by Stacy Reid
That could only mean death or betrayal.
Ajali had sent Ceran to infiltrate the kingdom of lightning and discover what had happened to his agent and replace him if necessary. Rumors of an alliance between Mevia and Avindar had been surfacing, and Ajali needed a foothold in Avindar. Ceran had not made it beyond Nuria. Even more disturbing, he’d been attacked by a Nurian.
Traitors lurked in his walls. In Adara. The knowledge of Ceran’s mission to Avindar could only have come from a select few within his castle. Ajali exerted fierce control on the violent fury that pulsed like liquid fire through his veins, hot and searing in its intensity. He was not ruled by excessive emotion. Rage would trigger those flames he had embedded deep inside, and its revival was not something he desired. The pleading screams of hundreds shouting for mercy reared its head, and he suppressed the memory with a ruthless will.
Uriah administered the elixir attained from the rulers of Boreas. The precious liquid restored Ceran to perfect health in only a few minutes. The savage gouges in his stomach and neck healed. The cut that had sliced him from hips to the knee, sealed. The flow of blood checked, and the scars from flames had been replaced by healthy skin. His eye that had been blinded opened. “Are you sure it was one of our people?” Uriah asked.
The heat generated from their rage was almost stifling.
“I am, my lord,” Ceran responded, pushing into a sitting position, flexing his fingers and checking his wounds. “The Nurian that attacked me had one of the highest calibers of fighting technique. I could barely match him in taijiu, and his flame-wielding skills surpassed me. He left me for death. If not for the sentry patrols, I would be dead.”
“And he returned to Nuria instead of heading to Avindar?” Ajali asked.
“Yes, my king. He headed towards Adara.”
This was Ceran’s third time giving an account and neither time had exhibited inconsistencies. He hadn’t revealed any new information for Ajali to analyze.
“Dismissed.”
Ceran flashed from the war room, leaving Ajali with Uriah.
He met his brother’s cold gaze.
“They are making their move,” Ajali said. He knew his position; he was king. He could be assassinated from any quarter to further the goal of another leader…especially if he could not be threatened or manipulated.
“I thought it would have been from the Mevians,” Uriah snapped, anger riding his voice. “Mevia did everything possible to stop your allegiance with Boreas. We were expecting a move from them.”
“Be calm, my brother,” Ajali said. “It is from the Mevians. They want to incite war. I expected them to have spies within our kingdom.”
Since the loss of the allegiance, Ajali had been waiting for Mevia’s next attack. A few weeks ago, they’d tried to prevent his marriage to the Princess of Boreas, even going as far as to try and kill her. They wanted him isolated that much was evident. But why not try to take him out directly? The enemy’s strategy had many webs he needed to untangle to ascertain the truth. If Mevia intended to embroil his kingdom in war, the surest way to do so was to cut off its head.
Uriah’s eyes darkened with grief. “I, too, expected spies, but not our own. You are respected and loved by your people. Why would Nurians work with the Mevians and Avindites?” He scrubbed a hand over his face and walked to sit on the edge of the sole desk in the center of the chamber. “Can we be sure this is a move against you and not simply against Ceran?”
“Ah,” Ajali mused. “We will see.”
“How?”
“Gradually remove all warriors that surround the entrances to the eastern wing, and I will have outings with reduced escorts. We will give whatever spies they have here the opportunity to take me down or relay my movements.”
“Absolutely not!” Uriah barked. “We should be doubling your protection.”
“You doubt me, brother?”
After a deep pause, Uriah responded, “I do not believe in leaving my king and brother open to attack when we could prevent it.”
“We will lure them to attack. My lax protection will be seductive to the enemy. They may be tempted to move and reveal their hands, and we want it revealed, do we not?” Ajali sank into a great chair, facing his brother. He waited for him to see the strategy. Sometimes the simple way to draw the enemy was the best.
“They will see through such an obvious ploy,” Uriah finally said. “There is no reason to be lax in your protection.”
Ajali smiled. “But there is, brother. I have become distracted by one of my new haris. There will already be whispers in the Court of me keeping an untrained concubine. In all my years, I have never done so, and they will be rabid with conjectures. I will remove the guards and enjoy private outings with her to show her my kingdom.”
Uriah surged to his feet and roughly ran his fingers through his hair, anger evident in the gesture. “This is absolute madness.”
“My enemies do not know my thoughts. They can only speculate. Plant rumors that the hari Tehdra has captivated me to the point where I grow reckless,” he commanded. “I will use her to my whim. Trust no one. I will order the warriors away under the guise of my hari driving me to recklessness,” he ended coldly.
His brother hesitated, and then with a sigh, he nodded. “It will be done.” Then he frowned. “Were you thinking to keep her before this mad plot of yours?”
“Yes.”
Surprised widened Uriah’s eyes. “And she is untrained?”
“Yes.”
“Is there any truth to your strategy?”
Ajali grunted. “No. Her presence is merely convenient.” She was both a fascination and a curiosity…one that may very well have deadly consequences. “She may also be the enemy. If that is true, it’s best for her to be in my sights.”
A smile tugged at his brother’s lips. “Not everyone is an adversary, Ajali. An enemy of yours would never be untrained.”
“And if she lied?”
Uriah paused. “It would be a strange lie. All the realms know you require women who are skilled and add value to your castle. If she is without skills, you will not deign to show her any favor. She would never become close enough to you to unearth any secrets or to reveal your movements and whereabouts. The fact this hari is unskilled and has your attention is an anomaly the enemy could never have predicted to justify planting her in your harem. I suggest to you brother that she is at present, only an untrained lady from a lower house seeking wealth for her family.”
Ajali had already considered everything his brother said, but he would not ignore the soft warning that rippled across his skin. He was not a man ruled by impulse. For his foes to believe his ruse, he would have to act like he was besotted. He’d have to lower the walls he’d built around his emotions so he could be enticed by her provocative allure. You are already enthralled, his conscience taunted.
Without warning the flames deep inside him stirred, a cold fire burning through his veins. He stilled.
“What is it?” Uriah asked.
Ajali was unsure, but for a moment, the icy fingers of dread had caressed his senses. The chakra had been malignant. Now…there was nothing. “Do you sense anything?”
“No,” Uriah said softly. “Do you want me to summon Acheron?”
Acheron, a high duke of the kingdom and one of Ajali’s King blades, was a part witch and would be able to detect more when others could not.
Ajali flowed across the room. “Summon him. I want all of my King blades at court until the enemy acts.”
His blades were dukes of the realm, his most skilled and merciless warriors, and it was time to command them to court.
Tehdra chuckled darkly. Something inside of the king knew that she hid in the shadows. She was fascinated by that something. He was now aware his people were working against him, and his scheme to uncover the spies within his walls was simple and brilliant. Her darkness had purred in approval as it tasted the deception from him.
He was a cunning strategist. And rigidl
y controlling with his emotions. If not for the first surge of frightening rage that her beast had wallowed in, she would have deemed him emotionless. Fury had resonated with everyone else as they uncovered the possibility of a traitor in their midst, but not Ajali. What had caused him to be so merciless with his responses?
His tactic would allow her to be close to him, and she could offer protection. Thank, kings. Pleasure had burned in her veins when he had commanded Uriah to start the rumor that he was fascinated with her. Not any other hari, but her.
Foolish to be certain, for his scheme meant he either wanted to keep her close because he did not trust her or he because he desired to bed her. Either option was equally dangerous. She would have to do all in her power to ensure they had no more sensual encounters. From the taste she'd had of him earlier, he'd dominated her thoughts and threatened her discipline. What if she allowed him in so close, her beast took control and mated him? But how was she to keep him at a distance if he planned to use his lust for her to further his own goals? When she’d entered the war room, his scent had assailed her, and she had almost become drunk on the wonder of his fragrance.
She would benefit greatly from his deception. The most critical part of her mission included ensuring he did not fall under the claws of a Darkan. It was even too much to contemplate the repercussions if she failed in that regard.
Mine…mine…mine.
Her beast slammed against the cage of her mind, and Tehdra moaned as desire and bloodlust almost consumed her. She ruthlessly restrained the need, rebuilt her shield, and glided through the shadows, spying. She thoroughly searched the castle. She smiled despite the tension that gripped her while she infiltrated the common areas. Several times Ajali’s warriors went on alert as if they could sense something else was in the room with them.
There were no other Darkans at Castle Shelah. During her search, Ajali’s wealth and power had been reinforced. One wing alone housed dozens of officials and high-ranking members of other kingdoms, who’d come to confer and write treaties with Nuria. She’d listened to the conversations in several places, and the respect and deference shown to Ajali were spellbinding. She walked in the shadows to the king’s wing and entered the chambers ahead of him. With speed, she undressed and bathed.
A servant entered as she emerged from the cavernous tub.
“Hari Tehdra,” she said on a curtsy. “I am here to serve you.”
The servant presented Tehdra with several beautiful but sheer caftans—designed only for haris. Her impractical, jewel-studded slippers rested daintily against her feet. Her navel was also pierced, and a delicate gold chain studded with gems circled her stomach and looped through her navel piercing. Jewels also dripped from her ears, wrists, and ankles. She dressed in a caftan of pale blue that flowed softly around her body and offered glimpses of her nipples and the outline of the valley between her legs with every movement of her body.
A few minutes later the king entered the chamber, and his scent had wrapped around her, heady and dangerous. His eyes flicked over her in a thorough appraisal before cool caution settled on his face.
He moved around the chambers as if she was not present. She arched an eyebrow. Was he so used to women who faded into the backdrop? With hundreds of concubines, she supposed it was possible.
Tension infused each of his steps, and gradually the heat in the chambers shifted. It came from him. She lowered the shield between her beast’s chakra and hers, allowing darkness to pervade her veins slowly. Yesss…… The sibilant hiss of her monster slid across her mind over and over. Deep inside, primal urges stirred, need, and something dark licked at her, and she had to restrain the need to touch and taste him.
She stifled the growl that rose in her throat. The rage pouring from him was so cold she almost trembled. Never would she have imagined he had such a depth of emotions ravaging him. On the surface, his mien was composed, almost serene.
He started to shrug from his clothes.
Acting on instincts, she approached him. She tugged at his shirt. “May I?”
He stilled, then gave a sharp nod.
Slowly, she undressed him, a burning curiosity fanning inside of her to know him. It was a foolish desire, for to truly appreciate him before she disappeared would be painful. With each movement, Ajali’s powerful muscles twisted like snakes. She stripped him to the waist, striving to be detached. She itched to slide her hands over the expanse of his chest. “You are beautiful,” she murmured, unable to keep her visceral appreciation to herself.
His eyes lingered on her face for seconds. “Fucking is the last thing on my mind, hari.”
A thing for which she was grateful. “I did not believe I offered.”
His lips twitched.
She leaned in close. “What is preying on your thoughts?”
Without answering, he flashed to the high balcony overlooking his kingdom. Tehdra followed a sigh of appreciation slipping from her at the beauty of Adara. Millions of white cities light, glinting like diamonds, burned. The majestic city of marble spread for miles. Towering mountains rose in splendor with waterfalls rushing down the mountain's ledge. "Your kingdom is awe-inspiring."
The seething cauldron in him flared, and she sneaked a glance at him. He remained composed, hands thrust into his trousers pockets as he surveyed his domain. It could not be easy to know that unseen enemies stalked his kingdom.
“You will join me for dinner in a few hours.”
“Certainly. Do you wish to speak of your troubles?”
“I am undisturbed.”
Of course, he would not trust to unburden himself to her. She moved closer to his heat. “Am I to stay in your wing at all times?”
“Yes.”
Satisfaction filled her. She had gathered from spying on Bastien as he railed to his wife, that his king’s actions were rash and insupportable. “Why?”
He shifted. “You question me?”
“Others do not?”
A smile tugged at his lips, and she was pleased she’d elicited such a reaction.
“No, they do not.”
The way his intense gaze roamed over her was intriguing and alarming. Warmth radiated through her body. Be vigilant, she reminded herself. She glided to the high turret. “Your city is like none I’ve seen. It never sleeps.”
“It only appears that way now because we prepare for the games.”
Games? She was afraid to ask and reveal her ignorance. “I see.”
“Thousands of people from the six realms will be flooding into the city soon. Preparations to host the event and to provide lodgings and protection for the visitors are in the process of being made ready.”
She suppressed the protest that hovered on the tip of her tongue. How could he know they were threatened and risked having so many people gathered in one location? The utter madness of it flummoxed her.
A snarl rode the air, raising the fine hairs on her arm. She looked to the mountains. There was a sharp tug inside her, and darkness roiled through her veins. Her beast responded to the call on the distant horizon. “What is it?”
“The wraiths.”
She filed the information away. “How is it that you have tamed such fearsome creatures?”
"It took a couple of hundred years." Then he went maddeningly silent.
They stood without speaking, he overlooking his domain, and she blatantly admiring his raw power and elegance, his savage beauty.
“What is your age, hari?” he asked, his regard still directed at his kingdom.
Tehdra sensed he was aware of every nuance of her expression. Fascinating man.
“I am three hundred years,” she answered truthfully.
“How is it you have existed so long without any Taijiu training?”
His voice contained the darkest of warnings, and she would be foolish to ignore them. She should be doing everything to steer their conversation onto impersonal grounds. But the need to know this man, if only briefly, rolled through her and her feet remained rooted on
top of the turret. He was hers…why not learn and enjoy him, if only for a few blissful days?
Yes….
The hungry hiss of her demon beast had her heart lurching. “In my kingdom, only the wealthy can afford such a privilege. Is it not the same for Nuria?”
A soft grunt slipped from him. “Tell me about your family,” he commanded.
“My mother perished, but my father lives. I also have two sisters,” she recited the information Bylan had provided. In truth both her parents lived, and she had a younger sister. Distaste filled her. She did not enjoy telling a lie to her mate. It’s for his protection.
“And what about you?” she asked.
He shifted to face her, and the raw beauty of him sucked the breath from her lungs.
“I have a sister and a brother.”
So, he had an heir if he was murdered. A snarl rumbled from her beast at the assessment. “And what of your queen?”
“I have no queen.”
“The city whispers of the lost allegiance with Boreas.”
She trod on dangerous ground. The burn of his power slid against her skin in a pained caress.
“The princess was a mean to an end.”
She’d not expected him to make such an admission. “You held no affections for her?”
Emerald eyes ensnared her. “No. Though I found myself admiring the method she used to extricate herself from my clutches.”
“What would have possessed you to claim a queen you did not love?”
“Duty.”
And Tehdra understood.
His scent was an irresistible beacon, and she leaned in close and inhaled. Faster than she tracked, he moved behind her. Her beast purred in approval. His hard cock branded her buttocks as he pressed into her.
He cupped her breast, then trailed his fingers with pressure over her hard straining nipple, then gently pinched.
