Maybe it was cruel for Nuri to allow him to think this was the end for as long as he did, but after years of dancing to Silver’s tune, Nuri felt due a little cruelty.
The knife was slipped under the pillow, and he sat up, acting nonchalant just as Silver reentered the bedroom.
The Emperor paused in the doorway when he saw Nuri sitting up, brow furrowing ever so slightly.
“How do you feel?” he asked, noting the way Nuri was angled slightly onto his left hip to keep immediate pressure off his backside.
“Hoping I say awful so you can convince me to call off boarding a spaceship?” Nuri tilted his head, almost smiling fondly when Silver shook his.
“Where’s your multi-slate? I’ll prove I removed you from the No Fly list.”
He tipped his chin toward where he’d placed the device earlier, but said, “Bring it here.”
Silver grabbed it and complied, perching onto the side of the bed.
“Are you nervous?” He seemed nervous, suddenly unable to make eye contact. Nuri slid over pointedly. “Lay down.”
It was obvious that he didn’t want to, but Silver swung his legs onto the mattress and settled down, the multi-slate gripped tightly in his left hand.
Nuri reacted quickly, straddling him and pulling out the knife in a flash of movement even the Emperor would have struggled to keep track of. He had the blade pressed lightly against Silver’s throat, and gave him a moment to register the threat.
“You said you’d give me your life,” he reminded. “Did you mean it? Or did you just want to use my body to milk your cock that badly?”
His eyes were dark and stormy, but his expression remained lax, and Silver’s voice didn’t shake when he answered, firm and resolute. “Take the multi-slate first.”
Nuri pursed his lips. “Why?”
“So you can film me giving you permission first.”
“You’re worried I’ll be caught?”
“Killing an emperor is a serious offence. Whether either of us like it, that’s what I am.”
“Why wouldn’t you like it?”
The corner of his mouth twitched, but he held the smile at bay. “Being emperor is part of the reason I’m losing you.”
“Being a conniving asshole is the reason, actually,” Nuri corrected. “And that hasn’t changed in a week. At least, not all of it.”
Silver frowned up at him. “What are you talking about?”
“There’s another secret you’ve been keeping from me, majesty. I’ll give you one last chance to share it.”
He pressed his lips into a thin line and glanced away, refusing.
“How long do you think you’ll last without me, now that we’ve had sex for,” Nuri checked the clock, “ten hours?”
“I—”
He didn’t bother letting him finish, confident he was simply going to deflect. “I know from experience you can at least go a week without it. If it’s worse during the full moon, maybe you could survive a full month? Two? Does it depend on the person?”
“Whatever you think you know—”
“My brother is the one who spilled,” Nuri stated, and it was clear the Emperor caught his drift.
Nothing he could say could make Nuri doubt Nate.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Nuri’s voice softened, but he kept the knife firmly in place. When Silver kept quiet, he bent forward, dropping his free hand onto the pillow at the side of the Emperor’s head so he could hover over him. “You’re going to die, Silver. Without me—”
