“I’m not ashamed of my body.”
“Or of interrupting me. It’s a figure of speech, woman. You remained defiant where others would break. You kept your head where others would not. You cared for others weaker than yourself. You acted a princess…or a queen.”
I snort. “Get to the point.”
“I run a perfect country.”
“Debatable, but go on.”
“This is all on my shoulders.” He rolls them and stretches his neck, as if to ease the invisible burden. “When I am gone all of this goes with me, unless I provide an heir to rule after me.”
I blink a few times.
“You’re fucking joking, right?”
He turns to me. “No. Marry me.”
My jaw drops. “You are joking. That’s absurd. We just met, and I don’t like you. In fact, I think I hate you.”
“Why?”
“Should I make a list? Okay, let’s start with the head chopping, and then taking me and my friend prisoner, that’s two items, then there’s all the oppression and violence of your totalitarian regime, that’ll be three. Oh, and you feed defenseless bunny rabbits to a trained mutilation bird. You’re a creep. Is that good enough?”
“You’re not a prisoner here.”
“Oh? So I can go back to America and return to my family now?”
“No, but not because of me. If I let you go, it will be a death sentence.”
I blink a few times.
“What?”
He looks away from me and squeezes his fists together. “The CIA man. His backers will allow no loose ends. You heard too much, saw too much. You will not be allowed to live. Something would happen. A car accident. Your plane would go down over the ocean. You would fall strangely ill and doctors would be helpless to save your life.”
“That…”
That makes a lot of sense, actually.
“What if no one knows about me?”
“It is too late. I spoke to ‘Brad,’” his mouth twists in disgust, “at length on this matter. He explained to me in detail how he told his superiors about you. He had you marked out to lead into my territory even before you followed your tent mate to rendezvous with the truck. After she disappeared he would have found you and asked you to go looking for her, with him.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I started with his feet.”
A choked sound squeezes out of my throat.
“I’m going to be sick. You tortured him?”
“I questioned him. Sharply. He’s alive. Though not well.”
I swallow. It feels like my throat is packed with wet dirt.
“I had hoped you would see things my way.”
“Oh?”
“Your courage drew my attention, and you are quite lovely. Even then, more so now.”
I feel myself start to blush. Damn it.
“If you tell me I have birthing hips, I will kick you in the face.”
“What do I have to do before you speak to me with respect?”
“Earn it,” I say sharply.
He leans toward me, resting his hand on the bed next to my hip. “There it is. That is why. You are not afraid, are you?”
I swallow. “Yes. I am. You scare the hell out of me. You could kill me at any moment and no one will stop you. Nobody will even know I’m gone.”
“Even more, then. Fear is not the end of bravery, it is the beginning. It is easy to be defiant against the powerless. You’re right. I have total sovereignty over my lands. I’m the last absolute monarch in the world. I can do whatever I want. Have whatever I want.”
“You can’t have me,” I say firmly. “You can drag me to the altar, put a ring on my finger, hold me down and use me, but you’ll never have me. I’ll never love you.”
“Persephone…”
“Stop calling me that.”
“You who have so much concern for my people. Think of what will happen if I am gone with no one to take my place. Anarchy. All of this will fall apart and the technology I’ve shown you will spread beyond my borders, to men who will use it not as I have, but to do the very things you accuse me of doing.”
“Very eloquent, but I’m not going to be a monster’s little pet.”
“What do you want?”
“I want to go home.”
“You’d be executed by your own government. I will not allow that. You are too precious.”
“Then let me see my friend.”
“I can do that.”
“Let me see some people. I don’t care about your fancy robotic garbage trucks, I want to see some other human beings besides the ones who bring you your shoes in the morning. I want to go out there. You keep telling me how beautiful your country is, so show me.”
“Very well. Sleep now. Pull on that rope when you wake, and I will come for you and give you what you want.”
“You can’t buy my affection with kindness.”
“I know. That is why I want it.”
“This is dumb. There’s no such thing as love at first sight. You might be a prince, but I’m no princess and this is no fairy tale.”
“It could be, if you want. Anything you want, I can give you.”
“I want a choice,” I say, sitting up.