The sun felt like a foreign object against my skin.

 After weeks of recycled air and the scent of expensive floor wax, the garden air was almost too much to take in.

 I walked slowly, my fingers brushing against the heavy, damp petals of red roses.

 I was told that the gardens were a sight to see but this was not what I had expected.

 It was a grand piece of art.

Whoever the gardener was, they were extremely talented.

 I could stay here forever if I had the chance.

 It was so silent.

 So peaceful that even the screaming voices in my head seemed to rest whenever I came to this spot.

 It was one of the few good things associated with that horrible monster.

 Regina had said I was free to roam within the walls, but every time a guard shifted their weight or adjusted the strap of their rifle, I flinched.

I turned a corner near a high stone hedge, my mind lost in the impossible task of planning an escape.

I couldn't get too comfortable.

Whatever I chance I got should be used to plan an exit but while my head was still in the clouds, I slammed into something solid.

It wasn't a hedge. It was a chest.

"Oof-" The air left my lungs in a sharp wheeze.

I stumbled back, my heels catching in the soft grass.

I waited for the impact with the ground, but a pair of strong hands shot out, gripping my upper arms with a strength that felt like iron bands.

"Careful," a deep voice rasped.

I looked up, my breath hitching in my throat.

The man standing over me was tall.

He was not quite as hulking as Bane, but leaner, more athletic.

He was handsome in a way that felt dangerous, his jawline sharp enough to cut.

But it was his eyes that stopped my heart.

 They were so familiar but I could not make out where I had seen them before.

Dark, deep, and filled with a cold intelligence that made me feel like I was standing in front of a firing squad.

 Or a very aggressive interrogator.

"I... I'm sorry," I stammered, my voice barely a squeak.

"I didn't... I wasn't looking..." I tried to pull away, but his grip didn't loosen immediately.

He looked down at me, his gaze tracing the line of my throat, then the pale lavender of my dress.

He didn't look at me with the possessive heat Bane had.

He looked at me with something closer to confusion.

Like he didn't understand what I was doing in his world.

 Like I didn't belong.

 I obviously didn't and that was why I was trying my best to escape it as soon as I possibly could.

"You must be the girl," he said.

His voice was younger than Bane's, but it carried the same weight of authority.

"I... I don't understand," I managed to say, my heart hammering against my ribs.

 "Sorry... I didn't mean to run into you... I'll be on my way"

"Was I done speaking to you?"

"Nathaniel! Stop terrifying the poor girl!"

The voice was like a bucket of cold water dumped over a fire.

Regina appeared from behind the hedge, her red hair catching the sun as she strode toward us.

She still wore a wide, preppy smile that seemed entirely out of place in this den of killers.

The man, Nathaniel finally let go of my arms.

I stumbled back a step, my hands going to the spots where his fingers had been.

"I didn't see you there, Aunt Regina," he said. His voice shifted when he spoke to her.

 The edge was still there, but it was tempered with a grudging respect.

Regina reached out and looped an arm through mine, pulling me close to her side.

 I could feel the heat of her skin, the scent of her spicy perfume.

Oddly enough, it was the only thing keeping me upright.

"Amaya, meet Nathaniel," Regina said, her voice bright and cheery. "He's my nephew. I know he looks older but that's because I'm the youngest Valak sibling."

 "Aunty....." Nathaniel sounded tired already by Regina.

" Nathaniel is my nephew which makes him Bane's nephew, too." Regina carried on, "Though sometimes I think he's just a smaller, grumpier version of my brother."

I looked up at Nathaniel.

Up close, I could see the family resemblance even more clearly.

He had the same brooding intensity as Bane, the same way of standing that suggested he was always ready for a fight.

"Hello," I whispered.

Nathaniel didn't say anything. He just looked at me.

It was a long, slow scan that made me feel like I was a problem he wanted gone immediately.

There was no warmth in his gaze, no curiosity either . Just a cold, flat indifference that was almost worse than Bane's obsession.

 "I'll be taking my leave, Aunt," Nathaniel said, turning his attention back to Regina.

He didn't even acknowledge that I had spoken.

"I have a meeting with Uncle. I'll see you at dinner."

 "Don't be a stranger, Nate!" Regina called out as he turned and walked away, his stride long and purposeful.

 I watched him go, my heart still racing.

 "He doesn't seem to like me."

 Regina laughed as she patted my arm gently.

 "Oh, don't worry about Nathaniel, honey," she said, her smile returning in full force.

 "All the Valak men enjoy being broody. It's like a hobby for them. They think it makes them look more imposing. In reality, they just need a good nap and someone to tell them 'NO' once in a while."

 I looked back at the empty path where Nathaniel had disappeared.

 He didn't look like he needed a nap.

 He looked like a man who was waiting for the world to burn.

"Come on," Regina said, pulling me toward the conservatory.

"Let's get you away from the scary men for a while. I have some new orchids I want to show you."

 I followed her, but I couldn't shake the feeling of Nathaniel's cold eyes on me.

The door to my study clicked shut, but I didn't turn around.

 I have always known the soft, rhythmic step of Maria, one of the five heads of the domestic staff.

 She had worked with me for as long as I could remember and knew any and everyone who went in and out of my estate.

 "You asked to see me, Sir" Maria began.

 "The princess that I brought back. Do you know where she is at the moment?"

 I asked even though I already knew the answer.

"She's in the garden, sir," Maria said quietly, her voice at a respectable volume as she stood behind me. "Madam Regina is with her."

 "How is she adjusting?" I asked.

 I kept my eyes on the horizon, the cigar between my fingers smoldering.

 "She's quiet. She eats very little, though we try to tempt her with the things she may like. I believe that her appetite will change in time."

"And what else should I know?"

"She spends most of her time at the piano or staring at the walls." Maria paused, her voice cautious. "She's very silent and isolated, Mr. Valak."

 I did not expect anything else.

Especially since I had isolated her myself.

"Has she asked about anything? Has she... has she asked for me?"

 The silence that followed was a second too long.

Why did I care if she asked about me?

 "No, sir," Maria replied softly. "She hasn't asked for anyone."

 I felt a strange, sharp pang of something I didn't want to name.

It shouldn't have mattered.

She was a captive not some honorary guest.

 I had killed her husband and upended her world; it was a ridiculous thing to expect her to seek me out.

 And yet, the confirmation felt like a cold weight settling in my chest.

"I see," I said, my voice dropping an octave.

I flicked a stray ash into the air.

"Anyway," I continued, trying not to sound bothered, "Make sure she is well taken care of. Anything she wants, she gets. Don't let her lack for anything."

"Yes, Mr Valak"

"You're dismissed."

"Yes, sir."

The door closed behind Maria as she left, leaving me alone with the silence of the room.

 I turned my focus back to the window.

The smoke from my cigar curled toward the ceiling, a gray shroud that matched the haze that settled in the back of my mind.

 I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of my study, the glass cold against my forehead as I looked down at the sprawling gardens of the estate.

From this height, the world looked orderly and under my control. Exactly the way I liked it.

 Until my gaze found the bright, pale skin covered in purple moving near the rose hedges.

 Amaya.

She was walking beside Regina, her movements hesitant, like a bird that wasn't sure if the cage door was actually open.

Even from three stories up, I could see the way she flinched when a guard walked too close.

 I could see the fragile line of her neck and the way the wind caught that perfect dark hair I hadn't been able to stop thinking about for weeks.

 I took a long drag of the cigar, the heat burning my throat.

Why was I standing here like some desperate stalker?

Why did I care if she ate?

Why did I find myself checking the security feeds just to make sure she was sleeping?

I am Bane Valak.

I had dismantled empires and executed men without a flicker of hesitation.

 I was the apex predator in a city filled with wolves.

 And yet, I found myself paralyzed by the sight of a twenty-five-year-old girl who looked like she'd break if I breathed on her too hard.

It was supposed to be simple.

Amaya Vancouver was a spoil of war.

In our world, when you kill a king, you take his crown, his land, and his women.

Taking Raul's brand-new bride as my concubine was intended to be the ultimate spit to his memory.

The ultimate, final, crushing blow that I could ever deliver.

She was meant to be a trophy.

A body to use and discard until the message was sent.

And yet, every time I stood in the same room as her, my hands stayed at my sides.

 I couldn't bring myself to touch her.

 Not because I didn't want to, God, the hunger was a constant, roar in my loins.

I wanted nothing else.

But there was something about the raw terror in her eyes that stopped me.

 It made me feel like a common street rapist.

I didn't want to be seen as someone like that.

Not even by my prisoner.

 I wanted something else.

Something darker.

 I wanted her to look at me without the shaking.

I wanted her to recognize that I was the only one who could make her feel things she never imagined possible.

 I knew she hated me.

 I could taste it in the air during those long, silent piano sessions.

She saw me as the man who murdered her husband and stole her freedom.

 She wasn't wrong but I didn't care much. I was simply content with having her in my orbit.

As long as she was within these walls, she was mine.

 A sharp knock at the door broke my train of thought.

I didn't turn around.

 I already knew he was on his way.

"Enter."

The heavy doors groaned open and then clicked shut.

The air in the room shifted, growing heavier with the presence of another soldier...... the heir to the Valak empire.

 I finally turned away from the window and Amaya's distant figure and turned around.

He stood in the center of the room, looking like a younger reflection of myself.

 He was sharp, lethal, imposing and burdened by the weight of our name.

A true Valak in every sense of the word.

 "Uncle," Nathaniel said, his voice level and respectful. "You asked to see me."

The sun was beginning to go to sleep, casting long, skeletal shadows across the stone paths of the Valak estate.

 I walked faster than usual, my breath hitching in my chest.

 Regina said that I was free to roam and roam about, I did.

 I turned away from the main gardens, seeking a bit of true silence.

 Anywhere that was furtherest from the main house was a welcome idea.

 I followed a narrow, gravel path that sloped downward, hidden behind a thicket of towering cypress trees.

 That was when I saw something that intrigued me.

 A low, concrete building sat huddled in the shadows. It looked nothing like the rest of the estate.

 It was nothing but gray walls, a heavy steel door, and a single, high window barred with iron.

"What is this place?" I whispered to myself.

 I took a step closer, my curiosity momentarily overriding my fear. It looked like a bunker.

 I wonder what they kept in here.

 "You're a long way from the palace, little princess." I jumped, a small gasp escaping my lips as I spun around.

A guard was leaning against a tree just a few feet away.

He wasn't one of the silent, professional ones that usually flanked Bane.

This man was younger with a cruel, lazy smirk playing on his lips while he tossed a small pocketknife into the air and caught it.

"I... I was just walking," I said, my voice trembling. I started to back away. "I didn't know this area was off-limits."

 "Everything is off-limits if I say it is," he said, pushing off the tree.

He started to circle me, his boots crunching loudly on the gravel.

"The Boss has everyone on edge because of you. We're pulling double shifts, missing sleep... all to watch over a girl who doesn't even look that pretty"

 "I'm sorry," I managed to say, my eyes fixed on the knife in his hand. "I'll go back now."

 "Not so fast." He stepped into my path, blocking the trail back to the main house. "I've been hearing stories about you. The girl who was worth a massacre. Raul's little widow."

He reached out, his fingers rough as they caught a lock of my hair.

 I flinched, my heart hammering against my ribs. I felt trapped. This felt like that night with Raul all over again.

"Don't touch me," I whispered.

 "Or what?" he chuckled, his eyes dark and mocking. "You going to tell Bane? He's a busy man, Princess. I think you're a bit of a brat. All this luxury, and you still look like you're at a funeral."

He leaned in closer, his hand dropping from my hair to my shoulder, his grip tightening until it hurt.

 "Maybe you need someone to remind you. You aren't family. You're a spoil of war and spoils are meant to be shared"

 "Let go of me!" I cried out, shoving at his chest with all my strength.

 He didn't budge. Instead, he laughed, the sound harsh and ugly.

"Feisty. I like that. Raul probably didn't know how to handle you, but I'm a better........"

I didn't wait for him to finish. I drove my foot into his crutch as hard as I could and he fell to the ground in pain.

"You little bitch!!!"

 I took off running, my lungs burning as I scrambled back up the gravel path.

 I could hear him cursing behind me, his heavy footsteps echoing for a few seconds before they stopped.

 I ran until my legs felt like lead, until the wild greenery gave way to the manicured lawns once more.

I was sobbing by the time I reached the stone fountain near the conservatory.

My dress was snagged, my hair was a mess, and my shoulder throbbed where he had gripped me.

"Amaya? My God, what happened?"

 I looked up through a blur of tears.

Regina was standing near the fountain, a glass of wine in her hand.

Her bright, cheerful expression vanished instantly, replaced by something sharp and lethal.

 "Amaya!" She rushed to me, grabbing my shaking hands. "Talk to me. Who did this?"

"The... the guard," I choked out, my chest heaving. "By the gray building... the one in the trees. He... he grabbed me. He... had a knife, Regina. He wouldn't let me go."

Regina's eyes turned to cold fire. The "preppy", giant woman I had gotten used to was gone.

 In her place stood a Valak.

 A woman who lived in a world of blood and knew exactly how to navigate it.

"He touched you?" she asked, her voice dangerously low.

"He... he grabbed my shoulder. He wouldn't let me pass. He was saying such horrible things"

I buried my face in my hands, my body racking with fresh sobs.

"I just wanted to walk. I didn't do anything wrong."

Regina pulled me into a firm embrace.

 "Shh," she murmured, stroking my hair, but her gaze was fixed on the path I had just run up.

"You didn't do anything wrong, honey. You're safe now."

"Is he going to come after me? He knows where I sleep". I whispered into her shoulder.

 "No," Regina said.

 "He isn't going to do anything ever again." "As much as I hate to say this," Regina said quietly.

 "You belong to my brother. And anyone who forgets that is a liability we don't tolerate."

 "Regina, please... don't tell Bane," I begged. "He'll... he'll kill him. I don't want more blood on my hands."

Regina looked at me for a long moment.

 "Amaya, you're so sweet"

 "Please," I repeated.

 Regina sighed and tucked a stray hair behind my ear.

"Fine. I won't tell Bane. Not yet, anyway."

 "You promise?"

 "I promise I will make sure it's taken care of," she said.

 She looped her arm through mine, turning me back toward the main house.

 "Now, let's get you inside. You need a bath and a drink"

 I walked beside her, my heart finally slowing down, but I couldn't shake the look in her eyes.

 It was the same look Bane had.

 She was definitely pissed off.

 This was far from over.