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    The Gladiator and the Vestal
    The Gladiator and the Vestal
    The Gladiator and the Vestal
    Ebook32 pages30 minutes

    The Gladiator and the Vestal

    By Monica Venier

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    About this ebook

    When the man she loved disappeared without a word, she joined the Order of the Vestals to avoid a marriage of convenience. Now, years later, she discovers that he is back in Rome and that he still loves her.

    Their lives couldn't be further apart: she has pledged herself to a life of seclusion and chastity, while he fights in the arena as a gladiator.

    After rediscovering their love for each other, Livia and Octavius cannot imagine to be separated again, but the customs of Imperial Rome condemn their love as blasphemy and punish it by death.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMonica Venier
    Release dateNov 12, 2014
    ISBN9781311415011
    The Gladiator and the Vestal

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      Book preview

      The Gladiator and the Vestal - Monica Venier

      The Gladiator and the Vestal

      By Monica Venier

      Published by Monica Venier at Smashwords

      Copyright © 2014 Monica Venier

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Cover by Phill Evans – www.endsofinvention.biz

      The lion pounced with a snarl, his fangs bared, but the gladiator was ready for him. He used both hands to hold the hilt of his sword against his breastplate, and the lion fell on it. Man and beast rolled together in a cloud of dust, but only the gladiator rose to his feet.

      The crowd responded with a roar, in a paroxysm of excitement. Livia jumped up with them, as she was expected to do, but couldn’t suppress a shiver of disgust. The games were too violent for her. Unfortunately, the presence of a vestal was sometimes expected, and the high priestess had chosen her to represent their order at today’s games. As a novice, she could hardly refuse to comply.

      She dreaded what was coming next: gladiator fights. If it was bad enough to see magnificent animals slaughtered, men killing each other was pure savagery. Most of the fifty thousand spectators that filled up the Colosseum were far from the action, but her status gave her first-row view, a privilege she would have gladly given away.

      Twelve pairs of gladiators walked into the arena and begun sparring. They warmed up by moving around and feigning attacks, without engaging in close combat. The crowd called out the names of their idols, urging them to take the offensive. Slowly, the fights grew in intensity, until nothing was held back, and the gladiators fought for their lives.

      The arena resonated with the clang of metal against metal. Swords hit helmets; spears banged against chest armours; and daggers met with shields. The crowds loved to see gladiators fight with different weapons, and each gladiator concentrated on the weak spots of his opponent’s defences, in an all-out fight that could only result in either glory or death.

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