Game of Temptation (3 page)

The bowl pulsed with russet light, mimicking
the color of blood as it disappeared into the bowl. Soon the bowl was filled
with inflamed liquid which she put in a vial in her own pouch. She felt numb as
she gave Orrin the essence of Imreal and sent him away. She would not cry. Not
now. She would cry when she was alone in her room.

"Shall we go to my room,
princess?"

Alethi spun; the question adding more
confusion to her thoughts. "Your room?"

"Did I not tell you?" the corner
of his mouth twitched into a wicked grin. "You will be sharing a room with
me. For diplomatic reasons."

Chapter Three

Arun has already lived hundreds of years, but it was the
first time since his age was in double figures that he was feeling rather
excited. Princess Alethi was human. Purely human. Without a shred of blood that
gave elves near-immortality, calm and control. Even so, he knew the princess
would not be broken easily. Had she been elfin, he worried that nothing he did
would yield anything. It had been a gamble before the revelation, but now, he
was quite sure he would win even without using the Ollan to break her.

She would speak in his bed – scream, if she needed to – but
he would have the information he needed. War could be averted if she yielded
enough secrets, or at the least, the damages could be minimized. All he knew
was Dosalam was planning to take what magic they can from Rehanathi and expand.
He would not let that happen. He would not let the greed of humans win.

To his side, Alethi walked as if she were the queen and he,
her guest. Nothing in her exotically alluring features betrayed what she felt.
Save her hands. They were balled into fists, her knuckles white and her fingers
red from how tightly she held them together. Her mind and her heart were
obviously still in turmoil. He could exploit that. The treaty only did say
bodily harm. But he would not do such a thing.

Arun was an elf. The better being. The only torture he would
inflict on anyone was torture they like. And he did not know of anyone who did
not like a good fuck. It was only pure luck that her arrival had been timed
with his mating year. He would break her façade and prove her to be as wanton
as her predecessors.

He shuddered in his mind at the thought of humans going after
sex for the sheer pleasure of it, not for the sake of progeny. The woman at her
side could have fucked many men before him and suddenly, his plan in getting
information from her became depressing. There would be no joy in bedding a
promiscuous woman, but if she held onto her fiery denial, it could be worth it.

He swept aside the vines that were the curtain into his
chamber and unstrung his bow before relieving himself of the rest of his arms.
He turned around and saw Alethi, her composure showing hints of uncertainty.
Her eyes darted taking in the plain walls, the jewel-encrusted furniture and
the casement where he placed his panoply. She suddenly flushed as her eyes
settled on the bed that could barely fit two and quickly turned her head away.

A chuckle had involuntarily risen from his throat before he could
stop it. She was only feigning innocence, perhaps to make him feel guilty about
his plans for her. But he would not be swayed. Libertine or no, he would make
her talk the only way he knew.

"How many days has it been since you have taken a
bath?" he asked. She did not smell awful, but she did have the smell of
sweat. And of faint arousal. They were not entirely unwelcome odors, but it was
the only question he could think of to break the silence between them.

"Three," she said quietly, not looking at him.

"I see. You can take a bath in the lake to the east. I
hope you do not mind company. Everyone takes their baths there."

Her head whipped to him, her eyes bulging. "Everyone?
All the time?"

"Afraid, princess? Why? Is it because seeing a naked elf
will arouse you?" he asked, checking one of his daggers. It would easily
tear through the fabric of her dress. He immediately spoke before her open
mouth could form words. "As for your question, yes, everyone, but rarely
anyone goes there at the height of the night."

"For propriety's sake, do I not get a room?" she
demanded showing cracks in her demeanor widen into crevices.

From where he stood, Arun could see the tell-tale signs of a
woman about to cry – face flushed, eyes, watery, voice tight, rapid breathing.
In truth, he could only imagine what he was going through. He, himself was a
legitimate son and the father he knew was not on the verge of death. The man he
respected had never betrayed him or his trust. He knew he would not be able to
bear all that on top of the fate of his country resting on his hands.

That was the redeeming nature of humans. They were resilient.
Made to weather whatever life threw at them.

Before he knew what he was doing, he was already within arms'
reach of Alethi. He didn't know what he was doing, but he knew he was supposed
to reassure her. But the why and how of it escaped him. She was a captive.
Royal and beautiful by prisoner standards, but that was what she was. She could
wallow in self-pity and he shouldn't care. And the problem was, not only did he
care, but the emotions that were making her cry was, he knew, not from
self-pity.

"I could send you to another place, but who's to say
what others would do to your mind?" he finally said, "The protection
in the treaty is only physical. It takes only one elf to realize that and harm
you. We may be elves, but we can still hate."

Alethi bowed her head and her shoulders shook. Arun knew she
was crying and he did not know what to do.

"I shall leave you a while," he said finally
wanting to break from his own confusion. "I have other duties to attend.
In the meantime, make yourself comfortable."

He left.

That was it. He did not want to come off as callous but what
could he say? "Nuat," he turned to his captain, "Make sure my
room is guarded. Should the seamstress come, receive it. No one is to go in or
leave without my permission."

"Understood." Nuat bowed and barked orders.

Arun glanced around and spotted Liushan. He knew he would be
trouble. While his brother, Nuat, could rein in his temper and hatred, Liushan
was less likely to be as reasonable. For now, though, he needed to clear his
head.

-------------

The moon had risen quite high when he returned from all his
duties. All the while, his mind played on what to do with her. The truth was,
he was torn. He did not want to torment her more than what she had just gone
through, and yet, he wanted to. Those fiery eyes that only humans could achieve
were treasures he longed to behold for far longer.

He stopped before he entered his room and resolved his
dilemma. If she was too distraught, he would make a new deal with her – one
that would be less taxing on her emotions. If she showed more strength, he
would press on. Either way, he would do what needed to be done and get
information first hand.

The room was dark when he came in. He muttered a spell and
several crystalline globes gave their light. On his bed, Alethi shielded her
eyes and adjusted to the sudden light as she slowly put them down. They were
red and swollen, but they weren't fresh. She had stopped crying for quite some
time, but the evidence of her tears were still there. She smelled of sweat but
none of the arousal he had distinctly caught wafts of. More importantly, she
smelled of herself. Humans always did have a queer smell to them, though hers
was not entirely unwelcome. In fact hers was…memorable.

It did not take long for her eyes to adjust and she stood
quickly, covering the distance between them before he could react. Furnaces
burned in those hazel eyes and it had him – for a brief moment – apprehended
and at a loss.

"How dare you treat me as a prisoner!" she hissed
through gritted teeth. "Who do you think you are? I have treated you with
fairness and you do not even extend the same grace to me! I should slap you in
the face, but I will not. You know why? Because I'm better than you."

Another involuntary chuckle escaped him. Damn the woman was
making him nervous in all the inappropriate times. But he needed to focus. She
still had fire and strength. A little more seduction and coaxing would not harm
her. After all, a little fun would definitely brighten his own mood. Never will
it be said that elves did not have their own politics.

"So you wanted to take a bath naked with other elves who
might take the chance to entrap your mind?" he asked.

Alethi blinked and blushed at the same time, suddenly backing
away a few paces. And – by the gods! – it was the cutest thing he ever saw. It
was innocence personified and he had to remind herself that she was not
innocent, no matter how she acted or looked like.

She took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry. You should
have told me."

Arun could not believe his ears. A noble apologizing? And not
just any noble – it was the princess of Dosalam, herself! She was getting
queerer and queerer. His curiosity drew him closer to her. He lifted her chin
with the crook of his forefinger and looked into her eyes. There was no hint of
guile as her hazel eyes met his. But there was sorrow, confusion, anger and, if
he was not mistaken, a flicker of desire.

He didn't say anything when he released her or when he caught
a hint of her arousal confirming what he saw in her eyes. Yes. Human to the
core. He could not forget his mission.

"Let me have the honor of accompanying you, then,
princess. To make amends."

Her mouth was slightly parted and her eyes darted to the
sides, looking anywhere but at him. He cursed at her feigned innocence and
closed the distance to not see her and focus on regaining control and
manipulate her. "Is there," he whispered hoarsely in her ear and
registered the sharp intake of her breath, "a problem, princess?"

"No…"

Arun swallowed feeling the rush of air from her lips graze at
his sensitive ear. And he felt it. Felt the stir in his loins. His own arousal
did not matter as long as hers increased, and by the smell of it, she was. He
tore away and walked with her to the lake.

He stole a quick glance at her and took in the perfect skin
covering her slender arced neck. They were silken under his touch and evoked a
wild sense of mania throughout his body. He had never considered touching a
woman intimately before, and now, he was considering fucking one. By the gods,
he had to rein in his thoughts!

The lake was serene, and as he expected, there was no one
else there. He set down her new clothes and sat at the rock by the water's
edge. "Go ahead."

"Turn away."

"Why? I'm an elf. Not human. I've seen nakedness of
countless others. Likely, more attractive than yours. Why should I turn
away?"

"Because I don't want you looking." She crossed her
arms under her breasts, staring at him defiantly.

He grinned. "You can try and order me, princess. But
this is Rehanathi, not Dosalam. You are not my princess, thus I have no impetus
to obey." He rested his chin on his hand lazily.

She glowered then stalked off away from him.

"Where are you going?" he called out after her.

"Away from your prying eyes!" She responded loudly,
not turning to him.

He stood and followed her at a distance. "They're not
prying. Just watching over you. You never know the dangers."

"Ha ha! Clever." She dodged behind a hedge of tall
bushes. "What kind of a ruler are you if you cannot even control your
people?"

"And you can?"

"Better than you by degrees if you worry this much about
me!"

Arun stopped and opened himself to enhancing his hearing,
choosing to ignore her comment. She could hear her struggle behind the bushes
whispering about the damn laces and buckles behind her. He grinned and stepped
silently behind her. She had managed to remove her tunic, but was now having
trouble with a leather jerkin and – from what he could tell – a corset
underneath before her chemise. He moved quickly and silently, closing up his
heightened senses, and covered her fingers fumbling with one of the buckles.

Alethi stiffened, and turned to him. "What do you think
you're doing?" she demanded.

"You seem to be having trouble. I am only trying to
help."

She bit her lower lip and nodded, starting to turn. But
before she could complete her turn, his hands darted behind her and started
undoing the buckles slowly encasing her in his arms. Her eyes widened in
surprise and he held her closer before she could say anything.

As their hips met, he heard her gasp and shiver, the smell of
her arousal growing ever stronger, igniting his own as her heat kicked his
stimulation into his groin. She opened her mouth to say something, but what It
was he didn't wait for it. His own arousal was threatening to speed things up
to a point where it would be impossible for him to control himself. "Turn
around," he said, finishing the last buckle.

She stared at him dumbstruck. Her look of innocence stirring
him into even greater heights. "Turn. Or do you want me to undo your laces
having this view?"

A panicked look spread across her face and she quickly
turned, cheeks aflame even without his heightened sight. He closed his eyes to
control himself, slowly undoing the lace and deliberately brushing her spine
when he could.

He could sense her breath quickening and he knew he had the
upper hand. This was a game of temptations and he would not be the first to
give in. He would lure her and finally trap her. He would not let his own lust
get in the way. And what a lustful creature she was turning him into!

"Go bathe," he said and left her. He stole a small
glance and saw her holding herself, shivering, not from the cold, that much was
obvious.