Chapter 3

Cassia watched the landscape change around her without thinking, having retreated far into her mind to escape the pain and fear surrounding her. She had seen Pompeii flattened by the last fierce eruption, had seen the wall of gray ash bearing down on the city. She'd heard the screams suddenly stop, but she refused to think about it. She couldn't take any more grief. She was already going numb.

Thankfully, Corvus didn't continue to gloat. She glanced up at him now and then, but he seemed focused on his route, his mind clinically clicking towards the best way to bring them back to his villa. He'd reverted back into his soldier days, consumed with the task at hand.

They reached Frosinone at dusk. Cassia's legs had lost feeling after crouching for so long, and Corvus had had to carry her into the inn—to his great amusement and her mortification. She was grateful he allowed her to have her own room, though he had instructed the inn keeper's wife to stay with her constantly. She hadn't seen him anymore that night; he'd spent the night drinking with soldiers he met in the city, while she had taken a hot bath and fallen into a fitful sleep.

The next morning, they proceeded to his villa in Rome. Corvus sent Cassia ahead in a carriage, guarded protectively by soldiers, and he rode alongside on his horse, far more at ease among his men. Cassia was glad; at least she wasn't forced to ride in a tight carriage with him for the next eight hours.

By late afternoon that day, they reached his villa, which was considered in Rome but really on the outskirts of the bustling city. She had to admit that it was a breathtaking home, with pure white walls and a bright orange tiled roof. A fountain in the shape of Ares, the god of war, splashed in the front, while in the back, Cassia saw sweeping gardens and vineyards.

Before the carriage even rolled to a stop, soldiers and servants had swarmed around it, eagerly offering their help. When one tried to help Cassia down, though, Corvus impatiently waved him away, taking her hand himself.

"Welcome to my home, Lady Cassia," Corvus said proudly, leading her up the steps to the grand entrance. "Let me show you to your chambers."

They walked down lavish hallways, followed always by servants and soldiers, until Corvus stopped at a tall oak door plated in gold. A servant rushed to open it, revealing a bedroom opulent enough for a queen.

"These will be your chambers until we're married," Corvus said. "Obviously, after that, there will be no need for separate quarters," he added with wicked smile. "I hope your new home pleases you."

"This is not my home, and it never will be," Cassia answered quietly. "After all, your former marriage proposal holds no weight now that I have no family for you to threaten."

Corvus chuckled, motioning for his entourage to leave so the two of them were alone. He took a step towards her and she instinctively backed up, further into the bedroom.

"Such a clever girl," he said, "but I'm afraid your innocence betrays you."

Cassia looked up at him questioningly, hating herself for not understanding.

"I don't need your consent," Corvus explained, catching her by the arm before she had a chance to react. "I don't need your cooperation. I can throw you across that bed and take you now if I want, and no one will protest. I'm a Roman senator. No one can question me."

"Stop it," Cassia said. She tried to sound firm but it came out as a scared whisper.

Corvus just held her more tightly, his other hand winding through her curls. "I can have you as often as I please, and I will have you as often as I please, whether we're married or not."

Cassia's stomach twisted, but she refused to give in to his intimidation any longer. "Take me then and get it over with!" she spat. "And then let me go."

Corvus just laughed. "Such passion," he said. "You will make an ideal wife, once you're properly trained. I have no intention of courting scandal by keeping a young single woman in my house. We'll be wed properly once your two weeks of mourning have passed. I can probably restrain myself that long—but don't tempt me."

His gaze swept her body again, and Cassia saw with fear the lust in his eyes.

"And you are tempting," he added, tipping his head and kissing her under her jaw and down her neck. She tried to push away but he held her too tightly, working his way down her throat and to her collarbone.

He was interrupted by a call from one of his soldiers. "Senator! A messenger from your troops."

Corvus let Cassia go, and she leaned against her night table weakly.

"I'm afraid I must attend to official business and leave the pleasure for later," he told her. "But rest assured, dear Cassia, that I'll return shortly."