Game of Temptation (7 page)

Chapter Nine

Typical nights for Arun were becoming more
and more difficult to bear. Sleeping beside Alethi was torture and equally
torturous was she was now naked behind him and he could not even take a peek as
she took a bath. The first and last time he tried, she was ready with a stone
and had barely dodged it. He did not get the sense behind it, but there was
something about her forbidding him to look that made him eager – and lewd – to
see her without clothing. He was certain other female elves would be more worth
to look at, but he did not care for those. He wanted to see her.

Instead, he here he was, sitting on a rock,
playing with a broken twig between his fingers, looking away from the lake into
the thicket. Not a gratifying sight, but it was not ugly enough to settle
remove his arousal either.

It was hell to know she was always in his
reach, but he could never grab her. He knew he brought it upon himself, but how
was he to know she would prove to be too difficult? Even if he did manage to
succeed, what good would that knowledge do? As of the moment, he knew more
about her country than she did.

He had to let her go. She was useless to him
and she was proving to become a weakness. But he could not – or rather, would
not let her go. He did not want to. It was unreasonable, but something about
her inspired possessiveness in him. He did not want her to marry some other
lesser creature, and – heaven forbid! – he would kill any elf who would try to
take her.

He knew those feelings should not exist in
him, but they did. Could this be the
infatuation
that the elders were
talking about? No, it could not be. Or at least if it were, it would go away.
He hoped it was before he could have any reason to be grief-stricken.

Let her go, Arun
. He told himself.
Let—

Alethi's scream shook him from his thoughts
and, without thinking, he rushed to her. She was at the edge of the water in a
shallow part, eyes wide and frantic.

"What is it?"

"Give me my towel! Something's in the
water!"

Arun could only think of it as one of two
things of the creatures in the water, brave enough to get near an elf – or a
human. And one of them was deadly.

He pulled out his dagger and dove in,
faintly hearing Alethi call out to him. If he was going to keep her, he had to,
at least, keep the waters safe for her to swim in. He opened his senses and
darted to a wave of movement. He stopped, seeing a luminous green ball and
smiled as it rushed to him. Its tiny feet crawled up to his arms, up to his
neck and snuggled there. He felt the water for any more movement and, satisfied
that there was none, he went back to shore.

Alethi crouched over the edge of the lake,
peering in the dark for him. Her eyes held a deep concern that warmed him. She
had a towel draped around her loosely, her hand clinging to the edges at the
front to close the sheet around her. He petted the green fluff clinging to his
neck, no longer luminous out of the water. Perhaps the saffi would remove the
worry from her face.

"Arun?" she called out
tentatively. "Is that you?"

"Yes," he said closing the
distance. "It was nothing."

"Nothing? But, it crawled on me!"

"Nothing that would harm you, I
mean." He sat next to her on the edge, careful not to let her see the
creature just yet. "Cup your hands, like this," he demonstrated,
"And close your eyes."

"What?"

"Just humor me," he smiled.

He saw her blush through his heightened
senses. "Will one hand be enough?"

"Yes," he said, remembering that
she had not wrapped the towel around herself well. "Just promise me you
would not scream and throw whatever I'm putting there."

"You are scaring me."

"I promise you, it is not something you
should be afraid of. Do you trust me?"

"Yes…" she said and closed her
eyes and held up her hand. He gently placed the saffi in her hand and she gasped
in surprise. "Arun…"

"Open your eyes," he whispered in
her ear.

Alethi's eyes brightened seeing the small
ball of fur and smiled as its big, moss eyes looked at her. It quickly climbed
up to her neck, sending her into a fit of giggles as she was tickled, until it
snuggled between her neck and her shoulders.

"Was this it?" Alethi asked him.

He nodded. "We call it a saffi. Very
rare. There is a saying among the elders that a saffi brings blessings. And it
has not been seen for at least two thousand years."

"Then how do you know what it is? You
have not lived that long."

"We just know." He smiled.

She petted it for a while, enjoying the feel
of the rare creature on her skin. "Maybe I should return it to the
water." Without waiting for an answer, she took it gently and bent over to
put it back gently in the lake.

Arun did not see what had happened or why
Alethi giggled as he stared transfixed at her back, exposed by the low drooping
of the loosely draped towel. He watched water droplet trace the contours of her
back and longed to do so himself. When she straightened, his gaze settled on
her eyes, then on her lips, transfixed.

"Arun?"

The next moment, he found his lips touching
hers. They were as soft and as enslaving as the first time, but this time, she
was aware and she did not move. And he did not care. He would not pull away
unless she—

Her tentative response surprised and excited
him. Her own response was so unsure, her kiss felt virginal. He continued to
coax and guide her as he became bolder, his palm reaching up to caress her jaw
as his fingers gently massaged the nape of her neck.

He was loving every moment of it, but he
wanted more. The tip of his tongue touched the line between her lips and they
parted slightly. Not yet enough. He coaxed and coaxed, teasing her as he did so
before he went in.

Arun was no stranger to kisses, but this one
pulled a groan from deep within him as he reveled in the ecstasy she was giving
him. The familiar ache within him forced him to pull away. He muttered the
counter-spell for both of them mindlessly as he watched her eyes flutter open
as if coming out from a trance. Her breathing was quick and he could detect the
beginnings of an arousal stirring within her.

By the gods! He would take her, and the
elders could shove whatever they thought down their throats.

"Arun…" she began breathlessly,
"I don't think…we should…"

He did not want to hear any more and covered
her lips with his again. She responded, following his lead. The damn woman was
kissing him like it was her first time and it drove animalistic lust to rise
within him. Oh, her kissing was not bad. Definitely not bad.

His kisses traced down her jaw and her neck
as he replaced the towel she was clutching with his own hand. The heat from her
body was unmistakable and her uncontrolled responses to him gave him
confidence.

"Arun…we cannot…" she sighed as
one hand traced just at the edges of her chest.

"I do not see the problem," he
whispered and nibbled at her hear eliciting a whimper.

"My father…and Orrin…" she tried
to explain breathlessly, "They would not approve." She moaned as he
suckled on her collarbone and branded her. His. "Arun? Please…I'm
scared."

Arun stopped and pulled away, confused. He
looked into her eyes and found genuine fear. "What's wrong?"

"I've never done this before. They say
it hurts the first time." She said quickly taking her hand and pulled the
towel to cover herself, her head bowed. "And I have always wanted my first
time to be with someone I marry."

Arun felt like he was gutted. She was not
playing virginal. She did not have to because she was! He felt his insides
turn. What had he done to her? He had robbed her of her innocence and forced
himself on her. He was disgusted at himself – at what he had done to her. She
was fresh and saving herself for the one who would promise and dedicate their
whole lifetime to her. And he almost broke that purity. Perhaps not almost. He
did.

"I'm sorry," he croaked and shut
his senses. By the gods, he was despicable! But more importantly, his heart
twisted at the thought – was there someone waiting for her back in her kingdom?
He never knew if she was promised.

Alethi stood to change and he turned away.
He was wicked and wretched already and he would not add to his sins. It must
have been a great effort to stay chaste for so long as a human, and he did not
think it was possible. But there she was. The object of his desires untouchable
but for the one she chooses to marry.

"Arun?" he turned to her, pain
evident in her eyes. He steeled himself though the pain that stabbed at him
blaming him for causing her that pain. "This is a night we should both
forget," she continued, her voice steady, "Let us carry on, as
always."

He nodded, but knew he could not do that. He
could no longer touch her in her sleep or notice her arousal. No. It was no
longer going to be the usual situation for them.

"Alethi," he said as they reached
his room. "There is something I need to say. It is about your country. But
perhaps I should tell you when you feel better." Arun shook himself
mentally for suddenly saying it. He should not have, but he was not thinking
straight.

"No!" she said forcefully.
"Tell me now. I need to hear it. It has been too long. Is my father
well?"

Arun thought of how he would say it, but his
prolonged silence made it clear to her.

"Gods no!"

Chapter Ten

It had been three days since she left
Rehanathi and she was several hours into Dosalam territory. She hated Arun for
keeping things from her, but she hated him even more for wanting to keep her
and break their agreement just because of rumors of Dosalam's massing of
forces.

She knew her life would be in danger if she
went back, but she did not have to tell Arun that. It would only give him more
legitimacy to keep her. But she had to do something. She would never let that
bitch witch Niraya to take over Dosalam and ruin everything. She would not let
another massacre take place.

One hope was still in her, though – Orrin.
Arun did not know if he was still alive, but Alethi was almost certain he still
was. The man was a pillar to all who can take arms in Dosalam – from the army
to the guerilla warriors. His support of her would mean that Niraya would
coalesce all the fighting men of the country, and in his death, the guerillas
would start attacking the capital. And there have been no reports of such a
threat yet.

Another thing that she was certain of was
that Niraya would not hesitate to kill her. She would be a stumbling block to
her newfound power.

Her hand involuntarily went to the diamond
necklace Arun had given her as if seeking its protection. He had all but
pleaded for her to take it so that when she was in dire straits, he could aid
her as he could channel his magic through it.

"And I will see whatever you see, if
you permit it," he had said in a tight voice.

The knowledge that precious stones were used
to channel magic and see things shocked her. Although he swore that he never
looked into his room through the crystalline ornaments that decorated it, the
thought that he could have seen her in the throes of passion had made her blush.
And she was still blushing at the thought.

No! She shook her head violently. How could
she even think of such things when he kept from her what he knew for three
days? Who knew how much damage the bitch witch had done in the days she had not
acted? It was what was important. Not Arun and his eyes that could have been
voyeuristically savoring her. Not his maddening touches or the kisses that put
her body on fire and made her burn with feverish need for him.

She stopped her horse as two soldiers came
galloping on their horses toward her. She held herself high and recognized them
as two of her father's loyal retainers. They jumped down from their horses as
soon as they were three spans away and bowed.

"It is good to see you are safe,
Princess," the first one said

"And it is good to be back. What of
Dosalam?"

"Niraya has claimed herself regent
until your return," the other said. "Come, we shall escort you back
to the palace."

Alethi nodded but her eyebrows furrowed.
Regency? The only reason the thought that Niraya had not taken the throne
was…She bit her lip. The woman had thought a step ahead. It was easy to read
what she was going to do next. She was going to welcome her and be gracious to
her, but before power could truly be transferred to her, the bitch witch would
expose her to be a traitor and an elfin sympathizer. That would help her
consolidate a flimsy hold on the warriors of the land. She knew she would be
playing right into the hand of the bitch witch, but if she did not, she would
not know exactly what she would be up against.

What she could not fathom was why she would
risk so much to wage war against Rehanathi? There would be pointless bloodshed
on both sides and neither would win or give way. What did she stand to gain
from it? A woman like Niraya would not do something unless she had calculated
her gains for doing it.

She smiled and nodded involuntarily as
people on the streets cheered for her return. She kept up her façade as she
assessed the situation. Niraya had not won the people over yet, if the relief
in the people's faces were any indication. People loyal to her father still
remained loyal or she would not be walking through the streets unharmed. That,
and Niraya would have held the throne now and have her killed.

The servants in the castle crowded behind
her whispering excitedly as she walked through the marble floors into the
throne room. She kept herself still as representatives from many of the major
noble houses stood present with differing expressions – those nearer in line to
the throne, frowning at her sudden appearance.

Sitting on the throne in front of the
balcony whose curtains were drawn open was Niraya. Her eyes gentle and glad. A
perfect act to match the perfect set-up. Alethi knew she could do very little
from her vantage point. The room to maneuver was very small, she did not think
she would come out unscathed.

Her fingers closed around the diamond
pendant then released it. She was not going to show a sign of weakness to these
animals. She stood in the middle the symbol of House Cathak near the throne
itself. It was a sapphire circle representing eternal peace and in the middle
was the ruby sword of Dosalam with the emerald vine of Rehanathi, symbolizing
the unity of the two races.

Niraya stood up and bowed her head slightly.
Not too much to defer, not too shallow to offend. "Princess Alethi
Cathak."

Alethi could hear her title emphasized. The
bitch witch did plan to take the throne and make her a traitor in front of
witnesses. "Niraya." She did not bow and met the woman's eyes.

"We are all glad that you have
arrived," she stepped down and hugged her. "We were afraid the elves
have killed you."

Alethi stepped back politely. "They
have honor still, Niraya. Thank you for holding the throne in my absence."

"Of course. I expect you will preside
over the plans on how we will infiltrate Rehanathi, then."

Alethi cursed in her head. The bitch witch
was quick. "An attack? What for Niraya? And where is Orrin?"

Niraya sighed, her face looking distraught.
"He had returned to us saying that you have traded yourself for the
Imreal, but droplets of it spilled over the king and he died because of it. We
are afraid it was poison and not the essence of Imreal and now, we are looking
to see if he is part of this terrible assassination plot from the elves."

"Imreal's essence is blue. Perhaps he
had changed it. Was the liquid blue?"

"I am afraid it was clear, princess. We
did not know what it looks like."

Alethi clenched her teeth and showed anger
as appropriate, but not for the reasons everyone thought. Imreal was the blood
of the world and the blood of her father. The damned thing was red and she had
not seen it yet. Orrin was alive and he was probably kept alive for the bitch
witch to know where the Imreal was. The bitch witch used them to get the Imreal's
magic to use for herself!

"I see."

"What do you want us to do with the
traitor?" Niraya asked keeping her face straight.

"Nothing. We cannot prove that he is
indeed a traitor."

"He killed the king! He should be sent
to the gallows!" A noble burst out while another said, "Only he knew
what the true Imreal was and he switched it!"

Alethi cursed herself once more. In finding
out Niraya's intentions and Orrin's condition, she had boxed herself into
ordering Orrin's death as a traitor. She knew she had no chance of winning now.
The nobles and Niraya would force her to kill her birth father and launch an
attack against Rehanathi – both of which she could not and would not do. If she
did not, she would be branded as a traitor herself.

She glared at Niraya and the bitch witch
looked at her astonished.

"My dear," she put her hand over
her heart and stepped back. "Do not tell me that you are not going to
sentence Orrin or go to war against those who sought the king's life!" She
shook her head with a look He sof disbelief on her face when she did not
answer. "What have the elves done to you…Gaurds!"

It all happened too quickly as she heard
swords sliding out of their scabbards and rhythmic footfalls grow louder. Above
her, she saw a glint of an arrowhead pointed at her. An arrowhead of elfin
design. And then a flash followed by silence and the rustle of leaves and a
wayward chirp of a bird.

She opened her eyes, surprised to find
herself in an open field near the forest of Rehanathi itself. Beside her,
Liushan peered over the distance into Dosalam.

"Elfin politics are long and
troublesome, but human politics are quick and harsh." He turned to her.
"I take it you are no longer in line for the throne?"

Alethi shook her head. "I still am. I
have not been officially unseated, but I am sure Niraya would be more than
happy to take my place." She sighed. "I know you helped me get out of
there with good intentions and I thank you, but now that you have saved me, it
only made the people believe that I have sold Dosalam to your kind. Now they
believe that I am, indeed, a traitor. Has Arun sent for you?"

Liushan peered into her eyes for quite a
while before he backed off. "No. I went on my own accord. To see if I can
get you back. And I will not apologize for what I have done, if that is what
you are aiming for."

"No, I do not wish for you to
apologize. If you did, I would doubt your true intentions. But tell me, why do
you wish to get me back?"

Liushan's shoulders slumped and his face
lined with worry. "It's the prince. Since you left, he has not been out of
bed. He was saying he feels weak. The healers could find nothing wrong with him
and they think it is the loneliness of standing alone in elfin politics that is
causing him distress. But I do not believe so. He had stood alone for too long
for it. No. What I think is that your absence is causing him grief, but knowing
that you might still need him, " he touched the pendant of her necklace,
"is keeping him alive."

Alethi's eyes widened at him. Arun was dying
because he was grieving her leaving him. He grieved for the hatred he thought
she had despised him with. She had cursed him and screamed at him and he took
it passively though Alethi could see he was dying inside with her words. She
was sentencing him to death when she gave him the impression that she shunned
him.

Liushan wa suggesting something. And she
understood and knew that…

"He loves you, Alethi. It is not just
infatuation, else it would go away. I can see that even if you are both blind
to it. I do not know if you love him back. How human emotions work is beyond my
comprehension, but I ask you to see him. I despise you for bringing him this
low, but I owe my life and my whole being to him and I would do anything to
help him." He knelt in front of her. "I will ask you again. Please,
return with me. For once we love, we only love one for eternity and that is a
fear run away from at all costs. It is the death sentence that has made our
society callous about intimacy, romance and sex. You have poisoned him, Alethi,
but he has taken care of you. Please…"