BUY AT SMASHWORDS BEFORE APRIL 8TH USING THIS CODE NN36X AND RECEIVE A 50% DISCOUNT. (Available in Kindle, ePub, and more)
This is an EROTIC/VAMPIRE historical..... it's set in Ancient Pompeii, mostly,
and moves into modern time..... it contains a great deal of sexual content, and
historical accuracy about the decadence of the Romans of that era. It was
fascinating to write, and as you can see, the cover is a stunner..... I hope
your curiosity will be piqued, and you'll consider adding this one to your
collection - the reviews are amazing... and I think you'll find it a satisfying
read!!!
WHOM GODS HAVE FAVOURED
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Pompeii lies complacent and decadent in the shadow
of Mount Vesuvius, the populace thriving on their depravity and their hunger for
blood and Games. Within the elite aristocracy, games of another type are being
played, deadly secrets are a threat to more than status, and conspiracy is a way
of life for those who are unhappy.
Lucius has long been exalted as a warrior without
peer. Adored and covetted by men and women alike, he is blind to the plots that
are thickening around him. While total control is his on the bloody fields of
war, on the battlefield of the heart, as he is about to discover, even the
strongest man can be deceived by his ignorance.
Watching over it all is the majesty of Vesuvius,
sputtering smoke, promising retribution. In the midst of the looming
destruction, an ancient evil emerges, and will claim not only a celebrated
general of Rome, but the slave girl he has slowly grown to love and cherish. A
girl who will follow him into hell itself?
Exclusive excerpt:
Xina felt
the heat of her new master’s scrutiny as she served his guests and tried to
keep out of their groping clutches without obvious offense given to any
present. She hated these arrogant and decadent Romans, with their overabundant
riches and complete lack of compassion. That she herself had been born Roman
made no real difference to her convictions. She detested the manner in which
the nobility of Pompeii dismissed life, and humanity. Their glorious general
was a shining example of everything she abhorred most.
Her look
slid to him. He was an exceptionally attractive man; she was forced to concede
with reluctance. He stood well above most of the men gathered in the room; his
fair head held proud, blue eyes sharp with intelligence. He had earned his
reputation as a cold-blooded killer, a warrior of superior skill. She saw no
warmth in him, despite the fire in his azure eyes. When she would have returned
to the kitchens, his voice beckoned her to his side.
“More
wine for my guests, Xina.” His smile was oddly polite.
“She is a
beauty, General,” the magistrate commented as he watched Xina walk away to
refill the wine pitcher.
“Yes,”
Lucius agreed. His look followed every movement she made. “One of Boudica’s
cast-offs.”
“The
woman’s a fool to let one like that escape her. I would guess the girl could
quickly become a favorite.”
“Apparently
she attempted to slit the throat of the last man who tried to take her without
the correct price,” Lucius said with a laugh.
The
magistrate chuckled. “And you expect to have better luck, General, is that it?”
he asked, his eyes envious.
Lucius
shared the man’s laughter, and noticed Nydia had not missed a single word of
the exchange.
* * *
“What is
it you want of me, Master Lucius?”
Xina
stood inside the large, airy chamber and tried not to look at the imposing man
who lounged on a silk-covered couch. The room was softly lit by torches
arranged to create the illusion of warmth and seclusion. The banquet had lasted
well into the night, and she was almost asleep on her feet. The general
appeared no worse for the considerable amount of wine he had consumed so far
this night.
“What do
you think I want, girl?” His tone was one of sardonic amusement.
She
shuddered and nodded. There was no need to respond. He had bought the right to
do with her as he pleased. To refuse him would mean her death. To strike him,
if she possessed a weapon to do so, would also mean death. Resigned, she
unknotted the belt that held her gown and allowed the soft white garment to
slide from her shoulders and puddle at her feet. She unlaced the sandals,
stepped out of them also, and walked to his couch. She stood naked before him
but made no further movement.
Lucius
laughed.
“Why did
you almost kill Maccius, Xina?”
“He did
not own me, Master,” she answered. “And I was not a whore to be sold, despite
Boudica’s assumptions.”
“Yet, I do own you, little one,” he murmured.
“Do you wish to kill me?”
“I wish
to go on living.”
“You’re
quite lovely, Xina,” he purred, as one long-fingered hand brushed the length of
her leg and the backs of his knuckles smoothed over the silken skin of her
belly before moving downward again.
“Father?”
His face
clouded with anger at the childish voice, and he sat up on the couch.
Chloe
entered the room and her gaze raked over Xina, who stood impassive and detached
at his side.
“What is
it, Chloe?” he snapped. The child’s stare was filled with intense loathing, and
it surprised him to see such an expression in a face so young.
“You
promised you would come to see me before you retired.”
“Go!” He
gritted the single word to his slave from between clenched teeth, and rose
quickly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xina gather her garments and slip
out of the chamber in silence.
“Did you
plan to rape her?” Chloe asked.
“Rape
her?” he repeated, surprised again at the age in the child. What could a girl of ten years know of rape?
“She’s a slave, Chloe. My slave. I
will do whatever I wish with her.”
“Of
course, Father,” she answered.
* * *
“Xina?”
She
whirled at the soft sound of her friend’s voice. The old slave Gaius had been
waiting for her to return to the kitchen, and she saw the worry that aged his
gentle features. He was one of the only men she had ever met who’d showed her
true kindness despite the brief time they’d known each other.
“I’m
fine, Gaius,” she assured him.
“You were
not delayed long.” His eyes did not meet hers.
“Chloe
arrived, and he sent me away,” she said with an ironic smile. “I wonder what
she would say if she knew how welcome I found her interruption.”
“Be very
careful what you say in this house, Xina,” Gaius warned quietly. “There are
many who would happily tell the general your words.”
She
shuddered, the response involuntary. Angered, Lucius would be a lethal force to
face. She had no real desire to die at his hand.
“I
promise to exercise more care in the future, dear Gaius,” she said and went to
hug the old man.
Gaius
held her tightly and led her to the servant’s chambers. He relinquished his
hold with reluctance when they reached the crowded rooms, and she kissed his
cheek before slipping away from him.
* * *
Xina
tried to stay hidden within the general’s vast household during the days that
followed his banquet. She saw the child, Chloe, watching her often. The girl’s
mother was withdrawn, and Xina knew the other woman was seething much of the
time. The son, Darius, who was spoken of in hushed tones, had yet to appear.
Nydia gave all the outward appearances of a dutiful and faithful wife, but her
eyes darkened with hatred more often than not when Lucius was near.
Lucius
had not called Xina to his chambers since her first night in the house.
“Wake up,
Xina!” Gaius hissed as he passed her in the kitchen. “If Tiberius catches you
daydreaming, you’ll live to regret it.”
“He
wouldn’t risk offending the great general by handling what does not belong to
him,” she snapped, her voice low but dripping with derision and anger.
“You
belong to the household, Xina,” Gaius warned. “If the general chooses you to
warm his bed, you’ll be accorded your right to arrogance. Until then, Tiberius
is one of many who may take from you.”
“The last
man who made such a foolhardy mistake is probably still bleeding,” Xina said
with a smile. “But, I will heed your warning, dear friend,” she added kindly.
Gaius was the oldest of the general’s slaves, and he was a constant source of wisdom
and gentle strength. Lucius had handed her over to the old man as soon as he’d
brought her into the house.
“The
general wants you, Xina,” a young voice informed her in a whisper.
Xina felt
her heart begin to pound. She peered at Drusilla, another of the house slaves
with whom she’d formed a casual friendship. The girl trembled with fright at
being spoken to by Lucius. She was reduced to such fits of quivering each and
every time he spoke directly to her, and Xina felt irritated beyond measure as
she realized a small portion of the girl’s fright was indeed infectious.
With a
heavy sigh, she left the kitchen.
* * *
Lucius
was just stepping from the bath when Xina entered his chambers and stood with
her back to the door. He cleared the room with a gesture, then beckoned her
forward. Her look was focused on the floor. He touched her chin and forced her
to meet his gaze.
“Your
brother has returned in triumph. Pompeii’s champion remains undefeated,” he
told her. “He will fight in the arena at today’s games.”
“And he
will win, Master,” she replied.
Lucius
handed her a large bath sheet and smiled as he waited for her to put the soft
material to his wet skin.
Xina
tried to still the shaking that assailed her, but knew she hadn’t been
successful when his smile deepened to a grin. Determined, she began to wipe
away the droplets of water that clung to the general’s fair skin. His nakedness
had been no shock to her; she’d seen many men this way. But Lucius was
different from most men she’d met, and his long limbs were well muscled and
lean. His hips were narrow; his contoured chest dusted with light brown fur,
and strength was obvious in the solidness of his shoulders and arms. She
catalogued, unconsciously, every detail of his form as she worked in silence.
When she walked behind him and touched the broad expanse of his back, she had
to pull away from the almost overwhelming desire to caress, not merely rub, the
supple curve of his muscles.
As if
Lucius felt the shift of her mood and her unwanted discovery of pleasure, he
took the sheet from her hands and tossed it aside.
“On your
knees, girl,” he whispered. The order sounded more a persuasive request than a
demand.
“Please…” She knelt before him, her eyes never
leaving his. “Do not…”
He
ignored her protest, and strong hands touched each side of her face, then
guided her mouth to the smooth, rigid length of his cock. When she resisted,
the pressure of his fingers increased to create sharp pain. A gasp escaped her
and she closed her eyes as she tried to obey his commands.
“Well,
Father,” a new voice drawled. “I see you’re being entertained.”
Lucius
laughed, but refused to allow Xina to pull away from her erotic task. It had
been too long since he’d subjugated innocence, and her inexperience was as
arousing as it was amusing.
“Darius.”
The general gave him a cold smile.
He paused
to really look at his son for the first time in months, and he marveled at the
boy’s resemblance to him. His son was fair and patrician in appearance like he
was, handsome, tall, and strong in a lean, lethal manner. Even the blue of his
own eyes was repeated in his son’s brilliant sky-hued gaze. They also had the
same sense of commanding presence and power, which was perhaps the most
disconcerting revelation.
“Your
mother’s been waiting for you.”
The young
man shrugged. “When she’s not waiting for me, she’s waiting for you. It’s what
she does.” His imperious gaze fell to the girl kneeling before his father, her
mouth sucking while Lucius stroked her hair. “This one’s new, isn’t she?”
Lucius’
breath caught, and his head fell back as his body shuddered. When he looked at
his son again, he still felt mildly dazed from his recent pleasure.
“This is
Xina,” he informed Darius. “And she is not to be bothered by you, or your
friends. Do you understand?”
Darius
laughed at the command and dismissed the order with a wave of his hand. “Fuck
her to your heart’s content, Father. I have a far more intriguing partner to
amuse me.”
Lucius
might have shared his son’s laughter, but for an instant he caught a light in the
young man’s eyes that was almost terrifying. Just as the spark registered, it
vanished, and he wondered, as he stared into the impassive face of his son, if
it had been nothing more than a trick of light.
In the
distance, Vesuvius grumbled and burped smoke into the air. Lucius stared at the
puff of grayish cloud through the open window of his chambers, and ice kissed
the back of his neck, then dissipated.
“I’ll
tell Mother you’ll be ready in a moment,” Darius said with a disdainful glance
at the slave girl who was still on her knees, crying softly.
* * *
Lucius
accepted the rich, jewel-encrusted belt Xina held out for him, and, out of the
corner of her eyes, she saw him smile when she refused to look at him. He
fitted the belt to his waist, straightened his robes, then touched Xina’s
cheek.
“We’ll
continue this later. After the games.”
Xina
nodded; she didn’t trust her voice to function.
He
laughed as he strode from the room.
Within
moments, Xina crumpled to the floor and retched.
Gaius
found her after the general and his family had left for the arena. He helped
her clean her mess and tried to offer what comfort he could.
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