Pharaoh’s Pet [BL]

The moment stretched, suffocating in its silence. The chains rattled against the polished limestone floor as the guards dragged the prisoner forward, his steps unsteady but his head still raised.

Nofri-it's heart pounded against his ribs. The man before him was thinner than he remembered, his once-strong frame reduced to sharp angles and hollowed cheeks. But the fire in his dark eyes—gods, that fire still burned.

"Ashan," Nofri-it whispered, his voice barely audible.

His younger brother did not speak. He only stared, his expression unreadable, his arms pulled taut by the chains binding his wrists.

Azech-I had planned this.

Of course, he had.

The Pharaoh did nothing without reason.

Nofri-it tore his gaze from Ashan and met Azech-I's piercing stare. The smirk on the Pharaoh's lips was indulgent, like a lion playing with a wounded gazelle before the kill.

"Surprised?" Azech-I mused, his voice laced with mockery. "You did not think I would bring you home without a welcoming gift, did you?"

Nofri-it's nails dug into his palms. *Don't react. Don't give him the satisfaction.*

But gods, it was hard.

Azech-I stood slowly, descending the dais with an unhurried grace that sent a ripple of unease through the hall. He reached Ashan's side, his fingers tracing the metal shackles as if admiring a prized possession.

"Your brother has been quite… resilient," Azech-I continued, tilting his head. "Much like you." His eyes flicked back to Nofri-it. "And yet, even resilience has its limits."

Nofri-it's breath came slow and measured, his body stiff with restraint. "What do you want?"

Azech-I exhaled a quiet laugh. "So eager," he mused. "But tell me, Nofri-it—what would *you* do, if you were in my place?"

Nofri-it didn't answer. He couldn't.

Because he knew.

If their roles had been reversed, if *he* had been the victorious ruler sitting upon that throne, looking down upon the man who betrayed him…

He would have burned everything.

Every. Last. Thing.

Azech-I knew it too. It was written in the knowing gleam of his eyes, in the slow, deliberate way he stepped around Ashan. He was waiting. Drawing it out.

Playing his first move like a master strategist.

And you're falling into his game.

A deep breath. A slow exhale.

Nofri-it forced his voice to steady. "Whatever vengeance you want—take it out on me. Let him go."

A hush fell over the hall. Some of the courtiers shifted uncomfortably, sensing the undercurrents of something far darker than they had anticipated.

Azech-I merely raised a brow. "You offer yourself so easily?" His smirk widened. "But I have already claimed you, haven't I? You kneel in my court, you wear my chains. What more could I take?"

Nofri-it's jaw clenched.

Azech-I stepped closer, lowering his voice so that only Nofri-it could hear. "You were always willing to suffer for others, weren't you?" His fingers grazed Nofri-it's chin, tilting it upward. "But what if I told you that suffering is never quite enough?"

A scream rang through the air.

Not from Ashan.

From the man standing beside him.

One of the guards had collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest, his body trembling violently. The scent of burning flesh filled the hall, though there were no flames in sight.

Azech-I let out a slow breath, his expression almost… disappointed.

"Unfortunate," he murmured, watching as the man crumpled, lifeless, onto the floor.

Nofri-it's blood turned to ice.

No.

Not this. Not again.

The whispers of Azech-I's power had long been spoken of in hushed tones, stories of a Pharaoh touched by Anubis himself. But Nofri-it had never seen it firsthand—not like this.

The court stood in stunned silence. No one dared move.

Azech-I straightened, his gaze returning to Nofri-it. "You should know by now," he said softly, "that I do not need chains to make a man bow."

The words slithered down Nofri-it's spine like a serpent's caress.

And for the first time since being dragged back to Thebes…

He wondered if he had already lost.

To Be Continued...