“People do not enjoy others? Everyone is monogamous?” I ask.
She frowns, then her violet eyes find mine and hold them. “I suppose they do, but not me. I don’t want that.”
“You did not want this, me, either, yes? Yet, here you are.”
“It’s not the same,” she breathes.
With a hum, I close the short distance between us, needing to be near her, touching her. Lifting my hand, I cup her uninjured cheek, my eyes searching her own, holding her gaze and taking her in, still unbelieving that she is here, real, and alive in front of me.
“I could not allow your body and mine to be defiled that way. It is not something that I could ever agree on.”
“But you will have another person do that to me, and you would have another person do it to you?” she asks, her voice weak and broken sounding.
Broken.
I have hurt her, my traditions have hurt her and there is nothing that I can do about it. This is not something that I could or would ever relent on.
Sliding my thumb across her bottom lip, I think about these lips being the gateway to all that is sacred in my world.
“I have never kissed another woman other than you,” I admit.
She gasps at my words. I am glad that we are having this moment, that we can now speak candidly and do so using the same language.
“My people take this seriously. I take this seriously.”
“No other women,” she breathes.
Arching a brow, my eyes connect with hers, holding them. “You think of famulus as women?” I ask.
She blinks, almost as if she is confused by my words. “What are they, Tiberius?”
“Famulus,” I say with a shrug of my shoulder.
“They are women,” she whispers. “No others.”
I can see that this is important to her. Although, I could tell her that her opinions, her wants, her desires matter not, I do not. I wish to have a true marriage with her, I wish to find acceptance, companionship, and apparently if the prophecy is to come to fruition, I must find love with her as well.
There will be no love without trust, companionship, and acceptance first. There also must be compromise between us.
Chapter Twenty-Four
DRUCILLA
I don’t know what I expected, but Tiberius washing my hair, helping me bathe, and not trying to take things any farther, while we were both naked was definitely not anything close to how I thought the bathhouse would turn out.
When he slides the thick gauzy towel around my shoulders covering my cold naked body, I watch as he wraps the same one around his waist and makes his way over to me again. I shiver when his fingertips press against the small of my back and together, we walk back up to his bedroom, or maybe it’s ours now.
I am lost inside of my head, still reeling from his words, from his explanation of why couples don’t do oral. Then I remember Laurentia on the ship, the way she looked so haunted every morning. The men were having their way with her, and as a slave, she could not deny them.
Once we arrive in our bedroom, I turn to face him, not sure that I can just let this conversation about sex and slavery go.
“Will you allow Laurentia to be my helper?” I ask.
Tiberius obviously wasn’t expecting that question. He dips his chin slightly, looking down his nose at me, and I wonder if he’s disapproving of my question, of my desire to have Laurentia at my side.
“She is yours to do with as you please, mulier,” he grunts.
“I mean, can she be only mine, not to be used in any… things,” I say, wrinkling my nose and trying to clarify without saying the words aloud.
His lips twitch and he dips his chin again, his gaze finding and holding mine. “She will be your property, melculum.” His voice is deep and rich, full of more than just the simple answer, but I cannot guess at what he’s thinking just by the inflection of his voice.
“What does it mean, melculum?” I ask, feeling a sense of relief and attempting to change the subject.
He clears his throat, his gaze flicking to the side before he slides it back over to meet mine. “It means my little honey,” he rasps.
“It’s a term of endearment, but you’ve called me this practically since we met,” I breathe.
My lungs burn and I blink rapidly, trying not to let the tears that are burning in my eyes fall. He clears his throat, taking a step closer to me, then another and another until his warm body presses against mine.
Tilting my head back, I look up into his eyes and I lick my lips, parting them in awe. Lifting my hand, my index finger traces his scarring. He closes his eyes and I watch as pain radiates throughout his entire face.
Pulling back my hand, I’m afraid that I’ve hurt him. He doesn’t let me pull back too far, his fingers lift and wrap around my wrist almost instantly, before I can pull away. Then, to my surprise, he lifts my hand back up to his face.
“I do not frighten you?” he asks.
“You’re beautiful, Tiberius, you never could.”
“I am a monster,” he spits.
His eyes open and red-hot fiery rage instantly burns throughout his entire being. I can see it, I can feel it radiating off of him. He is pissed the hell off. Fear slides down my spine from his anger. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what I did, but I pissed him off.
A cold wind slides through the room from outside, it’s ice cold and Tiberius growls as he turns and his head snaps over to look in the direction of the window.
“You’re scared,” he growls, shifting his gaze back to meet mine.
“You’re scaring me,” I admit.
His eyes widen and he tugs me closer to him by the hold that he has on my wrist. I have no choice but to tumble forward. He wraps his other hand around my waist and holds me to him. I can feel his hard length between us, the gauze fabric doing nothing to hide that part of him.
“Never fear me, Drucilla. I would not harm you,” he says, his voice deep and husky, barely above a low growl.
“Tiberius,” I whisper. “Do you think you’re a monster?”
“I know that I am,” he snaps.
Lifting my other hand between us, I cup his other cheek, holding them both against my palms. “You are not a monster. You do not look like one, and you certainly do not act like one. I think you are beautiful, not only in looks, but every day that I have been around you, even when you did not want me, even when you did not believe the prophecy, even when you were not sure about me, you were kind to me.”
He frowns, looking into my eyes, probably confused that I know there was a time he wanted nothing to do with me, no matter how strong our physical pull was. I don’t blame him, I wasn’t sure this place was real and I was trying to find my own way home and away from him.
“Cassia talks,” I whisper. At that, his lips curve up and I see a small smile cross his handsome face.
“I am sure that she does,” he murmurs, dipping his chin even farther before he brushes his lips across mine. “I look like a monster, my empress. However, I am grateful that you do not see me as such. I used to be very handsome, before the run-in with the bear.”
“The bear?”
He hums. “That is a story for another day,” he rasps. Then a loud howl fills the room and it causes me to jump away from him.
“Your wolves are here,” he murmurs behind me.
“My wolves?”
Rushing over to the window, I pull the gauze tighter around me and lean out, looking down to see wolves. Just like weeks ago when I was here, there are hundreds of them.
“They have been coming nightly looking for their concubina,” Tiberius announces behind me.
Looking back over my shoulder, my eyes are probably wide with a million questions. “Why me?” I ask. “I don’t know what to do with them,” I admit.
His lips curve up into a sexy grin. I pause, my heart leaping into my throat at the sight of the look on his face. Clenching my thighs together, I try to gather my thoughts and keep them
from shifting to images of his body and mine… together. I can’t go there with him, not yet.
“You are the empress, created by the gods, and you lead them, just as I lead the bears.”
“The same bears that did that to you?” I ask, still looking over my shoulder.
Clearing his throat, he gives his head a quick shake. “It was by mistake. War makes people and animals do things they would not normally do. This particular case was in the middle of war and involved her cub. I do not blame her, though I wish she would have swiped my chest instead of my face.”
His words send a wave of sadness throughout my entire body. The wolves begin to howl and I turn back around to face them.
“Can you speak to them, telepathically?”
Pinching my eyes closed, I try to talk to them, to ask them why they are here, in my head, but nothing happens.
“I don’t think so,” I whisper.
“It matters not, they listen when you speak. Call them off, tell them you are home and safe. They have been worried, however, they make the people nervous.”
I can’t even fathom any of this shit happening, but then again, I am in a parallel universe, so who knows what’s even real anymore, nothing is unbelievable at this point.
There are witches, magic, gods, and apparently, I am the queen of the wolves, too. It’s insane is what it is, all of it, but I believe it all, mainly because everything has fallen into place so far.
“I am safe, you beautiful beings. I am home and I am safe, go and rest. Thank you for worrying over me and I will call to you when I am in need of you,” I call out of the window.
The majority of them leave, all but one. He sits and watches me, then he walks over to the side of the building and curls up into a ball.
“What does it mean?” I ask Tiberius.
“It means that he is your guard, he and possibly a couple others will take turns, but they will not leave you.”
Clearing my throat, I turn to Tiberius and face him. “I thought that last time, when they came, I thought it was just some coincidence. I know I was told differently, but I didn’t really believe any of it. I still wasn’t convinced this place was even real, that I would stay here.”
“And now?” he asks.
It’s my turn to smile as I look up at him. My lips curve up as I watch him and there is no looking away. His eyes have captured me, his heart and soul have done the same, and I’m afraid to admit out loud that I am falling nearer and nearer and am so close to landing.
“I believe everything,” I rasp.
He chuckles, his deep laugh filling the room. “Come to bed, lie with me and tell me about you and your world so that I may understand you better, melculum.”
TIBERIUS
I want to take her, to show her just how much I missed her. To give her the pleasure that I know she needs and that I crave. I don’t. I could see the pain in her eyes at the thought of Decima and I together, then I felt the anguish she felt when we discussed oral pleasure in my country.
Gathering her in my arms, I make no move to take things between us any farther and Drucilla seems to eventually relax into me. I think that she’s fallen asleep when she rolls over, pressing her front against my side, and tilts her head back, her face looking directly into mine.
“I don’t know what the future holds. I feel like we’re just getting to know one another, even though we’re married. I feel a mix of different things and I’m trying to understand why things have happened the way that they have,” she whispers.
Sliding my hand up her back, I twist my fingers in her hair, tugging her head back a bit farther, my eyes focused on hers. There is nowhere else I would look except in those pools of violet. The glow from the fire and candlelight is just enough that I can see all of her and not miss a single moment.
“What do you need?” I ask.
She licks her lips, her eyes searching mine. “Time,” she murmurs.
“I do not have this to give freely. You have me, melculum.”
She presses her lips together, her eyes widening for a moment, then she asks me a question that I don’t think she meant to say aloud.
“Do I?”
Gripping the back of her head, I hold her close as I roll her onto her back and nestle my hips between her thighs. I try not to groan at the feel of her warm center against my length, but it is inevitable.
The sound spills from me immediately.
When she wraps her arms and legs around me, I let out a grunt, wishing to slide inside of her warm body, to feel her again, after weeks of not having her.
“You have me, mulier. I am devoted and committed to you.”
“But you will allow someone else to take you in their mouth, what about other acts?”
Physical relations are important to her. I see this, but I do not understand it. Brutus and his mulier are similar for the most part. They do not partake in physical pleasures with others, unless Brutus is gone in battle. He will enjoy the spoils of war, but nothing more.
“Physical pleasures are just that, Drucilla. They have nothing to do with matters of the heart, with respect, or love. With commitment or devotion.”
She shakes her head from side to side, pinching her eyelids closed as she inhales a deep breath, then lets it out before she opens her eyes and finds my gaze with her own again. I watch as she bites the corner of her lip, then finally she speaks.
“Physical pleasures are everything, Tiberius. To me, they are what binds a couple. If you share that beauty, that part of you, with anyone else, it marks me in a way that I can never recover.”
“Have I marked you?” I ask, truly wishing to understand what she is thinking.
She nods her head, though she does not look away from me. Instead, she shows me everything that she is feeling, she shows me everything. I do not know how to fix what I have broken, if there is even a way to do it. Instead of trying, I dip my chin and touch my mouth to hers.
“I will try, Drucilla,” I rasp against her lips.
“Try?” she breathes.
I hum, shifting my lips over to kiss up the side of her jaw and nibble on the lobe of her ear. She sighs, tilting her head back, arching for me. I bite back the moan at the feel of her soft breasts pressing against my chest.
“Try,” I exhale. “Our words seem to be very different. I will try, but remember you are in my world now. These are my people and their customs.”
Kissing down her neck, I stop at the hollow of her throat, then lift my eyes to look up at her through my lowered lashes. Her head is tipped, her breathing is labored as she watches me, and her teeth are still biting the corner of her lip.
“I understand, Tiberius,” she whispers. “But…” she says, her words trailing off.
“But?”
“Please, nobody else. Just you and me like this, just us.”
She is not just saying this, she feels it deep in her core, this is what she needs. I cannot lie, not to her, nor would I wish to. So, instead of promising her false claims. I lift my head and connect my gaze with hers, making sure that she sees all of me when I speak to her.
“I will try with all that I am to make sure you know how I feel about you, always, Drucilla. There is nobody else in our relationship, just you and me. You are my empress and you always have my ear. You will carry my children and you will be the puzzle piece of this prophecy. We will stand side by side as it unfolds, there will be only us.”
Tilting my head to the side, I touch my mouth to hers and don’t give her the opportunity to respond. Once I have tasted her, with all of the strength in the world, I roll over to my side of the bed, gather her in my arms and I sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Five
DRUCILLA
Cassia smiles across the table at me, she’s practically dancing in her chair and I want to ask her what she’s so excited about, but this is my first true breakfast with Tiberius’ people as the empress, plus also being able to understand them all.
Tiberius holds my hand throughout the mea
l and I wonder if I’ll have to eat every single meal with just one hand or is this a show for the first? I don’t get the chance to ask him, because from the moment we walk into the room until he bids me farewell for the day, someone is talking to him.
I watch as he walks away, Marcellus and Brutus at his side, his head shifting from side to side as he talks to them. Letting out a sigh, I decide that I need to talk to both Cassia and Laurentia. Turning to face Cassia, I give her a smile and finally she stands to her feet and hurries to my side.
“I thought they would never leave,” she cries as she sinks down next to me.
Laughing, I shake my head. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do,” I admit.
“I’m just glad that we can talk to one another, now,” she confesses. “I have been planning your celebration.”
“I feel very lost,” I admit.
Her lips curve up into a grin. “I won’t be able to go to all of the events, but it is going to be wonderful.”
“What do I do, on regular days?” I ask.
She shrugs a shoulder. “I paint, read, ride my horse, and ensure that the famulus in the house have everything done the way that Tiberius prefers. But my favorite thing to do?”
Wrinkling my nose at the mention of slaves, I try really hard not to say something. Instead, I listen and nod, as I wait to hear what her favorite thing to do is.
“Going to the market,” she says dreamily.
Shopping.
I giggle, because it’s one of my favorite pastimes too. None of my sisters quite liked shopping as much as I always did. I could shop for hours, nonstop, until I physically dropped. Images of finding some seriously kick-ass jewelry and shoes in this place fill my head and I suddenly can’t wait to do the shopping thing.
“When can we do that?” I ask.
Her eyes brighten and she lets out her own giggle. “The vendors will be here and set up by the end of the week. They are coming from all over the country of Savona to sell their wares, knowing that there will be a mass amount of people coming to celebrate the new empress.”
Bride of the Emperor (The Prophecy of Sisters Book 4) Page 17