Free The Emerald Prince by Kayci Morgan

with a self-satisfied grin. “Not always, but your wholly inexplicable devotion to me makes it the easiest course.”
    “You know, I hate you a little right now.”
    Elliot’s smile grew even wider. “Good. Hate just means you’re seeing more than your romanticized notion of me.” The prince cuddled against him. “Sorry that I wrecked your image of me with my actual personality.”
    Blaine shook with laughter underneath Elliot’s warm body. “And now I love you even more, but you’re still a brat.”

Chapter Seventeen
     
    Victoria’s first act upon reaching her room was to cover the naked man standing in it. She had no slacks he could fit, so she sat on her couch with a slave kneeling at her feet wearing one of her shawls tied around his waist.
    “So, what should I call you?”
    “Anything you wish, Mistress.”
    “No. I mean what’s your real name?”
    “This one has never been given a name, Mistress.”
    “People must have been calling you something for all these years.” The man looked to be at least twenty; he must have had a name.
    “Yes Mistress, they called me ‘slave.’”
    Victoria gave an exacerbated sigh. “There must have been a time when they needed to distinguish you from other slaves. What did they call you then?”
    “Yes Mistress, they called me lorr.”
    Victoria had spent a fair amount of time studying foreign languages and while she wasn’t fluent in any Fezami language, she knew lorr meant one in several of them.
    “One? Why did they call you one?”
    “Because I was the first to be auctioned that day.”
    Victoria’s heart broke for the man before her. She couldn’t imagine anyone being treated so callously. “Is there some kindness I can show you?” She realized the suggestiveness of her words and added, “within reason?”
    “All this one wishes is to be allowed to serve you.”
    “I know that’s what you’ve been trained to say, but there must be something you really want.”
    “This one has always dreamed to serve someone like you, someone who is beautiful and kind. This one considers himself to be the most fortunate slave in all the world.”
    For a moment Victoria was taken in by his words, then asked, “What makes you think I’m kind?”
    “Because it is known throughout your kingdom. On the ship that brought me here, it was mentioned I was for you and the men spoke of you.”
    Victoria tilted her head to the side. “What did they say?”
    The slave bowed his head without answering.
    “Tell me what they said.”
    “They said, my Mistress, that you were a dove among vipers.”
    The analogy bothered Victoria, but not because doves were pure, but because they were weak. A dove among vipers was little more than a quick meal. Victoria would never be taken so easily. The princess began to become heated at the thought, then she remembered. “Wait, we were meant to discuss you, not me. We have to call you something. What name would you like?”
    “This one wishes to be named by Mistress.”
    “ I …I wish to be named.” Victoria corrected.
    “I wish to be named by you, Mistress.”
    Victoria tapped her finger to her chin. “How about Lorr? I know it just means the number one, but there are far worse things to be called, and I like the sound of it.”
    Lorr smiled up at the princess. “It is a wonderful name, Mistress. I shall cherish it.”
    From the look in his eyes, she could tell he meant it.
    “Lorr, what would you say if I told you that in this country, slavery is illegal and you are as free as any of us?”
    “I know, Mistress.”
    Victoria hadn’t expected his answer. “If you know, why do you accept this? Want this?”
    “It is who I am. If I left, where would I go? Who would I be? I could no more stop being a slave than you could a woman, even if the laws of some foreign land said differently.”
    On some level, that made sense to Victoria, which made her even more uncomfortable. She wanted to condemn the entire business. There was no way