Tiberius chuckles, wrapping his arm around my waist. His fingers grip my hip and he begins to walk. In fact, as I look around in confusion, I watch as people either begin to walk in our direction or they take off out of the room in the same direction as Brutus and Tullia.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“The orgia. It will be fun, more celebrating,” Tiberius says.
His words are slightly slurred and for whatever reason, I don’t completely understand what he’s saying to me. I don’t know if it’s because that word is not in my language or if it’s because we’re both tipsy.
Tiberius guides me into this large room, and I’m so busy looking at all of the fantastic wall hangings. The luscious looking deep purple velvet type curtains hang from ceiling to floor, then are gathered to the middle of the ceiling where a huge candelabra hangs down with real freaking candles lit all the way around in a five-tier design.
I don’t immediately see what is really going on in the room.
Then I do.
I remember reading about things that groups like the Romans did in history, the free sex, the orgies, and it hits me. That’s what orgia was—an orgy.
Holy shit.
There are naked people everywhere. I think that we’re the only dressed ones and I swallow the ball in my throat, trying to keep from screaming and running from the room.
I don’t make a move though. I am frozen in my spot. Tiberius begins to take his clothes off and I am still frozen in complete and total shock and awe.
“Drucilla,” Tiberius purrs, his voice breaking through my internal what-the-actual-fuck dialog that’s been on repeat the past five minutes. “You needn’t worry about the people touching you, they will have to ask permission. There are several servis if you wish to use them instead of Savonaians.”
I blink at him, then blink again. I haven’t even been with Tiberius since I’ve returned and now, he wants me to join in an orgy with him?
Taking a step back, I shake my head. Tiberius frowns, he reaches out to me, but I don’t allow him to touch me. Instead, I quickly turn my back to him, grip my long gown in my hands and I run.
I don’t just run, I sprint from the room as fast as my feet will take me.
I don’t stop running until I reach the bedroom that I share with Tiberius. I don’t know what the hell just happened here. I don’t know what he was thinking, and now I wonder what kind of world I have just been thrust into. But if this is a world of orgies, I don’t think I can do that—any of it.
I’m all about feeling good, I’m all about sex, but I am not about sharing with anyone and everyone. No freaking way in hell. Just the thought of another woman touching Tiberius causes my blood to begin to boil below the surface.
My face heats as the blood begins to boil harder and when the door opens to the bedroom a few moments later, I am flat out, completely pissed the hell off. It’s Tiberius, and if he realizes my mood, he doesn’t say anything.
Thankfully, he’s dressed when he walks into the room. I don’t know what I would do if he was still naked. Lose my shit even more, I’m sure. I watch as he closes the door behind me.
My anger and irritation grow by the second. In the background, without me even realizing it has happened, I hear a wolf whining outside of the window.
“Call off your beast before he brings the others to join. My people are here,” Tiberius snaps.
His words send a chill down my spine and not in a sexy way. My entire torso jerks and although I want to tell him to go fuck himself, I decide to do as he’s demanded, at least right this second.
Walking over to the window, my body still vibrating with not only anger, but embarrassment as well, I lean out of the window and tip my chin down as I tell the wolf that everything is fine and he can relax. He doesn’t, but he does stop growling.
Turning back to face Tiberius, I can’t help but look at him. He is watching me with his hands crossed over his chest and he has the audacity to look irritated.
“Your people?” I ask, going back to the words he snapped at me not long ago. “I thought they were our people?”
His brows furrow as he watches me for a moment, then he shakes his head once. “Can they be your people if you do not accept them? Accept me?”
I blink. Then I blink again. “I don’t accept them?” I whisper. “Because I won’t strip naked and have sex with random people?”
“It is a celebration. A large celebration, Drucilla,” he hisses.
I can’t believe that this is what we are truly talking about. “You would have been okay with another man touching me, being inside of me?” I ask.
Tiberius has the nerve to shrug his shoulder. “As long as he did not penetrate your cunnus, it would have been acceptable. The servi could have taken you with their mouth as well. Since you seem to enjoy that.”
“Are you trying to tell me that you would have been okay with another man having anal sex with me, then a slave eating me out?” I ask, saying my words very slowly.
“It is the way of my people. At least when we celebrate and all are in agreement. It is not done behind the back of your spouse.”
Taking a step back, I shake my head. “I can’t believe this,” I whisper. “I just can’t. Why would the gods do this? It must be a cruel joke,” I murmur to myself.
“Drucilla, these are our traditions, these are my people. You are their empress, whether you like it or not, that will never change.”
“And you were going to
