I struggled between being offended and pleased to get what I wanted. I scowled at her. “You said you missed me terribly. If that was true, you would be kinder.”
She snickered, unrepentant, and I couldn’t help but grin. She was where I learned all my charm. I couldn’t ask for a better model.
UTTIN
It took six weeks before we finally reached Al Nuzem. Between packing up the clans and stopping along the way to explain to allies where we were going and why, it took time. Zakai was practically vibrating from atop his stallion, his eagerness was so great. Having never traveled so far south before, I looked forward to it as well. And when we crested a sand dune and the capital city came into view, I nearly choked.
“It’s so large!”
“That’s what he said,” Zakai responded with a snicker. “It is much larger than the towns you’re used to visiting. And it’s on the ocean too, a major trade hub for our country. Have you ever sailed on a ship before?”
I shook my head, gaping at the vast blue ocean beyond the city. I had been so awestruck by the capital, I had missed the ocean at first. Simon’s town was the closest to the ocean the clans got, but I had never traveled so far. Nearer clans picked up the tributes from his town before meeting up with us.
A wave of gasps and exclamations filled the air as the clan behind me took in the view. I looked over my shoulder, staring in awe at the sea of clan brothers and their families behind me. All but two clans chose to participate in this alliance. A gathering of this size had never occurred before. It was astonishing to see just how many of us there truly were.
Given the size of the clans that joined us, not everyone entered the capital proper. Instead, they set up their tents just outside the walls where necessities and attendants were waiting to assist, as well as a guard to protect the clans while they got settled. There were creatures we were unfamiliar with in Al Nuzem that Zakai said we would need to learn to avoid, so the guard was less about protecting the capital from us than it was protecting us from the unknown. We left our stallions in Godr’s care and chose to walk through the city.
Clan leaders from each clan, as well as a few extras like Simon who would act as translator, much to his dismay, followed the king’s battalion into the capital and toward the palace. The city was like something from a fairytale, with so many bright colors on the buildings and clothing. I’d never seen such a wide variety of colors before. And people greeted us without disdain or trepidation. Shop owners called out to come look at their wares, restaurant owners held plates filled withsamples to offer us, and dirty but smiling-faced children raced through our legs, speaking in a rapid chatter too fast for me to comprehend.
Zakai held out his hand to me, his smile indulgent as he explained, “They’re not urchins. There are places where poor children can go to get fed and taken care of. They are just excited. A few are trying to convince you to visit their parents’ shops.”
It made me feel a little better, since the last batch of dirty children that came to us were tossed out by their town for being unwanted. I was glad such things didn’t occur in Al Nuzem.
Zakai laced his fingers in mine, seeming to beam with pride as he pulled me toward his home. He’d admitted to me that he had been scared of what his parents would say to his preferences, much like the other tributes had been afraid of their own families finding out. Zakai was lucky that his family not only accepted him but approved of our relationship so much that they used it as a catalyst for an alliance that would benefit all of my clan brothers. There were many intriguing men and women in the streets of Al Nuzem. Hopefully some would be interested in meeting a clan brother or two.
At one point as we were walking, I noticed some strays animals being fed by shop owners. I pointed at one, nudging Zakai gently. “Look. Tavi.”
He looked confused, twisting to see what I was pointing at. He didn’t seem to understand at first, and when he shot me a questioning look, I tugged him closer, picking up one of the little fluffy kittens that yowled in indignation and squirmed in my hold. So much like the man beside me.
“What– You–” he spluttered. He seemed to be torn between outrage and disbelief, but when I handed the hitten to him and it gave him a petulant look, his shoulders slumped and he scowledat me. “Yes, well, at least the name is cute. Yours is much more unflattering.”
I’d assumed as much and after he put the kitten down, I pinched his behind in retribution, chuckling to myself when he yelped and darted away to rejoin the group traveling to the palace.
Since the streets were crowded, it took a while to arrive at the palace proper. Waiting out front were a line of staff in the dark blue and gold of the king’s crest. They all bowed when the king and queen stepped out of the carriage that had been waiting for them at the city gate.
The king turned to us, gesturing to the massive double door. “Please, my friends. Enter. Rooms have been set for you to rest after your long journey. And a meal will be served in a few hours’ time. For now, rest and be at ease in my home.”
The clan leaders all gave respectful bows of their heads, and the staff split up to guide each clan leader to their room. A few had brought their bondmates with them, while the single clan leaders went alone. Zakai didn’t wait around for a member of staff to greet him. He used his hold on my hand to tug me toward the doors, leading me through the palace at a quick pace. He was in such a rush, I couldn’t take a good look around. All I truly noticed were the rainbow-colored glass windows and the flowers letting off a nice fragrance all throughout the halls.
Another double door, this one gold and teal, was where Zakai was headed. He burst through it, yanking me inside, then slammed the doors behind him, leaning against them with a long sigh of relief.
Chuckling, I raised an eyebrow at him. “Were you so impatient that you could not show me around?”
He waved that away, pushing off the door with a determined expression. “Later. The only thing I want to show you right now is the tub.”
I frowned, not recognizing the word, but he gave me no time to ask, pulling me again to where a steaming pool of water was already waiting for us, sunk into the floor, with flower petals scattered over the surface of the water. It stunned me—I’d never seen water inside such as this—but Zakai looked ecstatic. He stripped without a hint of shyness, then, when I didn’t move fast enough, he did the same to me, tugging at my clothes until I got the hint and pulled them off. Because of the heat of this country, I hadn’t bothered with a tunic, which sped up the process considerably, but his impatience made me laugh.
“I’m curious what has you so wild, my tavi. Does water really thrill you this much?”
“You’ll understand once you get in. Now come on!”
With the steam coming off of it, I wasn’t sure I would. I preferred the river baths that cooled my skin after a long day of riding. But I went along for Zakai’s benefit, letting him draw me into the water and onto a bench sunken beneath the surface.
Soreness in my muscles after such a long ride slowly eased, and a groan escaped me as I relaxed in the heated water.
“See?” Zakai murmured smugly, climbing into my lap. “I knew you’d enjoy it.”
“I’m enjoying it more now that you’re here with me,” I replied, squeezing the rounded cheeks of his behind. He was no longer shy about my touch, arching into me with a purr. We shared kisses as we soaked in the tub, neither of us in a hurry. My need was growing when he finally pulled away, his smile truly content for the first time in weeks.
