CHAPTER 6

Vita

VITA AWOKE EARLY THE next morning, lying in her bed as she blinked her eyes open.

The High Consul .

He was the first thing on her mind as she woke, and the last she had thought about as she fell asleep late last night.

The cart ride home had been strained, the Praetor's normal lascivious smile replaced with a fierce glare. Domina Amulius seemed not to notice, tittering on about what each guest had worn and how terrible the décor had been. Typical.

The entire ride, Vita's head swam with thoughts of the High Consul. Renatus .

The brush of his fingers against her cheek, the depth of his gaze, that smirk, not lewd like Amulius, but full of secrets .

What had she done to offend him?

Vita was not typically someone who had trouble catching—and holding—the attention of a man. It had taken years, but she'd mastered that coquettish gaze, bespeaking propriety with an undercurrent of something sensual .

For one, it was fun. Flirting was fun, new partners were fun. There was a thrill in catching the eye of an attractive person, knowing she had the power to get what she wanted from them. Nothing nefarious, of course, just a kiss or a romantic evening. If she desired something serious, she was certain she could get that as well. More than one suitor had come calling after a night with her.

There was also the fact that it got her out of trouble on more than one occasion. Bat your eyelashes and you could have a man eating out of the palm of your hand. It was the privilege of being pretty and knowing how to use it. Wield it like a sword.

A privilege that had helped her on more than one occasion.

Not that she was trying to catch the High Consul's attention. She just didn't realize what she had done wrong, had thought she was being perfectly polite.

Dawn was near as Vita tiptoed out of bed to grab one of her journals. She had some time before she needed to start her morning duties, before the sun rose over the misty hills, and after last night she had an interesting idea for a scene. With the correct journal in hand, she returned to bed with her quill, placing the inkpot on the side table, ready to write.

The handsome princeps, leading the fair maiden through the rose garden. His lips on hers, gentle, but passionate. He takes her to the ground as the dew-soaked grass seeps through her dress. His icy fingers teasing their way up her thighs and back down as he pulls her undergarments away. His mouth, planting kisses on her private area while his tongue lashes out…

Vita scribbled furiously, a heat welling in her core, though it wasn't from a surge of power. No, this heat was something she knew well. Something she understood .

A satisfied smile curled her lips as she finished the scene, that simple seed blossoming into a tangle of roses. Vita set the journal on the table and bit her lip as she reached beneath her underclothes.

She thought of High Consul Renatus, picturing his lips mere inches from hers as she brushed her fingers against her entrance, body already flooding with pleasure. Eyes closed, she tried to remember the sharpness of his jaw, the curve of his nose, the luxury of his lips. She wondered how he would taste, how he would feel pressed against her, his mouth on hers.

Vita stretched a finger in with a whimper, then another, as visions of the High Consul flooded her mind. Rubbing rhythmically, she found herself already close to release, the pressure on her clit dotting her vision. What would it be like to have him on top of her, shrouding her, becoming one with her? She gasped at the electric current that shot out from her center.

The waves of pleasure came over her quicker than she expected, an explosion of white light flashing as her whole body tensed with a stifled moan.

It took a few minutes for her breathing to return to normal.

Obviously, last night had affected her more than she wished to admit. Her heart tugged at the fact that she would very likely never see him again.

Renatus.

Vita startled as a knock echoed at her door. It was still dark outside, too early for her normal morning duties. She hid the journal under her pillow and slipped out of bed, aware of how bare she was in only her ivory underclothes. Not quite see-through, but definitely too sheer for polite company. She grabbed a simple tunic, throwing it on before padding to the door.

With a click, she turned the latch and let it swing open, somehow already knowing who would be standing there.

The Praetor's hand shot to the wood so she couldn't slam it shut, even if she wanted to. With a sneer, he pushed his way in, locking it before pressing her against the wall .

"Why did the High Consul ask you to dance?" His voice was quiet, but full of the hate and anger she expected.

The Domina had dragged him to their shared room last night when they arrived home from the palace. Vita knew he had wanted to question her then, but he obeyed his wife, who was drunk on wine and gossip.

Amulius held her waist with one hand, fingers digging into her side as the other wrapped around her throat.

With wide eyes and a shaky voice, she responded. "I do not know, sir."

"Don't lie, girl. I saw the way he put his hands on you." His eyes roved over her body as he licked his lips. "Did you let him fuck you in the garden?"

Her employer's words jolted her, like lightning had struck. Vita shook her head furiously, trying to form sentences, words, anything. She wasn't an innocent flower, but nothing had happened with the High Consul.

"No, Praetor Amulius, he just… showed me a view of the mountains. That's all."

That wasn't quite all, but it was the truth. Nothing of a physical nature had transpired between them.

He hummed, clearly not pleased with her response.

The birdsong was just beginning to filter in through her window as he grasped her tunic and dragged it up, slowly revealing her bare legs. Vita squirmed against him, but he restrained her with vicious power. Still sensitive with the afterglow of her orgasm, she quivered as he brushed his fingers up her thigh.

"You could never be the High Consul's because you belong to me, lovely Vita. Do you understand?"

She nodded, eyes wide with fear, gripping her fingers against the wall behind her.

"Good girl."

Darkness closed in as he pressed his rough lips against hers, smothering her with a rancorous kiss. He smelled of coffee and musk as he wiped his tongue across her mouth, though she held it shut as tightly as possible.

His hand tangled into her raven hair, and his other held her tunic, fingers dangerously close to her still slick entrance. Vita held her breath, not wanting to open her mouth to him, praying to any Gods listening to make him stop.

Someone must have heard her, because a moment later, he withdrew. His eyes still blazed with lust, though he let the hem of her tunic drop to the ground. A hand returned to her throat.

"You are mine, Vita."

Amulius was gone as quickly as he had come, though his words rang in her ears.

She slumped to the ground in a heap and tried to focus. One breath in, one breath out. Why couldn't a power surge come along when she really needed it?

All her life, Vita had wished for control over her magic. A taboo, one that could get her imprisoned if others found out, and yet the surges were exhilarating, producing ice or flames with just her own power. Mariana had tried to help as best as she could, but she was not a mage herself.

As far as she knew, magic was rare, though it would be impossible to identify who possessed it unless they made themselves obvious. Aurora Delphi was the only other she knew for certain who had the curse, though the woman seemed to have deft control over her powers. Perhaps there were more like them out there, more than Vita had originally thought.

There was a rumor that Emperor Numerius was paranoid about threats to his rule, which was why he'd made the edict in the first place. There was an even more controversial rumor that he'd been in love with a sorcerer, one who had broken his heart and forced his act of revenge on all who had magic.

Thoughts of the purge that occurred all those decades ago made Vita sick to her stomach, even though she'd only ever read second-hand accounts. It had started in the capital city and spread to the other provinces, mages jailed or killed for using powers that had been legal just weeks ago.

After all these years, Vita still didn't know what incited her surges, though often it was clearly from moments of intense emotion.

She could have used one just a moment ago; the flame hands would have been perfect for Praetor Amulius. Perhaps even worth whatever punishment she would have received.

What she did know was that she needed to see Verian as soon as possible. There was so much to tell him.

Vita let out a deep breath and stood up, trying to put the horrific morning behind her. The sun was coming up, and it was time to start her day.