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“I am. You are Princess Calliope.” The heavy grate and rumble in his voice made her think of a machine starting up with too little oil on its cogs. “A pimp was looking to sell you to a baby factory or whorehouse.”
“I’m Princess Calliope. I would not have ventured to the lower city, except—”
“I know why you’re here.” He curled his fingers, beckoning. “Come to me.”
Cautious, she stepped closer.
“Your father made me promise him something, years ago. To protect you if ever it was necessary. He foresaw the possibility of trouble. In return he gave me things I needed, though it was more complicated than just your safety for this or that.” He shifted even further forward and opened his hand, palm upward. “We traded in political secrets, espionage, infiltrations—I gave him power, he gave some back to me. Your brothers forsook that agreement. It was why they fell.”
“What? They were shot up by an Overwatch sat.”
“I believe there is more to it.” His fingers moved and on his palm was a ring. “This was his. Your father’s. Take it.”
Awestruck and recognizing the ring as one lost to her family, she moved to pick it up.
This is a male, the thought arrived as her fingertips grazed the skin of his palm. A tingle of excitement surprised her. She went to step away, but his hand closed over her wrist.
He did not let go, even when she tugged.
She wavered, leaning back, with her head thumping. An otherworldly thrill possessed her, and she felt as if she were no longer who she once was, merely seconds ago.
Goosebumps dotted her arms.
His skin still pressed to hers, his thumb atop the pulse at her wrist. Her mouth was open and that was rude.
“Release me.”
“Really?” Drake snorted. “You need to understand your situation fully, human.”
The word human was an insult, said like that.
Then he snapped out another word, a name that shocked her. “Aegis. Come meet your future queen.” He let her go and she stumbled back a small distance.
From behind, footsteps approached and then her security force general stood beside her, ramrod straight in a neat black uniform, with his red hair slick and his keen eyes raking her.
“Your Highness.” He inclined his head.
“This is Sec-Force General Aegis. He came to me, long before this. Your brothers stirred resentment. We are taking over the city today, subduing General Vass. Neither of us was strong enough alone.”
And Aegis had not come to her. She strived not to show dismay. This was a blow.
“You are merely a pawn, Princess,” Drake continued. “A valuable one, in some circumstances.”
What should she do? What should a queen do now, when begging for aid from a man turned out to be something more, something different? This was a prearranged rebellion.
Her world was in pieces.
“The deaths of my brothers caused this?”
No answer. The slight raise of Drake’s brow answered her enough. That was a yes.
“You need to ask me the right question, Princess.”
Ask him, not General Aegis, who waited quietly, as if he were an underling of this Drake and not one of the most powerful military personages in the kingdom. Her father had once told her he’d equally split the powers between the palace guard, security, and the army, to reduce the risk of a coup.
This told her how much power and influence Drake held. More than Aegis, perhaps far more.
She’d never liked playing games with politics. “Very well. Why did you say I’m valuable in some circumstances?”
