“Good. They’ll underestimate me.”
Rolland grimaced then stared at the floor. “If the Dragon Church gets wind of your present, they’ll be angry, Your Highness.”
“When aren’t they?”
Rolland grinned. “True enough. Good thing no Knights of Valor came with us.”
“I expected extenuating circumstances. Knights will only complicate an already difficult negotiation.”
Prince Eli allowed the conversation to end as he followed his bodyguards down the winding halls, through an arched doorway, and into a sumptuous suite.
The room was cool, and fresh-cut flowers filled crystal vases, scenting the air with their delicate fragrance. Elaborate mosaics decorated the floors, and plush rugs cushioned their steps. Cinnamon-colored silk draped the walls, flowed over the windows, and encircled the massive bed that dominated the center of the room.
Unbidden thoughts teased through his brain, and Eli forced himself not to glance at the slave girl beside him.
“Checked the suite?” Eli stared into the shadows searching for the only bodyguard he trusted.
Sligo appeared and bowed.
The slave beside Eli jumped, but she didn’t utter a sound.
“Thoroughly, Your Highness. Nothing out of the ordinary, but I’m glad we brought extra men. Security is lax despite the big wall.”
Sligo had been correct on that as well. Eli was glad he’d taken his guard’s council.
Rolland inspected the slave girl, and while the adviser’s face stayed neutral, his gaze lingered over the girl. “Do you want me to take her with me?”
A rush of jealousy struck the prince, and Eli’s hand tightened over the slave’s. She inched closer to him, her soft hair teasing over his wrist.
“How would it appear to the sultan if I gave you my ‘gift’?” Eli arched a brow, and his voice was neutral even though he wanted to blacken both of Rolland’s eyes for leering at the slave.
“Good point, Your Highness, but aren’t you worried about how it’ll look to the Church if you keep her?”
“Get some rest. Tomorrow will be an even longer day than today.”
Rolland bowed and left the prince alone with his bodyguard and the slave.
Studying the girl, Sligo’s eyes narrowed. “If I wanted to kill you, I’d put an assassin in pretty clothes and have her dance like she did.”
The slave stiffened, and a shiver stole through her.
“No, you’d have poisoned the over-spiced meat.” Eli rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, enjoying the feel of her slender and delicate fingers. “I’ll be fine.”
Sligo’s eyes bore through the girl, but he nodded and closed the door behind himself.
Eli regarded the slave. Her breath was coming fast, and she’d curled her toes in the dainty slippers. There was a hint of dampness on her skirt where she’d wiped her palms.
The prince poured a glass of water and offered it to her. Her eyes widened as she glanced from the glass to him before accepting it.
“It’s hot, and I’m thirsty. Figured you’d be too.” Eli poured himself a glass. He sipped it, and satisfied that it tasted as it should, downed the glass and poured a second.
The girl sipped her water without meeting his gaze.
“You have a name.”
“Auburn,” she whispered.
“Well, Auburn, what are we going to do with you?”
Auburn sucked in a breath, drank the water, and set the glass aside.
Chapter 3
Auburn knew what she was supposed to do, but now that she faced it, her feet rooted to the ground. The coolness of the night air mixed with the heat of him and tingled over her flesh as his crisp masculine scent twined around her. His dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and the severe cut of his clothes whispered of a hard and unforgiving man.
She didn’t want to displease him, and her breath came fast as fear mingled with curiosity and a touch of anticipation.
Tangling her hands in the beaded silk of her skirt, Auburn bit her lower lip and focused. She was a pleasure slave, trained on how to give herself to the sultan and how to satisfy him. While this Tamarian was not the sultan, Prince Eli was her master now.
It was her duty to please the prince, and unlike with the sultan, a part of her wanted to please him. But Prince Eli’s strangeness made her pause. He was even more alien than the rumors whispered.
Her foreign prince wore clothes as black as night even in the desert heat, and he was taller, more muscular, and his skin paler than Auburn had expected. His eyes were the intense blue of a peacock feather, and even his scent was different. He wore none of the cloying perfumes favored by so many in the sultan’s court. Instead, he smelled crisp like an ocean breeze.
Prince Eli’s hands stayed at his sides when he spoke, and he moved with the contained energy of a predator. Powerful. In control. A man who gave orders and expected them to be obeyed.
The thought sent a shiver of desire skating down her spine where it pooled with her growing apprehension. She again questioned her decision to dance for the Tamryn delegation. Had she not been at the feast, the sultan wouldn’t have gifted her to this strange prince.
Auburn sucked in a breath and shoved the regrets aside. She couldn’t undo the choice, and even if she could, Prince Eli was her way out of Qumaref. Under Qumarefi law, the prince owned her and could take her with him when he returned home. Take her with him to Tamryn.
Tamryn. The golden city favored by the Dragon God. A land that embraced justice. A land that forbid slavery. Many dreamed of reaching the blessed city, but few ever tried. Even fewer ever succeeded.
This was her chance. Her only chance.
She had to please him if she was going to escape.
Plucking up her courage, Auburn stood closer to Eli, the heat of him soaking through her silk garments. Despite her training, her hands trembled as she bowed her head and waited for his command.
Eli frowned, but he didn’t step away from her. He was watching, waiting for her.
Auburn neither flinched nor shied away from him, but her breath came in short bursts as curiosity warred with fear. Most other girls her age had repeatedly given themselves to their master. While she’d listened to their stories and paid attention to her trainers, she had no experience of her own.
When Eli gave her no commands, she wondered if the foreign prince assumed she understood what he wanted because of her age.
Pushing aside her fear, she followed her training and brushed her hands over Eli’s chest. She undid the buttons of his tunic, the tips of her fingers teased the warm flesh beneath the fabric. She heard his breath catch, saw the pulse in his neck quicken, and felt his erection against her belly.
She swallowed back the lump in her throat and hoped he would be kind her first time.
Eli captured her fingers. “What are you doing?”
“Serving you.” She forced her voice not to quaver. “How can I please you?”
“Please me?”
“I’m yours. Here to meet your every need.”
The prince slid his hand under her veil and cupped her cheek.
She leaned into his strong fingers, closed her eyes, and prayed he’d be gentle.
Eli’s thoughts swirled in a maelstrom of desire as he yanked off Auburn’s veil and crushed his lips against hers. The contact jolted him, shredding his control and sending his inner conqueror howling. He pulled her against him, tangling his fingers in her thick copper hair as he fought the urge to carry her to the bed and consummate the need she sparked in him.
He wanted to bury himself in her as he overwhelmed her with pleasure, wanted to listen to her cry his name as need swept her away. By the gods, he wanted her. Completely and totally.
While he seldom denied himself, he refused to force himself on a woman. He wanted her, but not this way. Not against her will. The thought of her being forced into his bed because the sultan had ordered it cooled his desire.
Eli’s nostrils flared, and he stepped
back from the kiss. “I shouldn’t have done that. It would be best if you distanced yourself from me tonight.”
Confusion puckered her brows. “I’m here to serve you. But if you wish me to go...”
She peered up at him, uncertainty and fear stealing across her face. He smoothed the lines on her forehead with his thumb, the heat of her sinking into him as her soft scent of vanilla and jasmine intoxicated him.
Temptation snapped at him, and his inner conqueror strained against his control. Leaning forward, he touched his lips to hers, and she softened against him. Eli deepened the kiss, parting her and sliding his tongue inside to taste her. Soft, sweet, and seductive. He wanted more. So much more.
Pulling back, the prince dropped his hands to his sides and paced towards the bed. He realized his mistake and stalked to the other side of the room.
“I displease you.”
Tears shone in her eyes, and Eli was certain they had more to do with fear than sadness. “You don’t displease me, and that’s the problem.” Eli took a long steadying breath. “I need to give you back before I do something we both regret.”
Panic widened her eyes, and Auburn fell to her knees and pressed her head to the floor. “I’ll do whatever you ask. Please don’t send me away.”
The prince remembered the expression on the sultan’s face when he’d thought Eli hadn’t liked her. “They’ll punish you if I give you back.”
“I’ll have brought shame to the sultan. They could beat me or sell me at auction. Most likely, they’d execute me.”
“Didn’t think it possible, but I like Qumaref even less.” Eli cursed under his breath. Growling, he walked back to Auburn and offered her his hand. “Get up.”
She kept her gaze averted, but she took his hand and climbed to her feet.
The prince stared down at her delicate fingers. He wanted to bring them to his lips, to kiss them one by one, to listen to her soft sighs as he did so. He caged the urge. “What am I going to do with you?”
She licked her full lips, and Eli’s discomfort grew.
“I’m here to serve you in any way that pleases you.” Staring up at him, her blue eyes were large and luminous in the candlelight. Her lids fluttered closed, and she tipped her lips up to him.
Eli groaned and turned away.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to meet your needs. If you show me what you want, whatever it is-”
“Stop. I can’t, I won’t, force myself on a woman. I’m a bastard, but I’m not that big of a bastard.”
“Force yourself?” Auburn frowned. “I’m yours. Your will is my will.”
“No.” The word filled the room. “No person belongs to another. That is a sin against the gods. I’ve done a lot of bad things, but not blasphemy. Never that.”
She cringed, ducking her head against his anger. “Please let me serve you. I could act as your food taster or anything else you might need.”
Her fear dulled his ache for her. “How long have you been a slave?”
“I was purchased for the sultan as a small child.” Auburn touched her head. “My red hair, pale skin, and blue eyes make me different.”
“Where did he purchase you?”
Auburn lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know. I don’t remember a time before I was in his harem.”
“How can you know what you want when you’ve never made your own choices?”
“I know I don’t want to die.”
“So it’s me or death? Not very flattering.”
Auburn stared down at her feet as color stained her cheeks. Embarrassment and fear teased across her face as her toes curled in her slippers.
“It was a mistake coming to Qumaref.”
“I made sure the sultan picked me to dance tonight.” When Eli paused, Auburn glanced up at him and met his gaze.
Eli frowned. “You what?”
“When I learned there was a foreign delegation coming from Tamryn, land of the Dragon God, I wanted to see you. So I made sure the sultan forced me to dance for you.”
“I don’t understand. I’m not sure I want to understand.”
“The workings of Qumaref are complex.”
Indeed they were. A slave was trying to play him. To use him, for what, he wasn’t sure.
It may prove a more interesting mission than he’d imagined.
Eli thumbed over her swollen lips. By the gods, she was beautiful. Soft pink flushed under her porcelain skin, and her plump lips begged him to kiss her. The wine mixed with exhaustion and desire, clouding his judgment as he leaned down and kissed her hot and hard on the mouth.
Chapter 4
The kiss ignited desires Prince Eli had kept buried beneath his cold exterior, and he’d rather they stayed buried.
Before he could pull back, Auburn’s body softened against him, and her lips parted as she offered him more. Her arms wrapped around him, drawing him closer.
Her response intensified his need, and Eli deepened the kiss as her innocence and enthusiasm mixed into an unexpected and heady concoction. The prince almost capitulated, almost gave in to what his body wanted and what she would give him.
Eli forced himself to step back. “I have a lot of work to do tonight.”
“Work?” Auburn’s eyes fluttered open. “But-”
“I need to transcribe everything I heard. See if I can piece together what the sultan needs and where he’ll compromise.”
“He needs a trade agreement,” Auburn said. “The rains have diminished, but he must still feed his people.”
Eli thought back to all the evening’s conversations. “He mentioned trade several times, though never what.”
“It’s the reason they started diplomatic negotiations with Tamryn. The sultan couldn’t strike an agreement with Arren or K’tel, leaving Oskelez as Qumaref’s only trading partner of any significance.”
“Oskelez is stuck in the middle of a swamp.”
“The kingdoms exchange goods through teleportation spells. Qumaref has no mages that can cast the spell, so the trade favors Oskelez. And Oskelez has enough trouble feeding its own population.”
Eli’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know this?”
“The powerful talk in front of slaves as if we’re not there. I listen.”
“I have to be careful with you.”
Her eyes widened. “I would never-”
“Not as long as you consider yourself mine. Perhaps I could use you as an adviser.”
“I’m a slave.”
“An intelligent one that listens, understands, and uses it to get what she wants. Like being chosen to dance.”
Auburn swallowed and stared down at her hands.
Eli regarded her for several long moments. “You don’t want to be my adviser?”
“Would Tamryn allow such a thing?”
“I’m the prince, and I take who I choose as an adviser.”
A smile curved her lips. “I never thought myself worthy of such an exalted position.”
“I notice you said worthy instead of capable. You’re a distraction and a temptation, but you understand the politics of Qumaref as no Tamarian does. Perhaps even better than Rolland. That’s useful.”
“So you’ll keep me?”
The hope in her voice made his stomach churn and his demons howl. “I’m not ‘keeping’ you, but you will join my retinue.”
She linked her fingers together. “Does that mean you’ll take me back to Tamryn with you?”
“If I don’t?”
“You’d have to sell me before you left, or they’d consider me a cast-aside slave.”
The hitch in her voice said more than her words did, but it was political suicide to bring a slave back with him, particularly a beautiful one. Taking the crown without the Dragon God’s blessing would be difficult even without further complications, and Auburn was definitely a complication.
But Eli couldn’t “cast her aside”, and by Dracor’s Fang, he would never sell her. She was a person with a soul belonging to the gods, but
it was more than that. What more, Eli didn’t want to ponder.
Damn the sultan and his impetuous gift. Damn this unknown feeling.
“You’re part of my retinue now. You’ll come back with me,” Eli said.
The smile that brightened her face made his chest tighten. By the gods, she was beautiful. He wanted to protect her, to keep her safe, both strange and alien feelings. He didn’t like them.
“I’ll do everything I can to help you,” Auburn said.
“You can start by getting some sleep while I finish my work.” She glanced up at him, and Eli thumbed over her full lips. “You’re a beautiful distraction, and I need to get this done before I can rest.”
Auburn bowed her head and left him, tucking herself between his sheets.
Eli sighed and buttoned his coat as the chill desert air emphasized the loss of her warmth. He turned a chair to face away from her so he could concentrate on something other than her sleeping alone in his bed.
Closing his eyes, the evening played through his mind, and he took notes on everything he’d seen and heard. The prince then read through those notes and searched for patterns or anything unusual.
Unusual.
His hands balled into fists. Nothing about the evening had gone as planned, especially not the sultan giving him a slave as a gift.
What in the seven hells was he thinking keeping her with him, much less making her part of his retinue? He and his shadowguard had vetted every other member of his team, and they’d all passed the rigorous security checks before the prince had even considered them for this mission. The handful of attachés Eli hadn’t worked with previously had come recommended from people Eli trusted.
Except for Auburn.
He should send her away, to the seven hells with the repercussions she suffered. She’d chosen to dance for him. She’d deal with the consequences.
That would be the easiest and most logical path.
But Eli couldn’t bring himself to do it. He wanted to lie and say it was because she was a slave and had no choice in her circumstances. That while she’d chosen to dance for him, she couldn’t have known the sultan would gift her to a foreigner. A foreigner that had been in Qumaref for less than a day.
To Love a Prince (Knights of Valor Book 1) Page 2
