In the Arms of a King (My Warrior Lover) Read Free Page A

cheek. ‘You are not one of them, Sabina. You are not tainted with the blood of battle. You are as innocent as anyone. You have already shown where your loyalty is. And now that you have committed yourself to me, I intend to put my trust in you.’
     
    ***
    When Sabina didn’t show up for breakfast, her mother wasn’t overly concerned. Her daughter was turning into a contrary young woman who was often difficult just for the sake of it. But then she herself had been no better at that age. She could recall her mother shouting at her regularly.
    ‘Portia, I don’t know what’s got into young people nowadays. You are so unco-operative. I’m sure I never gave my parents as much trouble as you do. You don’t seem to care about anyone except yourself and those awful boys who hang around the Forum…’
    And now she, Portia, was saying exactly the same things to her own daughter. She wondered if it would be like this for future generations. Maybe two thousand years from now, teenagers would still be arguing with their parents. No, surely not. People will be far more sensible by then. They would laugh if they knew how much trouble the Romans had with their kids. The only time Sabina seemed to talk to her was when she wanted to borrow money.
    Portia wasn’t particularly worried until Severus, the servant responsible for tutoring Sabina, asked to see her. He wanted to know if there was a reason why Sabina had failed to show up for her morning lessons, and whether he should expect her in the afternoon. That shook Portia a little, and she excused the domestic staff from their duties – sending them to search for Sabina instead.
    When lunchtime came around and there was still no sign of Sabina, she started to panic and went in search of her husband. Lucius was busy supervising the construction of new fortifications, and wasn’t best pleased at being disturbed. But when he heard that his daughter was missing, he called his soldiers to order and started issuing instructions. Within a few minutes, formal search parties were being sent out to cover the ground in a wide circle around the fort.
    Lucius Maximus stood and watched them leave with a heavy heart. He hoped to the Gods that Sabina would turn up and alive and well. The silly girl had probably gone off on a long walk with her friends, and would turn up laughing and apologizing. But with all those unruly savages out there, there was no telling what might happen. If she hadn’t been found by sundown, then things would be looking serious. He hoped against hope that she would return safely, whether of her own accord or under the direction of his soldiers.
    Lucius had spent his entire career serving the army in various parts of the Empire. He had done his duty for the Emperor in places as far flung as Egypt, Greece and France. He had baked in the desert, frozen in snowy wastelands and survived endless battles. With over twenty years of service under his belt, he knew he could look forward to one final soft posting back near home, and then a plot of land to retire to. He had been looking forward to that retirement for many years. But it would all be ruined if Sabina was not there to be part of it.
    Ever since she was born, Sabina had been the light of his life, eclipsing even his wife in his affections. He regretted having to spend so much time away from home, and all the days he had missed from her childhood. He had always expected to be able to make up for that in his retirement, and he was chilled to think his dreams could be destroyed.
    Lucius cursed himself for not ensuring that she was kept safely under supervision. One thing he knew. If something happened to his one and only daughter, the population of this cursed land would pay for it in spades.
    ***
    Blaine led Sabina down the mountain and through the heavily wooded valley below. Sabina was enchanted by the forest. It was all so different to the forests back in Rome – so much thicker, greener and more luxuriant. She