She was cold. She felt numb. Jumbled words mixed with residual notes of music pulsated in her ears. She recognized the voice. It belonged to her husband. As the word 'husband' registered in her mind, an image of a man gurgling blood flashed before her eyes, and her mind stilled. She didn't feel pain. Her heart didn't ache or twist in guilt and grief. On the contrary, it was as still as a body of water. He gave his life to protect her, but she felt nothing upon his demise. She couldn't understand why. Why did he do it? When he sold her without blinking an eye, why did he throw his life for hers? Had she been mistaken about him, labeling him the lowest of the low, when in truth, he was only a victim of circumstances? But even then, he had no right to sell her. No right to treat her like a property. Besides, they were already divorced, and she was the wife of another man. Even if he deserved another chance, he was too late. Both her heart and her loyalty now belonged to another man.
This confusion continued for about two more days, before Shamsiya overheard a conversation between two palace servants. "Sigh. It's strange to work in Jabril Palace now. With all the mistresses married off, I feel like I'm in an entirely different place." "Right? I don't even recognize Our Lord anymore. I mean, his one goal has been to get an heir. Then out of the blue, he chased away all the females that could grant his wish, including the pregnant mistress." "I think his new wife, the Second Queen, has a hand in his change of heart." "Oh? Why do you think that?" Shamsiya stood stunned in place. When did the demon marry off his mistresses? She hadn't heard anything about it. Rising out of her seat, she moved to the window and glanced at the distant South Palace. It all made sense now. Why it had been so quiet. Why she hadn't seen any female in flamboyant clothing strolling around. Iblis Jabril married off his mistresses. Like the servants said, was it because of her? Her heart
All her life, she'd only received curses and condemnation from those around her. No one treated her like a living being, disregarding her feelings and constantly name-calling her as if she was some sort of a plague. This was the first time in the twenty years of her life that someone actually told her she was special to them. Afraid she didn't clearly get his message, Iblis looked into her dazed eyes and sternly commanded. "Siya, stop thinking about that maggot. If he truly cared about you, he wouldn't have taken the initiative to sell you. It wasn't love that drove him to take that step. It was his guilty conscience and the realization of what he lost." She didn't respond to his words. This infuriated him. "Damn it, woman! He's gone! Erase him from your thoughts and clear him from your mind. Please Siya, don't bring him between us again. You're mine, and you can't think of any other man. I don't like it..." He ended in a pleading tone. If anyone told Iblis a month ago he would be
Shamsiya felt like a boat stranded in a storm. The moist tongue clamped around her mound scorched her skin, forcing erotic moans to escape her lips. She was lost and confused in the rush of sensations, unable to understand what was happening to her. How could such sounds come from her own mouth? She didn't have the chance to figure this out. The man shifted, his mouth moving onto her other mound as his hand replaced his mouth on the first. "I...Iblis..." She half-groaned, half-pleaded, wanting to stop him, but lacking the firmness to push him away. Her lower belly blossomed in throbbing heat, and bursts of tingling pleasure assailed her senses. Just as his hand moved down her body and paused over her private area, her stomach rumbled, shattering the spell they were in. The demon froze, then erupted into laughter. He slumped on top of her, kissing her tenderly as he pulled her up with him. "Oh, Siya, how could you ruin show a perfect moment?" He complained sulkily. But his eyes were
Rattled by the thought, Iblis unconsciously stepped back. He stared at the back of the woman's head with a gaze sharp enough to cleave a person in half. Suspicion brewed in his heart, and he wondered...if he was under some sort of enchantment. "Then...I'll serve." Immersed in her own thoughts, Shamsiya failed to notice her husband's strangeness. She withdrew some plates from the cabinets and served the dishes, then set them on the table and looked over her shoulder. "Wash your hands quickly. We should eat before the food gets cold." The demon remained still for a moment, a strange gleam flickering in his eyes as he mutely stared at her, before finally nodding his head and going to the sink. Seated facing each other, they ate in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. After finishing their meal, they returned to the bedroom and settled on the bed. However, the earlier lust and desire waned under the confusion of their feelings. Shamsiya scooted into her husband's arms, her head
"What does it mean when a woman says she wants to own you?" Seated in his study, Iblis stuffed a bite size cake in his mouth as he glanced at his friend. Choking on his tea, Jonis set down his cup and gawked. "Own you? There is actually a woman who wants to own you?" "Why? Is there a problem?" Iblis questioned with a frown. "No, no, it's just..." "Just what?" "I never expected there would be a woman brave enough to love you." Jonis sighed and shook his head. He admired the woman who had the courage to love this man. "Love? Are you saying...she loves me?" Iblis sat up, flabbergasted. Siya and love, that too, him? How could that bold, fearless, and reckless woman...actually love him? He found this harder to accept than the thought of her being his loved one. "Well, when a woman says she wants to own you, it usually means she's possessive of you. That's an emotion only those who feel something for you would express." Iblis rose out of his seat and paced the study. Siya loved him.
She couldn't accept it. The thought of being nothing more than a plaything to the man she loved devastated her more than Queen Nymrit's words. As she wept, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Something within her churned at the sight of her clothes and made-up face. Just as the Demon Queen said, she looked like a whore. Revulsion boiled in her veins. Shamsiya ran into the bathroom and turned on the tap. She stood under the shower without waiting for the temperature to adjust. Furiously scrubbing herself in self-loath, she endured the cold rivulets of water as violent tremors rocked through her body. "Husband...how could I consider him my husband? I'm his second wife...nothing more than a mistress..." A plaything to pass time and amuse oneself. As a self-proclaimed, self-respecting woman, how could she be so shameless as to become someone's whore? As a woman, how could she lust after another woman's husband? Death before dishonor? Heh! Once, she had proudly faced deat
Iblis contemplated his friend's words. Between his wife Siya, and the bitch in the West Palace, he would, of course, choose his Siya. But if he did that...he would have to return the Hundred Pearls of Light. Those pearls were the only clue he had to his identity and his roots. If he gave them up, he would probably never find out where he came from, or in this case, how he came about. His very existence would remain shrouded in mystery, and as a being that lived for thousands of years, he didn't even know where to begin to trace his ancestry. So the pearls that showed him glimpses of himself with a blurred female were the only link to his missing past. But when he thought of his Siya, his past no longer felt important. He wanted to live in the present and build a future with her. However, without knowing his origins, could he build a future? A groan slipped his lips, as he closed his eyes in frustration. The silence in the region engulfed his senses as images flashed through his mi