The Barbarian's Mistress by Nhys Glover Read Free Book Online

In its place was the familiar scent of Vali’s skin, the warmth of his body pressed to her side, and the certainty that, while ever she was with him, she was safe. Nothing could touch her, nothing could harm her.
    As they made fast work of the street that led down Palatine Hill, they didn’t speak. Then, when the y veered off down another narrower lane, toward the southern entry into the city where heavy wagons lumbered along empty streets, Vali spoke again.
    ‘You’re taller than I remember. Have you grown?’ His deep, oddly accented voice was warm with amusement , as he breathed his words against her ear.
    ‘A little. I’m as tall as father now, and a little taller than mother. But I’m still all arms and legs, like a spider.’
    She heard a pleasant rumble, and recognised it as his laugh. He never laughed out loud. It had always been a smothered sound like this, as if he was afraid he would be punished if he was seen to be amused or happy. And yet, for all his life was terrible, there had always been amusement in him, as if he was constantly on the lookout for a chance to express it. One of her favourite pastimes had been making him laugh.
    ‘Not a spider, little lamb, a filly. With a coat of shining brown.’
    It was the first time he’d ever used her father’s pet name for her. It made her feel like a child, and that was not how she felt about herself anymore. But being compared to a long legged filly was so much better than her choice, so she’d let him call her what he wanted. It was enough that he was there with her again. She had been so sure she’d never see him again.
    At the end of the lane they took another turn onto a wider street, skirting Caelin Hill as they moved steadily closer to the city walls. Finally, when Anniana was starting to wonder if her feet would last much longer, they suddenly turned in to a small shop-fronted home built against the thirty foot Servian Wall itself. Here, lanterns were lit to guide their way into the atrium and beyond , to the tablinum.
    The first thing Anniana noticed in the small reception room was a pile of possessions stack ed haphazardly in the corner. A tray with two goblets of wine and a small loaf of bread stood on a table beside it.
    ‘Add your bag to the pile I’ll load onto the biga shortly. Then take a little refreshment, as we have a long way t o go this night and tomorrow. I’m not sure what we’ll eat on the road, beyond a packed lunch the matron of this house has provided.’
    It was the first time she’d seen Vali properly since they’d met. In the amber glow of lamp light he looked very different to the youth she had known four years ago. That youth had been tall and well-muscled, but now he seemed even larger, his muscles bulked out beneath his white tunic. His pale face was tanned golden, but battered and bruised, with fresh scars marring the harshly beautiful planes and hollows. Only his white-gold hair was still the same, if longer than she remembered.
    What had he been doing to cause him this kind of change? He looked like a seasoned warrior. All vestiges of the boy she once knew seemed long gone.
    Even though she wasn’t hungry, she did as he bid her, tearing the loaf in half and biting into the smaller piece. Then she swallowed down the weak, sweet wine.
    ‘We’ll exit the city from the Capena Gate, follow along the Via Latina and then the Via Norbia until we’re well out of the suburbs. Then we’ll be on the Via Appia proper for the rest of the journey,’ Vali informed her after drinking deeply of his wine. ‘It will be very busy at this time of year. And we’ll be able to lose ourselves in the crowd. We’ll continue south until we reach Pompeii.’ He took a large bite of his bread and chewed thoughtfully for a few moments before resuming. ‘There I’ll need to ask for directions to your young man’s villa. The journey is about one hundred and fifty miles, all told, which will take us six or seven days, camping along the