“I don’t like it and I don’t want it,” I whisper.
Laurentia frowns, then her gaze finds mine again. “I understand a little. It is hard to be thrust into a new way of living, new traditions, an entirely new world.”
The word thrust makes me think about those orgies, about Tiberius thrusting into another woman. I would kill her, and him, everyone. I don’t even know if I would be able to control myself, just thinking about it makes me want to scream.
“I hate so many parts of it, of this place. The slaves, the sex. I can’t handle those things at all,” I confess.
I can’t get the images out of my head. I can’t get the imagined scenarios of him with other women, the way the girl in the bathhouse dropped to her knees, as if this was some regular thing, and I know that it was. I hate it all, it haunts me and there is no way I will be okay with any of it. I don’t care that it’s his culture, I don’t think that I can accept it.
“You must talk to him,” she urges.
“I have.”
There is a moment of silence where we watch one another. Then she lifts her shoulders in a heavy breath and lets it out. I can tell by the look on her face that she is going to say something that I don’t want to hear.
“This culture is yours now. You must learn to accept it.”
Her words are not wrong. They are right. As much as I hate them, they are correct. “I know,” I whisper as I shift my gaze from her to the window.
The sun is shining, the cool breeze slides through and I even hear the birds sing, but I’m sad. I don’t know if my sadness can be cured, either. I can’t ask Tiberius to change all that he is for me.
“Why not?” Laurentia asks.
Blinking, I turn to face her. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud,” I whisper.
“Why can’t you. Haven’t you changed all that you are for him?”
Her words are like a punch to the gut. I have done this. Sure, the gods claim that I was created for him, but I lived a whole life before I was brought here. I lived in a whole other world, and I’m giving up everything that I have ever known to be with him, to be here.
“It’s selfish though, isn’t it?” I ask, more to myself than actually looking for an answer.
“Is it selfish to ask your husband to give up something that is part of who he is? Possibly. Is it just as selfish for him to force you to do something that upsets you so much and is so far out of your realm that it causes such distress? It is most definitely.”
Snapping my head around, I look at the man himself, standing shirtless in his man-skirt, his arms crossed over his sweaty chest, his eyes focused on me, his scars oddly red and angry looking in a way that I have never seen before.
Without a single word, Laurentia stands and slips out of the room, leaving me and my warrior alone. Right now, he looks exactly like that, too, like a warrior.
“Tiberius,” I breathe.
He shakes his head once, taking a step inside of the room, then another. Without a word, he closes the distance between us. My body moves without me telling it to do a certain thing. As always, since the moment that I laid eyes on him, I am drawn to him
Standing, I tilt my head back and look into his eyes. I expect them to be angry, but they aren’t. Instead, they look soft as he watches me.
“If it bothers you so, then it will not happen, it will not be done.”
Shaking my head, I lick my lips and search his gaze with my own. “It’s too great, me asking you to give up a piece of you.”
Tiberius smirks, then he lifts his hand to my cheek and I feel the roughness of his fingers slide along my jaw.
“You have given your entire world up for me, my people, and my world. It is the least I can do. Giving up the flesh of another is no sacrifice at all, as long as I have you, melculum.”
He dips his chin and brushes his lips across my own. I let out a sigh, waiting for him to deepen the kiss and take more of me, but he doesn’t. Instead, he lifts his mouth, his gaze finding mine again and his lips curve up into a warm smile.
“Get dressed, the celebrating continues.”
“Tiberius?”
He chuckles. “Shopping with your women, then a battle tonight to watch. I think you will enjoy it, I hope, as this is something that will always be part of my life.”
Lifting my hand, I wrap my fingers around his wrist and grip him. “Is this because you are indeed an accomplished warrior?” I ask.
He snorts. “The most accomplished.”
A shiver, a thrill, glides throughout my entire body at that declaration. A few moments later I am bathing and readying for shopping. I can’t deny that I’m excited about the girls’ trip, it almost feels like going out with my sisters, except when I think about it like that a sense of sadness washes over me.
I need to see my sisters, and soon.
TIBERIUS
My men keep a close eye on Drucilla and the women the entire day. She has an unlimited account at any of the vendors, they know to come to Marcellus to collect their payments for whatever whimsy my empress desires.
“She does not care for the orgias?” Marcellus asks. I snort as I look out at the men setting up for the tournaments today.
“That is an understatement,” I mutter.
Marcellus may never understand. He will no doubt marry someone from here, choosing to spend his life at my side helping to run the empire as my consultant. I would prefer this, but I assume that he would as well.
“Some women…” He trails off.
Turning to face him, I arch a brow, curious about his observations. As far as I know, Marcellus has not had serious relations with any woman. For a time, I thought him more attracted to his own sex, it would not bother me, I just thought it was what he wanted. Recently, I have noticed the way he watches Drucilla’s famulus, it has me curious.
“Do tell, frater,” I say, urging him to continue.
He clears his throat, though he doesn’t speak immediately. Shifting my gaze back to the men, I continue to watch them set up for the events later today. This will be the last day of celebrating and the orgia will be triple the size it was last night.
Tonight will include all of the warriors. I do not know how Drucilla will react, though I will not ask her to join in, she must make an appearance this time. She must sit beside her emperor and gaze down at her people, it is nonnegotiable.
“Some women are private about such activities, their people may not be as open as we are. Some wish to keep their play just between them and their spouse. It seems as though your bride may be one of those people, or at least that is the way it is where she is from. Do not be too hard on her.”
Chuckling, I continue to watch my men. “I have discussed this with her. As a husband should do, I have made a compromise. I cannot ask her to give all of herself to me, including things that upset her so. What happens between the emperor and his empress will be solely between them, and that is that.”
Marcellus lifts his hand and claps it down on my shoulder, squeezing me with a small shake. “I thought for sure you would fight this.”
I can tell he wants all of the details and although he is my brother, he is not privy to the details between me and my empress, nobody is, except for her and me.
“There is nothing to fight, frater. My empress and her happiness are important to me. This is something small I can do for her.”
“Small?” he asks with more than just a hint of disbelief in his voice.
I decide to use his own words from just a moment ago against him. “Some men…” I begin. “Can find their complete happiness in just a single woman, if she is the right one. If she is designed, created, and given to him by the gods, especially.”
Leaving him in his spot, I walk toward Brutus who is shouting at a group of men who seem to think that they have all day long to finish setting up. I do not look behind me at Marcellus, whom I assume is staring at my back slack-jawed.
I believe every word that I told him. Drucilla was created by
the gods for me, to please me, and she does—greatly. There is no other for me than my empress.
If she wishes to keep my body for her only and desires to give me the gift of being the only man to touch, kiss, and penetrate hers, who am I to deny such a generous bounty?
Chapter Twenty-Nine
DRUCILLA
I am renewed.
I would like to think that it was just shopping or that it was just the words that Tiberius spoke in the bedroom this morning, but I know without a doubt that it is a combination of both. I feel lighter than I have in weeks, I daresay, months.
Laurentia informs me that we need to get back to the domum to get ready for the festivities this afternoon and early evening. With the pressure of the orgies off of my shoulders, I practically skip back to the house, castle, well… mansion to get dressed.
Without even having to ask her, Laurentia stays at my side and helps me through doing my hair up, adding my gorgeous new crown, and all of my jewelry. I don’t know where Tiberius pulled all of the fantastic pieces from yesterday, but they’re freaking awesome.
Not for the first time, just today, I think about my sisters. I want them here. I am getting nervous about the prophecy and what that entails, I want them with me while shit goes down, because I can practically taste the impending doom. Whatever is going to happen, it will go down—hard.
“Are you coming, too?” I ask as she finishes with the pink paint she puts on my lips.
Laurentia shakes her head. “It isn’t for me,” she whispers.
I snort. “Did you forget?” I ask.
Her eyes widen and she stares at me, though she doesn’t answer me, not that I give her the chance. Wrapping my hands around hers, I tug her closer to me, tipping my head down and almost touch hers.
“I’m in charge of you now, if you want to join, you can sit beside me.”
She shakes her head. “I couldn’t,” she whispers.
“You can and you will. Do you want to wear one of my gowns? Maybe the dressmaker can make you some prettier ones, all of yours are plain,” I say, wrinkling my nose.
Laurentia doesn’t say anything right away, instead, she clears her throat. “I will go, in my own dress.”
“I’m having the dressmaker bring some things for you next week,” I announce.
She doesn’t jump up and down, but I do see her eyes light up at the idea of the new dresses, as any girl would. I know I am all about new clothes, even if these aren’t as daring as some of the little bandage dresses that I’ve worn in the past, they’re still sexy as shit, especially the one I’m wearing right now with a slit all the way up to my hip.
A knock sounds at the door and I expect Tiberius to be on the other side, but it’s Cassia. She smiles and looks me up and down, her lips curving up into an even bigger grin.
“Tiberius waits,” she announces.
“Laurentia is going to join us,” I say.
Cassia’s gaze flicks from me to Laurentia, then back to me. I can see the question in her eyes, but she is polite enough not to voice it. She shrugs a shoulder, then stands to the side.
“It will be great fun, this is always my favorite part of a big celebration,” Cassia announces.
I am a little worried about what it could be, but I don’t ask. Instead, I dip my chin and begin to walk toward her. Together, the three of us make our way toward the common room. I see him standing with his back to me, his gaze out at the gardens just beyond the door.
Tiberius must sense my presence. When he turns around, his eyes dip to my feet and slowly glide up my body. I feel as though his hands have skimmed my entire body. A shiver slides up my spine and I bite the corner of my lip, almost wishing that we could skip this whole thing.
I have been miserable for days, being in his presence and him not being inside of me. I didn’t realize that I needed his touch, his kiss, him inside of me as much as I did—but I do, I need it, desperately.
He closes the distance between us, his feet moving faster than I can even track. Reaching out, he wraps his arm around my waist and hauls me close to him, slamming my chest against his. He dips his chin, but he does kiss me, his lips are almost touching and my breath hitches.
“Tonight, I take my mulier,” he growls.
I hold back the whimper. “Yes, my emperor.”
He grunts. “Yes, your emperor, indeed.”
Tiberius releases me, but does not completely let me go. Instead, he keeps his arm tight around my waist as he begins to walk. I don’t pay attention to anything as we make our way through the door and then the thick crowd.
The crowd parts as we walk by, slowly they step to the side, but I am not paying attention to anything. I am practically floating next to my emperor. The warm sun beats down on me, but even that does nothing to dampen the moment.
I am euphoric.
The crowd becomes heavier, the farther away from the mansion we walk. They also become louder. I’m trying to smile as I look around, then I hear some people shout obscenities toward me.
Cassia gasps behind me, but it is Tiberius’ whose body tenses. He doesn’t release me the way that I think he would, instead, he stops, turning to face the direction of the men who made such noise.
Then, without me even realizing what’s happening, he unsheathes his sword, his fingers still gripping me tightly and lifts it above the crowd, pointing it in the direction of four men who are standing in a semicircle, their eyes wide as they watch.
“Do you dare to speak lewdly of my empress?” Tiberius booms.
I’m halfway tempted to tug on his arm and tell him it’s not a big deal, let’s just do our emperor/empress duties and get on with the show, but the way that his muscles tremble from being coiled so tightly, I decide to let him do his thing.
Before I take in what’s happening, two men step forward, their chests puffed out and acting cocky as all get out. The crowd dies down to complete silence, like so silent that I could hear a pin drop.
“We did,” the cockiest of the two states. “She is uptight, she is foreign, she is putidus. She is not Savonaian.”
These are all the wrong things to say to the emperor about his empress. I could have told anyone, especially since these dudes have no clue that the gods created me for him, as heard from those gods’ mouths when they popped onto the island of Curia and saved my bacon.
Tiberius doesn’t say anything immediately, he inhales a deep breath, then his voice comes out and it’s deep and sexy as shit, but I don’t understand what he’s just said, for whatever reason, the words don’t translate.
“Pedicabo ego vos et irrumabo.”
Several people gasp in the audience, making me think that Tiberius just dealt a low blow to these two manly dudes.
“What?” I ask, turning my head.
Nobody is looking at me to give me a hint, so I decide to go back to watching this scene play out. I don’t have to watch for long or wonder. Because without a single warning, Tiberius tilts his sword down and pushes it in the guy’s freaking neck and down his body. It goes through his throat and at the angle down his torso, on the inside.
It’s so gross, but seriously, it’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. I should be horrified, my husband just killed someone right in front of me, but I can’t help but stare in complete awe that he did it in one simple, swift move.
“Do you have anything to share?” he asks the man standing next to the dead guy.
The still-breathing guy sinks to his knees and bows his head. “No, Emperor,” he whimpers.
“Wrong answer,” Tiberius barks, then chops his head off, again, one-armed and in one swift move.
Then, as if that wasn’t badass enough, he wipes the blood off on the corpse, shoves his sword back in the scabbard and continues to walk through the crowd as if he did absolutely nothing at all.
Scary, gross, and badass all at the same time.
TIBERIUS
Guiding Drucilla up toward our seat at the podium level of the arena. It has been a while sin
ce we have had games, trials, or competitions. The people are hyped up and ready to see a good fight, I cannot deny that I feel the same way.
Although, I will not tolerate disrespect, not toward me, and definitely not toward my empress. If you do not take control of a situation, of your surroundings, then they will certainly take control of you.
I cannot allow disrespect by my people.
I must always appear to be the strongest and most powerful man in my empire, if I do not, then others will think that they can not only best me, but take control of my empire, my home, my family, and my empress.
I will not allow that, not now, not ever.
Once I arrive at the podium level of the arena, I dip my chin toward the smaller of the two chairs in the center and Drucilla takes my silent cue correctly, slowly taking her seat. When she is seated, I then take my own chair.
Looking straight out at the crowd, I smile to myself at the sight. There are thousands of my people sitting in the stands waiting for the games to begin. Shifting my gaze to Drucilla, I notice that she too is staring at all of the people, her lips parted in awe and that makes my chest puff out with pride.
“Your people,” I murmur.
“I didn’t realize,” she breathes.
“They’ve come from neighboring towns and villages, it isn’t all of them, naturally.”
She turns to me, her eyes wide and almost bright. “I just, when you are called an Emperor, I didn’t realize.”
My lips curve up into a grin. Reaching out, I take her hand in mine and bring it to my lips. Touching the backs of her fingers, I taste her skin for just a moment, my eyes focused on hers. I want her, my desire grows stronger for my mulier every passing moment that I do not take her.
There is a loud horn sounding and I hear Cassia squeal behind me and I know that the games are about to begin. Lowering Drucilla’s hand, I do not release it as I shift and turn toward the arena.
Bride of the Emperor (The Prophecy of Sisters Book 4) Page 20
