William jerked his head away from the merchant's fingers. "Don't touch me!"
The merchant gave a low chuckle and sat down on the mattress. "You don't need to be afraid; I have no intention of hurting you. I need you alive to lure the prince."
His stomach clenched. He wanted to use him as bait?
"His Highness wouldn't risk his life for me."
Cox gave him an amused smile. "How foolish you are. The prince would do anything for you. Haven't you seen the way he looks at you?"
His jeweled fingers slid along William's neck and collarbone, and a wave of nausea rose in his throat.
"Don't… touch me." His eyes filled with tears, terror clawing its way back inside him. "Please…"
He had even sunk to begging, just to keep that hand off his skin.
"I won't, but you'll stay here quietly. If you behave yourself, I might even promise not to touch you again."
The merchant stood and stared at him for a long moment, his eyes seeming to burn into him. There was no affection in them, no lust, only a deep, consuming desire for possession.
William trembled and bit his lip, but Cox left without touching him.
As soon as the door closed, panic flooded back in.
Tears streamed down his cheeks, sobs wracking his chest. William pressed his hands to his mouth to keep even the faintest sound from escaping and cried for a long time, eyes wide, as a sense of filth clung to his skin.
He wanted the prince. His kind eyes, his clumsy attempts at courtship, and his gentle hands that touched him and made him feel right and whole.
He wanted to bathe with him, ride together, curl against his body and sleep in his arms. To dance until the room spun around them and kiss him.
To make love to him until he could finally appreciate his own body.
"I want to go back to him," he murmured. "I don't want to stay here. I don't want to be a victim anymore."
They had argued, but they could fix it.
With great effort, he rolled onto his side. His muscles were still numb, but now and then they seemed to respond to his commands. The effects of the drug must have lessened.
He dragged himself to the edge of the bed, the chains clinking with every movement. He tried to drop to the floor, but the collar yanked at his neck. The iron scraped his skin, and blood trickled down his chest.
"Damn it," he hissed.
The chain was too short. To reach the door, he would have to break it.
He looked around for something to use, but there was only an oil lamp set near a chest. Its base was iron and looked sturdy—it might work. If he managed to reach it.
He leaned forward and stretched out a hand, the collar biting into his flesh as more blood ran down his skin.
William bit his lip and stretched as far as he could, his fingers brushing the lamp.
"Just… a little… more…"
He had to do it. He refused to stay there. He had to get out and reach the prince.
If only he had a little magic…
He leaned even farther, the collar tightening around his throat and cutting off his breath, but his fingers closed around the lamp.
He smashed it against the wall, and shards of glass cut into his skin.
He took a sharp breath, pushed aside the pain and the fear of being hurt, and began striking the chain rings with all the strength he had left.
The door burst open, and someone yanked him backward by the hair. The lamp slipped from William's hands, and he collapsed onto the mattress with a groan.
"You filthy rat!" The merchant hauled him up. "How dare you disobey me?"
"Le… let… me go…"
Cox shoved him against the metal headboard, and William slammed his shoulder into it. A violent jolt shot through his bones and tore a cry from his throat.
A jeweled hand closed around his throat. "Do you really think he'll come save you? A Xianese whore?"
"I'm his mage…"
"So what? He can always find another."
"No. He won't."
Not Prince Alexander.
Despite everything, William knew he would scour the entire city to find him. He could feel it through the bond. The terror of losing him. The determination to save him.
And he had to help him.
Cox twisted his mouth into a grimace, then pulled out a ring of keys. He unfastened the chains from the wall and grabbed William by the hair.
"You think you've understood everything, don't you?"
"I read the letter."
The one that condemned them both, him and the governor.
The merchant pressed his lips into a thin line.
"Such a shame. You're the most beautiful man I've ever seen." He dragged him toward the door. "But I can't let you live. The prince hasn't understood anything yet, but you… you're far too sharp, mage."
The door suddenly flew open, and a guard rushed in, out of breath.
"Boss, we're fucked!"
Cox tightened his grip on William's hair. "What's going on?"
"The prince is here! With the city guard."
----------------------------------
Alex ran a hand along the hilt of his sword and lifted his gaze toward the building looming against the black sky.
It was deep night, and William had been missing for hours. The thought of him at the merchant's mercy made his anxiety grow by the minute.
Sven stepped up beside him, his face lit by torchlight. "The city guard confirms the warehouse belongs to Cox."
"We're sure he's in there?"
"We've seen men moving around, so it's likely."
"I'm guessing they're mercenaries. He hired them for this."
Cox didn't need men to defend himself from bandits or pirates, but to keep people locked away.
And now he held his mage prisoner.
"Let's storm the place before they notice us. If you find William before I do, don't touch him and wait for me."
Sven nodded and walked away.
Alex followed him with his eyes, then turned to Ian. He was back on his feet, listening to the orders he had been given. He seemed fine; maybe Alex hadn't needed to punish William for attacking him.
The prince shifted his gaze to the city guard. He wasn't entirely sure they were loyal to him, but his authority still seemed to count for something in that city. Luka would pay for all of this. Alex would find a way to drag him before the King in chains.
Sven returned to him. "We're ready, Your Highness."
"Good. Move out."
Alex turned toward the troops gathered behind him.
"The person we're rescuing is a Xianese man. Make sure he's safe, avoid to touch him and wait for me. You have orders to kill anyone who tries to block your path, but spare Evered Cox."
He would deal with the merchant himself.
The soldiers burst in, and he followed them inside.
The warehouse was spacious, with high ceilings, steeped in silence. The floor was covered in wooden crates stacked on top of one another, and in one corner there was a staircase leading up to the upper balcony that ran along all four walls. There was no sign of William.
Sven came up beside the prince. "Maybe he's upstairs."
Alex looked around, but for some reason that stillness stirred a wave of anxiety in him.
As if they had walked into a trap.
"Stay sharp."
He moved toward the stairs, but the sound of dozens of boots made him stiffen.
A dozen mercenaries lined the balcony; the merchant stood among them, holding William in place by the hair, a long chain wrapped around his hand.
"Your Highness!" Cox curled his lips into a pleased grin. "Are you here to steal my diamond?"
"Let him go and I'll spare your life."
"Is he really that good in bed?"
Alex tightened his fingers around the hilt of his sword. "How dare you, you bastard? You kidnap my advisor, threaten my life—you should be grateful I haven't had you killed already!"
The merchant yanked William by the chain and brought a blade close to his face.
"You won't, Your Highness. Not while he's with me."
"Let him go!"
"And why would I? He's my guarantee that you won't lift a finger against me. I'd be a fool to give him back. Even if…"
He pressed the blade against William's cheek, and a thin red line slid down his pale skin.
Alex's heart skipped a beat. "No…"
He lunged toward the stairs, but Sven stepped in front of him and stopped him after only a couple of steps.
"Your Highness, calm yourself."
"No! Let me go! William! Bastard, let him go!"
The merchant burst into laughter and shoved William to the ground.
"You really like him that much, don't you, Your Highness?" He raised two fingers, and the mercenaries cocked their crossbows. "At the first hint of trouble, kill them all."
Then he grabbed the chain and started down the stairs, dragging the mage down every step.
Once at the bottom, he seized him by the hair and hauled him up. William's face was pale, blood still trailing down his cheek. The shackles on his wrists clinked.
Alex struggled against Sven's grip, but the soldier didn't let him take a single step.
"Will! Open your eyes, I beg you!"
Cox laughed. "You know, when I took him with me, I only wanted to hurt you."
"You bastard!"
"And to make you see that Narea didn't want you. I hoped you were wise enough to know the mage was mine."
"William is not an object!"
"Oh, I agree. The boy is a jewel. He has the beauty and the wit of the gods. He could sit on a throne and command thousands of men. Such qualities are wasted on a commoner, but I could have made him shine."
The merchant brushed William's cheek with his fingertips.
"I would have made him into the most devoted servant. They would have envied me across all of Vellara; even the Emperor of Xia would have begged me to sell him. But then I changed my mind."
He released William's hair, and the mage collapsed to the ground as if lifeless. Cox planted his boot on his head, and Alex boiled with rage.
"Don't touch him!"
"I could give him back to you, Your Highness. If you kneel before me and beg, I might let you hold your mage, at least in the last moments of your life."
"Go fuck yourself!"
Cox wagged a finger. "We're negotiating, Prince Alexander. It's not wise to insult the man who has the upper hands. I could decide to kill you and take the mage with me. If I cut out his tongue, I could still sell him in the southern reigns, as a sex slave. Xianese are considered valuable goods."
Alex pressed his lips together and clung to Sven's arms. Pain was tearing through his chest, and tears were threatening to spill.
He couldn't kneel before that man. He couldn't humiliate himself.
But he wanted to. He would have done anything to save William.
Cox let out a whistle. "Don't tell me you're torn! Then you really do love him, Your Highness. And here I thought it was just sex."
"I…"
A strange warmth slid over his skin, like a lover's touch. Alex lifted his head: William was staring at him with irises so bright they looked soaked in poison.
They were glowing, as if—
As if he were weaving a spell.
As if he were trying to draw on his magic.
Of course. William wasn't defenseless. Not when they were close enough to take advantage of the bond.
And that look… He was asking for trust, and Alex would give it to him.