XVII
"Respect him, but don't trust him." was the parting wisdom his father had given him.
?It had been surprising enough for his father to request Alex for a meeting in the first place, let alone to actually have Alex be the one speaking. They were family on a sheet of paper only, it could be ripped at any time, the duke was more like his owner than anything else.
?If the duke could avoid speaking to Alex, he would.
Normally, Alex would simply deliver his reports by parchment, whether his father actually read them or not was a different matter.
His dad simply despised the sound of his voice, which is why he was surprised when he was suddenly hit by a barrage of questions.
?Where did you find him? What did he say his name was? How did he behave?
?Alex did his best to answer each question in as little words as possible but his father hadn't seemed grated by his mere presence for the first time in his life.
?"Explain it to me again." his father commanded.
?"Well, I was investigating the child disappearances, since the rate in Bullmar was exceptionally high." Alex half expected to be punished for sticking his nose where it didn't belong, but instead his father nodded along in understanding.
?"Yes, he did say something about child trafficking."
?"Who did, sorry?"
?James?
?His father waved him off. "Then what?"
?Alex hesitated and decided to leave out the part where James helped a boy escape. "Then, I found him at the border and recognised him, so I took him in. He agreed to your conditions and so I brought him here."
?"I'm surprised he let you live." his dad mused, amusement lacing his words. It wasn't news to Alex that his dad didn't value him emotionally. Alex's death would've just been a bum investment. "How did you control him?"
?"That sword. He seems obsessed with the thing."
?"Yes. I'm not surprised." his father paused, thinking. "I'll get someone to investigate your concerns. Thank you for letting me know."
?Astonished, Alex fought to keep his face neutral. His father had never listened to what Alex had claimed before, even if he begged to be heard.
?"Your Grace, may I ask you a question?"
?It was risky and his dad's blue eyes narrowed, contemplating whether to agree or not.
?"Ask."
?Alex fought his nerves down. "About James... Why is he being treated like a guest? Until a day ago he was a prisoner. What changed?"
?More importantly, who was he? Seeing him strut around like he owned the place, the shift in his accent, it was like he was a noble all along.
Alex always knew there was something deeper there, James was just too educated for a commoner.
Now he was suddenly a completely different person on the outside.
?His father tapped his finger against the table, his nail beating against the wood like a metronome, thinking, watching.
?That was when he left Alex with his cryptic wisdom and sent him on his way, leaving him yearning for more answers than he'd entered with.
?Alex was sure of it; the aghast recognition on the king's face after seeing James for the first time hadn't been his imagination.
Alex had told his father that James knew the royal language, and he hadn't even blinked in surprise.
The both of them knew something about James that Alex didn't and it was causing an uproar.
?Of course he didn't trust James, he didn't need his father to tell him that. But, respect him? It was awfully specific. He wondered what the duke meant by that.
?Motivated out of his desire to know more, he made his way to the royal guard's office on the other side of the palace.
Some of the knights might know something.
Alex knew his impulsive interest was out of the ordinary, he wasn't normally invested in the prisoners he took nor the missions his father gave him. James was the exception.
?He went to the common room first, finding Thomas lounging on a sofa, to his surprise.
A few others mingled around, absorbed in their own conversation.
The man looked beaten and exhausted and Alex empathised, if not feeling slightly amused by the sight.
He'd been on the receiving end of James himself, he knew what it was like.
?"Fancy seeing you here."
?Thomas opened his eyes and moved his arm away from his face, squinting like it was too bright.
?"How on Earth did you do it?" Thomas grumbled. "He's insane."
?Alex chuckled. "Well, he's entertaining enough if you know how to control him."
?"Is that so?" Thomas hummed, something knowing in his voice. It made Alex tense, even if he wasn't sure why.
?They stared at each other for a moment, until Alex lost patience. "What?"
?Thomas shrugged.
?"No, seriously, what?"
?Thomas glanced at the people on the other side of the room, leaning forward. "Just... What's your relationship with that guy?"
?Alex breathed out a long sigh, he'd convinced himself he'd made that interaction up in his hopeful head. He hated the excitement that bubbled up within him. "It wasn't just my imagination then?"
?"Definitely not."
?Alex most definitely saw desire burning in those red eyes, as well as something more raw. Knowing it was real was making it harder for him to smother his own hunger— even if it was something he should have been used to doing. That was the first time James had been so flustered.
?"Watch your back, seriously." Thomas warned him. "A psycho like him would only be persistent. You don't want to get involved."
?"It's not like that."
?Thomas held his palms up. "Hey, I'm not judging— actually, that's not true. I'm definitely judging. Just don't be the woman."
?"Just tell me where he is, smartarse." This type of discussion, even in jest, was extremely uncomfortable for him. Sure, men had sex with each other sometimes, but it was always a woman they loved and that was Alex's insecurity.
?Alex had never felt anything romantic nor sexual for a woman since the day he'd been born. That wasn't normal.
?"Riley took over from me, they went to the training grounds not long ago."
?Alex recoiled. "The training grounds, you must be joking. Please tell me Riley isn't arming him."
?James was dangerous enough unarmed, allowing him near weapons— even if they were for training— was suicidal.
The thought of Riley being the one shadowing him also pricked his nerves.
Like that odd feeling he'd gotten from the guard yesterday, he would have imagined the two were similar enough to repel dangerously.
Riley had most definitely called James a demon the night before, so Alex wasn't feeling charitable.
Alex's biggest flaw had always been his lack of trust in his colleagues.
?Thomas smiled like a boy who'd gotten away with stealing, stretching his arms above his head, mischievously peering up at him. "Do you want to go see?"
?Alex wasn't as amused as Thomas as they hastily made their way to the training courtyard, probably because Alex felt more responsibility over the man than Thomas did.
He was the one who'd brought him in after all.
He was also the one who knew James' frightening skill the best, it was nothing to play with, there was a reason he'd eluded authorities for this long.
?"You fucked up my hand you fucker!" echoed from the distance.
?Alex swallowed the lump in his throat, sharing a look with Thomas. That didn't sound good. Neither did the manic laughter that followed.
?They made it through the double doors just in time to see James gleefully trip up one of the guards, jamming his wooden sword at the guy's feet so he couldn't regain his balance and tumbled to the floor uselessly.
?Alex quickly scanned the scene, no blood, no carnage, just a dozen very pissed off knights and a large audience cheering from the shelter of the open corridors and upper floors that looked down on the square stretch of dirt.
?"You red-eyed bitch." the knight spat, his tongue forked with loathing.
?James simply laughed in response, the sound vibrating in the air around him. Alex found Riley leaning against a pillar, watching the scene unfold, an indiscernible front about him.
?"Riley." he growled, coming up to the man. The onlookers around them took notice of Alex's anger and whispered, watching. "Did you give him a fucking weapon?"
?Riley didn't seem concerned by his outburst. "No need to swear, Your Lordship. Our guest simply wanted to train. He's good practice for our men, their arrogance has fallen considerably since their continuous losses."
?Alex's hands shook from his restrained burning fury, he was sure he was red in the face.
?Thomas came up next to him, murmuring into his ear. "You need to calm down, the men are watching."
?Alex was sick of calming down, every single fucking time.
He deserved to be angry in that moment, just like every other time before that.
The standards that others set of him were killing him, his outbursts being dismissed as a part of his 'barbaric nature' when he simply tried to keep stupid people out of danger.
?He took a deep breath, regarding the eyes boring into them. Thomas was right, even if it was unfair.
?"Who did you get permission from to arm him?" he forced the words out, controlled and deliberate, despite the impulse to scream.
?Riley's eyes widened slightly. "Permission? It's just a wooden stick, he won't kill anyone."
?Alex clenched his jaw. There was no way Riley genuinely believed that.
He glanced towards where James toyed with some of the knights, mocking them.
They'd been pissed off at James before for hurting some of them in the grand hall, but now they looked like they wanted to kill him. Perhaps that's what Riley wanted.
?"You're dismissed." he ordered, "I'll take over for the time being. Don't think I won't make a report of this, Riley."
?The man didn't seem to feel one way or the other about it, shrugging nonchalantly. "Yes, Your Lordship." He didn't move from his spot, continuing to watch his colleagues struggle against a mass murderer. Alex still had that fucker's key, but kept it out of spite.
?"I'm sorry, Alex. I didn't know what he was up to." Thomas muttered, following Alex as he made his way to the centre of the square and into the sun. "I thought it was some harmless fun."
?Alex shook his head, he didn't blame Thomas for this. Thomas was serious about his job, he never would have let it get this big if he'd known.
?James' face lit up when he saw exactly who was approaching him.
?"The lamb and the shepherd." he greeted, nudging away a fallen knight with his foot. Within reach, James pointed the wooden sword to Alex's throat in challenge. Thomas tensed next to him, perhaps the only person there that was smart enough to feel worried.
?Alex drank in the sight of a very happy James, his face and shoulders tickled red from the exercise and thrill, he was careful enough not to allow his gaze to linger where it shouldn't.
?James was waiting to see what Alex would do.
?He sighed and carefully batted the stick away with his arm, stepping closer to invade James' personal space.
?"You shouldn't have been allowed to do this." he told James, and held a hand out, silently requesting the sword to be handed over.
?James didn't relent right away, tapping the thing against the ground.
?"I have always been a bit of a rule breaker. I'm told I'm quite cheeky." James remarked, his lips twitching a smile.
?Alex snorted wryly. "I'm not sure murdering people counts as being 'quite cheeky'."
?After a beat of consideration, James must have decided he was feeling charitable enough to hand it over, his fingers deliberately brushing and lingering on the skin of Alex's wrist. Alex didn't give him the satisfaction of reacting.
?Thomas sagged in relief next to him.
?"Am I in trouble?" James asked once Alex had established some distance again. He decided to lead the two of them out of the training grounds before some hot-headed knight got too worked up by James' presence and tried to assault him.
?"Actually, no, for once." Alex said, enjoying the peace and quiet inside, "It was Riley's responsibility, this time. I'm proud you didn't seriously maim anyone out there." They certainly tried to injure James.
?"Nah, that would get you in trouble again."
?Alex ignored the side-eye Thomas was sending his way.
?"Well, I don't want to spend my break working. So, I'm off to sleep. Gods, do I need it." Thomas announced, Alex still avoided his gaze, staring forward.
?"Thanks for the help."
?After Thomas left, Alex became fully aware that he'd volunteered to supervise James for the rest of the day. He cursed himself, uncomfortable with the situation, this was dangerous.
?"Just us then." James remarked.
?"That's right."
?"What should we do?"
?Alex raised an eyebrow, only glancing at James quickly. "Maybe you should bathe and get dressed, you stink."
?"Damn, you've been avoiding looking at me so I didn't think you'd know I was shirtless."
?Alex's heart skipped a beat, he wondered if he should bother refuting what James had said. It was true, though.
?"Well, you were acting so weird earlier that I didn't want to off-put you again. You were practically tripping over yourself."
?Alex felt satisfied at the breeze of silence that passed them.
?"Well, I have an idea." James declared, and started off in the other direction. "I promised you a conversation, didn't I?"
?"You did." Alex confirmed. If his father wasn't going to tell him these things, it was perfectly okay to find out from James' mouth himself.
He followed James, allowing himself to admire his wide shoulders and strong back, each muscle and tendon flexing along as he walked.
It was fine as long as James didn't know.
?"How come both your hands were burned?" Alex asked, getting a glimpse of his scabbed palms.
?James peered over his shoulder. "I thought you knew."
?"Not really."
?James hummed in thought, looking at one of his hands. "It's Eris' bite."
?"Your sword?"
?"Yeah, she bites me when I use her. Burns me every time."
?Alex's steps faltered, almost tripping over his own feet. "Every time?" he asked, mortified.
?James laughed, stopping to watch Alex's reaction. "I've long since lost all feeling in both of my hands, it doesn't hurt a bit."
?"That's... morbid that you allow it to do that to you."
?"She's my friend, she helps me." James shrugged, then continued walking regardless if Alex followed or not.
?The mind of James was a puzzling one to work out; forgiving, unforgiving; sadistic, masochistic; psychotic yet kind. It took a moment for Alex to get his bearings once he caught up. "We're not going to your room are we?" he asked, a dreadful rock sitting in his stomach.
?James snickered. "You said I needed a bath. I said we needed a chat. I plan to be very efficient with my time."
?Dangerous, indeed.