the sandstone of the walls. There was also a carved desk that showed Persian soldiers fighting the Romans, something that throughout history, happened often.
He was a sucker for the old days.
However, today was a new day and in it he was pissing me off.
“Is that a threat, my Šeš?” I asked in a dangerous tone.
“I do not speak of me!” He snapped, angry at the insinuation he would go behind my back and speak with our father.
“Just think about it, if you do not act like you would with any other prisoner, then how long do you think it will be before the whispers start?” I snarled at the idea and tore my gaze from his to find the tiled floor adorned with Persian rugs in reds, creams and hints of blue. Fuck, but I hated that he was right!
“Then what would you have me do?” I snapped back.
“What you would with any other. Demand their presence where you are sat upon your throne,” was his response.
“Look, I have no idea who this girl really is to you, but I am no fool and know she is more than just some slave for your cock, despite your claims.” I released a frustrated sigh before telling him,
“Now is not the time.”
“That may be but even so, you told me of this witch and I acted when seeing the Hex upon her skin, for I was not to know this was even the girl which you were looking for. You said that if the witch had the means and found a way, then she would…”
“Yes, yes, I know what I fucking said!” I barked back, knowing this was partially my fault, for my brother was only acting according to what he saw and what little information I had given him.
“Fine, have the girl brought to my throne, but I want her cared for.” He raised a brow but didn’t say anything more, knowing I was on edge as it was. He simply nodded his head and watched me as I followed through with an idea that came to me.
I might have to be forced to put on an act, but Amelia didn’t know that and knowing her, then she would surely challenge me the moment she saw me acting masterful and cold towards her. Therefore I needed to get word to her somehow, so I grabbed what I needed from my brother’s desk. I tore off a strip of parchment from a map of our realm, grabbed a quill and wrote a small note.
I then entrusted it to Dariush, telling him to include this in with the food I wanted sent her, along with some new clothes. My girl needed caring for, especially as it seemed she had spent the night sleeping on a forest floor.
But again, if Dariush had any thoughts on this, I didn’t know as he wisely didn’t comment. Instead he simply nodded and took the note. Now all I had to rely on was that she would find it and more than anything, she would act on it.
After this time with my brother, I left him with his task and was forced to wait for my own act to begin, which was one I would still be forced to play until I had her safely inside my tower.
However, this was all until I discovered what had happened during her time down in the prison and something that was only brought to my attention moments before she was brought to my throne room. Hence why, by the time she did appear, I had erupted fully into my demon and was near shaking with anger. Something that didn’t help when she was stalling to make her way to me.
But then I tried to view her trepidation by looking at what she faced now, for she hadn’t exactly spent much time around my demon side. My armour had formed into something more intimidating and my face was no longer that of the man she knew. But then there was also the setting in which she was being forced to walk down, surrounded by the creatures and demonic beings of my court. Gone were the days of me in jeans, casually lounging on the sofa with her watching some geeky show she would talk all the way through.
She had well and truly entered my world and in it, I was a cruel, heartless, demonic king.
A tyrant.
I was not her Lucius and one look at her now and she knew it. So, it