Free Tangled Web by Crista McHugh Page B

him, and the poison she’d chosen would give her enough time to enjoy him before it took effect.
    Varro stepped into the room with a swath of white material draped over his arm. “Emperor Sergius requests you wear this tonight.”
    Azurha almost laughed out loud. The virginal white suited a bride, not a concubine. She wondered if Titus had some sick sense of humor she didn’t know about. She took the dress. “As the emperor commands,” she replied with a half-smile.
    The slave followed her into her dressing room and helped her change. Her heart skipped a beat when she remembered the small vial of poison tucked between her breasts, but she managed to conceal it from the girl.
    The new dress was of a different style than most of the women in the empire wore. The thin white linen gathered in intricate pleats over her breasts and fell in crisp lines to her lower legs, revealing the curve of her calves. It reminded her more of traditional Alpirion clothing, something her grandmother might have worn before Titus’ grandfather stripped her people of their identity and forced them into slavery. Anger coursed through her veins. Was he trying to mock her?
    The slave girl must have recognized the style, too, because her eyes widened when she secured the thin linen strap over one shoulder. Emperor Gellius may have outlawed their clothing, but paintings of Alpirion ladies still floated around the empire. Her lips formed a thin line. “He must wish to reenact his grandfather’s conquest,” she whispered under her breath as she arranged the matching palla to conceal Azurha’s hair and face.
    Azurha placed her finger over the girl’s mouth. “Be careful what you say inside these walls. You do not want to make enemies. There are far worse masters out there than the emperor.”
    The slave nodded in understanding and lowered her eyes. Azurha’s heart ached for her. She knew the fear of being bought and sold at a moment’s notice, being torn from her family and forced into the service of a monster. She stroked the girl’s cheek to reassure her. “Do not fear. I won’t whisper this to anyone.”
    As she followed Varro to the Imperial chambers, she asked, “Where did he find a dress like this? I thought they were outlawed.”
    The servant merely shrugged. “The emperor has more resources at his hands than you can imagine.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Perhaps he merely wanted to see you in it.”
    Or out of it . She wondered how long she’d stay in this dress once his lips touched hers. One more night of this charade , she promised herself. By tomorrow, the poison will make him too ill to summon me to his chambers .
    Other than the sound of their footsteps, silence filled the long corridor. Azurha’s chest tightened, making it harder to breathe. After all the people she’d killed over the last decade, why was this assassination so nerve-wracking? Cassius’ voice filtered into her mind. Because you got too close to your target .
    The flash on the bronze plate jerked her from her thoughts, and iron-fisted determination seized control of her. She wouldn’t fail tonight. By the end of the week, she’d be a rich woman looking for a small estate somewhere far from here.
    “I took the liberty of having dinner set up for two,” Varro said as he led her inside. “If the emperor doesn’t find this to his liking, I’ll send something else. I found it rather odd that he requested honey be served with every meal. Emperor Sergius has never had much of sweet tooth.”
    She bit her bottom lip to conceal her smile. If he only knew how the honey had been used two nights ago. A fist of remorse clenched her gut when she realized she wouldn’t feel his tongue lapping it off her breasts again.
    “I see we’re a bit early,” he continued as he surveyed the empty chambers. “You’re to wait here until he returns. Good evening, Lady Azurha.” He bowed his head slightly and closed the doors behind him. A loud click echoed through