The Prince's Brother

Admiring a small collection of intricate wood figurines, Sabina picked up a delicate bird ornament when a light breeze passed through the room. It was sudden and chilling.

She placed the piece down and froze.

There was a woman in the room, watching her. Appraising the visitor, Sabina was aware her beauty was nothing in comparison.

The woman had unnaturally glossy, inky-black hair, giant green eyes and full, ruby lips. Her lashes were long, the colour of her eyes accentuated by black and gold powder. She wore a red velvet gown that fitted obscenely to her luscious figure, blending mystically into the floor.

Sabina had never seen such a striking, dangerous-looking woman.

"Dante's new bride," the woman sneered with mocking hostility.

Sabina edged back. "W-Who are you?"

"Estella," the woman bared her teeth in a vicious smile, appearing malicious and beautiful at once. "Has the Prince not mentioned me?"

Sabina shook her head nervously.

The lady tilted her head to consider Sabina, her eyes flared. "So, it's true. He found his virgin bride."

"I...I..." Sabina stammered. "I don't want to marry him."

"Then let me assist you," Estella smiled, fluidly moving closer. "I can make you ineligible for his ceremony."

"How?"

Estella's smile widened to a deadly grin. "You're just a stupid girl." She went right up to Sabina, who stood rooted to the ground with terror.

Sabina backed away when Estella tried to lift her skirts. "What are you doing?" she spluttered, turning red.

Estella laughed wickedly and held up her hand, one of her nails elongated and curved into a vicious blade. "I was going to pierce your maidenhead," she said innocently.

"No!" Sabina said shrilly, backing away with terror.

"Very well." Estella moved closer, palms held up peacefully to gently settle on Sabina's shoulders. "Do you know what the Prince requires for his heart's desire?"

Sabina swallowed, certain she didn't want to know.

Estella's cold hands slid from Sabina's shoulders to wrap around her throat. "You'll be good at the ceremony, won't you?" she cooed, her fingers stiffening and tightening.

Sabina choked and struggled, trying to dislodge Estella's excruciating hold on her neck.

"Won't you oblige me first?" Estella hissed, her icy fingers constricting until Sabina felt her neck might snap. "Will you do the same for me? Will you be a good girl and die?"

Sabina would have screamed if she could draw air.

Both women dropped to their knees. Through red and black spots Sabina saw Estella's face, filled with a terrifying hatred, hungrily watching her perish.

Sabina collapsed to the floor, eventually opening her eyes to dimly watch boots swiftly pace the ground, then Sebastian pulled her up.

"Are you hurt?" he demanded, looking furious. "Sabina, answer me!"

"She tried to kill me," she croaked.

Scowling, Sebastian carried her to the bed and poured a glass of water. "I should have warned you about her."

Sabina drank, cringing at the pain in her neck when she swallowed. "Estella?" Sabina rasped, massaging her throat.

Sebastian gently moved her hands away, his face tightening when he saw the bruises. "She was always brazened, but this..." he shook his head. "It will be up to Dante to deal with her."

"Who is she?"

"The Prince's mistress," he shortly answered. "A witch."

"A witch?" Sabina faintly repeated.

"A very dangerous one." He lightly stroked Sabina's throat.

Sabina sighed as the soreness left her skin. Sebastian retreated and she lightly felt her neck, feeling no pain. "Are you a witch, too?"

Sebastian looked affronted. "No."

"Will she try to hurt me again?"

"Probably," he nodded. "I'll speak with Dante."

"Estella mentioned the ceremony-"

"What about it?" Sebastian said sharply.

"What will be done to me?"

Sebastian looked away. "Don't let yourself be unsettled by a jealous woman."

Sabina frowned. Estella's jealousy was the last of her concerns. "She spoke of it like it won't be a common ceremony," she pried.

He still didn't look at her. "You'll be a Queen, Sabina. Consider it a privilege."

Sabina watched him. "What are you hiding?"

Sebastian's eyes were on her Sabina's bare feet, soft and pretty. His chest expanded as his breathing deepened. "What?"

"You're hiding something," Sabina said, close to tears.

"You're a prisoner, what does it matter?" Sebastian snapped angrily, pacing the room. He paused his stride when he saw tears trailing down her face. "I must speak with Dante about Estella. She'll not bother you again." He bowed and left her crying.

****

Sabina had no idea how long she sat in a depression. Opening her chamber door, she was confronted by two waiting soldiers. They stoically bowed to her.

"I wish to leave the castle," Sabina said tentatively, feeling deflated when the soldiers exchanged a glance and didn't move. She squared her shoulders.

"Take me to Sebastian," she ordered, releasing a breath of relief when one turned and directed her to follow him, the other walking behind her.

They passed through many corridors and rooms, servants, and military men who bowed, staring after her. They continued down various staircases leading deeper beneath the castle.

Sabina's nervousness heightened when the rooms changed from austere royalty to smooth brick as they moved even lower underground.

The setting was dark and ominous. Dungeon-like. She was about to express a change of mind when a strange, repetitive thud echoed in the distance from a brightly lit room, growing louder as they approached.

Though afraid, Sabina still followed the soldier in front until he stood aside for her to enter the room where the deafening sound came from. When she hesitated the soldier behind gently nudged her onward.

****

Preparing for the worst, Sabina froze in the doorway, staring at Sebastian, sweating and shirtless, hammering a sliver of metal.

Common decency would call for an averted gaze, but she couldn't look away. He was a raw and breathtaking sight.

Lips parted, she observed every muscle and shining contour of Sebastian's chest and arms, his brute strength. His hair was untied, giving a more rugged appearance. His face was tensed with concentration, and strangely beautiful in the light of the fire despite the violent movement that strangely stirred something inside her.

Watching him, Sabina remembered her first kiss with Corbett, thinking how different it might have been if she was kissing Sebastian.

Sabina continued to shamelessly stare, forgetting how fearful she was seconds ago.

Sebastian straightened when he saw her. "What do you need?"

"What are you doing?" she uttered, hoping to hide how impressed she was. "Are you a blacksmith?"

Sebastian sighed and wiped sweat from his brow. "I enjoy the craft."

"Is that not an inferior undertaking for...for royalty?" she blinked.

"My ability is far from ordinary, and I'll not quell my desires for fear of what others think." Sebastian smiled. "Do I appear inferior in this light?"

Awed by him, Sabina swallowed, uncomfortably aware of a different desire spreading through her. He looked exceptionally intimidating, and her whole body was responding to it. Her eyes were drawn to the shine of sweat on his bare skin. She imagined licking it and was surprised by the flare of arousal the thought conjured.

Sebastian's eyes were on the flush of Sabina's cheeks before they dropped to where her nipples had visibly hardened under the fabric, her chest rising in a telling breathlessness.

"My weaponry is specialised," he continued, looking down to add some finishing hits to the metal. "Even Dante's pride would not let him wield a sword made by another."

He tossed the hammer aside and wiped his hands with a cloth, finally giving Sabina his full attention. "I could craft anything you please, when you are Queen," he said carelessly, throwing the rag aside.

Sabina fidgeted with her lace, feeling the heat of the room. "I wanted to speak with you."

"I have spoken with Dante about Estella, he will deal with her," Sebastian said. "Is that why you've come?"

Sabina shook her head and Sebastian tilted his head, mildly curious. "Very well. Go to your room and wait for me there."

"But..."

"Are you not finished admiring me?" Sebastian remarked, laughing when she looked scandalised. "Go."

Sabina quickly backed out of the room, almost colliding with the waiting soldiers.

****

When Sebastian entered Sabina's quarters, she was seated before a large mirror, frowning at her reflection. She saw him and blushed, trying to dismiss the image of his naked, muscled chest.

Sebastian had freshened up and dressed in white, appearing respectably attractive but for the strange glint in his dark eyes.

"What do you need?" he asked, his eyes darting and narrowing at a shimmering green scarf draped across one of Sabina's coffers. "Did Dante gift that to you?"

Sabina turned with surprise to stare at the sleek material. "It's beautiful. I've no idea how..."

"I have an idea," he said sourly, stalking over to the scarf and lifting it. Immediately, the material wrapped about his neck.

After turning very red, Sebastian managed to rip it from his throat. He tore the material in two, tossing one half across the room and stuffing the other into his pocket. "Estella, the minx."

"Minx?" Sabina exclaimed. "Surely a murder attempt calls for a less flippant term?"

"There's an extreme side to her playfulness," Sebastian said dryly. "It's a cursed object, not an assassination piece. Probably her idea of compromise. It would choke you to unconsciousness and ensure you remain in that state for a long time, that's all."

"Oh, if that's all!" Sabina said sarcastically.

Sebastian thoroughly checked the entire chamber to his satisfaction, then returned to her. "What did you want to speak to me about?"

Sabina bit her lip. "You're a Prince. You must have some authority here..."

"Stop," he said sharply. "Attempting to enlist my aid would be a waste of time for both of us."

Her face fell. "Do I have to go to the ball?"

"Yes. You have not met some of the more senior members of our military. The Prince wants you accustomed to regal duties, which includes hosting soirees and charming guests. You need practice."

"But I'm a prisoner!"

"Nobody cares. You would not be the first to be imprisoned by wedlock. I would say in your world it's customary. The Prince and his men only care for a beautiful face and pleasant company."

"Estella is much prettier," Sabina mumbled.

Sebastian's eyebrows raised. "She is by no means a mortal virgin."

"So, you agree she's prettier than me," Sabina blurted before biting her tongue.

"You're beautiful in a way that others would prefer," he said carefully.

Sabina blushed, recalling the half-naked vision of him beating metal. "I'm not that comely," she muttered, mortified by her outburst.

Cynicism spread across Sebastian's face. "Tell me about the groom you ran from. Was he marrying you for money?"

Sabina scowled. "No."

"For your bloodline?"

"Perhaps," Sabina said, raising her chin. "My great Uncle on my father's side was Earl of-"

"Had you the face of a sow and the figure to match, would he have offered for you?"

Sabina glared furiously. "That is an irrelevant exaggeration-"

"Enough games, Sabina. He wanted to fuck you," he said frankly. "Dante hardly had an array of choices, but even if presented with other options he would have chosen you."

"Well, I wouldn't choose him!"

"Then who would you choose?" Sebastian asked. "Your mortal suitor may not have matched your beauty, but he was certainly not an ogre-"

"How would you know what he looks like?" Sabina demanded.

Sebastian hesitated.

"You were watching me!" Sabina accused. "You already knew my name, that's how you knew I lied."

"I heard the other stall owner call your name," he calmly responded.

Sabina narrowed her eyes. "You were watching me."

"I was not the only one doing the watching before nightfall," he retorted. "I wonder if my brother should know his future wife is a lewd peeper, spying on prostitutes."

"Oh!" Sabina raged. "I didn't want to! And you might have come to my aid!"

"From my viewpoint, I couldn't be certain if you were willing or not," Sebastian shrugged.

Sabina shuddered. "You were watching me before that. You purchased my fruit-"

"I like fresh apples," Sebastian said dismissively.

"Why were you watching me?" Sabina persisted.

Sebastian's face darkened. "A conceited presumption, Sabina."

"Then you weren't watching me?"

"I watched the town for a purpose," he said irritably. "For Dante."

Sabina stared. "Why?"

Sebastian shook his head. "Enough."

"I deserve to know," she argued, resenting the fact her life purpose seemed continually based on the agenda of others. "Why were you watching the town?"

Sebastian turned away. "If Dante marries a mortal virgin, he will gain access to the living world."

"You were a...Royal scout?" she said slowly. "You selected me for him?"

"My presence was more strategic." He still didn't look at her. "This kingdom is mostly comprised of men. They have had dealings with lower creatures from the Under Realm. But the living," he shook his head. "With their bodily softness, their souls, beating hearts... You can imagine what their first objective will be when the soldiers cross over."

"The...Under Realm?"

"Your people would call it 'Hell'" he clarified.

Sabina paled. "I'm here because Hell's army wants to pillage the world?"

"There would be a new order, that's for certain," Sebastian said gravely. "The royalty of your world would be no match for Dante. One at a time, your cities will fall, and your women...and some men... will be claimed by fallen soldiers. The natural resources will be important, and my role was to plot a way that they would not be destroyed in the takeover."

"Fallen soldiers?" Sabina repeated with horror. "The dead ones?!"

"Lust never dies," Sebastian shrugged. "If the Dark Prince could procure a mortal virgin on All Hallows Eve, the Black Eve, more precisely; the one time of year he can pierce the veil between the dead and the living-"

"But you're not dead," Sabina argued.

Sebastian gave her a contemplative look. "While I'm here, I should design your gown for the ball."

"I'm not going."

"Yes, you are," Sebastian said with raised eyebrows. "If Dante has to carry you to the Ball, the audience will enjoy the entertainment. And then Dante will punish you, so you'll know better next time." He considered her, inwardly pleased to have shifted the conversation. "Have you had clothing tailored to your figure?"

"I'm not a peasant," she said icily.

"Your mother was not rich," he pointed out, crossing his arms across a broad chest, almost jovial in a rare moment. "There are some aspects to this arrangement you could enjoy, Sabina."

"I'm nothing more than a prisoner!" she snapped.

"The most privileged prisoner to exist," Sebastian responded.

Sabina eyed him. "Will I have ruling powers?"

Sebastian laughed harshly. "Your power will be limited to what the King concedes. Domestic matters," he clarified with an aggravating smile. "He may let you decide on the castle's interior decor."

Sabina's blue eyes lit up. "Could I have you executed?"

Sebastian shook his head. "But you will certainly have execution powers. Just not over anyone who matters."

"Like royalty," Sabina said wryly.

"Or Estella," Sebastian added, grinning when Sabina shuddered before a thought struck her.

"What will happen at the ceremony?" she asked. "What will Dante do to me?"

"This again." Sebastian sighed and sat beside her. "He will marry you, and you will start a new life as Queen."

"I'll be like you?"

Sebastian hesitated. "No, you'll be like the Prince."

"Like the Prince?" Sabina repeated, her brow pinched. "B-But-"

"He will try for an heir with you," Sebastian interjected. "There's no point concealing that."

"So I'll be ravished every night," Sabina muttered.

Sebastian tensed. "It is unlikely to be that often. He will only ever want Estella."

"He fondled me on the journey to the kingdom," Sabina revealed, turning red.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes. "That's because he's a pervert."

"Why doesn't he marry Estella?"

"And give up the opportunity to claim the living world? It has been his dream for decades."

"Why does he want it so much?" Sabina pried, noticing a strange look cross his face.

Sebastian ignored her question. "Dante would prefer a black lace gown for the occasion, but I believe you would be exquisite in sapphire blue. Red may rouse the men too much. Do you have a preference?"

Sabina just shook her head, her eyes troubled.

Sebastian went to the door. "Then I look forward to seeing you in blue. The dress will be in your cupboard within the hour."

"I choose black!" Sabina snapped, but the door had already closed behind Sebastian.

****

An hour later, Sabina opened the cupboard door and snarled at the glittering black gown. It was a delicate arrangement of fine lace that was very sheer down the front. A dainty mask was attached with gleaming black ribbon.

Aside from the kidnapping and enslavement, Sabina couldn't pinpoint exactly why she was so furious. Sebastian supplied a gown of the colour she chose, knowing she only selected it to aggravate him, and now she was going to please the Prince she was being forced to marry.

Sabina slammed the cupboard door and gasped with fright at her reflection. She gazed down at the sparkling black gown, then to the mirror again. The little mask tugged on her wrist as though eager to be used.

"What in the Gods?!" she breathed, turning when Sebastian entered.

He was in ball attire, a gold-vested costume with a black domino mask in his vest pocket, his hair neatly tied. Impressively charming. "Words fail me," he murmured with a light bow.

"What are you doing here!" Sabina snarled ungraciously, covering herself with her hands.

The centre of her breasts down to her belly were obscenely visible through the lace, as were her long legs, one side of the skirts falling away with her step to reveal a high-split. She had never felt so indecently exposed in her life, aside from when Sebastian had inspected her on the bed.

"I have come for a last perusal before the Prince arrives to escort you," Sebastian answered. Eyeing her luscious figure, his expression darkened. "Will you dance with me tonight?"

Seething, Sabina thought for a moment. "Yes, I will," she sneered. If there was already friction between the brothers, she would encourage it.

Sebastian arched an eyebrow. "Dante won't be jealous. Speaking of Jealousy, has Estella kept her distance?" he checked, and Sabina grudgingly nodded.

"Good." Sebastian bowed and left.

Sabina nervously paced the room, fidgeting with her mask. She tried it on, then removed it. She hadn't seen the Prince since the night he'd taken her.

She knew it was him the second he opened the door; like the witch, his presence chilled the entire room. He silently appraised her.

"I am pleased," was all he said.

All of Sabina's tempestuous bravado fled the moment she met his frightening black gaze. She found herself longing for Sebastian's warm mockery.

Dante approached, in a suit of matching black satin, his dark hair neatly swept back, his mask fitted into a pocket of his cravat. "Sebastian has outdone himself. How is my bride?"

'Unwilling,' Sabina thought, lowering her eyes.

Unbothered by her silence, Dante took both her hands and pressed a kiss to each palm, the intimate gesture devoid of affection. "Come, the men are eager to see you."

****