“But, Lord Nadar!” Raje tried to protest.
Lord Anfar smacked his arm again. “We'll stay here.”
“Thank you.” I climbed into the carriage.
After settling on the back bench, I propped an arm on the carriage wall. It was nice to ride in an open-topped carriagewithout worrying about the weather. Jucai climbed in and sat beside me. I glanced at him. During our time apart, I assumed I'd amplified his handsomeness in my head. He couldn't possibly be as glorious as I remembered.
He was.
Dressed in blue silk with purple leather boots, the Sea Dragon King was resplendent. He had his pearl crown on, his long hair falling in a straight line beneath it, and his skin shone from an application of scented oil. I breathed in deeply, appreciating the light scent of tea. Tea-scented oil, how unique. It enhanced his natural scent of salty cinnamon. An image came to my mind of Jucai standing naked in his beautiful bathroom, arms extended as slaves massaged the oil into his skin.
“To the Golden Oyster,” Jucai said.
I came out of my fantasy with the jolt of the carriage. Scrambling for something to say, I asked the obvious. “Is that a restaurant?”
The driver urged the white horses forward, and we headed out of the palace courtyard. I glanced back to see my guards still standing before the steps, looking lost. A tinge of anxiety ran down my spine. They couldn’t have been so distraught about a few slaves.
“It is indeed.” Jucai drew my attention back to him. “Did you enjoy your slave?”
I started to tell him that I didn't fuck slaves, but then remembered my promise. If I told Jucai I had passed on the slave's offer, Bantar would get into trouble. But if I told him I had fucked Bantar, Jucai would think I approved of his slaves. So, I just shrugged. Diplomats are experts at evading questions.
Jucai chuckled. “I saw you watching my Kaikeyo bed slaves and thought you might enjoy one.”
Another technique for avoiding questions is to deliberately misunderstand them. “I have little use for a servant yet. He's having my clothes cleaned.”
He cocked his head at me. I gazed ahead.
Jucai cleared his throat. “Yes, well. He will handleallof your needs.” He laid a hand on my thigh. “All but one.”
I patted his hand.
“Correct?” he prompted.
“What's that?” I smiled at him. Then I noticed the lovely architecture. “Your city is so beautiful. I've seen similar architectural styles in Rusokai, but these are even more ornate.”
“Nadar.”
I looked at him. “Yes, Your Majesty?”
“It's Jucai, and I want an answer.”
“I didn't hear a question. What is it you want to know?”
Jucai grimaced. “That you are . . . mine.”
“I'm sorry, Jucai, but one night does not make a relationship.”
He turned to face me. “I meant for the time being. I do not share, Nadar.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “And yet you sent me a slave to fuck. You did thatafterI'd made my discomfort over slaveryknown. So, did you really send him for my pleasure, or was it a punishment? Or, even worse, a test?”
Oh, well, there went evasion. Something about Jucai made all my training disappear.
The driver remained silent, but his shoulders shook.
“He was a gift,” Jucai said stiffly.
“He is a man, not an object to be given away!”
