Then, as if my desires come true, the dragon appears. He doesn’t fly down to where we are. Shifting my attention to the fight, I watch as Drucilla’s sisters try everything they can to ward Diaboli away from them. Sybilla holds up her hands and shifts the fire back to him, protecting herself with a ball of light.
Fire lights up the night sky again, except this time it does not come from Diaboli. It comes from the dragon.
“He’s here. She’s here,” Liv cries.
The bears roar from behind me and I turn to them. Come. I call out. Come and attack these trespassers. The wolves begin to charge again. They growl and snarl as they come in closer, having already licked their wounds they’re ready for more.
The dragon lands, his fire having cleared a way for him with the venefica. Drucilla slides off of him and I watch as she begins to run toward her sisters and brothers-in-law. Standing, I make my way toward them as well, but pause when Diaboli lets out a roar of anger.
He reaches his arms out and ribbons of red light come from his fingertips. Drucilla’s back straightens and arches.
“No,” I bark as my feet become unstuck.
I don’t know what happens when you cross in front of the streaming light from a powerful being’s hands, but it matters not. He will not have my mulier. He will not harm her, not for one moment longer.
Running, I throw myself between Diaboli and Drucilla. The light burns me from the inside out. Turning my head toward Drucilla, I shout to her.
“Run.”
Thankfully, she does. She runs past Aeliana and huddles behind her for safety. My body doesn’t fall to the ground as I expect, instead I’m lifted in the air by the burning light and then thrown against the wall of the building.
Everything cracks, hurts, and burns. I let out a grunt, not willing to make another sound. He will not get the satisfaction.
“Tiberius,” Drucilla cries.
I open my eyes, looking for her, and smile when I see that she is safely on our side. I feel weak and useless as I sit against the wall, willing my body to move.
“Come here, Dru,” Sybilla calls out.
Drucilla looks from her sister to me, then back to her sister, then me again. I nod my head, giving her my go-ahead. Not that she needed it for even a moment. Drucilla is her own woman, and she needs to fight for her life right now.
She needs to fight for herself, because at this point, I am not sure I will be around to do it for her. I am not sure that I will survive this battle. For the first time in my existence, I am not confident that I will come out of this battle breathing.
LAURENTIA
The babies cry.
I would too if I were them.
In fact, I am very close to doing it myself.
I hold one, Petronia holds another, and Cassia paces. The warriors surround us, their backs to us and their gladius’ and shields out and ready for battle. I hear the noises from outside in the garden and each time the building shakes, I imagine it toppling down on us.
I hear a man shout and I look behind the warriors to see Marcellus running toward us. “What is happening?” he calls out.
“You should be in your quarters,” Brutus barks.
“Cassia and the rest of my family are here, this is where I shall be as well,” he snaps.
Brutus does not move from his position, but I watch as his spine straightens. “Marcellus, this is not your battle. We are here to protect the babes, and the women are here to care for them. Nothing more. Go back.”
Marcellus’ gaze flicks from Brutus and looks between the bodies. It connects with mine and I see his entire body jerk. Licking my lips, I hold the babe close to me and I try to look away from him, but I can’t.
This is not good. Not good at all. My body wants him, but he is certainly a man that I cannot have for more than a play in bed, if he should choose to use me that way. He takes a few steps closer toward Brutus, then lowers his voice.
“I understand that I am not a fighter, but I am smart. Allow me to help.”
“How?” Brutus asks, his question serious and not at all condescending as most would be with an intellectual like Marcellus.
“I’m not sure yet, but I will be of service.”
Brutus lets out a sigh, then steps to the side and allows Marcellus to enter our group before he steps back in place. I don’t know what I expect, but it isn’t another quick glance at me, then to pretend that I do not exist.
Though it is better he thinks that I don’t exist. I am a famulus, I am property. I am to work, to be used, and then when I am no longer of use, I am to be discarded. Nothing more, nothing less.
It is best for me to remember my place, even if Empress Drucilla has tried to convince me that I am worth more—indeed, I am not.
DRUCILLA
Like the coward that I am, I am hiding behind my sisters’ husbands. They are men fighting magic, and I need to try and fight as well.
Sybilla, Liv, and Birdie are doing what they can, but it’s not enough. My heart races, it slams inside of my chest and I know that if we don’t do something else then we will fail and Diaboli will take over.
Biting the corner of my lip, I take a step closer to my sisters. “This isn’t working,” I announce.
There is mass chaos happening around me, but I ignore it all and focus on them. Sybilla’s head snaps over and she looks at me, her eyes wide
