Aurelia || SERIES ROMANA I

Chapter 52 ~ Supersunt

Under the cover of dawn, they had managed to throw the still dazed Macro unnoticed into the very cell in the carcer where Macro's predecessor Sejanus had put Gaius' older brother Drusus Caesar. Gaius still wondered how easily he had been able to convince the Praetorians to transfer their allegiance to him and turn their backs on Macro. Of course, Gaius had been willing to pay them far more - specially to protect Aurelia from Macro's intrigues. But as if according to plan, Gaius had been able to appoint Clemens immediately as the next prefect.
By now, the first hour of the day had dawned and their uniforms elicited a strange mixture of fascination and awe from his subjects. So, they respectfully backed away from them, but they could not take their eyes off the horsemen who were making their way through the crowd directly to the princeps' palace.
Finally, they reached the massive entrance portal and Gaius swung elegantly out of the saddle. By now, all the women should be back in their own homes, having celebrated the cult of Bona Dea in his house last night. Without looking around for his companions, Gaius strode into the atrium and was about to climb the stairs to his private chambers when Clemens' call stopped him.
"Princeps, what shall we do with him?" asked Clemens, and Gaius looked mirthlessly at the heap of misery called Gemellus, whom the Praetorians were more carrying into the house than leading. All the way home Gaius had kept thinking about what he was supposed to do with Gemellus. This was the only point on which his grandmother and Aurelia had disagreed. The former was convinced that the danger that was always emanating from Gemellus had to be eliminated now. Aurelia, on the other hand, was more merciful and only wanted to send the boy into exile for life. But what did he want? Did he want Gemellus dead? No. Did he want to send Gemellus into exile only for him to return stronger than ever in a few years and challenge him again? No. Did he want to allow Gemellus the luxury of sleeping in his own bed today? No.
"Take him to one of the lower cells," Gaius ordered. Clemens saluted and signalled to his men, who took the unresisting Gemellus away in the opposite direction.
Gaius sighed deeply and inhaled the familiar smell of sage and incense mixed with something else. But before his tired brain could correctly name the last ingredient, he banished those thoughts from his mind. That smell belonged to the Bona Dea and its male-excluding cult. It was not his place to know what a house had to be cleaned with for the ritual.
Swiftly he climbed the stairs and ran straight to his chambers. His home was eerily quiet. Probably all the women were already asleep, having stayed awake all night. The remaining men had probably not yet returned from his grandmother's house.
Gingerly, he pushed down the handle to his private chambers, slipped quietly inside and with a soft click the door closed behind him. While taking off his helmet, he was thinking about how he could slip silently into bed with the sleeping Aurelia, when he made out a movement to his right. Then a familiar body crashed against his, two heavenly thighs encircling his waist, while two delicate arms wrapped around his neck. Her intoxicating scent enveloped him like a warm blanket, invigorating him, and he was able to truly relax for the first time since he had left the house the morning before. Her sea-blue eyes sparkled happily down at him despite the dark shadows beneath them. Out of habit, he put his arms around her and pressed her closer. Immediately her lips rested passionately on his. Blinking, he closed his eyes and savoured her intoxicating taste as he forgot the world around them. All too soon she ended their kiss and looked deep into his eyes.
"I'm so glad you're with me again," she breathed, her happy smile warming his heart. Wordlessly, he pulled her into another kiss. The pressure of her thighs intensified around his waist and without breaking their kiss, he carefully carried her to their spacious bed and lowered himself backwards onto the mattress. Aurelia laughed softly against his lips.

"What's so amusing, my dear?" he wanted to know, and she gently stroked his shoulders. Embarrassed, she put a little distance between their mouths. Tenderly he stroked a golden strand of hair from her face and his hand buried itself in her thick hair.
"I'm just happy," she murmured softly. "And you really do look damn good in a uniform like that"
"Oh, you think so?" he teased her affectionately and her laughter filled the room.
"Maybe it's just because I know for a fact that there really are such impressive muscles underneath this metal and they're not just deceptive adornment" she returned, and he joined in her laughter wholeheartedly.
"If you prefer this to my usual attire, I can always wear a breastplate in our chambers," he continued more seriously and to his relief Aurelia shook her head.
"I prefer you to wear no clothes at all in our chambers," she replied solemnly, and he pulled her head closer to him with his hand.
"Then what are you waiting for?" he murmured back, and his body responded immediately as she pulled him into another passionate kiss.

"How did you know our plan had succeeded?" he asked softly and she lifted her head from his bare chest in surprise. Their eyes met and her expression softened. She leaned forward to place a hand on his cheek.
"You came back to me safe and sound, Gaius," she replied softly. "If anything had gone wrong, we would both be dead by now"
Before he could say anything back, she covered her mouth with her other hand, muffling her yawn. It was a habit he had often observed in her and had never questioned. But once he had noticed it and had had to look again and again into the unappetisingly contorted maws of his fellow yawners, Aurelia's habit seemed indescribably cultivated to him. Silently, he resolved to pick up this habit from her. Perhaps in time more and more people would do the same.
"You should sleep, my love," Gaius said, wrapping his arms protectively around her gloriously naked body. "You've had a long night"
"You too," she whispered back wearily, letting her head sink back onto his chest, fluttering her eyelids closed and in the next moment she too had fallen into a gentle sleep. Happily, Gaius breathed a feather-light kiss on her hair and thought about her answer. It was true. If anything had gone wrong, they would have killed him first and her shortly afterwards. Him because he had to die for Macro to achieve his goal and her because Macro would never have taken the risk of an heir who might one day avenge his father's murder and claim his place in the state.
In her sleep she snuggled closer to him, unconsciously driving away the dark thoughts that kept his mind awake. All their plans had worked out so far. They were alive and together. Nothing else mattered to him at that moment. Smiling, Gaius closed his eyes and drifted off into a peaceful sleep as well.