Max sidled up next to her. “Forgive me, sir, but it might do the horses good to rest for a day. One of the locals mentioned they expect rain this afternoon. Wouldn’t be the worst thing to be in shelter. Perhaps we can see how Iris feels tomorrow and reevaluate.”
His tone was relaxed and his bearing deferential, but Volusia knew him well enough to see the tension humming in the lines of his body.
A muscle in Glabrio’s jaw pulsed, but Volusia knew they had him. Arguing with a woman was not an honorable pursuit for a centurion, and Max had given him an out without making it seem like he’d lost the argument.
“Very well,” Glabrio ground out. “One day.” He turned on his heel and stalked away.
“Thank you,” Volusia murmured to Max.
“He can be an ass about the stupidest things,” Max said. “I was enjoying watching you argue with him, though. Do you think you could pick another fight with him sometime? It’s top-quality entertainment.”
She grinned. “I’ll do my best.” In truth, standing up to the centurion had set her heart pounding, and her palms were still sweaty, but knowing that Max’s steady gaze was on her gave her courage. She’d been right to ask him to come on this journey. He’d stood up for her, even in a small way, against his centurion.
“Does Iris need a physician?” Max asked. “I don’t know if this town will have much in the way of medical expertise, but if you want me to try to find someone to attend to her, I can.”
Volusia shook her head, though the offer was touching. “She’ll be fine. I just need to ask the kitchens for some clear broth and see if they have any lavender for a compress. I should go do that now.” She smiled at him again, and, before she could waste the whole day trading smiles with him outside the inn, turned away to find the kitchen.
Chapter 12
ToMax’sdelight,Glabriowas even more irritable and short-tempered than usual for the rest of that day. Volusia’s insubordination—as Glabrio would no doubt see it—had really gotten under his skin. Though the legionaries were the ones who suffered the effects of Glabrio’s displeasure, it gave Max no end of satisfaction to see someone needle him, especially Volusia.
It did rain, as the locals had promised, and they were all grateful to be under shelter amid the downpour. While looking after the horses in the inn’s stables, Max and the four other soldiers discussed the incident between Glabrio and Volusia in hushed tones of wonder.
Max was careful not to reveal the depth of his relationship with Volusia. It was clear that they knew each other, as he was the only soldier she ever directly addressed, but Max passed it off as an effect of the two weeks he’d spent on guard duty in her house. If the other soldiers knew he was the childhood friend of a lady like Volusia, they’d start treating Max as if he were some sort of snobby patrician, and he’d never live it down.
The morning after the argument with Glabrio, Iris evidently was recovered enough to travel, as she and Volusia boarded the carriage without complaint. They passed another night at an inn. As they journeyed toward the huge mountain range that split Gaul from Italy, the terrain became rougher, and the towns sparser.
Because they were sticking to the coastal road rather than venturing inland, they didn’t have to cross the Alps proper, but the landscape still became rocky and densely forested. They would have to spend several nights in a row sleeping rough, as they wouldn’t encounter another town until they crossed into Italy.
After a long day of riding, Max gave Elephant her customary extended brush and rub down. He gazed at the distant peaks outlined against the twilight sky. What would it be like to explore such unforgiving terrain, to conquer one of those mighty peaks, to see the world spread beneath him? He thought of Elephant’s namesake, the animals that Hannibal had crossed the Alps with to attack Rome almost two hundred years ago, and imagined the huge beasts navigating such a harsh landscape.
Raised voices echoed from the camp, pulling him out of his fantasies. Elephant’s ears pricked, and she swished her tail. One of the voices was female. Max hastily finished brushing Elephant, and started back toward the camp. Volusia might be arguing with Glabrio again, and he didn’t want to miss that.
The female voice turned into a scream. Without thinking, Max broke into a run, closing the short distance to the camp. His hand reached for the short sword strapped to his belt. What was happening? Were they under attack? Why—
He skidded to a halt as he took in the scene at the camp. His mind struggled to make sense of it, as if everyone had suddenly started speaking a different language.
Juno’s cunt.
Ulpius had grabbed Volusia, restraining her arms behind her back. Sextus had Iris in a similar grip. Glabrio stood between them. He drew his sword and pointed it straight at Volusia’s throat.
Pullus and Calvus stood off to the side, shock and confusion clear on their faces. Even Ulpius and Sextus looked unsure as they restrained the two women. Only Glabrio seemed to know what was going on.
Max strode forward and planted himself in front of Volusia, shielding her from Glabrio’s menacing blade. “What the fuck is going on?” Max demanded.
Glabrio’s eyes flashed. “Stand down, legionary. And address your superior officer with more respect.”
Max folded his arms across his chest. “Not until I know why you are threatening two women.”
Behind Glabrio, Iris struggled against Sextus, trying to break free. “Hold her, legionary,” Glabrio snapped at Sextus.
Sextus hesitated, then twisted her arm behind her back, immobilizing her. She cried out in pain. Sextus bit his lip and glanced desperately at Glabrio, as if hoping for an order to release Iris.
Volusia let out a growl of rage behind Max. “Take your hands off her! Whatever problem you think you have with me, she’s no part of it.”
Glabrio smirked. “I suppose you should have listened to me and left her behind in Nemausus if you didn’t want her to be harmed.”
Max could hear Volusia gasping, struggling against her captor, but Ulpius held her firm. “You will pay for this indignity many times over,” she shouted. “When we reach Rome—”
