Page 27

Memnon?

The other individuals in the room are now glancing at the open doorway as the sounds of charging horses and screaming civilians become unignorable.

Little witch…I found you.

I press my free hand to my chest.

He’shere. I don’t think I fully believed he would be until this very moment.

A smile spreads across my face.

Yes, I say down our bond.

From my vantage point, I can see just a sliver of the courtyard below. Several guests from Quadratus’s wedding procession begin to scatter, visibly terrified.

The magistrate leaves our side, striding to the doorway. “What in all the gods’ names—” Whatever he sees steals the rest of his words from his tongue.

Livia glances nervously at me, then at my groom and future father-in-law. This is more than a bad omen; even she knows that.

All at once, the sound of stampeding horses halts, and the screams seem to die along with them.

Titus moves to the doorway, standing behind the magistrate. His knees visibly weaken, and he grips the doorframe tightly. When he glances back at his son and then me, I see the whites of his eyes.

“Father,” my groom says, releasing my hand, “what is it?”

Before Titus has a chance to answer, the older man’s attention returns to the courtyard. Then, rapidly, both he and the magistrate begin to back up.

“Get back!” the magistrate instructs us.

Livia whimpers as she moves to the far wall. The sound of her fear is so unusual that it nearly snags my attention.

But then I hear Memnon’s voice—not in my head but outside, beyond the confines of the insula.

A shiver courses through me, drawing out goose bumps along my skin. In real life, his voice is fuller, deadlier, and more commanding.

“No one strikes another unless I give the order,” he says in Sarmatian.The order is followed by the sound of metal clinking, leather straining, and boots scuffing on the stairs.

I can sense you within these walls, he says across our connection.I am eager to meet you, my future wife.

As though in a dream, I step forward, drawn by his words and this strange feeling I can only call fate.

“Memnon,” I call out.

Quadratus recaptures my hand. “You need to stay back,” he murmurs.

From Memnon, I feel a surge of excitement.

Your voice is lovelier than I could’ve imagined. I cannot wait to see you.

From the doorway, I notice strands of deep blue smoke—no, not smoke.Magic.

Memnon’s magic.

My breath catches at the sight of it, and I stare, entranced, as it curls around the magistrate and Titus, forcing them to stumble back into my home.

Then, the biggest man I have ever seen fills the doorway, followed by four other bearded individuals at his back.

The smile that has begun to spread across my face wilts away. It’s all I can do not to shrink back. There are five armor-clad barbarian warriors standing just outside the threshold.