جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

Rome, 42 BC – The Kalends of MarchNight lay heavy upon the Palatine, as if Venus herself had cast her veil of crimson silk over the city. Torches flickered in golden sconces; their light refracted in the marble columns of Senator Lucius Cornelius’s villa, transforming every drop of wine into liquid fire. The air was saturated with the scent of myrrh, rose oil, and the sweet smoke rising from the incense burners. Music—deep lyres and bright flutes—wove through the gardens like invisible fingers stroking bare skin.Livia Valeria stood at the edge of the colonnade, half-hidden behind a curtain of ivy and white roses. Her jet-black hair was arranged in intricate curls, interwoven with fine golden ribbons, yet a single strand had come loose and fell over her shoulder. Her gown, fashioned from deep Tyrian purple, caressed her body as if it had been woven from the night itself. It accentuated her slender waist, the gentle curve of her hips, and her fair skin, which seemed to glow in the tor

Three days after the ritual, everything came to a head.The sun beat down mercilessly upon the Roman Forum. The scent of sweat, incense, and iron hung heavy in the air. The Senate had convened an extraordinary session, yet everyone knew that this would be no meeting of words. It was a meeting of blades.Livia stood on the steps of the Temple of Concordia, half-hidden behind a statue. Her heart pounded. The golden thread within her chest tightened painfully—Marcus was near. Far too near.Her father had forced her to come along. "So that you may see what becomes of weakness," he had said, pressing a dagger into her hand.On the other side of the Forum, she recognized the crimson and gold tunics of the Aurelii. Marcus stood at the front, beside his brother Lucius. His posture was tense; his hand rested on the hilt of his *gladius*. He, too, was scanning the crowd. When their eyes met, a jolt ran through them both. The bond sang loudly between them—a warning and a longing, all at once.Th

The air in the dilapidated villa grew thick as syrup. The golden bond between Livia and Marcus pulsed like an exposed heart, sensing every beat of impending danger.Lucius Aurelius stood in the doorway, his sword drawn. Four heavily armed men flanked him—all of them loyal clients of the House of Aurelius. Their faces were hard, their eyes filled with contempt as they beheld the half-naked daughter of the Valerii standing beside Marcus."Brother," Lucius said softly, almost regretfully. "Father is dead. Murdered in his own *tablinum*. By blue flames that pierced through his chest. The entire city is pointing its finger at the Valerii. And at you."Marcus’s grip on Livia’s hand tightened until it was painfully firm. Through their bond, she felt a part of him die—the son who had loved his father, despite all their quarrels."It wasn't her," Marcus growled. "Nor her House. Someone is exploiting the hatred between us."Lucius laughed bitterly. "You are blind. That woman has bewitched you.

Marcus wore Livia as far as his powers were concerned. Your body felt easy in its Poor, but the purple band between them weighed hard like lead. Each of them flat breaths echoed in his own chest. She had given too much. Too much flowed into him by himself.The forest became denser, wilder. The pine trees are high, moss-covered rocks. A she led to a hidden gorge. There, half covered by wild efeu and falling roots, the entrance of a cave – old, dark, forget. The stones around the entrance were covered with faded reliefs: Venus and Mars, hand in hand, surrounded by flames and pigeons. An age Screaming, even the shepherds.“Here,” Marcus says. “The gods lead us.”He wore them in. The cave opened after a few meters to a large, a natural light opening in the ceiling lighted chamber. In the middle a small, warm source from the rock. The air smelled like sulfur, myrrh and old Magic. On the walls slightly phosphorescent fungi and ancient Paintings – lovers who embraced themselves i

The rain had stopped, but the world remained gray and heavy.Marcus and Livia moved carefully through the wooded hills back towards Rome. Their plan was awkward, but the only one that remained to them. They wanted reach Senate, before the remaining consuls and priests of Venus and of Talk to Mars. reveal the prophecy. Your love as living proof to lead.“If you see what we are,” Marcus murmured, while he helped Livia, a steep Climbing up the hill, “then they can’t just kill us. Not before Eyes of the Gods.”Livia smiled tired. Her shoulder pained, the purple band felt between them insane and overexcited. “You are a dreamer, my lover. But I love you exactly for that.”In a protected counter, they stopped. The sun broke weakly through Clouds. Marcus spread his deepest coat on the ground and pulled Livia to yourself. They fell close to each other, exhausted, but hungry to the close.Their kisses were tender first, then desperate. Hands glitted under torn Fabrics, looking for wa