EMBERS // A Gladiator II Fanfiction ✔︎

XXXVII | Justice Must Be Served

I hadn't slept a wink. But, I knew the moment she'd drifted away, the quiet of her breathing shifting into something even softer than it was before. Still, I didn't move. I had spent the entire night sitting against the cold stone, staring at the sliver of space between the bars, watching the faintest hint of her silhouette beyond them.

Even now, I didn't look away. I tried to convince myself that I didn't know why—that I didn't care anymore—but the unfortunate truth was, I didn't want to forget what she looked like.

Not now. Not when I knew what was coming.

I shifted forward on the cot, bracing my forearms against my knees and running a cold hand down the side of my face. My jaw ached—I had been clenching it all night—and my knuckles were stiff from how tightly I had been gripping the bars that separated us.

And still, none of it compared to the ache in my chest that refused to disperse.

I love you.

The words had been so soft, barely above a whisper, but I had felt them more than I had heard them. I had felt them in the way her hands had held onto mine like I was a lifeline. I had felt them in the way she had pressed herself against the bars, as if she could will them away if she just got close enough. I had felt them in the way she trembled with a mixture of fear and desperation.

But now?

Now there was nothing but silence. She hadn't spoken in hours. Neither had I. What was there even left to say? I was still utterly furious. I was still drowning in the betrayal, in the fact that she had pushed me away, that she had left me standing alone with nothing but her absence to keep me company. But, I was still the man who would kill for her—die for her. And now, I feared I was the man who would have to watch her die.

I exhaled through my nose, pressing my fingers into my temples, trying to will away the sharp throb that berated me from behind my eyes.

Then the sound came. Footsteps. Heavy boots on stone. I knew before the door even groaned open that they weren't here for me. I straightened instantly, my back going rigid, my eyes snapping toward the entrance, just as the iron hinges screamed against the wood.

Two guards stepped inside.

I barely had a moment to react before one of them barked out a crude order. "On your feet."

Adriana visibly tensed. She didn't move right away—whether out of hesitation or exhaustion, I didn't know. But the moment the guard stepped toward her, I was on my feet.

"Where are you taking her?" My voice came out low, but sharp. The guards didn't look at me; they didn't acknowledge me at all. One of them reached down, grabbing Adriana by the arm and I moved before I could stop myself. My hands slammed against the bars. "She has nothing to do with this—"

"—Shut up, traitor!" The guard didn't even turn to face me as he spat out the words, his grip tightening as he pulled Adriana up to her feet.

Something snapped inside of me. My entire body locked up, fury pouring into every muscle, into every bone. I was gripping the bars so tightly that I could feel the cold bite of metal against my skin—felt the ridges press into my palm, but I didn't care.

They were taking her away from me. Again.

I took a step forward, pressing against the barrier, my voice dangerously low. "I swear to the gods, if you lay a hand on her—"

The guard yanked her forward before I could finish, as if to prove just how little weight my words truly held.

"Acacius," Adriana's strained voice cracked pitifully and suddenly, the world narrowed.