None of them had homes to return to. Their families were gone. Their friends were gone. And yet, they spoke as if they imagined a future without the blood-thirsty arena. A life as free men.
In return, she cautiously told them about her life. For some reason, her wealth and privilege made her feel embarrassed after all they had been through. And yet, they never once made her feel bad for it.
At night as they crowded around her, they would ask her to tell them stories. They all agreed that her voice brought them sweet dreams. So, she told them about Godeis. It was a small town ruled by her father, located on the coast.
She had only visited it a few times as a child, but it was her favorite place to be. With rolling hills of green, a sea overflowing with fish, a little manor, and the kindest people she’d ever met, it was her dream to live their one day. But she imagined since it was so far from the capital, that her father, or future husband, would never allow it.
The gladiators grumbled at that, and she realized with a strange giddiness that they were jealous of the idea of her with another man. For some reason, their reaction warmed her heart. Because, somehow, a future without them was starting to sound empty. Wrong. But there was no world she could imagine where they could all be together in peace and happiness.
Still, her warriors were right, speaking of their lives even brought her sweet dreams.
On the fourth morning after her injury, she rose with Orestes, feeling more like herself than she had in a long time.
“Does your back still hurt?” he whispered, washing her hair gently in the hot spring.
She winced as the warm water struck her back. “Only a little.”
He pressed a soft kiss to her neck. “It will be better soon.”
Leaning her back, he washed the strange smelling soap from her hair, and she stared up at his beautiful face. There was something so kind about it. Like he had a face meant for laughing.
But after all he has been through, being captured from his home, knowing that his wife and child were killed, I imagined he hasn’t had much time for laughing.
I hope I can fix that one day.
When he brought her back up, she kissed him lightly on the lips.
“What was that for?”
She stared down at her hands. “I just… I wish that I could remain with all of you forever. But not like this. I wish I could bring you into my world.”
He smirked. “My sweet Lana, a love like ours would never be allowed in your world.”
Love?
Her heart ached. “It’s unfair.”
Touching her chin, he forced her gaze up. “We cannot control the rain, but we can make preparations so that we aren’t caught in it.”
Frowning, she shook her head. “What does that mean?”
He opened his mouth, but Damon spoke, splashing into the water beside them. “He means that there are many things we can’t control, like the rain, but there are things we can do.” Moving behind her, he ran a hand lightly along the back of her neck. “And your warriors are doing everything within their control.”
For the first time since her injury, she felt her body heating up. The two men were surrounding her, and she liked the feeling. Orestes seemed to sense her need too, because he adjusted her in his lap so that she was straddling him. His clear arousal pressed into her belly as he lowered her onto his legs.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, all traces of humor gone from his voice.
“Good enough,” she whispered.
Damon reached from behind her to gently cradle her breasts, and then his thumbs rubbed her hard peaks, drawing a breathless moan from her lips. Orestes captured her mouth, his kiss hard and demanding.
She spread her lips, shifting closer to him as his tongue swept into her mouth.
One of his hands slid down between them, and his fingers brushed her womanhood. An unexpected whimper slipped from her lips, and she rocked against his fingers, feeling her core heating up.
From behind her, Damon rubbed the tip of his shaft against her ass. His hold on her breasts tightening.
Damon’s twin, Elias, spoke from beside them. “Gods damn it. How can one woman be so sexy?”
She opened her eyes and stared at him. For some reason the tortured, aroused note to his voice took her arousal up a notch. Reaching beneath the waters, she captured his hard shaft and began stroking. He cursed.
On her other side, Hesperos spoke. “Should she really be doing this today? We agreed she needed to heal before—“
She grasped his shaft beneath the waters, satisfied when he groaned and clutched the side of the bathing pool. He looked like a man desperately fighting for control. The large, mostly quiet man, always seemed cold to the world around him. She loved the idea that she was bringing him to his knees.
Quite literally.
Orestes grasped her ass and pulled her closer, gently entering her womanhood. Inch by inch he lowered her down onto him. His large shaft squeezed inside of her… so big, and yet so perfect.
I’ve missed this.
Behind her, Damon pinched her nipples harder, and a shudder ran through her body. Both her hands pumped the two men beside her faster, and she was thrilled when Damon’s hands left her breasts to part her ass cheeks. He entered her slowly, cautiously, but she was no longer afraid of what would come next.
The sensation of both men inside of her at the same time was so, so good. Almost unreal. And she knew what it would bring.
As they began to work together, sliding in and out of her almost as one, she felt her orgasm building. When Orestes lowered his mouth and began to suck her nipples, she cried out, pumping the cocks in her hands harder. She bounced on the shafts inside her, making both the men curse at the same time.
And then, she cried out as her orgasm swept her under.
She was sure she was swearing, all kinds of words that a lady shouldn’t say. But in that moment, she was not a lady. She was a woman. And she was enjoying every second of the ripples running over her body. Every feeling of her womanhood and ass clenching the too-big cocks inside her. And when the men began to explode, one after another, she enjoyed the knowledge that she alone had made them come.
Collapsing against Orestes, she dropped the two shafts and snuggled against her warrior.
“I wish this moment could last forever,” she whispered.
Behind her, Damon stroked her thighs, still buried deep inside her. “If you were still a lady, you would only wish to be free of us.”
Not opening her eyes, she told him the truth. “I wanted all of you before I was given to you. And I’ll want all of you long after. In my dreams, I imagine that I could be with my warriors forever. That you would all be mine.”
Orestes and Damon stiffened, and she felt the air in the room shift.
Sitting up, she frowned, feeling suddenly vulnerable. “Did I say something wrong?”
Orestes held her gaze. “What if we could find a way to be together? Not as slaves, but as free people?”
Then, we would all be dead and in some perfect heaven. “If only.”
Tobias spoke over the strained silence. “Time to eat and practice.”
Her warriors moved away from her, and they climbed out of the waters, dried themselves, and dressed.
While they were eating, it suddenly hit her. The reason for the tension.
Tomorrow was arena day. Her warriors would be fighting. And every battle meant a chance that they’d forfeit their lives.
That day before practice, she kissed each of them gently, as if she was saying goodbye. And then with stiff limbs, she tried her best to keep herself busy tidying up until they returned to her.
Tonight, she wanted their night together to be special.
Just in case.
Chapter Four
Lana lay, unable to sleep. Every one of her gladiators had turned her down for sex that night. It made no sense to her.
Perhaps it’s a superstition. No sex before battle?
But as she
blinked back unwanted tears, she sensed that something had changed. None of the big warriors slept with her before the fire. All of them milled about in their tiny, individual rooms. What were they doing that was so important?
She wanted to demand they explain to her exactly what was happening, but instead she gave them the space they seemed to need.
When she heard someone in her room, she didn’t look up. Instead, she stared at the flames of the fire, trying to bury her feelings of sadness, uncertainty, and rejection. She had no right to be upset. After all, they were the ones fighting for their lives in the morning.
“Lana?” Adonis moved to block her view of the dancing flames.
She looked up at him as he set items down in front of her. “Yes?”
“It’s time to get dressed.”
She frowned, sitting up and looking at the items for the first time. There was a pair of sandals, a slave dress, and a metal dagger. “What is this?”
“Get dressed,” he repeated. “Quickly. There isn’t much time.”
The nervousness in his voice made her launch into action. She took off her scratchy tunic and put on the tan dress that came to her knees. Then, she laced the sandals, which were only a tad too big, up her thighs, and tied them into place. In the meantime, Adonis had packed her other items in a small bag.
“Are we running away?” she asked, almost afraid to ask.
They’ll find us. There’s a massive desert between us and the next town, leaving nowhere to hide from the guards.
Or we’ll simply die out there.
He shook his head.
She opened her mouth to ask another question, when the city’s alarm bell began ringing.
He grabbed her arm, hauling her down the dirt hall. Ahead of them, the door to their prison opened.
“What’s happening?” she asked, shouting above the bells.
The gladiators surged forward, but Adonis shouted above the sound. “The rebellion has begun.”
~Lana and her warriors could never be together in their world. But what if everything is about to change forever? Find out in: The Gladiators’ Love.”
A Note From The Author
If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. Your reviews help other readers find my work. They’re also a great way for me to learn what my readers want to read more or less of. I have so many ideas for stories, that if one series isn’t gaining a lot of interest, I’ll move on to another one.
Thank you for reading this story from my heart,
~Lacey Carter Andersen
About the Author
Lacey's goal is to write short romances and erotica romances that make your heart pound. She strives for stories with creative worlds, sexy characters, and plots that are fun to follow. In her free time... well, she doesn't have a lot of free time. But in her mind, one day Lacey hopes to travel the world and enjoy a beach or two. Maybe even sleep in every once in awhile.
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The Gladiators' Salvation Page 2