Bride of the Emperor (The Prophecy of Sisters Book 4)

by Hayley Faiman

  It is the sweetest sound I have heard other than the noises she makes when she climaxes. I do not know why my body, inside and out, is so drawn to her. I do not understand why I am so affected by her, other than the simple fact that the gods have made it so.

  I hear her voice, her words come out quickly but I do not understand them. I wish that I did. I would like to be able to communicate with her, even if it is only in these moments as we lie next to one another.

  Wordlessly, she climbs on top of me again. She is insatiable, my future empress. I cannot deny that I enjoy this about her. She does not touch the mentula between my legs, instead I feel her bend and her lips touch the center of my chest.

  She kisses, licks, and nibbles down my body. Her tongue traces my nipples, the muscles of my stomach, and then lower. When she reaches my mentula, she kisses the tip. Reaching down, I wrap my fingers in her hair and tug her head upward.

  “Nihil,” I growl.

  I hear her intake of breath, then she speaks again, but yet again, I do not understand her. Shifting from beneath her, I rise to my knees before I slip from the bed and walk around her.

  She is not my famulus. She does not put me in her mouth. She is going to be my empress. She is above this, I do not know how she does not realize this. Why she would think she should stoop so low as to take the place of a servi and do this.

  Climbing onto the bed behind her, I stroke myself a few times, keeping her hair in my hand as I slowly sink inside of her from behind. This will be my final effort in impregnating her tonight. I will try again tomorrow night, and the night after that, and again, the night after that until she is carrying my infans.

  She tips her hips, giving herself to me as I bury my mentula deep inside of her. I hear her let out a hiss, then pull her head back farther, her neck and back arching as she continues to offer herself to me.

  Using my other hand, I wrap my fingers around her shoulder to keep her still and immobile. I do not take her gently. I do not take her sweetly or softly. I take her with vigor. All of the muscles in my body tense as I slam into her over and over without so much as a moment’s pause.

  She cannot speak, but I hear her moans, her gasps, and her whimpers with each pump into her body. She takes me, welcoming me, and I wonder how the gods could have created someone so sublime as to be able to take every part of me.

  I think that maybe she could see my face and not be disgusted by me, but immediately shake the thoughts away. It is not an option yet, her seeing me will not be an option until she is tied to me by marriage and with a child deep inside of her, at the minimum. But in reality, not until that child is born and is a boy—an heir.

  It does not take long for me to arrive at my climax, though I do try to hold back, wishing for us to arrive together. The most pleasure comes when you find your release together and I wish for that with my Drucilla.

  Drucilla.

  A name that is beautiful not only in thought, but also on the tongue. It is a good match for her since she is the most beautiful yellow-haired woman I have ever laid eyes on before. I do not have the true color of her eyes memorized, but I decide that I must know so that I can imagine them when I am buried deep inside of her tomorrow after the sun has set.

  I hear her breathing pick up, then feel her fingers brush against my mentula as she touches her landica, giving herself what she needs so that we may let go together. I let out a growl, my hips slamming against her harder than before, knowing that she will ache tomorrow, she will remember me between her legs with each step that she takes.

  “Yes,” she cries.

  I do not know what this means, but she chants it as though it is a good thing, so I continue until I feel her cunnus squeeze around me, it clamps down, and she whimpers as her entire body freezes.

  I bury myself deeply, then allow my seed to release inside of her, knowing that this is the best position for creating life. I stay rooted, hoping the longer I am inside of her, it will increase the chances of the seed planting.

  “Tiberius,” she breathes as I release her hair and guide her belly down to the bed.

  Touching my lips to the back of her shoulder, I trail my mouth down the side of her back, touching her lower back before I completely release her and slide off of the bed.

  She sleeps immediately. Taking the sheeting, I pull it up and over her to hide her nakedness. Bending, I touch my lips to her shoulder again.

  “Somnum, melculum,” I whisper against her skin before I straighten and leave her to her sleep.

  While we were eating this evening, I had a servi take my personal clothing items out of my chambers and place them in the bedroom across from Drucilla. I may not be able to sleep next to her, but I will be as close as I can get in case she needs me for whatever reason.

  Slipping out of my chambers and into my temporary ones, I turn up the candlelight and let out a sigh. I do not know how long I will be able to do this, but I will do all that is within my powers to make this prophecy come to its fruition, even if that means hiding myself from my empress for as long as it needs to happen.

  DRUCILLA

  Reaching out beside me, I run my palm over the sheets and pout before I open my eyes. Alone. Cold sheets and I’m alone. I don’t know why, but I thought that he would stay. No, I take that back.

  I do know why.

  This is his room, I had no doubt that I would wake up next to him, see him in the sunlight, maybe make love again before we ate some breakfast in bed.

  I’m disappointed at being alone. Rolling onto my back, I lift the sheets over my naked breasts and stare at the stone ceiling above me. It’s quiet and I take a moment to just breathe and think.

  Tiberius is not the man I talked and danced with last night. There is something going on here and I hope that whatever it is, it doesn’t turn ugly. Biting my bottom lip, I can’t help but wonder why I’m not totally panicking.

  Why do I feel completely at peace here, almost as if I belong?

  I start to dissect the way that I feel and try to decide if I’ve been drugged, if I’m crazy, or if I’m just doing the whole Stockholm Syndrome thing, because I believe in that shit, and after last night and the sex that I had with Tiberius, I could see how that could definitely be a thing.

  Last night was the best that I’ve ever had, every single time, and after the sixth orgasm, I didn’t think that I was going to be able to breathe. He was amazing, my entire body aches from being with him, but I can’t deny that I already crave him again.

  Just as I’m thinking about everything that happened and imagining his rough, calloused fingers against my skin, the door flies open. My eyes widen and a strange woman walks into the room. She isn’t dressed the way that Cassia or even Petronia were dressed yesterday, instead, she’s dressed very, very plainly.

  She smiles as she approaches the end of my bed. “I have been told that you speak, Bunafidian?” she asks.

  “Well, I speak English,” I say slowly, knowing that the man I ate and danced with who was pretending to be in charge, last night said the same thing. I don’t have the first flying clue what Bunafidian is, but apparently, it’s a form of English.

  I watch as she licks her lips and nods her head once. “I am to be your famulus for as long as you need me,” she says.

  “Famulus?” I ask.

  “Your slave,” she says.

  My heart stops beating. It completely stops in my chest at her word. Slave. What the actual hell? She takes a step toward the side of the bed and stands there, her gaze focused on mine.

  “I see this upsets you, do not allow it to. I know in Bunafi there aren’t slaves, but here it is normal, as it is in Wolfjour Ail. I am lucky, not only because I am a famulus in the emperor’s home, but now I have been chosen to be a famulus for the future empress. It is a great honor.”

  Honor.

  I almost snort at the word.

  Honor, my ass.

  “Well, what happens if I don’t want a slave?” I ask.

  She looks down
to her feet, then lifts her gaze to meet mine. “I will probably be sold,” she breathes.

  Well shit.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Laurentia,” she says.

  “Okay, Laurentia, I am Drucilla. And if this is going to work, you’re going to be my friend. I don’t want to hear that disgusting word, famulus, again.”

  Her eyes widen and she opens her mouth, then snaps it closed. “Yes,” she says as she nods.

  “Drucilla,” I remind her.

  “Drucilla,” she whispers.

  My lips curve up into a grin. “Now, what happens next?”

  “I’ve been instructed to take you to the baths, and by the time you have bathed, it will be time for your prandete—to break your fast.”

  My stomach rumbles at the mere thought of food. “That sounds like heaven.”

  She nods her head, then scurries over to the wardrobe. I watch as she flings the doors open and my heart sinks. They’re gone. All of his clothes have been removed and there are only girlie things in there.

  He never planned on staying the night and he doesn’t in the future either. He’s going to hit it and run. I don’t know why, but the idea of not waking up with him, of not seeing him in the light, of being his dirty little secret, that makes my heart squeeze and ache.

  Chapter Six

  TIBERIUS

  Instead of staying in my office all day, I decide to go out and practice with my men. I am not surprised to see Brutus leading his group of elite warriors. Walking up to them, my gladius in my scabbard, I jerk my chin.

  “You are not with your intended?” Brutus asks on a chuckle.

  “You know that I am not,” I mutter.

  Brutus is my cousin, but he is also my brother in war. We traveled, fought, conquered, and bled together many times on the battlefield. Drawing my gladius, I do not talk as I begin to spar with my men.

  The sound of clashing metal, the grunts fill the space around me. The excursion of my frustrations, the clearing of my mind, I allow all of it and revel in it as I spar. This is what I was made for, this is where I am happiest. Not as an emperor, not as a ruler, right here—in battle.

  We spar for hours, until the noon meal passes and the sun begins to set. My body is exhausted, my mind is also not as weighty as it was when I arrived. The men disassemble and begin to head to their own homes, lupanars, or the popinae.

  “Tiberius?” Brutus calls out.

  Lifting my head, I look up at my cousin, my frater, and I give him a jerk with my chin. He clears his throat, walking toward me, but stops just a few feet in front of me.

  “If she is your intended, she will accept you for who you are,” he says, his voice softer than usual.

  I don’t say anything right away. I’m not sure if there is anything to say. He is wrong. Not even the strongest magas of this land could make her see me for anything other than a monster at first glance.

  “I am glad that you have such faith in the gods, Brutus.”

  He shakes his head. “Cousin,” he sighs. “You must have the same faith in them. You have been chosen for a reason. You are a great emperor, you will make a fine husband, and you will do whatever the gods have destined for you to do, with that woman by your side.”

  “She is not of this land, she does not know our language, she does not know our customs. She is a stranger.”

  “Not so much of a stranger that you did not have her last night,” he points out.

  I smirk. “She is also not pure.”

  “This bothers you?” he asks, lifting his brows in surprise.

  It does not bother me, and it should. I am an emperor, my wife should be a virgin. It is the way it is done. All of my father’s wives, concubinas, and famulus’ were. I know this because he bragged about it often.

  All of them were his to do with as he pleased and to bear his children. They did, too. He had over two dozen children. My brother and I were the only children from his actual wives, all the others were from concubinas and famulus’.

  They were all status pieces who, after he died, held zero rights to any of his money, land, or titles. My father did not leave any instruction to care for them either. That has all been left up to me and my discretion.

  I decided to help them the best that I could. The ones that could be married off, I agreed to the unions, the ones who were old enough to work, I granted them spots in apprenticeships of their choosing or what our country was in need of at the time.

  The girls who were not old enough, I gave to the house of the Celibate Virgins, the boys were sent to the Augur to study and become one as well. These are futures that I did not have to give them, they are futures that they will thrive in.

  The women, I keep them in a small home together. Three of them have decided to use their bodies to pay for their lives, choosing prostitution over my generosity. I am indeed proud of them and wish all of them the best.

  “Her virginal status bothers me in that it does not bother me,” I say, attempting to explain myself.

  He nods his head. “You know, Tullia was not pure when we wed.”

  “You did not tell me this,” I grunt, knowing that my father sanctioned their union and would have insisted that she be pure considering Brutus is of the emperor’s blood.

  He shakes his head. “I knew before we wed. It was why I asked your father to take her as my own. She had been forced as a young woman.”

  “You didn’t tell him this, did you?”

  Brutus lets out a boom of laughter, his shoulders shaking as well as his entire body. Then he shakes his head as he calms his laughter down. “You know that I did not, cousin. To your father? I would not.”

  “It does not bother you though?” I ask.

  His eyes find mine and he lifts his hand to my shoulder. “She could either sell herself or become a Celibate Virgin. She wanted children and a life as a wife to a good man. I was honored that she chose me to give her a life as a wife and mother. Having her as my partner has been better than I ever could have dreamed of. If this woman is your fated, she will think the same of you.”

  I wish that I could believe him. But I cannot.

  “I am happy for you, Brutus. You and your Tullia are a treasured couple and I am proud to call you family.”

  “It is bothering you that she is impure in your eyes or in the eyes of the empire?” he asks, his brow lifting.

  “It does not bother me. Though, I know that it should. Being with her was different than anything I have ever experienced.”

  He hums, his eyes searching mine. “I like this for you,” he states before he lifts his hand and clamps his fingers around my shoulder. “I will much enjoy the way this plays out, but do not anger the gods.”

  “I endeavor never to anger the gods if I can so help it.”

  He chuckles, then begins to walk away, past me and toward his home and his Tullia. “Tiberius,” he calls out from behind me. Turning around, I lift my gaze to meet his. His lips curve up into a grin. “Figure out the prophecy, marry her, then reveal yourself. She will appreciate your honesty. Do not waste it, cousin. Do not waste the trust that you will build with her.”

  He walks away without saying another word. I watch after him, wondering if he is correct at the same time knowing that he is. Clearing my throat, I turn and make my way inside. My new prison, my own home. It is this way from my own doing and I am okay with that, for now.

  Making my way toward the baths, I decide to wash the sweat from my body before I eat my final meal. The guard standing beside the door jerks his chin.

  “Is the room empty?” I ask him.

  He nods his head. “Yes, Emperor. It is empty.”

  “Send me a famulus and do not let anyone else enter,” I announce.

  Usually, I would not mind who comes and goes. However, since Drucilla is somewhere in the domum, I do not want to chance running into her anywhere. Walking into the baths, I disrobe, though typically I would wait for my famulus, as is the custom for my position. I do not f
eel the need today.

  She arrives, her head tipped, her dark hair arranged on her head, simple yet pretty. When she stops in front of me, she disrobes herself. I watch as her flesh is revealed to me. She is like all the other famulus who are used for this, thin and young.

  “Look up at me,” I demand.

  She does, her big brown eyes wide as she takes my face in. I frighten her. I know that I do. I am a monster, after all, or at least I appear to be one.

  “Do I frighten you?” I ask.

  Her eyes widen and she shakes her head, but it is too late, I know that I do indeed frighten her. It is okay, it is who I am now, who I have been for a decade.

  “Knees,” I grunt.

  She does as she’s told and sinks down to her knees. Then she does as she is useful for before she bathes me.

  DRUCILLA

  “What is your name?” I ask my dining partner.

  He jerks his head, his gaze finding mine as his eyes widen. “Tiberius,” he lies.

  I arch a brow, and know that his voice does not match the one in my bed that said my name, that growled it when he was deep inside of me. This man can also speak my language and Tiberius, my warrior, cannot.

  “So, it was you in my bed last night?” I ask, being completely forthright.

  He clears his throat and squirms in his seat a bit. Leaning forward, I open my mouth to say something when I hear Cassia’s voice. I cannot understand her, but she is talking to Tiberius—who is not actually Tiberius.

  “Cassia would like to know if you want to go into the gardens with her this evening before the sun has completely set,” he says, changing the conversation.

  He can attempt to change it all he wants, but I already know the truth of it. He is not the man in my bed and I wonder if this is the emperor or if the man in the bed is. Then, my heart starts to race at the thought of this man and what will happen to me if I’m sleeping with the wrong one.

  I don’t really know what’s going on here, and I’m really unsure of why I’m sleeping with anyone, but it feels good and right and I just tell myself that I’m here for a reason, whatever that is and that my sisters should be popping up any second to explain everything to me.