Page 14 of The Legionary Seduction (Roman Heirs #2)
T hey passed the rest of the night sleeping at the base of a wide tree with sheltering leaves. Or, at least, the women slept. Max stayed awake, both to keep watch for any danger and because he still hummed with anxious energy. His body didn’t seem to know that the immediate threat had passed. His muscles were tense, knotted, as if ready for Glabrio to jump out from behind the nearest tree.
Volusia and Iris curled themselves together, and he could tell from the rhythm of their breathing that they eventually fell into a doze. He wished he had a cloak to lay over them, but luckily it was still summer, and they were in no danger of freezing, even at night.
Out of everything terrible that had happened in the last few hours, the worst was that he’d left Elephant behind. Another thing he’d sacrificed for Volusia without a thought. His chest ached, wondering if Elephant was confused by his absence. She would be expecting him soon for her morning brush and treat. He missed her already, her comforting bulk, the way she nudged her head against him when she wanted something.
He would get her back somehow, if it was the last thing he did.
The sun crept over the horizon. As its rays strengthened, Volusia stirred. She sat up with a start, her gaze hopping around frantically until it landed on Max. “It wasn’t a dream, was it?”
“I’m afraid not,” Max replied.
Her eyes lowered to his arm, and she let out a soft shriek that woke Iris. “Max, your arm!”
He glanced down. His left forearm was covered in sticky dried blood. A thin, shallow slice split his skin. He must have gotten it in the brief fight with Glabrio and the other legionaries, but he didn’t even remember feeling a wound, and then it had been too dark to notice the blood. “Oh.”
Volusia scrambled to her feet and rushed to his side. She grabbed his arm and inspected the wound, her face paling. This was likely the first time she’d ever seen a wound like this.
Her touch stung, and Max pulled his arm away. “It’s nothing. Not even bleeding anymore, see?”
“But—but—” Emotion seemed to stop her words, and her eyes welled with tears. “Oh, Max, you could have died!”
Before Max knew what was happening, Volusia collapsed into his arms, her body shuddering with sobs. She clutched him as if she’d never let go, burying her face against his shoulder. His arms came up to embrace her. Her body felt slight, fragile in his grasp, but he knew the strength beneath her delicate bones. She had stared down a centurion intent on killing her without flinching, and had borne the trials of the previous night without complaint.
Iris, in a rare moment of tact, turned around and began to comb her fingers through her long blond hair, removing a few stray twigs and leaves.
Max held Volusia as she cried. It was good for her to cry, to release all of the fear and anxiety from the past night. Max, too, felt a knot of emotion in the center of his chest, but he couldn’t release it, just as he couldn’t allow himself to sleep last night. They weren’t out of danger yet, and he had to maintain his strength and composure if he wanted to keep Volusia and Iris safe.
Volusia pulled back and gazed up at him with a tear-stained face. “Glabrio is going to tell people in Rome we’re dead. Our families…” Her lips quivered, and another tear trickled down her cheek. “My son will think himself an orphan.”
A cold realization hit Max at her words. Their parents—and Volusia’s son—would be told they were dead. His stomach twisted at the thought of his family’s grief, but he couldn’t open the door to that now. He fought against the anguish, and forced himself to seize on a rational thought.
“Once we make it to the next town, we’ll figure out a way to get horses. We’ll steal them if we have to. We can make good time from there. With luck, we’ll only be a few days behind the others.” Though for his parents, a few days of thinking their son dead would be torture.
Volusia held up a trembling hand. She was still wearing her jewelry, and several gold rings and bracelets flashed in the sun. “I don’t think we’ll have to steal horses.”
Finally, a bit of good news. Max allowed his mouth to stretch into a smile, despite the painful reminder of Elephant’s loss. “No, I don’t think we will.”
Iris cleared her throat. “That plan is all well and good, but what do we do until then? We’re in the middle of nowhere with no food or supplies. Who’s to say we even make it to the next town?”
She looked so mournfully certain of death that Max rolled his eyes. “First of all, we’re not in the middle of nowhere. There is a road, and if we follow it, we’ll find a town sooner or later. And we’re hardly in a desert. There’s a river for water, and with a little effort we can rustle up some food.” One useful thing the army had taught him was how to forage, and he’d honed his skills on his country rides with Elephant. The area around Narbo was plentiful with figs, mushrooms, almonds, and apricots, and he bet this area would have a similar bounty.
“If you say so.” Iris did not look convinced, but Max ignored her.
There was no reason to delay, so they set off, navigating east in the direction the sun had risen. For now, they’d stay off the road to avoid running into Glabrio and the others.
When they encountered the river once more, Volusia insisted on washing Max’s bloodied arm. The wound was not serious, but the sight of it still made her pale and shaky. Nevertheless, she wouldn’t let him alone until it was clean and bandaged in a strip torn from her own dress.
Max managed to find some mushrooms of a type he knew were edible, along with a handful of walnuts, which they cracked between two rocks. The sustenance kept them going, but fatigue soon set in, and they stopped to rest in midafternoon. Iris stretched out in a sunny spot with her arm flung over her eyes and instantly fell asleep.
Volusia sat with her back against the tree, shaded by its branches. Max wanted to sit next to her, but instead paced in a tight oval around the small clearing. If he sat down, if he allowed himself to rest, he might never get up again.
The day of walking had brought Elephant’s absence into sharp focus. What if he couldn’t recover her?
Again, he tried to see reason. Elephant was a valuable horse; Glabrio and the legionaries would take good care of her. But what would become of her once they reached Rome? He let out a tight breath between his teeth. Losing his military career was one thing. Losing Elephant was quite another—intolerable. He refused to contemplate the possibility that she might be gone forever. For now, Volusia was his first priority, but once he had safely delivered her to Rome, he would not rest until Elephant was back at his side.
“Max.” Volusia’s soft voice cut through his scattered thoughts. “Why don’t you sit by me?” She patted a spot on the ground next to her. “Rest a while.”
“I need to keep watch.” His voice came out gruff and hoarse.
“Over what?” She gestured at their surroundings, empty but for the three of them and a twittering bird in a nearby tree. “You need to rest. I doubt you slept a wink last night.”
To placate her, he lowered himself onto the ground beside her. She gave an approving nod. “Now lie down.” She patted her thighs as if she meant for him to rest his head in her lap.
“Not necessary.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Lucius went through a phase where he refused to sleep. You look as stubborn as he did. But I always won in the end.” Her voice warmed as she spoke of her son.
He liked the tenderness in her voice. “What strategy did you use?”
“A very simple one. I’ll show you.” She grabbed his shoulders and drew him down. He resisted for a moment—it was humiliating for a grown man to be handled like a child—but the softness of her touch disarmed him, and he found himself allowing his head to be placed in her lap. Her fingers stroked through his hair, and his eyes fell shut of their own accord.
Her touch had a soothing magic to it, and he found himself unable to open his eyes no matter how much he wanted to. She began to hum, and the resonant vibrations washed over him. Guided by the gentle rhythm of her hand stroking his head, he slipped into sleep.