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Saieke’s heart stilled at the truth of his words. Her parents would know her writing, and the armband would be proof that it was indeed the princess making this order; but it would be met with suspicion and fear. Kings’ teeth. The nature of her disappearance would imply that Darkans had taken her and now used her for leverage to obtain elixirs from Boreas. Saieke expelled a harsh breath. To fulfill her bargain, she would have to return to Boreas with the emissary. She could not.
“Your Majesty...” She did not bother to brush the curls that fell over her face obscuring her vision. “My kingdom is the Boreas. Honorable, respected, our lineage untarnished by dishonor or treachery, my lieges will honor my word.”
She swayed into the great chair as the import of her words hit her. Untarnished by dishonor. No longer a true statement because of her flight.
“Rumors travel to the shadows of an allegiance between Boreas and Nuria. I am sure you see our predicament, Princess.”
Saieke stiffened.
“You are the word of your kingdom, and the kingdom your words. Yet you flee an oath Boreas has made on your behalf. Do not perceive us as fools.” The harshness of his voice lashed through her like a whip. It cracked in the room and seemed to echo for interminable seconds before fading.
“I would never…”she cleared her throat and continued hoarsely, “my kingdom would never dishonor…” she faltered. They knew she fled from the Nurian king.
King Al Shra’s rage was palpable. Its power raced across her skin prickling it with heat. A terrifying sense of inevitability pressed in on Saieke, and nausea rolled through her stomach. I have to go home. “I am in accord. I will return to my lands to honor the bargain.”
She could feel the satisfaction that permeated the chamber. Saieke remained numb through the drafting of their agreement. The king scrawled his signature with bold grace, and her hands trembled when she signed.
“Ladies in waiting have been assigned to you. Rest Princess Saieke and we will confer when we break our fast.”
“I thank you” she whispered as she rose, exiting the antechamber with several guards leading the way, all hopes of saving her kingdom burned to ashes.
Chapter Four
The chambers were suited to a princess. Great torches and a roaring fireplace blazed, illuminating the dark elegance of the room. Deep vermillion hues, mixed with violet, and the most beautiful silver tapestries decorated the wall. The four poster bed stood high and proud in the middle of the room, with a mound of purple satin pillows with gold fringes piled in its centre of the bed, tempting her to climb on and snuggle into the mound.
The pain of failure and loss raked at her. Saieke slapped a hand over her mouth as a harsh sob ripped from her. She gathered her composure as several ladies in waiting bustled in, moving with grim efficiency.
Saieke went through the motions of refreshing herself, resolutely banishing the dread clouding her thoughts. Several caftans made with luxurious materials the colors of corn silk, gold, and chartreuse were laid on a chaise. Saieke fingered them lightly. Empresses and queens of other kingdoms would pay a fortune to possess such richness in garments.
“A gift from our castle ladies,” one of the ladies in waiting said.
Saieke’s smile was strained. “Please convey my enjoyment to the ladies of the castle.”
“Yes, your highness.” They dipped in graceful curtsies and then departed.
She lay on the bed restless, unable to sleep. Even though fed and refreshed, exhaustion still weighed on her. It was not mere fatigue, it was failure. Her harsh breathing mingled with the cackling of the fireplace. I’ve failed. My people will be burned because of my ineptitude, and Kamu and Thyon have sacrificed their lives for naught. She bit her bottom lip until she tasted blood.
Saieke flashed off the bed, restless and edgy, pacing the floor with jerky movements. To flee to Earth now would be a folly only an asinine person would undertake. The Darkans would deliver death if the bargain was not fulfilled, yet she could not return home. She would be locked away in one of the towers and only when she was bonded to King Ajali would she have any freedom.
Her lips curled in acute distaste. King Ajali was enormously wealthy and powerful, and his kingdom respected by many. He was over seven hundred years old and already a legend due to his feats in the second Great War, yet she did not want him. He already had an alliance with Aria—the kingdom of earth and sand. Her father must know King Ajali only coveted their kingdom for its wealth. Boreas was bountiful with hundreds of meadows, creeks, rivers and waterfalls that spanned more than a hundred feet in both depth and width. Most precious of all, they had the elixir springs— the most desired commodity Boreas had to offer as a kingdom, which had the ability to heal any wound instantly, and that was what the tyrant king wanted.
The only thing that could prevent their marriage now was to once again try and lose her purity. It would be impossible to find a willing lover in the time it would take for her to return to Boreas to honor the bargain. It had been a daunting task when she had weeks to plot. Now….it would probably be easier to try and flee the Darkage instead of finding someone that would willingly bed her.
No one would touch her for fear of reprisal from the Nurians.
Her mind turned to Drac and she froze. He would not fear touching me. The thought slid insidiously in her mind, lodged itself and flowered. Could she really attempt to entice a man she had no knowledge of? A man she had never conversed with, a man with whom she shared no common interest? He frightened her on a deep visceral level, but the heat in his eyes could not be mistaken, nor the desire that had jerked low in her womb.
She trailed her fingers from her neck to stop above her heart. She did not know why it pounded so when she thought of him. It could be fear, but a part of her whispered that it was sheer fascination.
Could she take a Darkan as her lover? He would be the perfect choice, for there would be no danger of her losing her heart. She had sworn to always be a queen who would rule without the messy emotion of love interfering with her duty to her people. Her grandmother, Lady Ava, was still tormented daily over a choice she made years ago. She’d had the opportunity to save her people, and she’d chosen her consort.
But what did Saieke knew about seduction? Her previous attempts had been sorely lacking. Groaning in exasperation, she flashed onto the bed, and thumped her headrest. She really did not know if she could do it— deliberately take a Darkan for a lover, using him for her purposes. Using him. It was the part she had struggled with so much in her court. What in kings’ teeth was she thinking?
She had to decide on a course of action, or she would return to Boreas on the morn. She went to sleep with the resolve that she would find a way to save her people, at all cost.
***
Drac stood cloaked in shadows on a high turret overlooking the south wing. His beast prowled in the cage of his mind. The princess appealed to him. He could smell her unique and elusive scent from the wes
