“Who thought up that nonsensical hierarchy?”
“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 highplaces.”
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 wantingallthings. Quite useful to command in diplomatic dealings.”
“You? Adiplomat?”
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 hecarried. 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.
