Free Gladiator Bear's Battle (Shift In Time 1) by Anya Nowlan Page B

a door that led deeper into the villa. Kiya could hear the lanista tell her that it was time to go and though she protested, he would not listen.
    That cold fear filled her stomach again, the one that had been growing for days and days in anticipation of this evening. She could not run, she could not hide. The warm lights of the room greeted her, the sun having almost completely set now. Just a tiny sliver of it was still showing outside. The music started again after the lull during the fight. The dancers’ bodies started winding and grinding and soon, most of the Senators and other visitors had their hands around one young body or another.
    Aurelius Clavius made lazy rounds in the room, Kiya by his side. She had to fill his cup often and the fine Senator was tasting the alcohol quite freely. He sometimes stopped to chat to someone, but whenever Kiya tried to slip away during the pause, his grip would tighten. She still shuddered. When the sun had completely set, his intentions became painfully clear.
    Kiya was led to a door that she knew opened into a smaller room off the main hall. It had another exit, but it was used solely for one reason. Pleasures of the flesh. The Senator motioned the guards to step aside and grant them passage into the private rooms. Just as he was about to lead Kiya in, Julius Augustinus caught up with them.
    “Senator! Are you sure you wish for this slave? She is inexperienced and I am certain I could find someone more… hmm, pleasing, for you.”
    The Senator waved him off and just as quickly as hope had blossomed, it was squashed again.
    “No, she will do fine. I have a hunger for young flesh tonight, I feel.”
    Curiously enough, this time she felt no tears brimming. She could stand up tall. The worst had passed. Erden was alive. She could withstand anything now.
    The lanista began to peel off when the Senator stopped him.
    “Bring me the gladiator, though.”
    “The bear?” Julius Augustinus asked in confusion.
    “Yes, the bear.”
    With that, the lanista left, nodding in understanding. The Senator pulled Kiya into the smaller room and the doors closed behind them. He yanked the jug of wine from her hands as she stood dumbly, not knowing what to do next. There was little more in the room than a raised sleeping area, made luxurious with pillows and soft sheets. A few reclining chairs were scattered around the room, as if to view the activities on the bed.
    The Senator poured himself another cup and when he spoke, his words began to slur.
    “So we meet again at last, my gem,” he said, letting the jug fall on one of the cushions.
    He walked closer to her and put his fingers on her neck, slowly dragging a line upward and making her tilt her head back. He examined her and Kiya stubbornly kept her eyes away from him, staring at the ceiling.
    “Are you not happy to see me, my gem? I knew you would be mine, you know. When I saw you with Aelia Fausta, I could smell that you were still pure. I always liked the Egyptian princesses. Shame they stopped bringing them over. All the more fortuitous that I have found you, my sweet,” he said, chuckling. “Well, do you not have a tongue, woman? Speak!”
    “What do you require me to say, lord?” she asked, forcing the words out of her throat.
    In the back of her head, one thought rattled. Erden would be here soon. She wasn’t sure why, but she knew she did not want him to see what the Senator was going to do to her. But she imagined that it was the exact reason he was being brought up there. Kiya cursed herself for her weakness, for allowing herself to react so obviously when Erden was fighting. Now, the Senator had just the right weapon to wound them both.
    “Your name is Kiya, yes?” he asked.
    “It is.”
    “It means ‘light’ in your tongue, doesn’t it?” he pressed, grinning at his show of knowledge.
    “Yes.”
    “So tell me, Kiya,” he started, pausing to take a big gulp from his drink. “Whose life have you lit up lately?