“Tell me,” Tobias said with his eyes darting to the different faces that surrounded us. “What would you do with the creatures?”

  “I would leave them be,” I said. “Let them live out their lives in the wild where they belong. Bringing them here, stealing them away from all that they know, is just mean.”

  “What if the creatures were something else? Would you find it in your heart to love them too?”

  “I never said I loved the animals,” my heart fluttered as he spoke. Deep within me I wondered what gave away my feelings. However, the longer I stared at him, the more I realized that he too had a passion for those creatures.

  “You’re right. You never said a word about that. But it’s clear you do care for them.”

  “So?”

  “It’s refreshing,” he said. “That is all.”

  Refreshing was right. Everything about him was so different from what I was used to. Tobias flashed a smile and I watched him suck in a deep breath. Although the streets were adrift with foul smells and aromas, there were brief whiffs of flowers and meats.

  “Where are you headed now?” he asked following me down the narrow path.

  “Why?”

  “This is a big city and I doubt I will be able to see it all without a guide of some sort.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said swallowing hard. Although there was nothing worth going back to at Alexander’s, at the moment, a pang in my gut told me to do so. “I can’t be that guide. I am sure you will find your way though. Rome is not so big that you can get lost. Just be sure to keep the sun to your left and you’ll find your way out.” I nodded my head and turned down an alley. To my surprise, he followed.

  Within my chest, I could feel a hand squeezing my heart. Sweat seeped from my hands as I tried to focus on my breathing. My mind raced with various scenarios of what this stranger wanted from me. Then it dawned on me. He wasn’t there to escort me; he was there to take me.

  Each step I took was faster than the one before. My stomach twisted and turned as I tried to find a way to lose him. I knew I could scream out for help, but what good would that do?

  “Athena,” he said my name as calmly as possible and stopped walking beside me. “I can see you are afraid of me and that is not my intention.”

  “Then why do you keep up with me?”

  “Actually,” he dropped his gaze as I stopped by the wooden door ready to make my escape. “I wanted to thank you for helping me this morning. I can see that this city doesn’t care for strangers, yet you cared enough to step in for me. And, well,” he paused, raising his eyes from the ground to my face. “I wanted to thank you. I just didn’t know how.”

  “You wanted to thank me?” I repeated trying to get the words to make sense. No man in this city ever thanked a woman—for anything. To them we were beneath them and yet here this stranger had opened up himself to me in a way that even Luca would never do, at least not in public.

  “You’re welcome,” I mumbled trying to control the heat in my face. I chewed on my lips as I watched him walk towards me. My trembling hand positioned on the door dropped, as I exhaled with relief. All the worries I had in my head vanished as he reached out for my hand.

  “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I know I can be forward, but there is one thing I need you to do for me.” With my head cocked back I waited for him to continue. There was pain in his eyes and his voice as he lifted my hand up and pressed his lips to my fingers.

  “If I am to meet with Alexander tonight, I need to look the part,” he said. his shabby tunic and tousled hair made it clear that he wasn’t well off. He would need to look respectable if he wanted to gain any favor with Alexander and we both knew it.

  “Do you think you can help me?” he asked. Shame drifted over his face revealing the wrinkles of time etched beneath his eyes.

  “What is the purpose of your with meeting with Alexander?”

  “Why?” he snapped before retracting his anxiety.

  “Well,” I pulled my hand away from him and tried to give him a faint smile of friendship. “The way you dress will tell him everything about you. Are you looking for money? Then you need not change a thing. However, if you have a business proposal for him, then you are going to need to look the part of a business man.”

  I watched as his jaw flexed and his lips drew into a tight line before he swallowed hard. The bulge in his throat bobbed up and down several times before he finally answered.

  “I want to be taken seriously,” he said. “But, I have no money for cloth.”

  “Well, anyone willing to stand up to the soldiers in this city is worth helping in my book. Come with me, we will find you something worthy of the senator’s party. But, I must warn you— tonight’s party will be unconventional.”

  “Should I not go, tonight?” Tobias asked standing straight. I hadn’t noticed before how tall he was. His head rose into the sky like a god and his face was riddled with stubble making it clear he wasn’t accustomed to shaving.

  “No, tonight will be the perfect time to see Alexander’s good side. You’ll just have to be a bit patient.”

  “How patient? When should I approach him?”

  “First, let’s get you cleaned up. Then, I can prep you on when to speak with him.” I lifted my hand towards Tobias as something stirred within me. There was a kindness to him that was unmatched by anyone I had ever met. He was insecure and frightened, much to my surprise. Every man in the city was so confident and cocky that watching this stranger mingle in this world was amusing.

  “Where are we going?” he asked as I dragged him down the street.

  “I told you, to get you cleaned up. You won’t even get into the party tonight looking as you do. First impressions are all that matter in this city. Tonight, your face will be remembered.” I smiled as we moved towards the bath house.

  Eyes glanced at us as I pushed him into the front room.

  “You’re not coming?” he asked over his shoulder as he paused at the entrance.

  “This is for the men,” I said holding back a laugh. The woman standing in the doorway’s eyes drifted over Tobias, sizing him up. I pulled out a coin and handed it to her as I leaned in.

  “Clean him up, will you? He is meeting the senator tonight.”

  “Yes my Lady,” she said opening her arms to Tobias.

  “I will see you later tonight,” I said leaving him. Pain, confusion, insecurity flickered through his eyes as he glanced over his shoulder at me. By the look on his face it was as if I had sentenced him to death. I shook my head and laughed as I turned and walked away. Joy filled my heart. It had been so long since I had the power to help someone, that doing this one small favor gave me more pleasure than I would have expected.

  “Who was that?” Luca asked pulling me out of my thoughts. My heart sank as I caught a glimpse of him.

  “Luca! I thought you were at the games?”

  “I was. Then I saw you with Edith at the entrance, and I hoped you’d come in. When you didn’t, I followed you here.” Luca’s eyes drifted to the bathhouse before turning back to me. “So who was that?”

  “No one, just a man who wants to speak to Alexander.”

  “A commoner?” Luca’s left eyebrow rose as he leaned back. “You really think a commoner will get a chance to speak with the senator?”

  “He said he has a message for Alexander.”

  “And you believed him?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Athena, you don’t see yourself very clearly do you?” Luca’s smile was tender and kind as his fingers wrapped around my shoulders. “He is only saying that so that you will pay attention to him.” My eyes narrowed as I tried to see Luca’s point of view. However, nothing about the way Tobias had acted had been like any of usual tricks other men would have pulled. I shook my head and laughed.

  “Tobias did not give me that impression.”

  “So you know his name?”

  “I know yours too,” I reminded him cupping my hand around his smooth face.

  “Yes, but I’m not the one he is trying to impress.”

  “Luca, please, there is nothing going on. Just let the man have his moment with Alexander tonight. He has traveled a long way to do so and all he requests is a few moments.” Luca’s eyes shifted to the opening of the bathhouse and nodded.

  “I will see you tonight,” he said curtly before he leaned down and pressed his lips to my forehead. I smiled as he moved around me and disappeared into the bathhouse. I sucked in a deep breath knowing that Luca only went in there for one reason—to set things straight with Tobias.

  “Men,” I grumbled as I glanced up to the sky. The sun was already drifting past the stone walls.

  “Crap,” I said and hurried back to Alexander’s. My heart fluttered as my mind drifted to the events of the evening. Tonight would be the night my life changed, and I could already feel the shift tingling in every fiber of my body. As I raced home, I wondered what my life would be like come the morning. But, the moment I saw the emblem on the gate, the high I was swimming in faded. I swallowed hard and sucked in a deep breath. First, I had to get through the night.

  Chapter 4

  I glanced up to the stone pillars and shook my head with disgust. It started to make sense that my enemy would have the world in the palm of his hand and live like this. Shimmering fabric flowed over the banisters reminding me of a waterfall I had once seen, as I roamed the secret glades of the forests. My lips pulled into a tight line as I passed the bystanders and I kept my eyes locked on the open doors.

  “You made it.” The woman’s voice was pleasantly surprised as I turned to find Athena moving like water through the crowd to greet me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed me as if I was an old friend. Pulling away I caught the heavy scent of liquor on her.

  “You clean up nicely,” she said as her eyes drifted down my body. With a gentle touch, she skimmed my face. Only smooth skin remained, where stubble and prickly hairs had once grown thickly. I couldn’t help but smile as her lips pulled up, illuminating the whole room.

  “Thanks to you,” I said.

  “Well, now that you look the part, I suppose you’d like to meet the senator.”

  “Is he here yet?” My eyes darted to every face in the crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of him before he saw me.

  “Yes and no. He is upstairs in his study. He will be down later,” she said cupping her arm around mine as she dragged me into the house. We paused at the open doors and she leaned in closer to me. A subtle hint of pine and wild roses filled my nose as she whispered in my ear.

  “These parties are a little unconventional,” she mumbled before pulling away from me. My heart turned to stone that her words. Of course his parties would be vile.

  I just hadn’t imagined what I was getting myself into as I crossed the threshold and entered the house. From every angle, I saw merriment and conversations. The closer I looked, though, the more I understood what Athena implied. The men’s hands drifted carelessly over the women’s bodies. Some ran about half-naked like wild animals, uncultured and certainly uncivilized.

  “Make yourself comfortable,” Athena said giggling. “Give Alexander at least an hour after he makes his entrance. That way he will be more susceptible to what you have to tell him.”

  “You want me to wait until he is drunk before talking to him?”

  She shrugged her shoulders, as she waved to a group of men in the corner. “If you want him to like you—yes. Most people here are looking for favors, but they bombard him as soon as he enters. If you want to make an impression, I’d wait if I were you.”

  I nodded as she slipped away from me. I had waited five years to get this close to him after all, what was another hour? My body tingled as I played out what I would do to him. I wanted everyone in the room to watch as I tore him limb from limb. Although there was a high chance I wouldn’t be getting out of this room alive, at least I would die in style. The people of this city would remember my name long after I was gone, unlike the names of those Alexander had slaughtered in the village all those years ago.

  With my eyes locked on the stair way, I moved through the crowd trying to blend in.

  “And who might you be?” A woman with bare breasts skipped to my side. By the way her lids were laid heavily over her eyes, I knew she was drunk. The stench was all over her and for a moment I wondered what the other salty aroma was that I smelled. But, before I could say anything, the answer came in the form of a tall man with his toga wrapped like a towel around his waist hiding his indiscretion.

  “Catalina, there you are, I have something for you,” the man said grabbing her by the waist and pulling her to him. She moaned with excitement as his fingers tugged at the fabric of her dress. I watched in awe as he entered her right before me.

  “Stranger,” she moaned as the man rammed her from behind. I glanced at her as she tried to reach for my garment to pull it off. “I need more.”

  Disgusted I brushed her hands away from me and nodded, “I’m sure you’ll find another to fulfill your needs,” I said walking away from her.

  It dawned on me what the salty fragrance was, as my eyes scanned the room. Every woman there was attached to a man, or another woman. Every corner of the room hid the lustful desires of the citizens. Although I wanted nothing more than to keep as close to the stairwell as possible, there was no way I was going to participate in this kind of behavior.

  Weaving through the crowd and keeping my eyes down I found a small balcony to hide from the chaos. With the fresh air blowing, I tried to regain myself as visions of women throwing themselves at men pulled my attention back to the room.

  “You okay?” The gentle voice pulled me from my lustful thoughts.

  “Well, I understand now what you were talking about. This party is certainly something else,” I said to Athena as she moved around me to hug the darkest shadow.

  “Let the senator get his pleasure and you will have his better side,” she told me, her eyes drifting over the shenanigans of the guests. “But, if this is not the right place for you to meet, there is always tomorrow.”

  “No. Tonight would be best,” I argued trying to hide my desire. “I am curious though; why is a girl like you here? You don’t seem to be enjoying yourself.”

  “Funny, I could say the same thing about you.” She was clever as I tried not to disclose more information to her.

  “I saw you with Cat and I must say, I was surprised to see you reject her.”

  “You saw that, huh?”

  “Why do you think she came over to you? I sent her.”

  “Why would you do that?” I asked turning by back on the room to face Athena in the shadows. There was something in her eyes; something that gave me pause. Was it jealousy? Was it fondness? I didn’t even know the girl. She was nothing but a means to an end. Yet here she was masked by the shadows, with me, when she could be with any other man at the party.

  “Well, after the welcome you received this morning from the guards, I thought you could use a little pleasure. I wanted to show you that Rome could be hospitable if you let it.”

  “Is that why you came out here?” My eyebrow rose as I stepped closer to her. In the soft moonlight she dazzled me. From her head to her toes, she was a stark reminder of Iris. The way her golden hair caught the moonbeams stunned me. Her face flushed a darker shade of red and I wondered if she could read my thoughts.

  “Athena.” The hushed tones caught me off guard and I spun around ready to strike. A man stepped out into the brisk night air and nodded to me as his eyes scanned the balcony. Athena giggled softly, and the sound was like bells in my ears. The man moved around me and headed to the other side of the balcony completely missing the girl hiding in the corner.

  “Seems as if you are wanted elsewhere,” I said turning my attention back to Athena.

  “That’s Luca,” she said and I could hear the fondness in her voice and her eyes sparkled. It was the same look of completeness I had once seen in Iris. She would sparkle and turn the darkest rooms bright.

  “Is this Luca friend or foe?”

  “Depends on who you ask,” she said watching Luca from her corner. A pang stabbed my heart, and I wondered why I was feeling such turmoil as she stared at him. Luca seemed a decent man of medium height. There was nothing out of the ordinary about him. Yet, he held her attention even with all the other suitors gallivanting inside.

  “Should I be worried?” I whispered trying to keep my voice down. It was clear that Luca was waiting patiently for her to come out, but the rapping of his foot betrayed that he was nervous.

  “Only if you make him jealous,” Athena blushed as she stepped out of her hiding spot. I turned my head and saw Luca’s eyes widen as she approached him.

  “So, this is where you’ve been hiding all this time?” Luca’s eyes narrowed as he sized me up. Athena opened her arms to him and wrapped him in her warm embrace. I stepped away from them, as Luca tucked a strand of Athena’s hair behind her ear.

  “I thought your father had stolen you away.”

  “Luca, you remember Tobias,” Athena twisted her head and flashed a smile at me. Luca squeezed his arms around her tightly holding her close to him as if I were a threat. I couldn’t help but chuckle, as I watched his eyes narrow in on me holding my gaze.

  “Athena,” Luca’s voice dropped, and he dropped his eyes to stare at the beauty in his arms. “We need to talk.”

  “I will take my leave,” I said taking the hint.

  “Remember, the senator will be down soon. Give him his space and then approach.” Athena winked at me and smiled. It broke my heart knowing what I was about to do and prayed that my actions would never get back to her. Slowly I bowed to the couple and walked back into the party.

  Moving through the crowd I tried to keep my mind from wandering back to Athena. So much about her reminded me of Iris that it was scary. The way her hair drifted in the breeze and the way she smiled so innocently at me despite my sinister intentions. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that my plans were set in stone. There was no way for me to back out now.