Page 11 of Bound By Wishes

Ranen tracked my every movement, just waiting for me to make a mistake. His scrutiny somehow soured my famished stomach. He seemed to be waiting—hoping—for me to do something wrong. “You’ve done this before,” he said, his tone dripping with disdain. “I assumed people of your caliber ate like pigs.”

“And I assumed a man proclaiming to be a king would have impeccable manners and poise.” I delicately set my fork down, leveling him with a glare. “Clearly, we both stand corrected.” I covered my mouth with my fingers. “Oops. There’s that pesky attitude again.”

His expression darkened as he slowly rose from his chair, and the air between us sizzled with tension. He came to a stop beside me, his towering presence looming over me. “You’re going to have to learn to watch your mouth. Smart comments like that will end with you beheaded,” he warned, leaning closer.

Every nerve in my body begged to shy away from his closeness, but something about this man made my blood boil. Defiance surged through me, keeping me rooted in place. “I would love to watch my mouth if mygeniewould be so kind as to provide me with a mirror,” I said, smiling up at him with exaggerated sweetness, batting my eyelashes for effect.

His jaw ticked as his eyes narrowed. “I’m afraid your haughtiness would crack it.” His chest rumbled with laughter, and his tone dripped with a sweet venom. His extra nastiness only fueled the fire smoldering inside me.

“My haughtiness?” I surged to my feet with such force that the chair clattered to the ground. In an instant, I was so close to him that his breath ghosted my skin.

His rich, smoky scent wafted over me, making me dizzy. The egotistical grin that spread across his face had me longing to tear his perfectly curved lips from his face.

I took a deliberate step back, struggling to steady my breathing and regain theattitudeI flaunted so well.

“Come, we have a lot of work to do if we’re going to turnyouinto a princess,” he said smugly, looking down the bridge of his nose at me with a self-satisfied air.

Taking a deep breath, I tilted my gaze heavenward, praying for patience. “I may kill him before this is over,” I whispered under my breath, barely suppressing a growl as I reluctantly followed him into the clearing.

Ranen glanced over his shoulder, a playful smirk dancing on his lips. “Are you ready, little sayyida?” His voice was teasing, laced with challenge.

“Oh, sure,” I said sarcastically, folding my arms in defiance. “Why wouldn’t I be ready to be turned into a princess and enter an ancient world run by power-hungry djinns?” The words sounded even more ridiculous when spoken out loud.

Ranen ignored my sour disposition, slapping his hands together with such force, the sound rattled my teeth like an explosion of thunder. Inky smoke rose up all around us.

“I hate it when you do this!” I yelled, having lost sight of him. “Can’t you be a little more subtle?”

“No,” Ranen’s voice was a whisper in my ear. He was so close the scruff of his stubble brushed against the shell of my ear.

I spun around, prepared to slap him soundly across the face, but he disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. When the smoke settled, I stood in stunned silence, mymouth dropped open. He had conjured up a complete princess-making squad. Dressmakers stood ready to measure me, jewelers held out their treasures for me to see, and makeup and hair artists seemed eager to get to work on me.

“Where did all these people come from?” I asked, my eyes widening in awe as I took in the crowd surrounding us. I turned to him, only to find Ranen lounging lazily on a swirling black cloud of smoke, as if he had all the time in the world.

“They’re not real,” he assured me with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Just a figment of my imagination.”

“Well then, we’re all in trouble,” I mocked, narrowing my eyes at him. “Because nothing good could possibly come from your mind.”

His smirk widened at my jab, but I couldn't shake the eerie feeling of the ghostly figures watching us, their eyes glimmering like distant stars.

“Come, princess, allow me to fix your hair,” a beautiful woman with olive skin coaxed as she ushered me into a chair.

I settled in the seat, and she began to skillfully weave my hair into cascading curls, while another artist painted my face. I quickly became overwhelmed with so many hands touching me and others shoving clothes, shoes, and jewels in my face.

“Is all this really necessary? I’m getting a little overwhelmed. I don’t like to be touched.” My voice came out as more of a whine than intended.

“As a princess, you will have multiple servants. You will not be allowed to clothe, bathe, or groom yourself. In orderto make this believable, you better get used to this now. If the servants in the palace suspect anything, you’ll be caught.” Ranen never looked my way as he continued his explanation. “As a princess, this should be common to you. You would’ve received this treatment from birth.”

I settled deeper into the chair, angered that he made a good point. “Who exactly am I supposed to be? You can’t just invent a new princess.”

“The princess of Lidian,” he answered smoothly.

“What?” I spun around in my chair, my pulse quickening. “Ouch!” I yelped as the lady behind me tugged on my tresses, urging me to stay still. “The invisible princess of Lidian? No one’s ever seen her, or even knows her name. Many doubt she even exists.”

“Exactly.” Ranen’s grin widened, revealing his pearly whites, a mischievous glint in his eyes as if were enjoying this far too much. “There is a mystery around her and that entire nation. That alone will intrigue Razoul.”

I reluctantly turned back to face the mirror as the makeup artist persisted with her work. “Why is this mystery princess suddenly going to come out of hiding?” I asked, my question muffled by a sneeze as a powder puff was shoved in my face, filling the air with a light cloud of dust.

“Why else? She needs to be wed, just as Razoul does. Bloodlines die without an heir,” he answered.

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