So, no, Nuri had never had any interest in moving any further up the ranks than he already had. But was it so wrong to have longed for some type of connection with the man he’d been bound to since childhood?
The words he’d spoken to Acker Hue now seemed bitter on his tongue.
How pompous they’d both been that day, believing either of them meant a damn thing to a man like Silver Rein.
Traffic started moving again and Nuri drove forward, mind caught up on all of the things he needed to tackle and sort through now that he was unemployed for the first time since he’d been a teen. Between that and the tears still stubbornly filling his eyes, he must have been too distracted and caught up in his own world to hear the blaring horns until it was too late.
His head whipped to the side just in time to catch sight of the hovercar speeding toward him before it made impact. He jerked in his seat, the sound of crunching metal and smashing glass ringing in his ears a second before his head rebounded off the driver’s side window.
Nuri tried to remain conscious, but black spots winked in front of his vision and his head ached something fierce. He only managed a couple of blinks before everything went dark.
Chapter 6:
“He’s out of danger, Majesty.”
Silver couldn’t help but snort derisively at the doctor, a man old enough to be his father who used to serve Sij as well. Danger wasn’t something so easily avoidable, case in point, the fact that Nuri had merely been driving away from Rien Inc. when a driver had lost control of their hovercar and crashed into him.
“Why hasn’t he woken up yet, Doctor?” Falc asked softly, a deep furrow in his brow the only indication that he was concerned. He stood on the other side of the bed, spine straight, hands clasped before him. Even though he’d helped transport Nuri from the hospital to the mansion, his all-black three-piece suit was as crisp and clean as ever.
But that was Falc. For as far back as Silver could remember the old gentleman, he’d always been impeccably puttogether. For the longest time, he’d assumed that was due to his father’s influence, but when Sij Rien had passed and Silver had informed Falc that he wouldn’t need to be so rigid around him anymore, the butler had blinked at him, frowned, and walked away.
There were few people in the universe that Silver allowed to dismiss him, and Falc was one of them. The other was currently lying unconscious in the full-sized bed, tucked partially under a thick light gray duvet.
Short strands of Nuri’s chocolate-colored hair fanned across the white pillow, and if not for the fact there was an angry-looking bruise at his left temple, he’d appear as though peacefully sleeping.
“There’s no way of knowing exactly when he’ll wake,” Doctor Yi said. “It could be any moment, or it could be tomorrow. If it goes on any longer than that, give me a call and I’ll return immediately, but as far as I can tell, aside from the nasty bump and the small fracture to his ankle, Mr. Narek is fine. He’s fortunate to have come out of it relatively unharmed. The same can’t be said for the man who hit him.”
“He’s the lucky one actually,” Silver stated darkly, clenching his hands into tight fists at his sides as he continued to watch the slow rise and fall of Nuri’s chest. If the man hadn’t died upon impact, Silver would have ensured he’d suffered for the rest of his miserable life.
“Yes, well,” the doctor cleared his throat, having been around Silver enough times to understand where the Emperor’s thoughts had turned without needing further explanation. “I’ve prescribed him some pain medication. He should only be allowed to take four tablets a day and no more. If the pain is great, he can use as much Sun cream as needed. I’ll come back in,” he checked the calendar on his multi-slate briefly, “six days. He should be ready to remove the Del-Bandage by then.”
Silver glanced down at where Nuri’s leg was covered by the blanket, glowering despite being unable to see the ugly tan bandage wrapped around his ankle. The material was meant to harden around a person’s injury, acting as a thin cast meant to allow them to move more easily as they healed. It also didn’t restrict them; Nuri could get it wet and fit his shoe over it with ease without fear of damaging it or applying painful pressure to his fracture. Honestly, it was barely visible at all, but Silver hated it anyway.
He hated what it stood for.
Nuri had gotten hurt and he’d been nowhere around when it’d happened.
Helpless.
Silver hated being helpless, hated when things were out of his carefully crafted control.
“Thank you, Doctor.” Falc motioned toward the exit. “Allow me to see you out.”
“Certainly.” Yi turned back to Silver and gave a low, measured bow, then without another word, was escorted out of the room.
Silver exhaled the second the door clicked shut behind them, sealing him inside of the vast bedroom with only Nuri as his witness. He’d tried his damndest to control his irritation around the others, especially at the hospital, but it’d been difficult and he wasn’t sure how successful he’d actually been.
When it came to his stubborn secretary that tended to be the case.
“You’re the only person who can make me worried,” he muttered down at Nuri’s sleeping form, slipping his hands into his pants pockets. If not for the other man, Silver probably wouldn’t even understand what that emotion felt like.
He’d always known he was different from the rest. His father had recognized it in him from a young age and hadimmediately gotten him tested. Silver had been too young to remember much of that time, but he’d read through the files since and was aware of everything he’d undergone. All of the specialists he’d met with. Apparently, in the beginning, Sij had been in denial, but no matter who he brought in or from what part of the galaxy he brought them, the diagnosis was always clear.
Psychopathic tendencies.
There was more to it than that, but none of it really mattered to Silver. He was who he was, and who he was happened to be the Emperor of Ignite.
“Your emperor.” He pulled one of his hands free and lightly brushed Nuri’s bangs off his forehead.
