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.

The girl was shaking so hard I could feel the tremors vibrating through my own bones.

 I kept my arm hooked firmly through hers, guiding her toward her room.

 Poor thing was so fragile she reminded me of a fine porcelain doll ready to shatter.

 "Breathe, Amaya. Just breathe. You're inside now. The walls are thick, and the locks are solid," I said, my voice pitched in that soothing tone I used when I needed to disarm someone.

"He was going to hurt me," Amaya whispered.

Her eyes were wide, the pupils blown out with terror.

 "I know. I know." I led her to her room, taking both of her cold, clammy hands in mine.

 "Look at me. Look at my eyes, Amaya."

 She lifted her gaze, her lower lip trembling.

 "You are a Valak guest. In this house, that makes you sacred. Do you understand? That man was an error. And I promise you, on my life, it will never happen again"

 "Okay" she said quietly.

 I signaled to the two maids hovering near the door.

They moved instantly, like shadows responding to a candle.

"Maria! Sofia!" I barked. The girls jumped.

 "Take Care of Miss Amaya while I'm away. Prepare a lavender bath and stay with her. If she so much as whimpers, I want to know about it. If anyone tries to enter that room without my express permission, you scream loud enough to wake the dead. Clear?"

 "Yes, Signora Regina," they chirped in unison.

 I stood up and headed for the exit.

 I looked back at Amaya and gave her a sharp, encouraging nod and then I left.

 The second she was out of sight, the smiling mask I wore disintegrated.

 I turned toward the hallway leading to the west wing.

My blood was boiling and rightfully so.

I didn't knock when I reached Bane's study.

I threw the heavy mahogany doors open with such force they slammed against the interior stoppers with a crack that echoed like a gunshot.

Bane was sitting behind that monstrous desk of his, a cigar in one hand and a fountain pen in the other.

 Nathaniel was standing by the window, his arms crossed, unlike Bane, he looked surprised.

"Get out, Nathaniel," I snapped, not even looking at the young man.

Nathaniel stiffened.

"I'm in the middle of a briefing, Aunt."

 "I don't give a damn if you're in the middle of a coronation," I hissed, turning my glare on him.

 "Out. Now. I need to yell at your uncle"

Nathaniel looked to Bane who only gave a curt, infinitesimal nod.

Nathaniel shrugged, said nothing more, stood up and excused us.

As soon as the door clicked shut, I marched straight to the desk, slamming my palms down on the polished wood.

 "Is there a reason you're trying to break the furniture, Regina?" Bane asked with a bored tone.

"You're men," I spat, the words tasting like acid. "You're indisciplined, absolute gutter trash imbeciles!!! That's the reason!!"

 Bane set his pen down slowly. He finally looked up, his dark eyes narrowing.

"Explain what you're on about. Quickly please, I have a shipment in Livorno that needs my attention."

 "Oh, to hell with your shipment! One of your guards just spent his afternoon harassing Amaya near the isolation block."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop twenty degrees.

Bane's hand, which had been reaching for a document, froze mid-air.

 "Which Amaya?" he asked.

The question was a razor blade.

"YOUR Amaya!" I said, "That bastard grabbed her, pulled a knife on her and said she was spoil of war and spoils should be shared"

"Spoils of war should be shared....."

Bane repeated the phrase under his breath and went unnervingly still.

 It was the kind of stillness you see in a predator right before the killing blow.

 "Who was it? The guard?"

Bane asked.

"I don't have a name yet. All I know is he's some stupid asshat with a pocketknife. He was stationed near the gray bunker. Amaya is upstairs right now, shaking so hard she can barely speak. She's terrified, Bane."

 I paced the length of the rug, my hands flying as I spoke.

"What the hell are you doing, brother? You bring her here, you tell her she's safe, and then you let your dogs off the leash? Is this how we run things now? Are we letting these men terrorize women in our own gardens?"

Bane stood up.

  He was a tall and massive man and right now he looked angry.

He walked around the desk, his presence filling the room until it felt like the walls were closing in.

 He stopped inches from me.

 I looked him eye to eye.

As a big woman who was 5'11, I too, was an imposing figure myself.

 It was a family trait.

"Is she hurt?" he asked.

 "Bruises on her shoulder. A few scratches on her neck from where he pulled her hair." I poked a finger into his chest, hard. "If a man touches what belongs to a Valak, what happens, Bane?"

Bane's face was a mask of cold, unadulterated fury.

The veins in his neck were corded, and his eyes were so dark they looked like pits of charcoal.

Bane's voice was a low vibration that I could feel in the floorboards.

"If one of my own thinks he can touch what I have marked as mine... he has forgotten who I am."

 I stepped back.

"Remind him then"

Bane walked over to the intercom on the wall.

He pressed the button with enough force to crack the casing.

"Captain," Bane barked.

"Yes, Boss?" the voice crackled back, sounding startled.

 "Assemble every guard on the grounds. Every single one of them. In the courtyard right now! If a single man is missing, I'll have your head on a spike next to theirs."

 "Right away, sir."

 Bane turned back to me.

The rage was still there, but it was being funneled into a singular, lethal purpose.

 I smiled and nodded approvingly.

 "That's my brother"