Tangled Web Read Online Free Page B

present who would object, you may call me Sergius.”
    Varro bowed again. “Yes, Emperor Sergius.”
    Titus exhaled through his teeth. Not what he intended, but an improvement over “Your Imperial Majesty.” He stood and stretched. “What is the hour?”
    “Nearly three chimes past sunset.”
    That late? Where had the day gone? He touched one of the metal sconces on the wall, channeling his power and brightening all the lights in the room. Varro set the plates of meats, cheeses, and vegetables on the table. “I don’t think I can eat all this, and I hate to be wasteful when many of our citizens are hungry.”
    The older man nodded. “I had them prepare enough for you and the lady who arrived for you today, Emperor Sergius.”
    His thoughts turned to Azurha, and his cock hardened. The idea of her reclined on the cushions next to him heated his skin, more with embarrassment than desire. One woman shouldn’t cause his body to react this way, especially since he hadn’t even seen her face—just a pair of eyes the color of the sea. He recalled the way they glowed in the darkness and pierced right through him. “You took her to the harem?”
    “Yes. I’m afraid her room was dustier than I would have liked, but I dispatched a group of slaves to scrub it down and see to her needs.”
    Not surprising. His father had cleared out the harem as soon as he married his mother, and the rooms had remained vacant through the rest of his reign. “And did she seem pleased with her accommodations?”
    “I believe so, considering she is the only woman there for the moment.”
    Titus sank into the cushions by the table and reached for the goblet of wine Varro had poured for him. It would be a shame if all this food spoiled. He imagined feeding her the succulent berries and licking up the juice wherever it landed on her body. “Has she eaten yet?”
    Varro’s grin widened. “I’ll send for her, Emperor Sergius.”
    He disappeared from the room before Titus could object. Perhaps it was a good thing. If he tried to rationalize his behavior, he might go insane. The only thing he knew with all certainty was that he wanted to see the face behind the veil.
    …
    Azurha lifted the lid of another perfume jar and sniffed. The scents of jasmine and roses stood out over the subtle hint of sandalwood. She liked this one the best out of all the perfumes so far. She dipped her finger into the oil and dabbed it behind her ears and between her breasts. Then she removed her cuff-style bracelets and rubbed the remaining oil on her fingertips over the scars on her wrists. So far, life as an Imperial concubine was better than she expected. She could get used to dressing in silks and having servants wait on her, even if the doors remained locked to everyone except those with the magic to use the keypad.
    A knock sounded from the other side of her door. Varro, the servant who had taken her to the harem, poked his head in. “Lady Azurha, Emperor Sergius requests your presence in his chambers for dinner.”
    Her heart raced. She would be left alone with him. Give him enough wine, and this would be the easiest job she’d ever had. But every time she pictured his lifeless eyes staring back at her, a lead weight lodged in her gut, slowing her steps as she moved toward the door.
    Varro’s cheeks filled with color. “Your veil, my lady.”
    She wondered why she had to go through the trouble of hiding her face from everyone. Her stola only blurred her body in shadows, leaving very little to the imagination. She draped the swath of indigo silk over her head and shoulders, arranging the material so only her eyes showed.
    The silence in the corridor from the harem to the emperor’s private chambers unnerved her. “Tell me, Varro, what do you think of Emperor Sergius?”
    The steward took a few seconds to form his answer, a sign of a man who had spent many years observing the inner politics of the palace. “I think he will take what was good from his