His legs went weak as she took him into her mouth and unmitigated pleasure tore through his entire being. For a full minute, he reeled from it.

The voices outside grew louder, reminding him of the job that awaited him.

Fuck the empire and everyone in it...

Yeah, that would be an intensely bad idea.

He really hated that stupid notion of the "empire comes first" his father had drilled into him as he forced himself to step back from her. The sight of her licking her lips in an open invitation was enough to kill him.

Stamping down the fire in his blood, he narrowed his eyes at her. "You are devious. Don't think I'm not on to you."

Any other time, it would work. But he couldn't allow her to distract him today or to know just how much power she ultimately had over him. He was completely weak and pliant when it came to her.

"Fine," she snapped irritably, rising to her feet. "Freshen up and I'll get your clothes ready."

Before he stepped away, he pulled her into his arms to give her the hottest kiss he could manage. One that had her wrapping her arms around him and clutching at his back. When he forced himself to pull away again, she was breathless.

Blinking, she stared at him with a hunger in her eyes that matched his.

He ran his hand along her jaw. "Don't you hate it when someone stirs a fire you can't quench?"

She narrowed those amber eyes at him. "You better be glad I'm still not over the close call you just had. Otherwise, I'd make you pay for that."

He grinned at her before he went to take a quick ice cold shower.

Darling hesitated before he opened the doors to the throne room. What if Zarya was right and his presence here worsened things? His people hated him. He knew that better than anyone. The plebs saw him as a selfish, entitled prick out to work them until they dropped while he became richer and richer off their backs. The aristos thought he was spineless and weak, and they laughed at him to his face. Thanks to Senator Nylan, Arturo, and his own desperate stupidity, none of them had even a modicum of respect for him.

Both groups viewed him with the utmost disdain.

Worse, his mask had been destroyed in the attack. If he walked in there, he would do it with all scars showing.

With Pip's name carved into my face.

Shame shredded his confidence while unwanted memories flogged him. Fingering his cheek, he stepped back and traced the raised scar. Even with his beard over it, it was plainly visible. Their contempt for him would only grow once they saw what had been done to him while he'd been powerless to stop it.

How helpless and pathetic he really was. If he couldn't protect himself, how could he protect his people? That's exactly what they'll say.

He winced as he remembered his guard corps spitting at his feet.

They all disdain me.

I can't do this. I can't be laughed at again.

In that one lonely heartbeat, every degradation and humiliation of his entire life slapped him hard in the face. He heard the laughter and ridicule that had been shoved down his throat since the day his father had died.

No one respected Darling Cruel.

I'm the punch line of all cocktail party jokes.

He closed his eyes in an attempt to blot it all out, and instead what he saw was his own brother's face as Drake sneered his contempt for him.

"I don't have to listen to you. You're not my father. You barely qualify as my brother. I swear, Lise has more testosterone than you do. You're just a worthless piece of shit who cowers and grovels every time Arturo gets near you. I refuse to be like you, so pathetic, wasted, and scared that my own guards mock me for it. I will not give up or give in, and I damn sure won't belly crawl for someone else. So why don't you go find a cock to suck on, and get out of my face. Let me show you how a man handles things."

He flinched at Drake's angry words that'd been hurled at him when he'd tried one last time to stop Drake from confronting Arturo over embezzling part of their inheritance.

Only fifteen, Drake had thought himself man enough to fight.

And after Arturo had almost killed him for his adolescent stupidity and left the boy in intensive care, Darling had made the mistake of going to Ryn.

"You have to help us. Even though you're illegitimate, you're a direct blood descendant from the governor. The CDS can make a special accommodation for you to rule until I turn thirty."

Just like Drake, Ryn had sneered in his face. "Forget it. You're not dragging me back into that backbiting shithole. I've had enough of it. I don't want your throne or anything else to do with Caronese politics. For the first time in my life, I'm happy and I intend to stay that way." Ryn had tried to make him leave Ryn's apartment, but Darling had refused to go.

"He's going to kill them, Ryn. Don't you understand? They won't listen to me at all. Not my mother or Drake. No matter how much I beg or threaten them. Drake's only getting worse as he gets older. He thinks he can take Arturo head on. And I'm tired of running interference between them. Of deflecting Arturo's anger to me so he'll leave them alone. Please? I can't take it anymore. I can't. I'm through being their punching bag. I just want to go to sleep one night in my shitty life and feel safe. Is that really too much to ask?"

Darling had gestured to his arm that Arturo had shattered when Darling had stupidly tried to kill him for what he'd done to Drake. "I'm still underage by our laws. And none of the other aristos will do anything to help us. Believe me, I've tried. The gerents are all too afraid of Arturo to back me without a stronger man to come in as my guardian. You told me that you'd be here if I needed you. I need you, big brother. We all do. Please, don't do this to me. I'm begging you for mercy."

Ryn shook his head in continual denial. "I love you, Darling. I do. But I'm not about to let you or anyone else drag me back to that hellhole. I'm not a politician and I don't want to be one. Just go home where you belong. They're your family, not mine. You deal with their psycho asses."

In that second of panicked desperation, Darling had looked down at the scars on his wrists from when he'd tried to kill himself and, like Drake, he'd let his fury get the better of his tongue. He didn't want to go back either. It wasn't fair that Ryn had his freedom while he'd have to wait more than another decade for his. He was tired and frustrated.

Most of all, he was through with being the sole defender while he had an older brother who should have been willing to help them.

Just as Drake had done to him, he'd verbally gone for Ryn's throat. "So that's it then? Captain Tavali. Lord Badass. At the end of the day, you're nothing but a selfish, scared asshole just like all the others in your family. I wonder what your friends would think if they knew what a spineless coward you really are?"

Darling had known exactly the buttons he was pushing and why they stung Ryn so badly. He shouldn't have done it.

But he'd wanted to hurt Ryn the way Ryn had hurt him by refusing to help. And it was too late to take those words back. Once they were out, they'd been a deadly challenge.

One Ryn had met with a furious snarl. He'd whirled on Darling then and grabbed him. They'd started fighting like two rabid animals. A fight that ended several minutes later when Ryn lifted Darling off his feet and threw him into the glass dining table. Because of his shattered arm that was in a sling and the other that was braced due to a sprain, Darling had been unable to catch himself. As a result, his face had taken the brunt of the fall.

In all the vicious beatings he'd had over the years, never had he seen so much blood. Felt more pain. The glass had torn through his body like a thousand razors. It'd taken the medics over half an hour to extract him from the broken pieces.

The whole time they worked to save him, Darling had prayed he'd finally bleed out and die.

But the gods had never been merciful to him.

Ryn had apologized repeatedly the entire time they pulled him from the glass and metal, but just like the angry words that had flown between all of them, it was too late to take it back. The damage had been done and it was permanent.

Their relationship had never recovered from that night. They were both ashamed of what they'd said and done.

Now those memories paralyzed Darling as he saw his reflection in the marble wall in front of him and he cringed inwardly.

His mother was right. He was hideous and disgusting.

Too ugly to look at.

Arturo's insults rang in his ears. They mingled with the hostile words and shouts he could hear coming from inside the throne room as his brother fought with the plebs.

But as his gaze went to the state portrait of his father that hung to his left, he remembered the brave little boy who'd stood at his father's tomb and had vowed that he would keep the things his father treasured most safe from harm.

The wife his father had loved above all things.

The children who'd been the pride of his heart.

And the empire that he'd worried and slaved over.

I won't let them suffer without you, Papa. I swear. I'll be the man you wanted me to be. No matter what, I will make you proud.

Darling had fought hard to protect his mother and siblings. Now it was time to keep the last part of that promise.

Taking a deep breath for courage, he lifted the cowl on his royal dark blue and gold robes so that it covered his head and shielded his face, then headed for the doors.

The moment they swung open, every eye in the room turned toward him. Wanting to run for shelter, Darling raised his chin and let the rank and mantle of noblesse oblige settle firmly on his shoulders.

This was what he'd been bred and trained for.

And as he stood there, he heard his father's voice in his head. "The past is history written in stone that can't be altered. The future is transitory and never guaranteed. Today is the only thing you can alter for certain. Make the most of it."

Ryn, who had changed out of his pirate gear in favor of imperial robes, rose from the throne where he'd been acting as pro tem. Maris, Drake, Syn, Hauk, and two other gerents stood to his left while a small group of plebs were on the right. His older brother bowed down before him. "Your Majesty."

The others followed suit.

Once they righted themselves, there was an absolute chill in the air as they faced him. Yeah, he was as welcome here as a fatal STD in a whorehouse.

But that didn't change the fact that he was their governor and this was his duty.

Darling focused his blurry gaze on the tall, skinny pleb standing closest to Ryn. He'd lay money that he was their leader. So he was the one Darling addressed first. "Care to enlighten me as to why you were shouting at my pro tem?"

The plebs paled. But the tall one didn't shirk in spite of his obvious fear. He took a step forward. "My name is Gerst. Svidan Gerst, Your Majesty. And we're from the workers' coalition." A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. "We are asking that our workday be shortened. Right now, we're working eighteen-hour days with no time off for illness or recuperation."

Ryn made a noise of frustration. "I was trying to explain to them that they need to take the matter to Lord Derkstig since he's the one who's in charge of setting labor standards."

Gerst grimaced at the mention of the gerent's name. "And we've taken it to him. His answer is to suck it up and be grateful we have jobs while others don't."

Just as Darling started to respond, the door to the main hall opened. Scowling, he watched as Zarya came in holding a little girl around the age of seven in her arms. Dressed in white, the little girl had curly brown hair that framed an angelic face.

He noted the panic on Gerst's features.

"See," Zarya said in a soothing, sweet tone to the child. "Your father's fine. Just like I said. No one's hurting him." She set the girl down so that she could run to Gerst.

Sobbing, the girl buried her face against her father's leg and held tight while the plebs rolled their eyes in obvious contempt.

Zarya curtsied to Darling. "Forgive our interruption, Your Majesty. There was a group of boys outside the gate who were tormenting her. They told her that her father was in here, being eaten by a monster. So she snuck into the palace, wanting to save her father from harm."

He would laugh if it wasn't so typical. "Maris?"

Maris came over immediately.

Zarya watched while Darling whispered something to Maris and Maris quickly left the room.

The girl's father peeled her off his leg and forced her to stand in front of him. "Drus, you have to leave now. I have important business to attend to."

The little girl sniffed and nodded. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I was just so scared you were hurt."

Zarya moved to take the girl's hand. "Come with me, sweetie." But before they left, she led Drus over to Darling.

With those voluminous, official robes that obscured his entire body, and the cowl covering his face and head, he did appear scary and fierce. Especially since no one could see or read his expressions.

However, Zarya knew the truth of him and he wasn't the minion of evil they feared him to be. "Drus, this is Governor Cruel. See what I told you, he's not a monster. He's just a man, like any other."

Darling knelt down on the floor and held his gloved hand out to her.

The girl stepped back to hide behind Zarya.

Kneeling down to her level, Zarya patted her on the back and turned her around to face Darling.

His damaged voice filled with patience, he tried again. "It's all right, Drus. I won't hurt you. I promise. You know, you remind me of my baby sister when she was a little girl."

Her eyes widened in awe. "You have a sister?"

"I do, indeed. Like you, she's very beautiful, and very dear to me." There was a smile in his tone as he spoke gently to her. "I also have a couple of very mean brothers, as well."

That made the corners of her mouth twitch as if she wanted to smile, too, but was still too afraid to try it. "Really?"

"Really. They're standing right there." He pointed toward them.

Drake and Ryn appeared less than amused by his description. But neither said anything to refute it.

The girl giggled.

Maris returned with a small box. He bowed formally as he presented it to Darling.

"Thank you, Lord Maris." Darling opened the box and pulled a small medal out that he held up for Drus to see. "Do you know what this is, Drus?"

She shook her head.

"It's called the Recognition of Honor and Courage. We give these to the soldiers who show exceptional bravery while under fire. Men and women who stand up for others even when it's really scary for them to do so." He tied a small knot in the ribbon to shorten its length. "I would like to present this to you."

Drus scowled at him. "Why?"

"Because you were terrified for your father. Even though you thought he was fighting a scary monster, you came inside to check on him, and I'm quite sure you thought you'd get into a lot of trouble for it."

She nodded vigorously. "Setchel said that I'd get fed to the monster, too."

"See," Darling continued, "that's extremely brave. Now if you'll kneel in front of me, I'd like to give you your award."

Zarya smiled as Drus knelt like an adult in front of her governor.