The Sultan's Daughter (Princesses Uncovered #5)

Chapter 30: Developments

Fath woke up in the morning to find Akila still asleep, her head resting beside his.

He started, suddenly aware of how inappropriate it was for the two of them to occupy the same bed. What would happen if his mother walked in?

He tried to slide out of the bed without waking Akila, who was tired and needed her sleep, but she rolled over to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck while remaining fast asleep.

He wanted to bang his head against the wall and groan. Why did this have to happen to him, of all people?

Not only that, Cemal and Yaz were supposed to visit today, and he needed to get up and going.

She sighed in her sleep, pressing her face against his collarbone, still not waking.

He couldn’t ease out of the bed now, so he sighed, realizing he’d have to wake Akila in order to get up. “Akila?” He whispered in her ear, brushing the loose strand of hair in her face back behind her ear.

She gave no hint of hearing him apart from a slight frown, and he moaned, knowing this was going to be a lot more difficult than he’d assumed. “Akila…” He hissed.

She started awake, eyes flying open, confused and green. She stiffened against him, heart racing as she pressed closer to him. There was fear in every inch of her posture and expression.

Fath swallowed hard, hating that he was the reason she’d woken in fear. He rubbed soothing circles in her back until she calmed down, relaxing her tense posture. She curled up, putting a tiny space between them, her knees pressing against his belly.

He waited for her to realize what the implications were if they got caught like they were.

He hadn’t thought of that when he crawled in next to her the night before. His mind had been too sleep fogged to register the consequences.

It dawned on her seconds later. She rolled over to meet his gaze, eyes wide. “Fath… We can’t be… I…” She stared at her wrinkled shirt and skirt – she’d slept in them all night – and then at his similarly wrinkled outfit. “If your mother walks in…” She hissed, climbing out of the bed in such haste that she tripped over the sheet and would’ve planted her face in the carpet beside the bed if Fath hadn’t reached out and caught her in his arms.

“Steady, there, Akila…” He whispered. “I’m sorry… I should’ve put you in the guest room. But… I was tired, and I wasn’t really thinking, and…”

She straightened, pulling him into a standing position. Putting a finger to his lips, she shook her head. “It’s alright. I think I slept better last night than I have in decades.” She stretched, yawning. “Thank you… But let’s not do that again. If we were to be caught… The penalties would be unpleasant…” She murmured.

He nodded. “I know… From now on, Akila, you can sleep in the room beside mine instead of in your bottle if you like… I’m sure it’s both more accommodating and more comfortable.”

She smiled, another yawn taking over. “Yes… It is…”

He smiled back. “It’s settled then.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head down to kiss him. He pressed closer to her, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her into him so that he could deepen the kiss. He smiled when she sighed.

Drawing back, he caressed her cheek with his fingers. “I don’t think I’ll ever get over how amazing it is that you love someone like me, Akila.” He whispered.

She looked up at him through her thick lashes. “No, Fath… It amazes me that you could love someone like me… No one else I have loved has ever returned that love… You have in only a matter of weeks…” She murmured. “And I will be eternally grateful for it…”

He pressed his forehead against hers, something occurring to him then. “Are you… Are you immortal, Akila?”

She shook her head. “I am not immortal. While in bondage to the lamp, time stops for me. I will not, do not, age. When – if – I am set free, I will begin to age normally…”

“How old are you?” Fath blushed, realizing the question was rude.

“I was twenty when I was trapped in the lamp… So when I am released, I will age normally from there.” She stroked his face, smiling at him. “How old are you? You never told me.”

He smiled. “Nineteen.”

She laughed. “I thought perhaps, but I wanted to be certain.” She pulled him into another kiss, relishing the softness of his lips, which were slightly chapped, and the gentleness with which he kissed her – almost as though he was afraid she would break if he was too passionate or forceful.

And in truth, she might. After so many years of being mistreated and abused by past masters, her emotions were delicate and at the edge of a knife. If he pressed too hard, she might snap.

But he wasn’t. He was considerate and gentle as he kissed her, making certain he didn’t take more than she wanted to give.

She pulled away.

The sun from the windows behind Fath struck her eyes, lighting them in emerald flames. Fath ran his fingers down her face, admiring the beauty of her eyes.

“I never did ask you, Akila… But why are emeralds your favorite gemstone?” He pressed his forehead against hers again, stroking her hair with deft fingers, enjoying the silky softness of it as he played with it.

“Because… It matches my eyes.” She murmured, staring down at the wood paneled floor in sudden, bashful silence.

He smiled, lifting her chin so that he could kiss her lips again. “They suit you…” He murmured, fingering the emerald necklace that blazed in the sunlight at her throat. “Is that why you wear this?”

She shook her head. “It is part of a promise... The night that the fortune hunters came and took me from my parents to trap me within my oil pot, my mother gave this to me for my twentieth birthday. She told me to keep it close no matter what…” She bit her lip, uncertain if she could – or should – continue. Taking a deep breath, she decided to go on. “My family was enslaved to the man who sent the hunters. I was to be trapped in the pot for my powers and given as a gift to the man’s son. It was the only way to ensure my cooperation.

“The gem in the necklace was once a clear diamond chip – a rarity in our lands – but once I was captivated, it turned green to show my bondage. When I am freed once more, it will return to the clear color it once was, showing my freedom.” She finished.

Fath smiled at her. “I will free you, Akila. I promise.” He whispered.

She smiled, taking his face in her hands. “Thank you, Fath…” She pressed her lips to his again, wanting to show her thankfulness with more than just her words.

He welcomed her kiss, deepening it and wrapping his arms about her waist to draw her close.

A few moments later, he pulled away as the loud pounding of the front knocker resounded through the house.

Akila looked up at him, biting her lip again. “Your guests have arrived. Do you wish me to return to the bottle to be safe?”

He nodded. “I’ll put it in my pouch just to be sure…” He smiled. “I don’t want it lying out when Yaz’s cousin, Cemal, gets here.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know what to think of him, that’s all… I feel likes he’s…” He paused, thinking. “I feel like he’s looking for something or digging for information, and I don’t like it.”

Akila nodded. “I understand.” She smiled up at him. “I’ll go back to the bottle now, then…”

He brushed his lips against hers for a moment then pulled away. “I have to greet my guests. If you don’t mind?” He waved to the bottle.

She vanished in a poof of red and grey smoke, which funneled into the open top of the pot. As soon as there was no more smoke, Fath capped the bottle and slid the miniature pot into his pouch at his waste.

Then he went down to greet Yaz and Cemal.