Page 101 of Brighter Than Gold

“You can’t rule the unwilling, Your Grace,” she oozed. “Gentlemen, come bow to me.”

As if struck by lightning, the five men jumped from their seats, dropping to their knees and groveling in front of Meloria.

A sour fury leeched down and pooled in my belly.

“How dare you…” I sneered.

“Your Grace, you have a whole Realm of people that bow to you, certainly you aren’t threatened by my five pathetic friends here.”

“That’s enough,” Briggs said, sensing my rising anger. “You know full well that the disrespect you’ve shown the King is enough to have you arrested, and if that’s what you’re looking for then the royal guards have been extremely bored the last few days and would love nothing more than to haul you away. I would highly recommend showing your King an ounce of courtesy, all of you.”

Meloria considered his words and nodded. “Men, bow to your King. It would please me to show him your fealty,” she crooned. Suddenly, all of the men had turned to face me and were bowing at my feet.

“You’re playing a very dangerous game, my lady,” Briggs warned. She eyed him, glancing from his face down to his boots and back up again, taking his measure.

“Wouldyoulike to stay?” she asked him. “I should very much like to play with you…”

There was more than the promise of pain in her voice, and Oakes and Casimir shifted and snorted.

“I go where the King goes,” he said simply.

“Well it’s late, like I said, the public house is the next block over. It was an unexpected pleasure, Your Grace,” Meloria said dismissing us.

“What in the fuck,” Casimir said with a chuckle as he turned to the door. “Let’s go, Burke.”

But I was rooted to where I stood. Something made me want to stay. Something made me want to see what she would do to the men who still cowered at my feet.

“Let’s fucking go!” Casimir insisted as he and Oakes were halfway through the door.

“Go on, I’ll catch up,” I said, turning and pushing them the rest of the way out. “You, too,” I said shoving the guards out as well.

“Burke—” Briggs said.

“I’m staying. Go.”

He huffed. “If you’re staying, I’m staying.”

“Suit yourself,” I said shoving the door closed on my other friends.

The room felt instantly different with the other men gone, and a thrill shot through me.

“There are rules in this room, Your Grace,” Meloria said in a low voice as she walked over to me. She stood chest to chest with me, sizing me up. “And you are not exempt from them.”

“I’ll follow your rules.” She was so contradictory to everything I knew. No one spoke to me this way, I was a fucking King, there was not a soul in the Realm who held authority over me, not one. So why was this suddenly so appealing to me?

“Sit,” she commanded us. My body fought the urge to obey her, just because it was so unnatural. But I forced myself to walk over to the chairs, and sat.

“Sit,” she said to Briggs. I noticed his nostrils flare and I wondered if he was already regretting staying with me. We shared a brief look.

“You watch. Not a word,” she told us. “All right you vile pigs, strip.”

Instantaneously the men jumped to their feet and stripped down, tossing their clothes into a pile near us. They lined up in the center of the room facing away from myself and Briggs, hands clasped behind their backs.

Meloria’s heels clicked against the wooden floor as she walked by the line, back and forth inspecting them.

“Disgusting,” she muttered. “Fucking disgusting.” Meloria spat at the feet of one of the men and to my utter shock, he lowered his head and thanked her. “You’re welcome, maggot.” She stroked the man’s hair affectionately and he pushed into her hand like a touch-starved dog.

“Marigold, Dahlia, the chains please, ladies.”

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