She’d been beside him when he awoke, and she’d kissed him when he tried to pull away from her. That inexperienced kiss was almost his undoing. He’d almost given in to everything he wanted and taken everything she offered.
The intensity of his response had been unexpected, and that worried him.
He was cold and practical. Efficient. Acting on emotion was for men that didn’t have kingdoms to rule.
Yet reason still fled him when it came to Auburn.
By the gods, he wanted her, and a part of him wondered if his logic would return if he slaked his need for her. Another part feared it would only make this temporary insanity worse. Like sending the bodyguard he most trusted to protect her.
But he had to safeguard her. Another strange emotion, but that didn’t make it less true. She was his now. His attaché, he reminded himself, nothing more.
For a moment, he wished he’d have brought a Knight of Valor with him. They might be a political nightmare, but a Knight would’ve protected Auburn and not taken advantage of her.
Eli tightened his hands at his sides as he remembered the way her face had lit up when he’d mentioned the Knights of Valor. Jealousy punched him hard.
That was another new emotion, and one he’d rather not experience again.
Of course the Knights of Valor entranced Auburn. The prince had seen Tamryn ladies swoon over the Dragon God’s chosen. Why would Auburn be different? Because he wanted her to be?
That was foolish, and Eli didn’t tolerate foolishness. Especially from himself.
He snorted as he glanced over at the rumpled bed. The scent of her still lingered, an exotic mixture of jasmine and vanilla. He could almost feel the silk of her hair between his fingers. Hear her soft sighs. Taste her sweetness on his lips.
Desire swelled, and Eli turned away from the bed. Denying himself was also something new, and something he didn’t like.
All his discomfort came back to one slave girl.
Damn the sultan.
Eli would endure the jealousy, the unfulfilled need, and the political ramifications to see Auburn safely to Tamryn. To see her free. To see her happy.
Why he cared he didn’t know, but he did. So he’d see it done.
Chapter 7
Auburn slipped through the early morning shadows of the palace. Few others were awake yet, but Prince Eli was. Sloth didn’t appear to be one of her new master’s vices.
Nor did lust.
But he’d promised to take her to Tamryn, and by doing so, he’d promised her freedom.
She bit her lip at the thought. Auburn wasn’t sure what being free would mean to her, but she wanted it for her son.
Staring down at her slender fingers, they appeared pale even against the cerulean silk of her skirts. She was different in more ways than her milk-colored skin and red hair. The other harem girls never whispered about wanting anything other than to be the sultan’s next wife. None had ever hinted at wanting to leave the palace, much less earn their freedom by fleeing Qumaref.
Escaping slavery and the harem was a risk. At the palace, she was fed, clothed, and sheltered. Priyanka still beat her from time to time, but it was nothing compared to the stories of hardship told by those who had seen the outside of the palace.
The beatings had diminished as Auburn had grown adept at avoiding the First Wife’s notice, and it helped that Priyanka’s grandchildren distracted her. Auburn thought about the First Wife’s beautiful family, and her throat constricted. Jealousy was the purview of Rashalee, and Auburn steeled her heart against the wicked god’s influence.
But it was hard not to envy a woman who had as much as Priyanka did. She had five children of her own and three grandchildren. Her sisters had married other lords and lived nearby. Even the sultan favored her, calling for her often.
Auburn had none of that and would have to travel across the sea just for a chance to have a family of her own.
Eli was giving her that chance.
What had once seemed an impossibility, might happen. Would happen, she promised herself.
Resolve quieted the fluttering in her belly. Prince Eli promised to take her to Tamryn, and she’d find a way to survive there. While there was little need for her skills as a dancer or musician in the land of the Dragon God, her ability to read and write so many languages might be useful.
She’d figure something out, but there was no use dwelling on it while Qumaref’s sand still crunched under her slippers.
Swallowing back her fears, Auburn snaked through the palace to the harem hidden at its heart. Two eunuchs stood guard outside a heavy oak door, but neither tried to stop her as she slipped inside the chambers.
Sleeping women sprawled across plush beds, their gentle snoring filling the sanctuary as the scent of their perfumes infused the cool air. Colored light from the stained-glass windows trickled down, but the room remained dim. The sultan had commanded all other windows shuddered to prevent anyone from peeking at his harem.
Auburn skirted the pool in the center of the room, its scented waters lapping over intricately inlaid tiles. The ladies of the harem enjoyed baths there and indulged in the cool water during the heat of the day. Auburn seldom joined them, preferring to bathe early in the morning when few would notice her.
She crept past the sultan’s sleeping wives and walked to the far back corner where the slaves were quartered. Property for the sultan to use or gift, but special property given the same protection as the sultan’s wives. But not the same status.
Based on who was sleeping where, Auburn’s trained eye knew the hierarchy among the women. She’d never cared about such politics, and with her new master, it would never matter to her.
Auburn gathered up her garments, a few trinkets, and the book on Dracor she’d borrowed from the sultan’s library.
As she turned, she caught a glance of her strange copper hair and too-pale skin in one of the many mirrors. She didn’t look like any of the other slaves or wives. A constant reminder she had no mother or sisters, no cousins, no family at all. No one that loved her, and no one that had ever been there for her.
Not yet.
She turned away from her image, knowing that even as terrifying as the path she’d chosen was, it was the right one. She’d have nothing in Qumaref. The best she could hope for was to be the sultan’s twenty-third wife. A toy to amuse him a few times that he’d never call for again. No chance at having a home, a family, or a child of her own.
Her visions told her as much, but it didn’t take mysticism to figure it out.
The sultan hadn’t taken another wife in several years, and he always called for the same few. Now that the sultan had many sons, several of whom were adults, Auburn suspected he preferred women who knew how to please him. Something he’d have to teach her or any other new wife.
Taking another wife would also add to the harem politics, and she doubted the sultan wanted to deal with that, either.
If Prince Eli kept his word and took her to Tamryn... She closed her eyes and silenced the doubts. He would take her to Tamryn. He’d said he would, and if he changed his mind, she’d figure out a way to change it back.
Auburn hefted her pack over her shoulder and waved a final goodbye to the rooms that had housed her most of her life. Excitement and a whisper of fear tempered her sadness. She was traveling a path few ever had, and while it was unknown, she had the comfort of what her visions had shown her.
She smiled as she thought of the little boy in the red tabard.
Leaving the harem, Auburn walked to the kitchens where she arranged for the palace staff to bring food and refreshments to Prince Eli’s rooms. She’d learned a lot from watching Priyanka and the other women, and she knew how to get Eli and his men what they’d want.
As she left the kitchens and headed toward housekeeping, a guard sauntered into her path.
Auburn said nothing as she kept her eyes down and tried to step around him. The guard moved, staying in her way.
“You look lost.” A dark smile curle
d his lips. “Bet I can help you.”
Auburn swallowed as fear iced her limbs. She stepped back to stay out of the man’s reach. “I’m sure you have far more important things to do than make another man’s slave late.”
The guard leered at her. “Don’t belong to the sultan anymore. Looks like your new master doesn’t want you, sending you out here alone when you should be warming his bed. I wonder what Premal would pay for you.”
“She belongs to Prince Eli.” Sligo appeared from the shadows, sword and dagger drawn. “He exacts a high price if angered.”
The guard backed away from the armed and dangerous man.
Sligo nudged Auburn forward. “Prince Eli is waiting for you.”
Auburn sucked in a quick breath and hurried past the palace guard. When they’d rounded a corner and put more distance between them and the Qumarefi, Auburn risked glancing over at Sligo. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“Thank Prince Eli.” Sligo paused and scanned the hallways before hurrying her along the corridor. “Is the Premal he mentioned the same man that sat on the other side of the sultan last night?”
“You’re well informed.”
“I have to be to keep His Highness safe. What I haven’t figured out yet is why a rich and respected Qumarefi lord wants you so badly. He has many slaves of his own.”
She pinched a lock of her red hair. “Makes me different.”
“If that’s all he cared about, Premal’s vast wealth could buy him another slave with red hair.”
“A prize from the sultan’s personal stock.” Auburn lifted her shoulders and let them fall. “Rare and exotic, if ugly.”
Sligo raised a brow. “You’re not ugly by Tamryn standards.”
“I’ve heard it whispered people in Tamryn have hair the color of the sun.”
“Some do. Tamryn is a large kingdom with many races of people.”
Auburn sucked in a breath and pressed a hand to her heart. “Will Prince Eli really take me with him?”
“He said he will, so he will.”
She glanced at the bodyguard. “You heard that?”
“Couldn’t leave him alone with a potential assassin.”
“I’m just a slave.”
“Not anymore.”
She interlaced her fingers. “Let’s get housekeeping taken care of so we can get back before His Highness wakes up.”
“He never went to sleep.”
“But-” Auburn said.
Sligo shook his head. “You’ll learn. Now let’s get to housekeeping before Premal sends someone else after you. I’d rather not kill anyone today.”
Auburn’s eyes widened, and she hurried through the palace.
Chapter 8
As Eli paced, quiet steps outside the door had him curling his hand around the hilt of his sword.
Auburn slipped into the room with Sligo beside her, the snick of the door’s lock the only sound they made.
She studied the bed and frowned.
Sligo nodded. “As I told you.”
Relief flooded Eli, and the tension in his shoulders eased. “Took you longer than I expected.”
Auburn’s head snapped towards him. “I have arranged everything to your liking.”
Eli glanced at Sligo.
“Nothing we couldn’t handle, Your Highness.”
Stiffening, the prince’s hand tightened on his sword. He’d been wise to send Sligo with Auburn. She was his to protect, and he would see it done. Always.
“Are you all right?” Eli walked over to her and stroked her cheek.
She closed her eyes as she leaned into his touch. “Sligo made sure all went well.”
“I’d prefer if you stayed in these rooms while I’m away. Most of my staff will be with me, and I want you safe.”
Eli wrapped her in his arms, and Auburn laid her head against his chest. He tightened his arms around her.
She felt so warm and so right, as if she belonged beside him. A strange feeling, and he had to remind himself she was using him to get to Tamryn just as he was using her for information about Qumaref.
“Is there anything I can do while you’re away?” Auburn asked.
He tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. “I’ll think about it.”
Sligo nodded to Eli and disappeared back into the shadows.
With the illusion of being alone, the prince gave into temptation and stroked Auburn’s hair, the silken strands sliding between his fingers. The scent of her filled him, rich, exotic and wholly female.
His demons howled and strained against his control. Eli could carry her to the bed, and she wouldn’t resist. He could satisfy his unrelenting need for her, and she would comply because she saw pleasing him as her duty. By the gods, he wanted her, but not because she felt obligated.
The thought cooled his desire, and he forced himself to pull away from her. Walking back to his pile of notes, he flipped through them and tried to busy his mind with something other than thoughts of her.
Auburn studied him, confusion pinching her brows. Eli wanted to offer her an explanation, but he wasn’t yet ready to pit his logic against his desire. Not when it came to her.
She fidgeted, and he glanced back at her.
“There’s something you should consider,” Auburn said. “Something I haven’t heard you mention.”
“What’s that?”
“The sultan gave you a gift. It’s customary in Qumaref for you to give him a gift in return.”
Interesting that Rolland hadn’t sent word about that, but Eli would consider his advisor’s lapse more later. “Slavery is illegal in Tamryn. I can’t return the gift.”
“He’d consider giving him the same thing he gave you unimaginative, though the gift itself is less important than the gesture.”
“I’ll send someone to the marketplace. Any ideas?”
Auburn stared down at her slippered feet. “The sultan could have anything in the marketplace. He gave you something unique, something Qumarefi. If you had something you could give him from Tamryn...”
“I doubt he’d like the books I brought for the sea voyage.”
“Probably not, but magic thrills the sultan. Should you have a magical trinket or bobble you could give him, he’d hold the gift in high regard. It doesn’t have to do anything special. It’s the magic itself he likes.”
“Anything magical?”
“There is little magic in Qumaref and only a few wizards. It’s rare, so it’s valuable.”
Eli raised a brow.
“Some say it’s the heat, but I suspect the lack of wizards perpetuates itself,” Auburn said. “There must be one to teach another, and slaves cannot be apprentices. It’s considered unwise to allow us to learn magic.”
Eli nodded and walked over to the bedside table. Opening the drawer, he withdrew an elegant dagger whose sheath was emblazoned with the gold dragon crest of Tamryn.
“The dagger’s enchanted.” He showed it to Auburn. “Helps the wearer resist poison.”
“It’s perfect. It’s yours, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Her bright cornflower-blue eyes stared up at him. “I’d rather you have the resistance than the sultan.”
Her genuine concern spread through him like liquid heat. “It’s a spare of a spare.” He tapped the dagger at his belt.
Auburn reached a tentative finger out and stroked the dragon crest. A smile curved her lips.
“That smile tells me the dagger will do.”
“Does it look magical?”
“You tell me.” Eli handed her the dagger.
Auburn stepped back and hid her hands behind her back. “It’s forbidden for a slave to hold weapons.”
“You’re not a slave. You’re part of my retinue.” There was more anger in his words than he’d intended, but he wouldn’t allow anyone to call Auburn a slave. Not even her.
She closed her eyes and lowered her head as if she was preparing for him to strike her, but she wouldn’t take the dagger.
<
br /> Eli studied her for several moments, but she didn’t budge. Strength to do what she thought she must even if it meant facing a beating. There was more to his newest attaché than she first let you see.
The prince offered her his hand.
Auburn glanced at it, then up at him. “I don’t want to disobey you.”
He stood there, hand outstretched, until she took it. His strong fingers wrapped around hers. “I know.”
Pulling her to him, he eased her against his chest as he tried to comfort her. The attempt was as awkward as it was unusual for him.
“You forgive me?”
“Nothing to forgive. I’m not angry with you for following Qumarefi law even if I don’t agree with the law.”
Setting the dagger aside, he wrapped both arms around her. She settled into his protective embrace, laying her head against him as she circled her arms around him. Eli stroked her hair, and as she relaxed, he wondered what she’d endured as a slave.
He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Not because he shied away from unpleasantness, but because he worried what he’d do the people that had hurt her.
Time slipped away as he held her, enjoying the feel of her, the warmth of her in the cool morning air, and the scent of jasmine and vanilla in her hair.
By the gods, what was wrong with him? He needed to clear his mind and focus on something other than her.
“Now, about the gift. It has to look magical?” Eli asked.
“It will impress the sultan more if there’s showmanship to it.”
Eli stepped away from her, picked up the dagger, and found Sligo in his dressing room. “Make it glow,” Eli said.
“Your Highness?”
“Have someone make it look magical. It helps the wearer resist poison, so maybe a green or purple glow. I’ll be gifting it to the sultan once meetings resume.”
Sligo frowned but nodded.
Eli came back and ran his hand over his chin stubble. “I need to get ready for those meetings. Where is the shaving basin?”
Auburn kept her eyes averted. “You may not wish to shave while you’re in Qumaref.”
Eli raised a brow.
“Only women and boys don’t wear beards here. The sultan and Qumarefi court will judge you accordingly.”
To Love a Prince (Knights of Valor Book 1) Page 4
