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

by Hayley Faiman

  I tell myself all of these things, but I don’t know if they are real. If I am just talking myself into justifying being a ho or what. It’s probably that, I mean, I’m all about having someone pretty at my back and in my bed. Tiberius, the real one, his body is freaking gorgeous, and the way he feels—amazing. Though, I’m a bit disappointed that I haven’t seen his face yet.

  “I would,” I say with a smile.

  “She said she would like to have your famulus go with you as a translator.”

  “I would like that very much,” I say with a sigh of relief.

  I want to ask her about this guy next to me and about the real Tiberius. I also want to ask her if she knows how I got here, why I am here, and why nobody seems surprised to see me, knowing that it’s obvious I am not of this land.

  I don’t think Cassia would lie to me, but then again, I don’t know these people.

  We finish eating and I moan at the taste of all the fresh food. I don’t miss the processed shit from home, not an ounce. The honey makes the fruit amazing, the veggies are crisp and fresh, even the meat is all amazing. It would be nice if the fruit and veggies were cold instead of room temperature, but I decide not to be overly picky, at least not with this.

  Once we’re all finished, the music starts up again and I realize that last night was nothing special. This is what they do every night. They eat, drink wine, and dance. It’s a freaking party every night, it’s like Cancun during spring break… well, almost.

  Cassia hands me a wine goblet and I happily take it. She slips her arm in mine and just before we are outside, Laurentia appears one step behind me, but at my side. As soon as she appears, Cassia begins to speak.

  “She would like to know how you are enjoying your stay here. As Tiberius’ cousin, she has the ability to make you more comfortable if you should wish to be.”

  Looking at Cassia, I can’t help but smile. Cousin. Nice. Shifting my gaze to Laurentia, I shake my head once. “I am very comfortable,” I say.

  “She would like to know if you have any questions that she is able to answer. She is upset that you do not speak the same language as she thinks you look kind and would like to get to know you better.”

  Licking my lips, I look down at the ground as Cassia leads us over to a bench. She sinks down on the stone seat and I do the same. Laurentia, I notice, does not. Instead, she stands next to us. I open my mouth to ask her to sit, but she shakes her head once.

  Laurentia and I had a long conversation today. She explained some of her role and I told her that was bullshit. She giggled but didn’t know what I meant. So, we came to an agreement. In my presence, there was not any slave/master shit, but in public, I have to let her do her thing so she doesn’t get in trouble.

  I relented, only barely.

  I decide to just blurt out my two main questions. I want these answered and I would prefer to have them answered tonight. I need to know who the man in my bed is, and what the hell is really going on here.

  “Why am I here, and where is the real Tiberius?”

  Chapter Seven

  DRUCILLA

  Cassia cringes, she looks away, then shifts her gaze back to me. I watch her open her mouth, then close it again. She’s trying to come up with a lie that I will buy, but she can’t, because I am on edge and will see through it all.

  “That is something that you must ask him,” Laurentia whispers. “I am sorry.”

  I hate that I can’t talk directly to Cassia, and I’m angry that I clearly cannot talk to the real Tiberius, the man who came to my room last night and made me feel, truly feel. It was the most amazing sensation I have ever experienced in my life and I can’t even tell him that.

  “Do you know why I am here? Have you seen or heard of my sisters?” I practically plead.

  When Laurentia is finished translating to Cassia, I watch as her eyes widen, then she frowns. “He did not tell you?” she asks, and I know she’s referring to the man who has been at my side for dinner and dancing the past two evenings.

  “Nobody has told me anything,” I say.

  She frowns again, shifts her gaze from mine, then back. “You have been much calmer than I would be if I were suddenly somewhere else,” she begins.

  Then she rocks my world when she starts to tell me a tale about a prophecy, about gods and goddesses, about sisters and this prophecy being fulfilled. I almost, almost laugh because this is so completely out of this world ridiculous—literally.

  “I have a hard time believing all of this,” I whisper.

  She smiles, reaching for me and takes my hands in hers. Her eyes find mine and she holds my gaze with her own.

  “This is not so far-fetched, you just did not realize this could be a possibility because you know not of anyone who has had anything like this happen to them. Your world, it does not talk about these things, correct?”

  “If anyone talked like this, they would be considered crazy.”

  “Crazy?” Laurentia asks, obviously not understanding the word enough to translate it.

  Lifting my head, I look up at her. “Insane,” I correct.

  Her eyes widen and she whispers, “Insanus.”

  Cassia’s eyes widen as well, but she doesn’t look upset by my words, not the way Laurentia does. She shrugs a shoulder, her hands squeeze mine as she continues to smile. Her eyes are kind, her smile comes easy and I know that she is much younger than me, probably only sixteen, but she is so much more mature than I have ever been.

  “It is not so here, Drucilla. Fantastical things happen all of the time, there are things ordained by the gods, things that are not within our control. This is not so strange, though this ancient prophecy coming to light now, it makes me excited to see what will come of it. Tiberius is due for some good in his life. A good wife, many boys, and happiness.”

  “Wife? Boys?” I ask with a hitch of my breath.

  Then I realize. I realize what happened last night. I hadn’t thought of it before, I was caught up in the haze that was him—having his touch all over and inside of me. There was no condom. I don’t have my birth control with me, and then I start to panic thinking of possible diseases.

  “Oh my god,” I breathe. “Shit. Oh my god.”

  Cassia tugs on my hands, not allowing me to stand and run, though I’m not sure where I would go. My eyes fly to hers and I’m sure she can see my panic, my absolute horror at the thought of getting some kind of disease in this primeval place. And pregnancy, I don’t even want to consider it. I don’t want to consider anything.

  Holy fucking shit.

  It’s too much. All of it is too much.

  My heart starts to race, sweat forms on my forehead, and I bite the corner of my lip in an effort to hold back tears.

  “Drucilla,” Cassia snaps.

  “Kids and diseases, I can’t deal with it. What the hell?”

  Laurentia translates, but Cassia only giggles then she starts to speak. “Tiberius would never endanger you in that way. And as far as children go, he needs heirs. It is his duty to his empire, you must realize this?”

  Shaking my head, I pinch my eyes closed. “I don’t care how perfectly right and wonderful he feels. This is temporary. All relationships are temporary. I am not going to stay here,” I breathe. “Once I find my sisters, we fulfill whatever this is, then we’re outta here.”

  “Drucilla,” Cassia breathes. “This cannot be. You are his fated, just as your sisters are fated to their men. There is no leaving the Emperor of Savona. In a few days, you will be his wife, his empress. There is no way out of that once you have committed yourself to him and this empire.”

  “I think I’ve made a mistake,” I exhale.

  Cassia grins, then begins to speak again and I find although I hate having Laurentia as our translator, I am also very grateful to have someone to talk to, even if it is through someone else.

  “There are no mistakes when something is fated by the gods. They do not make mistakes.”

  Just as I open my mouth to
speak, the man who is pretending to be Tiberius clears his throat. “It is time for Drucilla to retire for the evening,” he announces. “As it is time for you too, Cassia.”

  Cassia rolls her eyes before she stands and turns around. I do the same, though I do not make a move to leave the gardens. The pretend Tiberius’ gaze is focused on her and only her. He says something to her and she snorts before shaking her head a couple of times and speaks very quickly, almost heatedly.

  I make a mental note to ask Laurentia what was said, because it looks kind of juicy. They are in a stare down and then the pretend Tiberius jerks his chin, looking exactly like every man I know and grunts.

  Cassia sighs before she stomps off, looking like every teenager I know. It’s then that I realize this may be a different world, but we aren’t all that different. I don’t know what is going to happen in the future, but what I do know is that this feels right and these people, they’re just like the people back home—mostly.

  TIBERIUS

  Cassia leads Drucilla away and into the gardens, probably to keep her away from Marcellus and to keep me from losing my mind at seeing them in such close proximity to one another all evening.

  I watch them, they talk to one another, the famulus that I have assigned being their translator. It was not hard to find someone who spoke Drucilla’s language, it was harder finding someone who was a good fit to help her. The pretty famulus was just a woman who was in the kitchens, a good choice if I do not say so myself.

  “Are you to take her to the other celebration this eve?” Marcellus asks.

  Arching my brow, I think about the reaction she may have upon entering the venereum. I do not know her well enough, but I do know that we are one of the only countries that has venereums in this world.

  “I do not think that she is ready,” I state.

  “You or her?” he asks with a knowing smirk.

  I lean back against the wall and watch him for a moment. I attempt to imagine allowing Drucilla to partake in the activities of the venereum. Even if she did not touch another man or another man touched her, I do not think that I could even allow her bare flesh to be seen by others, yet.

  I am not there yet, perhaps after we are wed and she is truly mine in the eyes of the gods and the lands’ laws—perhaps.

  “Both,” I grind out.

  He bursts out laughing as his shoulders shake. “I will gather her and Cassia, escort them to their rooms before the activities begin.”

  I don’t bother thanking him, instead, I watch the exchange between them. I enjoy seeing the way Drucilla reacts to things. She is pure, she does not hide anything at all. Her eyes widen in surprise, her lips will part when she is shocked or when she has something to say but isn’t sure she should speak it.

  Then there is the way she watches Marcellus. She knows that he is not me. I can tell by her assessing gaze every time that it is on him. Her eyelids are not lowered with desire, she does not lean into him when he speaks or is near. She is trying to figure things out and is confused.

  Other than having a translator, I do not know how to tell her the truth and I am not ready to do so anyway. She will just have to live in a state of confusion for a bit longer. Pushing off of the wall, I begin to make my way toward the bedrooms when Cassia appears in front of me.

  “She already knows that Marcellus is not you. How you thought you could get away with that, I am unsure of,” she states with a snort. “She also knew nothing of the prophecy. Tell me, cousin, what are your plans with this creature?”

  “You already know preparations for a wedding ceremony have begun,” I say with a sigh.

  Cassia rolls her eyes to the gods, then brings them back to meet mine. “I know that she panicked about you being with her unsheathed last night. I also know that she expects once this prophecy is in motion that she will just travel back home with her sisters.”

  I growl, but she holds up her hand.

  “I told her it was not possible, but this is foreign to her, Tiberius. You must make her want to stay. Right now, she thinks this is temporarius.”

  “It is not,” I snap.

  Cassia grins. “This I can tell, cousin. She does not realize she has no choice. I have told her, but I am unsure she thinks what I’ve said is fact. You must make her want to stay. You must woo her, you must fall in love with one another.”

  “This is a prophecy and has nothing to do with love. This is fated by the gods, Cassia. You live in a dream.”

  She smiles, pressing her lips together, rising to her toes, she brushes her lips across my scarred cheek. She doesn’t respond to my words, instead, she takes a step back before she turns and heads toward her sleeping quarters. I watch her go, wondering if she is right.

  Could I woo Drucilla?

  Could I make her fall in love with me?

  Could I make her want to stay with me?

  Shaking my head, I push off of the stone wall knowing that I cannot. I could woo her in the dark with my body, that is about all, but that is only physical.

  She will never love me, especially once she sees my scarred face.

  She will never want to stay with me, and the only reason that she will be forced to is that I will impregnate her and keep her with child as often as I can so that she can never leave me. Desperate? Assuredly. However, this is for the world as I know it, for my people.

  Walking toward Drucilla’s new chambers, my old ones, I let out a groan as soon as I see Marcellus make his way toward me. He stops in front of me, expecting to talk, and talking is the last thing that I want to do in this moment.

  Crossing my arms over my chest, I drop my chin and look down my nose at my cousin.

  “She knows nothing of our world, of our culture, of our people. She needs guidance.”

  “I assigned Cassia to be at her side and her famulus speaks her language. It has been a mere two days, what else would you suggest that I do?” I ask, though I do not expect an answer, nor do I want one.

  Marcellus decides to give me his opinion whether I want it or not. “You must show yourself, Tiberius.”

  “I’ve already explained this to you,” I snap.

  “Not your face, though that would help, but yourself. The you that I know, that Cassia knows, that Brutus knows. You must show her who you are, deep down inside. Do not hide from her. She must love all of you, as a whole.”

  I think about telling him to get lost, but instead, I lift my hand and scratch my head with my middle finger before I just walk away. I will give Drucilla what I am able to, however that comes. It is not up to Marcellus on how and what I give my empress.

  Chapter Eight

  DRUCILLA

  Again. I am alone in a dark room. I don’t bother with candlelight tonight. My Tiberius will walk into this room and douse them anyway. He doesn’t want me to see him, I’m not sure why, but he doesn’t, and I need to just accept that.

  I am his dirty secret.

  I am his body to use for pleasure.

  I should be okay with this arrangement considering it’s what I have done the past six years myself. Men have been ornaments for me to play with, pretty accessories to use and then send away when I’m bored.

  It only makes sense that in this world, wherever I am, that I would be the accessory to use and hide away until needed. I tell myself that this is only until I have served my purpose, whatever this prophecy dictates and then I’m grabbing my sisters and we’re getting the hell out of here.

  There is a noise at the door and I hear Laurentia gasp. She is probably scared shitless that I demanded she stay, actually I just asked, but when she tried to tell me no, I told her it was an order and I felt like shit doing it.

  “Laurentia will be joining us for a few moments, I would like to talk to you,” I say.

  Laurentia repeats my words, but she does so shakily, and I don’t blame her. Tiberius is scary as shit and if she’s a slave like she says that she is, he is her ultimate master. Which I freaking think is bullshit, and I’ll be working on
that next, but for now, I want some questions answered.

  He starts to speak and it’s as if my vagina has a direct line to his voice because it begins to ache and I have to actually squeeze my thighs together to attempt to find relief—it doesn’t work.

  “What would you like to know, Drucilla?” he asks through Laurentia. His voice causes my entire body to shiver, just at the sound of my name on his lips.

  Staying in the dark, I wish that I would have kept at least one c lit just to see his face, even if it was only in the dim shadows.

  “You are not the man I have dined and danced with. Who is he?”

  “My brother,” he admits freely.

  I don’t know what to think of that, I don’t know how to feel. “Why will you not be with me in public? Have I done something? Do you have a secret family?” I demand.

  There is a moment of silence before his low laughter fills the room. “I am the Emperor of Savona. There are no secrets. If I were married, our wedding ceremony would not be in a couple of days, and you would just be my concubina, my mistress.”

  “And a mistress is not a secret?” I ask on a breath.

  He hums before he answers. “No, melculum. I must always be married to just one woman, but that does not mean I cannot take pleasures where I wish.”

  I gasp. Not liking these words at all, though aren’t they words I have lived by the past six years? However, there is something that I have not done, and that’s get married and then run around. I would never do that. Marriage is sacred to me.

  “I could never do that,” I admit. “Marriage is only between one man and one woman, no other people factor into that.”

  “It is the same here,” he replied. “What is between you and me, will only ever be between us. Our play together or if we should choose to add other people will be something mutually decided upon.”