Page 2 of Endlessly Raphael

“What I want with you, dear Raphael, is simple. You’ll come with me and join my household.”

“I am no man’s slave.”

He only chuckles in response. “Yes, you’ll do just fine, Raphael.”

Yves snaps his fingers and the guard returns promptly, leaving me curious about the man before me. Who is he to command the king’s guards and keep his head?

Yves and the guard discuss something I can’t hear, and I watch as Yves hands the guard a satchel I assume to be filled with coins. The guard swings around and glares at me.

“Fortune shines upon you,” he says, unlocking my shackles.

“I’m free to go?” I ask incredulously.

“Not free, no,” the guard says. “You are the property of Senor Orpheus. If you are found outside of his company without express permission, the king will have you imprisoned once more.”

He practically snarls the words at me while Yves looks on with a passive expression. My pride and self-preservation rise like bile in my throat, urging me to fight my way out of this mess, but I’m no fool. The palace is thick with guards who won’t hesitate to kill me.

I simply nod to avoid venting the defiance on my tongue.

I follow Yves from the bowels of the palace to the glorious outdoors again. The sun is shining and the air is fragrant from nearby gardens. Yves leads me to a carriage. A man steps out and opens the door, smiling at me with a subtle head nod. He is almost as beautiful as Yves, with long black hair tied back in a ribbon that catches the light of the sun, and a gaze that feels like he can see right through me.

“Alessio, this is Raphael.”

Alessio’s smile grows, and he touches a lock of my hair. “Quite stunning.”

“Please do not soil your hands by touching me.”

Alessio chuckles. “A little dirt never hurt me.” He turns to Yves. “I can’t believe you found him so quickly.”

“Word travels fast in Madrid,” Yves says, gesturing for me to step onto the carriage ledge.

“What is happening here?” I ask.

“We will tell you,” Yves says.

Once we’re settled in, Yves and Alessio sitting across from me, I wait for an explanation.

“We saw you two nights ago,” Yves finally says. “In the square. You appeared to be looking for companionship?”

My heart sinks. “You saw that?”

“Oh yes,” Yves answers. “You stand out even amidst the beauty of Spain. I intended to pay your price for a bit of your time, but you were stolen out from under me.”

I would much rather have been with him than the spoiled pig of a man I chose. At least it was over quickly, and he paid my price without a quibble.

“We asked around,” Alessio says. “We learned you had been imprisoned, but not why.”

Their expectant expressions make it clear they want to know what I did to end up here.

“I was caught in the prince’s room.”

“The prince?” Yves says with one eyebrow raised. “How did you manage that?”

“He’s been a lover of mine for some time. Normally, we are more discreet, but he invited me to his rooms believing his father would be away. As it turns out, the king delayed his trip and discovered his son’s secret.”

Both men are silent as I continue.

“My lover did nothing to save me. He stood by silently as his guards beat me and his father ordered my imprisonment.”