The Harem Master (22 page)

She returned to the table and poured more wine, taking a sip before setting the dish down and heading to the door. The guards turned to her and bowed politely when she opened it. "I would prefer not to be disturbed the rest of the night. I'm tired and going to bed early; should I wake later I will call for dinner then."

"Yes, Your Highness. Sleep well."

"Thank you." She closed the door, then went to the chest near the table and looked through the books, writing materials, and other simple entertainments. Pulling out a book of poetry, she settled at her table and read until it grew dark.

Once it grew too dark to read and the stars were vibrant, she closed the book with a soft snap and crossed the room. Slipping out the door to the garden, she looked around and weighed her options. She settled on the garden wall, kicking off her shoes and tucking them into her waistband before testing the dense, heavy ivy that covered most of it.

When she was certain the ivy would hold her weight, she scaled it quickly and walked along the narrow garden wall to the edge of the roof. She jumped and grabbed the edge, then hauled herself up over the edge onto the flat, rough rooftop.

Laughing softly, she shook out her skirt and headed quickly across the roof to the area above the harem hall that overlooked the cliffs and the sea beyond, so dark it was nearly impossible to tell where the sea ended and the sky began.

She could only just see him, stretched out on the blankets and pillows he'd arranged. There was also a small tray table, and she didn't need light to know the carafe on it held her favorite wine. Reaching the little nest, she knelt down and crawled to him, laughing softly when he reached out and pulled her close.

Euren kissed him hard, cupping his face, fingers tracing the lines of his scars. "Hello, Husband."

"Hello, Wife," Ihsan replied, and kissed the hollow of her throat. His fingers, warm and calloused, ran down her back, pushed just barely into the waistband of her skirt. "I'm sorry your homecoming was not better. I will make it up to you with a proper banquet when everything settles down."

Laughing, Euren sat up, shifted to more comfortably straddle his thighs, and splayed her hands across his lovely bare chest. "I can think of better ways you can make it up to me."

Chuckling, voice going deep and husky, Ihsan shifted his grip to hold her tight, then abruptly moved, flipping their positions so suddenly that it left her breathless a moment.

Only a moment though, and in the next one she was moaning softly from the teeth that bit her ear, teased the soft skin beneath it before dragging down along her throat. Her skin prickled, delicate shivers running down her spine.

Ihsan pulled away briefly, but only to remove her top, leaving cool evening air to wash over her newly-bared skin, drawing up her nipples in an invitation Ihsan was happy to accept. He licked and sucked in that soft, gentle way that drove her mad, chuckled when she pulled on his hair but obediently pressed his attentions harder. The bristles on his cheeks abraded her skin in a shiver-inducing way, tightened her lungs, made her breath come sharper, faster.

Especially as he worked his way lower still, fingers and mouth taking turns in teasing and caressing. Euren moaned louder as those knowing fingers explored deep, rubbing her swollen clit, drawing out more moans and breathless pleas.

When he finally put his lips and tongue to use, her skin was so hot even the cold night air couldn't cool it, only seemed to make her more acutely aware of the hot hands on her thighs, the warm mouth and tongue working her, tormenting her, drawing out gasps and moans and finally a scream that mostly sounded like Ihsan's name.

"It's been far too long since I've gotten to see you so," Ihsan said, crawling back up her body to kiss her softly.

Euren laughed, skated her own hand down between their bodies and wrapped a hand around his cock, dragging her thumb over the wet tip. "Far too long, indeed. Let's see what my mouth remembers, hmm?"

Ihsan made a low, rough, growly sound, and Euren gave a shrieking giggle of delight as he flipped them again.

Demir had never needed a drink so badly. He could still taste bile in the back of his throat from having to defy Kagan in front of the entire court. Dread made him restless, but thankfully he had plenty to keep him occupied—including a late night journey into the city, but not for at least another hour.

Locking his office behind him, he headed down the main corridor of the women's hall. The concubines had all left their doors open, to more easily talk to each other, but he could not hear anything save the faint tinkle of bells. He glanced in each room, unsurprised to see the concubines fast asleep. He slipped in briefly to turn out lights and adjust blankets when necessary, murmuring goodnight to those who stirred enough to notice him before drifting off again.

The last room had an occupant still wide awake. Meltem was bent over a small chest of bells on the left side of her room. She looked up, smiling a bit sheepishly when she saw him. "Harem Master, good evening. I tried to follow the others into sleep, but found myself a bit too restless to settle. The royal palace is lovely, and your hall here is especially beautiful." She laughed faintly. "These rooms have some curious items. Some I knew the purpose, others I figured out. But I admit the bells continue to elude me. Are they meant for the concubines when they perform?"

Demir smiled, stepped into the room, and crossed to kneel beside her. "No, they're for training." He took the pile of bells in her hand, small, gold jingle bells strung together with a series of small, narrow loops at one end through which he slid his fingers before he fastened the clasp on the other end around his wrist. Reaching into the chest, he pulled out another set and slid them on the fingers of his other hand. "There is an entire set of these bells each piece meant for a different part of the body, from head all the way down to toes." He shook his hand, making the bells ring softly. "Concubines are trained to be graceful, elegant, and beautiful in every movement."

"You do move beautifully," Meltem said with a small, shy smile.

"Thank you," Demir replied. He moved his right hand again, flicking through various practice moves, the bells never once chiming. He finished by holding his hand out, palm up. "I do not move nearly as beautifully as my mother, but I never cease working to reach her level of mastery."

"You make it look so easy; that is a testament to true skill." Meltem picked up another set of finger bells and tried to mimic his movements, but the bells rang with every gesture.

Demir took her hand. "Relax your hand, do not be so tense. I do not know much about sword fighting, but I would wager it is much like anything in that too much tension is as bad as too little. As to my skill, I have the advantage of being born and raised to this. I was training with them as a boy, learning to move purposefully while other children ran around without such concerns." He guided Meltem's hand through a basic movement that would build into those used in serving food and wine, smiled approvingly when she got most of it without ringing the bells. "You're a quick study, but soldiers often are since they must learn how to be quiet and conservative in movement, if for very different reasons."

Meltem laughed as she pulled the bells off. "Yes, quite different. I prefer your reasons." She returned the bells to the chest then tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her impressive tattoo was inked all the way up to her ear, where it then curved around behind it. That would have required shaving her head. How high did it go? It definitely went down her torso to cover her abdomen. Whether it went further, he would not ask; curiosity was not an excuse to pry. "Do you know how long we will be confined here? The hall is beautiful, as I said…"

"No offense taken, my lady, I promise. I love the hall more than anyone, and even I do not want to be confined here. I think His Majesty will relax in a few days, at worst a few weeks, when he realizes none of us poses a threat and he becomes more preoccupied with the wedding."

"I hope so," Meltem said. "Her Highness promised we would have a knife-throwing contest, and I was looking forward to it, though I know that's a selfish reason when there are much larger concerns."

Demir smiled. "We will make certain it happens, my lady. Her Highness is due a welcome home banquet, and the court would enjoy the happy distraction. Would you like some tea? That might help you relax enough to sleep. Tomorrow, if you like, I can set you to the bells."

Laughing, Meltem nodded. "It sounds like it will keep me occupied, if nothing else. Life here is so very different from life in the Desert."

"I hope you are able to enjoy those differences while you are here, despite the rough start. Goodnight, Lady Meltem." He rose to his feet and departed, returning to the main hall and then down to the men's hall. The rooms allotted to the Cobra and Ihsan's men were empty, which did not surprise him.

He kept going until he reached the small practice hall at the end of the living quarters, laughing when he heard bells and then saw the group clustered in one corner of the hall. "The training bells seem to be an object of curiosity tonight. Are they so peculiar?" He padded across the room to stand at the edge of the loose, vague circle the men had formed. Sabah and Kitt stood in the middle, amusement and slight aggravation on Sabah's face as he watched Kitt move with almost no sound. Sabah glanced at Demir. "He found them in one of the chests and has been distracting himself since. We were making a game of it. I am a bit aggravated that I trained for some time and have not even half his skill, though I am not surprised you are good at it, Kitt."

Kitt laughed and spun around, a few of the bells at his hips, throat, and feet ringing. "I should pose this training to my instructors; they would weep with joy. I am astonished they have nothing similar."

"The bells are intended to train concubines to be pleasing," Demir replied. "I think that is slightly different from what you were trained to do, Lord Kitt."

"Mmm," Kitt agreed, smiling wryly. "Have you come to put us all in our place?"

Shaking his head, Demir looked around until he saw Haluk, tucked into a corner from which he silently watched everyone else. "I have a previous engagement. It would not be a very entertaining thing to watch, anyway, I promise. Lord Haluk, are you ready?"

Kitt's grin turned evil. "Enjoy your lessons, Haluk."

Pushing away from the wall, Haluk joined them in the circle. "At least my lessons will not consist of how to serve wine and bow properly."

Kitt's grin collapsed into a pout. "That's not fair. Those sound like dreadfully boring lessons."

"The duty of a concubine is to serve," Demir replied, holding out his hand to take the bells as Kitt began to remove them. "To show their love and faith and devotion in perfect service. No task is too boring if it pleases those for whom it is done."

"I love Ihsan more than life, but I still find the idea of practicing wine pouring boring." Instead of dropping the bells as a pile into Demir's hands, Kitt draped them over his fingers and arm all the way up to the elbow, grinning slightly. "I have a well-honed patience when I need it, Harem Master, but I think you would best me."

Demir shrugged as he walked toward the chests where the bells were stored. They never once made a sound. "If grace is learned with bells, then patience is learned in meetings. One learns quickly to endure when one must sit through an eight hour court session without moving, speaking, or ever drawing attention." He knelt in front of the chests and quickly stored the bells.

"Not a single bell rang," said a gruff voice. One of the Cobra, though Demir did not know the man's name. He'd not had a chance to learn them. He knew Meltem and Emre, but it was not Emre who had spoken. "Impressive, Harem Master."

"Thank you," Demir said, smiling faintly. "You would scoff at my skill were you to see my mother, I promise. Lord Haluk, if you'll come with me. Lord Sabah, Lord Kitt, if you will join us briefly, we will finalize the schedule for your training."

"Of course." Sabah bowed to the Cobra. "We'll return shortly; I aim to defend my honor in taaki." Emre and the others laughed, then waved them off, falling into a discussion that Demir understood little of, save it had to do with troublesome ghosts. Some superstition?

He led the way to his private quarters, pausing only to inform the guards he was to be left alone unless he received a summons from the king or crown prince and princess. Once they were in his room, he locked the main door, then led them into the bedroom and locked that as well. "Hopefully we will be left in peace," he said. "And the talk of training should keep anyone from noticing if it takes Haluk some time to reappear."

"Well I certainly would not leave in a hurry if I were receiving hands on training," Kitt said with a grin. From most, Demir would have been discomfited, even offended, but Kitt was so… harmless about it, so cheerful and obviously playful in his flirting, Demir could only smile in return.

Sabah and Haluk lifted their eyes to the ceiling, and Sabah huffed softly. "Kitt, you are going to be trained mercilessly on keeping that tongue of yours still."

"That doesn't sound like much of a threat," Kitt replied.

That earned him a smile from Sabah that was as sharp as a blade, evil as a cat crouched to pounce the unsuspecting toes of its half-asleep master.

Kitt looked momentarily alarmed, but then his eyes narrowed and he said something in Rittuen that Demir did not entirely catch.

Sabah replied in kind, and
Demir left them to it, stripping off his jewelry as he walked over to his dressing table. Laying it out neatly to put away later, he then walked over to his trunks and pulled out clothes more suited to his late night adventures. He stripped off his harem clothes and threw them on the bed.

The low buzz of conversation behind him abruptly stopped; he almost laughed, he could feel eyes on him so acutely. "Your tattoos are amazing, Lord Demir," Sabah said.

"So is—" Kitt broke off with a grunt. "That was uncalled for."