, and we will.” She indicated for Jenna to sit next to her. “Come sit and eat. I understand you have not had a thing for a while.”

  Jenna’s stomach gave a loud growl in agreement. She selected some sweet bread and figs and ate them hungrily. “Have you heard anything from Marcus today?”

  Claudia gave her a warm smile. “He is fine, you have no reason to fret.”

  “Actually it is more tonight I am worried about.”

  “Marcus is exceptional at what he does, Jenna. He will come to no harm, of that I can assure you.”

  “Do you know if he spoke to my temple?”

  “Yes. Your friends are well aware you are safe, although they do not know where you are staying. It is better for all that your location is not revealed.”

  Jenna chewed on her sweet bread. She felt a complete bundle of nerves. She was worried for the Emperor, Marcus, Amelia and Luke. Now perhaps she had put Senator Aurelius and his family in danger. “I still think it would have been safer for everyone if I had left Rome for a while.”

  “That was never an option,” Claudia smile
d. “Now tell me more about your life. How a young orphaned girl can turn into such a courageous young woman.”

  “I am not particularly courageous. Stubborn and opinionated are more how I would describe myself.”

  “Are you used to speaking your mind?”

  “Very much so. There is no censorship in Arula.”

  “What of your schooling?”

  “I lived at the school during the term time. After my parents died, instead of returning home for the holidays, I tended to spend time at friends’ houses.”

  “Did your parents not leave you your house?”

  “Yes. But a child cannot live on their own until they are at least sixteen.”

  “Did you not have servants or slaves?”

  Jenna shook her head. “Slavery was abolished a long time ago in Arula. I have a housekeeper, but as she was not my legal guardian, she could not take responsibility for me.”

  “So how does a young lady fill her days in Arula?”

  “I liked to spend a lot of my time outdoors, riding in particular. I am also a fan of unarmed combat and studied fighting skills from the Orient.”

  Arianna appeared from the shadows. “Did you say unarmed combat?”

  “Yes.” Jenna liked Marcus’ sister, their characters were not dissimilar.

  “Tell me more.” Arianna flopped down on some cushions next to Jenna.

  Jenna did her best to explain the basic principles of judo, karate and kick-boxing. Arianna listened to her in fascination.

  “I would very much like to see some of it in practice. You say you can throw a man almost double your size?”

  Jenna resisted the urge to tell her she’d actually thrown Marcus. “Supply me with a man and a room, preferably with some padding on the floor, and I would be happy to demonstrate some moves.”

  “Arianna, Jenna is our guest. She should not be subjected to your idle curiosity,” Claudia reproached her daughter.

  “It is of no bother,” Jenna waved a hand dismissively. “I enjoy practicing my art.”

  Arianna jumped to her feet and pulled Jenna up. “I know just the place for this.”

  Jenna followed her into a large room which was lined with swords and other weapons, very similar to the one in Marcus’ villa. She barked at a servant and soon had reed matting laid on the floor. She beckoned a slim, young man forward. “Will he do?”

  “Please,” Jenna rolled her eyes. “I want someone a little larger.”

  “Very well.” She went to the door and passed on a few instructions. A couple of minutes later, two very burly men appeared. “These fine specimens are part of our household security. Will they suffice?”

  A wide grin spread across Jenna’s face. “Perfect.” She looked down at her dress; if she was going to show off her skills to their best, she needed unrestricted movement. She took a dagger from the wall and slit the sides of her robe to mid-thigh.

  “I’ll try and not to break anyone’s nose, but I’m not making any promises.” She looked at the two men. “In your own time, come at me.” She beckoned them forward.

  Arianna watched in complete awe as Jenna threw the two men in turn to the ground with the greatest of ease. Each time they got up and came at her, she put them back down, either with a throw, a blinding kick to the head or some other fascinating move. What made it even more of astounding was that she wasn’t even trying to hurt them; had she been fighting in earnest, they probably would not have made it past attempt number two.

  She stepped in after a while to stop any further damage to her men. They had suffered enough.

  “Would you be willing to each me some of those moves?” she asked Jenna.

  “I would make a poor teacher. You need to find a master of the arts to train you.” Jenna was very much aware that only a true professional could teach martial arts.

  Arianna slipped her arm through Jenna’s and led her out the room back to the peristyle. “Come, I think you have earned yourself a drink. Then you can tell me what your intentions are towards my brother.”

  Jenna felt the colour surge through her cheeks. “I take it we’re talking about Marcus?”

  “Of course.”

  “It’s usually a question one asks a man, not a woman.”

  “I know. But it’s fun to get a woman’s perspective.”

  Jenna sighed lightly. “I like your brother. A lot.” She flopped down on some cushions and sipped on her peach juice. “He is different from any man I have met before.”

  “But you have not had much experience with men?”

  “Enough to know that most are toads,” Jenna grunted.

  Arianna laughed. “Such perception from one so young. Do you plan to become his lover?”

  Jenna choked on her juice. “I…..” She really did not know how to answer that one.

  “Sorry, was I too blunt?” Arianna looked anything but apologetic.

  “A little.” Jenna blushed furiously.

  “And?” Arianna was not going to let her off the hook.

  “The attraction is there, but as my stay in Rome is only temporary, I think that is unlikely to happen.”

  “Why can you not make this your permanent home?”

  “Because I have a life back in Arula which I must return to one day.”

  “And you really have to return?”

  “Yes. It is a commitment I made. Rome is temporary.” Saying it hurt more than she would have thought. Could she really return to life in the twenty-first century when she felt more at home in the past?

  “How do you feel about abduction?” Arianna’s eyes twinkled mischievously.

  “Abduction of whom?”

  “Yourself, of course. How would you feel if Mars abducted you?”

  “I’m sure I’d give the God of War the same grief as I would any other man who tried something so low.” After she’d run her hands over that gorgeous body, she giggled to herself.

  Arianna chuckled. She’d inadvertently said Mars’ name but it did not matter. The question was still worth posing. “But if Marcus were to steal you away, surely you’d get to be with him and your people could not send you home.”

  “Much I would want to be with him, he would have taken away my freedom to choose.”

  And that was what Arianna liked about Jenna. She wanted to live life on her terms, not under the dictate of a man.

  CHAPTER 25

  Amelia was a bundle of nervous energy. She was worried for Jenna. Gaius had tried to assure her the Marshall had her somewhere safe and well protected, but she was concerned just the same. This was an ancient land and they did not operate under the same code of conduct that she and Jenna were used to.

  A flash of red at the front of the temple caught her attention. Augustus was outside. She ran to meet him.

  He gave her a blistering smile. “What have I done to get such a warm welcome?”

  Of course, he didn’t know about Jenna. And she couldn’t say anything. “I have missed you. The Marshall must have been keeping you busy.”

  He took her hand and held it for a few seconds. “He has asked me to escort you wherever you need to go today as I gather Jenna is not here.”

  “How kind of him,” Amelia sighed appreciatively. The Marshall might have taken her friend captive, but at least he had handed over her favourite centurion in return. “I’ll just get my wrap and then we can go feed the street children.”

  They walked along in silence for a while until Augustus eventually spoke. “You seem unduly agitated today. Is it something to do with Jenna’s absence?”

  “She has had to leave the city for a few days. I miss her.”

  “Perhaps I can fill the void in some way.”

  Amelia made the mistake of looking up into his rather handsome face. He was too cute for his own good. “What do you propose, Centurion?”

  He pulled her into the shadows and up against the wall of a building. “I could attempt to distract you,” he murmured, running his mouth seductively along her jaw line and around to h
er ear.

  “And if that doesn’t work?” she breathed.

  “Oh, I think it’s working,” he groaned huskily. “At least for me it is.”

  Amelia slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. He was quite delectable. He held her tight against him, running his hand down her back and cupping her butt. Red flares starting to go off in Amelia’s head. Stop now before this goes too far. She wasn’t ready to give herself totally to him.