The Jackal Prince

by Rebecca Goings

  Her muscles screamed at her when she attempted to sit up. It felt as if she’d been dropped from the sky.

  The sand was hot, but she sat on it anyway, glancing all around her. Yasmin’s eyes were full of sand, just like her mouth and her hair. She rubbed her eyes and looked again through cloudy vision.

  Nothing greeted her but wave upon wave of rolling dunes. The air shimmered in the distance, resembling a lush, green oasis. But when Yasmin stood on shaky legs, she groaned. It was nothing more than a mirage.

  Her stomach twisted and she doubled over. If she didn’t find water—and soon—she was in a lot of trouble. Where was Siraj? What had happened?

  Her memory returned in snippets, of marrying the man of her dreams only to be taken from him in a spectacular whirlwind. Gazing at her arm, she saw the Jackal armband that wound up her right bicep. She was the Jackal Princess, no mistaking it.

  Gods, the ghost had found her and stolen her from her very own wedding! Yasmin turned in feverish circles, as if she could see the spirit who’d deposited her in the dunes.

  “Hello?” she yelled. “Is anyone out there?”

  Nothing responded.

  “Siraj!” Could he hear her? She had no idea. They were connected somehow, but she had no idea how strong their bond was. “Siraj!”

  Yasmin called his name until she was hoarse. Tears sprang into her eyes. The spirit was just toying with her now. Instead of killing her or possessing her body like she thought it might, it merely took her somewhere in the middle of the Golden Desert with no hope of survival.

  If only she had Siraj with her, if only she could cling to the very man she’d given her life and her heart to, she wouldn’t be quite so frightened.

  “Siraj,” she called again, this time with less fervor. She could cast her magic and shift into a bird. Perhaps she could find his caravan that way. But she was reluctant to cast her magic. If she did, the ghost might return to finish her off.

  “What am I supposed to do?” she cried to the sky. “Please tell me, because I have no idea!”

  The familiar release of magic left her body and shot off across the sand. Yasmin gasped in shock. Her eyes widened as she watched more clouds roll in along the horizon.

  “God of Jackals,” she whispered. The ghost had returned!

  The cry of a bird distracted her from the gathering storm. Glancing up, Yasmin recognized it. That bird was a falcon, and after a few moments, it was joined by more and more birds until an entire flock circled above her head.

  That’s when she remembered the tugging on her soul. The call of the Falcon Prince. She’d felt it a few times as a child. She had felt it again. That was what woke her in the first place.

  Then what was that magic that had left her body?

  By the gods, could the ghost have been inside of me?

  The clouds on the horizon were black, churning now, just as they had done before. But they didn’t seem to be coming after her. She watched the storm warily as the falcons alighted in the sand by her feet. A few of them pecked at her garments while others merely regarded her by cocking their heads.

  With a sniffle, Yasmin realized why they were there. Somehow, her husband had been able to get in touch with the Falcon and ask him to send his birds to find her. She chuckled with relief as her tears spilled over.

  “Please,” she said, not knowing if the birds understood her. “Go and tell the Falcon where I am. I am all right. Lead him to me!”

  A few of the birds stayed with her while the rest took wing, as if following her orders. Perhaps they were. She was the wife of a god’s steward. From now on, Yasmin wasn’t going to take anything for granted.

  The clouds were getting closer. Gods! Without thinking, Yasmin turned and ran in the direction the falcons flew. She couldn’t get caught by that thing again. There was no telling where it would take her this time.

  That is, if it didn’t kill her first.

  ~ * ~

  “Look. Siraj!”

  Siraj glanced in the direction Tariq pointed and sucked in his breath. Dark, black clouds were rolling in, just as they had the night before.

  The Jackal and the Viper had stopped after a few hours of riding in order to water their horses when the clouds began to darken the sun. Now, the wind whipped their hair and spooked the animals.

  “The ghost is back!” Siraj stood in shock, watching as the clouds gathered directly above them. What would it want with him? Perhaps now that he was Yasmin’s husband, the spirit had decided to return and finish him.

  Leaving the horses behind, Siraj marched through the sand and pulled his sword from the sheath around his waist. He had no idea if Tariq followed him or not, nor did he care. Fury blinded him to everything else until the only thing before him was the unexplained storm in the sky.

  “Where is my wife?” he screamed, raising his sword high. “Bring her back to me, or I swear to my god I will find a way to kill you!”

  The winds responded by howling across the desert. Sand whipped all around him, so close that Siraj could no longer see Tariq, his men, or their horses behind him. The whirlwind had once again touched down to the ground, and he was caught in the middle.

  Siraj attempted to swipe at the wind with his sword. He was desperate to do something, anything against the entity that had abducted Yasmin. But his sword was ripped from his hands, making him cry out in pain.

  “You coward!” he exclaimed, uncaring if he incurred its wrath. “Fight me!”

  Without warning, the whirlwind tightened until the very walls of wind had him in their clutches. Siraj’s feet left the sand and he cried out as he flew up into the air. Nothing supported him as he was lifted up and his heart exploded in his chest.

  “God of Jackals!” he cried. “Help me!”

  Siraj couldn’t even hear his own voice—the winds deafened him. The clouds raced before him while the dunes disappeared beneath him. He tumbled over and over again with tears in his eyes. Was this what Yasmin had endured? Had she been killed by being dropped from the sky?

  Just as he had that thought, he began descending, faster and faster until the wind deposited him back on shifting sands. Siraj hit the ground with a dull thud and cried out as his head spun.

  The shadowy clouds broke and retreated, and the howl of the winds seemed to fade away until the sands no longer pelted his face.

  He was alive, thank the gods, but no matter how hard he tried, Siraj couldn’t find the strength to lift himself into a sitting position. His arms wouldn’t obey him.

  He willed his body to obey his thoughts. And it did. With a mighty heave, he pushed off the dune and stood, his legs wobbling beneath him. Nothing remained in the sky but the hot, burning disc of the sun.

  “Siraj!”

  That was Yasmin’s voice, he’d bet his caravan on it! He whipped around so fast, he almost lost his balance. There she was, soiled and gorgeous, running toward him with a few falcons dancing in the air above her head.

  His heart in his throat, Siraj stumbled toward her.

  Seventeen

  Yasmin leapt into her husband’s arms and hooked her legs around his waist. Siraj fell over on the dune, but his arms never let her go. She could barely breathe, but that didn’t stop her from planting kisses all over his face.

  The world spun and before she knew it, Yasmin was on her back with Siraj now above her, fisting his hand in her hair. His lips raged on hers, giving her a glimpse of the terror he’d felt in his heart after she’d been taken. His tongue scorched her, forcing her to arch into him. More than anything, she needed full contact.

  She wanted to ask him how he’d gotten there, she wanted to know how he’d found her, but Siraj didn’t seem inclined to release her mouth. When he surged forward, she swallowed his groan the moment his cock thrust against her pussy. Gods above, but she wanted to make love to him, right here, right now.

  “Yasmin,” he cried, finally ripping his lips from hers. “Are you all right?”

  “I am now,” she confessed
, her eyes stinging with tears. “How did you find me?”

  “The storm, the same one that took you—it came for me.”

  “That makes no sense. Why would the spirit seek you out?” She trailed her fingers through his hair and he sighed, as if savoring the feeling.

  “I don’t know, I don’t care!” he exclaimed. “It brought me to you.”

  After another soul-stirring kiss, Yasmin hugged him tight. “I awoke here, on the sand. I called out your name. I wanted you, needed you. And here you are. What is happening, Siraj?”

  He shook his head and shrugged. “All I know is one minute I was desperate to find you and the next, I’m holding heaven in my arms.”

  Yasmin tried to control her breathing while she stroked his face. “I thought you wouldn’t find me!” she said, her chin trembling. “I saw the storm brewing in the distance and I started to run. I didn’t want it to catch me again.”

  “Nothing in Kaldaeron or Jikkar can keep me from my princess, Yasmin. Nothing. And as for the storm, I don’t know what that ghost’s game is. But I will find a way to defeat it. I promise you that.”

  She swallowed hard and nodded. But she read his thoughts, and saw what he didn’t say. He was no longer leaning on his faith in the god of Jackals. Shock flooded her heart.

  “Siraj…”

  He held up his hand, probably seeing her own thoughts written all over her face. “I will find a way.”

  She didn’t question him. Right now, Siraj’s faith was fragile. His love for his god was still there, under the surface, but it had been shaken to the core. He’d thought their god would have saved her from the ghost, but he hadn’t. She prayed the Jackal god would not let his steward down again.

  “There has to be a reason for all of this,” she told him. “I do not believe the god of Jackals has forsaken us.”

  Siraj hid his face against her neck. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.” His voice sounded tortured. But before she could dwell on the pain in his heart, Siraj sat up and brought her with him. She snuggled against him and clutched his robes.

  “Perhaps he brought you to me.” She knew he’d understand what she meant.

  “You are safe now, Yasmin,” Siraj said. “That is all that matters. By the gods, last night was the worst night of my life.”

  She sniffled and clutched him harder. “But I became your wife last night, Jackal. Surely it couldn’t have been the worst night of your life.”

  Siraj gave her a sad grin. “That you did. But we have yet to consummate our marriage. Perhaps that is why the god of Jackals didn’t see fit to save you from your spirit. Perhaps he doesn’t yet see you as the Jackal Princess.”

  Yasmin gasped. “But we were married. The Viper performed the ceremony!”

  “Yes,” he said, giving her a nod. “But after that ceremony, I would have taken you back to my carav and claimed you before my god. It is said two people who make love become one.”

  “We have already made love,” she replied, knitting her brow in confusion.

  “After the vows are said, after the binding by blood, and after I put my Jackal armband around your arm, then making love to each other becomes much more than a carnal delight. Before we were wed, I wanted you and you wanted me. We followed our instincts. Afterwards, however, it becomes a bond between us, and unites our hearts.”

  Yasmin closed her eyes and held on to the back of Siraj’s head. “Then when will the god of Jackals truly see me as your princess?”

  “The first chance we get, Yasmin, make no mistake. It appears as if the Falcon’s birds have found us. It won’t be long before the Falcon himself discovers where we are. He’ll take us back to his oasis. And then I will take you.”

  With a deep sigh, Yasmin turned to face the dunes just as riders in green robes crested them. One man rode ahead of the pack, his robes finer than the men behind him.

  Siraj stood and brought her up with him. With a grin and a wave, he took Yasmin’s hand and walked across the sand toward the Falcon Prince. She followed him, hoping and praying the spirit that haunted her wouldn’t separate them again before Siraj finally sealed their marriage.

  She clutched his hand a little harder.

  ~ * ~

  “Jackal!” Falcon cried just as he brought his horse to a stop. Siraj watched as his old friend arched a brow in confusion. “How are you here? Viper said you were with him.”

  “It’s a long story, my friend,” Siraj said, running his hand through his hair, thick with grains of sand. He needed a good cleansing. “I see you haven’t lost your touch with your falcons.”

  Khalil grinned. “My oasis is beyond those dunes. They didn’t have to travel far. But I will send them on to the Viper and tell him you are safe with me. Perhaps he can meet us when my caravan leaves for Suridesh.” His eyes slid to Yasmin, who’d taken hold of Siraj’s entire right arm, hugging him close to her. She stood partly behind him, as if shielding herself from the Falcon’s eyes. “I’m assuming this is the woman we’ve all been looking for?”

  Siraj grinned and gazed down at his wife. She looked back at him with trusting eyes. He was still struck by their lovely shade of lavender. He hoped he’d be struck by them for the rest of his days. “This is my princess, Yasmin Pramtash. Yasmin, this is—”

  “Khalil!” Yasmin looked back and forth between him and the Falcon.

  Khalil dismounted and stood before them. “How do you know my name?”

  Yasmin took another step behind Siraj and he felt her shudder and squeeze his hand almost painfully. Holding his other hand up to his friend, Siraj turned to face her.

  “Yas? What’s wrong?”

  “I…I’m sorry for saying his name!” Her hand covered her mouth and she looked down at the sand, hiding her eyes like she had done many times before.

  Siraj gently tilted her face back up to his. “You are royalty now,” he reminded her. “You have the right to say it. Did you learn his name from your summers at his oasis?”

  Khalil made a gasping noise behind him. Siraj held up his finger. He’d explain everything. In a moment.

  Yasmin shook her head. “No. I…I dreamed of him. That dream I had the other night. When I came to you.”

  Siraj nodded, silently urging her to continue.

  “He was in my dream. With a woman. And she…she healed his wounds.”

  “By the gods!” Khalil stepped around Siraj. Yasmin once again cowered away and Siraj stopped him with a hand to his chest.

  “You are scaring her.”

  “I would not hurt your princess, Siraj, you know that.”

  “I saw you,” Yasmin said, her voice barely above a whisper. She moved in closer to Siraj’s chest. He lifted his other arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. “You were with a woman. She was demanding that you…that you—”

  “I know what she demanded,” Khalil growled, narrowing his eyes.

  “She saw me. In my dream. She looked right at me and smiled while you both were… It doesn’t matter. But she said as she’d given you life, so too did you give her a life.”

  “What does that mean?” The Falcon sighed deeply and scowled, making the three scars on the side of his face seem all the deeper.

  “I don’t know. I am sorry. She told me she created me,” Yasmin replied. “And she called my name.” Yasmin tucked her arms into Siraj’s chest, as if she were cold.

  Khalil’s countenance softened. “No, princess, I am sorry, for frightening you. The woman you saw in your dream was called Mother. She was the witch who killed my brother and scarred me. She tricked me into saving my own life so that she could…be with me. But the hag is dead now, you do not need to be frightened any longer.”

  A rock seemed to settle in the pit of Siraj’s stomach. Yasmin had never told him exactly what she’d dreamt, but now that he knew, he glanced back up at the Falcon in disbelief.

  “What is it?” Khalil asked, placing his hand on Siraj’s shoulder.

  “God of Jackals, it all makes sense. How could
we not have seen it before?”

  “Siraj?” Yasmin’s voice got his attention and he kissed her forehead.

  “Yas, I think I know what your dream means. I might even know what the spirit is that haunts you!” He took a deep breath to collect his thoughts. “That witch didn’t just trick Khalil into saving his own life.” Siraj glanced at the Falcon. “She tricked you into fathering one as well.”

  Siraj’s gaze once again caught Yasmin’s. “It’s the witch who’s been haunting you, Yas. She’s the reason why you have such strong magics. She is the reason you never knew your parents. She is your mother.”

  Khalil’s eyes widened as dead silence descended upon the dunes. For long, uncomfortable seconds, no one dared move.

  “Mount up,” the Falcon suddenly exclaimed, his voice gruff and his eyes glassy. “Let’s go back to my oasis and straighten this out. Perhaps Zara can make sense of this madness. Gods above if that witch wasn’t already dead, I’d kill her again!”

  Siraj helped his wife astride the one horse Khalil had brought to rescue Yasmin. Without hesitation, Siraj leapt up to sit behind her. She leaned into him, trembling from head to toe. All he could do to comfort her was kiss her temple and whisper that everything would be all right.

  Perhaps it was an empty promise. But it was the only one he could give her.

  Eighteen

  Yasmin recognized the tall cliffs that surrounded the Falcon’s oasis from the summers she’d spent in his aeries as a falcon herself. His waters shone, reflecting the sun’s light with tiny points of gold. Trees and grasses grew near the water’s edge and his birds flew here and there, lending their beauty to the scene before her.

  Khalil’s caravan sat in a line near the water, and his people enjoyed the day in their lovely green robes. A few of them turned to watch their approach.

  Despite the beauty of the water, Yasmin’s stomach roiled. Siraj’s conclusions about her conception seemed sound. Was the Falcon Prince was her father?

  Yasmin stole a glance at him. Despite the three claw-like scars that marred his face, the Falcon was a handsome man, with wavy brown hair tucked behind his ears. His eyes were deep and dark, but now, his countenance was stony, as if he didn’t want to believe the truth of her birth.