Quintus Ambustus is a slave--Adiona Leonia is a wealthy socialite. He fights for his life in the gladiator's ring--she plays cutthroat politics in Rome's high society. He's sacrificed everything for his Christian faith--she believes in nothing and no one. But when Adiona's life is threatened, Quintus is chosen as her bodyguard, and their fascination with one another shocks them both. Neither thought to find joy in a match society would condemn...but their feelings cannot be denied. Have they lost too much to believe in happiness? Or will their growing love let them leave the past behind--and build a new future together?