The Gilded Rudis

A BWWM Ancient Roman Historical Forbidden Gladiator Romance

By: Lamia Cassius

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Rome demands blood. She demands him.

A proud diplomat from the Kingdom of Kush. A captive gladiator fighting for his soul. A forbidden passion that defies the laws of an Empire.

Lady Amanishakheto, niece of the Kandake, has arrived in Rome with a mission: secure a vital trade treaty for her people. But beneath the marble veneer of the Flavian court lies a pit of vipers. When a corrupt Senator targets her for both her kingdom’s gold and her own submission, Amani realizes her royal guards are not enough to navigate the treachery of the city. She needs a weapon that understands Rome’s brutality.

She finds Caelus.

A Celtic warrior enslaved in the Ludus Magnus, Caelus lives for one thing: the Rudis—the wooden sword that grants freedom. He has walled off his heart, surviving the arena through cold rage and a refusal to break. But when the imperious and captivating Kushite envoy purchases his services as a bodyguard, his resolve shatters.

In the quiet of her garden and the shadows of her chambers, a dangerous intimacy blooms. But in Rome, a free woman who lies with a slave risks more than scandal—she risks enslavement herself under the ancient Claudian Law.

When their secret is weaponized by a Senator determined to bring the Kushite queen to her knees, Caelus is cast into a rigged match meant to be his execution. Now, Amani must make the ultimate gambit: wagering her kingdom’s fortune on the life of the man she loves.

Will the price of freedom be their ruin? Or can a love forged in the shadow of the Colosseum bring an Empire to a standstill?

Dive into this steaming, high-stakes Historical Romance featuring a powerful BWWM couple, political intrigue, and the brutal glory of Ancient Rome. Guaranteed HEA.