Page 105 of Firebird
“He says that you are arrogant. That you try to climb above your station to be close to the emperor and that you’ll never replace him because his blood is from the Dakkia family.” I paused while Rhea gasped. “And your blood isn’t equal to his so you never will be good enough to sit upon the higher seats of Roman aristocracy.”
He stared, seething, while his face mottled red with splotches from both drink and anger.
“Sharp little tongue you’ve got,” he snapped. “I’m going to put it to better use.”
He gulped down the rest of his wine and banged the goblet on the table, then he began unbuckling the belt at his waist and unwrapping the front flap of his skirt.
“Rhea!” he bellowed, though she was standing right behind me. “Come suck my cock. Let’s show the new girl how I like it done. Then we’ll give her a turn.”
Fury shot through my frame. This disgusting piece of filth. He was going to put me in my place, but not before he degraded Rhea first right in front of me.
Rhea was already hurrying to kneel before him at the chaise. How many times had he made her do this, I wondered for a split second before I summoned mywitchcraft,as Ciprian had called it.
With a violent snap, I latched onto his essence. Like last night, his spirit was cold and writhing and putrid beneath my tether, but I locked on hard all the same, coiling my power line around him. Tonight, I didn’t want to put him to sleep. I wanted him inpain. Excruciating pain.
He had his hand on Rhea’s head while she fumbled to open his skirt flap. He pushed her down toward his erection. “That’s right. Let’s show her how it’s done.”
Then he looked up at me, grinning.
I’d never done this before, but I instinctually sought the most roiling, nauseating, foul emotion I could muster, then I shot it like a poisoned dart through the bond.
One second, he was smiling, gloating at the power he had over a helpless girl like Rhea, then his face went ghostly pale and he shot upright, shoving Rhea away. He vomited a stream of red all over himself—the wine he’d been imbibing all night, it seemed. For there was quite a lot of it.
“Pluto’s cock!” he gasped, choking, then he lurched forward onto his knees next to the chaise, heaving and vomiting onto the floor.
Rhea had screamed, jumped to her feet, and scrambled away. But I stood perfectly still and watched the master of the house expel his entire stomach until he had bile dripping disgustingly from his chin. Other slaves ran into the room.
“Dominus! Let me help you!” The big one who’d summoned us to dinner was there on the floor, helping him up and hauling him away, all while Ciprian dry heaved and moaned in agony, cursing in between.
When Ciprian’s body slave had gotten him out of the room, and I presume into his bedchamber, we could still hear him crying out and moaning in torment.
“What happened?” yelled the cook, a thick woman, standing in the opposite doorway. “What food made him sick?” She wrung her hands, expression fearful.
“He didn’t eat anything,” I replied calmly. “He only drank the wine. Could it be something the physician gave him?”
The cook frowned and nodded. “Could be. The physician gave me something to put in his willow bark tea for pain.” Then she hurried back toward the kitchen, mumbling, “He’ll need a sleeping draught.”
I turned to Rhea, whose mouth gaped and eyes were wide with shock. “Do you think he was poisoned?” she whispered.
“No,” I answered.
Rhea blinked. “I suppose we better clean this up.”
We both stared down at the disgusting mess he’d left behind. “Much nicer job than sucking his cock,” I said dryly.
Rhea burst into laughter, then covered her mouth. “Yes,” she whispered, “I much prefer cleaning that than servicing him.”
“Come on. Let’s get started, then we can go to bed.”
She stared down the hallway, eyes widening with distress. “Do you think he will come back after…?”
Another loud moan echoed through the house.
“No. He’s done for the night. And Cook is making him a sleeping draught.” I held on to the tether, though it was loosening now that he’d left my presence. I’d never been able to hold on to someone for long outside of my sight. “Let’s clean up and go to bed.”
It was foul work, but I smiled the whole time. When we passed over the floors with soapy water a second time, my arms buckled and I nearly banged my head on the stone floor.
“Are you all right?” asked Rhea.
