Two Thousand Years | The Empire Saga #1

Chapter Twenty-Four

Alex watched the sky from her position on the bed through the open balcony doors. It was always overcast, the rain non-stop. It seemed like even the clouds were depressed once they crossed over into the Borderlands.

While she was busy contemplating the weather, he walked in.

She didn't need to look to know he was next to her, and she didn't care to move upon sensing his presence next to the bed. She didn't care anymore. She was too numb to care.

"Spending another day in bed?"

"Go away."

"You would think you'd be in better spirits," he went on as he followed her gaze out the window.

She didn't respond.

"I wonder, what sort of reception do you think you will receive upon your return to the Empire?"

"Shut up." She was so tired of his taunts.

She hadn't heard his mages approach until one was standing in her line of sight, blocking her view of the outside world. Before she could react, they grabbed ahold of her and pulled her out of the bed, holding her upright to face Reylor.

He looked her up and down with the smirk that seemed to be permanently on his face.

"Put her in the bath. We can't send her home to her prince looking like this."

She looked up at him. "Home?"

He smiled at her eye contact. "Consider this a gift, Alexstrayna." His hands went to her stomach and touched her swelling abdomen. "Another gift to bestow upon the Empire."

She struggled against the mages hold, but their grip only tightened.

She wanted him dead.

"Besides, what kind of life would the children have, living here? I'm not going to lie—the Borderlands are no place to raise a family." He brushed the hair out of her face. "No, I want you to return to Treyan. I want you to let him see what I've done—what I couldn't have done without you."

She would have strangled him if her arms were free.

"When they are born, and Treyan realizes that what was once his will no longer remain solely his any longer, I will be there, right by your side, to retrieve what's rightfully mine..."

"Nothing is yours," she snarled. "You'll be dead before you get anywhere near the Empire."

"I've done it before, and I have no qualms about doing it again."

She wanted to punch out his teeth, but she spat in his face instead.

Reylor didn't react immediately. Alex flinched when he raised his hand, but he only brought it up to wipe his cheek.

His red eyes, however, dark as blood, told another story. They looked at her with hope and promise despite the harsh contempt within them. He nodded to his mages and they dragged her away to the washroom before an altercation could occur.

Wary of her condition, they stripped her of her rags and put her in the tub. She had cleaned herself in the past, when she felt the motivation to leave the bed, but this was the first time she had felt hot water since the day of her coronation...

She closed her eyes at the memory while they scrubbed her skin raw.

She knew she wasn't taking care of herself. She was just so weak and so tired. She didn't care anymore...

They hoisted her from the bath and brought her back out to the main room where Reylor waited for her. He watched as the mages dressed her in a plain shirt and pants, and while one finished lacing her boots, the other began tying her wrists together in front of her, as if they were concerned for their lord's well-being if her hands remained free. Once they completed their tasks, they sat her down on the edge of the bed. Reylor stood and approached her with something in his hand.