Chapter 22 Roman
Roman
Tearing my gaze away from the macabre sight of Costa’s burning estate, I tucked Olivia tighter against my side in the back of the carriage.
My eyes searched the darkness for solace, for anything to erase the vision of crimson blood dripping from the walls, of gut-wrenching screams still ringing in my ears.
But there was no escape.
Even as we pulled away, disgust curdled in my stomach. Not even my years as a gladiator, soaked in the brutality of the arena, had prepared me for the monstrous horror of tonight.
The thunder of the horses’ hooves rattled through my bones as we rounded a bend in the road—
—and the burning estate came into view again.
Costa’s once-elegant villa blazed like a vision from hell, flames devouring the structure in greedy tongues of orange and red.
The cries of the partygoers—so immersed in the throes of pleasure only an hour ago—had transformed into screams of agony.
They were burning alive.
A wave of nausea gripped me. Even with my ability to withstand and witness the darkest acts of torture and violence, I could not stomach the sheer agony all around me.
“Oh, God,” Olivia sobbed, pressing deeper into my side.
I wrapped my arms around her trembling frame. “Shh, my love. We’re safe.”
“Are we?” she wailed. “Are we ever safe when that madman is around?”
I pulled her even closer as if my arms alone could shield her from the nightmares of that night.
Across from us, Count Montego sat stiffly in the back of the coach. His face was pale, and the corners of his eyes creased with concern. He stared out the window at the smoke-choked sky, his silence stretched thin, as though still grappling with the horror he had witnessed.
“Such a tragedy,” he murmured at last, shaking his head. “I’m appalled that such a thing could occur.”
I studied him carefully. How much did he know about Balthazar? Raul had spoken of him like an old acquaintance.
“Indeed,” I said neutrally, watching Montego’s fingers curl tightly against his lap.
The count exhaled, his gaze still locked on the burning ruins in the distance.
“Do you think…” He hesitated, carefully choosing his words.
“Do you think the fire dancers could have started the blaze? Through their careless actions? The way they were tossing those batons…” He shook his head as if trying to rationalize the night’s chaos. “Anything could have happened.”
And there was my answer.
He knew nothing.
Nothing of the treachery Balthazar was capable of.
Nothing of the darkness that walked among us tonight.
“Perhaps,” I said, keeping my tone neutral. “Whatever the cause, it’s a horrifying tragedy.”
I rubbed Olivia’s arm, hoping to soothe her tremors.
She only buried her face deeper into my shoulder, her cries muffled against the fabric of my coat.
The carriage fell silent except for the occasional sniffle and the rhythmic pounding of the horses’ hooves against the road.
Then, the count shifted. “Your manservant… where is he? Did the flames consume him in a torturous death?” His shoulders tensed up to his ears. “What a horrific fate.”
“You didn’t see the show?” I asked, watching him closely.
“No,” he answered quickly, his voice slightly strained. “I had… other matters to attend to.”
Other matters? Knowing Montego, those matters were likely found between the legs of some lustful woman.
I glanced at Olivia, who had finally quieted, then replied, “No, he left with someone. I’m sure he’s all right.”
The count nodded, exhaling with what seemed like genuine relief. “Good. That’s good.”
Then, his eyes drifted toward Olivia, studying her for the first time with curiosity rather than concern. His head tilted slightly. “And where did this beauty come from? I’ve never seen her before.”
My grip tightened around Olivia. “This is my wife,” I stated firmly, holding her close.
The count’s brows lifted in pleasant surprise.
“Ah, splendid! Your wife!” He sighed, shaking his head.
“Such a shame she had to witness tonight’s horror.
Our town will mourn this tragedy for ages.
” His gaze returned to the window, watching the last vestiges of the burning villa disappear into the night.
Beside me, Olivia drew in a deep breath before finally straightening.
“I apologize for my manners,” Olivia said, her voice still raw with emotion.
She extended a hand toward Montego. “I’m Olivia Alexander, wife to this wonderful man by my side, as he told you.
” A watery smile ghosted across her lips.
“We’ve been apart for a long time. Tonight was supposed to be…
” Her voice caught. She inhaled, steadying herself.
“I was overjoyed to be with him again. But the party…” Her throat bobbed as she swallowed.
“It ended in a way none of us could have envisioned.”
A shuddering breath left her, her fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt like it was the only thing tethering her to the present.
Count Montego leaned forward, his expression unreadable. He took Olivia’s hand and brushed a kiss over her knuckles—chivalrous, yet distant.
Releasing her, his gaze drifted to a pile of crumpled news sheets on the seat beside him.
His fingers snatched them up like a drowning man grasping a lifeline, clinging to the paper as if it could shield him from the horrors of the night.
He unfolded the sheets, scanning the headlines as if desperate to find some rational explanation for the carnage we had just escaped.
I turned to Olivia, our eyes locking like the clash of lightning against darkened skies.
A heartbeat like thunder pounded through me.
Leaning in, I brushed a soft kiss against her head. “It’s so good to be back with you, amore mio,” I murmured against her skin, my lips trailing down to her cheek, moving with hungry desperation.
A soft sigh escaped her, sending a shiver down my spine. She melted into the crook of my arm, her delicate hand pressing against my chest, her warmth seeping into me like the first sunrise after an endless night.
I breathed her in, her scent—of home, of belonging—filling me to the brim until I thought I would burst.
“I’m so thankful to have found you,” she whispered, her voice threading into my soul. “I didn’t realize how empty I’d become without you.”
I exhaled against her temple, holding her closer. “I’m the same. I coped—but I couldn’t thrive.”
I kissed her eyelids, sweeping away the tears that lingered there.
She made a soft, breathless moan.
As my lips wandered across her face and neck, I felt possessed by a deep hunger that bordered on madness. The earlier tease of our lovemaking had barely whetted my appetite—it had only left me aching for more, desperate for more.
And now, with Olivia pressed against me, her body molding to mine, the unbearable distance between us disappeared.
With a growl, I captured her mouth, my kiss deep and ravenous, swallowing the whimper she let out as I dragged my tongue across hers, tasting her, devouring her.
Olivia climbed into my lap, her thighs spreading as she settled herself atop my aching cock, the thin fabric of my breeches doing nothing to dull the heat radiating from her bare, dripping core.
A ragged moan tore from her throat as she rocked against me, the friction sending a brutal jolt of pleasure straight through my spine.
She had no knickers—I had ripped them apart with my teeth upstairs.
And fuck, she knew exactly what she was doing.
I groaned into her mouth as her hips moved in circles, dragging her slickness along my length, teasing me, tormenting me, making it impossible to think of anything but burying myself inside her.
“Roman…” she whispered, her breath hot, needy, desperate.
My fingers dug into her hips, urging her to keep moving, to keep torturing us both.
Her hands clutched my shirt, pushing it off my shoulders as her kisses turned frantic, wet, unrestrained, her tongue twining with mine, her teeth grazing my lower lip before she sucked it into her mouth, making me see stars.
The carriage jolted, sending her crashing into me, her breasts crushed against my chest, her bare core grinding against my cock so hard I nearly lost control.
“Oh, God, Roman!” she moaned into my mouth, her fingers yanking my hair, making my cock pulse with unbearable need.
I thrust against her, dragging her over my length, gritting my teeth at the sheer wet heat of her, my body screaming for more, for everything.
I was seconds away from tearing open my breeches, lifting her hips, and sliding her down onto my cock, stretching her, filling her, making her scream my name as I claimed her completely—
And then—
A vision slammed into me like a tidal wave, ripping me from the haze of lust.
I saw us somewhere else, some other time. We were in a dark cave, our bodies slick with sweat. Her legs were tangled around me, and her fingers traced the scars on my chest. Her hair hung wild around her, and her eyes were heavy with exhaustion and sated bliss.
I could hear the echo of her breathless moans, could feel the way she clung to me in the aftermath of pleasure.
I froze, every muscle in my body locking up.
“Roman!” Olivia gasped. Her lips were kiss-bruised, her pupils blown wide with desire. “What is it?”
“I… I don’t exactly know.”
The vision dissolved, leaving me shaken.
And then I saw Montego watching us; his expression was clear intrigue, maybe even amusement.
With a frustrated growl, I lifted Olivia off my lap, my cock still aching, my body screaming for release.
“Pardon us, Count Montego, for our unchecked ardor,” I said, my voice still rough with the remnants of desire. My body still burned for Olivia. A rosy flush painted her cheeks, betraying the fire that still simmered beneath her skin.
“Yes, please forgive us,” Olivia added, her voice softer, more delicate. “We were terrified that Roman could be lost in the fire. Our love… our desperation to hold onto each other was too much to contain.”