GladiatorsAtonement by Amy Ruttan Page B

mistress?”
    Helena looked up to see the two hired guards her husband
paid to watch out for him. They were men of honor obviously because they were
concerned about her safety, though that was not part of their job.
    “I am fine, thank you. I’m just going to go into town before
it becomes too dark.”
    “Do you require an escort?” the guard asked, frowning. It
was then Thelonius stuck his fat head out the shuttered window.
    “Soldier, you will not leave your post. Helena is perfectly
able to go to town on her own. She is not the one who needs protecting.”
    A brief look of disgust passed over the guard’s face. “Yes,
master.”
    Thelonius glared at her before closing the shutter and
disappearing back into the dark confines of his bedchamber. Helena just shook
her head and continued on her way.
    She crept toward the alleyway and carefully peered around
the corner. A brief glimpse of a cloak disappeared around the corner of the
house. Helena could almost hear her father’s voice warning her.
    Be careful. Do not trespass in the city alone.
    Usually she wouldn’t, but something propelled her forward.
She kept to the wall, trying to remain in the shadows that grew longer as the
day waned. Her heart thundered between her ears, drowning out the sounds of the
city beyond the walls that enclosed her home from the rest of the city. She saw
a shift in the darkness, the sound of shuffling feet.
    “Who are you? Show yourself.” The only answer was silence,
but she knew there was someone there. “I will not leave until you show yourself
and explain your reason for hiding in my orchard.”
    “You’re either very brave, or very foolish.” A tall, hooded
man stepped from the shadows.
    Foolish. I am foolish.
    Helena placed her back against the wall to steady herself.
She was not prepared for a virtual giant of a man to emerge from the shadows.
He was tall and wide, built like a legionnaire.
    “Or perhaps you have nothing to live for.” He did not move
any further than the edge of the darkness that had concealed him. There was
something familiar about his voice, something teased at the back of her
recollection that she knew him. Leaning forward, she caught a flash of
brilliant blue from under the hood.
    “Eratos?” she asked, stunned. “Is it…can it be you? Truly?”
    He pushed back the hood, and though he was tanned, the
brilliant blue eyes and grim determination set in his strong jaw gave him away.
His long golden hair was still shorn away and new scars marred his face, but it
was Eratos.
    “You remember me,” he whispered.
    “Of course I do. I could never forget you.” Helena stepped
forward, his eyes piercing into her soul.
    “Aye, the same with me, anam cara .”
    The heat of a blush stained her cheeks. She did not know
what anam cara was, but it sent a thrill of excitement through her. “You
have learned my language and I am ashamed I don’t know yours.”
    A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “It is all right.
It is just an endearment. I am glad to see you are well.”
    “Well…as well as can be.” Letting out a sigh, she looked
back toward the villa and then turned back to Eratos. “I take it you are the
reason Thelonius has returned to Antioch to lick his wounds.”
    An evil grin broke across his face. “Aye, he flees from me.”
    “How did you escape?”
    “It is a long story, but suffice it to say I am here to seek
my revenge. I did not count on guards though.”
    Helena stepped forward, touching his arm. “You shall not
worry about them. They are not loyal to my husband. I will give you access to
him.”
    Eratos picked up her hand and brushed a kiss across her
knuckles. A burst of flames shot through her at the feel of his lips against
her skin. Her body seemed to come alive at the intimate touch, especially from
the man who had filled her fantasies for the last few years.
    “If there is anything I can do to repay you, I would gladly
do so.”
    Helena bit her lip. She could think of