Kismet's Kiss: A Fantasy Romance (Alaia Chronicles) (46 page)

Sulya looked belligerent. “We owe you life debts. Honor demands a repayment.”

“You owe nothing.” Varene shook her head, adamant. “And in any case, I cannot accept.”

“Nor can I,” said Kuramos, booming into the silence. All eyes turned to him.

“O Lord?” Sulya inquired softly.

“As much as I’ve come to love Varene, how could I allow you six to be cast out and disowned? Even if the situation were understood and accepted amongst us all, outside these walls it would not be. I will not permit you, who have graced me and the royal house with marriage and family, to suffer from others’ misunderstandings and ill will. Do you think I have so little respect for you?” He slammed his fist on the golden arm of the throne. “And you know as well as I that by law and custom, divorce would make our children illegitimate and ineligible to rule.”

As his gaze caught Sulya’s, his expression softened. “For you to even consider it is a great sacrifice. And generously done. I am…humbled.” His fingers curled tightly around the arms of his throne. “But the forfeit is too great.”

“It doesn’t need to be.” Sulya’s gaze lowered. “As you know, I…used Dabir’s library to research laws from the foundations of our realm.”

Varene’s teeth clicked shut as she recalled Sulya using that research to try to drag Kuramos into bed.

The Sixth Wife continued. “There is a law that speaks to this. Children of the Blood legally fostered by a Sha’Lai are still eligible to inherit, even if their mothers are no longer married to the sultan.”

Varene’s breath hitched in her throat. A wild hope flared through her body, but just as quickly crumpled. No! Even if that law held, she refused to be the cause of a mass divorce and the public dismissal of six royal wives. These women had shared their lives with Kuramos and given him unending loyalty, friendship and support for decades. They didn’t deserve such humiliation. No matter how strong they were, the rumors would be vicious.
Subverted and deposed by a Teg sorceress…

The sultan’s brow furrowed. “There are crucial alliances between the royal line and each of your families. Pacts of support, ties averting rebellion. These ties are the reason sultans marry. If I divorced all of you and made another the Sha’Lai, a woman who’s not even Kaddite…” He reached for Varene’s hand, green eyes filled with regret. “It would invite anarchy. Even revolt. No, this is madness.”

Rajvi rose to her feet, and the others followed. “On the contrary, O Lord, I believe it could be remarkably successful. Which is why We have a few…demands, of course.”

Kuramos leaned back and looked aslant at his Sha’Lai. “First there was a summons, now demands.” Mouth in a wry twist, he glanced down at the throne beneath him. “I
am
the one sitting here, aren’t I?”

Rajvi smiled. “With Varene’s healing of the royal family and of a number of the city’s residents—and the subsequent gabbing of cured patients within and without the palace—opinions of her have shifted. Her reputation in the city has been…quite enhanced, and she’s being praised by many with gratitude. This will not yet, of course,” she raised a palm, “reflect the mood of the entire realm…but over time I believe it
could
, with judicious planning. A mission I’d be happy to lead.” She shifted her gaze to Varene and her smile widened. “Your service does you credit, Lady Healer.”

“It’s been my pleasure, but—”

“Your pleasure
and
your public salvation.” The Sha’Lai’s eyes twinkled.

Kuramos shot a proud glance at Varene. “Hamar informed me of the shift in attitude. But that doesn’t solve—”

“Ah,” Rajvi said, bowing, “but this, O Lord, is where our demands come in. Naturally, if We give up our marriages and positions, there should be some…recompense, yes?”

He eyed her and steepled his hands. “Such as…?”

“We understand the political ramifications cause you concern. Each of Us can return to our families and assure them the alliances are still firm. To make that clear, You could make us officials of Your court—with titles and positions conveying the great esteem in which you hold Us, and establishing Our proximity to the Royal Ear. Perhaps something like—”

Zahlia crossed her arms and sent the sultan an obstinate look. “Their Highnesses, the Princess Ambassadors.”

The other wives laughed in delighted approval.

Kuramos’s lips curved up, then smoothed into neutrality. “There is still the issue of the royal children. They must remain here in the palace for safety, for tutoring. Would you live elsewhere? I cannot rip their mothers from them—”

No, we can’t do this at all.
Varene stepped toward the women, clearing her throat. “Great Sultan of Kad, Royal Wives,” she said, bowing in the Kaddite manner, “might I please speak with the sultan in private?”

Silence blanketed the air as the wives glanced at each other. Then, with the sultan’s consent, they bowed and began to back down the long room.

Crazy thoughts and emotions shrieked through Varene’s mind. She had never considered what the wives were offering—and how could she? The choices before them loomed too glittering and ominous. Far too risky for everyone. She couldn’t do this, and she’d have to make him understand it.

But as she waited for the room to empty, her gaze darted from wife to wife. Zahlia had made it clear she enjoyed the sultan’s bed…and Rajvi’s too, and several of the other wives, because to her, bedding someone was about fun. Sex, rather than love.

As for Sulya…oh, Sulya. She’d touched Kuramos’s body long after he and Varene had been falling for each other. Varene couldn’t share Kuramos’s body with Sulya or any other woman. That was why she’d been determined to go home to Teganne. Regardless of the attitude of Kaddite society, him making love with another woman would shred her heart. But asking Kuramos to toss away his wives to marry her was no option, either.

Still…might Varene be able to share him in other ways—
if
she were the only one to enjoy Kuramos’s bed and body? Couldn’t she at least consider it for them, for Kuramos? For his children? For herself?

Oddly, Findar sprang to her mind. She had waited years for him to see her as more than a friend—waited because that was safe. She’d been too scared to venture her heart again. But what had being afraid gotten her, save a cold bed and a lonely heart? And wouldn’t that be precisely what she’d get again if she returned to Teganne and her former life? She battled death for her patients—maybe Kuramos was right. Was it time for her to take a different kind of risk?

Here in this palace was a man who loved her. His world was different than hers, true. But maybe their lives didn’t have to be ripped apart because of it.

Here also were his wives, women she’d come to appreciate and admire.
What would it be like to be part of their family?
To be here to watch Burhan and Mishka and Tahir grow into adulthood…and perhaps someday, even give them half-brothers and sisters.

A long-buried wish fluttered anew in her womb.

And then the doors swung closed, leaving her alone with the Sultan of Kad. She whirled around to face the man she loved.

So much had happened since the day his guards had threatened her with their spears and dragged her before him. So much had now passed between them—growing understanding, shared peril, and most wondrous of all, love. Such a gift from Mother Fate that they each loved someone so patently wrong for them, and yet, in spite of it all, so very right.

Kuramos rose from his throne and stood tall on the dais, much the way he had when they’d first seen each other. This time, his hand wasn’t on his sword hilt. It was reaching out for her.

She stepped forward and slid her palm against his. “Are you remembering the first time we met, too?”

“Every moment of it.” His teeth gleamed and he tugged her up onto the dais. “Much has been offered to you, Varene.” He brushed his fingers through her loose hair. “Will you take it?” Hope filled his eyes.

“My love…” She bit her lip. “I cannot accept their terms.”

He turned his face aside and his arm fell away.

“But maybe,” she said, recapturing his hand, “there are better terms to be found, for all of us.”

Kuramos’s green gaze shot back to hers.

“Sultan of Kad, when I marry, I will make love with only one man, my husband. I wanted my husband to have just one wife, just me, to be with. To love and comfort, to be pleasured by and to pleasure.” She touched his cheek. “You have six wives already, and I saw no way to reconcile this. I am still prepared to leave Kad. But… Could you swear that if I wed you, you will only share your body and your bed with me, and not the other women you already call wife?”

He went still. “You would have them be wives in name only?”

“If they agreed. Some are already the mothers of your children. You’ve given them that and I cannot change it, nor would I. Tahir, Mishka, and Burhan are wonderful. They deserve to grow up here in the palace with you and their mothers. They are family.” She caressed his jaw, slid her fingers down to his muscled chest, reveling in the searing chemistry of their touch. His scent enticed her, made her wish to sink her teeth into him as they tangled, to feel his skin gliding against hers until the end of their days. “But that’s why I must ask you, and why
you must be certain:
Can you swear to be faithful only to me?”

A tremble came over her as she waited for his answer.

He lifted her hand and softly kissed her palm. “You’re the woman who holds my heart. I dream only of you in my bed, and loving you is like nothing I’ve ever felt. No one else could ever give me what you do, in bed or out of it. I would gladly swear as you ask, were I the only one affected by such an oath. But…”

He shook his head. “Though this would bring joy to the two of us, it would be a harsh fate for my other wives—to be married and thus forbidden to other men, yet to never feel a man’s touch again. Not that Zahlia,” he continued drolly, “has not proven herself capable of alleviating certain needs.”

His warm finger glided along Varene’s jawline, then trailed down to cup her nape. “Still… Divorce would allow them to remarry if they desired. Each of them wed me in good faith, expecting the benefits and joys of a marriage bed. It would be dishonorable to inflict a new restriction on their marriage contracts if it is not also their will. But perhaps, if they are free to make their own choice…”

Inhaling deeply, she nodded.

He dipped his head, and soon his lips slid over hers, caressing and heating her mouth. She leaned in, tasting him, pressing her body to his, aching for their future—and quaking inside that it might still implode.

Kuramos drew back reluctantly. “I will call them in.”

Bumblebees spun in her gut. Was it even possible that their discarded dreams could come about without being built on the sorrow of others?

When the wives returned, they arrayed themselves as before. As the sultan seated himself on the throne, the tension crackled through Varene’s bones.

“My wives,” he began, “your offer is beyond measure. As is your worth. Each of you has given so much to me—and through me, to Kad. You are my family,” he added simply. “Varene and I have discussed your generous proposal, and have one in return.”

Strain showed in the stiff lines of his knuckles, in the cords of his neck. “You would each be free to remain my esteemed wives for as long as you wish, with all your current titles and privileges and all that goes with it, with one exception: we would no longer share the marriage bed and the physical intimacies of being wed. Or, if you prefer to divorce and find a new path for yourself, you may depart with my blessing. And with a fortune to provide you anything you would desire. You’ll have independence and rank. As Princess Ambassadors to my Court,” he said with a swift grin at Zahlia. “Or, if you prefer the comforts of matrimony, I’ll be happy to negotiate a nuptial match with the worthiest in my land, under your direction and consent. For ones such as you, a man would brave the fires of Hell and the wrath of the gods.”

He stepped off the dais and walked to each of the women in turn, clasping their hands in his own. “Rajvi—my first wife and treasured friend; a ruler born, with endless wisdom in your brow. Zahlia, sleek huntress—the playful jaguar, your piercing claws wrapped in paws of the finest velvet. Nireh—loyal and true, survivor of dark tragedies through a courage forged of steel. Maitri, the protective mother bear and undoubted queen of kindness. Taleen, my quiet mourner—roots planted deep, you yield to the howling winds of fate, yet live to grow tall and strong again. And Sulya, last but never least. Hot-blooded and passionate, your fire rivals the sun.”

Sulya’s eyes squeezed shut at his words. She felt them trickle through her armor and soothe her bruised soul. Nothing had come to pass the way she’d planned, but the life-debt she owed was too enormous to pay in any other way. Her family, to whom honor was paramount, would have to concede that eventually—even her ambitious brother Firoz. Besides, she’d seen the finality in Kuramos’s eyes as he’d told her it was over, and in his chamber, after he’d spoken Varene’s name instead of hers. Honor was vital, but even more was her pride.

Her son Tahir was still beloved of his father—and
alive
to feel that love. And eligible to inherit. She’d secured that for him. She would defend him with her very life, if need be. Varene had done no less, the day before.

Seeing Kuramos gaze at the Healer, Sulya couldn’t help but envy him. Perhaps someday, she would feel that kind of joy as well, with a man who looked upon her as if the stars rose and set in her eyes. After all, she was still beautiful, still skilled in bed and out, and soon to be a woman of means, with freedom and a long life ahead.