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

and yet they don’t look a day older than the last time I laid eyes on them.

“Fates are all we have, but we will prevail.”

“Good guys finish last,” Sybilla mumbles.

She’s not wrong there. Not in the slightest, but I have a feeling all of our guys are good guys and they certainly did not finish last. Although they are kind of bad boys too, I can tell just by looking at my sisters’ husbands, they are bad fucking asses.

“We have to have faith in fate,” I say. “If our men have so much faith in the gods, in their plans, then we need to, too.”

“I wish we could do all of this on our own lands, in our own space where we’re comfortable and know the terrain.”

“We are not always able to pick the battlefield,” Aeliana says.

Birdie clears her throat. “Yeah, I know, and I agree, but it would be nice if I could have my lions.”

“Lions?” Liv and I ask simultaneously.

Birdie nods. “I can talk to freaking lions,” she squeals.

“I can talk to wolves,” I admit.

“I control the sea,” Liv says.

“I think we all control the weather?” Sybilla asks.

We all nod, and I am shocked to see that we all have powers, some are the same and some are vastly different, but we’re seriously powerful. I don’t know if we’re considered witches or what, but this is so cool.

For a few moments I forget about impending doom, about the fact that I may not be able to have children, and about anything that isn’t my sisters and our magic abilities.

Tomorrow is probably going to bring something our way the likes of which we have never seen before. It’s going to bring the God of the Underworld, but for now, we are four sisters who have missed each other, who have all fallen in love and lived great adventures over the past months.

We relish in that, we tell each other everything, and I welcome the moment, a moment that I have been craving for far too long.

Chapter Thirty-Three

DRUCILLA

After we have had far too much to eat, and our bellies hurt from laughter, we all retire for the evening. Tiberius offers a private room for each of my sisters and their husbands. Today and this evening was the best. I knew that I missed my sisters, but I hadn’t realized just how much.

I had been so worried about them, about myself, about this world that I hadn’t thought about that piece of me that had been missing—that sisterly bond.

But, now that I’m alone with Tiberius, the conversation from earlier, about children, it casts a shadow over my mood. There is a rumbling outside and I hate that it’s probably because of me. Tiberius hums, no doubt already knowing that I’m upset—another thing I hate about my moods being reflected in the weather.

“You are upset about what the maga said,” he announces.

Rolling my eyes to the ceiling, I walk over to the window, instead of turning around to face my husband. I don’t answer him as I peer down and notice that tonight is different, there is not just the one lone wolf leaning against the wall, there are five.

“They can sense something coming,” Tiberius whispers, his body touching the back of mine.

He lifts his hands, wrapping his fingers around my shoulder, squeezing me before he dips his head and touches his lips to the side of my neck.

Closing my eyes, I hold my breath, wondering if this will be one of the last times I have him all to myself. I know that he needs a child, and though he is married to me, I also know that he will take a mistress to produce an heir. I’ve studied history enough to know that is how this works.

“Talk to me, Drucilla,” he rasps against my skin.

“There’s nothing to be said,” I whisper.

He hums, his hands gently gliding down my arms before he wraps them around my waist and turns me around to face him. I refuse to look up at him voluntarily. I focus on his throat and that’s the wrong thing to do, because even his throat is sexy.

I feel his finger beneath my chin, he tips my head back and his eyes are intently looking into mine as soon as I connect with them. They soften immediately and his lips curve up into a small smile.

“You need not worry, melculum.”

“Oh yeah?” I snort. “I’m so sure.”

I try to turn my head to the side, to break contact with him, but he doesn’t allow it. Instead, he pinches my chin with his fingers, gripping my waist tighter, holding me exactly where he wants me.

“Drucilla,” he murmurs. “Look into my eyes.”

“I am,” I snap.

He shakes his head. “Look into my eyes, Drucilla. Truly look at me.” Letting out a sigh, I focus on his eyes, I search them. “What do you see?” he demands.

“Confidence, surety,” I whisper.

He dips his chin slightly, his gaze never leaving mine. “Confidence that I love you. Surety that no matter what happens, we are in this life together.”

“But children,” I breathe.

He shakes his head once. “They will come or they may not. It does not matter to me.”

“It will. Your world is built on heirs, on marriages and children. This is what is important.”

He laughs softly, closing the distance between us and touching his lips to mine in a light brush of a kiss. Lifting his head, his gaze finds mine again and he smirks.

“What is important is the mulier that I have chosen. What is important is her happiness, and having a concubina would break you, mulier.”

His words are not wrong, but I can’t ask him to give up that part of himself for me. I’ve already asked him to give up far too much. He doesn’t say anything else, instead, his mouth is on mine. I open my mouth in a gasp and his tongue slides inside.

Lifting my hands, I grip his shoulders with my fingers, dragging my nails down his chest.