Page 11 of Bound by Wishes (Enchanted Deceptions #1)

E verything in the overcrowded throne room stood still as I heard my name on Caleena’s lips right before she crumpled to the ground in a mass of obnoxious pink fabric. The thought of rushing to her side and scooping her into my arms was all-consuming but I couldn’t risk Razoul seeing me. Everyone else may have forgotten I existed but he certainly hadn’t.

“Don’t touch her,” Razoul barked to the guards as he bounded from his stolen throne and knelt beside Caleena. Something about his proximity to her had my blood boiling.

I eased as close to her as I dared. The thought that someone may have poisoned her crossed my mind, but who could have possibly caught onto our deceit that quickly?

Razoul scooped Caleena into his arms with a surprising lack of formality. Murmurs and gasps echoed around the room as he kicked open the throne room doors and headed down the hallway. I hovered behind, just close enough to watch him but far enough to not be seen.

“Where are her rooms?” Razoul barked.

A servant scrambled to keep up with his long strides. "She requested the rooms in the west wing," he replied.

Razoul stopped so suddenly that the servant stumbled, barely avoiding running into him. I held my breath until Razoul continued, veering toward the west wing.

A mass of servants and officials followed Razoul into Caleena’s room. I hovered near the doorway, watching his every move as he laid Caleena on the bed. I glanced around and then transported myself to the balcony for a better view.

Razoul ran his hand across Caleena’s soft face before sitting on the bed beside her. “Get the physician!” he thundered, and several servants took off to do his bidding. “She must be overheated. Remove this dress.” Razoul ran his hand up Caleena’s calf until it disappeared beneath the pink fabric.

The room began to quake, a deep rumble vibrating through the walls and floor. Panic erupted as everyone started to scream and wail. Fissures spidered across the marble floor and a few windows shattered, their cracks spreading like veins. I glanced around in confusion, only to realize the source of the tremors was me. I quickly collected my unexpected anger, and the quaking stopped. Razoul glanced around the room, suspicion pulling at his brow. I had nearly made my presence known. What had come over me? It was my responsibility to protect her, especially since I was the reason she was in this mess, but she wasn’t worth abandoning the vengeance that had kept me going in the darkness of that lamp.

“Your Majesty!” Mozenwrath slithered into the room just like the snake I remembered. He stopped before Razoul, nervously tugging on clothes that were far too fine for a king’s adviser. He slicked his whale-oil-greased hair back and cleared his throat. “Your Majesty. I must insist you return to your guests. Leaving them for a single candidate is unheard of.”

Razoul slowly rose from the bed. He blindly heeded Mozenwrath’s every word. Which was even more evidence that he was not ready to be king.

“I will ensure she is well taken care of. The physician is on his way,” Mozenwrath promised. Razoul reluctantly followed him out the door, accompanied by everyone who was in the room.

Once they shut the door, I whisked myself to Caleena’s side. She was strangely pale. My fingers danced across her delicate neck, finding her pulse strong and steady. "Caleena," I whispered, lightly shaking her. She moaned, and I noticed her shallow breathing, each breath a gasp.

I glanced down at the tight corset, and without hesitation, I wrenched it apart. The seams groaned and strained as the fabric tore. Caleena gasped and her chest heaved with relief as she drew in a desperate breath of air.

Her eyes fluttered open, widening in alarm as she noticed me leaning over her. She glanced down at her torn bodice, and the sheer terror that twisted across her face struck me with a jolt, making my heart drum in my veins.

“Don’t panic,” I spoke to her like she was a wild mare getting ready to bolt as I eased off the bed. “I know this looks bad, but you fainted in the throne room, and I had to get you out of that corset before you suffocated.” Her lower lip trembled, and by the moon, I wanted to gather her in my arms, but instead, I backed up, giving her more space. She watched me like a hawk as she slowly sat up. “I just removed your corset. Your chemise is still in place.” I don’t know why I felt the need to further explain myself, but she seemed to calm with each word I spoke.

She cleared her throat, pulling the silk sheets over her chest. “Who brought me to my room?” she rasped.

I leaned against one of the columns, feeling its cold surface against my back. “Razoul.” The name escaped my lips with a growl of anger I didn’t fully understand. She gave a tense nod, and the room fell into an uneasy silence.

“Well, you certainly got his attention,” I said, trying to break the tension. “I must admit, it was more dramatic than knocking over a punch bowl.” I attempted a smirk, hoping to lift the somber mood that had settled over the room.

One corner of her lip curled into a soft, wry smile. “I always aim to please.” Rising from the bed, she gathered the sheets around her, clutching them tightly to her chest. As she ducked behind the changing screen, the fabric trailed after her, creating a cascade of fluttering white as she disappeared from view.

I crossed my arms over my chest, my expression tight with irritation. “I don’t think it was necessary to cinch those stays so tightly,” I snarled. “Were you trying to cause a scene?”

Her head popped out from behind the changing screen, anger pinching her cheeks. “I didn’t tie those stays,” she snapped. “Those banshees that helped me dress did. I think they were trying to kill me.”

By her tone, I could tell that she was joking, but had the servants sabotaged her on purpose? Doubtful, but it was possible. I’d have to keep an eye on them too. Having a sayyida was a lot like work. A tiresome job that was holding up my agenda.

The rustling of material brought my gaze back around, and then the dress flew through the air in a blur of pink fluff before landing in a heap on the floor.

I scratched the stubble on my cheek, a playful smirk tugging the corners of my mouth. “You know,” I remarked, “those banshees really should be the ones helping you undress.”

Caleena’s dainty fingers gripped the edge of the screen as she peered back around it at me. “Ranen,” she said with exasperation. “I am tired and hungry. I have no interest in playing princess at the moment, and if those servants come near me again, I might just scratch their eyes out.”

A glint of mischief sparked in my eyes. For a commoner, she was cute when she was angry. I decided to be lenient and help her out. I waved my hand, and black smoke reached toward her. She gasped when it encompassed her.

“I’m not coming out in this,” she hissed.

I struggled to suppress the laughter bubbling up inside me, my lips twitching in amusement. “In what?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Don’t play ignorant. It doesn’t become you,” she warned. “I will not go prancing around in a sheer nightdress. You can see everything! ”

The smile that stretched across my face broadened. My magic swirled through the air again, and seconds later, she emerged from behind the screen in lavender-colored silk pajamas—a crop top with capped sleeves and ankle-length bottoms. Fatigue stained the skin beneath her eyes, and I almost felt sorry for her. She shoved the decorative pillows to the floor as she climbed into bed.

Voices reached my ears, growing louder as they traveled down the hall toward the room. I whisked myself back to the seclusion of the balcony right before the door to Caleena’s room was flung open. A mass of people crowded into a room, followed by a man who carried a leather bag. I assumed he was the physician, given the bag he carried and the crisp white linen clothes he wore.

He glanced at Caleena, whose eyes had gone wide with shock. “You’re awake?” he stammered.

“Yes, for the time being,” Caleena snapped, her voice low with irritation, as she glared at him.

He strode purposefully toward her. “I am the physician,” he stated firmly. “Allow me to examine you.”

Caleena exploded like a volcanic eruption. “Get out!” she yelled. “I don’t want to be disturbed again until morning.”

“But—” the physician started, taking another step forward with a look of concern.

“Out!” she screeched, her voice rising to a piercing volume. Without another word, everyone rushed from the room, the door slamming behind them.

I appeared beside the bed, a playful smile curving my lips as I looked down at her. “You’re sounding more like a spoiled princess every day,” I remarked.

Her gaze collided with mine, her rich dark eyes spiraling with anger. “Go away, Ranen,” she retorted, snuggling deeper into the silk sheets. My eyes drifted to the empty spot beside her, a touch of temptation washing through me.

“Don’t even think about it,” she warned, her voice a low, dangerous whisper. “I will stab you.”

Laughter bubbled in my chest. “Of that, I am certain, sayyida.” I flicked my wrist, and an onyx-encrusted dagger appeared in my palm. I handed it to her with an evil smirk on my face. “Be my guest.”

Shock rendered her speechless, which was a rare blessing, as she reached across the mattress and gripped the knife in her hands. Her skin brushed against mine, and I held on to the dagger longer than was necessary before letting it go. I could try to convince myself that I gave her a weapon to protect herself if I wasn’t around, but in reality, I had gifted her with it to help her trust me. A completely selfish motive.

Caleena shoved the knife under her pillow, watching me the whole time.

I waved my hand toward her, and with a flick of my magic, a tray brimming with mouthwatering food appeared before her. It was laden with tender lamb kebabs, fluffy saffron rice, warm pita bread, and fresh salad. A brass kettle of refreshing mint tea sat on the tray, its delicate aroma mingling with the rich scents of the feast I had concocted.

The tray hovered just out of her reach. “I’m not sure I should give this to you after you threatened to stab me.”

“I’m sure someone like you is used to such threats,” she said with a hint of defiance.

I shrugged nonchalantly. “Not really,” I replied. “Usually, anyone who threatens me ends up beheaded. After all, I am the king, you know. ”

Her gaze drifted to the floating tray, her eyes betraying her hunger. “So you keep telling me,” she said, her voice softening as she watched the assortment of food with longing. The tray slowly lowered onto her lap, and she dove into it like it was her last meal.

“Tomorrow, we start looking for the book,” I said as she took a delicate sip of her tea.

“Do you have any idea where to look?” she asked, focusing on the steam rising from her cup, not bothering to turn toward me.

“No,” I admitted, shaking my head slightly. “I had no idea my brother even had access to such things.”

The night he had betrayed me surfaced from the dark recesses of my memories. After dinner, we lounged in the throne room as we always did, unwinding from the day and exchanging stories while sipping on bouza, our favorite ancient beer made from fermented barley. When he reached for the book and cracked open its spine, a malevolent glint flickered in his eyes, and evil hung heavy in the air. Before I could stop him, the words he read aloud from the book trapped me, rendering me helpless as the cuffs of enslavement clamped around my wrists.

My power dwindled to a faint, near-silent hum. I remembered the look in his eyes, a cold gleam that chilled me to the bone. The shock of his betrayal was like a blade twisting inside me. He was my brother, the one person I thought I could trust. We’d grown up in each other’s shadows, bickering like brothers do but always looking out for each other. He was the only one I’d ever allowed past my defenses, the only one who knew my secrets and saw the parts of me I kept hidden, making his treachery that much harder to accept.

My gaze shifted to the midnight-black lamp on the bedside table. A shudder ran down my spine. Its interior was just as dark and foreboding as its exterior.

Caleena pushed the tray away, pulling me back to reality. In a puff of smoke, the dirty tray and its remains disappeared. I waved my hand, and one by one, the lanterns flickering in the room went out.

“Good night, ya amar,” I said as I whisked myself back into the oppressive darkness of the lamp that had held me prisoner for years.

I didn’t really sleep. I didn’t need to in order to survive. I just existed. My sole purpose was to serve my master and nothing else. An irritating thought that I was still coming to grips with. Things like rest and food were not necessities. I missed sleep, especially when the darkness of the lamp seemed to close in around me. Its presence contorted my mind and made me hear things that weren’t there…or were they? It whispered words of ancient times, brimming with an evil that seemed to seep into my bones. Or perhaps that evil was within me all along, because the only thought consuming me was the grim desire to escort my brother to an early grave.

Screams shattered the evil whispers that plagued my mind. Caleena. I erupted from the lamp like shadows overtaking the dawn, ready to end whatever or whoever threatened my sayyida. My angry gaze scoured the room, searching for the source of the threat, but found nothing.

Caleena writhed on the bed, beads of sweat glistening on her brow, moonlit tears streaming down her face. The sheets were a jumbled-up mess, wrapping around her and holding her captive.

I knelt beside her, my fingers lightly brushing across her damp brow. “Caleena?” I whispered, my voice soft but filled with concern as I gazed down at her.

She wailed again, flinching away from me. The sight was soul-crushing as her body trembled all over. I gripped her shoulders and lightly shook her until her eyes flew open. Horror etched itself across her face as she looked around the room before sitting up and crushing her knees to her chest.

“What plagues your mind, little sayyida?” I asked, striving to sound calm and soothing despite the undercurrent of anger that seeped through me. “Whatever it is, be it real or imaginary, I will slay it.”

Caleena angrily swiped at the tears streaking down her pale cheeks. “It’s nothing,” she insisted.

“I know all too well about the evils that can plague a mind,” I said, rising from the floor. I dared to sit on the edge of the bed, shocked when she allowed me to do so without shrinking away. “If you will allow me, I will sit with you until you fall back asleep.”

She opened her mouth, and I knew a refusal was on the tip of her tongue.

“I promise not to move from this spot,” I assured her, my gaze boring into hers. “I just don’t want you to be alone. You don’t have to talk about it. Just let me be here with you.”

Tears continued to slip down her cheeks as she struggled to hide her fear and stay brave. I felt a powerful urge to wipe them away, but I had just sworn to her that I wouldn’t move. So, I stayed still, my hands clenched at my sides to keep from touching her .

Without a word, she nodded and settled back down. She watched me for a long time, her eyes reflecting a lingering distrust that kept her awake. Finally, her eyes fluttered closed, her dark lashes resting gently against her pale skin as she drifted back to sleep.