Page 101 of The Sorcerer of Shadowholde

Neither man moved, eyes wide with confusion, Renatus staring right at her with his jaw clenched tight.

“High Consul! What a pleasant surprise. Well, not quite a surprise. I figured you’d come for her. In fact, I was counting on it.”

Amulius pulled his pants up, taking a step away from Vita so he could observe Renatus.

He glanced over at Verian, then back at the High Consul. “And you brought a friend. One of my own guards… what a pity. I may have to get rid of the lot and start fresh. Loyalty can be so difficult to come by.”

Amulius leaned in close to observe Renatus’ stationary face, and dread seeped through Vita, coating her muscles and bones just as Spurius did with his magic. She had gotten her wish—to see them one more time—but now it just meant they wouldalldie down here.

“You would sacrifice everything, High Consul? For her?” Amulius shot Vita a disgusted glance. “A siren sorcerer, one who can’t even control her own magic?”

Now he turned his attention to her in full. “Yes, Vita, I know all about your surges. You think my servants don’t talk? You really thought you could hide it from me? When I found out… oh, that only made me more eager to have you.”

A rough hand squeezed her breast, the other gripping her thigh so hard that it hurt, forcing a whimper from her mouth.

“How easy it was to lure the High Consul down here… all because ofyou.” The last word was spat with the vitriol of a hissing snake, his eyes darkening as he looked down his nose at her. “And now I will get exactly what I want. The High Consulship thatshouldhave been mine years ago.”

Amulius turned his head, speaking over his shoulder as he pulled down his pants.

“As much as I’d love for you to see this, High Consul, I think I’ll enjoy your pain even more,” he simpered with a nasty smirk.

He nodded to Spurius, whose eyes focused, clearly controlling the magic that stopped Verian and Renatus.

Spurius reached out his arms, curling his hands into fists. The effect was immediate, Verian and Renatus letting out bloodcurdling screams which echoed through the small room. Verian fell to the floor with a clatter of armor, on hands and knees as pain twisted his expression. Fangs glinted in Renatus’ open mouth, tears streaming down his face.

“Please, stop!” Vita finally yelled, Spurius’ grip absent now that his attention was on the others.

“Should I fuck you while they die? Would you like that?” Amulius growled, reaching both hands under her dress and grasping at her undergarments.

The well of power awakened, electricity jolting through every one of her nerves, her fingers tingling with energy and her hair standing on end. Amulius had just a moment to tilt his head in confusion, Spurius’eyes widening with understanding as Vita pressed a palm to his chest and raised her other arm, letting out a terrible scream.

Two bolts of lightning shot from her hands, aiming right at Amulius and Spurius. The Praetor flew backwards, slamming against the wall of the room and collapsing in a simmering heap. Spurius received an indirect hit, though no less deadly if the scent of burning flesh meant anything.

Verian and Renatus were still unmoving, mouths gaping, though no longer from the spell of the mage. Renatus reacted first, reaching down and pulling Vita into his arms as tears stained his face. Verian heaved over to the bed, clearly still in pain from whatever Spurius had done, wrapping powerful arms around the both of them as he pressed his lips to her cheek.

“You… Vita… that was amazing,” he murmured, refusing to let her go.

The tears fell now, ones she had contained while Amulius loomed over her, ones she held in even at the threat of certain death. She peeked at the bodies, smoldering messes of nude flesh, her bolts having burned away the fabric of their clothes.

Matching red scars marked both of them, twisting across their bodies like the limbs of a gruesome tree.

Icy fingers were at her chin, pulling her gaze away from the dead men.

Renatus’ voice was soft. “It’s over, darling. It’s all over.”

Everything had happened so quickly that the memory was already blurring, fading. But Vita knew one thing for certain.

The Gods were listening after all.

CHAPTER 44

Vita

“LET’S GET YOU CLEANED up,” Renatus whispered in Vita’s ear as he carried her through the palace’s empty halls, Verian following closely behind.

Their retreat from the Curia had been hasty, Renatus using a compulsion of words to convince the night guards that a terrible accident had killed the Praetor and Spurius. Their docile expressions showed they understood, and they went into the council chambers a moment after the three of them moved on into the night.

Now, they were in the open air bathhouse of the palace, the starry sky sparkling overhead. Numbness gave way to emotion, so strong it almost overwhelmed her. Tears rolled down her cheeks as the men helped her undress and led her to the soothing waters of the pool.

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