Page 43 of Bound By Wishes

My gaze swept across the room, wondering where he was hiding this time. “And genies should stay in their bottles,” I grumbled.

Razoul entered the throne room, draped in a robe that trailed behind him like a wedding train. His entourage followed, including Mozenwrath and the other members of the council, guards, and dignitaries. The curtain was thrown open, and he walked out onto a massive balcony. Curiosity forced me to peer around the curtain. A hush fell over the assembly below. Hundreds of people were in the courtyard, and I was shocked to see that they had allowed the Canaari people inside the palace walls.

Razoul stepped to the edge of the balcony, his voice ringing out above the crowd. “I have chosen my bride andyour queen!” he announced. All awaited his words with bated breath, including me. “In a fortnight, I will wed the lovely Princess Soraya.”

The crowd below erupted in a sudden uproar, a wave of murmurs and exclamations that sent a chill coursing through me. Did he just say my name? My heart raced as I scanned the room. The other two candidates shot me venomous glares, their expressions stony with resentment. Yes, he had indeed called my name.

“Ranen?” I seethed, shrinking into the shadows. “What am I going to do? I wasn’t supposed to be selected!” Panic swirled within me. “I’m not a princess.”

Ranen’s voice echoed in my mind. “Are you not? You certainly look like one.”

Wait. Did he just compliment me? Surely, I was hearing things. I had finally snapped after dealing with all of this craziness for so long.

Mozenwrath pushed back the curtain with a touch of annoyance written across his face. “Come, queen, your people await,” he beckoned.

With sweaty palms, I gripped his hand as he pulled me onto the balcony, edging me forward until I was side by side with Razoul. Razoul’s hand shot into the air as he lazily waved. I looked over the crowd. They didn’t seem pleased, and I couldn’t blame them. Why would they care that they were getting another pampered royal when they were literally starving to death?

Razoul turned to Mozenwrath. “Escort the princess below and parade her through the people,” he instructed. “I want them all to see how lovely she is.”

Bile burned the back of my throat as Razoul reached upand brushed his hand across my cheek. I snatched away from his touch so quickly that his face blanched with anger.

I wanted to lift the shimmering red skirt of my dress and run for dear life. This situation had reached a point of pure insanity. How in the world was I going to get out of this?

Mozenwrath’s grip on my elbow was harsh, his fingers pressing so deeply into my skin that it would no doubt leave behind an imprint. He pulled me across the throne room, the tulle fabric of my gown bunching around my legs with each hurried step. The room seemed to blur as he dragged me toward the double doors. We burst out into the courtyard, all eyes on us as he led me toward a massive elephant with long ivory tusks and a grand seat strapped to his back.

Ugh, an elephant. It had to be an elephant. The crowd parted, creating a path for us to go through. He finally released me when we reached the elephant. A servant tapped the animal with a stick, and it slowly lowered to the ground for me to climb aboard.

I hitched up the skirt of my dress to climb onto the elephant, but before I found my footing, Mozenwrath’s hand shot out, gripping my arm and yanking me back with a forceful jerk. He threw me off balance, my heart soaring as I stumbled against him. The bustling courtyard around us blurred in motion and noise.

“You will not show your legs to anyone but the king,” he hissed in my ear.

Anger coiled, snaking through my veins. This was far worse than the demeaning treatment I'd endured at the museum. Now I was the king’s property, and Mozenwrath was determined to remind me of that.

“You’re hurting me,” I growled as I tried to pry my arm from his viselike grip.

The tense air around us shifted, and Mozenwrath’s pupils widened before he collapsed face down in the dirt. Gasps erupted from the crowd, mingling with my shock. I quickly bent down, pressing my fingertips to his neck. Relief flooded through me when I felt the flutter of his pulse beneath my fingers.

“Ranen, did you do that?” I whispered, glancing around at the people who pressed forward and the guards who rushed toward the scene.

“At least I didn’t kill him,” Ranen answered, sounding proud of himself.

I slowly stood as the guards reached me. “Must have been the heat.” I shrugged and smiled at the guards, who looked confused.

“Protect the princess!” Razoul yelled from the balcony, his voice sounding like the buzz of an angry gnat from so far away. The guards raised their swords, and the Canaari people rushed back.

“There’s no need for violence,” I scolded them, hoping they would listen to me. “No one touched the royal adviser. He simply fainted.” They glanced at me and then back at Razoul. “Now help me get on this beast so I can get this over with.” I tried to pull their attention away from the crowd of people.

Finally, they yielded, and two of them stepped forward and helped me get on the elephant. I quickly settled into the seat as he slowly rose and began to stomp through the garden and toward the palace gates.

I felt a solid chest press against my back and a handcircle my waist, but when I looked down, nothing was there. The warmth and pressure of his body against mine was unmistakable. It was always a strange sensation whenever Ranen was invisible and touched me. His unseen presence wrapped around me, grounding me in a way that calmed my frazzled nerves.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked, my gaze never wavering as I stared forward. “I am perfectly capable of riding this elephant without you.”

“Are you?” he asked, his warm breath tickling the shell of my ear. “Do you want me to leave?”

He was goading me, and I knew it, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to ask him to leave. I changed the subject instead. “What are we going to do?”

Ranen’s grip on my waist tightened. “Nothing has changed. This just complicates matters.”

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