“Wrong. That is the way masters have treated their slaves for centuries. It started when your people enslaved the Elymanians, and they followed the same behavior when they became the masters.”
The click of the locks prevented Titus from replying, and Modius entered the room. “Your Imperial Majesty, your ship awaits.”
Azurha kept her chin held high and focused at the churning waves that crashed onto the shore below, pretending not hear when Titus whispered, “We’re not finished with this discussion.”
She eased the lyger cub into his cage, knowing it wouldn’t allow anyone else to do it, and followed Titus out to the ship. Her jaw dropped when they reach the gangplank. Her glimpse from the window didn’t do it justice. This was truly an Imperial ship, one that dwarfed any ship she’d ever seen. Rich mahogany wood encased the sides of the vessel, adorned by a gilded mix of gold and veins of bronze ore. The sail of the tall center mast flapped above them, ready to capture the wind above the clouds and augment the Deizian magic that powered the engines.
More than a score of the Legion stood guard on the top deck of the vessel, their armor gleaming in the sunlight. Their captain approached Titus and bowed. “Welcome aboard, Your Imperial Majesty.”
A line creased Titus’s brow as he surveyed his heavily-armed bodyguards. “Has something changed, Galerius?”
“I just thought I’d be prepared since we are escorting both you and,” he paused, his eyes flickering over her as though he were trying to decide what to call her, “your consort.”
What she wouldn’t give for a weapon of her own right now. Galerius didn’t need to tell her that the threats of assassination had grown more serious.
She scanned the ship’s deck as they crossed it, no longer admiring its beauty. She needed to know every flaw, every weakness that could potentially be exploited by someone in her trade. Laser cannons lined both sides, along with a trio of larger ones at the bow. Men with unmistakable Deizian blue eyes stood beside them, ready to channel their magic through the cannons at their enemies. They would work on a ship at a distance, but wouldn’t be effective if there were already enemies on board.
Titus headed straight for the cabin at the stern of the ship, Galerius firmly planted at his side. The captain pressed his hand against the familiar brass plate by the door, and the locks clicked open. Inside stood a miniature throne room filled with over a dozen men dressed in fine linen tunics and togas draped over their shoulders. She studied their faces, looking for any sign of malice, but found none.
“You had to bring them along, didn’t you?” Titus muttered to Galerius.
“They insisted,” the captain replied with a shrug.
The thick doors closed behind them with solid thud, and the engine hummed to life. She moved to the side of the room as Titus took his seat on the small throne and began listening to the requests of the men in the room. Outside the windows, the clouds danced as the ship rose high into the sky, leaving the magic of Madrena behind them.
…
By the gods, you’d think they’d at least wait until we arrived in Emona before bombarding me with business. Titus cast a glance at Azurha, who sat in the far corner of his ship’s stateroom, pretending to play with the lyger cub. He didn’t miss the way she hung on every word his advisors spoke, her keen mind probably already processing their concerns and thinking of solutions. He’d seen his mother wear the same expression numerous times when his father discussed Imperial matters with her.
At this point, he was only half listening to his advisors. He’d lost interest when he’d learned that no advances had been made in finding the people behind his assassination order. Instead, his advisors wanted to discuss what food should be served for state dinners and if he was available to attend the launch of a new airship. All trivial things when he considered what was at stake within the empire. Annoyance coiled in his muscles as they continued to prattle on. He caught Azurha’s attention, and she raised a dark brow as if to challenge him.
“Please, enough.” The words broke free from him a bit more forcefully than intended, and his advisors jumped back. “This can wait until we land in Emona. Leave me alone until then.”
The men’s expressionless faces didn’t waver as they backed out of the stateroom with Galerius closing the door behind them as he followed them out. The firm set of the captain’s jaw told Titus he’d make sure they wouldn’t disturb him further.
“Is that what you have to deal with every morning?” Azurha asked.
“Yes, although they seem to be more anxious than usual since they haven’t had a chance to pester me in two days.” He crossed the room and offered her his hand. “Would you like to see how to fly an airship?”
She took his hand with a slight smile. “I think I have a good idea how it’s done.”
“Do you, now? Care to give me a lesson from the helm?” He opened the doors and led her outside to the empty deck.
“Testing my knowledge?”
“Possibly.” He’d been dying to test her wild magic and see if it could power the ship. All she would need to do was take the controls in her hands and channel her magic through the ore. If it worked, then he would have all the proof he needed of her Deizian blood.
He led her to the small room at the bow and pointed to the brass wheel, explaining how to make the ship move up, down, and side to side in the air. “It’s simple. Come try it.”
Her forehead furrowed. “But I’m not a Deizian. I can’t use your magic to power the ship.”
He circled behind her and urged her forward, ignoring the curious glances from the captain and the three crewmembers in the helm. He was so close to finding out what he needed to know. If he had to lie a little, he would. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. We don’t have any magic. We just focus our thoughts through the metal, and the ship responds.”
“And how is that different from magic?”
“Because there’s nothing magical about it. We just harness our mental energy through a conduit, and that fuels our ships and chariots. Even the barrier is nothing more than an energy field designed to keep the Barbarians from invading.” She didn’t seem fully convinced, so he added, “Unless you think your mind isn’t strong enough to try it.”
“Are you suggesting I’m weak-willed?” She approached the wheel and studied the half-blood Deizian captain. “Is it truly as he says?”
“Would you imply that the emperor is lying?”
Titus cleared his throat with a cough. The woman knew him too well.
She turned to Titus, and the corner of her mouth quirked up. “No, but I know when he sets his mind to something, very little will sway him.”
“If you’re scared, I can help you.” He guided her hands to the wheel, letting his linger just below hers. He focused his mind on the outside of the ship, watching it cut through the clouds like the wooden Elymanian ships did through the sea. “Just keep your thoughts fixed on flying the ship in the air.”
“Flying the ship,” she repeated. Her eyes squeezed shut, and she tightened her grip on the wheel.
When his fingers grazed her hands, he could feel the wild magic swirling inside her, gathering strength, ready to be unleashed. He had no doubt in his mind that she could do this, and he slowly let go of the wheel.
The ship glided smoothly through the air for a moment, and a victorious smile formed on his lips. He’d been right.
Then the ship lurched forward, and his stomach dropped. For a moment, he felt like he was hanging in the sky, completely weightless. Then the bow tipped down and plowed through the clouds toward the ground below. Titus smashed against Azurha, pinning her against the wheel. Shouts rang out from the deck. Sweat beaded along his forehead as they fell faster and faster from the sky.
“Focus,” he said through gritted teeth.
“I am focusing.” The high note to her voice revealed her terror.
He grabbed the wheel from her and poured his mental energy into the metal, offering a quick prayer to the gods he
could right the ship before they crashed. Azurha dug her fingers into his arms, and the rush of wild magic he’d felt inside her earlier slammed into him. The ship surged up with enough force to make his knees buckle and didn’t weaken until they were safely above the clouds once again.
Seconds crept by stunned silence. Outside on the deck, the crew still clung to railings with white knuckles, but nothing matched the ashen hue of Azurha’s face. She released him and backed away, her hands trembling in front of her. “I hope you’re satisfied,” she whispered, and ran across the deck toward the stateroom.
Titus waited until the captain took over the wheel before giving chase. He found her standing outside the doors, tugging at the handles and growling in frustration when they refused to yield. “It helps if you use the keyplate.”
“I can’t use the keyplate, Titus, remember?” She kicked the doors in frustration. “I’m nothing more than a fancy prisoner for you to toy with. Now, please, let me return to my cage before I kill us all.”
“Is that what you think?” He pressed his palm against the plate, and the locks clicked.
She flung the door open and raced inside without answering him. Inside, the furniture lay askew from the fall, creating a series of obstacles for her maneuver around as she went for the cage containing the lyger cub. Once she found the creature unharmed, she lifted her narrowed eyes to him. “What were you trying to prove?”
“I wanted to prove that you had Deizian blood.”
“By getting us all killed?”
“You have the energy within you. I’ve felt it.”
The lyger cub hissed at the chokehold she had on it and retreated to the far wall of its cage. Titus almost considered doing the same when he saw the fury burning in her eyes.
“Wrong. What you felt was nothing more than your misguided delusions. I doubt there’s a man on this ship who wouldn’t mind seeing me thrown overboard for almost getting them killed.”
“Then what did I feel just now, when you held onto me and the ship righted itself faster than it should have?”
“Nothing more than my own fear.” She grabbed a fallen chair and set it back against the wall. “Look at this mess. I’m just grateful no one died because of your stupid plan.”
Her rage infected him and churned within his blood. He yanked the next chair from her hands. “Be careful how you speak to me. I am the emperor.”
“Then act like one and stop endangering your people by clinging to the desperate idea that I’d make a suitable Empress.”
The air whooshed from his lungs. “Am I really that transparent?”
She paused, and all the anger visibly melted from her body. “Only to me.” She pressed her body against his, wrapping her arms around him and tucking her head under his chin. “I know you mean well, Titus, but I’m sorry. I’m not the woman you think I am, and there’s nothing you can do to change it.”
He returned her embrace, still baffled over the surge of magic he felt whenever she touched him. Even now, he sensed it humming beneath her weariness. “On the contrary, Azurha, I think you could still manage to surprise me.”
She stiffened and pushed him away. “Please, don’t make this any harder than it already is.”
“Is it wrong of me to want to marry the woman I love?”
“People like us have no right to talk about love. You have your duty to the empire, and I will never be free of my past.” Her features became pinched, pained, as though someone had stabbed her in the chest. “Let’s not waste what little time we have together arguing or trying to force the issue. I will share your bed until you take a wife.”
A defiant streak flared deep within him, and his hands balled into fists. Why couldn’t he convince the one stubborn woman standing in front of him that he was right? “And if that day never comes?”
“Then you would condemn the empire to years of bloody war while your relatives fight over who gets your crown.” She tipped his chin and held his gaze. “You know as well as I do how ambitious some of them are. Until you have an heir, no one is safe. They are gathering around, waiting to pounce on your moment of weakness and destroy you.”
“Why are you telling me this? Is there something you know that I don’t?”
Her eyes widened, and she lowered her head before he could read more into her reaction. “You would do well to heed the warnings you’ve been given.”
“And I refuse to live in fear.” He spun on his heel and began pacing the small area of the floor that was free of debris. “I will not let them intimidate me.”
“I’m glad to hear that, but don’t be fooled into believing you are untouchable. You may be emperor, but you are also mortal, and I have no desire to hold your corpse in my arms.”
Her voice cracked at the end of her reply, stopping him dead in his tracks. He sucked in a breath through his teeth, letting her words sink into his mind. All this time, he’d been trying to bend her to his will when he should have been asking her why she was refusing him. “Do you love me?”
“Yes, Titus, I love you. Enough to let you go when I must.” She threaded her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer until their lips met. Her tongue traced the seam of his mouth, and when he allowed her access, a moan rose from deep within her throat. She coaxed him deeper into the kiss, holding nothing back. He tasted her desire, her passion, her love, and his body warmed in response.
Then it was his turn to lead the tangled dance. He swept into her mouth, each sweet second of their kiss reminding him how much he’d come to love the woman in his arms. He clung to her like a dying man would his last breath, fearing what waited for him once he let go. But she seemed to sense his distress and pulled his hand to her left breast. Her strong heart beat in time with his, letting him know he wasn’t the only one affected this way, and he finally ended the kiss to gulp in a breath.
Azurha shivered in his arms. “I love you enough to let go when I must, but that doesn’t mean I have to let go anytime soon.”
“Thank the gods for that.” He pulled her dress down, exposing her bare shoulder, and kissed the smooth brown flesh. “Because I have no desire to let you go.”
She released him long enough to pull her dress over her head. He followed her lead, shedding his tunic as fast as he could without ripping it, eager to have her skin against his. Her jasmine perfume filled his nose when he pressed his lips against the hollows of her neck. His cock ached for her, throbbing in time with each playful nip, each stroke of her fingers on his body. They tumbled to the floor, and he wasted no time burying himself inside the warm, tight walls of her sex.
Her moan of pleasure nearly made him come right there. He watched her face while he moved inside her, seeing the joy play out in her expression from every stroke. There was no pretention, no guile in their joining. Just pure, honest bliss, and when he came inside her, the edges of consciousness blurred. His body pulsed with pleasure. He might never know what it felt like to be a god, but he could only imagine that it was like lying in her arms.
21
Stupid, stubborn man, Azurha thought as she brushed a stray lock of golden hair away from Titus’s forehead. Why couldn’t he take no for an answer?
He dozed in her arms, a smile playing on his face, his head pressed against her heart. If he only knew its true nature, he wouldn’t be so comfortable with her.
She sighed and turned her attention to the clouds that raced by outside the stateroom window. She needed to have a solid plan in place before they returned to Emona. Pontus wanted Titus dead by tomorrow. That meant she either needed to reveal his plan to Titus before then and risk the punishment that would follow for her part in it, or find a way to sneak out of the palace and deal with Pontus herself. Regardless of her choice, she doubted she’d be able to spend another night in Titus’s bed, so she planned to savor the precious seconds she had with him on the flight back.
“What has you frowning, Azurha?” When she looked down, Titus was staring up at her with concern etching lines across his face
. “Do I need to make sure you’re smiling again before we land?”
She didn’t fight him when he pulled her lips to his, capturing them in a sweet kiss. Despite the lustful insinuation in his words, there was nothing heated about his actions. They were gentle, pleading, as if he could convince her to open her thoughts to him as easily as she opened her lips to his kiss. And by the gods, she wanted to open up to him, to confess all her sins. But still she held back, so terrified that one wrong word would hasten his death.
A crash sounded from the deck, and the ship jerked to a halt. Azurha broke the kiss, waited for the sinking sensation she’d had in her stomach when the ship fell from the sky earlier, but it never came. Although the ship still hovered in the air, the shouts and frantic footsteps told her they were not out of danger. “Titus, get dressed,” she said as she reached for her clothes.
Titus pulled his tunic on with the speed of a slave who realized he’d overslept and feared his master’s whip. “Stay here while I find out what’s going on.”
“If anyone should be staying put, it’s you, Your Imperial Majesty.” She shoved past him and tugged at the doors. As usual, they remained locked to her. “Unlock them so I can go out there and report back to you.”
His nostrils flared, and his hands balled into fists. “If you think I’m going to let you put yourself in harm’s way, you’re sadly mistaken.”
“We can argue about this for hours, but we both know which one of us is expendable.”
His jaw dropped. “Do you really think so little of me as to accuse me of abandoning the woman I love the moment danger arises?”
His reply stung and she cursed her sharp tongue for hurting his feelings. KT4 The longer she stayed with him, the more entangled her heart became, and guilt had chosen the worst time to cloud her mind.
She forced it down, focusing on the present danger. Another crash sounded above them, followed by an explosion. Titus dove for her and shielded her from the shower of splintered wood with his own body. Acidic smoke filled the air, burning her nostrils and filling her mouth with the taste of sulfur. Her heart pounded. This was more than just a ship malfunction. They were being attacked.
Tangled Web Page 19
