Game of Temptation (2 page)

Chapter Two

Alethi couldn't keep herself from shaking as
she watched the elf prince retreat. Carnal pleasures had touched her mind
before, but she never entertained them. Her encounter with Prince Arun had not
only made her entertain the thought, but it had gripped her and pulled her into
its iron grip. While her mind refused to give in willingly, her body ached to
be taken. Remembering it all filled her with so much embarrassment.

She had felt so heady when she woke up
noticing everything around her without even being fully awake. The roots that
held her did not exactly dig into her skin, but she could feel every ridge and
grain of it as much as she could feel every stitch of her clothing. Her eyes
were clear enough to see every minute detail of cave – from the tiniest bug
that settled on the far end of the wall to the different shades of green the
moss gave off. The cave smelled of ground and wood and moss, but they assailed
her senses so much so that she could distinctly count how many smells went into
the odor of the ground alone.

The sudden awareness of everything around
her made it difficult to focus on anything, hounding at her consciousness and
fought for her attention, leaving her confused and disoriented. She was still
far from recovering when he came and it was all she could do not to dissolve
into the mindless sensations her senses sunk her into.

Every detail on his face and his body
registered in her mind, magnifying every hair's breadth of beauty rendering it
impossible to deny the physical perfection of the elves. But what really maddened
her was his scent. It was easily comparable to a perfume sprayed directly in
her face. She couldn't identify what it was but she knew that it was his scent
and it sent her lust spiraling out of control.

Even as he left, his scent lingered and
Alethi thanked the gods that she was wearing a skirt or the wetness between her
legs might have been visible. She had wished he hadn't spoken so close. His
breath and his low husky voice completed a seduction she did not want affecting
her.

Fighting to gain control of herself was an
effort enough, but to keep herself level-headed in the negotiation was
impossible. All could think about was submitting to him and letting him do
things to her that would make her father furious. She cursed his purposeful
derailing that made her agree to his demands. It had made her unable to
negotiate effectively. Her father would have scolded her for such a botch.

Even before her other senses were aware of
Prince Arun's coming, she breathed him in, and try as she might, she could not
rein in the strangled cry that escaped her lips. Only when she was taken by the
arms as the roots released her did she notice that there were two others in the
room. They did not have the overpowering essence that the prince had and she
wondered why.

Only briefly.

The touch of his fingers on her cheek was
feather light, but it was as if her whole face felt the thrill of his touch –
down to her spine and even further below. She grit her teeth and resolved to
face him once more with a mask of resolve and strength.

"Princess," he addressed her with
a grin, "I trust you can walk? Or do you need to be held?"

His words made her realize that only the
elves beside her were holding her up. Her knees were undeniably weak, but she
would not submit to these vile creatures who were playing with her.

She steeled herself and addressed her
captors. "I can walk. Thank you," she said as icy cold as she can,
only partially succeeding. Damn the elf and his delectable perfection!

"Just tell us if you need help,
princess," the one to her right chuckled. "We know how weak humans
are against lust. Unlike you, we do need a compelling reason to fuck."

The word made the heat in her go up to her
face and her ears. How could they treat something like that so casually? It was
as if the act meant nothing to them. At the same time, she couldn't help but
imagine Prince Arun standing over her – naked. She mentally shook herself and
focused on what she had to.

"Are you going to take me to Imreal or
are you here to sully your honor and only torment me?"

The nameless elf's face darkened, but she
heard the melodious laughter of the prince. In her mind, she could see how his
face brightened, but she did not dare look at him fearing what tricks her mind
would play on her.

"You amuse me, princess. Truly,"
Arun said. "I expected as much rebellion from you. And as a reward, I have
also released your consort. We will take him with us."

Embarrassment and self-loathing replaced
everything else she felt as she followed the prince out from her hold. Both she
and Orrin had been taken and not once had she thought about him. The man had
been probably worried for her with a passion and she had not even thought of
him. She remembered how he panicked and showered her with attention with only
little scrapes she received from riding her horse too hard. He was even more
worried about her than her father who laughed and was only glad she was fine.

The thought made her angry enough that the
prince's assault on her became even more muted than when she stepped out of the
cave. She suspected the place had heightened every sense as she stepped out and
only Arun's strong scent lingered in her senses. It was not as strong, and
evidently more manageable. But it was still there.

"Alethi!" Orrin tried to rush
forward, but was held back by bounds made of roots. The elf who held him was
not huge, but he stood there, unmoved.

"I am well, Orrin." She focused on
Orrin, trying to block out any effect the prince had on her. It helped a little
to gather her wits, and for the moment, any little help is something she will
exploit with all her might. "After we obtain the essence from Imreal, go
to my father. I have…diplomatic obligations to be finished here."

Orrin's eyes narrowed. "Forgive me,
princess, I cannot leave you. Your father has carged me with your well-being.
It is my first duty."

"No, Orrin. Your first duty is to
ensure that your king lives. He will not die if you bring him the essence of
Imreal and news that I am well. If you do not do this, I will have no choice
but to charge you with treason. I will return, Orrin. Alive and well. This I
promise in the name of my father."

Orrin tensed and for a while, he said
nothing. Then he bowed, stiffly. "I will await your return."

With the steel in her, Alethi turned to the
Prince, only to have the steel shatter as if it were frozen and hammered by a
blacksmith. She could not speak as he looked at her. Something about his look
beckoned her inner desires, making her recall the intimate moments when she was
held to the wall of the cave, helpless under his manipulations. She gathered
herself and took a deep breath replacing it with thoughts of her father, her
mother and Orrin.

"Are we waiting for anything
else?" she asked as haughtily as she could.

"I was, but perhaps, I would see it
over the course of our…as you call it, diplomatic dealings." A smile
spread across his face as he led them toward Imreal.

Alethi looked everywhere but him. Behind
her, Orrin was worry personified. He walked like a man about to lose his child
to a rabid lion and there was nothing he could do about it. Watching him had
become too painful and she resolved to look at her surroundings. Anything to
distract her from his lingering scent.

The further into Rehanathi they went, the
larger the trees became until they seem to dwarf the very towers of the castle.
Every branch was a walkway a five-column army could march across. Plants she
had never seen before reflected her skin with iridescent leaves while others
moved about her as if curious about the intruder walking in their home.

As the curtain of leaves parted, Imreal
stood before her, more regal and beautiful than anything she had ever seen. The
structure was built on precious stones, light shining from within. Gold and
silver threads snaked swiftly across its surface. Flora of different colors
framed the massive structure and clear, crystalline water flowed around it from
nowhere she could see.

A dagger in front of her face cut short her
appreciation. Her eyes traced it to the arm that held it and up to Arun's face.
"Where?" was all she could say without betraying the sudden tightness
she felt in her throat.

"The golden bowl sitting on top of the
water. That's where you place a drop of elfin blood."

Alethi took the dagger without touching the
prince's skin, afraid of what the contact might do to her. It annoyed her to be
tentative and unsure around him, but she had no choice if she wanted to retain
the respect of everyone there.

"Alethi!"

Alethi turned to see Orrin with a sudden
sense of urgency. "Yes?"

"Take the vial in my boot. It has the
king's blood. You do not have to shed yours," he said.

"You brought my father's blood?"
Alethi asked curious. "Why? There is no need. My father's blood flows in
me. The Imreal will know elfin blood no matter how small the trace. It is but a
small wound."

Orrin's face suddenly etched with horror,
his skin tinged slightly green. "Are you ill, Orrin?" she asked.

"By the gods…forgive me, my
princess."

Alethi's mind spun and she felt herself stop
breathing until she remembered and forced herself to inhale. He could not mean
to say…

"Your," Orrin swallowed and looked
at her with obvious struggle, "father…he had been barren. He needed an
heir to keep the country from a power struggle. Your mother knew and…she did
what she had to."

Alethi's mouth was open, not knowing how to
feel. "Does…" she paused, unsure of her position, "the king
know?" As soon as he shook his head she could not keep the croak from her
voice as she asked, "Who?"

Orrin's bowed head was all the response she
needed and a million thoughts and none flooded her head. What happened was
honorable betrayal and she, herself was at the crossroads. The man she had
called her father was not truly her father and the man whom she had trusted
with her life had betrayed both of them. Only now didshe understand why her
mother always told her why she could trust Orrin with her life. Why Orrin would
never betray her.

"Well then I guess we best be killing
them."

The nameless elf's words woke her and she
set her mind on tackling the problem of survival. She loved Orrin and her
father both, but that is a problem best dealt with some other time. It was a
welcome problem. At least, it was a problem she could put her mind around on.

"You propose a violation of the treaty
and start a war both races have so long ago tried to avert?"

"You are not a part of the treaty,
human."

"It is not her fault! I was the one who
deceived all of you. I deserve death," Orrin said, quick to defend her.

"Silence!" Alethi's voice was not
loud but it cut the nameless elf's retort before it could come. "The
treaty has specifically stated that the Royal Line would be extended immunity.
Whether or not I am of the same blood as my father, it cannot be contested that
I am still part of the Royal Line as her daughter and the next queen of Dosalam
until he has given the word to disown me. As there is no word, elf. You will
uphold the treaty or leave the legacy as the one who has begun the bloodshed of
the races."

A single applause turned everyone to Prince
Arun who seemed to be enjoying himself. "Indeed," he said, stopping,
"It is as the princess said. She is heir to the throne and a member of the
Royal Line. Such a proposition is a dishonor to our race, Liushan."

The nameless elf, now named Liushan, had the
grace to blush and bowed with his palms to his breast. "Forgive me, your
grace. I spoke out of line."

"Accepted," Alethi acknowledged
him and marked him for a dangerous man.

"One does have to wonder where you get
your sense of calm and strength, after everything has been revealed. I know not
of any other human who would have taken it as well as you did. It is as if you,
yourself have elfin blood."

Alethi refused to think about her origins
and lifted her chin to stand as regal as she could. Her only defense was to get
out alive and to get the Imreal to her father. "We still have our accord,
Prince Arun. You let Orrin take the essence of Imreal to my stepmother and we
talk."

"Of course," Arun bowed his head
slightly, but his eyes continued to hold hers. In them were mischievous lights
that were not there before. "Would you like to see if, perhaps, your
consort is mistaken?"

Alethi's grip on the dagger loosened as she
felt the slight pain from holding it too tight. She nodded and took the vial
from Orrin's boot.

Her heart pounded as she made her way to the
golden bowl, praying to the gods that she truly was her father's daughter. That
it was all a mistake. She kept her hands in front of her to hide the fact that
she was trembling with fear, confusion and anxiety. She did not even feel the
cut as her blood dripped on the bowl. She waited. But there was nothing. The
bowl yielded nothing.

She wanted to cry – more in frustration than
anything else. As she poured her father's blood, dread washed over her. What
would happen when they meet again?