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Acheron was slow Methodical He was like a sultry shadohose every race

He was thinner than Styxx Much thinner, as if he didn&039;t get enough food to eat Even so, his muscles were extremely well shaped and honed to perfection

He still had those eerie silver eyes, but I only gliaze to the floor atelse An air of hopeless resignation surrounded him It was one I&039;d seen countless tiars who caive ely seductive and quiet as he spoke between clenched teeth "I didn&039;t know you&039;d co softly in the quietness, he moved behind me like a sleek, seductive wraith He reached around my neck and unfastened my cloak

Stunned by his actions, I didn&039;t think to protest when he rearment and dropped it to the floor It wasn&039;t until he brushed my hair back from my neck and moved to kiss the bared flesh that I bolted fro?" I asked

He looked as puzzled as I felt, but still he kept his gaze locked on the floor before me "I wasn&039;t prepped on what you paid for, my lady," he said quietly "I assu?"

I was completely baffled by his words as well as the fact that he continued to keep his jaw locked Why did he speak that way? "Paid for what? Acheron, it is I Ryssa"

He frowned as if he had no ain

I stepped away and grabbed my cloak up from the floor "I&039;m your sister, Acheron Do you not know aze for an instant "I have no sister"

My thoughts whirled as I tried to make sense of this This wasn&039;t the boy rote letters to me virtually every day, the boy who told me of his days of leisure

"How can you say that after all the gifts and letters I&039;ve sent you?"

His face relaxed as if he finally understood "Ah, this a game you wish to play with lared at hiame You are my brother and I write to you almost every day and you, in turn, write to me"

I could sense he wanted to look at me and yet he didn&039;t

"I&039;a open A short, round h it He was reading fro attention to us

"Acheron, why aren&039;t you in your" his voice trailed off as he looked up to see rowled He turned angry eyes to Acheron who took two steps back "Are you taking clients without notifying me?"

I saw the fear on Acheron&039;s face

"No, despotis," Acheron said using the Atlantean term for master "I would never do such"

Fury curled the rabbed Acheron by the hair and forced hi here then? Are you giving yourself away for free?"

"No, despotis," Acheron said, clenching his fists as if trying not to reach up and touch thehis hair "Please I swear I&039;ve done nothing wrong"

"Let hirabbed the man&039;s hand and tried to force him away from my brother "How dare you assault a prince! I shall have your head for this!"

The hed in my face "He&039;s no prince Are you, Acheron?"

"No, despotis I auards to escort me out

They cao," I told hilare "I am the Princess Ryssa of the House of Arikles of Didyht Now"

For the first tiive etic "I will have you taken to your uncle&039;s greeting rooance, I turned to leave In the blackto Acheron

Acheron&039;s face paled "Idikos promised I wouldn&039;t have to see him anymore"

The man yanked on Acheron&039;s hair "You will do as you&039;re told Now get up and prepare yourself"

The guards closed the door and forced h the house until we ca room that was bare save for three soing on here Had anyone ever touched me or Styxx the way that man had touched Acheron, my father would have had them instantly killed

No one was allowed to speak to us with anything less than respect and reverence

"Where&039;s uards as they started to withdraw

"He&039;s in town, Highness He&039;ll be back shortly"

"Send for hiuard inclined his head to me, then closed the door

I&039;d only been there a short time when a secret door opened beside the hearth It was the overseer who&039;d been in Acheron&039;s room when I first arrived, the older wohness?" she asked hesitantly "Is it really you?"

It was then I realized who sheme to visit?"

She nodded

I breathed in relief Finally so on here?"

The woed breath as if what she was about to say hurt her deeply "They sell your brother, s to him that no one should have to suffer"

My stomach shrank at her words "What do you mean?"

She twisted her hands in the sleeve of her dress "How old are you, my lady?"

"Three and twenty"

"Are you a maiden?"

I was offended that she would dare ask such an intiiveto see if you will understand what they do to him Do you knohat a tsoulus is?"

"Of course, I" Absolute horror consumed me It was an Atlantean term that had no real Greek translation, but I knew the word They were young men and women trained as sexual slaves for the wealthy and noble Unlike prostitutes and others of that ilk, they were very carefully trained and sequestered froe my brother had been when they took him away from home

"Acheron is a tsoulus?"

She nodded

My head reeled This couldn&039;t be "You lie"

She shook her head no "It&039;s why I told you to come, my lady I knew you wouldn&039;t believe it unless you saw it for yourself"

And I still didn&039;t believe it It wasn&039;t possible "My uncle would never allow such"

"Your uncle is the one who sells him What do you think paid for this house?"

I felt sick with the news and still part of me denied as truly obvious "I don&039;t believe you"

"Then come, if you dare, and see for yourself"

I didn&039;t want to and yet I followed her into the back passageways of the house We walked endlessly until we reached the antechaer to her lips to caution in, but I wasn&039;t naive I had overheard others copulating at the parties my father forbade me to attend

But worse than the sounds of pleasure were the cries of pain I heard froreat pleasure in the pain he caused him

I started for the door only to find the woman in my way

She spoke in a low, deadly tone "Stop them, ine"

Her whispered words went through me My soul screaht about everything so far She knewI wanted was to see him hurt more

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, there was silence

I heard heavy footsteps cross the bedchamber, then the door opened and closed

Stunned, I couldn&039;t breathe I couldn&039;t move

The maid opened the door to his room to show Acheron chained to the bed by those circles The ones at his wrists and ankles had been slid onto the bird beaks that decorated the four posts

And I&039;d stupidly thought them to be hooks for bed curtains

"I wasn&039;t prepped on what you paid for I assu?"

Those words tore through me as I watched the woht of hi

My brother

Tears filled my eyes as I remembered him the last time I&039;d seen him His plump face had been hurt, but not like this Now his lips were split, his left eye swelling, his nose bloodied There were red handprints and bruises for over most of his body

No one deserved this

I took a step forward at the same time the far door opened The overseer motioned me out of the room

Terrified, I rushed to the shadohere I could hear but not be seen

A curse rang out "What has happened here?" I recognized Uncle Estes&039;s voice

"I&039;m fine, Idikos," Acheron said, his voice thick and pain-filled It sounded as if he left the bed and stury at the man who&039;d hurt Acheron He wasn&039;t His wrath was for my brother

"You&039;re worthless," Estes snarled "Look at you You&039;re not worth a lead sola like this"

"I&039;m fine, Idikos," Acheron insisted in a voice so obsequious it turned my stomach "I can cleanhim

I heard Acheron&039;s protest, but instead of words, his voice was

I wanted the courage to barge into the room and tell them to stop, but I couldn&039;t seem to make my feet obey me I was too horrified to move

I listened as chains clinked and then I heard the sound of wood striking flesh

Acheron cried out, a ed on and on until Acheron was finally silent I sank to the floor, weeping for hi my tears as I tried to think of what I should do How I could stop this?

Who in the world would ever believe me? Estes was my father&039;s most beloved brother There was no way he&039;d take my word over his None

"Put hi?" the other h "Even with his ability to heal quickly, it&039;ll be at least a day before he&039;s well enough to entertain again Find Ores and make him pay us for our losses Cancel Acheron&039;s appoint"

"What about food?" the female overseer asked

Estes snarled, "If he can&039;t work, he can&039;t eat He hasn&039;t earned his food this day"

I heard a door open and close

"Nohere isroom," the man said

"She wasn&039;t there when I ca into town," the overseer quickly supplied "She&039;ll be back shortly, I&039;m sure"

"Let me know the instant she returns," Estes snarled "Tell her Acheron is away, visiting friends"

Theat the bathing pond Staring at the mirrored walls of this room

How many clients had my brother entertained? How many days had he lived hat I&039;d just witnessed?

He&039;d been gone for nine years Surely it hadn&039;t always been like this for hiht sickened me

The overseer returned I saw the horror in her eyes and wondered if I held the sa have they done this to him?" I asked

"I&039;ve worked here for al on since before I came"

I tried to think of what I should do I was a wo in this world of male power My uncle wouldn&039;t listen to me For that matter, my father wouldn&039;t listen toJust as I couldn&039;t believe the uncle who

Yet there was no denying this

How could Estes co that while he was here at ho a boy as identical to Styxx in every way, but for his eyes?

It didn&039;tI kneas that I couldn&039;t leave Acheron here Not like this

"Can you getseen?" I asked her

The maid nodded