Chapter ~ Not Now, Not Ever

The world seemed to shrink around Nofri-it as Azech-I pulled him closer, his grip tight, unyielding. The heat of the Pharaoh's body pressed against him, sending waves of heat through Nofri-it's veins. His heart pounded in his chest, his every instinct screamed for freedom, but Azech-I's presence had always had a way of disorienting him, making him forget who he was.

"You can't escape," Azech-I whispered, his lips brushing against Nofri-it's ear. His voice was low, seductive, yet edged with the unmistakable sharpness of a threat. "You'll never be free of me. Not now, not ever."

Nofri-it shivered, but not from the cold. It was a fire that burned through his veins, a fire he could never quite extinguish. His mind was a battlefield, torn between hatred and an inexplicable, lingering pull toward the man who had once been his lover, his equal. But now, he was nothing more than a captive in Azech-I's world, a pawn to be played with, tortured, and controlled.

He closed his eyes for a moment, swallowing the bitter taste of defeat that lingered in his throat. "You think you've won, Azech-I?" he spat, his voice strained but defiant. "You think you can break me?"

Azech-I chuckled darkly, the sound sending a tremor down Nofri-it's spine. "Oh, I haven't broken you yet, my sweet Nofri-it. I'm just getting started." His fingers tightened, forcing Nofri-it to step forward, his body pressing fully against the Pharaoh's chest. The heat between them was oppressive, suffocating, but it was a sensation Nofri-it could not escape.

His mind screamed for him to push away, to flee, but his body betrayed him, aching, yearning for the Pharaoh's touch, even if it was laced with cruelty. It was as if Azech-I had branded him, marked him in a way that would never fade, no matter how hard he tried to forget.

"Why are you doing this?" Nofri-it asked, his voice quieter now, his usual confidence faltering in the face of Azech-I's control.

Azech-I's eyes darkened, his gaze sharp and dangerous. "Because you're mine, Nofri-it. And you will learn to accept that."

The words hit Nofri-it like a physical blow. He wanted to resist, to fight back, but part of him—deep, buried under layers of pride and defiance—longed for this. Longed for the way Azech-I could make him feel, even in his weakness, even in his captivity.

He forced his thoughts back, trying to push past the confusion that clouded his mind. "You won't have me," he snarled, his voice low, filled with venom. "I'll never be yours. Not now, not ever."

Azech-I's smile widened, dark and full of dangerous promise. "You're already mine, Nofri-it. You always have been."

With a swift motion, Azech-I pushed him back against the wall, pinning him there with the strength of his body. Nofri-it gasped, the air knocked from his lungs, but the Pharaoh's eyes never left his. There was something predatory in them, a cold calculation that sent a shiver down Nofri-it's spine.

"You want to defy me? You want to play games with me?" Azech-I whispered, his lips grazing Nofri-it's throat. "I'll show you what happens when you defy a Pharaoh."

The words, dark and suffused with promise, made Nofri-it's heart race, but it wasn't just fear he felt. It was desire, the kind that he couldn't escape no matter how hard he tried. He hated that Azech-I still had this power over him, this ability to reduce him to nothing but a prisoner of his own body.

"You think you can break me by keeping me here?" Nofri-it shot back, his voice shaking with both anger and a strange, reluctant yearning. "You think you can crush me under your thumb?"

Azech-I's gaze softened for a fraction of a moment, just enough for Nofri-it to catch a glimpse of something deeper—something more vulnerable. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by that familiar coldness.

"I'm not trying to break you, Nofri-it," he said softly, his breath warm against Nofri-it's skin. "I'm trying to make you understand."

"Understand what?" Nofri-it demanded, his throat tightening with frustration. "That I'm nothing but a plaything to you? A pet for your amusement?"

Azech-I leaned in, his face inches from Nofri-it's, his lips curling in a smile that was both cruel and seductive. "No, Nofri-it. You are my equal. You always were. And that is what makes this so much more beautiful."

The Pharaoh's fingers traced the line of Nofri-it's jaw, his touch both gentle and possessive. "You were never a tool, a weapon. You were always meant to be by my side. But you… you refused to see it."

Nofri-it swallowed hard, the words sinking into him like a blade. Could it be true? Was Azech-I right? Had he always been meant to be by his side, as an equal, as a partner in this twisted game of power? Or had he been just another pawn in Azech-I's endless pursuit of dominance?

"No," Nofri-it muttered, shaking his head, trying to push the thought away. "You're wrong. I won't be your slave."

Azech-I's expression darkened, but there was no anger in his eyes. Only a cold, calculating certainty. "We'll see about that, Nofri-it. We'll see."

And with that, he released his grip on Nofri-it's wrist, but not without leaving behind a feeling of possessiveness that clung to Nofri-it like a shadow. The Pharaoh stepped back, his gaze never leaving Nofri-it's, and for the first time in a long while, Nofri-it felt truly powerless.

He had escaped once before, but now? Now, there was no escaping the truth that hung between them. No escaping the dark bond that had been forged long ago, in the heat of their passion and their hatred.

Nofri-it had been the one to walk away once, but it seemed that Azech-I was the one who had truly claimed him.

To Be Continued...