Page 12 of Bound By Wishes

“You have this all figured out, don’t you?” I asked, my chest tightening with the realization that I was merely a pawn in his carefully constructed plan.

Ranen’s expression darkened, and his voice deepened, dripping with unspoken anger. “I’ve had plenty of time toplot my revenge.” He said each word slowly, as if savoring the taste of his long-held anger.

Something within me snapped, the pressure of the day finally bubbling over inside of me. Playing the part of some mystery princess was one thing, but revenge? That sounded like a disaster waiting to happen—with me right in the middle of it. If he was out for revenge, I wanted no part of that.

I turned in my chair, gesturing for the hairstylist to cease pulling at my hair. “You never said anything about revenge. You asked me to help you regain your kingdom and save the Canaari people.”

“It’s the same thing,” Ranen said dismissively.

I watched him for a long while, studying him before I tried to dig deeper into who he was. “How long were you in the lamp?”

Silence stretched on, the only sounds the distant chattering of the servants.

“Five hundred years,” he growled.

I hated to admit it, but I felt a flicker of sympathy for him, no matter how infuriating he was. I would be upset too if someone had trapped me in a tiny lamp for five hundred years.

“Turn back around, princess. I am almost done.” The makeup artist grasped my chin gently, dipping a delicate paintbrush into a tiny glass bottle. With precision, she applied a hue to my lips, a shade somewhere in between flame red and deep burgundy. “Done!” she announced proudly.

“Now to the clothes.” Ranen gestured toward a tent without ever looking at me.

I rose from the chair slowly, my trepidation morphing into bitterness. I had gone from one world, where men dictated every move and women were expected to play their assigned roles, to another. My father, however, had always seen me as different. He treated me with respect, never once telling me I couldn’t do something because I was a woman. I smiled at the memory of him taking me to dig sites, both of us covered in dirt from head to toe as we unearthed pieces of the past together. I felt valued, not just as his daughter, but as an equal. That respect shaped my view of what I could become, and I refused to lose that now. Whether it be men or djinns, I would not be controlled.

My resolve tightened as I stepped into the tent, where flaming lamps lit the space in a warm glow. My bare feet glided over the intricate soft rug, and I glanced at the extravagant clothing. The room was a kaleidoscope of colors, filled with clothes that looked too fine to touch. Silken fabrics hung from silver hooks, their rich jewel tones blending with shimmering metallic threads. As the light danced across the fabrics, the room seemed to come alive with a twinkling sparkle. I had never seen anything like it, another reminder that I didn’t belong here.

I reached out to touch the fabric of a ruby-red skirt embroidered with a delicate feather pattern only to find that it was softer than I could have imagined.

“Good choice, princess.” A voice rose from the shadows, stopping my hand midair.

An elderly woman ventured from the darkness, pulling the skirt from the hook and holding it up closer for me to see. I marveled at the beadwork that made the skirt look like it was alive when the light hit it just right.

She helped me step into the skirt, which cinched tightly above my belly button. It was a perfect fit, as if it were made just for me. Then she helped me slip into the matching crop top, its sweetheart neckline and delicate capped sleeves adding a touch of elegance to the outfit. She helped me drape a matching sheer veil over my face, delicately covering my lips and nose with a whisper-light touch.

“You are ready,” she announced, holding open the tent flap so I could slip back through.

Ranen’s eyes met mine just as soon as I was out in the opening. “Maybe there is hope for you yet,” he said, descending from his throne of clouds and stopping before me.

“Is that a compliment?” I asked, batting my lashes in what I assumed was playful and flirtatious.

“Hardly,” he sneered, his lips curling into a twisted smile that sent a chill through me. “Now, we have to do something about that.”

“What?” I asked, my brows knitting together in confusion. I could feel the tension creeping in, thickening the silence between us.

He looked down his smug nose at me. “Whatever that is you keep doing with your eyes,” he said, voice thick with mockery. “If that’s your idea of flirting, we have a lot more work to do than I originally thought.”

He watched me intently, his scrutiny making my hackles rise.

“You intend on teaching me how to flirt?” I sputtered, barely able to process his words as they settled in. The disbelief in my voice didn’t hide the faint spark of embarrassment rising within me.

He turned back around, angling his perfectly toned body toward me with the grace of someone who knew the effect he had. “From what I’ve seen, you need a lot of help in that field,” he said with a smirk on his lips as sharp as a blade.

“I didn’t agree to flirting,” I argued. The mere thought filled me with dread, and I broke out in a cold sweat.

“Come now,” he coaxed. “I’m a good teacher.”

Iwalked away, pausing when the sound of her footsteps didn’t follow. Turning, I found her standing still, her lips opening and closing in silence, like a fish gasping for air.

With a slow, deliberate motion, I spread my arms wide, fully aware of her eyes roaming over me. "Seduce me," I commanded.

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