#featured
#1 in The Paper Plane Awards
#15 in Fantasy
#46 in Supernatural
"What do you think you're doing?"
"You seemed cold," he replied, voice sultry, alluring and tempting her far beyond what she thought she could endure. "I thought to help. That...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Perfect. It was the bloody perfect move! Zane took a precious experience from Raneem. She did not give it. He took it. How was that for a comforting gesture after what she put herself through! The least he could be thankful for was that he was still alive and he was still in her inner circle of counsel.
What he did get as punishment was the sleepless nights he had. Truly, who could sleep with nothing but sex in their minds and the urge to hump virtually anything so strong? The moment he confined himself to the tops of the tower, he wanted nothing more than to go back into her chambers and wake her up with a delicious surprise. He could not believe he had been able to hold out, much less take the punishment he was giving to himself.
He shook himself and dedicated himself to the task at hand. Human politics was giving him a headache. Everyone was playing a game and no one could be trusted. Allies could come and go in a blink and loyalties belong to the one with the most hold on power. Lying, cheating and treachery were as normal as breathing. Everything happened in a blur and power shifts ebb and swell constantly.
All of those worried Zane. Raneem was not as powerful in the eyes of the nobles and the only reason she was not yet deposed was because of the flimsy shield of her blood and the people's trust in her. If they found out she was not her father's natural daughter...
"If Lady Shanel is still the head of house Nadar, then I could possibly do something about that..." he said as the silence opened up the opportunity for him.
Leanne, the new baronet and absolved criminal who took some of Amira's lands, looked at him incredulously. "Lady Shanel is quite...sadistic, my lord. Misery is her fuel. It's what makes her move politically. If we want her on our side, we have to promise her some sort of schadenfreude."
"How much did she enjoy watching Amira's sentence?" he asked Raneem. "She was standing next to you, was she not?"
"Gods help me if I could even notice her." Raneem pursed her lips. "I could barely think on keeping myself from getting sick."
"I am not sure, myself, but her head never turned away from the carnage unlike the rest of the nobles." Adam supplied.
"And you say that she is a woman with...appetites?" At Leanne's nod, an idea formed in Zane's head. If it worked, she would be in Raneem's pocket along with half of their enemies. "Silas, if you could arrange for Shanel and I to meet at sunset on the square where Amira was sentenced, I would be grateful."
"Then I need to get going. With your leave, your highness?" Silas waited for Raneem's permission.
Her lips pursed for a moment, but quickly banished it. "Perhaps we should all leave. We all have our tasks ahead of us and clearly we are being pressed for time. May the gods be with you in your endeavors."
