25ZayedWhatever they had planned, it wasn’t going to work. I could look at the eyes of Elena and know that she had a part in the arrest of Sadiq, whatever that may be. Including Zain and Hayden. They should have thought more about the after considering Sadiq’s arrest during Imran and Iesha’s ceremony. That man was a ticking time bomb and even I was afraid of what he might do next. “Stay close,” I told Elena as she talked with Zara and Nasrin, my eyes pinned on Imran, who was scowling and talking to Zain. “We will figure it out, Imran,” I heard Zain, his voice firm. “The Council can’t do anything without the proof.”He nodded at me and left to talk with other royals, trying to control the situation. “Are you okay?” I asked him. “Did you know about this?”I scoffed and tried to keep my voice low. “Do you think I wouldn’t tell you if I had known this was going to happen?” His jaw clenched and eyes darkened. “I can’t stand here and wait for them to question my brother.”“Oh, so now
26ElenaI tightened the robe around my wet body, wondering what I had missed. Our plan had failed. Sadiq was still looking over the footage of that day and trying to work out how we ended up with one dead body. “Are you still thinking about it?” My eyes looked up from the tiled floor to shirtless Zayed as he stepped into the bathroom. “How could I not? Whatever happened… it was terrible.”“It was.”Zayed sat me down on a stool, gently patting dry my wet hair with a towel. I closed my eyes in the soft caress of his fingers. Imran and Iesha wanted to postpone the wedding until everything got resolved, but most of us felt bad for ruining their wedding arrangements, so they were getting married the next day. Despite thinking the Council arrested Sadiq and having a man mauled by his pet tiger, Imran was being a good host and making sure all the guests were looked after. “I read your letter…” Zayed said, my eyes meeting his when he parted my robe, standing across me.I stood up, moving
27ElenaThe mood in the ceremonial hall was a cross between joy and confusion as everyone watched Imran and Iesha get married. The musicians were playing their instruments and food was great with a constant flow of arak, but everyone was shaken up by the events of the day before. I hadn’t even dared to look for Zayed after he had left the room early in the morning. I kept his promise of not following him even though I really wanted to, but how could I move when he told me he wished to marry me? I was too stunned by his confession to even breathe. I hadn’t left the bed until the maids asked to dress me for the wedding, even drawing a bath for me. When I had asked them about Zayed, they didn’t know where he was. “I heard Nasir will be sent back to a zoo,” Rahim said, standing beside me. “I will miss him.”I chuckled. “We can adopt and keep him in The Golden Palace. I am sure Zara would love that.”We both glanced at the pregnant princess talking with other ladies, Hayden keeping a c
PART FOUR“I love you, you infuriating, cold witch.” 28ElenaThe first thing I noticed when I started getting conscious was the cool heat, like sweltering summer heat during the night. It was cool but made me sweat, my entire body stiff and throat parched.I forced my lids to open, blinking at the empty bed. A small whimper tore out of my burning throat as I tried to sit up, my legs and hands straining with taut muscles. How long was I unconscious for?My eyes adjusted to the light pouring in from the open flap of the tent. By the looks of it, it was afternoon, and someone had taken a great care to build such a tent with a private bath area, small closet and a table. It looked like a royal tent.Royal… wedding. Memories came flashing back at me. Blood on the floor, Imran, Zara crying, missing my shot, and Zayed. He poisoned me. Handed me that wine, knowing what was going to happen and sided with Imran, who had fooled us all since the beginning and conspired against Azmia all that tim
29Zayed“Ah, so glad to see you are okay.”Riaz stayed in the tent when Rahim stood up from the chair and smiled at me. He wasn’t present when I had run away from the Maahnoor palace. “What are you doing here?” “Here?” He looked around the tent, the table strewn with papers and maps and blueprints of Maahnoor palace. “You mean, in the middle of the desert, Sheikh Zayed?”“Where were you?” I poured a glass of water for him and handed it to him, leaning on the table, looking at him. He was dressed in his usual white clothes, his grey hair untousled with a warm look on his face. “I was trying to find the place where they took Nasir.”I frowned at him and he continued, “Nasir, the tiger? Unfortunately, I couldn’t find him and headed back. Before I reached the Maahnoor palace, I heard a commotion and saw you leaving the palace on a horse with Elena. At first, I thought you went out… for privacy, but news about Prince Imran travelled fast and I stayed hidden until this kid approached me.
30ZaraI caressed the bump on my stomach, feeling the excited kicks of my baby. Hayden had guessed that it was a girl while I had guessed the baby’s gender to be a boy. A little prince like him. Like us. With my dark black hair and his sparkling blue eyes. “You should thank me for not killing him off, you know.” I straightened up on the armchair when he entered the room. A small space, enough for a bed and a bathroom without locks with a tiny window to breathe fresh air. They separated me from my family with Aya, who was thankfully sleeping on the bed, curled around her stuffed toy. I had woken up in the room the day before, my head groggy, and I knew he had drugged me and everyone else. But why?“Maybe I should thank you for sparing my life too,” I replied with a smile, but he was smart enough to catch the sarcasm. Imran chuckled, walking closer to me, his men keeping guard on the door. “One day, princess, I will hear you begging.”“I pity you, Prince Imran.” I looked at him for
31ZayedI was surprised to see the dark-haired man sitting beside Rahim and talking to him. He looked very familiar, but I didn’t know where I had seen him. He was tall with a thin shirt hugging his lean, muscular frame, and he looked like he was in his late twenties or early thirties. “Ah, Zayed,” Rahim finally noticed me standing by his tent. “This is my friend I wanted you to meet.”The man stood up, smiling at me, his golden-brown eyes twinkling in the morning sunlight as he bowed. “I have heard so much about you, Sheikh Zayed.”“See?” I turned around to see Elena enter the tent, her hands tying her golden hair in a ponytail. She was wearing my shirt and pants, rolled up at the hem as I hadn’t planned a perfect kidnapping. “Everyone knows about your pranks—oh, it’s you.”The stranger tilted his head and I resisted the urge to step between them, ripping my shirt and puffing my chest at him like some wild animal. “It is me?”“You two know each other?” I asked Elena, frowning when
32ZayedI held my breath with each turn we took, my heartbeat pounding in my ears with the anticipation of finding Imran and relief to find Riaz. I wouldn’t hesitate to kill Imran if he touched Riaz. That kid was forced into this world and deserved nothing that had happened to him. “You love that Elena, hm?” I eyed Hamid and nodded. We had already looked for Riaz in the dungeons, but he wasn’t there, so we were looking in the empty library. “She suits you well, son, but you need to stop poisoning her from protecting you.”“This was the last time,” I promised and added, “I don’t enjoy it, but I don’t want her getting hurt because of the choices I made. Mistakes I made.”“If you love someone, all you have to do is be honest with them. That’s why she wanted to be here with you, because she wanted to keep you safe just as much as you want to keep her safe. If not more.”I stayed quiet, hearing his words, processing them and following him out of the library. Swallowing the lump in my th
Explicit Bonus SceneNote: This scene has a bit of anal play with a use of sex toy.Elena“How much… longer?” I gasped, scrunching the sheets with my fingers. My knees buckled at the new sensation of being touched and—oh.Zayed’s fingers moved inside me, teasing and twisting them as various sensations of being invaded at such a part of my body. “Shh, my little witch,” he crooned, his hot breath on my neck making me shiver. His other hand soothed the burn of his spanking on my cheeks from moments ago when he was driving inside me, shooting his load in my pussy, which I felt sliding down my inner thigh. “You’re doing so well, my Sheikha,” he praised me, more cold lube coated over my puckered hole. “Take a deep breath.”I did, biting my lip and gasping when he spanked me at the same time I felt the cold press of something bulbous and held my breath. Zayed hushed my whimpers, ordering me to take another deep breath and relax when he slowly pushed the small toy inside me. Perspiration for
Epilogue“Finally, the pretty witch has graced me with her precious presence.”I hummed and sat on his lap, snuggling into his chest. “It’s supposed to be sleeping beauty.”He peered down at me, stroking my hair. “I know, but you are my darling witch.”“You made me stay up all night,” I glared at his handsome face, caressing the scar on his brow from the day The Golden Palace had fallen. “You weren’t complaining, love,” he smirked, kissing my hand that glinted with a small ruby ring. I bit my lip looking at it and asked, “Are you sure about marrying me, Sheikh Zayed?”He raised his brow and turned me around so I could straddle his hips, his eyes lowering to his shirt I had worn, unbuttoning it with his expert fingers. “I proposed to you when we were sixteen, my enchantress. It feels like a dream to marry you… even though you can be annoying sometimes.” I glared at him but he chuckled and continued, “But I have never been surer than ever before, Elena. My Sheikha.”I smiled and kissed
33ElenaMy heart shattered seeing The Golden Palace fall to the ground, dust and debris rolling in waves even when we were waiting at the stables that were far away from the palace. I clutched my heart and closed my eyes, praying, hoping he was safe. He was alive. Yes, I hated him for his antics, paralyzing me before running into the palace and keeping me safe with others. The absolute idiot. But I wanted him back, to kiss me again and hold my hand, flash me his boyish dimpled grin. “He is okay, Elena,” Valeria whispered softly, touching my shoulder and giving me a side hug. “She’s right,” Khalid said. “He is too stubborn to die.”“He will be okay,” Zain said, “He promised he would save Riaz so he will. I have sent your guards to look at the explosion. We will find him ourselves if we have to.”I thanked them for their support and stood up, shaking off my nerves. “I will come too.”They knew better than to stop me.The Golden Palace was in a shambles with each step we took closer
32ZayedI held my breath with each turn we took, my heartbeat pounding in my ears with the anticipation of finding Imran and relief to find Riaz. I wouldn’t hesitate to kill Imran if he touched Riaz. That kid was forced into this world and deserved nothing that had happened to him. “You love that Elena, hm?” I eyed Hamid and nodded. We had already looked for Riaz in the dungeons, but he wasn’t there, so we were looking in the empty library. “She suits you well, son, but you need to stop poisoning her from protecting you.”“This was the last time,” I promised and added, “I don’t enjoy it, but I don’t want her getting hurt because of the choices I made. Mistakes I made.”“If you love someone, all you have to do is be honest with them. That’s why she wanted to be here with you, because she wanted to keep you safe just as much as you want to keep her safe. If not more.”I stayed quiet, hearing his words, processing them and following him out of the library. Swallowing the lump in my th
31ZayedI was surprised to see the dark-haired man sitting beside Rahim and talking to him. He looked very familiar, but I didn’t know where I had seen him. He was tall with a thin shirt hugging his lean, muscular frame, and he looked like he was in his late twenties or early thirties. “Ah, Zayed,” Rahim finally noticed me standing by his tent. “This is my friend I wanted you to meet.”The man stood up, smiling at me, his golden-brown eyes twinkling in the morning sunlight as he bowed. “I have heard so much about you, Sheikh Zayed.”“See?” I turned around to see Elena enter the tent, her hands tying her golden hair in a ponytail. She was wearing my shirt and pants, rolled up at the hem as I hadn’t planned a perfect kidnapping. “Everyone knows about your pranks—oh, it’s you.”The stranger tilted his head and I resisted the urge to step between them, ripping my shirt and puffing my chest at him like some wild animal. “It is me?”“You two know each other?” I asked Elena, frowning when
30ZaraI caressed the bump on my stomach, feeling the excited kicks of my baby. Hayden had guessed that it was a girl while I had guessed the baby’s gender to be a boy. A little prince like him. Like us. With my dark black hair and his sparkling blue eyes. “You should thank me for not killing him off, you know.” I straightened up on the armchair when he entered the room. A small space, enough for a bed and a bathroom without locks with a tiny window to breathe fresh air. They separated me from my family with Aya, who was thankfully sleeping on the bed, curled around her stuffed toy. I had woken up in the room the day before, my head groggy, and I knew he had drugged me and everyone else. But why?“Maybe I should thank you for sparing my life too,” I replied with a smile, but he was smart enough to catch the sarcasm. Imran chuckled, walking closer to me, his men keeping guard on the door. “One day, princess, I will hear you begging.”“I pity you, Prince Imran.” I looked at him for
29Zayed“Ah, so glad to see you are okay.”Riaz stayed in the tent when Rahim stood up from the chair and smiled at me. He wasn’t present when I had run away from the Maahnoor palace. “What are you doing here?” “Here?” He looked around the tent, the table strewn with papers and maps and blueprints of Maahnoor palace. “You mean, in the middle of the desert, Sheikh Zayed?”“Where were you?” I poured a glass of water for him and handed it to him, leaning on the table, looking at him. He was dressed in his usual white clothes, his grey hair untousled with a warm look on his face. “I was trying to find the place where they took Nasir.”I frowned at him and he continued, “Nasir, the tiger? Unfortunately, I couldn’t find him and headed back. Before I reached the Maahnoor palace, I heard a commotion and saw you leaving the palace on a horse with Elena. At first, I thought you went out… for privacy, but news about Prince Imran travelled fast and I stayed hidden until this kid approached me.
PART FOUR“I love you, you infuriating, cold witch.” 28ElenaThe first thing I noticed when I started getting conscious was the cool heat, like sweltering summer heat during the night. It was cool but made me sweat, my entire body stiff and throat parched.I forced my lids to open, blinking at the empty bed. A small whimper tore out of my burning throat as I tried to sit up, my legs and hands straining with taut muscles. How long was I unconscious for?My eyes adjusted to the light pouring in from the open flap of the tent. By the looks of it, it was afternoon, and someone had taken a great care to build such a tent with a private bath area, small closet and a table. It looked like a royal tent.Royal… wedding. Memories came flashing back at me. Blood on the floor, Imran, Zara crying, missing my shot, and Zayed. He poisoned me. Handed me that wine, knowing what was going to happen and sided with Imran, who had fooled us all since the beginning and conspired against Azmia all that tim
27ElenaThe mood in the ceremonial hall was a cross between joy and confusion as everyone watched Imran and Iesha get married. The musicians were playing their instruments and food was great with a constant flow of arak, but everyone was shaken up by the events of the day before. I hadn’t even dared to look for Zayed after he had left the room early in the morning. I kept his promise of not following him even though I really wanted to, but how could I move when he told me he wished to marry me? I was too stunned by his confession to even breathe. I hadn’t left the bed until the maids asked to dress me for the wedding, even drawing a bath for me. When I had asked them about Zayed, they didn’t know where he was. “I heard Nasir will be sent back to a zoo,” Rahim said, standing beside me. “I will miss him.”I chuckled. “We can adopt and keep him in The Golden Palace. I am sure Zara would love that.”We both glanced at the pregnant princess talking with other ladies, Hayden keeping a c