Page 39 of Bound By Wishes

“A little warm, sayyida?” Ranen’s smoky voice whispered in my mind, causing goosebumps to erupt across my skin despite the heat.

I lowered my hand back to the pommel of the saddle. “Don’t concern yourself with me,” I quietly snarled.

“Believe me, I’m trying,” Ranen grumbled. His tone was coated with animosity and hints of anger, but his words stirred a different sensation within me.

I bit back my response when I noticed Razoul pull his horse’s reins, making the horse stall until I reached his side. His shift in position brought hostile glares from the other candidates in my direction.

Razoul glanced at me, and I swallowed my mounting nerves as his gaze ran down the length of my body. “That was clever of you to discover the burrs under the saddles,” he admitted.

I pressed my lips into a thin line to keep from calling him all the despicable names that were running through my mind. The effort it took to remain silent was almost unbearable, every muscle in my face taut. Razoul must have noticed because a sly grin spread across his face. He seemed to relish the power he held over me, enjoying my struggle to maintain composure.

“The woman I choose needs to be clever but also needs to know her place,” he continued with a subtle warning.

His words enticed my anger and loosened my tongue that I was trying so desperately to control. “It seems to me that you and the princess of Drakoria are a perfect match then,” I said, adding venom into my words. “She took your hoax in stride and said nothing.”

Razoul’s gaze darkened. “You do not wish to be the queen?” he asked, genuinely surprised.

Be smart. He’s a clever djinn and is setting a trap for you. Don’t say something stupid.But I didn’t heed my warning. "Of course I do" should have been my answer, but those weren't the words that tumbled from my lips. "Not if I can help it,” I hissed, nudging the mare in her sides, making her pick up the pace to put as much distance between Razoul and me as possible.

The air stirred around me, and it wasn't just the humid breeze. It shifted with a commanding presence that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “Don’t you say a word,” I warned Ranen.

“I had no intention, sayyida,” he rumbled in my head.

My mare was the first to reach the top of a high dune, and I pulled her to a halt as I looked down over the horrid dig site. My stomach churned at the scene, a flood of emotions resurfacing. I had hoped never to lay eyes on this place again. Not unless I was coming to free them, which I was not.

The rest of the brigade joined me on the hill’s crest.

“It’s amazing,” the princess of Drakoria gasped.

“There is nothing amazing about tyranny,” I growled,trying not to choke on unshed tears. There had to be at least double the amount of workers than were here the last time.

Razoul stopped beside me. My grip on the reins tightened until my knuckles blanched white under the pressure. Every muscle in my body trembled with hot rage, and a fierce urge rose within me to leap on him and unleash my anger in a flurry of blows.

“What do you think, Princess Soraya?” he goaded me.

Hot tears streamed down my face, but I kept my head held high as I glanced over at him. “What are you digging for?” I asked, changing the subject before my emotions burst forth.

“Something very dear to me,” he answered vaguely.

My gaze swept across the hundreds of people below and their deplorable conditions. “Dear enough to treat these people this way?” I asked, no longer able to withhold my contempt.

Razoul leaned closer, the leather of his saddle squeaking as his weight shifted. “Their lives are nothing to me compared to what I am searching for.”

My hand, which had been resting on the saddle horn, drifted down to my dress, where the dagger Ranen had given me was strapped to my thigh. As my fingers brushed the hilt, I felt the once-cool metal, now warmed by the heat of my skin, through the fabric. The intensity of my anger scared me; it coursed through my veins, urging me to draw the blade and put an end to this man who had hurt so many. The thought of what I might do if I let my emotions take over sent a shiver down my spine.

An invisible weight pressed against my back, stalling my hand from pulling the blade. A hand slipped down thelength of my thigh, fingers intertwining with mine, anchoring me in place. Ranen’s presence was all-consuming, pulling me back from the edge of my rage.

I was in a dangerous situation, with one brother at my side and the other at my back. Despite how it appeared, I leaned into Ranen’s strong chest, seeking his comfort and breathing deeply to gain control of my anger.

Razoul watched me. “Are you all right?” he asked, his brows wrinkled in confusion.

After several precious seconds ticked by, I turned to Razoul with a fake smile plastered on my face. “Fine, I’m just a little dizzy from the heat,” I lied.

Razoul stared forward, obviously content with my story, then got down from his horse, walked over to me, and held his arms out.

Ranen’s presence vanished, abandoning me to the clutches of this cur. The last thing I wanted was for Razoul to help me down from my horse, but when a king offered his help, I didn’t have much choice but to accept it.

With a huff of frustration, I placed my hands on his shoulders for support as his slimy hands banded around my waist, lifting me from the horse's back. To my horror, he didn’t lower me to the ground but instead tucked me close to his chest and began to descend the sandy dune. I could feel the heat of his body and the discomfort of being so intimately close, each step he took causing a mix of anger and panic to swell up within me.

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