by Celia Kyle
“Your Highnesses! The human doctor is causing a scene in the harem. She’s demanding to be released, and it’s upsetting the other women.” The brutish man looked sheepish for a moment before adding, “She’s really got a set of lungs on her.”
Shon shoved away from the table as if to follow the guard back to the harem.
Tahvo glared at him until his twin regained his seat. “Sit your ass back down. You’ve already done quite enough.”
Chapter 5
When Amy woke the next morning, she was surprised by two things. First, and most importantly, was the fact she’d woken up at all. No one had slit her throat or smothered her with one of the thousand pillows scattered on her bed. Apparently, the ladies of the harem were far less devious than she’d feared. Or they were simply biding their time.
Her second surprise, however, was far less pleasant.
Heavy draperies across the chamber’s many windows prevented Amy from being able to tell if the sun was up. No one stirred in the vast room, so it was probably still early. Or late. She really had no idea. Thanks, jet lag!
Glancing at the humble Casio strapped to her wrist, Amy groaned. Early. But her body told her that even if she buried herself in the mounds of pillows, she wouldn’t fall back asleep. Her racing thoughts returned to her patient and what could possibly be wrong with Nabila. If she was awake, she might as well check on the queen.
The clothes she’d worn the day before lay cleaned and pressed across a nearby velvet ottoman. But regardless of the fact that they’d been laundered, she wrinkled her nose. She couldn’t stand the thought of wearing them again for the foreseeable future. Digging a wrinkle-resistant sundress from her suitcase, she shook it out and quickly tugged it on.
As her hands skated over the cloth, smoothing the fabric over her curves, her mind drifted to last night. To the fantasy of two sets of other hands touching her. Hands that belonged to the royal twins—Adikar’s princes. Tingles skittered up her thighs and heat settled in her cheeks.
Stop that! She certainly didn’t have time for a repeat performance of last night’s bath time entertainment.
Amy pushed aside the layers of sheer curtains and carefully tiptoed through the obstacle course of couches and pillow piles. Each one was adorned by beautiful women, and a few panthers, in all their sleek glory. Only when she stood before the massive door, searching for a knob or latch, did she realize there was no apparent way to open it from the inside. She leaned her shoulder against the heavy slab of gilded wood, but it didn’t budge. She hadn’t really expected it to, but there had to be a way to open it from the inside. She searched every inch of the doorway and even skimmed her hands along the walls on either side, but no joy. They wouldn’t lock dozens of women in the room overnight, right? Think of the fire hazard!
“What the…” she muttered.
Two panthers stood guard outside the day before. She’d assumed they were there to protect the women inside, but the knot in her stomach told her something different. Told her that they hadn’t been keeping others out, but the women in. Whatever their purpose, she figured the panthers from yesterday—or their replacements—had to be there this morning. They’d let her in so they sure as hell could let her out so she could do her job.
She knocked quietly, the rap of her knuckles increasing the longer no one opened the door. A woman nearby stirred and glanced at Amy but merely rolled over and drifted back to sleep. Well, at least she hadn’t suddenly decided she was breakfast.
She tried again, banging her fist against the thick wood. They couldn’t keep her prisoner, dammit. The same woman grumbled and peeked at her before pulling a delicate sheet over her eyes.
Amy raised her arm to try a third time, but the panel swung inward a few inches and she was greeted by a pair of bright yellow, decidedly feline eyes. She knew from experience that shifters could understand human languages even in their animal form. It remained to be seen if this panther understood English.
“Good morning,” she smiled widely and pretended a cheeriness that was nowhere in sight. “If you could just move to the side…”
She tried tugging the door open a hint more, but it was like pulling against a solid brick wall—immovable. Turning sideways, she wiggled and tried to squeeze through the narrow gap, intent on starting her day and seeing the queen.
The panther guard had other ideas, snarling at her and baring its teeth.
“Whoa, big guy! I just need to tend to Nabila.”
You know, do my job. But she kept those words to herself. She’d learned in her early years not to antagonize aggressive shifters. Based on those still-present fangs, she slotted the guard into the “aggressive” category.
The guard’s growl continued and the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. The panther was not going to let her out. Well, he was. He just didn’t know it yet.
Amy fought for her professional calm and tugged on her big girl panties. She’d also learned how to win an argument without threatening violence.
“Maybe you aren’t aware, but I’m Queen Nabila’s personal doctor. I was brought here to ensure she—”
A second panther joined the first and together they screamed a warning so loud Amy staggered backward.
“Jesus!” she gasped.
She glanced over at the nearby woman, who appeared utterly bemused by the situation, but not all alarmed.
“How do you get out of here?” Amy whispered out of the corner of her mouth, gaze remaining on the cracked door.
“You don’t,” the woman said simply.
Amy furrowed her brow and squinted at her. “What do you mean? I need to see the queen.”
The woman rubbed her eyes, then yawned and stretched her lithe body, exposing her midriff and the underside of her pert breasts. “You won’t see the queen unless she summons you. We’re told where to go and when, not the other way around. Where are you from?”
Amy ignored her and padded toward the guards again, though she kept a nice gap between them. Her mind spun, thoughts fighting for supremacy while she stared at her jailer. Maybe this was some kind of joke Shon decided to play. Not that they knew each other well enough to pull this kind of prank. Not that she wouldn’t enjoy getting to know him a little better. Or a lot better.
She took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Okay, I know that we both have jobs to do. You have to protect the harem,” she nearly gagged on the word and wondered—once again—why the harem even existed. “And I have to protect the queen and the unborn heir.”
Okay, if she was honest, the driving force behind her bid for freedom had turned from getting to Nabila to simply getting out. She was no one’s captive, dammit.
“So, if you don’t shift to your human form and talk to me like a normal person,” she coughed. “I mean shifter, then I’m going to start screaming and won’t stop until someone lets me out of here. Do you understand?”
The threats of her screaming, nor any amount of glaring, swayed them in the slightest. In truth, it angered them further. The fur along their spines stuck straight up and their tails waved with menacing grace.
“Dammit,” she stomped. “I know you understand me! This is not my first visit to Furville.”
Calling their territory Furville was probably a mistake, but Amy had bypassed fear and jumped straight to fury.
“Listen to me, you numbnuts,” she said, jamming her fists on her hips and giving them the look of death. The expression had sent more than one shifter father heading for cover in the past. “You think I’m afraid of you? I’ve faced down a tiger alpha while I delivered his triplet breach babies in the middle of a rainforest without a single drop of pain medication in sight.” She let her glare darken further. “So, open this door and let me out of here!”
She continued shouting at the top of her lungs until the cats managed to close the door, sealing her in once again. Fine. At that point she added pounding on the door as she screamed, digging deep into her dictionary of curse words while demanding fr
eedom.
Voices murmured behind her, but she had zero fucks to give about waking up the harem. She needed to check on Nabila, and those dumb-as-rocks guards wouldn’t stop her.
“Let me out! Let me out!” she screeched as she pounded the door in rhythm with her chant. “Let me out!”
It didn’t take long for the harem to surround her, and she figured the women were two breaths from silencing Amy—permanently. But instead of attacking her, they picked up her chant. “Let her out! Let her out!”
Huh. Admittedly, she should probably feel insulted that they wanted her gone as much as she wanted to be gone, but right then she was worried about getting to Nabila. She could feel butt-hurt later. For now, she added kicking to her pounding and shouts, raising even more of a racket.
At least until the door suddenly swung out—instead of in—and she tumbled into a pair of strong, muscled arms.
“Oh!” she found herself clutching muscles on top of muscles.
“You called?” The masculine voice sounded both amused and smooth as butter. A voice she imagined whispering in her ear as its owner explored her darkest, most secret regions.
Tahvo.
If he was surprised to find her pitching a hissy fit, he certainly didn’t let on. Instead, he gave the guards a stiff nod and they stepped aside, allowing Amy to finally move through the doorway and into the hall.
“Apologies may be in order,” Tahvo said, after the gilded door had clicked shut behind them.
“You think?” Amy snapped. “And you better not mean I should apologize to them.”
She’d been locked in the harem.
Amy accepted that she should act more polite toward the royal family, but her anger still clutched her in its grip. First, the king had greeted her as if she was the enemy. Then they’d deserted her in a harem, of all places, and then they’d had the audacity to keep her locked up like a prisoner. She’d earned the right to wave a bitch flag.
“I should explain,” Tahvo spoke softly as he led her down the winding halls. “Our custom is to house unmarried female guests in the harem at night. There’s no safer place in all of Adikar. That said, Shon should have known that you are more than a mere guest.”
Amy glared up at him, trying to discern if he was being sincere or simply placating a hysterical woman. Oh, who cares?
“Then you’ll find me a room closer to the queen? One where I’m not being watched over like a common criminal? One where I can actually open the door and leave when I want?”
Tahvo nodded. “I’ll take care of it personally, Dr. Sullivan. Again, my deepest regrets over any discomfort you may have experienced—last night or this morning.”
His deep, resonant tone buzzed deep into her very bones and brought a fresh reminder of the “discomfort” she experienced last night. Last night when surrounded by heated water and envisioning Tahvo’s length deep inside her. Except, in her imagination, the experience was anything but uncomfortable.
It wasn’t until Tahvo’s brows pulled together, his head tipped to the side as he stared at her, that Amy realized she hadn’t responded to his comment.
“Thank you,” she murmured, blushing furiously. He probably thought she was insane. The crazy human they had to depend on to save their queen. Hell, maybe she was more than a little crazy.
Tahvo didn’t say anything else as they walked through the corridors in comfortable silence. Only the click of their steps echoing off the walls broke the calm silence. The quiet soothed her ragged nerves, allowing her to calm as they approached their next turn. She’d need to be at ease and confident when speaking with her patient. By the time they’d reached the corner, she was pretty sure she’d attained that soft reserve her patients placed their faith.
Except when she was sure they’d take a right, Tahvo caught her by the waist and guided her left. She glanced over her shoulder, staring down the empty hallway. With as much traveling she did, her sense of direction was more honed than the average human. And even though she’d been exhausted last night, she was fairly sure they were headed in the wrong direction.
“Um, Tahvo, shouldn’t we…”
“This way.”
Tahvo’s silky voice acted like a soothing balm to calm her fiery emotions. His touch distracted her, the heat of his hand slinking through the thin fabric of her dress. Her heart thundered, and a surge of need intensified with each second his hand lingered on her body. It had been far too long since she’d experienced pleasure from another’s touch and Tahvo’s tempting hand was too low on her body to be anything but suggestive. He stroked her hip, fingers blazing a trail across her sensitive skin. If only the dress didn’t block his caress…
Amy peeked up at him, struck silent by his strong handsome features. Different from Shon’s, but just as appealing to her eye. Dressed in a fitted grey suit and a salmon tie, every bit of him screamed “class.” He was smoother—more refined—than his brash playboy brother. Now she just had to figure out which she craved more.
I have more important things to think about. Like her job.
She soon found herself back at a familiar intersection of hallways, a meeting of corridors that they’d visited not long ago.
Tahvo had led her in a meandering path. To spend more time with her? To keep his hands on her a little longer?
The moment they reached Nabila’s door, his palm fell away and disappointment flickered through her. She took a deep breath and forced herself to focus her energy on the person behind the door. Nabila needed Amy’s expertise so she could get well and deliver the child she and Zafar had always wanted.
“Good morning!” Nabila chirped from her bed as soon as Amy walked in the room.
Amy froze, staring at the queen a moment longer before padding into the royal suite.
The day before, Amy would have sworn both mother and baby were knocking on Death’s door. Nabila’s ashen skin had now brightened to a rosy pink, and her eyes shone clear. She was even sitting upright, whereas the night before, she’d barely been able to move her limbs. Even her hair seemed to glisten a little more.
“Look at you.” Amy smiled as if all was right with the world. Inside, she ran through a list of shifter conditions that could be so fleeting yet deadly to the unborn child and came up blank. “I take it you got some rest.”
Nabila’s laugh sounded like lovely little chimes. “I did, thank you.” The queen looked past Amy. “Ah, you brought Tahvo with you. Are you Dr. Sullivan’s assistant today, Tahvo? Or is there some other reason you’ve followed her like a puppy?”
Amy’s eyes bulged, and her skin flamed hot. “What? He’s not… Puppy… The prince—”
She spun to find Tahvo blushing just as deeply, the self-assured prince affected by Nabila’s words, which somehow felt gratifying.
“Why not?” Nabila’s tone was teasing but also sincere.
Amy’s gaze ping-ponged between the two panther shifters, unsure how to proceed. Surely, they must be joking, but both looked to her as if Nabila was serious.
“Um, I… uh… Do you have medical training?” She wasn’t going to even address the “puppy” comment. Especially since the royal family were panthers. If anything, Tahvo would be a kitten. Not that she was thinking of him following her like a kitten because…
Stop while you’re ahead, Amy.
Tahvo shrugged. “Nabila likes to say I do. I’m mostly self-taught.”
“Don’t let him fool you, doctor. We hardly ever have to call Dr. Hadad with Tahvo always near. He’s the one who found you and assured Zafar you were the best to be found across the globe.”
“I did, actually.” Tahvo tipped his head.
Amy’s blush deepened, and she flashed Tahvo a soft smile. “Well, Tahvo, I’m going to take blood samples and send them out for testing so we can compare last night’s results to this morning’s. Maybe you could help me keep them all organized and keep Nabila occupied while I’m poking sharp sticks into her arm.”
“I’m glad you slept well,” he spoke to the
queen softly as he slipped on the rubber gloves Amy handed him.
Nabila rolled her eyes. “That’s the worst part about being ill. Sleeping is viewed as an accomplishment.”
“Don’t be silly. You need your strength and it helps. Isn’t that right, doctor?”
Amy nodded as she capped the vile of blood she’d extracted. “Yes, sleep is one of the best things you can do for your body. You’re growing an entirely new being inside you. That is exhausting, even for a shifter.”
“Then I must be taking great care of this baby.” Nabila’s tinkling laugh echoed through the chamber. “All I ever want to do is sleep.”
“No one ever doubted you would be a great mother,” Tahvo murmured.
Amy smiled again, watching Tahvo soothe and calm Nabila as Amy pulled several more vials of blood. It was far more than she’d normally need, but she planned on running every test the lab offered. Hell, she’d even have them test for rabies!
Nabila’s vitals this morning were normal, a stark contrast to the ones Amy charted the previous night. Even the baby’s heartbeat was stronger. She racked her brain, recalling case after case she’d treated through the years. And yet she knew she’d never come across this strange mix of symptoms before. What plagued the sweet queen of Adikar?
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much she could do until the results came back. For now, she could only monitor Nabila’s condition and stick close by in case she relapsed. In the meantime, Amy couldn’t stop watching Tahvo dote on his sister-in-law.
Every word, every touch showed exactly how much he cared for his brother’s wife—and how much she cared for him in return. They smiled and laughed like old friends, their relationship easy and the love they shared obvious. But he wasn’t only focused on the queen. Though he barely spared a glance in Amy’s direction, he managed to anticipate Amy’s needs and adjusted Nabila’s position for each portion of the exam without being prompted.