Maximus sat on the floor, neglecting the chairs thrown to the back of the room. No more than an hour could have passed since she had been locked away, but it felt like an eternity. The flickering lights of the room had begun to mess with her head and in a rage, she had smashed them. Though, she regretted the mistake of destroying her primary light source, her eyes had adjusted to the low light remaining from the machinery of the room. Once the lights were out, she was calm and passed the time mourning Alerio and questioning what became of Lucius.

The sound of the door unlocking broke her from her thoughts and she quickly stood, arms held to her side, her shoulders back and her head held proudly. She would not cower. The door opened, revealing the silhouette of several men, but only one stepped through before the door was closed and locked, once more. Vulpes stood before it, his face impassive as he let a bundle drop to the floor at his side. A spear remained in his hands. She didn't move.

"I've been informed you did not come willingly. I had intentions of doing this in the command tent, but noticed my protege sneaking around it. I couldn't have her getting involved, could I?", he finally spoke, his smooth voice conveying indifference. She didn't give him an answer, not even an acknowledgment as she worked to keep her face as neutral as possible. "If fighting is what you wish to do, then please", he tossed the spear and she caught it reflexively. "Indulge me." With his eyes still on her, he reached down to the bundle on the floor and pulled out a machete.

"If I kill you, I'm still locked in this room." She said raising her spear.

"If you kill me, the key is on my person. The pack on the floor, here has enough provisions for several weeks, if one is sparing. The guards outside have been relieved of their watch. You are more than welcome to fight your way out of this camp, or simply disappear. I'm sure that many will be thankful for it." He didn't specify which part "it" was referring to.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Is it not what you want? It seems to be the only thing you're interested in when you aren't running" She couldn't hide the anger that presented itself on her face. "One of these options is no longer viable, but I'll still give you a choice." He said, quietly. She knew it was reckless, but she rushed him, anyway. He deflected her blow and knocked her back to where they stood as if they were having a proper fight in the arena. "Your form is weak. Even if I had stood still for that strike, it would not have come close to killing me." He said before lunging forward. She rotated her spear, knocking his blade to the side before going in to strike him with the blunt end. He ducked before it could make contact, swinging his blade back around at her torso. She blocked it, the force of which set them both back to their original positions.

"Were I aiming to kill you, it would be done, already. You know me well enough to figure out I don't need to kill you to escape this. Or have you already forgotten about Red Rock?"

"I don't know you, at all." He stated in a dismissive tone that went straight to Maximus' heart. He saw it briefly cross her face and took the opportunity to step in. Before he could swing for her thigh, she brought her spear parallel to her body, glancing the blow. He used the momentum to redirect his swing and arch his blade over her head. She stepped back and braced against it, but it wasn't enough. The force of his attack split her spear in two, narrowly avoiding her face. Vulpes stepped back to his side of the room. "You never should have chosen such an inferior weapon. There's a reason I never bothered to teach you." She threw the pieces to the ground.

"I don't need it." She said defiantly.

"Then, prove it." He maintained his same, cool composure, as always. His arms were to his side, no sense of urgency or worry to be conveyed. His machete remained almost slack in his hand. She only had moments to choose a strategy before he inevitably predicted her every move. The events of Red Rock briefly ran through her mind. With renewed confidence, she lunged at him. He brought his blade up in an arch to counter, but at the last moment, before he could strike, she dropped to the floor and swept her leg behind his, bringing him down, hard. The blade remained in his hand, but only for a moment, as Maximus slammed her fist into his forearm, forcing his muscles to spasm and his grip to weaken. The weapon was swept to the side, out of reach for both of them. By the time she went for his throat, he had already recovered and grabbed her hand before she could get a firm grasp. She swung at his temple with her other, but it too was caught as he attempted to contort her into a painful hold. She kicked out, throwing her body weight, trying to shake him, but he didn't relent. Her energy was waning and she realized he was intentionally tiring her out. She focused on pulling against only one of his holds, the other painful, but bearable until she reversed her movements, and used his own force to bring her elbow into his ribs. He released just enough for her to slip one hand free and roll back, ready to kick out at him, but he moved with her and had her pinned on her back, one arm held above her head, the other trapped beneath her. In the hand not restraining her, the broken head of her spear was pressed firmly to her throat. A cold calm washed over her body and she no longer fought against his hold. Save for heavy breathing, everything was silent.

"Do it." She whispered. A beat passed and he did not move. His equally labored breathing was the only change in his usual demeanor. She lifted her head, allowing the metal to press into her skin before yelling "DO IT". For a fleeting moment, shock registered in his eyes. He threw the weapon to the side and stared down at her in anger.

"Why would you give up, so easily?" he demanded.

"Because it's you!" She closed her eyes and let her head drop back to the floor. "I once offered you mercy from a crucifixion, and you turned it down. But I'm not like you—as much as I tried to be. If I have to die, I want it to be by your hands. If I can't stay, then there is nothing for me." She slowly arched her body to free her trapped hand. Vulpes prepared for her to strike, but she only took his free hand in hers and guided it to her throat. Their breathing was evening out, the flush of their skin barely registering in the low light as he sat astride her, eyes imploring him to finish it.

"Why did you keep running?" he whispered, for once letting his mask fall as he moved his hand up her neck to cup her cheek. Sorrow, confusion and excitement simultaneously transformed his features as his blue eyes bore into her soul. She felt the change, but didn't know how to process it.

"Why did you keep chasing me?" she asked, not understanding what the point of all of this was, if not to kill her.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss. When he pulled back, she stared up at him with wide eyes as her mind registered what had happened. With confidence she could only describe as quintessentially Vulpes, he moved his hand to the back of her head and kissed her, again. The moment she reciprocated, he deepened the kiss, a sudden urgency taking over his actions. The hand holding her wrist down released her, wandering down her body until it came to clutch at her waist. She bunched both of her fists in his tunic as if she could pull him any closer before opening her mouth to him and letting him take what he wanted.

One of his legs snaked down from straddling her and nudged at the crease between her thighs, prompting her to spread and allow him to slot between them. The moment they made contact, she moaned into his mouth. Without thinking, he began to rock against her, desperately chasing her moans until his hips were grinding into hers. His hand trailed down her side and to her thigh, sliding under the hem of her tunic to paw at her bare flesh. His hand guided her to meet his movements as he rutted against her, still kissing her like it would kill him to stop. At this point, maybe it would.

His own tunic had ridden up his hips, leaving their undergarments the only barrier between them. His length protruded from the top of his, unable to contain it in its fullest form. It slid between the damp, thin fabric conforming to her folds. She whimpered against his lips, close to her release from such a small action. Touch starved and desperate, she angled her hips until he was sliding against her perfectly. In moments, she inhaled sharply, overwhelmed by the sensation as she came. She cried out, her back arching and pulling her lips from Vulpes. He moved his head down and began devouring her throat, all control lost as the sounds she made spurred him on.

He still held on to the back of her head, anchoring himself to her as he dragged his teeth down the column of her neck. Without thinking, he reached down and moved her undergarments to the side, exposing her. As his fingers ghosted over the sensitive flesh, he could feel the remaining contractions shuttering through her. He pulled his own down just enough to free himself and slid against her. The raw sensation caused them to moan simultaneously.

Maximus clawed at his back and returned her mouth to his as he pressed against her entrance. He pushed in and out with just the tip until he was saturated enough to slide in without resistance. A strangled cry left his throat as he became fully sheathed. He couldn't stop moving, as if possessed by pure want, a need to possess her in every possible way, starting by burying himself in her over and over, the pace increasing until silence was impossible. He returned his lips to her throat, every breath released coupled with a deep grunt as he lost himself in her body. She wrapped her legs around him tightly, anchoring herself against him so that she could thrust back in time. Her own cries mirrored his as they became further entangled, losing themselves to their baser desires.

Maximus felt the overwhelming buildup of another orgasm nearing, causing her to seize up and clutch to Vulpes with all the need she had ever possessed. No battle nor victory could ever amount to what she was feeling as he encompassed her, rendering her helpless to his body as he filled her beyond what she imagined possible.

No longer able to meet his strokes, she was left to his mercy as he pounded into her. A great cry left her as she crested over the remains of her self-control, pulsing hard around Vulpes swollen member. He continued to thrust into her at a brutal pace, hugging her to his body, now stifling his own sounds against her throat. It was bliss and torture all at once as he rode through her orgasm, seeming to lose the fight himself as his moans grew in volume. His rhythm barely stuttered before he buried himself deep within her, biting into her shoulder as a great groan left his chest. The depth brought on another wave pleasure as he flexed into her every few moments, spilling inside of her, refusing to pull out any further than necessary to stimulate his overly sensitive cock.

He kissed her, as they came down, still breathing heavily, but unable to stop touching each other. What started as greedy and desperate evolved into something slower and heavier. Vulpes held himself above her, only enough not to smother her, his remaining weight comforting above her. After several moments, Maximus reluctantly pulled away to look into his eyes. She was afraid if she stopped, the illusion might end, but she couldn't stop herself from wanting confirmation that she wasn't hallucinating. Familiar blue eyes stared back at her with a warmth she had never witnessed, before. Vulnerability and hope bled through them as he brought his hand up to stroke her cheek. She finally broke the silence.

"Why?"