by Stacy Reid
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?”
“Ahhh,” 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 an 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.”
Surprise 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 would 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 truly 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 though his veins. He stilled.
“What is it?” Uriah asked.
Ajali was unsure, but for a brief 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 Kingblades, was 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 Kingblades 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 own 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 could frigidly control his emotions. If not for the first surge of frightening rage that her beast had wallowed in, she would have deemed him totally emotionless. Fury had pulsed within 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 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 simple 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 was 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 beautiful 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 enter
ed 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 slowly pervade her veins. Yesss…. The sibilant hiss of her beast 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 a 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 city 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 risk 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 mountain. 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 hundred years.” Then he went maddeningly silent.
They stood without speaking, him 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.
Yet 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 of 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 treaded 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.
“I am tempted to sink my cock into your tightness right here. I can already taste your wetness…sweet and warm.” His voice held promises she couldn’t begin to interpret. Cream slicked from her channel, the proof of her weakness.
Take…
Her beast’s voice, familiar and insidious, slid through her mind.
She arched, her breasts were unconfined beneath the loose caftan, granting him the access he needed. One of his hands ran up the back of her thighs as she trembled beneath his touch. It was then Tehdra realized she would never be able to keep from his bed. She would guard her heart, but it would be impossible to banish the raw hunger twisting through her. She wanted to feel his tongue sliding through her sex, savour his kisses…. He made her crave.
“Then why don’t you?”
He stiffened. “I desire you too much. Since meeting you, my thoughts have been filled with spreading your pu
ssy and fucking you hard and deep. I want to ride you until you’re screaming out in agony, because it’s so pleasurable it hurts.” His voice was rough and dark. “But I will not be controlled by lust.”
Her flesh was sensitized and she ached for him to fulfill his fantasies. While his restraint frustrated her, she understood. The iron control he possessed would make him resent the need she elicited. A smile curved her lips. He hungered for her as she did him. “Then I will anticipate the days until you claim me.”
“We dine within the hour,” he said gruffly at her nape.
With a nod, she slipped from his tempting embrace.
She would grant the king her body…but obdurately protect her heart and soul.
Chapter Four
Ajali liked the sinuous way Tehdra sauntered. There was a deadly grace to her movements. He’d always enjoyed the varied pleasure his concubines provided, and even now he craved the hot bliss of lust-pounding sex. And he wanted it with Tehdra. But with her, there was another element he couldn’t quite identify, and it had held him back when he wanted to do nothing but pry her legs open and sink his cock inside her. He’d sent word to his Kingblades to have her investigated. He would be a fool to ignore the danger.
As if she could sense his regard, she turned her head in his direction…and smiled. His gut clenched. Hunger rose, sharp and wicked, and even the heat buried inside of him, pulsated. He cursed silently and savagely. He yearned for her. The only thing he had ever craved in the last few hundred years was the protection of his kingdom. He had no need for softer companions, of a distraction from his sole purpose. It had been the reason he had not sought his kala—his queen. Nothing must divert him from the fight to come. The hari Tehdra was supposed to be a lure for the enemy…not for him.
What was it about her?
The massive doors to the private dining area opened, and Uriah strolled in, followed by his wife, Lady Shae. His brother flicked a quick but thorough appraisal over Tehdra. It irritated Ajali that Uriah’s eyes lingered on the swell of her curves and a spark of appreciation filled his gaze before he lowered his lids. Lady Shae hesitated, surprise suffusing her features. She planted a smile on her face and greeted Ajali. Then she turned her curiosity-filled stare to the concubine at his table, who unflinchingly returned their gazes.
