25ZaraHayden bought me the prawns. We dried off with towels and I wore my dress back while Hayden kept his shirt unbuttoned. It was hard to see so many men and women check him out, with his damp wavy hair, sunglasses and low slung shorts that showed off the vee of his hips. But I maintained myself, controlling the carnal urge to tug at the collar of his shirt and kiss him, feel his calloused hands on my body. I was the one who had said I wanted to take things slow. I could keep my hands to myself for a little while. “Can’t you please hurry?” I ignored his voice and glanced at the various toys for children in bright colors. I picked up a remote-controlled toy car and wondered if Aya, Zain’s daughter and my niece, would play with it. She was at that age where she loved anything that was bright, colourful, and could hold her attention for a few minutes. “Zara, don’t tell me you want to buy this.”“Why? What’s wrong with it?” I asked, paying for the car and held the box in my hand. I
26Zara“What are you doing with that gun?” My voice was sharp because I was scared. Not sure of the gun or the person holding the gun. I eyed the weapon like it was a living, breathing fire dragon. Hayden looked up from the thing in his hand. No, you perverts—I meant the gun. His fingers still tinkered with it while his eyes were on me, and that made me really uncomfortable. What if it was loaded, and he accidentally shoots at me and I accidentally die and then he accidentally gets executed for accidentally killing the Princess of Azmia which he accidentally didn’t know I was?Yes, I was terrified and nervous… and strangely liking the way his hand held the… gun—gah, body, not now!“I am cleaning it,” he nodded at the bed. “Come, sit here. I will show you how to clean it.”“No, thanks!” I squeaked. “Zara.” There it was again. His voice. Deep and rough and so husky that it made my bone tremble. Either with arousal or with fear, I was not sure, and I was too darn of a coward to find o
27ZaraIt was the way he said it. Every time. Hayden called me and owned every part of me when he called me his own Princess slut. The way he played with my degradation and praise kink, touching me like I was his. “Good girl.” I visibly shivered, almost panting for him to touch me when he made sure my legs stayed spread. “Play with yourself for me, Princess.”I nodded, licking my lips when he pulled away. Sliding my hand between my legs, I watched him and slowly rubbed my clit, the stud piercing on it. It hurt a little, the type of pain that brought pleasure. “Look at me, Princess,” Hayden whispered, closer to me than before. I was delighted to see him shirtless. His tattoo, his perfect tan, and his muscles were a feast for my eyes. The way his bulge formed a tent in his sweatpants made me rub faster, saying his name and shivering when my legs closed. I cried out when his palm landed on my inner thigh. “Keep your legs spread, Princess.”Biting my lip, I looked up at him, and my lip
28Hayden“I want you or… nothing.”What the fuck did I just say? Was that the right time to disappear under the blanket and ignore Zara? Maybe lock myself in the bathroom and take a cold shower with clothes on. I felt embarrassed and so fucking naked, even with boxers and stripped pyjamas.“Hayden…”This was it. Zara would say, You are a possessive jerk, leave me alone. I wouldn’t have kissed you if you were going to be so emotional about it. And then she would put on her clothes and walk out of the room, leaving me confused and sad and hurt on the bed while I wondered if it was because I didn’t have sex with or if my tongue game wasn’t that strong. But I had made her orgasm twice, hadn’t I? Oh fuck. Was she faking it?“I would… um, like that.” Her cheeks flushed as she looked at her lap. My eyes travelled down the curve of her spine. “I haven’t done this before. You know… belonging to each other. All or nothing, although I felt the same way, but if I haven’t experienced it before so
29Hayden“Why are you making that face?” I asked, swallowing the taco we had received from the old couple who ran a small restaurant. It looked ancient, and we were the only customers here. It was our own fault. I wanted to buy the most expensive dish for her but it was made from eggplant and she hated eggplants, so we walked somewhere else until our stomachs kept growling. We found the small restaurant on the corner of the road and walked in without thinking, greeted by the old couple who ‘ooh’ed and ‘ahh’ed when we mentioned we were there for our honeymoon. They bought our lie despite our empty ring fingers and even gave us free beer while serving us our orders. Zara ate the food, forcing herself to swallow it as she thumped her chest, coughing a little and taking a big gulp of beer. “Was it that bad?” I asked, patting her hand sympathetically. “It tastes like tears of old people,” she grumbled, pursing her lips at the half-eaten taco. Holding back my smile, I exchanged my dis
30ZaraI bit my lip, my stomach nervously clenching. Hayden did not have sex for two years and I was scared that I might not… I shook my head. It was all nerves. It would be good. More than that, because it was him. He was still holding my hand, his thumb rubbed on my knuckles as we walked on the familiar path towards our cabin. The night air was fresh, smell of ocean wafting in our direction as we crunched through. “Are you sure, Zara?” He asked, glancing at me. His lashes made shadows on his cheekbones under the moonlight. Leaves rustled with cool wind. I pressed closer to him, have his warmth around me, making me feel safe. “I am sure, Hayden.” I squeezed his hand, admiring how our hands fit perfectly. “Are you?”“To be honest…” he trailed on when we entered the cabin, closing ourselves from the outside world. Alone in a cozy cabin by the shore. “I am scared of coming too quickly.”His cheeks were slashed with color, watching me with his deep blue eyes. “It’s okay,” I whispered,
PART FOUR“Yes, you silly brat, I fucking love you.” 31ZaraIt was our second last day at the Almas Peninsula. I hated the way my stomach was feeling. So I had dragged Hayden into the club. I giggled loudly at something the tan guy whispered in my ear. My eyes blurry with the flashing neon lights. “I leave you for one second and you are already flirting with someone else.” I didn’t need to turn around to see who it was. I knew it was Hayden just by his warmth presence behind me and the deep, husky voice rumbling through my ears despite the loud pop music running in the background. Just his presence made a warm feeling in my stomach, expanding in to my chest and making my heart rate increase. I must be sick. I needed to see a doctor, a cardiologist, and ask them why I was feeling the way I was. The man across me stiffened, looking over my shoulder and the arm around my waist. I snuggled back into his strong embrace, smiling prettily at the stranger as I leaned my head on Hayden’s s
32ZaraMy lips parted. His words rang in my ears, creating a sudden feeling of cold that spread over my chest, making my knees buckle as I slowly blinked at him. “You are a Princess.” Hayden repeated it as if it was a disgusting remark, his eyes cold and full of shock and anger. “You are Zara Al Latif, aren’t you?”I didn’t reply, dropping my hands by my sides. It was the worst time to talk to him about it when I was planning to make him some meal and then spill my secret. But I didn’t know someone was actively trying to kill me by dropping a box of bomb by the cabin. He knows. He knows I am a Princess. I squeezed my hand into a fist to stop them from shaking and took a shuddering breath. As much as I want to explain everything to him, I can’t do it now. We were in danger. “Hayden, we don’t have time to talk about this right now—”“You are right, we don’t. You lied to me and God—fuck.” He shook his head and started walking. In the direction of the burning cabin. “We can’t go the
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