A stray lock of spun gold tumbled across his forehead. He flicked it aside with a lazy, ringed finger, his amber eyes pinned to the King's face like two iron daggers.
"A solitary castle" the Kakunian purred, as he was asking for a pittance.
He is mocking me, Alpheo realised.
He bloodly well knew all the way down to the copper what he was asking. "An unbreakable alliance in exchange for a single heap of wet stones. A trifling price to pay for a loyal brother, particularly when you are in such desperate need of a spine at your flank can hold the weight you will labor under."
Alpheo inhaled deeply through his nose, keeping his jaw clamped tight to master the fury thrashing in his chest.
The sheer, breathtaking insolence of the creature. A prince that still was not, sitting naked in royal silk, waiting upon foreign legions to reclaim his stolen patrimony, and having the unmitigated gall to demand a ransom for the privilege of being rescued.
