by Genna Love
And what could he say about last night? Since the moment he’d saved her, he’d known something drew them together. But when she suggested turning herself in to somehow salvage a peace treaty that might never work, his respect for her had doubled. As had his desire.
The further they’d pushed the boundary between them, the stronger his lust had grown.
Zarah wiggled as she stirred, her backside pressing into his manhood and making his morning erection even harder. A smile, reaching from her lips to her eyes, filled her face as she rolled over to face him.
“Good morning.” Her gaze dropped to his cock. “And good morning to you, too.” She reached down and circled a finger over his head.
He was relieved to see her in such a good mood. Their night together had been splendid, but the blood splotches on the bedcover confirmed what she had said, that it had been her first time, and he’d feared he had pushed her too far.
It had not, however, been his first time with a woman. Although Taariq was no womanizer, he’d had a handful of drunken nights in the beds of unsatisfied wives, whose husbands were too busy to tend to their sexual needs.
Last night, though, put every other lustful experience he’d had to complete and utter shame. At first, he hadn’t understood how he’d been so rash when he’d used his magic to save her. But now, after seeing her laugh and witnessing the devotion she had to her people, so much so she was ready to turn herself in for the mere hope of peace, the thought of him walking by as that cruel guard assaulted her nauseated him.
“Are you all right?” he wasn’t sure how to properly ask a woman questions like that, but he needed to know he hadn’t hurt her.
“I’m a little sore, but nothing I can’t handle.” She trailed her finger up his stomach and to his mouth, pulling down his lower lip before gently pressing her mouth to his.
A loud grumble sounded from her stomach, making them both laugh.
“It seems your body is reminding you of its need for sustenance,” Taariq teased. “I’m no gourmet chef like water-boy, but I can make us some mediocre porridge.”
“Sounds perfect.” She clutched her hands at her chest before rolling over and stepping out of bed.
He admired the shape of her backside. She was long and lean but still possessed curves in the right places. Her long hair reached halfway down her back, frizzed out from a long night’s sleep.
As she dressed, Taariq excused himself to the room that had been deemed his for the time being. It was twice the size of his room in the boarding house—and the mattress was softer than anything he’d ever slept on—but he hated it. There were too many pieces of art on the walls and the bed was far bigger than necessary. The only part he approved of was the desk in front of the window that overlooked the city street below.
When he’d returned to the boarding house and given his rent to Viktor, he’d grabbed all of his art supplies. Being stuck in this fancy house for any amount of time would be enough to drive him crazy, so he needed all the distraction he could get, and drawing was always a good way to busy his mind.
But last night had been better than any diversion he could have ever dreamed of. He’d never felt the same way about any woman as he did Zarah. They’d only known each other a few days, but something tied them together. Perhaps it was the magic they’d shared. Taariq didn’t know much about a mage absorbing another’s power, but it was plausible that it triggered a bond of some sort.
He put on one of the outfits that Eli had bought for him. Brown leather pants, a light green tunic, and a matching leather belt. He should be grateful that a stranger had shown him kindness, but Taariq refused to ever be a fucking charity case. And if it wasn’t for his vow to Zarah to get along with the water-boy, he’d just as soon walk around naked than be given pity.
As he’d promised, he made them some breakfast, which they ate outside in the garden.
Although he didn’t like how easily Eli had gone and purchased them both new attire, he couldn’t deny Zarah looked stunning in the dress she now wore.
The light pink hue of the fabric brought out the rosiness in her cheeks—cheeks that had flushed a deep red as they’d made love the night before. The deep V neckline displayed her perky breasts, making Taariq want to rip the dress right off and do her right there in the morning sun. And maybe if he’d have known Eli would stay away for a few more hours, he would have.
They ate the porridge he’d put together—which as much as hated to admit, tasted like dirt compared to the breakfast water-boy had made.
After they finished breakfast, Zarah stood. “I want to practice magic again.”
“Aren’t you the eager student,” Taariq said. Her enthusiasm was endearing. Although she was every bit a grown woman on the outside, the excitement that widened her eyes when she spoke of magic reminded him of when his magic first emerged as a child.
They moved to the center of the garden on the circular patio made of gray and rust-colored cobblestone. He could only imagine what something like that would cost, not to mention all the frivolous pieces of artwork inside.
Taariq was careful to keep a small distance between them. They still weren’t sure how her power worked. Yesterday, he had been touching her as she pulled from her fire within. But today, he wanted to try something different.
He took two steps back and said, “Close your eyes and reach out your arms.”
It had been over an hour since their last physical contact, but they’d been as close as any two could be the night before. Had their intimacy created more magic in her?
Zarah wiggled her shoulders and exhaled as she closed her eyes and extended her arms, palms up.
“Now, pull from your most passionate thoughts.” He remembered the sweet taste of her lips on his, and his cock twitched. “Pull from your internal blaze and imagine heat rising from your left palm.” As soon as the words left his mouth, she had created a tall flame in her hand. That had been almost too easy. Could she do even more? “And picture that flame growing into an arc spreading from one palm to the other.”
The flame in her hand flourished, swelling into an impressive half-circle reaching over her head and across her body.
When she opened her eyes and saw the strong magic she controlled, she grinned.
“Keep it going.” Taariq had one more question to answer. Within two strides, he could feel the warmth of the blaze. What he wondered, though, was if it would burn him.
Slowly, he stretched out his arm until his fingers disappeared into the glow of the fire. Although the temperature was hot to his skin, when he pulled his fingers back out, they were perfectly fine.
“Are you hurt?” Zarah asked as the magic disappeared.
Taariq raised his hand. “Not at all.”
Fire mages, by nature, could withstand hotter temperatures than most other humans, but they would always be burned by another’s fire magic. Somehow, Zarah’s magic was an exception, making him all the more curious.
She staggered to the side. Her cheeks, which had been pink only moments before, had drained of color.
Taariq grabbed her by the waist. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m just a little weak.” She leaned into him.
He picked her up. “Let’s get you inside.”
The day before only a small amount of magic use had caused her to black out. Today, she had used ten times more and, although it clearly affected her, she had stayed conscious, which was a good sign.
When they walked through the sitting room, Eli was there. He set down the large wooden box in his hand and rushed to them. “Is everything all right?”
Taariq walked right past water-boy and set her down on the couch.
“I’m just fine,” she said. “I was practicing my magic and it made me a little woozy. That’s all.”
“I’ll get you some water,” Eli said, and left the room.
Taariq snorted. “Isn’t that ironic.”
Zarah laughed. “Quite.” Though her skin was still pale, a small amount
of rosiness had settled back in her cheeks.
Eli returned with a cup of water and handed it to her.
She took a long drink. “Did your trip go as planned?”
He frowned then grabbed pieces of paper from the box he’d brought in. “My business duties went well, but I found out some information while I was gone.” He raised the two sheets of parchment in his hand. “Guards were handing these out at the market.”
One was the drawing of Zarah’s face with the promise of a reward for information that aided in her arrest. That one they’d already known about. But the other was information on the royal wedding.
“It will be pretty hard for the Cardasian bastard to marry a princess he can’t find,” Taariq said. He’d die before letting that ass get his hands on Zarah.
But when he saw the horrified expression that twisted her face, he realized he was missing something.
“He isn’t planning on marrying me.” She clutched her stomach. “Now that I’m out of the picture, he’s going to marry my younger sister.” Her already white face turned green. “This can’t be happening.”
Taariq sat next to her and took her hand into his. “What can we do?”
“We need to save her.” Her hand clenched beneath his. “I can’t let him ruin her like he’d planned to ruin me.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Eli said, his face also a shade lighter. Could he sense Zarah’s emotion like Taariq could? “Guards are on the lookout for you. You can’t just barge into the castle. The safest thing you can do is leave the kingdom. If they catch you, your family might try to save you, which will only get them killed, too.”
Taariq hated that water-boy was making sense. “You said they were handing out these pieces of parchment? How many artists do they have drawing these things?”
“Let me see one,” Zarah commanded, pulling her hand from Taariq’s. After Eli handed the wedding invitation to her, she inspected it. “Prince Marius bragged about a machine he brought over from Cardasia that he called a printing press. He went on and on about how revolutionary it was at making copies of things with far less effort. I wish I could burn it.”
Her breath hitched as she placed her hand on the couch, setting the parchment in her lap.
“You should eat some food,” Eli said. “I will make us all some lunch.”
“Good idea,” Taariq said, nodding at water-boy.
When he was gone, Taariq sat next to Zarah. “This isn’t your fault.”
She sighed. “You must promise to keep teaching me to use my magic. If I ever get the chance to stop Marius from ruining my sister, I want to be prepared.” She took his hand. “Promise.”
He nodded. “I will teach you all I can, but we must take things slow. I won’t have you passing out on me.”
She lifted the wedding invitation again, glaring at it.
A surge of fury flashed in her eyes as she crumbled the parchment. Then she watched as it erupted into flames in her cupped hands, burning until nothing but its charred ashes remained.
Zarah
Zarah stood in the garden behind Eli’s house, staring at the fountain as water fell into the pond below it. The sky above was dark gray, casting a shadow on everything beneath it.
Something was wrong, she just wasn’t sure what.
A drop of rain splattered on her hand.
Why had she come outside when it could pour at any moment?
“Are you all right?” a male voice asked.
She spun to see a man dressed in Monk robes approaching her. His shaved head accentuated his large brown eyes. He clenched his jaw as he frowned.
“I… think so.” She didn’t feel all right, but yet, she didn’t know why. “Who are you?”
“You’ll know soon enough,” he said.
“Did something happen?”
His gaze fell to the ground, causing the knot in Zarah’s stomach to tighten.
Whatever he wasn’t saying was bad.
Zarah awoke with a jolt.
Nerves twisted the muscles in her stomach. She’d left the dream too quickly, and it took a moment to orient herself back in reality.
What a strange dream it had been. The emotion had felt so real, yet she had never met the man who’d been in the garden with her.
It was just a dream, she told herself as she pushed herself from the bed. The stress of knowing her little sister now had to marry the wicked Cardasian Prince had found a way to manifest itself as she slept. That was all.
How was she supposed to just let that happen?
The past three days she’d eaten very little and barely slept.
Taariq and Eli had both tried—and failed—to distract her. Eli made meals and desserts that smelled delicious, but she couldn’t bring herself to have more than a few bites. Taariq offered to help her practice harnessing her fire power, but the one time she’d tried, she couldn’t focus enough to do any magic.
Even if their attempts hadn’t gone as they’d hoped, she appreciated the effort. Although she’d just met them days ago, a connection existed between them. It was as if an imaginary rope tethered her to each man. She could feel their presence when they were near, and sometimes, she swore she sensed a shift in their emotion. Ever since she’d spent the night with Taariq, their link seemed even stronger. None of it made sense. And it surely wasn’t normal. But as much as she wished she did, she had no answers, only adding to her frustration.
Zarah found Taariq at the desk in his room, the door propped open so she could see him from the hallway. His hand scribbled on the paper, gaze down and focused. She’d spent hours at a time, lying in his bed, watching him draw while Eli was gone, tending to his business.
“Good morning,” she said, not wanting to startle him and risk messing up his work.
He drew a few more lines, then turned. “Morning, Princess. You slept in late today.”
“Did I?” She had been in such a deep sleep when she’d sprung up from the dream, she thought she’d awoken earlier than normal.
“Eli took off at least an hour ago,” he said. “He left you some porridge to eat. Not that you will.”
Zarah gave a tired grin. “Do you plan to talk me into it?”
He shook his head. “No, Princess. You’re free to feel how you must.”
She shifted her weight back and forth on her feet as she considered what she was about to ask. Eli looked at Zarah as a girl in need of protection. He’d brought her into his home, provided her with clothing, and was determined to find her a way out of the city. And she knew he was right when he said she needed to be careful.
Taariq didn’t treat her as fragile. He’d given her space when she’d needed it and time to deal with the knowledge of her sister’s betrothal.
But she wasn’t sure if she was about to push him too far.
“I need to get my sister out of the castle.” She kept her words straight to the point. She wasn’t asking. There was no way, in good conscience, she could just let her sister deal with her mess.
“And how do you plan to do that?” His eyebrow curved as it did whenever his interest was piqued.
“I’ll enter the castle the same way I escaped. Aerilyn does her sewing in the afternoon. If I time it right, I can find her alone then sneak her back out with me.”
“And if the prince sees you?”
“He and my father usually have mead in the parlor at the same time.”
“Usually.” He tilted his head. “And what about the guards?”
“I won’t be exposed for long.”
It wasn’t a full proof plan. If any of the servants saw her, they could alert the guards. But she had to at least try. How could she escape Lyria and leave her sister in the hands of such a cruel excuse of a human? It was one thing to sacrifice herself for the kingdom, but she wouldn’t let her sister suffer for the mistakes she had made.
“I’m going no matter what you say. But I won’t refuse your help, should you offer.” She spun around and stepped toward the door.
“
Wait.” He came to her and leaned his chin over her shoulder. “You know I won’t let you go alone.”
“You won’t let me?” she asked as his finger traced from her wrist to her shoulder. Learning of Aerylin’s fate had killed the buzz that had swam through her after her bond with him grew intimate, but she hadn’t forgotten how his body had felt in hers.
“I’ll help you get your sister.” His warm breath blew on her ear. “But we better be back before Eli returns or we’ll never hear the end of it.”
Since they needed to wait until the timing was right, Zarah found her usual spot on the bed as Taariq resumed his drawing. When enough time had passed, he convinced her to eat a little so she wouldn’t pass out in the castle from hunger. Then, before she could talk herself out of it, she wrote Eli a note and left it on the couch. If something went wrong, he deserved to know why.
She changed into the dress Taariq had traded her black dress for and grabbed the headscarf he’d given her the day they went to the market and wrapped it around her head. It was the least likely attire to get her noticed on the streets.
Soon, they were on their way.
“Where is the entrance to the pathway?” Taariq asked as they neared the spot where he’d saved her.
“In an alley one street over from the tavern.” Every time she’d used her secret passageway before, it had been dark and the city had been quiet. But now, in broad daylight and with guards on the lookout for her, getting to it would be more complicated.
She’d considered going at night, under the cloak of darkness, and sneaking into her sister’s room, but the guards made spontaneous rounds in the late hours, which made this time of day the more predictable of the two.
No matter when they went, she was taking a risk.
As was Taariq. She could never forgive herself if something happened to him because of her, but she also needed to save Aerilyn.
When they got to the street with the alley entrance, they paused. It wasn’t a busy street, but there were enough people around that it would be hard to get into the pathway unnoticed.