I tell her the story, the shortened version at least. The color drains from her face by the end of the tale. Her knees give out and she sits in the chair across from me rather forcefully.
“Tiberius,” she whispers. “What are the repercussions of the prophecy not coming to fruition?”
“Ruin, for the people, for the world.”
Cassia shakes her head a few times. “And for you?” she asks. “Do you love her, your empress?”
I cannot answer this, not because I do not love her, but because I am unsure of the feeling of love. I know how I feel about my family, but it is different when it comes to Drucilla. I do not understand the feeling, other than that sensation of ownership and possessiveness.
“I know not of love, Cassia.”
Saying the words aloud causes me to feel… saddened. Emotions are not something that I am used to. In war, I understand anger and conquering. I do not understand defeat as I am not someone who allows it, but I have just done it and that combined with the constant questions about love, it is bothering me.
“You do, Tiberius. Do you long for her?”
“She has been gone but a few days.”
“Do you long for her?”
“With my entire being.”
Cassia smiles, then she stands and makes her way to the edge of my desk. She leans over, planting her palms on the wood, and continues to grin at me. I watch as she licks her lips, sinking her teeth into her bottom one before she speaks again.
“You love your empress, Tiberius. I expect you to get her back here, fast, before it is too late.”
“Too late?” I ask.
“That woman you have here is evil. Do not allow her to take over your soul, she will do irrevocable damage. You are stronger than her, than whatever magic she has. You must fight her and you must bring Drucilla back.”
“You love her, then?”
“Drucilla?” she asks. Nodding my head, I wait for her to speak, to answer me. “I cannot speak to her, but I can tell you with all honesty that I think the gods created her for you for a very good reason.”
Looking down at the desk, I slowly lift my gaze to meet hers. “The language barrier, it was why I went to Curia in the first place. I had planned to free them and ask them to cast a spell on Drucilla so that she could speak and understand us.”
Cassia arches a brow, then shakes her head a couple of times. “We must fix this, Tiberius. I know not how, but we must.”
“I agree and I will try.”
“Not try,” she snaps. “Get your empress back where she belongs.”
Chapter Seventeen
TIBERIUS
The pontifex maximus is completely useless. He mumbles and bumbles, and gives me absolutely nothing. He helps me not even a single bit. I send him home, away from me.
In fact, I banish him from my sight and ask Marcellus to find another, one who is more educated in my situation, if there is such a man.
Retiring for the evening, I don’t bother eating and have food sent to Decima. Making my way toward my cubiculum, I see the famulus with her back against the wall, her head tipped down and her gaze focused on her feet.
I recognize her as the one who spoke the same language as Drucilla. “Look at me,” I demand. She slowly lifts her gaze, her eyes focused on me and nowhere else. “You are to be the famulus of Decima. You are to be my eyes and ears on the venefica. Do you understand?”
“You wish for me to spy?” she whispers.
My lips curve up into a grin. “Spy, listen, watch, and report back to me, yes.”
“Yes, Emperor,” she says with a dip of her chin. “Emperor?” she calls out as I begin to walk away.
I stop, looking over my shoulder, my gaze connects to hers. “Famulus?”
“You will bring the empress home?”
Clenching my teeth together, my jaw is tight at her words. “I will do everything in my power to find her and bring her home, yes.”
The famulus lifts her chin, her eyes never leaving mine and she nods. “Good.”
Making my way to my own quarters, I sink down on my bed and close my eyes. Falling backward, I cross my arms over my chest and almost instantly, I fall asleep.
It seems like only a few moments later when I feel a heaviness pressing against my chest and soft lips sliding down my throat. Lifting my hand, I shift my fingers in the back of the hair of the person sucking on my neck. Tugging on her head, I look down and see my Drucilla.
She smiles but does not speak. One of my hands grabs at the gown she’s wearing and I wrench it up. Her hands work between us and then finally I am inside of my empress. With a groan, I lift my hips and push into her sweet body.
I hear her gasp of breath before I flip her onto her back and take her. I do not hold back, I give her everything. My empress is home, she is back with me and I aim to welcome her with everything that I am and have.
It does not take her long to find her release and when she does, mine is also forced out of my body. Lifting my head, I let out a roar that bounces off of the surrounding walls right before I spill my seed inside of my empress.
“Yes, my emperor,” she cries.
Tilting my head down, I jerk backward and stand, stumbling as I look down at her. She’s lying on the bed and instantly her body shifts from that of my Drucilla to the venefica.
“Decima,” I growl. “How?”
“I am venefica, you did not think that you would sequester me to the cubiculum and that would be that, did you?” she purrs, pushing up to lean back on her elbows, her legs still spread with my seed leaking from between them.
“You
