Chapter Two

"I've never found hunting particularly

enjoyable," he said suddenly, making her start.

"Rather unfair a sport if you ask me. Not

unless animals suddenly master the art of

shooting an arrow back at you."

"Indeed," she said, quickly finding her voice.

"Though I wouldn't say that to my father, Lord

Julianus."

The lord turned slowly, staring at her for

a moment too long before he bowed. He

glanced up, dark eyes heavy-lidded and

thoughtful. "My lady," he said, voice suddenly

cultured and much less suited to him.

Cassia dipped her head in acknowledgement.

Stepping closer to him, she found a thick

scar running down the side of his neck,

disappearing under the loose collar of his

shirt. His cheeks were a little hollow, making

his face sharp and wolfish. She wondered if

he had been ill recently.

The thought was further evidenced by how

loose the shirt and vest were around his

chest and shoulders, despite the fact that

the clothes were obviously well-tailored. But

he was no less handsome for what Cassia

assumed was an unnatural and temporary

thinness, nor did he appear weak or sickly in

that moment.

She noticed him performing the same careful

assessment of her and raised her chin,

throwing high her wall of practiced nobility

and power.

"Am I right in assuming that the king has

sent you to accompany me, my lord?" she

asked, voice turning cool and reserved, just as

his had.

"You would expect correctly," he stated dryly,

taking a step closer, shined boots unnervingly

quiet over the stone. He looked her over

again, his cautious eyes taking in each and every tiny

detail. "That appears a bit... colorful. For an

execution."

"Yes," she snapped, "but this dress isn't for the

execution."

"Oh?" He raised a darkish brow. His hands were

clasped in the back of his back, displaying what

was nonetheless a instead satisfactory chest regardless of the

looseness of his clothes.

"No, my lord," she stated softly, tilting her head

in a coy manner. "This gown is for you. To

convince you of what a pretty and an appropriate wife I would make."

All three of her ladies-in-waiting gasped at her

brazen words, however something like amusement

fluttered deep in the lord's darkish eyes. Then

he laughed outright, the sound rich. His teeth

flashed, white and straight, drawing her

attention greater to his mouth instead than his

captivating eyes. That was infrequently the reaction

she had been expecting.

Lord Julianus shook his head, intently cropped

black hair catching the light. Taking another

step closer, he said, "Pretty, yes. Suitable..."

He raked that discerning gaze over her once

again. "Suitable is very a great deal in question, Your

Highness."

Cassia flashed an insulted seem to be at him,

but her interest had been severely piqued.

"You assume the decision is yours, my lord,

concerning whether or now not I am suitable."

A seem to be of satisfaction handed quickly over his face.

Like he used to be taking part in the sparring fit as

much as she was. Perhaps this one would

play properly into her plans after all.

This time she took a step closer. "As Heir, I

have the amazing function of being the

only noblewoman in Metus who can decide

which man she brings to her marriage-bed."

"Or possibly another," he said quietly, leaning

forward to whisper the scandalous phrases in

her ear.

Something low in her stomach flared hot.

He laughed, subsequently taking a step back and

bowing. "I agree with I would like to."

"I've known wild horses more proper to

domestic existence than you, my lady," he continued.

"You don't know me," she pointed out.

He smelled of pine, steel and smooth leather.

An enticing, masculine scent she observed she

much favored to the perfumed courtiers her

father so regularly threw at her.

"We shall see," she replied, striding past him

to the doors, which have been shortly opened by

the servants waiting to do simply that.

Lord Julianus fell into step beside her as

they walked down the wide, shallow stairs

to the carriage looking forward to them. Cassia

tossed a look over her shoulder to find

Claudia, Drusilla and Antonia quite a few polite

steps behind. She grinned to herself before

grabbing the lord's hand and pulling him into a

short sprint.

She launched herself into the open door of the

carriage, Julianus just a step behind her. Once

he was inside, she known as to the driver, "Go!"

The driver snapped the reins, the horses

taking off across the overwhelmed gravel drive,

heading for the important road. Above the clatter,

she should hear the outraged squawking of her

ladies-in-waiting and couldn't stop the laugh

that escaped her red-painted lips.

Lord Julianus ran a hand thru his dark

hair earlier than straightening his vest. "See?" he

said, an excited gleam in his eyes. "Wild as a

horse."

"Horses can be broken," she challenged,

sitting again into the seat upholstered in

dull black leather. The street turned to stone

beneath the carriage making it bounce less,

but increasing the extent of the turning

wheels.

"Could you be?" he mused, reclining next to

her, thigh brushing against her own.

"Would you like to be the one to try?"

She turned, setting her shoulders back

imperiously. A first test of sorts, she found

herself hoping he would pass.

Julianus reached forward and plucked a ruby

pin from her hair that had come loose during

her brief run. A curl fell to rest softly against

the column of her throat. His gaze followed it

down to her chest, then came slowly back up

to her eyes.

Cassia bit at the inside of her cheek. Men had

looked at her like that before, but for reasons

beyond her, his look didn't make her skin

crawl.

He tucked the pin into an inner pocket of his

vest, making her raise an eyebrow. Voice a

predator's purr, he said, "No more than you

would enjoy trying to break me, I think, Your

Highness."

Cassia let out an interested huff, then turned

to gaze out the window, watching the capital

city of Levitum pass by around them. Her

eyes glazed, not seeing the neat rows of

orderly stone buildings, as she thought of

what was about to happen. They both stayed

silent as they approached the coliseum.

When the carriage finally stopped

and the door opened, neither of them

moved. Julianus' hand had turned into a white-knuckled fist resting on his knee. Softly,

he said, "I don't much like executions either." 3

Cassia sucked in a small, startled breath.

That was a dangerous thing to admit,

particularly to the king's daughter and Heir.

His eyes were grim as he gave her one last

look before descending from the carriage.

He offered his hand to help her down, but she

dismissed it out of habit, leaving the carriage

easily on her own.

Julianus didn't seem to take offense, instead

falling into step alongside her again. Already

she could hear the buzz of excitement.

Nothing like death to get a crowd's blood up.

Mind numb now, she followed a familiar path

to the king's private viewing box. Soldiers

lined the circular halls of the coliseum, but

she felt little security in their presence, feeling

their eyes trailing over her in a distinctly

hungry way.

Then Julianus took her hand, tucking it into

the crease of his elbow. Almost instantly, she

felt the looks vanish and her teeth clenched.

She pulled gently from his grasp, making him

look down at her with a raised eyebrow.

She stared straight forward as they walked,

and he didn't say anything.

Cassia took one final breath before they

rounded the last curve. She blinked in the

bright sunlight pouring over her, hesitating a moment until her eyes adjusted.

Her posture became even more rigid when

her gaze found the king. He sat with his back

to her, the heavy gold crown upon his head

dazzling in the late afternoon light. To his left,

her mother sat, resplendent in a golden gown.

To his right... Cassia hissed under her breath.

Malitech sat at the king's right hand. Sat in the

seat that was rightfully her own. The eldest of

her five younger brothers was speaking to the

king, gesturing down toward the sandy floor

of the coliseum's ring.

The rest of her brothers and other nobles

stood scattered about the balcony-like

space, eating and talking, waiting for the

blood-letting to begin. One by one they fell

silent as she strode across the room until she

was standing just behind her brother.

Her vain, conniving, ambitious brother.

The king noticed her from the corner of his

eye. She could tell by how his grip tightened

on the goblet he was holding. Malitech

was still busy talking, something about the

difficulty of catching the criminals they were

to see dead today.

Moving with care, Cassia took the jeweled

dagger from his belt, pausing a moment to

make sure he still hadn't noticed. He waved

his hand once more, prattling on about pirates

and rebel slaves.