Strength surged through him against his will, increasing his grip and tightening his jaw so hard he swore he heard his teeth crack.
“Sir?”
Realization dawned on him as he saw the fine cracks appear along the thin display case. The bear within him pawed restlessly, a growl low in its chest threatening to bubble out of his own mouth. Panic rose like acid in his throat, Siku’s self-control going wild as he tried to hold tight to the bear.
A hand pressed against his back, fingers digging firmly but carefully into his skin. Warmth spread across the back of his neck as someone breathed slowly. Without looking, he knew it was Aputi behind him, his fingers tracing soothing circles on his back.
A scent rose into his nostrils, filling his senses. It was strong, reminding him of the smell of the inner garden within the castle grounds. The garden was lush with plants and trees from a far-off land, kept warm and vibrant by the waters of a hot spring fed into it. The scent coming from Aputi gave Siku that same warmth and sense of serenity. There was the bite of the winter cold to the smell, but crisp and refreshing. It spoke to his innermost bear, soothing the edges of his frustration and fear.
Siku breathed deep, both assuaged and nervous as he realized Aputi was an alpha. Not only that but an alpha who had somehow spoken to Siku’s inner bear with only a touch and his presence.
Aputi
The sneaky heist had been going well in Aputi’s opinion. His jacket was lined with shining little trinkets that would carry his mother and him for weeks, months if he was smart about it. There was a small twinge of guilt sitting in his gut from using Siku so blatantly, but Aputi wasn’t one to pass up an opportunity. The man’s entire demeanor spoke of blue blood, and he was an excellent actor despite his ignorance of how the world worked. And Aputi had wanted into Nulak’s estate for ages.
When Siku had begun to shift, however, Aputi felt the entire endeavor was standing on brittle ice. Nobility weren’t supposed to lose their hold on their inner beast. They were supposedly trained from birth to prepare for the day when the bear would show itself in them, so that even the first shift was a simple, clean affair. Aputi hadn’t known what had triggered Siku’s surprise transformation, but he’d reacted instantly.
Ignoring Nulak, who was backing away from Siku with eyes wide, Aputi had pressed himself against Siku’s back. His own bear shifted inside Aputi’s soul as he reached out to touch Siku’s back. A deep rumble formed in the back of his throat, and he leaned toward Siku as if to speak.
Before any words could leave his lips, he felt the tension in Siku’s body rush away. Aputi blinked, amazed at the sudden shift in Siku’s mood. In his experience, when the bear threatened to take over, due to some threat, perceived or otherwise, it took a lot longer than a few seconds to push it away again. Either the training Siku had been raised with worked even at that dire moment, or Siku was just that strong. Either way, Aputi couldn’t help but be a little impressed.
“You okay?” Aputi breathed, now uncomfortably aware of Nulak and his guards staring at them.
Siku nodded. “I am, I apologize for worrying you.”
His words were stiff, filled with prickled pride, but Aputi was just glad to hear no trace of the animal in Siku’s voice. They would talk about the near outburst later. Aputi however, was more concerned about the angry banker behind them.
Nulak’s voice was tight. “Sir, you and your…servant can leave, if you would.”
Siku tensed under Aputi’s touch. “Is there a problem?”
Nulak drew himself up, his considerable bulk filling the aisle between the display cases. The expression of hatred on his face drew a chill down Aputi’s spine as he waited for the inevitable.
“I honestly care little how you choose to use your servants. However, you seem to lack the decency to keep such matters contained to your own home.”
And there it was, the man thought Aputi was Siku’s personal sex slave. Not that it was unheard of, the rich and powerful weren’t immune to their bodily wants, and servants could be beautiful just as the upper crust were. The difference was, any dalliance with your own servants was kept a shameful secret, away from the prying eyes of the gossiping vultures that made up most of well-bred society.
Siku’s dark eyes blazed. “Excuse me?”
Nulak motioned to Aputi’s hand, their closeness. “I would have hoped someone of your obvious standing would have been raised better than this. Be glad that I have only your given name, or this…misstep might be told in tales around glasses of wine for the womenfolk to giggle into their cups over.”
“I was raised perfectly fine, thank you very much. And you would do well to keep your own manners in place,” Siku shot back hotly.
“My manners within my own home are without question, yours, however…well, I suppose if you’re willing to lay with filth openly, I should not expect you to know how to behave.”
Siku turned around, hands balling into fists at his side. The little noble was perhaps a quarter of Nulak’s size, barely coming up to the banker’s chin. Yet Siku glared up at the man as if it could somehow make him taller.
“The day I take an insult from some gluttonous, greedy lawbreaker is the day I cut off my hair and sell my body to low examples of our people like you! You will keep your eyes and attention away from him, and you will do well not to speak of your betters such as my parents if you know damn well what’s good for you!”
Aputi didn’t know who was more shocked, Nulak, or himself. He had thought the bit of yelling Siku had done at Pukak had been a good show. Yet that was nothing more than an irritating conversation in comparison to the fury Siku was throwing at Nulak. The banker looked as if Siku had slapped him across the face, and if the furious motions Siku was making as he railed were any indication, he most certainly wanted to.
Snapping himself out of his shock, Aputi leaped forward between Siku and Nulak. The last thing they needed was for the hulking guards to decide they needed to intervene. Aputi reached down to take hold of Siku’s shoulders and force the man to look up at him.
“All is well, milord, the good man has asked us to leave, and we have no cause to start any further trouble,” Aputi said, hoping Siku would catch onto the meaningful look in his eyes.
Siku puffed up. “I will not have you or I insulted so blatantly by this, this…”
“Upstanding member of society whose home we stand in,” Aputi reminded him.
The fire in Siku’s eyes blazed still, but Aputi could see hesitation flicker alongside his anger. It would be simple for Nulak to have either the guards drag them out, or to call the city’s soldiers to do the same. There would be far more fuss than if they simply took heed of Nulak’s demand and walked out the front door.
Siku huffed. “Very well, then we’ll leave, and I can assure you, I will be having words with a few select people when I return home.”
“By all means sir, but do it far from mine,” Nulak said icily.
Aputi wasted no time in nudging Siku around and toward the doorway. The angry man stomped down the hallway, barreling through the main entrance and out onto the street. Aputi didn’t mind the presence of the guards following them the whole way, their eyes locked on Siku. By the time Aputi’s feet hit the street, he heard the sound of the thick door being closed and locked behind them.
Siku rounded on him. “How can you stand there and allow that filthy excuse for a person to speak of you in such a way?”
Aputi chuckled. “You really think this is the first time some high lord or rich merchant has looked down their nose at me? Things might be different for you in whatever lordly mansion you live in, but here, in the real world, people like me get shit on all the time. It’s how things work.”
“It is not how I was taught the world was,” Siku said, mouth tightening.
Aputi felt a wash of pity. “What did they teach you?”
“That this kingdom was full of good people, noble people, who upheld the law and treated others with care and respect. It isn�
�t supposed to be like this, the world outside…my home was supposed to be better. It’s the same vipers and villains.”
Aputi sighed, his heart going out to the frustrated man. There was more to the story behind Siku’s world, but the street outside the house of a man they’d just robbed was not the place to hear it. Obviously, Siku’s disconnect from the world was far greater than Aputi had originally thought, to the point the guy didn’t even know the value of money.
“It’s not all bad,” Aputi assured him.
Siku’s shoulders slumped. “If there is some glimmer of light in this world, then by all means, please show it to me.”
“You like art?”
“It offers insight into the nobler spirit of people, giving an escape for the viewer, and a sight into the ineffable spirit that runs through us all.”
Aputi blinked. “A simple ‘yes’ would have worked you know.”
“Apologies.”
“What do you think about the theatre?”
Siku opened his mouth, paused, then spoke. “I enjoy it.”
Aputi chuckled. “You were going to give some long answer, weren’t you?”
“I’m attempting to take your advice into consideration.”
Aputi threw his arms around Siku’s shoulders and pulled him away from the house. It would only be a matter of time before Nulak got over his insult and checked his inventory. Aputi wanted to be as far away from the house when that happened as possible.
“Then let’s get you some clothes that won’t make you stand out. After that, I’ll show you some of the shows that are going on right now, as thanks for helping me. Who knows, maybe you’ll even find a little bit of that light you want so badly.”
Not for the first time, Aputi found himself eyeing Siku speculatively. Finding the man clothes had been easy, requiring only a quick stop at a shop with some of the funds Aputi had with him. The jewelry had been shoved into one of his many hidden places in the city, waiting to be sold to some of the few reliable fences he knew. It would be a few days before he would feel comfortable selling the goods, not wanting to attract too much attention to himself, or to Siku.
Siku tugged at his coat. “It’s awfully heavy.”
Aputi took hold of Siku’s hands, pulling them away from the coat and smoothing the folds absently. The clothes were certainly coarser than Siku was probably used to, the coat and pants heavy to make up for the low quality of the fabric. Despite that, Siku somehow managed to make the clothes look good on his body, even if he couldn’t seem to get comfortable in them.
“They’re not the fancy clothes you’re used to, but they’re better for not catching everyone’s attention,” Aputi told him.
Siku sniffed. “I thought I was dressed perfectly fine.”
Aputi snorted, fixing the twisted strap of Siku’s bag containing his clothes and the rest of his goods. They were perfectly fine, but a little too fine to not stand out like a sore thumb in a crowd of poorer people. The clothes had probably seemed like the perfect choice for someone like Siku, who appeared to know nothing about the wider world.
“Yeah, you looked like a noble trying to blend in with all us poor people,” Aputi said.
He’d been tempted to take them to a more upscale and expensive theatre if only to make Siku feel at home. After waiting for Siku to change, however, Aputi had decided to stick with the lower class shows. He still didn’t know how much money he would receive from selling the jewels, and especially after giving Siku his share. That and he thought maybe it would be best for Siku to get a full taste of what it was like to live on the other side.
Siku glared up at him. “Mockery.”
Aputi winked. “Yeah, I’m teasing you, it’s called being friendly.”
“Mockery is a show of friendship around here?”
“To everyone who isn’t raised like you were, yeah.”
The crowd of people flowed around them as they stood to the side, waiting for the announcement of the show to start. Hardly anyone paid the slightest bit of attention to them, save to glance over one or both of them with what Aputi thought was appreciation. One particularly burly man had eyed Siku a little too intently for his liking, and he’d glared at the man until the stranger noticed and slunk off.
“I suppose I still have much to learn, in ways I would have never accounted for,” Siku said with a frown.
It was an understatement, but Aputi didn’t think it was the right time to rub Siku’s nose in it.
“You know, speaking of, you ever going to tell me why you’re slumming it?”
Siku blinked. “Slumming it?”
“Yeah, hanging out with all the poor people down in the slums rather than living in whatever fancy house you came from? I’m pretty sure hanging around in a mansion, with people serving you food whenever you want, having the best doctors, clothes, and all the entertainment you can buy beats this.”
Siku’s confusion darkened, shaking his head. “I’ll admit, I do not know much about the way things operate in…this corner of the world. But I can promise you, the life I left behind bore its own trials.”
Aputi snorted. “Silk pillows and rich food just that hard to bear?”
Siku’s lip twitched. “Was that a pun?”
Aputi hesitated, and then realized what he’d said. He was a little more surprised that Siku had been amused by it. The guy didn’t like being teased, but he was willing to indulge in wordplay?
“Are you just trying to avoid my questions?”
Siku sighed. “The cage around my life might have been finer and more intricately designed, but a prison is a prison, no matter how nice it may look.”
Aputi wanted to add more, but the sound of warning bells rang through the lobby of the theatre. The show was starting, and it didn’t look like Siku wanted to continue the conversation. The confusion and curiosity on his face were shadowed by a deep frown, and Aputi felt a twinge knowing he was the one who’d put it there.
Sliding an arm around Siku’s shoulders, he steered the smaller man toward the entrance to the theatre. To his amusement, he felt Siku tense, and then relax, sparing another befuddled glance toward Aputi.
“You going to tell me why you’re giving me a funny look, or am I just supposed to pretend I don’t see it and move on?” Aputi asked.
“I apologize, I am just unaccustomed to people touching me in such an intimate manner without either my permission or…other reasons.”
Aputi could imagine what those ‘other reasons’ were, but if the hesitation in Siku’s voice was any indication, it was something he should let lie. What amused him more was that Siku seemed to believe an arm over the shoulder counted as intimate. Either the man was just that sheltered, or Aputi had found a reason to pity the children of the rich and powerful. What kind of life could you have if you spent it being touched only with permission, or in the throes of passion?
“Well, think of it like the teasing, just another friendly thing we do around here. Well, unless it really bothers you.”
Siku smiled. “I don’t mind.”
It was said so softly Aputi almost didn’t hear it, but even the dimming of the lights couldn’t hide the flush of color which rose to Siku’s cheeks as he spoke. Warmth flooded Aputi’s body, settling in his gut with a low flame. Siku looked better when he was smiling, but Aputi hadn’t realized before just how cute he looked when he was embarrassed. The curl in his gut stirred harder when he wondered if the flushed cheeks on Siku were a preview to what he looked like if they were truly being intimate.
Clearing his throat, Aputi turned his attention to the crowd and hurried them through the thickest part to a far corner. He had no doubt Siku would have plenty of questions about the production, and Aputi wanted to sit somewhere where they wouldn’t disturb anyone else.
They settled into their seats, and Aputi watched as Siku’s expression of thought shifted into one of interest as he took in the barely lit stage below them. Their seats were on the upper floor, peering over the stage. It wasn’t
the best seats since they were shoved into a corner, but their lack of popularity was what made up Aputi’s mind for him. The lack of a good view didn’t seem to bother Siku either, his eyes peering both down onto the stage, and into the crowd below them.
“I never knew the theatre was popular for other people,” Siku murmured.
“You mean, for poor people?”
Siku frowned. “Saying that, especially here, would have been in poor taste.”
“We know what we are, it doesn’t hurt our feelings much to hear it.”
“Is this tolerance to insults why you were so willing to take Nulak’s insults without so much as a single protest?”
“I didn’t tell Nulak off because I didn’t want his two guards, and whatever other ones he had in the house, to beat our asses. Well, or the city guard to be called, that would have been a disaster.”
Siku sighed. “I should have thought about that long before I let my temper get the better of me. To have someone so foul dare to criticize anyone was hardly more than I could stand.”
Despite thinking Siku was more naïve than was healthy for him, he respected the man’s views on honor. Aputi and his mother had lived their lives together, just barely getting by, with Aputi taking over as the breadwinner when his mother grew too ill to work much. For all their hard work, it was nearly impossible to rise above it, especially when you had so many rich and powerful people like Nulak around to kick anyone who dared to rise back down. If there were more who thought as Siku did, Aputi thought the world would be a far kinder place.
Aputi patted Siku’s hand gently. “Don’t worry too much about it. If anything, you yelling at him insulted him so much he didn’t stop to consider there might be more going on.”
Siku grunted. “To think I would ever consider enslaving anyone, even through ‘legal’ means. And to act as if you were…some sex slave.”
Claiming the ice Prince Page 4
