She let out a shriek that challenged the elasticity of his eardrums as she flung a heavy gold wine cup at the hapless maid. Fortunately, the girl was used to dodging projectiles from her volatile mistress. “Damn it, Niva! What have I told you about interrupting us?”
Cringing, the petite blonde picked up the cup and deftly policed the wine before it stained the rugs and resulted in a beating for the girl forhercarelessness. Which would have later caused a fight between Urian and his wife after he defended what Bethsheba viewed as a lowly servant.
“Forgive me, Majesty. But I have visitors for King Urian … his brothers are waiting for him.”
Sheba let out a frustrated breath as Urian gave her an apologetic grin. Stroking her intimately and deftly beneath the covers in an effort to placate her ire, he nuzzled her breast with his whiskers. “Sorry, my love. They have always been my bane.”
She yanked at his hair. “Should I have them beheaded?”
Urian laughed. “Tempting … but nay. They are my brothers and my solren would demand satisfaction for it. Let me see what they need and I shall spend the rest of the night making this up to you.” He pressed a kiss to her bare stomach and breast, then moved to slide over her.
She caught him and wrapped her legs about his waist, holding him between her thighs. “I will be here, naked and waiting for your return. Don’t take too long.”
“I’ll return, posthaste.”
With a precious pout, she released him.
Urian slid from the bed, washed quickly, and grabbed his linen shendyt from where his wife had tossed it earlier when she’d attacked him for her “dinner.” Raking his hair back from his face, he grabbed a lightweight robe and left their room, which had been carved from the heart of an ancient mountain that Bethsheba’s people considered sacred to the goddess they served as devoutly as his father did Apollymi. The dark stone walls were soothing to their eyes that Apollo had cursed them with and it kept the temperature cool.
Quite similar to Kalosis, the only real difference was that humans could actually access this home.
If they climbed high enough.
That being said, Sheba’s culture was nothing like the Apollymians’. Which made it hard for him at times whenever he paused to dwell on it. He’d married Bethsheba out of anger, and he was paying for it in ways he’d never imagined.
While she was kinder to him than Xanthia had ever been, he still didn’t love her. And he felt every bit as used.
Thia had wanted a protector to keep her safe from the humans and to guarantee her and her children a permanent place in Kalosis. Sheba wanted an attack dog to unleash at her command. One with no will of his own. She expected unquestioning obedience. A loyalty that overrode his conscience.
She’d wanted Urian Deathbringer.
That myth had only lived to avenge his mother. A rabid hellhound who wasn’t as mindless as she’d assumed. What he found out here in the human realm after his temper cooled was that he bore no hatred or grudge whatsoever toward humanity. They were that far beneath him. He was completely ambivalent toward them.
He reserved his hatred solely for the gods who’d cursed his people.
And away from his family and Apollymi, the volcanic heat inside his blood only seemed to arise whenever injustice occurred. Day-to-day, without his brothers around to nettle him for shits and giggles every time they drew near, he was rather mellow.
Frightfully so, in fact.
He’d had no idea just how quiet and introspective he actually was.
Worse than that, he really missed Sarraxyn. More than he’d have ever thought possible. So much so that he no longer even cared that she’d lied to him about her abilities.
Part of him just wanted to see her again—even if it meant apologizing. But he didn’t know how after all this time.
In truth, he barely recognized the stranger who resided inside his skin nowadays. He really had lost himself. And that feeling was rammed home hard when he opened the door to the ornate throne room where Archie and Theo waited.
They turned toward him, then gave him their backs so that they could continue their whispered conversation, because neither of them realized he was the one they’d come to visit. They thought him a stranger.
I haven’t been awaythatlong.
Well, almost a year. But still …
They shouldn’t haven’t forgotten what he looked like. Or failed to recognize their own flesh and blood.
Bitterly amused, Urian glanced around the familiar room. Black marble was veined with gold and dusted so as to awe and impress any who came here, not that it appeared to have any effect on his obtuse brothers.
Sheba was big on intimidation. Hence her two pets she kept chained to her throne. Agitated at the presence of his brothers’ unfamiliar scent, both oversized lions were pacing around and growling at Archie and Theo, straining at their chains as they sought a way to get nearer their intended victims.
