Titus’s jaw almost dropped. What kind of man would offer his daughter up as a concubine, especially a noblewoman? But when he saw the matching ambitious expressions they both wore, he realized the plot for what it was. Hostilius thought that if he could get his daughter into the emperor’s bed, she might become the next Empress. He almost choked on his disgust.
“This is quite an unusual gift, Hostilius.”
“Only the best for the emperor.” He ushered his daughter closer to Titus. “I’m sure you would prefer the refined breeding of a Deizian instead of an Alpirion. It’s quite shameful that Pontus would think you’d find his gift suitable for someone like you.”
Titus closed his eyes and took a deep breath to keep from saying the string of curses that formed in his mind. Hostilius’s comment felt like a slap in the face. He not only insulted Azurha, he also implied that Titus had sullied his reputation by spending time with her.
“It would be my pleasure, Emperor Sergius,” Claudia purred, dragging one of her nails up his neck and along his jaw.
His skin crawled from her touch. He took a step back. “Claudia, you do not have to enter the harem if you do not want to.”
Hostilius’s upper lip curled into a snarl. “Are you saying my daughter isn’t good enough for you?”
“No, not at all. I just don’t believe any person should be forced to do something against her will.” He remembered what little bit Azurha had shared with him about her life as a slave, and his hands curled into fists. If he accomplished anything during his reign, it would be to free the slaves.
“But Emperor Sergius, I want to serve you.” She coyly bit her lip, knowing he could see her flirtations through the whisper-thin veil.
He retreated to his throne, eager to put more than an arm’s distance between him and them. “If you’re determined to stay, I’ll have Varro show you to the harem.” Just because she refused to leave didn’t mean he’d have to pay any attention to her. Right now, he only desired one woman.
She dropped low into a curtsey and slipped out of the throne room behind the steward.
Hostilius approached the throne. “You should be quite happy with her, Your Imperial Majesty. Claudia is a widow, so you won’t have to teach her how to please you.”
Titus knew the story of Claudia, as did almost every Deizian in the empire. She’d been married three times already. Each of her husbands had died under unusual circumstances. In some circles, she was referred to as a black widow, and he had no desire to become tangled in her web. “Hostilius, are there any matters in your province that you wish to discuss with me?”
“I heard a rumor that you were thinking about building a new aqueduct in Lucrilia.”
“I was, but I found a better location.”
Hostilius’s face twisted in fury, but he caught himself and diplomatically smoothed it out. “Oh?”
Titus knew the loss of gold and the potential to garner other favors from the empire fueled the governor’s reaction to his news, so he let the momentary lapse in behavior pass. “Someone pointed out to me that building an aqueduct in Volsina would help alleviate their annual flooding. I felt it was the best decision for the empire.”
“There are many whispers about what you have planned for the empire.” He leaned forward and leveled his gaze with Titus. “Some of these ideas are considered quite radical by a few Deizians I’ve spoken with. They may react badly to them if they are implemented.”
Molten steel flowed through his veins, instantly hardening as he stood. Even though his dais only raised him a few inches above Hostilius, Titus felt like he towered over him. “Are you threatening me?”
Hostilius backed away with wide eyes and stuttered an apology. “Of course not, Your Imperial Majesty. I’m merely repeating what I’ve heard.” He adjusted his tunic and retreated further. “I hope you will be kind enough to remember your servants in Lucrilia. We are a small province, mainly relying on the labor of our slaves. If we lose what little assets we have, the results could be devastating for our people.”
Some of the rigidity eased from his muscles. Nothing ever came easy. To free the slaves, he would destroy the economy of Lucrilia and other provinces like it unless he came up with a plan that would help streamline the transition.
Maybe he would ask Azurha if she had any ideas. Her recommendations were honest, without any ties to political and financial gain, and offered more insight into his plans for the empire than any of his advisors. In truth, he trusted this Alpirion woman more than the Deizian governor before him.
“Your concerns are noted.”
“Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty.” He lowered his head in a quick bow and ducked out the throne room.
“He’s right you know,” Marcus said as he appeared from one of the side rooms. “Rumors of your plans, no matter how ridiculous they sound, are riling up the Deizians and even some of the Elymanians.”
Titus sat on his throne and ran his fingers through his hair, lingering to massage his temples. Whoever desired to become emperor needed to have his head examined. They probably only saw the wealth of palace life and understood little of the weighty decisions that needed to be made daily. “What are the rumors?”
Marcus laughed as he carried a chair across the room and sat at the base of the dais. “That you drink the blood of your subjects and eat their flesh.”
Titus caught the mischievous twinkle in his friend’s eyes and laughed with him. “Thankfully, that rumor will be easy to refute. But seriously, what of the others? I haven’t even been officially crowned emperor, and I already feel the tide rising against me.”
Marcus nodded. “But you handled Governor Pacilus appropriately. I think he almost wet himself when he realized you wouldn’t be intimidated by his threat.”
“Did he think I would cower from it?”
“You’ve led a very reserved life, Titus. Most of the nobles know very little about you other than your preference to hide your face in a book rather than indulge in their parties.”
His hand curled into fist. “They think I’m weak.”
“They just don’t know you. My father always told me to beware of the quiet ones. Those that make a lot of noise are usually trying to compensate for something.” He rubbed the arms of the chair. “It seems odd that Hostilius would donate his daughter to your harem.”
“No, it isn’t. He thinks she’ll worm her way into my bed and make me husband number four.”
“But you already have a bedmate.” He gave Titus a sly grin. “Speaking of which, how are things going with Azurha?”
“What do you mean?” He jumped to his feet and went to the small table nearby. His hand shook slightly as he poured a glass of wine. Was it that obvious that he’d just been with her?
“I mean, I’ve noticed a change in you since she arrived.” Marcus joined him at the table and grabbed his own glass.
“Good or bad?”
“Good, for the most part. You seem more relaxed, more confident, and I can’t help but think she has something to do with it.”
Confident? Would that be the right term? “I enjoy her company.”
“I bet you do.” Marcus winked and nudged him with his elbow.
He set his glass down with a bang. “There’s more to her than what’s just between her legs. She listens to me, gives me ideas, encourages me.”
His friend’s smile faded. “Just be careful, Titus. She’s a gift from Pontus, and she may be trying to further his agenda.”
“I doubt it. So far, she’s been trying to help me with my plans, not his.”
“And does that involve changing the location of the aqueduct?”
“The new location certainly isn’t benefitting Pontus, is it?”
“Far from it.” Marcus knitted his brows together. “I know you’ve become fond of her, but be careful breaking too many of the old traditions at once, Titus. If you want your changes to succeed, you need to infuse them into the empire gradually, not completely destroy the foundation and try
to rebuild it.”
“And how would having a harem full of concubines be breaking with tradition?”
Marcus stared at Titus in one of his rare serious moments. “Can you honestly tell me that you consider Azurha just a concubine?”
The question sobered him and revived the question that had been plaguing him all day. He was beginning to fall in love with her, and he didn’t know how to fight it. In truth, he didn’t want to fight it. “So? I’m the emperor. My Will dominates the empire.”
“Yes, but with the crown comes certain responsibilities. You’re expected to produce a Deizian heir. Azurha can only be a concubine, nothing more. Please remember that before you lose your head.”
“I’m in no danger of losing my head.”
“Just your heart?” Marcus sighed and began pacing in front of him. “I knew you when you were married to Lucia, and you avoided her as much as possible. You didn’t return to your chambers with a smile on your face and lightness in your step like you do now.”
“Is it that obvious?”
He stopped. “Only to those of us that know you well.”
“Do you want the truth? Yes, I’m beginning to care about her, but I also know where my limits are. Please, just for now, I wish to enjoy my time with her before I have to take a new wife.”
“I’m sorry, Titus.”
“Don’t be. This is my problem to sort through.”
“Just know you don’t have to sort through it alone.” Marcus gave him a light smack on the back. “Care to join me in the gymnasium? Arrius Lanatus is in town, and I owe him a rematch from the last time we wrestled.”
Some of the heaviness lifted from Titus’s shoulders, and the corners of his mouth curled up. “Think you’ll last longer than three seconds this time?”
“If you think you can do better, by all means, feel free to try.”
Titus laughed as he followed his friend out of the throne room, leaving his cares behind for a little while.
…
Azurha lay in her bed, replaying Titus’s recent visit. A warm glow flowed through her body, pooling around her heart instead of between her legs as usual. Could he actually care about her? She laughed at her naivety. She was sent here to kill him, not be his lover. As soon as he learned the truth, her head would decorate the city’s wall.
The door clicked, and she jumped to her feet, hoping he’d returned for another round. Instead, she heard Varro’s voice, followed by a woman’s.
“This is the famed Imperial Harem?” Sarcasm dripped from the woman’s voice, accentuating her Deizian drawl. “I would have expected more.”
“This is a harem, Lady Claudia, not the royal quarters, but you’ll have all your needs tended to.”
Azurha peered out of her room to the new concubine. The woman was elegantly clothed in white, and the sunlight reflected off her golden hair in an almost blinding radiance. A frown marred her otherwise pretty face, highlighting the displeasure in her icy blue eyes.
“I suppose it will do, considering I don’t plan on staying here very long.”
Azurha’s mouth went dry. Had Titus already replaced her? A tremble started at the base of her spine, rapidly amplifying until her hands shook. She balled them into fists and jerked her back straight. She wouldn’t let this woman take her place without a fight.
Claudia spotted her and beckoned her over. “Good, you already have slaves in place. Girl, please lay out my blue gown and press any wrinkles from it. I want to look my best for the emperor tonight.”
Azurha’s temper flared, and her fingers itched to claw the woman’s eyes out. Her body was propelling forward when Varro cleared his throat and stopped her.
“I think you are confused, Lady Claudia. Lady Azurha is the emperor’s other concubine.”
“A slave?”
Azurha held her arms out so the sun reflected on her gold bracelets. “A freed slave for many years.” The low hiss of her words echoed in a way that made the other woman gasp.
Claudia regained her composure and smirked. “This is what Emperor Sergius has had to settle for? The poor dear. I should think he’ll look forward to sharing his bed with a proper woman.”
Visions of the woman’s head splattering against the wall danced in Azurha’s mind. If Varro hadn’t placed a hand of caution on her shoulder, she would have carried them out.
“Lady Azurha, I will send someone to settle Lady Claudia into her rooms. Should I send anyone extra to assist you?” His face pleaded with her to control her temper, and her anger slowly abated.
“No, thank you, Varro. Izana has done well on her own assisting me these last few nights.”
“I require at least three slaves to attend to my needs, however.” Claudia spun around and pranced toward a room on the opposite side of the courtyard.
“It probably requires that many to disguise her deformities,” Azurha muttered under her breath, earning a muffled laugh from Varro.
The steward quickly disguised his reaction with a cough when Claudia turned to glare at him. “I will see how many girls I can spare.” He nodded to both of them and hurried out the door like he sensed the cat fight that was brewing and wanted no part of it.
The two women stared at each other, sizing up the competition and seeking out any weaknesses to exploit. Claudia narrowed her eyes and grinned. “I hope you had fun, Alpirion, because your time is over. Emperor Sergius is a Deizian, and when the time comes, he’ll need a Deizian wife.”
Azurha took a deep breath to steady herself. After all, Claudia was just confirming everything she knew in her mind was true. Even if she somehow managed to live longer than ten days, she’d eventually be forgotten for the woman he would have to marry to produce an heir. “Perhaps, but we both know there’s a difference between duty and pleasure.”
Azurha returned to her room and rubbed her stinging eyes. Doubt chilled her bones like a winter storm, sudden and unrelenting. Would Titus send for her tonight? Was the visit today his way of bidding her farewell?
She cast a glance at her trunk and wondered if she’d made a mistake letting him live.
11
“Would you like me to do your hair, Azurha?” Izana began piling up her dark curls with one hand while reaching for a comb with the other.
“No, I won’t be needing my hair done.” She waved the slave away and peered out into the main room. Claudia’s shrill orders echoed from across the courtyard. “It sounds like she plans on visiting the emperor tonight.”
A disrespectful snort answered. “If the emperor chooses her over you, I weep for the future of the empire.”
“Be careful who you share your thoughts with.” She gave the slave a half-hearted smile. “You can speak freely around me, but I’ve seen slaves’ tongues cut out for comments like that.”
Some of the color drained from Izana’s face. “I understand.” She stood next to Azurha in the doorway. “May I thank you for specifically requesting me to tend to you? I doubt I’d be able attend to her.”
Azurha chuckled. “Why do you think I told Varro I wanted you? Having been in your situation before, I know what it’s like to obey the orders of someone you despise.”
“How did you gain your freedom?”
“My master died without an heir.” Her reply had been given so many times in the last seven years that it had become automatic. Freed slaves were still very rare in the empire, and suspicion always followed her wherever she went. Only those wearing gold jewelry, a symbol of their freedom, were left alone. The rest were captured and resold into slavery.
“So if the emperor died without an heir, I’d be free.”
Azurha’s breath caught when she heard the cold, calculating tone in Izana’s words. Memories of Ramina’s grin as she added the poison to their master’s wine flooded her mind. Would Izana do something like that? Then she lowered her gaze when she remembered she’d nearly done the same thing the night before.
She rubbed her arms, hoping to restore the warmth that fled her skin. “No, yo
u belong to his title, not to him. If he dies without an heir, you’d belong to the next emperor.”
“As would you.”
“I belong to no one.” She’d sooner slit her throat than let another man touch her.
“I pray to the gods every night that the rumors are true, that the emperor will free us slaves.” Izana’s brown eyes grew dreamy. “Do you think he’d let us return to Alpiria, too?”
“Who knows? We’ve already forgotten so much of our ways. Would we be able to survive the frontier if we’ve only known life as a field worker or a household slave? The old ones told me stories of how they would ride for miles, chasing the herds that roamed the blue sands between oases. How would we fare when most of us have never ridden a horse?”
“I suppose you have a point, but on the other hand, Alpiria is not the same as our ancestors left behind. The Deizians are already changing it, making it their own. They’ve covered the land with ports for their airships and brought water where there was none, turning our deserts into farmland. Maybe the transition wouldn’t be so difficult.”
“Maybe, but I have no plans on returning there.” If she survived this, she was going into hiding. Someplace where no one would ever find her. Someplace where she wouldn’t be hunted for her failure, nor her successes.
The familiar click of the lock sounded from the door, and Izana jumped. She made an act of fussing over Azurha’s plain red dress as Varro entered the harem. The steward noted her actions and gave a nod of approval.
“Has Emperor Sergius sent for me?” Claudia appeared from her room in a dress Azurha envied. Rows of intricate embroidery made from thin metallic threads adorned her stola and palla, and heavy golden earrings hung from her ears, swaying as she crossed the courtyard.
“No.” Varro’s grimace cut deeper lines into his forehead, and he ran his finger along the neck of his tunic like it was too tight. “He sent for Lady Azurha.”
Azurha’s expression of shock must have mirrored her competition’s. Why would Titus want her when he could have the Deizian beauty?
Claudia smoothed out her face and gave him a cold smile. “I think I misunderstood you. Did you tell me that Emperor Sergius prefers the company of a slave over me?”
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