Chapter 23
Rami
Iwoke with the familiar edge of anxiousness clawing at my mind. The unsettling feeling was one I constantly experienced while being in the Shadowed Sands. Though I enjoyed Vee’s company, I couldn’t handle being down here for longer than a day or two. Hopefully, after visiting the Zephyr Wraith, we could leave immediately.
As the clutches of sleep released me, the weight on my arm and the softness against my chest came rushing into clarity. Draped across me, Nahlah”s face was nestled in the crook of my neck, her hair creating a silken curtain around us. How did we end up this close? My attempts at solving whether it was her movements or mine that brought us together were futile; we were tangled in the center of the bed, the pillows—a forgotten line of defense—strewn across the floor.
Her thigh was locked over my hip, igniting a fierce desire within me, my body’s physical reaction to her almost painful in its intensity. The hours spent with her in my lap had been a sweet torture that had stretched my self-control to its limits. But now, with her body pressed fully against mine, feeling her soft curves through the thin barrier of her camisole, the warmth of her skin against my bare flesh—I was being pushed past the brink of control.
The memory of undressing under her gaze returned with vivid clarity. She”d watched me with a passion that had bordered on hunger. Yet, I knew it was just that—a momentary lapse in restraint. Her desire for my body did not equate to forgiveness, and to act on this raw need, to give in to the impulses that screamed at me to claim her, would be selfish.
As she shifted in her sleep with a soft sigh, the sound traveled straight through me. With a silent groan, I tilted my head back, eyes closing as I fought the urge to adjust her position and draw her closer, to mark her as mine in ways I had fiercely resisted even thinking about.
Yet, I restrained myself, acutely aware that the boundaries between us were there for a reason. Each time she flinched at my harsh words, blushed from my provocations, or endured my painful silence when she spoke, it felt like a dagger piercing my soul. But despite the agony it caused me, I couldn’t let my emotions cloud my judgment. Her safety and her future—these were things I wouldn”t compromise on.
Knowing we shouldn’t linger any longer, I brushed a stray curl from her forehead. “Nahlah.” There was no response, just the steady rhythm of her breathing. My tone grew sharper. “Nahlah!”
“Mmm?” she murmured, her lips brushing against my chest as she shifted closer. I froze, every breath, every thought escaping me—the entire universe narrowing to that single point of contact. As a surge of white-hot desire overwhelmed me, my arousal pulsing painfully, she stilled, suddenly alert and conscious.
“I guess this means you’ll be sleeping on the floor,” I gritted out hoarsely. Her eyes flew open, and in a swift motion, she jerked away, nearly tumbling backward over the bed’s edge. Instinctively, I caught her arm, pulling back with a little too much force, resulting in our positions reversing. Underneath me, she was a beautiful vision of surprise and disarray; her black hair spread around her like a halo, eyes hooded, plump lips parted in surprise.
Time suspended as I drowned in her golden gaze, each moment stretching into an eternity. There was no way she couldn”t feel my hardness pressing firmly against her. Yet, I found myself unable to pull away. Her hands settled on my stomach, causing the muscles to jump as she raked her nails lightly down my skin. When her fingers clasped my waistband, tugging me closer, a low groan escaped me, her breath catching sharply in response. All my senses focused on the aching distance between our lips, yearning to bridge it with a kiss that promised to consume us both…
RAMI! As the Sultan’s voice thundered through our bond, I nearly cursed in frustration. ANSWER ME!
His command was impossible to ignore, and I quickly scrambled off the bed. Frustration and duty clashing within me as I scooped up my jellaba and cloak—perfectly cleaned as usual when at Vee’s—aware of Nahlah’s watchful gaze. Slinging my satchel on my shoulder and clasping my boots in one hand, I muttered, “We should leave soon,” before striding out of the room, the weight of the Sultan’s anger pressing down on me.
You are failing me already. You are worthless.
The tightness in my shoulders from the Sultan’s outrage unfurled slightly at the familiar safety of Vee’s kitchen. Sultan Ghazi was furious that I had nothing new to report. It made no difference to him we’d only departed the night before; he expected results, and soon.
“Well, if it isn’t the smitten fae!” Vee greeted from his seat at the table. “How’s your heart?”
Without breaking my stride, I flicked my wrist, sending a sharp rock straight for his heart. Vee, in his typical fashion, laughed uproariously, stopping the projectile mid-flight with a casual wave of his vine, never faltering in the cup of tea he was pouring for me.
Accepting the glass with a nod of thanks, I felt the minty aroma clear my thoughts as I took a seat across from him. “It’s your heart that should be of concern if you say another word.”
“Oh, I’ve touched a nerve!” he smirked, pushing the basket of khubz my way.
“Vee,” I growled in warning, dipping a piece of bread into the plate of olive oil that appeared before me. Though I had the power to conjure things myself, I enjoyed how Vee”s home and its inhabitants anticipated my wants and needs, providing things before I even finished thinking of them.
He held up a vine as if to show me he was surrendering. ”Alright, calm yourself.” Dropping a sugar cube into his cup, he unflinchingly used one of his other vines to stir the scalding liquid. “Why do you need to see the Zephyr Wraith? Planning an adventure with your human?”
“It’s not an adventure,” I responded, wincing as the hot tea burned my throat. “There’s something—” my words caught in my throat, a sudden tightness constricting my airway. The Sultan’s stern warning flashed through my mind, his command echoing: keep the quest for the Heart of Eternity a secret.
I growled in frustration, slamming my glass down on the table harder than intended.
“Ah, so the Sultan has you after the Heart of Eternity again?” Vee asked, raising a vine-brow. Though he”d figured out the Sultan”s mission years ago, when he”d served as a liaison between us and a fae with a rare text about the Heart, the Sultan”s order still silenced me. When I merely blinked, an admission in itself, Vee glanced toward the guest room, his expression shifting. “And you’ve found the Heartseeker?”
I managed the smallest of nods, confirming his suspicion. “How did you know we needed a Heartseeker?”
Vee shrugged, a wistful look crossing his features. “I was a prince, Rami. There’s a lot I knew; I just... didn’t care about the right things.” He paused, rubbing a vine thoughtfully over his jaw. “Does she know about you?”
”You know I”m forbidden from telling anyone.”
“What if I tell her?” he offered earnestly.
I laughed, a sound more bitter than amused despite the allure of his offer. Other than the royals and Huriyah, Vee was the only one who knew about my genio fae nature. Our friendship had formed long before his curse, a bond forged in the fires of shared confidences and mutual support through years of hardships. “I don’t want to risk it. We’re managing.”
“You are not,” he snorted. ”From my perspective, she suspects every move you make.”
“She has every reason to,” I admitted. “But that doesn’t justify putting her in further danger for my own wants.”
“Ah, so you are smitten!” he exclaimed gleefully. As I threw a piece of bread at him, he caught it with a satisfied grin, taking a large bite. “Your human is heading this way,” he mumbled around the mouthful.
A moment later, Nahlah appeared, her presence instantly drawing me in. “Are we leaving?” she asked, her tone curt, her gaze carefully averted from mine.The pang of disappointment I felt was immediate, a sharp reminder that lust was not a substitute for trust.
“Yes,” I answered, standing to offer her a piece of khubz, an olive branch of sorts. When she didn’t move, I stepped closer. “Eat. You’ll need your strength.”
She took the bread hesitantly, her fingers briefly brushing mine. For a fleeting moment, there was a flicker of heat in her gaze, but it vanished as quickly as it came. “I’d prefer to eat while on the road. I don’t want to waste time talking with you.”
Vee gave a snort that could have been amusement or derision—it was hard to tell with him. “Your human’s got fire,” he remarked dryly, grinning broadly in response to my scowl. “But she’s right, you need to go while it”s still daytime.”
“Shukran for everything, Vee,” she offered him a genuine smile. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”
“I can”t remember the last time anyone was pleased to meet me!” Vee exclaimed, throwing his head back and roaring with laughter. For a moment, his true form flickered through, and Nahlah started in surprise, briefly rubbing her eyes as if mistrusting what she’d seen. But a second later, his cursed appearance returned. ”There”s a basket of fruit and vegetables from my garden with Huriyah,” he said, swiping a vine beneath his eyes, as if to wipe away tears of amusement. ”Hopefully, he hasn’t eaten them all!”
”Shukran,” I said with a grateful smile before turning to Nahlah. ”Are you ready?”
She met my gaze, something unreadable in her eyes. ”As I”ll ever be. Besslama, Vee,” she added, saluting him with a fist to her heart before stalking out the door.
”I like her!” Vee declared, slapping my back with a vine. ”Bring her back alive, okay?”