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Back The House with the Golden Door Save as PDF
Chapters (60)
  1. Cover
  2. PRAISE FOR
  3. PRAISE FOR
  4. Dedication
  5. 75 CE
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. FLORALIA
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. LEMURIA
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. NEMORALIA
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. 33
  42. 34
  43. 35
  44. 36
  45. 37
  46. 38
  47. 39
  48. 40
  49. 76 CE
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. 46
  56. 47
  57. 48
  58. EPILOGUE
  59. AFTERWORD
  60. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Felix is still staring into Amara’s eyes. “She knows I am not lying,” he replies.

“Let him up,” Amara’s voice is choked with rage. “I can’t risk it.”

At first, it seems Britannica is not going to obey. The anger on her face, at being denied the kill, is frightening to see. And yet, she moves, doing as Amara has asked. Victoria rushes toward Felix as soon as he is standing, but he shoves her away. “Don’t fucking touch me,” he spits, and Amara knows, looking at the way Victoria quails, that Victoria will suffer later for her husband’s defeat.

“I will pay you,” Amara says. “But if you harm Philos or Rufina, if you do not keep your silence, I will not only kill you, but your entire family.” She looks over to where Victoria is standing, clutching her stomach in fear. “Your child for mine,” Amara says to her. “As payment for your betrayal.”

“You certainly have a high regard for the British bitch’s killing abilities,” Felix says, wiping the blood from his face and inspecting the red smear on his palm. “But it seems unlikely one woman could inflict so much carnage. She got lucky today, but how might it be if she faced not only me but my whole household? Do you really think she could kill Paris, Gallus and Thraso, single-handed? And then there’s always the tragic possibility she might be set upon in a dark alley. I wonder who your protector would be then?”

“My brothers avenge me, if you touch me,” Britannica says to Felix. “We are sworn to each other. They know of you already.”

“You don’t have any fucking brothers,” Victoria says, eyes wide with fear, “not unless you plan on raising the dead.”

Britannica smiles her gap-toothed grin and pushes the tunic high up her arm to where the pale skin is freshly tattooed with black. The mark of a gladiator. “I have many brothers now. To die for vengeance is honor for me.”

“You sold her as a gladiator?” Felix is unable to hide his surprise.

“She pledged herself,” Amara replies, edging toward the door. Britannica is beside her with her dagger drawn, the safety of the street just a few paces away. “Perhaps you shouldn’t have discarded her so easily. There is always a price to pay for underestimating a woman.”

EPILOGUE

“Now we come to examples of changing Fortune, which are innumerable.

For what great joys does she bring except after disasters, or what immense disasters except after enormous joys?”

—Pliny the Elder, Natural History