Infinite Love

Chapter 42

Nico

Freezing cold water hitting my face wakes me up instantly, an automatic snarl releases from my throat and I move to react to whomever dares to strike me. That is when I realise that I am chained to the wall standing upright whilst I was unconscious. Another snarl rips from me at the audacity.

My eyes adjust to the dimly lit room, one of our dungeon cells, I am most familiar with them although I am usually the one doing the chaining up. A guard stands looking rather sheepish holding the now empty bucket, he refuses to meet my eyes, f*****g coward.

A figure stands behind him half cloaked in the darkness but I know who it is, that cunt Damian, so he finally had the balls to make a move. We’ve been playing this uneasy game of chess for a while now, both distrusting of each other, neither willing to make the first move. I guess we’re on the board now.

“Nico” he drawls my name like the snake he is but I refuse to bite I just glare into the darkness, challenging him with my eyes. If he thinks I am afraid of him or anything he can do to me he is greatly mistaken.

My look is enough to antagonise him out of the shadows, his rage rolls off of him like a physical thing but still my eyes hold steel. Even after all of this time he doesn’t know who I really am, my true name. He would have been less welcoming of me if he had known.

He back hands me with all the force he possesses sending my head flying to the side, blood pours from my bust lip but I just laugh and righten my head. His eyes are furious as he glares at me. He is used to everyone cowering at his feet, terrified of his position and power, I never have and he used to like that when he trusted me. Not so much now I guess.

I will never cower at his feet, I will die first and he is about to realise this. I am a true warrior, I am the man Machiavelli wrote about, cunning, ruthless, brutal, my enemies never saw me coming and if this i***t lets me live past this moment I will be his undoing.

After I was turned I lasted as long as I could without raising suspicions and then I faked my death in battle. Took my riches and disappeared into the ether. I adopted my good friend Niccolo Machiavelli’s first name as an ironic way to honour his homage to me. I am The Prince he so famously wrote about, the ultimate tactician, The Duke of Valentinois, Cesare Borgia. My greatest secret.

His voice brings me back to the moment “You thought you could take what was mine without consequence? That you could deceive ME?” He roars the last word and still I am not intimidated.

If he was going to kill me he would have just killed me. Something I learned as a young man, if someone tells you what they are going to do to you never fear them, it is only words. Those you should truly fear will never be foolish enough to give you warning they will simply do it. Those are the men you should fear not men of words.

I smile at him and hold his gaze “Then kill me now” I hiss and I see the slight waver in his gaze that he tries to cover.

Damian may hide what he truly is with a hard demeanour but he relies on the natural deference of his people. His ability to absorb magic and use it to strengthen his own power is indeed intimidating, his natural position by blood as their leader undoubtable but he is not a warrior, he has never gotten down in the trenches with his people and connected with them, earned their respect fighting side by side.

He is a coward, he feels fear, he desires to be loved more than anything and he is s**t scared of Erik becoming strong enough to rise up against him, he has always felt threatened by him, knowing that he can’t just outright kill him, he has tried to break him. That is where he can be defeated. After all as I once said “It is better to be feared than loved” but this clown wants to be loved the way his cousin is and it will never be so.

I roll my eyes as I tune back into his dreadful diatribe about how he is going to break me, turn me into nothing and then rebuild me into his loyal dutiful soldier. f*****g i***t, break me with what? My own torture methods. I stifle a laugh, it is clear he intends to let me live and that will be his biggest mistake, I don’t want to antagonise him into an impulsive act now.

Obviously I’m not giving him the fearful reaction he was hoping for, his speech now moves onto Amelia, how she will be his dutiful little w***e from now on, he has broken her, she will give him his heir and sit at his feet fulfilling his every command. He has taken everything from her and she will beg him for every scrap he throws her way. How in fact once he’s done with me he’s going upstairs to take her perfect little cunt.

I laugh in his face again, if he thinks Amelia is that easy to break he has been sleeping since he’s known her, she is the strongest f*****g woman I have ever encountered. She is the reason I stayed all this time, she has a power that I have only ever witnessed once before in my darling sister Lucrezia. She is a rare kind of perfection. She will never be broken by him, the fact that she will never love him means he can not defeat her.

He back hands me again but it does not silence my laughter. He storms away from me in a rage “Begin his torture I’ll be back in two days I expect him to be thoroughly broken by then!” He barks at the guard. What a f*****g looser he doesn’t even have the gumption to do it himself.

My laughter follows his footsteps as he retreats and I am reminded of Machiavelli once again quoting me “If an injury has to be done to a man, it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared’

Well Damian will you need to fear my vengeance?