They were both grown men now and neither bore much resemblance to the twins who'd been separated. Just like him, Acheron was taller than most Greek men, with lean, well-defined muscles that were still in the process of filling out. Acheron's skin was slightly paler than Styxx's, yet both possessed the same exact wavy blond hair. Styxx kept his cut to just past his ears while Acheron's fell to his shoulders.
His brother was completely naked except for gold bands on his ankles, wrists, biceps, and neck. A thin gold chain linked his wristband to the one on his biceps. Styxx winced at them and what they signified. Those tsoulus chains were put on young men and women who were essentially kept as pets for the sexual perversions of the ruling class. While his father had never owned one, Styxx knew plenty of noblemen, princes, and kings who were not so kind. Men who bragged about their property and how they loved to debase their slaves who had no choice except to take it.
But what made him angriest of all were the small loops on the wrist and ankle bands. Those were to tie his brother into different positions so that his owner would have full access to his body to do anything he wanted while Acheron would be powerless to stop it. The fact that they were cast in gold and left on Acheron's limbs even while he slept said it all.
His uncle used his brother well and often.
Styxx wanted to kill Estes for what he'd done. You worthless bastard ...
Moving closer, he dropped his gaze to Acheron's open hand where Estes had burned a slave's mark into his palm. That sight repulsed him even more as he realized that had been the pain he'd felt on the day he'd come home from the Dionysion.
Though his uncle had told him what he'd been doing with Acheron, he'd held out hope that Estes was lying or exaggerating the abuse.
But there was no denying this.
His brother really was a well-used whore.
Yet what screwed with his head most was the fact that while he knew it was Acheron on that bed, he saw himself there. They were identical in every way, except for their eyes and physical scars. But for one small birth defect that could have been his as easily as it was Acheron's, he would be the one being bought and sold every day of his life.
He ground his teeth at the injustice of fickle random luck. It was so unfair.
This stops now!
No matter what it took, he was getting Acheron out of this nightmare. Styxx knelt on the floor and reached to touch his brother. The pungent smell of fruit hit him hard. It was the same scent of that damned aphrodisiac his uncle had forced him to take. Please be more coherent than I was.
"Acheron?" he whispered, shaking his brother's shoulder.
Moaning low, Acheron turned his face into Styxx's hand and licked his palm.
Styxx jerked his hand back, stunned and disturbed by Acheron's actions. "Brother?" he tried again.
Acheron moved closer to him. "Idikos," he breathed.
The Atlantean word hit him like a fist to his groin. It was one a slave used for his master.
"Acheron!" he said more sharply, shaking him. "Wake up!"
His brother pushed himself up by his arms immediately, but was so groggy that he couldn't focus. Of course, he was drugged. How else would Estes be able to keep him here?
"What would you have of me, Idikos?" Acheron asked in Atlantean. He was so out of it that he had no idea to whom he was speaking. Even his thoughts were incoherent jumbled words that were a mixture of Greek and Atlantean. Worse, he kept his gaze on the ground as all slaves were forced to do.
Styxx cupped Acheron's face in his hands and tilted his chin until Acheron met his gaze. "Look at me, brother. Do you remember me?"
Styxx? The hopeless agony of Acheron's thought wrenched his stomach hard.
"Yes, adelphos. I've come to take you from here."
That succeeded in breaking through Acheron's drugged stupor. His swirling silver eyes flared wide as terror consumed him. He tore himself from Styxx's hands and scooted back on the bed to cower in a corner.
Styxx shot across the bed after him. "We have to hurry. Where are your clothes?"
"I can't leave," Acheron said in a low, vicious whisper.
"Yes, you can."
Acheron met his gaze and shook his head hard. A tic worked in his jaw. "I cannot leave."
"Are you insane that you would stay here?" Styxx glanced around at all the sex toys and the tag on Acheron's collar that marked him as property and not a human. All slaves were viewed as nothing more than tools with feet. "I will protect you."
"You can't."
Gods, what had they done to him that he'd be so frightened he shivered at the mere thought of having freedom?
Styxx tried to make sense of Acheron's rushing thoughts, but he wasn't thinking in a single language. Rather in about nine of them, only four of which Styxx was truly fluent with. He also used words Styxx wasn't sure about, but he had an inkling they had to do with sex.
"Listen to me!" he said, cupping Acheron's face again. His brother refused to look at him. "Estes isn't here. I've ridden day and night, only stopping to change out horses, to make sure I'd beat him back so that I could help you. I didn't know what he was doing to you, little brother. But now that I do, I swear to you that I will keep you safe."
"You can't."
"Why won't you believe me?"
This time Acheron did meet his gaze, and the abject shame, misery, and pain in his brother's eyes stole his breath. "Because you are me and I couldn't stop them."
"You were a baby."
Acheron shook his head. "You don't know ... you don't know."
"Know what?"
A moment later, Styxx sucked his breath in sharply as Acheron's thoughts spun even faster and with so much emotion they pierced his skull with pain. What in the name of Hades? "Acheron, calm yourself. Where are your clothes?"
"I have none."
Of course he didn't. Why would he? A tsoulus wouldn't need any for his duties.
Styxx removed his cloak and wrapped it around Acheron. Once they were away, he'd buy something for Acheron to wear. The important thing right now was to get him out of here before a guard or servant heard them.
He pulled his brother from the bed, but it was hard to get him across the floor. Acheron fought him every step of the way to the point Styxx was ready to hit him for it.
He's afraid.
And I'm not?
If they were caught ... he didn't want to think about the consequences. Frustrated and angry, Styxx slammed his brother against the wall. "Damn it all, Acheron. Stop this! I'm taking you from here. Stop fighting me."
Acheron glared at him with so much hatred it cut through him. "You think you can control things because you're a prince. But you don't control shit!"
"What I think is I'm putting my ass on the line for you, brother, and you're being stupid. I'm well aware of what's at stake ... for both of us. But we can't live like this. Not me and definitely not you."
"Acheron!"
Both of them froze at Estes's loud bellow.
Crap! How had the bastard returned so fast?
Because it'd taken two days for Styxx to recover enough to ride. He should have factored that in. More than that, his uncle must have rushed to get back to Acheron.
His brother started to go to Estes.
Styxx grabbed his shoulders and stopped him. "We have to leave. Now! Is there another way out of here?" It was only then that he realized there were no windows for this room.
Before Styxx could move, Acheron shouted. "In here, Idikos!"
"Why would you do that to your own brother?"
Acheron gave him a cold, hard stare. "I have no brother. My brother sold me to this."
I protect myself....