Free The Winged Serpent (The Order of the Oath) by Nadia Aidan

her, done to her, had reopened a wound from her past, but it was Cyrus who’d wounded her pride— he’d stripped her of a piece of it when he’d struck her with his lash. Never mind, he’d had no choice—it did not matter, not to her, not even to him.
    He ran a hand down his face in frustration. He desired this woman, a woman he barely knew, with a fierceness that frightened him, that threatened every principle he had, including his very resolve.
    He started to leave the arena as a guard entered the open space. When Aurora came to a stop before the soldier, Cyrus’ brows furrowed together into a frown. He marched over to them, and his presence caused the guard to look up.
    “ Dominus wishes to see you both.”
    He exchanged a quick look with Aurora.
    Undoubtedly, Claudius had heard of what had happened. Cyrus experienced a moment of fear for Aurora, for what she’d done.
    He moved to reassure her with his eyes, but she was already trudging forward.
    No —Aurora was not a simple, uncomplicated woman. She did not want nor did she need his reassurance. She would face Claudius’ wrath on her own. And yet he longed to comfort her, to assuage whatever fears she harbored. He longed to do so much more.
    With a strained sigh, he followed.
    He reasoned this promised to be torture of the worst kind—to want a woman who did not want him, to desire a woman he could never have.
     
    As Cyrus trailed after her, she could feel his eyes upon her, piercing her, boring through her tunica , past her resolves, straight to her soul.
    She imagined he stalked behind her, his face a rigid mask of pure, blatant, raw masculinity. Cyrus was not a classically handsome man, his features were chiseled, dangerous. He had a brutishness to him that made her insides quiver, that made her long to experience the power of him as only a woman could. He was a man of such wide sweeping contrasts, it made her breathless.
    He was no stranger to pain, but neither was he to tenderness. He’d touched her with a gentleness that caused her soul to ache. No matter she would never forgive him, she knew he was remorseful. In his eyes, she saw her pain, his desire to take it inside himself so she would not suffer from it.
    There was a softness to Cyrus, a kindness that had the power to do what none before him could—he threatened her heart. Even now, her skin still tingled, her cheek, her lips still burned with the fire he’d ignited with his caress. If she closed her eyes, she knew she would feel him again—his breath warming her face, his fingers sliding across her mouth. She wanted to feel him, longed to feel him, despite the wrongness of it, the impracticality of such a thing.
    She needed to forget him—banish him from her thoughts.
    One month had already passed, and she was no closer to accomplishing her mission, but Aurora was not deterred. When the opportunity presented itself, she would seize it. She simply had to be on guard for it.
    She did not anticipate she would be in Capena long, and the sooner she fulfilled her duty, the sooner she could return to her life and put Cyrus and the complicated nature of her attraction to him long behind her.
    The guard halting before Aurora jolted her back to the matter at hand. With Cyrus at her side, they stood in the atrium where they waited for Claudius to join them. He did so within moments, beckoning Cyrus over to him.
    Aurora’s entire body was rigid, her gaze steady upon them as they whispered amongst themselves.
    After what seemed like forever, Claudius finally looked up. With the nod of his head, he dismissed the guard behind her while Cyrus moved off to the side, just beyond Claudius’ right shoulder.
    Aurora noted that with interest. It would seem Claudius trusted his back to Cyrus, which only meant one thing. The meaning of it did not sit well with her. Her assignment had suddenly grown more complicated within the space of mere seconds.
    “You know why you are here.” Claudius drew her gaze with his