“The prophecy has begun, the punishments from it not going the way the gods wished, has also begun. It is time to bring your empress home.”
“Where did Amare take her?” I demand.
Her smile does not fade, I do not understand how she can be so happy. Perhaps it is because she will have her Decima to torture. I know not, and I also do not care overly much. I want my empress. I want my mulier. I want Drucilla, home.
“She has not been far. She was sent back to her world. Fetch Decima. When she is visually in my presence, I will bring Drucilla home. I must prepare myself, my body, and my mind, for transportation is not an easy task.”
“Even at your age?” I ask.
She laughs softly. “Even at my age, young emperor.”
Nodding, I take a step back. “Stay for the eve, rest your horses and…” she looks around the room before she points to one of the men. Antonio has been quiet, as usually is his way. “You,” she says, pointing at him. “You will lie with me, handsome.”
Antonio does not hesitate. Though she is thousands of years old, she looks as though she has only just reached womanhood and is a beautiful sight. They disappear instantly into one of the rooms and the rest of us chuckle before we discuss the events that have just unfolded.
Decima, Aeliana, Drucilla, the rest of the venefica. I wonder what will happen to them, with them, once Decima is taken care of. I make a mental note to ask this of Aeliana before I leave her home.
DRUCILLA
When I open my eyes, I am surprised to see the room is shrouded in darkness. Clearing my throat, I pinch my eyes closed at the burning sensation. I’d forgotten, but the memories flood back in an instant.
Chad was here, he was here and he was trying to force himself on me. When I said no, he hit me, then he choked me. I freeze, deciding to stay in my spot as I assess the situation. I don’t know if he’s here, he could still be in the apartment.
My heart starts to race at the thought of him lying in wait. He’s delusional. Fucking crazy, and I need to get away from him, get away from this whole world. I need to go back to where I belong.
I need to go back to Savona.
I don’t know how long I lie on the floor of my apartment, but it’s long enough that I am pretty sure I’m alone.
Slowly, I push myself up to my knees with a groan. He kicked me in my ribs. It must have been after I lost consciousness, but nonetheless, the bastard kicked me.
What a goddamn douche.
I didn’t think he was capable of anything like this, but it just goes to show that you don’t really know what a person can do when they don’t get their way.
Once I’m on my feet, I limp my way over to the couch. Sliding my gaze over to the door, I frown when I see that it’s locked.
Shit.
That means he has a key. I knew that I locked my door. I’ve been a single woman living alone since I was eighteen, locking the front door is a habit that you just don’t miss or forget. I think about standing up and heading to the bedroom, but I can’t do it. Instead, I lean my head back and fall asleep right where I’m sitting.
The next thing I know, there is a knock at my door. Turning my head to the side, I try to focus, but my head is pounding. With a whimper, I force myself to stand and I limp over to the door.
Looking through the peephole, I am surprised to see a woman standing on the other side.
“It’s Valeria, your mom sent me,” she calls out. Her voice is soft and lyrical, and if I could focus on her face, I’m sure I would think that it’s kind.
Unlocking the door, I tug it open and stumble backward. “Oh dear,” she whispers.
She slides inside and helps me close the door, then slides her arm around my waist and guides me over to the sofa. She helps me sit down and I’m panting as though I’ve run a mile, maybe two.
“What’s happened?”
Lifting my head, I look over to her. She’s sitting on the other end of the sofa and she looks exactly how I would imagine my mom’s friend of a friend who is a witch of some kind would look. She’s wearing a long skirt, a gauzy blouse, lots of necklaces and even a scarf around her head like a headband.
“A guy I used to date didn’t like the fact that I wouldn’t let him sleep with me.”
Her eyes widen right before they narrow. “Men,” she grinds out. “Some of them are completely useless.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” I quip.
Her lips curve up into a grin. “Your mother said that you would like to go home, can you tell me where that is?”
I debate telling her the truth, although, I have a feeling my mom has told her enough that she couldn’t think I’m any crazier than she probably already does.
“Savona,” I whisper. “It’s in another world,” I admit.
Her smile widens and she reaches forward, taking my hands in hers. “I know,” she breathes. “Your mother told me all about it and then I did a little digging of my own.”
“Is there more than one, you know, parallel universe thing? I started doing some Googling, and there is a lot of information proving that this is real. At first, I thought it was all a dream, or something.”
Valeria nods her head a few times, her hands squeezing mine. “It’s real, Drucilla. It is all real. And just like here, if you mess with the timeline, the order of events, it could mess everything else up.”
“Mess everything else up?” I
