Bride of the Emperor (The Prophecy of Sisters Book 4) by Hayley Faiman (the gingerbread man read aloud txt) 📗

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