The Centurion Captive — M. Francis Lamont

Once a Centurion rising through the ranks of the Legion of the Republic Julius had his eyes set on the future and glory. There was a time when Julius Lucius, the bodyguard of Velletri's champion, saw slaves, even gladiators as property to be made use of. He never dreamed that one day he would become one.It was a tactical error on a simple mission that changed everything in his world. One morning he was a soldier and the next he woke as a prisoner that would be forced into slavery to survive. His hatred for his captors was matched only by his desire to be free. Until the line between love and hate blurred, then disappeared entirely.A person of influence and power among the villagers that were using Julius as a beast of burden in their fields became a friend though kind words and small gestures of mercy. Slowly hatred turned to love between them and the need for escape became paramount. The villagers would never understand the love and passion that they shared. A late-night breakout set them on the path back to Rome but became an unrelenting hunt. They were running a race against those who sought to put an arrow in the back of the slave or the acolyte who loved him.