Page 62 of Gladiator's Captive
“Do not worry about my men, Rager. Ry is a good man, but he is no leader. He is the one who put your name forward.” A deadly shine spread over Sayk’s eyes. “You, Muharib, have the heart it takes to lead men to victory. Or to their deaths, if we’re wrong.”
Yes, I had. I led my men to battle once, sharing their fate. I would do it again, but this time, I would make no mistake.
Serena’s very life depended on it.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
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Serena
Days passed, turning into a week. Rager worked for Sayk as an enforcer, but I knew there was more to it than he let on. He disappeared for long hours, returning with tension rippling down his body.
The sex was as good as always, though. No matter how long he worked, he found the energy to make love to me like this was both the first and the last night we would spend together.
I was in love. Desperately, completely in love.
The early hours of the morning were upon us, but our private quarters were bathed in liquid, total darkness. Rager slept at my side, his large body radiating a comforting heat and I snuggled closer. My fingers ran in the soft, short fur along his spine and I allowed the contact to chase the terrors of the night away.
No matter how peaceful the days, the nightmares still plagued my nights. Dreams of Arenius, coming back to claim me; of Rager, sent to the arena to die in front of my horrified eyes. This night had been no different and I lay awake, comforting myself in Rager’s embrace, his large, heavy arm around me like a shield.
It’s just a dream. No one will come for me here.
A sharp knock on the door had me jolt upright in the darkness. My heartbeat instantly increased to a frenzied, painful staccato beat. Did I dream this, also?
The sound came again, faster, louder, more impatient. This time, Rager woke as well, sitting up beside me in silence. A protective arm wrapped around me and I could feel him hovering above me, his superior vision seeing things in the darkness that I couldn’t see.
Then the door opened, flooding our small home in a bright orange glow.
The tension in Rager’s body ran across his entire frame, his powerful muscles rolling under his skin as he stared at the tall figure who had just entered the room.
“You don’t have long.” Ry spoke low and fast, looking over his shoulder at the door, then back at Rager and me.
“Ry.” There was no warmth in Rager’s voice as he stood, not bothering to cover his nakedness. “What is the meaning of this?”
But something in his voice told me Rager knew. This was what he had been hiding from me, some looming threat that had finally caught up to us.
