Page 24 of Firebird (The Fire That Binds #1)

XXIII

MALINA

Since the night Julian returned from Caesar’s palace and the news that he’d be hosting a feast under his uncle’s orders, he’d been tense and the house had been thrown into chaos. Kara had sent me, Ivo, and Stefanos to the market and the butcher multiple times a day, to fetch the freshest peaches, berries, and figs or the choicest bits of pork or the plumpest pheasants. We’d return with what she requested only for her to continue barking orders, sending us back out for fresh herbs and honey and cheese.

Under Julian’s orders, Kara had also hired two free women from a local taberna in the plebeian neighborhood, the Aventine, to help with the cooking preparations. They’d arrived every day the last three days shortly after dawn and stayed all day, busily washing and chopping vegetables and salting meat and marinating everything in between. They’d begun cooking the meats and vegetables early this morning, the day of the feast.

When I wasn’t running an errand for Kara with Ivo and Stefanos, I was cleaning the great hall, where the atrium and fountain stood. Julian had only been home once during the day the past several days. He’d stopped when he saw me cleaning the tiles around the atrium, frowning and seemingly displeased. When he stepped forward to tell me something, one of the newly hired had walked into the room and he continued on to his bedchamber without saying a word.

He was nervous. I could feel it through the tether, tapping anxiously like a frightened heartbeat. The only time I could soothe him was at night, when the free women had gone and the house was quiet and still.

Julian was always distant and anxious. Especially after his visit with the emperor. Each night, he demanded that I sleep beside him in his bed. I’d ask what bothered him. He’d lie and say, “Nothing,” then he would hold me close until we were both asleep.

He hadn’t tried to be intimate with me, nor had I tried to kiss him. I didn’t want to reopen his wound yet again. It was finally healing properly, even while he was gone from the house all day, every day.

When I mentioned that the others in the house would know that I hadn’t slept in my bed and was sleeping in his, he’d merely said, “They should know.”

I suppose it didn’t matter. I knew what was in my heart, the fire of a red dragon’s love. I felt it kindling, burning sweetly every night that I climbed into his bed and laid my head upon his chest. He may not have said the words, but I could feel it all the same.

Last night, something remarkable happened. While Julian was asleep, he made a familiar low, purring growl deep in his chest. I knew that sound came from his dragon.

Bunica had once told me that I could use my magic for defense and for revenge, but I could also use it for love. I understood that in the way I could calm an upset sister or help my mama sleep when she was anxious, but lately, as the binding between Julian and me became tighter, more intimate, I thought maybe Bunica meant something more.

So as Julian slept on, I snuggled closer and shut my eyes, then sought the beast that lived inside him. I wound the tether that tied me to Julian around the slumbering dragon as well. His essence was immensely powerful and terribly magnificent, my magic flinching for a moment before coiling tenderly around him. Then I poured my affection and loyalty through the line.

Julian’s growl deepened, a steady thrum of pleasure. I felt a definite nuzzle along the line, and my entire body melted at the sensation. Then suddenly, the line between us rippled in a way that made me gasp. I felt a jolt, then electric power vibrating back into me.

I clenched my arm, which I had wrapped around Julian’s waist, breathing deep gulps of air as the sensation hummed through my body, speeding my pulse, until finally the sensation leveled and I could breathe evenly again. Julian never awoke, but the dragon purred like before, reveling in our connection, burning his powerful force directly through the tether into me.

No one had ever reverberated their essence back through my tether. I didn’t think anyone else could, unless I let them. But what Julian and I had was special, beyond a simple connection. It was a deeper bond.

When I fell asleep, I felt as if I were in both Julian’s arms and his dragon’s protective claws, and I didn’t want to be anywhere else.

We hadn’t spoken of anything that mattered since we’d returned—not the strange barbarian he’d encountered, not his confession that he and others were plotting to assassinate the emperor, and not our new and fragile relationship .

Nor had I even spoken of the incident when I connected with his dragon while he was sleeping. We’d never had time, and he seemed so tense readying for this feast that would host the emperor along with many other unsavory people he didn’t want in his house.

“The three of you hurry to the butcher. I want the biggest ducks he’s got,” Kara shouted to us.

The other women were chopping endives and parsnips as I asked Kara, “How many do you need?”

“Five,” she told me. “Six, if he has them. And fill at least one of those baskets to the brim with pomegranates. Fill the others with whatever is ripest.”

Then Ivo, Stefanos, and I left for yet another trek to the butcher. The butcher she used actually had a shop in a neighborhood outside the forum. It would be quicker to get the fruit first, then stop at the butcher’s on the way back.

The streets were busy today, people bustling everywhere. The forum was uncomfortably packed, especially for me and Stefanos carrying the empty baskets for the fruit. Kara didn’t want it packed in sacks because it would bruise too easily. She was planning a monumental feast for tonight and wanted everything perfect for the aristocratic guests.

“Over there, Malina.” Stefanos pointed to a cart with a canvas top to the left.

I nodded and we wove through the crowd together, Stefanos in front, me in the middle, and Ivo at my back.

The town crier shouted news again from his dais toward the center of the forum. His droning voice blended with the other noises of the forum until the mention of Julian’s name caught my attention.

“Julianus Ignis Dakkia will host the honorable Rite of Skulls for the newly appointed general, Ciprian Media Nocte Seneca. This is a great honor for the house of Seneca. The emperor and exclusive guests will attend to witness Pluto’s blessing upon our new general and the might of Rome will grow greater in the light of the gods. ”

He passed a scroll to his assistant beside him and took another in hand and began his loud oration again on a new topic of the senate. But I didn’t hear any of it. Julian had told me there would be a ceremony at his home and there would be guests, including the emperor, and I was aware he wasn’t happy about it. But he’d never mentioned this Rite of Skulls.

We reached the fruit vendor and made quick work of haggling, filling one basket with pears, figs, and dates, and the second with pomegranates as Kara had instructed. Then Ivo led us through the thick of the crowd and down an emptier lane to the butcher’s shop.

“What is the Rite of Skulls?” I asked Stefanos when we were mostly alone along the narrow street.

Stefanos frowned, which he rarely did, and said, “It is one of the ceremonies Emperor Igniculus started. That’s what Ruskus told me.”

“What is it for?”

“It’s to celebrate a Roman who takes the life of a leader or king of our enemy.”

“What happens at this ceremony?” The name of it sounded rather ominous.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Never seen one myself.”

Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm and jerked me down an alley, my shoulder nearly popping out of the socket as the basket of pomegranates tumbled to the stone pavement. Stefanos yelled while Ivo launched himself at the one trying to drag me farther down the alley.

He was a big, brawny man in commoner clothes, his face bearded and eyes cold. “Get him!” he yelled at a third man who wasn’t nearly a match for Ivo.

“Stop!” I cried out. “I belong to Julianus Dakkia!”

The man with an iron grip around my forearm chuckled darkly. “We know who you are.”

That was when I had the presence of mind to see he was wearing a slave collar. I couldn’t make out the full name but I saw enough. It was the name I’d just heard shouted in the forum by the crier .

Ivo tussled with one of the men while my captor continued to drag me farther away. Then a chill ran down my spine as Stefanos erupted with a bellowing, inhuman roar. It froze everyone in the alley, all heads swiveling to the boy.

The man facing off against Stefanos backed away, his palms up. “I don’t believe it.”

Stefanos’s nails extended, curling into black claws, his body swelling bigger. I managed to pull free from my dazed captor and ran to him, pressing my palms to his face and making him look at me. His eyes glowed red, his pupils split like a serpent’s.

“No, Stefanos,” I murmured, pushing a wave of calm into him. “Don’t do it, love. Calm down.”

He trembled, fuming, his eyes closing, as he accepted my balm of peace, the force of my magic soothing his inner beast.

“That slave boy’s a fucking dragon,” spat the bearded one who’d attacked me.

At once, I turned to face them and snapped my tether out like a three-headed viper. They jolted as I grasped hold of their souls with frightening speed.

“Hear me now,” I commanded, my voice resonating with fury.

Ivo slid away to my side, an arm around the shoulders of the shaken boy.

“If any of you speak of what you think you saw here, you will be cursed forever by the gods.” My voice trembled with power. “You and your families will be plagued by illness and death. But you yourselves will die in pain and agony. You must never say a word to anyone or you will suffer dire punishment.”

I pushed terror through the line, injecting them with a taste of the agony they’d suffer if they disobeyed my command.

The bearded one jerked backward, his eyes round in horror, then he turned and fled, with the others right behind him.

We watched them disappear around a corner, then I turned to St efanos. His eyes were back to normal, his claws retracted, but he heaved with fear and blinked away tears.

“No, no,” I told him, pulling him into my arms. “Don’t cry.” I rubbed his back.

“I’ll get dominus in trouble,” he muffled into my shoulder.

“No, you won’t. Those men will never say a word. They won’t tell. I promise.”

“What did you do to them?” he asked, pulling back and wiping his tears with the sleeve of his tunic.

Ivo watched me with a curious expression, seeming to want to know the answer too.

“You must keep it secret,” I told them, “but I have a mystical gift.”

“You do?”

I nodded. “So don’t you worry, Stefanos. I won’t let them do you or dominus any harm.”

Romans feared curses more than anything, and these men felt the power I held, the pain I could cause them should they disobey me. I was certain we were safe. At least from them telling about Stefanos. As far as myself being nearly abducted, that didn’t make me feel safe at all.

Stefanos and Ivo stared at me in wonder, while I was already picking up the dropped basket and the pomegranates that had rolled away.

“Come on, now. Let’s pick this up and finish our last errand, then get home, or Kara will have our heads.”

After we’d gone to the butcher’s and were nearly home, I’d made them swear not to tell anyone about what had happened. I didn’t want Julian to have another concern weighing on him before tonight. And while I would tell him eventually, I couldn’t explain how I knew my magic would keep those men quiet.

But all my plans of keeping quiet and calm were thrown to the wind the second we arrived into the stable yard and Stefanos said to me, “Thank you again for saving us.”

“Saving who from what?” came the deep voice behind us .

I spun to find Julian standing there, Volkan’s reins in his hands. His expression was cold and hard, much like he often looked when I first came here. He was wearing a casual tunic with red capping on the sleeves and a red belt. It was still early and he was already home. But of course, he would be. He had a feast to host.

“Stefanos”—I handed him my basket—“get those to Kara. Ivo, bring her the meat.”

Ivo and Stefanos slunk off quickly toward the kitchen entrance through the yard.

“Tell me what he was talking about, Malina.”

“You don’t have to worry.”

He reached out and wrapped his fingers around my forearm. When I winced, he instantly dropped Volkan’s reins and lifted my arm gently in his fingers, bending his head closer. Purplish bruises already marked the underside of my arm.

“Who?” His voice was rough and dark.

“Some men, slaves, on orders from their master, no doubt. They attacked us in the street. One tried to take me.”

“ Whose men were they?”

“I saw his name on one of the men’s collars.” I tapped mine hanging outside the neck of my tunic. “I also heard the same name in the forum today. Ciprian.” When his golden gaze met mine, I added, “Isn’t he the one to be honored at your house tonight?”

“I’m going to kill that fucking bastard.” His voice vibrated with rage while remaining low and eerily steady.

“Who is he?”

“A dead man soon enough.”

“No, Julian.” I grabbed his arm when he tried to turn away. “Who is he?”

He clamped his jaws tight, staring back at the house. “A rival.”

“A rival being honored at your house tonight? Why would he try to anger you by… attacking us? ”

“He wants a war between us. That can be the only reason.”

“But why?” I wondered.

“Because I’m next in line for the emperor’s throne, and he wants that position.” He combed a hand through his hair. “Ciprian knows that taking you away from me would enrage me into acting out against him.”

“How could that help him in the eyes of Caesar?”

“Because it would be illegal for one Roman officer to attack another over—” He swallowed hard, his expression showing his distaste as he continued. “Over property. Disputes must be heard and judged by the emperor himself. And Ciprian knows that my uncle would not like me displaying irrational emotion over a woman.”

“And a slave,” I added. “Caesar would see such behavior as weak.”

He gave me one stiff nod. We remained quiet a moment as the sun dipped lower behind his house. Volkan had lowered his head and nibbled on some hay strewn over the stable floor.

“Ciprian wants you angry tonight, so you must focus on not letting him get his way.”

He huffed out a disgusted breath and pulled me gently into his arms. “Having him here in my house makes me want to—” He squeezed me a little hard and gritted his teeth, a dark rumble vibrating in his chest.

Wrapping my arms around his waist, I pressed my body to his and instinctually pushed a wave of calm into him. Though I was fatigued from using my gift within the last hour, I would always have enough for Julian.

He grunted and lowered his mouth to the crown of my head. “I told you not to use your gift on me, didn’t I?”

“I don’t care. You’ll take it whether you want it or not.”

He chuckled and squeezed me tight. “Are you all right? Did they hurt you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Why did Stefanos thank you for saving them?”

“Because I used my gift against them. ”

He pulled back to meet my gaze, his brow pinched. “How?”

“I made them feel terror and made them believe the gods would kill them and all those they love.”

“You can do that?”

“Emotions are powerful.”

“Indeed.” He grinned. “There it is.”

“There what is?”

“My feisty firebird. Proof that you are meant to be mine. My dragon would only choose a powerful female for his mate.”

My pulse pounded in my ears, and my throat went dry, remembering Trajan had said the very same thing. His smile slid away as he cupped my face gently, brushing his thumb along one cheek.

“Oh, Malina. You know this to be true. Why do you look so surprised?”

“I’m not. But when you say it aloud, it feels…”

“Real?”

I nodded, my chest squeezing tight, my legs wobbly with a rush of energy. He lowered his head and pressed a soft kiss to my lips, then murmured against them.

“You are mine and you are his, and we’ll both die protecting you.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “If we ever see the man who bruised your arm, the dragon will rip from my body and eat him alive.”

“I’d think you were exaggerating but I’ve seen him do it before.”

“That’s right,” he murmured. “No one hurts my woman.”

A sharp foreboding pierced my chest. “Be careful, Julian.”

“I always am.”

“I’m serious. This Ciprian is trying to provoke you.”

“I’m aware of it.”

“Then don’t fall into his trap. Don’t allow it. It’s like you said, he’s trying to cause trouble between you and your uncle.”

He straightened to his full height, one hand still cradling my nape. “I won’t. ”

“Your mission is important,” I said with emphasis. “We’ll be all right if we keep our heads.”

He tightened his hold on my nape. “Don’t worry. I’ve got it under control.”

But as we both walked back into the house, the sun dipping lower, an ominous tendril wove into my spirit. A whisper of warning bade me be alert and ready. For what, I wasn’t sure, but it weighed heavily like a coming storm. The eerie part was, when I looked up, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.