To Love a Prince (Knights of Valor Book 1)(4)

Sligo had been correct on that as well. Eli was glad he’d taken his guard’s council.

Rolland inspected the slave girl, and while the adviser’s face stayed neutral, his gaze lingered over the girl. “Do you want me to take her with me?”

A rush of jealousy struck the prince, and Eli’s hand tightened over the slave’s. She inched closer to him, her soft hair teasing over his wrist.

“How would it appear to the sultan if I gave you my ‘gift’?” Eli arched a brow, and his voice was neutral even though he wanted to blacken both of Rolland’s eyes for leering at the slave.

“Good point, Your Highness, but aren’t you worried about how it’ll look to the Church if you keep her?”

“Get some rest. Tomorrow will be an even longer day than today.”

Rolland bowed and left the prince alone with his bodyguard and the slave.

Studying the girl, Sligo’s eyes narrowed. “If I wanted to kill you, I’d put an assassin in pretty clothes and have her dance like she did.”

The slave stiffened, and a shiver stole through her.

“No, you’d have poisoned the over-spiced meat.” Eli rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, enjoying the feel of her slender and delicate fingers. “I’ll be fine.”

Sligo’s eyes bore through the girl, but he nodded and closed the door behind himself.

Eli regarded the slave. Her breath was coming fast, and she’d curled her toes in the dainty slippers. There was a hint of dampness on her skirt where she’d wiped her palms.

The prince poured a glass of water and offered it to her. Her eyes widened as she glanced from the glass to him before accepting it.

“It’s hot, and I’m thirsty. Figured you’d be too.” Eli poured himself a glass. He sipped it, and satisfied that it tasted as it should, downed the glass and poured a second.

The girl sipped her water without meeting his gaze.

“You have a name.”

“Auburn,” she whispered.

“Well, Auburn, what are we going to do with you?”

Auburn sucked in a breath, drank the water, and set the glass aside.





Chapter 3





Auburn knew what she was supposed to do, but now that she faced it, her feet rooted to the ground. The coolness of the night air mixed with the heat of him and tingled over her flesh as his crisp masculine scent twined around her. His dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and the severe cut of his clothes whispered of a hard and unforgiving man.

She didn’t want to displease him, and her breath came fast as fear mingled with curiosity and a touch of anticipation.

Tangling her hands in the beaded silk of her skirt, Auburn bit her lower lip and focused. She was a pleasure slave, trained on how to give herself to the sultan and how to satisfy him. While this Tamarian was not the sultan, Prince Eli was her master now.

It was her duty to please the prince, and unlike with the sultan, a part of her wanted to please him. But Prince Eli’s strangeness made her pause. He was even more alien than the rumors whispered.

Her foreign prince wore clothes as black as night even in the desert heat, and he was taller, more muscular, and his skin paler than Auburn had expected. His eyes were the intense blue of a peacock feather, and even his scent was different. He wore none of the cloying perfumes favored by so many in the sultan’s court. Instead, he smelled crisp like an ocean breeze.

Prince Eli’s hands stayed at his sides when he spoke, and he moved with the contained energy of a predator. Powerful. In control. A man who gave orders and expected them to be obeyed.

The thought sent a shiver of desire skating down her spine where it pooled with her growing apprehension. She again questioned her decision to dance for the Tamryn delegation. Had she not been at the feast, the sultan wouldn’t have gifted her to this strange prince.

Auburn sucked in a breath and shoved the regrets aside. She couldn’t undo the choice, and even if she could, Prince Eli was her way out of Qumaref. Under Qumarefi law, the prince owned her and could take her with him when he returned home. Take her with him to Tamryn.

Tamryn. The golden city favored by the Dragon God. A land that embraced justice. A land that forbid slavery. Many dreamed of reaching the blessed city, but few ever tried. Even fewer ever succeeded.

This was her chance. Her only chance.

She had to please him if she was going to escape.

Plucking up her courage, Auburn stood closer to Eli, the heat of him soaking through her silk garments. Despite her training, her hands trembled as she bowed her head and waited for his command.

Eli frowned, but he didn’t step away from her. He was watching, waiting for her.

Auburn neither flinched nor shied away from him, but her breath came in short bursts as curiosity warred with fear. Most other girls her age had repeatedly given themselves to their master. While she’d listened to their stories and paid attention to her trainers, she had no experience of her own.

When Eli gave her no commands, she wondered if the foreign prince assumed she understood what he wanted because of her age.

Pushing aside her fear, she followed her training and brushed her hands over Eli’s chest. She undid the buttons of his tunic, the tips of her fingers teased the warm flesh beneath the fabric. She heard his breath catch, saw the pulse in his neck quicken, and felt his erection against her belly.