Page 25 of Bound By Wishes

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 spiralingwith 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 kepthidden, 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.

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