King of Me (The King Trilogy #3)(37)
Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

I nodded.

“And you understand he has left me all alone to pick up the pieces, but I am helpless to stop the destruction that comes.”

Again I nodded and looked into Callias’s distraught eyes. Why did he have to look exactly like King? Why? “This is so screwed up.”

He smiled. “I am glad someone understands.” He sat next to me. “This outcome was never my desire. But now the people cry out for my head. My brother is a martyr, and there is nothing I can do to win them or restore peace.”

Dammit. I didn’t want to feel sorry for him.

I drew a breath. “I’m sorry. I wish I could help you.”

“As do I.”

“So, why are you here?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Because tomorrow we will lay my brother’s body into the ground, and my guards will kill me in vengeance.”

My head whipped up. “What?”

“I realize it is hard to believe, but I do have friends. And they have warned me in hopes that I will run and save myself.”

“What are you going to do?” I asked.

“Tomorrow I will die and join my brother.”

“He wouldn’t have wanted that,” I argued.

“I know. However, that is the way it will end, and I cannot live with the guilt of killing him, so it is for the best.”

So everyone dies for nothing. Holy frigging Greek tragedy from hell!

On the other hand…“Well, you killed him, Callias. You ended your brother’s life, and you should hate yourself. Because you should’ve known the situation was f**ked up. I mean, didn’t it cross your mind to tell him that you’ve got a lot of enemies?”

“I did not know the people despised me as much as they do.”

I still wanted to claw his face. He didn’t deserve to wear something so beautiful. “You know what? It doesn’t matter now. Just leave.” Because, frankly, I had my own troubles to deal with, meaning if I ever wanted to see the man I loved, I had to make that bracelet work. I also had to mentally sort through what the recent turn of events meant for my family.

“I feel worse than you could ever imagine,” Callias said.

“Why are you still here?”

His face bright red, he said, “Because I was there when you cursed him. I saw the look in your eyes, and I wished to spend my last night on earth with someone who understands my pain. I wanted,” he said bitterly, “to remember my brother and share it with someone who loved him as much as I did.”

“Oh.” Feeling the despair and sincerity in his words, I shrank back. Goddammit! I couldn’t win. Even if I wanted to blame him for everything, I couldn’t.

Staring down at my feet, I sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I did. I’m just…angry. And I miss him.”

“So I was right; you did love him.”

“Do,” I corrected. “That’s why I cursed him—to keep him alive.” I realized how strange that sounded, but there was no other way to explain it. “But now I don’t know if I’ve done the right thing.” Had I condemned everyone to relive the fate I so desperately wanted to change? I didn’t know.

“You did what you had to,” he said. “As did I.”

“This is so damned awful.”

“Does this mean you will grant a dying man his last wish?”

“You want me to keep you company?” I asked.

“Yes.”

Insanity. Who would want to be near me? I was a mess.

“I promise,” he said, “it is what Draco would have wanted.”

What a guilt trip. And it worked. “Okay,” I whispered.

“Thank you.” Callias hugged me tightly like a big dopey kid. “Draco was right about you. You have a merciful heart.”

Unable to breathe, I wiggled loose. “Not really.”

Callias gripped my shoulders. “If I had been in your shoes, I would have killed me on the spot. Trust me, you are quite merciful.”

~~~

Except for the mind-blowing, sexy-as-hell body just like King’s, Callias was nothing like his brother. Callias liked to play and goof around with his guy friends, mainly drinking watered- down wine (they all seemed to be lightweights) and picking up women. He had zero interest in ruling or taking on responsibilities. I’d heard about twins being opposites, but now I’d finally seen it with my own eyes.

After safely depositing the Artifact in the bottom of King’s treasure basket and instructing the guards not to let anyone in for any reason, Callias and I made our way to a quiet beach east of the palace, away from any crowds. All Callias wanted to do was talk about Draco, as if holding his own private memorial with me. It was sad and touching the way Callias looked up to his brother.

“Draco was the one my father groomed to rule,” he said. “Not me.”

“Did that make you mad?” I asked, holding down my blue flowing dress around my h*ps as the wind picked up. Callias, on the other hand, didn’t seem at all bothered when his little man skirt flipped up, putting his penis on full display. I tried not to peek, but they were twins and…well, my curiosity got the best of me.

Yep, identical.

Anyway, the Minoan attitude toward nudity was pretty different than my own.

“No. I never felt envious of my brother,” Callias answered. “Quite the opposite. No one cared about how I spent my time, so I enjoyed the fruits of life—played with other children growing up, spent time with my mother, fished, drank, hunted…I did whatever pleased me. I felt sorry for Draco.”

It was so ironic. Draco was the one saddled with the future of their people, so Callias got to be the reckless wild child. Little did anyone know how things would turn out.

“So what was King—I mean, Draco, like?”

Callias shrugged his broad bare shoulders. Funny, even the way he frowned was exactly like King. It only made me miss him more, but I willed myself to keep it together. I desperately wanted to be there for Callias and take care of him like I would my own brother.

“Draco was always serious, always tough, never like a child. My cousins and I feared him. Even when we were little, I remember wanting to hide when I saw Draco.”

I laughed. “I can completely imagine him being a little tyrant. It suits him.”

“I think his attitude was a product of my father’s grooming. He was extremely hard on Draco, shunning any signs of weakness. He wanted my brother to be a fair man and understand compassion, but not be controlled by it.”