Page 44 of Queen of Shadows and Ruin

Rabin watched as Amir inched closer, laying a hand on Zarya’s arm. Rabin nearly bit through his tongue, trying to keep himself in check. He knew she wouldn’t appreciate him barging in to rescue her, but she also couldn’t know what sort of man Amir really was.

He noticed how her shoulders tightened at the contact, and Rabin decided that along with his eyes, he would also rip off Amir’s arm and beat him to death with it. However, that seemed too mild a reaction.

When Amir leaned down to whisper something to Zarya, Rabin had enough. He stormed over, practically bowling several party guests out of his way.

“Amir,” he said through gritted teeth. “So nice to see you.”

It took every ounce of his willpower not to punch his smug face so hard his neck would snap, but Ekaja’s warning rang in his ears.

“Rabin!” Amir said in that smooth, oily way that always had Rabin thinking of snakes slithering through poisonous grass. “I didn’t realize you were here.”

“Well, I am,” he nearly snarled as his hand wrapped around Zarya’s elbow before he maneuvered them both so Rabin stood between them.

“What were you two talking about?” he asked. He didn’t really care if it was rude.

“I was inviting Zarya to my mountain lodge,” Amir said as if that were the most obvious thing. “You’ll love it. It’s very sumptuous. Deep in the Sprucegreen Range with the most breathtaking views you’ve ever seen. Much better than this.” He waved a hand around them as if these majestic soaring mountains were anything to scoff at.

“Oh,” Zarya said. “As I was saying, I’d have to consider it. We can’t be in Andhera long. We must return to Ishaan soon.”

“Ishaan?” Amir asked. “Does your father know of this?”

Rabin felt Zarya go a bit still at the question. “He does. Why do you ask?”

Amir shrugged and took a sip of his wine. “I understood you’d be staying here indefinitely so we could get to know one another better.”

Zarya blinked, and Rabin felt a snarl building in his throat.

“Oh, why is that?” she asked, though he could tell she was stalling. She had already put it all together. Abishek was trying to pair her up with this monster. Had the king heard the rumors?

“Oh, well…” Amir said, almost at a loss for words. Did he think Zarya knew and was in on this? What game was Abishek playing?

“We should mingle,” Rabin said before Amir could finish his thought. “You haven’t met everyone yet.”

Rabin glared at Amir and resisted the overwhelming urge to tell him to stay the fuck away from Zarya.

Then, before either could respond, he took Zarya’s hand and pulled her away.

THIRTEEN

Yasen and Miraan arrived on the outskirts of Ishaan at the break of dawn. They asked the carriage to drop them off a safe distance from the city walls, using the forest to shield their approach. They planned to sneak in, hoping their arrival would go unnoticed. Picking through the trees, they kept their steps light until Ishaan came into view. They both stopped, listening to the hushed, distant sounds of the morning.

Most people would still be tucked into their beds, but the late-night crowds of Ishaan never slept.

“This is a bad idea,” Yasen said.

“Probably,” Miraan agreed. “But we have to help.”

Yasen sighed and ran a hand along the back of his neck.

Miraan turned to look at him as the first of the day’s light gilded the arch of his forehead and nose. He was beautiful—all regal lines and planes with those high cheekbones and that carved jaw. Those dark eyes designed to break his heart into a million pieces once the prince finally realized he was far too good for him.

Yasen had enjoyed his fair share of company throughout his life. But he’d rarely met anyone he wanted to open up with. He’d lost his family at an age when he’d been too young to remember, and maybe because of that, he’d grown used to this hole in his heart that never seemed to close.

He missed a mother and father he’d never known, and the idea of losing anyone important ever again sat in his stomach like a rock. This gnawing fear had always been his most consistent companion.

Then he’d been adopted into a family where he’d been treated as second best by a man who could have been a father but had chosen the path of his abuser. Sometimes, he wondered if he would have been better off growing up in the streets but then felt guilty for the sentiment when he’d at least always had enough food to eat and a roof over his head.

He’d let Vikram in. The bastard had made it impossible to keep him at a distance. He’d been so eager and happy to have Yasen as a built-in best friend. He’d treated him like a brother from the first day Yasen had stood in the Ravana’s great hall while Gopal had looked him over with a critical eye.