Summary: The Conqueror leaves Greece to visit Cleopatra and meets a slave/gladiator named Gabrielle but all is not what it seems.
Disclaimer: See Part 1
Authors Note: : I've been quite busy with this story! I am actually almost finished. I only have a few chapters that I need to fix up. I'm actually quite behind on my other story because of this one, though hopefully I will be updating that one soon as well! I'm really happy about the comments I've been getting and I love that everyone is trying to guess/figure out what's going to happen. You're all in for such a shock ;)
If you want to email me, my address jacklavigne13@hotmail .comThankyou!
Chapter Twelve
"Xena, stop," Alexandria whispered fiercely as she tried to keep up with me as I marched down the corridor. "Xena!"
"What?" I growled as I spun around to face my second, my eyes wild. For a second, I considered striking her but I held back. She hadn't done anything wrong. Instead I clenched my hand into a fist, feeling my wound reopen and sting distractingly.
"Xena, you need to calm down and understand that Gabrielle is a slave," Alexandria pleaded with me, resting her hands on my arms and massaging my tense muscles. "She doesn't have a choice. If Cleopatra wants to fuck her, she will, with or without you as an audience. Gabrielle doesn't have a choice."
"But she does!" I wailed, feeling tears well up in my eyes. I felt betrayed and hurt, though I wasn't entirely sure if I had a right to. "She does have a choice, Alexandria. She isn't forced into Cleopatra's bed, she goes willingly."
Alexandria went silent as she processed this information, never taking her eyes from mine. Her hands were still soothing my tense muscles as we stood on the steps on Cleopatra's palace. I hadn't even realized that we had made it outside.
"She doesn't, Xena," Alexandria said softly. "If she was to stop now, Cleopatra would get suspicious. Your appetite is well known, Xena. Gabrielle can't risk it."
I took several deep breaths as I let her words sink in, knowing that they were the truth. I was still angry and jealous, but not to the point that a trip to the markets would end up in a massacre.
"Okay," I breathed finally as the anger lessened in my eyes and Alexandria smiled warmly.
"Your self control is outstanding," she said before removing her hands from my arms and straightening up, giving a glare to the guards that surrounded us. "So, a trip to the markets, huh?"
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I hadn't actually planned on going to the markets today; it had just been the first thing I could think of when I spoke to Cleopatra this morning. But now, here I am with Alex at my side, taking interest in a small weapons stall in the middle of the Alexandrian markets. It had taken us half a candlemark to walk here and I had been distinctly uncomfortable when I first starting walking through the crowds. Only knowing that Alexandria was watching my back let me finally start enjoying myself.
I had calmed down quite significantly since leaving the palace. Alexandria's words and calming touch had helped soothe me and let me see the truth in this situation. I still didn't feel good about seeing Cleopatra touch the gladiator so intimately but I could understand Gabrielle's decision to let her. I just needed time, I told myself, time to sort through the emotions that I wasn't used to dealing with. But it seemed that my time had run out.
It wasn't until I felt a familiar presence at my side that my anger from this morning started to return.
"Having fun?" Gabrielle asked me softly as I picked up a small dagger, trailing my finger over the engravings on the ivory hilt.
"I was," I muttered without looking at the slave. I looked to my left to see that Alexandria had wandered off to give us privacy, but was still in view. Probably to keep an eye on me in case I did something stupid, like kill the slave, I thought bitterly.
"That's a very beautiful dagger," Gabrielle indicated to the blade I still held in my hands. I immediately dropped it back onto the table at her words. I ignored her hurt expression as I turned away from her. She didn't understand. I couldn't be around her right now, not without hurting her. I needed space, which is something I don't think Gabrielle understands.
"Xena, please, talk to me," Gabrielle begged as she walked besides me, her hand gripping my own, unseen in the crowds of people. "I prayed to the Gods that you wouldn't walk in this morning and I'm sorry if it hurt you."
"It didn't hurt me," I lied through my teeth.
"Then look at me!" Gabrielle pleaded and I finally broke, turning my head to stare into her tear filled eyes. It was too much.
Gripping her hand tightly in mine, I pulled her through the crowds and down the street. I could faintly hear Alexandria's footsteps behind us but I ignored them as I abruptly turned from the road and dragged the slave down a dim alley. I used my hypersensitive senses to determine that we were alone before turning around and pushing the gladiator up against the wall. She gasped at the fire in my eyes as her back was pushed roughly against the stone.
"Xena," Gabrielle breathed, arching her back as I ground myself against her. I didn't want to be so rough with her but I wanted her to know how I felt. I wanted her to feel the pain that I felt when I saw her with her legs open for Cleopatra. I wanted her to feel my pain at how it felt for me to know that she wasn't mine, but I was hers. Gods, it hurt.
While getting changed this morning, I had taken the time to strap on my phallus in hopes of being able to have Gabrielle in private sometime during the day. I knew that she could feel it pressing against her core as I rubbed myself against her. The desire burning in her eyes told me that she wanted it. She wanted me. It only made me feel marginally better.
"Take what you need, Xena," she gasped as she wrapped her legs around my waist tightly, grinding herself against me. "Take me."
An agonized growl escaped me as I crushed my lips against the slave's, my hands roughly pushing the tunic up around her waist. There was no tenderness in our touches, nor did I try to take my time as I had with her last night. The emotions that had built up inside of me were too much and I quickly unlaced my pants and in seconds, I was inside of her.
I could hear the people in the streets and I knew it would be so easy for us to be caught, but that only seemed to fuel my passion as I pounded my cock inside of her. Let them find us. Let them see the truth that the slave is mine. I will burn Egypt to the fucking ground.
I could feel the heels of Gabrielle's feet digging into my ass, urging me on as I thrust inside her furiously as she worked her hands underneath my shirt and scraped her blunt fingernails down my back. Beats of sweat were rolling down my skin, making the scratches sting deliciously. The air was hot and I was soon panting for breath as I rested my forehead against her shoulder, breathing in her scent.
She still smelled of Cleopatra and it was too much. Images from earlier this morning of the slave being pleasured by the Egyptian was all I could see. The dim alley disappeared, along with the phallus buried between the slave's legs and I was in the courtyard once more. Except this time, Gabrielle's face wasn't emotionless; instead she was begging her mistress for release, her eyes burning with desire. When she turned her head and saw me watching, instead of being horrified, she was amused. She laughed cruelly as my face crumpled to show my agony before climaxing and screaming Cleopatra's name.
I was pulled from my daydream by the slave as she moaned my name softly. With one last final thrust, I slammed her hard against the wall and pulled away from her, my breathing erratic. My fingers itched to grab the dagger at my waist and end her life and then mine. It would hurt less than the pain in my heart.
She stared at me with eyes full of pain, slumped against the cold stone wall as she gasped for breath. I couldn't tell if it was emotional pain or physical from how roughly I had treated her and to be honest, I didn't really care. The slave had ruined me.
It hurt to turn away from her but I knew it would hurt us both more if I stayed. My heart aching, I left the dark alley and the slave and walked back in the sunlight, attempting to leave my pain behind me in the shadows.
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