The Keeper bowed to the royal couple and announced, “Your Majesty, King Malik, the women of the harem are becoming…restless. It’s been some time since you required their services. They have asked if you would allow the men of the guard to seek entertainment with them.” The man kept moving his gaze from Adrienne to Malik and back again.
Malik nodded sagely. “Perhaps this topic would be better left for later, Keeper.”
“Begging pardon, Majesty, King Malik, but this is about as later as it’s going to get. The girls are…” he paused to look at Adrienne and cleared his throat, “…well—”
“Harem?” Adrienne asked. It was the first word she’d said all morning.
Though she asked her question softly, the entire throne room grew quiet. All eyes were on Adrienne, including Malik’s. She only had eyes for the Keeper.
“Well, yes, Majesty, Queen Adrienne. A harem is—”
“Keeper,” Malik interjected in a vain attempt to keep the man from educating Adrienne should she not know the meaning of the word. The heat of her anger beating against his skin told him otherwise.
Adrienne smiled coldly. “I know what a harem is, Keeper. But thank you for attempting to explain.” She moved her gaze from the Keeper to Malik. “I didn’t know my husband,” she said, her voice dripping ice, “had one. When did you plan on telling me?”
She didn’t wait for his answer. “For days you came to my room and bombarded me with all types of information about your past and this kingdom. Never once did you mention a harem.” She laced her fingers together in front of her and leaned forward in her seat. “Come to think of it, I was cooped up in my room for four days with nothing but my personal guards and my maids for company. For all the babbling they did, I never once heard anything about a harem. Gardens, foods, the bazaar—yes. A harem—no.”
The five people she mentioned were stationed at the bottom of the throne dais, and each one looked uncomfortable. “Why is that?” she asked no one in particular.
When Mushira would have spoken, Adrienne held up her hand for silence. The woman’s mouth closed with a snap. Adrienne didn’t want to hear any excuse Mushira would give her. In the end this all went back to Malik. Either he told her entourage not to mention the harem, or they felt the need to hide it from her and aid Malik’s suit.
The Keeper chose to interject more news. “The ladies also wanted me to relay their…uh…displeasure at being made to stay in their chambers during the wedding and reception.”
Malik gave the Keeper an icy glare the man blatantly ignored.
“Their chambers, Keeper? Where are the harem girls kept? I assume in the palace?” Adrienne asked calmly.
“The room directly below the royal chambers, Majesty, Queen Adrienne. There is an access staircase in King Malik’s chambers—er, your chambers—so the women can come and go without having to trek all over the palace.”
“Ah.” Adrienne nodded and sat back. “The door to the staircase wouldn’t happen to be hidden behind a tapestry of dancing women, would it, Keeper?”
“That would be the very one, Queen Adrienne,” the Keeper said.
Adrienne turned her attention to Malik. She didn’t just turn her head—she turned her entire body. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Feyr slink out from between them with his tail curved around his body.
Her words were quiet, controlled, and dripped with every bit of the anger she felt at the situation. “Get rid of it.” If this were a cartoon, there would be a bonfire behind her and her eyes would be glowing red.
The crowd gasped.
“What would you have me do with the women, my lady wife?” Malik asked.
“Short of killing them, I don’t care. But either they go—and by go I mean out of the palace—or you’re never touching me again. Is that clear?” She struggled to remain calm. She didn’t want to show the people of the court how angry this situation made her. But she couldn’t stop herself.
“I can’t believe you never had the decency or the guts to mention you had a harem. No, I have to find out from the goddamned harem keeper!” Adrienne pointed at the man. The Keeper shrank back with a worried look. “And, to add insult to injury, the people I thought were becoming my friends didn’t bother to mention it, either. I can only assume they decided to wait on you. Since it hadn’t come up before the wedding, you would think one of them would’ve thought a harem was something important to mention to me, your wife!”
Khursid, Qamar, Indivar, Flavian and Bayard all went to one knee with their heads bowed. Nimat and Hani started crying, while Mushira looked close to tears. Adrienne ignored it all and asked, “Is there anything else you’ve failed to mention that might make me angry? Might as well do it now. You can’t piss me off more than I already am.”
Adrienne didn’t know what angered her more—that no one had bothered to mention the harem, or that it was directly below the chamber she shared with Malik. Had the harem girls heard her screams of pleasure at Malik’s hands and been jealous? It would explain the Keeper’s presence.
Malik wanted to see how his subjects responded to Adrienne’s outburst but didn’t dare look away from her. Her anger scorched along his skin. It would be an easy thing to shield himself from her emotions, but he deserved the pain, since he had deceived her.
He said softly, “I shall have the harem disbanded and the women relocated by nightfall.”
One woman in the crowd of onlookers fainted. Never before had anyone seen Malik concede…on anything. There was no other movement.
“There is nothing else, my lady. You are right. I should have mentioned the harem earlier or disbanded it before I thought of bringing you here. I am sorry I caused you pain.” Malik didn’t bow his head or lower his eyes from Adrienne’s gaze. Pride wouldn’t let him, but his eyes showed his apology was genuine.
Adrienne whipped around in her seat and faced front again. She couldn’t look at Malik so she stared at the far wall. Tears stung her eyes but she fought them. And, damn it, she would win. These people had just seen their new queen lose her temper. They wouldn’t see her cry.
She took a cleansing breath and, in a normal voice, she said, “Thank you, Keeper. You can go.” She watched the man bow uncertainly and leave the room. Slowly, murmuring started, soft at first, then it grew into a roar.
Everyone was shocked. Their queen had a temper that matched their king’s, and said king had apologized after being chastised like a child. The day would be talked about the kingdom over.
Malik continued watching Adrienne. The heat of her anger subsided and he wanted to comfort her, but he knew it would be rejected, since he had caused her pain. Still, he wished to do or say something to make the situation better.
He whispered, “Adrienne—”
“Burn that bed,” she interrupted him. Adrienne knew no one heard her soft command over the noise of the crowd. She wanted it that way, because the last was for Malik alone. She sniffed, then dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve, blinking rapidly several times to keep the tears at bay.
“Of course,” Malik agreed. He signaled. Flavian appeared and knelt at his side. Malik whispered his orders to the man, who nodded, sketched a quick bow and quit the throne room with six other men behind him.
Malik said for Adrienne’s benefit, “They will take the bed someplace where the fire will not be seen. It will be replaced by tonight.”
Adrienne gave the barest of nods. She looked down at her entourage. Hani and Nimat cried openly. Mushira glanced up at Adrienne, then looked away. Minus Flavian, the Elite guards remained on one knee with their heads bowed.
She didn’t feel the least bit sorry for what she had said. They owed her an explanation. If she felt like hearing it, Adrienne would ask them later. Something told her she would just want to put the whole thing behind her.
“‘Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’,” she quoted.
Feyr returned to his previous position, ready to bolt if the need arose. He looked from Adrienne to Malik
. Until her outburst, he thought Malik would rule over Adrienne as he did everyone. Now Feyr felt Malik might be ruled over instead.
* * *
Flavian and his men burned and replaced the bed in a day’s time.
Adrienne kept silent the rest of the day. When it came time to retire, she allowed Malik to escort her to their rooms. She hadn’t expected to see a new bed. While the same size as the first, the frame and headboard had different carvings, and a tapestry of serpents replaced the one of dancing women.
Without being asked, Malik left Adrienne alone that night. The bed’s size meant Malik and Adrienne could share it without touching, and that suited Adrienne fine. She didn’t know how long she would want it that way.
Two weeks passed and things remained strained between Adrienne and Malik. The harem girls were employed in different trades outside the palace walls. And Malik had the harem chambers remodeled into a recreation room for Adrienne as an apology gift. Adrienne hadn’t visited the room and didn’t know if she ever could. A new set of furniture and quick but thorough cleaning wouldn’t change the room’s past.
The weather turned perpetually overcast. The magicks did this to mirror Malik’s somber mood. When Malik retrieved Adrienne from Earth, the weather became bright and warm. Ulan entered a time of rebirth and growth after years of winter.
But spring had reverted, and storms raged across Ulan’s lands. The people of Ulan decided to solve their own problems until the weather improved, leaving the throne room empty.
The bad weather and poor traveling conditions didn’t deter everyone.
Malik sat before those still brave enough to seek him out. For the first time, he noticed the loneliness of his throne without Adrienne seated next to him. He couldn’t keep his eyes from glancing over at her empty throne. The distraction he felt made him dismiss five cases outright.
He had to figure out a way to get Adrienne to forgive him. At first her silence frustrated him, but then her silence turned into avoidance. She refused to sit before the court, and took her meals in the secluded gardens. He only saw Adrienne at night, and that was across the width of their giant bed. A bed he had thought small until the distance kept him from his bride.
“Announcing Ambassador Kerest from the Kingdom of Sondo,” called the court attendant. He bowed to Malik then stepped aside, allowing the woman to pass.
Malik stiffened and looked at Kerest in disbelief. She was truly there. The years had been kind to her. He hadn’t seen her since he was fifteen.
A few strands of grey sprinkled her floor-length black hair and were the only indication of her true age. Her full breasts, slender waist and round hips were exactly as he remembered them. The laughter in her manner made her black eyes sparkle.
Malik stood and yelled, “Clear the throne room.” People started filing out. “Except you, Kerest.”
She smiled up at him, running one of her perfectly manicured hands across the naked flesh of her barely concealed bosom. The series of ribbons intertwined around her body constituted her clothing, and left nothing to the imagination.
Malik descended the dais. He grabbed Kerest’s wrist and pulled her along in his wake.
She laughed at the pace he set. “There is no need to hurry, my love. We have time to play,” she purred.
He didn’t respond. He entered his study and whipped his arm forward, throwing Kerest in front of him.
“No one is to disturb us under any circumstances,” he barked over his shoulder, then slammed the door.
The two guards gave each other knowing looks.
One said, “Looks like the weather will be improving soon.”
“Looks that way,” the second guard agreed with a grin.
Kerest pressed her front to Malik’s back. She licked out her tongue, tasting his neck. He jerked away and faced her with a dark look.
“Come, now, Malik. Don’t be that way. We are old, old friends, you and I,” Kerest said as she sashayed over to him. She slipped her hand inside his shirt and caressed his bare skin.
Malik stepped back, out of her reach. “Keep your hands to yourself, Kerest. I am not interested.”
“Not anymore,” Kerest agreed with a pout. “When I heard of your harem being banished, I couldn’t believe it. Not my Malik. He would never—”
“I am married now, Kerest,” Malik interrupted.
“So?”
“This is not Sondo.”
“Your father had a harem. I remember he and Dione quite enjoyed it. Perhaps your queen might enjoy the same,” she suggested with a knowing smile. “You taught her about sex. Teach her the enjoyment of multiple bodies intertwined and bringing exquisite pleasure.” She grasped Malik’s arm and jerked him forward.
Her lips melded to his, but Malik kept his firmly closed as he tried to get away from Kerest without hurting her. That would only entice her.
Kerest was a masochist. Her love of pain endeared her to Malik when he was younger. Bouts of rage had overcome him, and that rage found an outlet in his father’s harem with Kerest. She allowed him to vent on her flesh until she bled, then he would heal her. Once his rage cooled, she would love his body and drown his senses in pleasure. Kerest was his first teacher in the carnal arts.
Malik got older and became better at dealing with his grief. He learned to hide his emotions, and thus he didn’t need Kerest anymore. She returned to Sondo. Malik hadn’t seen her since, but Kerest was not a woman to be forgotten—or denied.
Adrienne frowned at the empty throne room. She knew Malik was there. She had finally decided to stop her childish pouting. The harem existed long before Malik knew about her, and she’d given him the cold shoulder for two weeks. The time to forgive and forget had come.
Truth be told, she hadn’t thought Malik would let her keep avoiding him the way she had. He forced his attentions on her before they were married—she thought he would do the same after. Instead, he kept his distance, even in bed. She didn’t know how to bridge the gap between them.
It had taken her all day but she finally convinced herself to just talk to him. She had overreacted. The guards burned the bed, Malik dismissed the harem, and several palace servants had renovated the room the harem used. Only Adrienne’s grudge remained, and that needed to end.
Two nervous-looking guards caught her eye. She walked across the throne room towards them. As she got closer, she realized they stood before the door that led to Malik’s study. It made sense that if the court was in recess and Malik hadn’t called lunch, he was probably in a closed session with an ambassador or dignitary.
“Is Malik in there?”
The guards exchanged looks before one answered, “Yes, Majesty, he is.”
“Good. I need to talk to him,” Adrienne said. She waited for one of them to open the door. “Well?”
“King Malik said not to disturb him,” informed the guard.
“Open the door.”
The guards exchanged one last look. The one who had spoken opened the door for her. She passed him without another word. She would have a talk with Malik about these guards. They had to know Malik didn’t mean her when he said he didn’t want to be bothered.
After a deep, steadying breath, she opened her mouth to apologize for her behavior—then stopped.
Heat scorched over Malik’s back and told him his private conversation had ended. He shoved away from Kerest, heedless of whether he hurt her or not, then turned and faced the door. Sure enough, Adrienne stood watching him.
She met his gaze for the length of a breath, then she whipped around and stormed off the way she came.
Malik gave chase. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop. “Adrienne—”
Adrienne spun and slapped Malik across the mouth. “Let go of me!”
Her attack caught Malik off guard and he released her without thinking. She fled before he could correct his mistake. He turned back to his study and glared at its occupant.
Kerest smiled at the enraged display of Malik’s bride. “She’s
lovely, Malik, and so full of fire. She must be wonderful in bed. Perhaps I should stay tonight and help you convince her to reinstate your harem. You know I am a master of—”
Malik’s hands surrounded her neck and choked her words to a stop.
She smiled at him and rumbled, “I see you do remember how I like it.”
Malik let her go quickly. His anger at being caught with Kerest, coupled with the incident with the harem, had overridden his good sense. Pain didn’t work on Kerest, not the way he wanted.
“I know you have not come to offer yourself to us. And it is an offer I would refuse. Why are you here?”
Kerest pouted. She tried cuddling up to Malik but he backed away and gave her a warning look.
“King Ravalyn wishes to know how he will repay his debt to you now that you’ve sent back the concubines,” she said.
“His debt is repaid.”
“He doesn’t think so. Your aid put him on the throne of Sondo. He thought you would keep the harem forever, as they were the best girls from the most prestigious schools. Since they are banished from your palace, he finds himself in your debt again.”
Malik didn’t want to deal with this. His situation with Adrienne had taken a turn for the worst. He had kept his distance all this time.
So many times, he had to stop himself from demanding Adrienne acknowledge him and take him back into her embrace. Their problem wouldn’t be solved that way and it might have made it worse. He waited for her to come to him, and when she did, Kerest’s actions ruined everything.
“Ravalyn did not need to send you, of all people, to relay this message. He could have contacted me with an orb.”
“Oh, he tried but you didn’t acknowledge his calls. But his renewed debt is not the only reason he sent me,” Kerest said. “Iniko also tried to contact you. Your foul mood has the magicks in a frenzy, and that has made travel into Ulan all but impossible. Only I could attempt it, and it nearly killed me.”
Adrienne Page 15