pass rule to Tariq ten years ago, but
Tariq had wanted one last exploration. One last bout of freedom up
the Jagged Coast before he was mired in the duties of court. A
selfish decision he now regretted.
“She can’t win, brother,” Nasir said into
the silence. “If she destroys us, she’ll turn her attention to
Gannah. With the Ghuls under her command, her strength the way it
is, and us not there to lead the army…”
Nasir’s voice trailed off, but he didn’t
need to finish his thought for it to register with Tariq. If what
his brother said was true—if Zoraida had aligned herself with the
Ghuls—then it meant the war was heating up. With all three
princes—generals in the Gannahmian army—dead and the king ailing,
what confidence would their soldiers have? How long could Gannah
realistically defend itself without a ruling monarchy?
Consequences of his actions swirled behind
Tariq’s eyes. Decisions he never should have made filled his
thoughts and mixed with images of Mira on that Tahitian beach. And
through it all, he knew Zoraida was smarter than he’d given her
credit. Torture was one thing. Deciding between life and eternal
death was something else altogether. Especially when you were the
one forced to choose condemnation for one versus thousands.
“What are you going to do?” Nasir asked into
the silence.
Tariq ground his teeth against the injustice
building inside him. “The only thing I can do.”
CHAPTER SIX
Mira was pissed.
Not just at the way Tariq had left her but
at his dire warning.
Curse? What curse? She dumped a laundry
basket full of clean clothes on her couch as she stewed.
At first, she’d been horrified by his
rejection of her. Then wigged out over his warning. But the longer
she thought about it and the more time that passed, the angrier she
became.
Screw him for making her stress and worry
like this. Screw him for disappearing on her in the first place.
There was no way her little “wish” was going to “destroy” her, as
he wanted her to believe. That was a mile of bullshit she
definitely wasn’t buying.
This had
nothing to do with a stupid curse. It had to do with him. Maybe he
just wasn’t interested in her. Her hand stilled on a shirt mid-fold
as the thought hit. She probably wasn’t as exotic as the women in
his world. Definitely not as aggressive. What had she done during
their last encounter? She’d lain there like a lump and let him have
all the power. Wasn’t her “wish” about taking charge of some of
that power? Wasn’t it his job
to teach her how to do that?
She tossed the folded shirt in the basket,
picked up a pair of capris as her temper spiked. Well, next time
she wasn’t going to sit back and be the docile wallflower he
expected. And he wasn’t scaring her off with his mindless threats.
So what if he wasn’t attracted to her? This was her wish, dammit,
and she wasn’t backing away from it or any challenge.
She finished folding the laundry, put it
away, then went into her kitchen and opened a bottle of wine. As
she stood at the patio window looking out at the city’s sparkling
lights and downed her first glass, she reminded herself that it
didn’t matter what Tariq thought of her personally. She wasn’t
interested in him. She was doing this for Devin. So that when it
was over, she’d have the confidence to snag the only guy she truly
wanted.
And she deserved him, dammit. She’d spent
way too many years alone. She deserved to have a man fall at her
feet.
She poured herself another glass of wine and
took it and the bottle to the coffee table in her living room. As
she sipped the cabernet, she forcibly relaxed her muscles, breathed
deep, and eased onto the couch. To her right, a fire roared in the
fireplace. From outside, city lights beat in to illuminate the
room. Her confidence grew with every passing second, swirling with
the anger still bubbling inside her, any fear or misgivings she’d
had drifting to the wayside. She was
Tariq had wanted one last exploration. One last bout of freedom up
the Jagged Coast before he was mired in the duties of court. A
selfish decision he now regretted.
“She can’t win, brother,” Nasir said into
the silence. “If she destroys us, she’ll turn her attention to
Gannah. With the Ghuls under her command, her strength the way it
is, and us not there to lead the army…”
Nasir’s voice trailed off, but he didn’t
need to finish his thought for it to register with Tariq. If what
his brother said was true—if Zoraida had aligned herself with the
Ghuls—then it meant the war was heating up. With all three
princes—generals in the Gannahmian army—dead and the king ailing,
what confidence would their soldiers have? How long could Gannah
realistically defend itself without a ruling monarchy?
Consequences of his actions swirled behind
Tariq’s eyes. Decisions he never should have made filled his
thoughts and mixed with images of Mira on that Tahitian beach. And
through it all, he knew Zoraida was smarter than he’d given her
credit. Torture was one thing. Deciding between life and eternal
death was something else altogether. Especially when you were the
one forced to choose condemnation for one versus thousands.
“What are you going to do?” Nasir asked into
the silence.
Tariq ground his teeth against the injustice
building inside him. “The only thing I can do.”
CHAPTER SIX
Mira was pissed.
Not just at the way Tariq had left her but
at his dire warning.
Curse? What curse? She dumped a laundry
basket full of clean clothes on her couch as she stewed.
At first, she’d been horrified by his
rejection of her. Then wigged out over his warning. But the longer
she thought about it and the more time that passed, the angrier she
became.
Screw him for making her stress and worry
like this. Screw him for disappearing on her in the first place.
There was no way her little “wish” was going to “destroy” her, as
he wanted her to believe. That was a mile of bullshit she
definitely wasn’t buying.
This had
nothing to do with a stupid curse. It had to do with him. Maybe he
just wasn’t interested in her. Her hand stilled on a shirt mid-fold
as the thought hit. She probably wasn’t as exotic as the women in
his world. Definitely not as aggressive. What had she done during
their last encounter? She’d lain there like a lump and let him have
all the power. Wasn’t her “wish” about taking charge of some of
that power? Wasn’t it his job
to teach her how to do that?
She tossed the folded shirt in the basket,
picked up a pair of capris as her temper spiked. Well, next time
she wasn’t going to sit back and be the docile wallflower he
expected. And he wasn’t scaring her off with his mindless threats.
So what if he wasn’t attracted to her? This was her wish, dammit,
and she wasn’t backing away from it or any challenge.
She finished folding the laundry, put it
away, then went into her kitchen and opened a bottle of wine. As
she stood at the patio window looking out at the city’s sparkling
lights and downed her first glass, she reminded herself that it
didn’t matter what Tariq thought of her personally. She wasn’t
interested in him. She was doing this for Devin. So that when it
was over, she’d have the confidence to snag the only guy she truly
wanted.
And she deserved him, dammit. She’d spent
way too many years alone. She deserved to have a man fall at her
feet.
She poured herself another glass of wine and
took it and the bottle to the coffee table in her living room. As
she sipped the cabernet, she forcibly relaxed her muscles, breathed
deep, and eased onto the couch. To her right, a fire roared in the
fireplace. From outside, city lights beat in to illuminate the
room. Her confidence grew with every passing second, swirling with
the anger still bubbling inside her, any fear or misgivings she’d
had drifting to the wayside. She was
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