Page 74 of A Pact of Blood

From the corner of my eye, I note when he and Lorenzo depart the ballroom, with Raul following two dances later. I glide to the music for a few more songs just so the connection isn’t obvious. Then I contrive to put myself in my husband’s path once more.

Marclinus appears to have tired of dancing. He’s standing off to the side with a cluster of nobles, one hand raising a goblet of wine to his lips and the other resting on Bianca’s ass where she’s standing next to him.

A tremor runs through the serenity I’ve cultivated. My ploy will be much more difficult than I expected if my husband has already set his mind on tumbling a different lady tonight.

I slip between the chattering nobles to my husband’s other side and tuck my hand around his elbow when he lowers his goblet. “Such a fine night, husband.”

Marclinus peers down at me. He hasn’t mentioned our fraught conversation from this afternoon. As we’ve danced, I’ve caught an avid glint in his eyes as he watches me, as if he’s eager to see what lingering effect his words might have had.

Now, he grins and swirls his wine in the cup. “So glad you’re enjoying yourself, wife. It’s always a good time when we can revel with all of our people—at least, the people who matter.”

He flicks his gaze toward his friends. They all titter with the laughter he was seeking.

I tease my fingers up the back of his arm and bob up on my toes to murmur close to his ear, for only him to hear. “I thought I might show you just how well I can serve you tonight? In every way you might enjoy.”

Marclinus’s grin stretches into a leer, but he tugs Bianca a little closer by her waist. “My empress is looking to deprive the rest of you of my company. That hardly seems fair.”

In the midst of the following chuckles, I grope for the right words to achieve my seduction.

I hardly expect Bianca to lend a helping hand. But she pats Marclinus on his chest, gazing up at him through her eyelashes. “We would never want to deny you the pleasures of marital company, Your Imperial Majesty. It will give us much joy to know you’re being so… satisfied.”

She manages to make it sound as if taking me to bed would impress all of them—and perhaps even stir her own desires for later encounters.

And as many complaints as I may have had about the vicerine’s conduct, she does know Marclinus well. His eyes smolder down at her and then dart to me with even more interest.

“It certainly would be poor form for me to neglect my husbandly duties when my wife is clearly in need of a good pleasuring,” he says in an amused tone, without any sign of caring that he’s now all but spelling out what we’re going to do. But then, this is the same man who paraded me naked in front of his entire court. “Especially when I benefit just as much. Revel on in my honor, my friends!”

He hands his goblet to a passing servant and guides me toward the door with his hand on the small of my back. I catch Bianca’s eyes for a second, and she offers a minute nod as if to say, “He’s yours.”

I knew she hadn’t been feeling as enthusiastic about their intimacies lately, but I never imagined she’d push him into my arms. I’m not sure whether to take the gesture as an apology for past sabotage or a thank you for the recent help I offered.

Either way, I have my husband almost where I need him.

Before we’ve even reached my chambers, Marclinus is stroking his fingers around my neck and across my shoulders.As we step over the threshold, he gives the lacing on the side of the dress an emphatic tug to loosen it.

“I like having you begging for it. Let’s see just how well you can serve your husband, hmm?”

I smile back at his smirking face and press my ring before brushing my hand across his wrist. “There’s nothing I want more. Please take me, my emperor. I’ve been burning for you all evening. I can’t wait any longer.”

The false words taste sour spilling over my tongue, but Marclinus shows no sign of noticing. With a laugh, he yanks at my dress hard enough to rip the fabric.

I restrain a wince and grasp the collar of his shirt in turn. He crushes his mouth against mine, pushing me backward to the bed as he does.

“My wife,” he mutters against my mouth. “My simpering Accasian wench. Only mine. You belong to me.”

The harsh edge to his claim sends a chill over my skin, but I giggle breathlessly as if I’m entranced.

I peel his shirt off him, and he shoves me right onto the bed. When he reaches for my drawers, my heart hiccups with the thought that he might race straight to the culmination of this act before the drug kicks in.

I nudge him playfully to the side and grab his trousers. “I’ve hardly had a chance to serve you at all. Your wife should be on her knees before you at least once every night.”

A ragged chuckle seeps out of Marclinus. He props himself against the pillows to watch me better, grazing his fingers over my hair as I unfasten his trousers.

I tug them down slowly, forcing myself to kiss his pale thigh as if I’m drawing out the anticipation for his pleasure. To my relief, just as I’ve tossed off his shoes to remove the trousers completely, his head lolls to the side.

“Mmm, Aurelia,” he growls, but his eyes have hazed. His hands grope at the air.

My stance relaxes. I strip off my undergarments as I always do, so he’ll have vague memories of taking in my naked body when he wakes. When I trace my fingers down his well-built chest, he groans.

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