Page 31 of Wild Flame (Wild Bond #2)

Chapter Thirty-One

“ S elasi?” I asked the next morning as we strode down the corridor. Malik hadn’t yet returned, and I missed him. After he and his men had left, the rest of the day dragged by, and that night our bed felt empty without him.

“Yes, my queen?” Everyone had begun referring to me that way since the Marking Ceremony, and the new title felt foreign to my ears.

“Do you like guarding me?”

His brow wrinkled in confusion. “Of course, my queen. I do whatever my king asks of me.”

I had to be careful how I worded this since I didn’t want to insult him, but it was a question I had had for a while. “ Yes , but you are First Warrior. Do you not feel like you should have a better assignment than protecting me? Don’t you wish to protect your king?”

Understanding dawned on his face, and he smiled. “No, my queen. Guarding him would be an honor, but King Malik asked me to guard what is most precious to him. I do not take that lightly.”

Touched by his words, I simply nodded. We walked on and were about to turn the corner when a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks.

“. . . that girl has no fire in her soul,” Priya said, a hint of a sneer in her cajoling tone. “She cannot possibly be making you happy.” A pause. “We were lovers once. I see no reason why we could not be so again.”

“Oh, you do,” a masculine voice replied, a voice that was so familiar it made my heart drop.

My blood ran cold. Was she talking to—

I turned the corner—praying to the Nine gods I was wrong—and came to an abrupt halt as disbelief, hurt, and anger warred inside me.

Malik stood in the center of the corridor, still wearing his armor and obviously having just returned. Priya was draped against him, her hand pressed to his chest, and her face mere inches from his. She was staring up at him with blatant invitation.

But the worst part—the part that made my stomach knot—was that he was staring down at her, his big hand clasped over hers. Firey hot jealousy took root in my belly, along with a sharp stab of pain.

Selasi cursed under his breath at my side.

Both their heads turned in our direction. If their dragons had been with them, they would have been alerted to my presence much sooner. But luckily—or unluckily for me—that wasn’t the case today.

But I didn’t care. I only had time to register the flash of triumph on Priya’s face and the frustration on Malik’s as he dropped her hand, nearly shoving her away. He held up a hand, taking a step towards me. “Siren—”

But I wasn’t listening. The blood was rushing in my ears. I turned and fled.

“Leida!” Malik yelled. “Leida, wait!”

I wasn’t quite running, conscious of the fact that I was in public, but my footsteps were hurried as I tried to contain the swirl of emotion inside me.

We were lovers once. I felt like I might throw up.

Selasi matched my stride, keeping a few paces behind me.

I just had to make it to our rooms.

Unfortunately, Malik and his much longer legs caught up with me before I could reach my destination.

“Leida!” he growled, pulling me to a stop. “Leave us!” he commanded without looking away from me. Selasi and Malik’s guards moved further down the corridor, out of earshot, and halted.

“What you saw . . . it’s not what you think—” he began.

“What I think?” I scoffed, yanking my arm from his grip. I was so angry and hurt that for once I couldn’t keep my anger contained. “What I think I just saw was you letting another woman touch you and put her hands all over you mere days after we . . .”

“Siren,” he murmured. The placating tone disappeared and was replaced with the tender one I normally loved as he reached for me.

But I quickly stepped back.

His arms dropped, and his too perceptive eyes studied me closely. “Nothing happened.” He sighed and wiped a hand down his chin. “I was on my way to greet my new queen properly after a night apart when Priya stopped me in the hall.” He stepped closer, and I tried not to be affected by his nearness. It made me even angrier that he could make my body betray me even when I was this angry at him. I folded my arms across my chest and turned my face away.

He bent down and his heated voice feathered across the shell of my ear. “All I have been able to think about since I left was our night on the roof and that kiss you gave me before I left.”

I fought to repress a shiver at the memories his words evoked. My core heated, but then I remembered what I had just seen—him in the arms of another woman—and my rising ardor cooled quickly. I turned back to face him. “From what I saw just now, it appears you were able to forget it all rather quickly.”

Frustration sparked in his eyes, and he straightened. “Nothing happened with Priya,” he said again, matter-of-factly. “And nothing would have happened. I was removing her hand from my person when you—”

“From what I heard, it appears as if something has already happened with Priya.” I couldn’t keep the angry accusation from pouring out. “Why should now be any different? Why let this stop you?” I held up my binding mark.

His eyes which normally held such warmth, shuttered, and he stepped back. And I knew I had gone too far.

“Is this truly what you think of me? That I would dishonor you by entertaining the attentions of another?”

I clasped my elbows tightly to my chest and didn’t speak.

What did you expect? My mother’s cold voice intruded. Of course, he would seek another. Of course, you aren’t enough. I hadn’t heard her cruel words in so long I had thought they were gone altogether.

Malik’s jaw flexed as he stared back at me, and I could see the anger in his dark amber eyes. For a moment, I thought he would reply, but instead he barked, “First Warrior, attend your queen.” Then he turned on his heel and strode back down the corridor.

Malik did not return to our rooms that night, and lying in the large bed by myself again, I felt more alone than I ever had. The sting of tears threatened, but I forced them back.

The next morning, my maids kept shooting me worried glances—well, Astrid did.

Deciding that I did not want to brood inside any longer, I went for a walk in the garden. Of course, all it did was make me think of Malik. Frustrated, I finally just sat on a stone bench I found under the shade of a willow tree.

Yesh and Brunara, who were guarding me today, came to a halt a few feet from me. The guards didn’t usually speak unless spoken to, so I was surprised when after a few minutes Yesh addressed me.

“My queen, may I speak freely?”

I frowned, but nodded. “Of course.”

Brunara shot him a warning look, but he cleared his throat. “It concerns what happened yesterday with His Majesty. He would never—”

“Please, Yesh.” I cut him off with a hand. “Do not make excuses for him.”

“I am not, my queen. But I do not think you understand what a grave offense it is to a Zehvitian man—to a warrior—to imply that he has been unfaithful.”

I scoffed. I had seen how open and free Zehvitians of both sexes were with their affections. It was probably commonplace that one or both members in a relationship would stray. In Halmar—especially my father’s court—it wasn’t uncommon for a man to be unfaithful to his wife. The affairs were always discreet, to avoid shame or public censure, but they happened.

“I am sure that is not true,” I argued dismissively.

To my utter shock, Yesh turned and took a knee beside the bench where I sat and looked me straight in the eye. “No, my queen, you don’t understand. Among our people, other than political matches, which are really only common among nobility and those with dragon rider bloodlines, there is no reason to bind yourself to another if you do not wish to. I cannot say whether your binding started out for political reasons or not, but based on how our king looks at you, I would say not. Bindings are a sacred commitment. As such, infidelity is seen as the height of dishonor.” He stared at me, a bit of censure in his usually jovial voice. “I know our king. He and my brother have been thick as thieves for years, long before Harun was Fangdar. Our king is not dishonorable, and he would never disrespect you in such a way. I cannot say the same for Lady Priya, however.” His face contorted and he spat on the ground, something I had noticed his people, and even Baldorians, did when they were particularly disgusted by something. “She is a snake in the grass. Jealous and conniving and she has always wanted our king for her own.”

“He speaks the truth, Your Majesty,” Brunara asserted solemnly. “Her character is well known.”

Yesh nodded. “I would not put it past her to have orchestrated the whole encounter with His Majesty.”

I stared down at my hands that were now clutched together in my lap. And for the first time since seeing Malik with Priya yesterday, I was able to look past the hurt and the anger to what had actually happened. Priya had been leaning into Malik, and yes, his hand was over hers, but he had said he was removing it. And the look on his face had been one of frustration and annoyance at the situation, not guilt or horror at being caught.

Is this truly what you think of me? Malik’s words echoed in my mind. And if Yesh’s declaration was true . . .

It was only then that the gravity of the insult I had paid him began to sink in.

I met Yesh’s stare. “Take me to him.”

Minutes later, the two Talonar had escorted me to Malik’s office. As I was let in—my guards waiting outside—I was reminded of the last time I had been here, when Malik had surprised me with Helene’s visit.

But the Malik who stood behind his desk this time was no longer smiling as he stared down at a piece of parchment in his hand. Azrun wasn’t present, but Harun was there, as was his dragon, who stood at his feet.

Harun acknowledged me with a nod. Malik didn’t even look up.

“What is it, Leida?” Malik asked.

Ignoring his brusque tone, I clasped my hands in front of me. “I would like to speak to you alone, Malik, if I could?”

Malik did glance up then, but there was no softness in his expression as he regarded me. “I’m busy, Leida. Can this wait until later?”

Hurt flickered through me, but again, I tried to ignore it as I opened my mouth to respond—

The door opened behind me, and a messenger entered. “Urgent message from the Obsidian Mines, Your Majesty,” the man said before handing Malik a scroll and taking his leave.

Malik immediately opened it. As he read the message, his face grew darker, his lips forming a tight line.

“What is it, Mal?” Harun asked in the silence that followed.

Malik pressed his knuckles onto the desktop and looked at his second. “There was a theft at the mines. Two guards were killed. No one knows who did it.”

“That shouldn’t be possible,” Harun muttered in disbelief. “What was taken?”

Malik didn’t reply, but the two men shared a weighted look. A lot was said with that look. Whatever it was made Harun go a little pale, and his dragon shifted his wings agitatedly at his feet.

“And Kheer?” Harun finally asked.

Malik held up the letter. “He says I should come myself and he will explain more.”

Harun’s eyes shot briefly to me, then back to Malik. “Surely you can’t mean to leave—"

“You will watch over things in my absence,” Malik instructed. “Amir has once again disappeared, but he will no doubt turn up. When he does, tell him I left you in charge.”

Harun raised a brow. “You intend to go alone?”

Malik shook his head. “Taj will come with me. No one knows to expect us, and we will have our dragons. It will be fine.”

Then his eyes finally fell to me. There was still no emotion in them as he proclaimed, “You’re coming with me as well.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You are coming with me,” he repeated.

I glanced at Harun, then back to Malik. “I can’t come with you . . . across the desert and on dragon back.”

He leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. “You’re not staying here. You were attacked by assassins in this very palace not long ago. And we still have no idea who is behind it. My leaving would be the perfect time for them to try again. I am not leaving you here without me.”

“You left me alone when you went to Henevar,” I argued.

“That was one night,” Malik said. “This trip will be longer. And the report about Henevar was faked. There was no attack. Someone obviously wanted us to believe there was, possibly to lure me and the Fangdar from the palace. Though it is unclear why. Regardless, you are not staying here without me.”

This was all news to me. Why would someone do that? “But, your Talonar—” I tried again.

“The Talonar are gifted warriors, but right now, I trust your safety to no one else. So you are coming with me.”

I knew from the look on his face that there was no point in arguing with him further.

When I didn’t protest, he continued, “Tell your maids to pack light for a week’s travel. Desert travel. We leave in an hour.”

The apology I had been ready to offer just minutes ago had now evaporated. I was silently fuming. Not only at his brusque behavior towards me, but the fact that ever since I had entered the room, it was like he was looking through me. Biting my tongue so hard that I was sure it was going to bleed, I asked, “Will that be all, Your Majesty?”

I thought I saw that muscle tick in his jaw again at my choice of address, but he simply nodded in dismissal and looked back down at his desk.

I turned and walked out.