Chapter Fourteen #2
“Much to my displeasure, the magic that binds us enforces it,” he answered. “The Kings persist in luxury and want for nothing. The Dukes who win their favor enjoy a comparable lifestyle. Their kingdoms are stable. Mine relies on handouts from others, whose talents prove far less desirable.”
“I guess it makes sense that a sex Prince would need friends in high places.”
The comment earned me a deep, raspy laugh from Sitri. “Lust isn’t synonymous with sex, darling. It’s the very essence of desire, of wanting all things. Quite useful to command in diplomatic dealings.”
“You? A diplomat?”
I almost couldn’t believe it. From his home to his appearances, not a thing about Sitri was traditionally charismatic. He radiated darkness, intimidation. No one in their right mind would trust him, especially if they knew his title.
Despite that, he’d drawn me ever deeper into his clutches, further under his control.
Even though I understood what I was up against, he had shaken me so thoroughly I no longer knew up from down, danger from safety.
If that’s what he had done to me in just a few short weeks, what was he capable of with an army at his back, centuries of war as leverage?
“Hard to believe, isn’t it?” The Prince flashed me a grin. “Now, if you have finished with your little interrogation, may I ask a question?”
I snorted. “Fine, go ahead.”
Sitri deemed a part sufficient and handed it over to me. I snatched it from him and set it in place. The components fit together perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle.
The Prince cleared his throat. “There’s something that’s been bothering me, something you’re hiding about Vapula.”
My breath hitched.
“I’ve been wondering,” he continued, “you two have a history. Getting you to speak of it is harder than pulling teeth. The Kingdom of Scholars and Savants fares far better than my own. Even so, you traded a place in one of Hell’s most prosperous kingdoms for a tenuous stay in mine.”
My hands seized up, no longer able to complete my task. “We do have a history, and it wasn’t pleasant. He… wanted more from me than I could give.”
“You don’t have to tell me what happened, darling. If you can bring yourself to share whatever he demanded, though? I will find a way to turn it against him. That is my promise to you.”
I set my parts down, glancing up. Sitri met my stare. I couldn’t look away. His face tightened in concern, and I almost believed it was genuine. Biting my lip, I weighed my secrets against my suffering.
Sitri hadn’t taken advantage when I was drunk. He’d brought me food and drink. He’d even begun trusting me unattended. Not only did he have the power and prestige to force himself and his bindings on me, but I’d given him ample opportunity.
Still, he hadn’t.
He had marked me as prey, just like Vapula, but Sitri’s predation took a different form.
What he wanted couldn’t be extracted; it had to be offered.
There was safety in that, trust in our mutual need that would allow me to share this with him, if only I had the words.
His eyebrows raised, as if he scented the secret on my lips. Saw me decide to unearth it.
“We met when I was fourteen. Vapula said his gifts would help me study and earn money. He would be my mentor,” I whispered. “It wasn’t just engineering he taught me. He wanted to prepare me for his service, as an officer… and as a consort.”
“A consort?” Sitri echoed, his face twisting with interest and disgust. He reached out with one hand, as if to console me. I flinched. He hesitated.
As I wrapped my arms around myself, their tightness woke pain along my side, a reminder that I hadn’t fully healed from the battle at the gorge. I had never felt quite so naked, never dreamed of telling another soul, and I let that secret go so easily in Sitri’s presence.
There was no taking it back now, even though part of me wanted to.
“A consort,” I repeated. “He came to me in dreams, thought he could teach me obedience. Subservience. Darkness, like the darkness he carried. He failed to control the monster he created. When his hold on me slipped, I spiraled… and wound up here.”
“Lillia,” Sitri called in a low voice. “I have no intention of turning you over to him—I never have. That remains true now.”
He blinked, withdrew his hand, and took a step backward. My heart pounded with a terrible ferocity as I tried to shut out visions of that stone plateau, of the horror that lived there, and of the sick love that he’d shown me.
“You want to use me, too,” I snapped. “You’re using me to win this war. You want to bind me, make a demon out of me. Even if you say I get a choice, we both know I’m a prisoner, Sitri. There’s nowhere for me to go but forward.”
Silence followed. Sitri drew a long breath as he studied me. I wasn’t sure when my tremors started, but under his gaze, they intensified. His muscles never tightened, and his face didn’t harden. Instead, he shook his head.
“Use me in turn, then. I’ve dictated the terms of this arrangement, but you still stand to benefit, do you not? I expect nothing less from you, darling.”
Sitri’s smirk returned to his lips, though I saw the sadness in his eyes. Sadness he willingly showed me.
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.
“I suppose I see a version of myself in you. That’s what I needed to hear, and what I wasn’t told, back when I was human. Exploitation is a two-way street. Walk it to your benefit.”
Sometimes I forgot Sitri had once been in my shoes; an insignificant human facing down lust and dishonesty incarnate.
He had won out over the Princess who ruled this kingdom.
Now he’d given me the weapon that could dethrone him, just as he dethroned her.
Was this a fatal mistake, a ploy to gain my trust, or another lie veiled in false sympathy?
My brow furrowed. Questions built in my chest about his past, the Princess, the bloody alliance that had overthrown her. When I opened my mouth to speak, Sitri cut me off.
“How much longer until you finish with that one?” he asked. “I have other obligations today.”
Annoyance rushed in, smothering my curiosity. “You’re just now mentioning this? Really?”
“We’ve been here for hours, darling. Maintaining alliances is a difficult thing when trade begins to break. Vapula has disrupted what little industry I supported. I must keep my guests happy.”
It was a timely reminder that Sitri ruled a world beyond my comprehension. He had allies. Supply lines. Ambassadors. Legates to lead his legions. He was a Prince, with Princely duties, whose actions brought consequences for thousands.
So unlike me, a stray human soul with so few responsibilities, I feared I might go mad.
I sighed and marked the last of my notes on a sheet of parchment. Into the basket it went, along with those that belonged to the other five devices I’d reverse-engineered today.
“Let’s call it here, then. I’m not starting another project just to abandon it halfway through.”
“Suit yourself. There is much to be done, and I won’t turn down a head start.”
Sitri tossed aside the metal object he was holding and sauntered away from the workbench. Out of sheer habit, I followed him through the door and onto the streets of Lantyca. “I’m glad you’ve been occupied while I spend my days bored out of my mind.”
I had expected him to be irate, or at least annoyed by my outward show of disrespect. Instead, Sitri began stroking his stubble-covered jaw.
“What would you have me supply to remedy the situation?”
That was a question I didn’t know how to answer.
Hobbies were never something I had in life.
In the swirling vortex of schooling, building connections and living up to impossible standards, I spent my time working hard—until I met Vapula, at least. Even if I’d asked for parties and been able to stomach their hellish guests, I doubted Sitri would approve.
I hesitated to ask for tools meant for crafts I’d never learned.
There was no electricity, no movies or TV, and live entertainment would surely be a gruesome affair.
At last, I settled on the only answer that remained.
“Some books would be nice, if there are any to spare. Fiction or not, I don’t care. I’ll read whatever you have.”
He nodded. “A reasonable request. It may be a few days, as good books are a rarity in Hell, but I’m certain I can find something for you to read.”
“Thank you,” I said, my appreciation genuine.
Part of me had expected Sitri to decline, to refuse me even that small luxury, hoping to keep me under his thumb. He hadn’t. It was another sign of the trust he placed in me, trust I wasn’t sure I’d earned.
I glanced up at Sitri as he led me down the cobbled road to the center of Lantyca. How long would this last? No matter how good the conditions of my confinement, I was still his prisoner. I trusted him to look after me, to defend me when danger drew near.
Though when push came to shove, I couldn’t help but wonder just how far the Prince would go to get what he wanted from me.