Born Of Fire And Darkness (Book 2) by India Drummond Page B

to act, he couldn’t understand why the emperor hesitated to turn Seba over to the temple, but there was nothing he could do about that. The day would come when the emperor didn’t think himself above the Spirits, but for now, Graiphen had to bide his time.
    The senate’s timidity played into Graiphen’s hands. It meant that he could wait until the emperor came to his senses. Braetin would not be so patient, but here in Durjin, she could not occupy his body and invade his thoughts. When he returned to Vol with her prize, she would be pleased, forgetting how long she’d had to wait. He’d learned that the gods’ concept of time was different from any person’s.
    The acolyte led Graiphen under the tall white spires of Pang’s temple, down through the maze below and into the inner sanctum. When he passed under the archway, he noted the room had undergone a transformation.
    It had been, he recalled, decorated in a soft, feminine manner before, but now opulent decorations filled every nook. The sparkling golden and gem-encrusted statues and ornaments looked gaudy to his eye, an ostentatious show of wealth by someone with little taste or reserve. People buzzed from one place to another, all dancing attendance on Kiarana. She sat, her back straight and proud, on a draped settee in the center of the room, rapaciously soaking in the attentions.
    One woman sat next to a small basin, drying Kiarana’s feet. Another poured a glass of deep red wine. Others fussed over cushions and another over Kiarana’s sheer dress. One young man adjusted some drapery under her critical eye. All those near the former acolyte whirred in a heightened frenzy of activity.
    When Graiphen stepped forward, her eyes fastened on his. He bowed to Pang, who had inhabited the woman’s body ever since he’d loosed his seed within her.
    “Lady Pang,” he said.
    Kiarana never took her eyes off Graiphen as she snapped her fingers. “Go. Everyone.” Her voice thrummed with power as though two sets of vocal cords vibrated at once. Within seconds, the room emptied.
    When the two were alone, she said, “Even though you are rough and hardened, you are beautiful in your own way. I tend to prefer youth and suppleness, but I admit you stir something within me.” She smiled lasciviously. “Perhaps it is merely the challenge I adore. The chase.”
    He bowed his head politely. “I am flattered.”
    Kiarana threw back her head and laughed. “You are not. A man like you does not succumb to flattery, so I would be foolish to employ it. A man like you appreciates nothing but power.” Her blue eyes glittered.
    A flicker of impatience rushed through him. “Why did you call for me, Lady Pang?”
    “There is someone I want you to meet. But before I introduce you, I think I wish you to pleasure me. I am worshiped day and night by many willing servants, but it is you who occupy my thoughts.”
    He realized she’d switched tacks, attempting a more subtle form of flattery. Interesting. What did she want? “My lady, I have done as my mistress required of me.” He knew better than to underestimate Pang or any of the Spirits, but he belonged to Braetin, a pact even Pang must honor.
    Kiarana leaned forward in her seat, her round cleavage nearly spilling over the top of her dress. “What if I could offer you a new accord?”
    “An accord?” He hesitated. He had no desire to stand in the middle while Pang and Braetin fought for dominance. No sane man would.
    “Yes. A bargain. I offer you something you want, and you give me something I want.” Kiarana licked her lips.
    “What do you want, Lady Pang?”
    “You.” Kiarana’s voice warbled, stretching out the word.
    “I am but a man. What use could I be to you that a hundred other men could not be, and they more willing and eager, they untied to another mistress. Or is that the allure? Is it that you wish to take something away from Braetin?”
    Kiarana laughed deep in her throat and stood. She crossed the distance