She’d always had an unfair hold on him. He’d promised Caros to keep his distance from her, but that didn’t make him blind to her beauty or immune to her innate charm. She was kind and lively, intelligent without being crafty. But in this instance her earnest concern and deep well of compassion impressed him most. She had serious worries of her own to mull over, yet she possessed the rare ability to look beyond herself, to care for something as insignificant as a panther’s runt.
“Give her the cub,” he ordered Laelius without taking his eyes off Tibi.
Her relief evident, Tibi reached for the quivering animal. Cooing softly to calm its mewling cries, she cuddled the black ball of fur close to her chest and stroked its sleek head. “It’s not a runt,” she said, lifting her gaze to meet his. “It’s newly born. Its eyes have yet to open. Where do you think his mother is? This little one will starve without her.”
“She was killed in the venatio this morning. By now, the beast is on the butcher block with the street orphans already waiting in line for the carcass,” Laelius sneered as he extended a hand to help Gerlach to his feet.
“How do you know?” Alexius demanded.
“The cub was found half-covered by hay near those empty cages over there.”
Alexius watched Tibi’s face leech of color as she realized the empty cages had housed the animals killed in the game hunts earlier that morning. “I didn’t consider… What can we do?”
Hearing the we, Alexius groaned inwardly. The catch in her voice was his undoing. The only way to save the wretch was to buy it. He’d have to look for the editor and work out an acceptable price. He smiled ruefully to himself. If the negotiations went as well as the day had gone thus far, it was going to cost him a fortune to a save a worthless animal he didn’t want or need. To his surprise, he was willing to pay almost any price to ease Tibi’s distress.
As he watched Laelius help Gerlach toward the underground tunnel that linked the Coliseum to the gladiator hospital, he caught sight of Darius and Spurius, the editor of the games, walking toward him. He reached for the cub, but Tibi held firm. “What are you going to do?” she asked suspiciously. “You won’t hurt him, will you?”
Alexius almost laughed. She seemed to think she could stop him from taking the little beast if he chose. “I won’t hurt him. I’m going to buy him for you.”
“For me? But—”
“You want him, no?”
“Of course, but that isn’t the issue. I have nowhere to keep him. I only wanted your gladiators to stop hurting him.”
The hopeful light in her eyes encouraged him. “We’ll work out the arrangements later. For now, the editor is coming this way. Let me negotiate with him while I have the chance. He’s a cur who’s quick to take advantage of any situation. If you want to help this animal and keep your identity a secret, hide your face and stand behind me. Try not to draw undue attention to yourself.”
Tibi’s mouth twisted with unasked questions, but she hurried to hand him the cub. Her cowl had slipped and she made quick work of readjusting the gray wool to completely conceal her distinctive hair and features.
“Greetings, Alexius,” Spurius called, his legendary girth making for slow progress down the hay-strewn path. “I’ve gone over the day’s proceedings with Darius. Your troupe is scheduled for battle within the hour. I’ll leave it to him to fill you in on the details.”
“They’re ready,” he said with a confidence born from experience.
“They always are,” agreed Spurius, as he came to a stop an arm’s length away. “Of course, it’s you the mob comes to see. What do you have there?”
“A runt Gerlach found in the hay. Apparently, its mother died in the ring this morning. How much do you want for it?”
“No,” Spurius said, gasping to catch his breath. “I mean, who do you have there?” He pointed a knobby finger over Alexius’s shoulder.
Alexius grinned to hide his rising tension. “No one of importance.”
“What a pity. She’s tall enough to be an Amazone. I let myself hope you’d trained a gladiatrix to fight as a gift for the crowd.”
“No, but I might consider it,” he said, careful to sound intrigued, since women were a favored spectacle in the arena, although they were few and far between. “About the runt—”
“If she’s not here to fight, is she your new woman or just a slave…or both? From what I saw of her at a distance, she’s a beauty. Let me have a better look.”
“There’s no need for that,” he said amicably. The whoosh of the bellows nearby filled Spurius’s surprised silence.
“Come now,” the editor cajoled. “Perhaps we can make a bargain. I’ll trade you the runt for the girl.”
“Another day and I might take you up on the offer.”
Tibi gasped and thumped him on the back. He coughed to smother his laugh at her reaction, pleased that she wasn’t cowed by the situation. “Unfortunately, she’s not mine to trade. Besides, you wouldn’t want this particular wench. She’s nothing but sass and vinegar.”
“A saucy one, eh? That’s often the best kind.” The editor eyed him. “If she’s not yours, then who does she belong to?”
“She’s a freewoman brought here by mistake.”
“Her father?”
Alexius shrugged.
“Let me guess,” continued Spurius. “You’ve convinced the poor girl you’ll protect her honor.”
Alexius’s eyes narrowed at the underlying insinuation that no woman was safe with him. “Indeed I have. How perceptive of you.”
The editor burst out laughing, as though the idea was one of pure comedy. “She must be a foreigner and unaware of your…colorful reputation, then.” He strained sideways as though to speak directly to Tibi. “Be warned, girl. If the gossips see you with this great Greek bull, they’ll make certain you have no honor left to worry about.”
Bitterness welled up inside Alexius. His free hand clenched into a fist at his side. Tibi gripped the back of his tunic between his shoulder blades. “Don’t,” she whispered for his ears only. “Please don’t. He’s not worth your anger.”
“Perhaps I’m such a prize she doesn’t care,” he said, his tone rich with irony. He reached into the leather pouch attached to his belt and tossed Spurius a handful of copper as. “For the cub.”
The editor’s laughter subsided as he did a quick count of the coins. “I didn’t name a price.”
“I chose it for you.” He gripped Tibi’s wrist behind him, eager to leave when each moment added to the chance of her discovery. “Darius will lead the men of the Ludus Maximus this afternoon. I have business elsewhere.”
“What do you mean Darius will lead the men?” Spurius sobered in an instant. “You’re
