Captive Fire (3 page)

“What would you do if dragons were real?”

Ryuu raised an eyebrow.
“Shape-shifting
warriors who can turn into fearsome creatures with a thought?
Bah.” He
slapped the water’s surface. “It’s a fairy tale.” He shook his head and stood
up, grabbing a towel as he exited the pool. “Come. The food I ordered will be
here soon.”

****

Drakon followed Ryuu out of the water, fighting to
control his expression.
What will Ryuu do if he finds out that I am one of
those “myths”?
He pressed his lips together as he followed his master out
of the water.

“Here,” Ryuu said, handing him a dark green robe.
“That will go well with your eyes.”

Drakon took the soft fabric, confused. “You would give
me your own clothing to wear?” This prince confounded him. Nothing about the
citadel made sense to him. The water had been a great shock, but to have one of
the cruelest warriors of the Arethuza, Prince Ryuu himself, treat him so
kindly… He shook his head.

“You need something to wear and I have no other clothing,”
Ryuu said. When a bell chimed, his expression lightened. “That will be our
supper.” He strode out of the bathing chamber, leaving Drakon on his own.

Drakon fingered the soft velvet, then shrugged and put
it on. For the first time in months, his body did not hurt unduly. His natural
ability to heal had kicked in while he was washing, sealing the superficial
wounds on his skin. He would need food, but for now he felt better than he had
in a very long time. He wrung out his long hair as best he could, but it lay
like a thick, wet blanket against his back, soaking into the robe. He grimaced.
There was nothing he could do about it now.

“Drakon!
Hurry or I will eat all of your bread,” Ryuu called.

He jokes with me and helps me wash my back. He treats
me like a man, not like a slave.
Drakon walked out of the water chamber, bemused. He stopped when he caught
sight of the older woman standing by the door. Her blonde hair was caught up in
an elaborate hairstyle, decorated with red gems. She wore a red gown and sported
golden bracelets at her wrists. She looked like an older, female version of
Prince Ryuu, and Drakon immediately dropped to his knees. His hair slid in damp
clumps across his shoulders. The last thing he needed to do was offend Empress
Chusi of the Arethuza.

“There’s no need for that,” she said softly.

Drakon remained on the floor.

“Stand up, for dragon’s sake, Drakon,” Ryuu said
irritably. “My mother won’t bite.”

Drakon hid a smile at his master’s impatient tone.
He’d already come to understand that the prince chafed against some unseen
bondage. Why else would he be so kind, yet so irritable? How else could he have
such a ferocious reputation as a killer, yet care for the wounds of a slave? He
stood up and walked over to them, keeping his gaze on the floor.

“I see you have defied your father yet again, Ryuu,”
the empress said, sounding both proud and sad.

“Of course, Mother. Would you expect anything less of
me?” Ryuu replied harshly.

She sighed. “One day you will go too far, my son, and
he will have you killed.”

Drakon stole a look at the prince.

Ryuu’s smile twisted. “He will not kill me. He needs
my blood, remember?
Which reminds me, you should be very
careful, Mother.
”

She frowned at her son. “What has happened?”

“My father has threatened to breed heirs on another
woman.”

The empress’ face tightened. “Well. We both knew this
day would come.” She put a hand on her son’s arm. “Do not fret. As you know, I
do not care for him or his ways. He took me from my people and forced me into
marriage.”

Ryuu shook his head in what looked like silent
apology. His mother lifted a shoulder,
then
turned to
Drakon. “And what is your name?”

“Drakon,
Your
Majesty,” he
said, bowing low. He didn’t understand why the two of them were so unconcerned
with revealing themselves in front of him. He would die before offering them
his secrets so blithely.
But then, they
are not slaves, are they? Ryuu could kill me on a whim and no one would
protest. Perhaps that is why they are so nonchalant.

She snorted. “I am no majesty, Drakon. Call me Chusi,
or lady, if you prefer.”

Drakon frowned, looking to Ryuu.

Ryuu grimaced. “She is correct. My father revoked all
status from women several years ago, save for those few who held warrior rank.
Those women, he declared male, and had them sterilized.” He cut his hand to the
side. “If you’re caught offering a woman any title, any warrior could
immediately kill you, no questions asked. My mother is the only one allowed to
be called lady.”

Drakon blinked, trying to keep his expression neutral
as his gut twisted. “Lady, I am honored to meet you.” He bowed again.

She smiled sadly. “And has Ryuu told you what your
purpose here is?”

“No, my lady.”

She sighed and turned to her son. “Best you educate
him soon, my son. And you should give some thought to rechaining him before
anyone sees him walking around so freely, Ryuu.” She sighed again. “Thank the
dragon I won’t be around for much longer.”

“I’m sorry, Mother,” Ryuu said in a low voice.

“Don’t fret, my dear. I am at peace.”

Drakon stole a glance at the prince, then stared,
surprised by the grief chasing across Ryuu’s face.

“I’m dying, Drakon,” she said, correctly interpreting
his confusion. “And that will free Ryuu to act with much more impunity.”

Ryuu snorted.
“As if there is any
such thing as true liberty in this place.
Don’t be so foolish.”

She tapped her son on his arm. “I am an old lady, yet
still I have hope.” She shifted her weight.

Watching her, Drakon realized that what he’d thought
were bracelets were chains, and that not only were her wrists bound, so were
her ankles.
They imprison their women?
he
thought, aghast.

“You will be the one to save our people,” she
continued, not noticing Drakon’s dismay.

“Mother—” Ryuu began, but she cut him off.

“I will support you. I have nothing more to lose,” she
said, turning to Drakon. She looked him up and down. “He’s dressed you in my
father’s robe. It suits you.” She paused and he bowed again to hide his
emotions from her. He felt unsettled.
Off balance.

“Has Ryuu told you that the emperor insisted he
purchase a slave?” she asked.

Drakon had a bad feeling about all of this.
“No, my lady.”

“Of course, his father expected him to buy a female,”
she added, smiling grimly. “Midian had no idea what hell awaits him. My blood
will see to that.”

“Let him eat, Mother,” Ryuu said softly.

As if on cue, Drakon’s stomach growled. He’d been
trying to ignore the scent of warm bread wafting from the tray that had been
placed on a table. Clearly his body had other ideas.

The empress nodded. “Eat, then. You will need the
strength to face your future with my son.” And with those cryptic words, she
left the room.

The doors boomed shut behind her, and Drakon couldn’t
help thinking that they sounded like his doom, tolling a fateful dirge.

“Here, eat.” Ryuu tugged on Drakon’s arm.

“What did your mother mean?” Drakon asked. He knew
that as a slave he shouldn’t be so presumptuous, but already Ryuu’s manner had
seduced him into letting down his guard.
Remember why you are here,
he
told himself.
Keep your damn head down.

Ryuu walked over to the table on the far side of the
chamber and sat down on one of the cushioned chairs. His black robe fell open
across his legs and Drakon’s eyes wandered before he could stop himself. The
prince’s thighs were well formed and lean. Drakon wanted to run his hands up
the muscles sliding under Ryuu’s skin. He wanted to take the man to bed and
forget his purpose here. He shook himself and sat down beside the prince,
taking care to arrange the robe he wore so that nothing would show. Ryuu shoved
a platter with fresh bread, cheese, and dew-fruit slices toward him. Drakon
took a slice of cheese and some bread, layered them, and began to eat slowly.
After so long without food, he needed to be careful.

Ryuu poured water from a pitcher into a glass and slid
it over to Drakon.
“So, your duties.”

Drakon swallowed his bread. “I am your body servant,
correct? I fathomed that much.”

Ryuu smiled grimly. “Yes. But there is more to it than
simply picking up my clothes and polishing my armor.” He made a disparaging
sound.
“As if my armor needs polishing.”

Drakon frowned, even as he continued eating. “Why did
you buy me, then?”

“Because my father forced me to.”
Ryuu took a piece of bread for himself, but instead
of eating it, began shredding it into crumbs.

“How could you be forced into anything?” Drakon asked.
He’d slowly begun to suspect that Ryuu’s position was more precarious than it
appeared, if only because of the prince’s sarcastic mutterings since they’d
left the slave auction.

“I am not
so
free as you
might think,” Ryuu told him bitterly. He threw down the bread and stood up. “My
father wanted me to buy a female, to use as a concubine.” He started pacing.

Drakon watched him warily, like one would a snake
about to strike.

“He wants heirs, because one son is not enough to
continue his empire. And he thinks my mother’s bloodline harbors a hidden
strength. He conquered her people, the Mirai, because of that belief,” Ryuu
explained. The robe swirled around his ankles when he stopped abruptly. “He
knows I prefer men.”

Drakon almost choked on his food. “You admit that so
freely?” he asked, astonished. He swallowed the last of his cheese and licked
his lips. His gaze dropped to Ryuu’s bare feet. Even his toes were attractive.

“Drink, for dragon’s sake. Before the bread lodges in
your throat and I am forced to revive you,” Ryuu told him, silver eyes
twinkling in the setting sunlight. He walked to the chamber wall and pressed a
switch. Artificial light flooded the chamber, almost too harsh after the soft
gold light from the crystal tubes.

Drakon blindly groped for his glass, then swallowed
half the water before he set it aside. “What does your preference have to do
with me?”

Ryuu sat down again and ran his hands through his
blond hair. Unlike Drakon’s damp locks, his had already dried. He’d removed the
silver beads, probably while Drakon had been bathing, and now his hair lay in
soft waves over his temples. He hadn’t bothered to shave, however, and light
stubble glimmered along his jaw.

“Arethuza society demands that its warriors be
sexually active, to prove their prowess and cement their connection to the
people. This absurd custom began to take hold when my father passed the decree
to infantilize women.”

“How was he able to do it? Surely the people
protested.”

Ryuu shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. It happened just
before I was born. Records of any unrest from that time have been expunged. I
looked.”

“The women must have rebelled,” Drakon murmured,
trying to imagine his mother or his sister submitting to such a rule. He
couldn’t fathom it.

Ryuu snorted. “Of course they did. Many fled. But when
you love your husband and your brother and your sons, what choice do you have?”

Drakon looked away. Ryuu’s silver eyes were too clear
for the prince to be lying and Drakon didn’t want to think of his captor as a
man under such duress. He didn’t want to feel compassion for him.
Too late
, he told himself.

“I am about to lose my place as heir, since I have not
chosen a lover.
And also, because I will not breed heirs for
my father.”
He exhaled sharply. “My father has never approved of me, not
since I was a young boy and he realized that I would not dance to his
bloodthirsty song.”

Oh, no,
Drakon thought, suddenly understanding.

“Yes, you begin to see my problem,” the prince said.
“No other Arethuza man will admit to wanting a male lover, because it would
destroy their status. I cannot function with a woman. And if I attempt to
abdicate, my father will behead me. He has warned me already.”

Drakon pushed the platter of food away. Despite his
hunger, he’d completely lost his appetite. “That’s why you said that nothing in
the future will matter. Your reputation and status will suffer by taking a male
lover, but you are the heir, and short of assassination, no one can gainsay
you, at least not publicly, not yet.”

“Indeed.”

“Why don’t you simply leave?” Drakon asked him. He was
trying very hard not to think about how hard his cock had grown the moment he
realized what Ryuu wanted from him. He had an important task to complete, and
sex was not part of it.
Remember why you submitted to this slavery.