Zabina
The afternoon falls, and the sky looks like an ancient painting, stained with orange and deep purple.
Knowing that he knows my secret gives me a strange sense of calm… and at the same time, it terrifies me. Because now there are no lies between us. Only danger.
Throughout the entire walk, Abisai holds my hand. Every time someone sees us, they bow with respect. I didn't know that a future emperor could walk so openly with a simple… "concubine." The title still bothers me, burns on my tongue every time I think about it.
We don't talk. The silence between us is thick, electric. Each step makes my skin painfully aware of his: the warmth of his palm, the strength of his fingers, the way his thumb occasionally brushes the back of my hand as if already imagining other caresses.
We arrive at an inner courtyard surrounded by high black stone walls. The place is filled with white and silver flowers that give off a sweet, intoxicating aroma. We walk among them. At the end of the cobblestone path, there is a greenhouse made of glass and wrought iron.
We enter.
It's breathtaking. Another world. The smile escapes me on its own at so much beauty.
"Do you like it?" Abisai asks, watching me.
I nod, still admiring the exotic plants that glow under the golden light of the sunset.
"This was my mother's favorite place," he says softly, with a gentle smile I see for the first time.
I glance at him. He's looking at the flowers as if remembering something both beautiful and painful.
"What will it be like?" I ask at last, breaking the silence.
"What?"
"This…" I make a vague gesture with my free hand. "You won't keep me locked in your chambers all the time, will you?"
An arrogant and dangerously seductive smile curves his lips.
"So you're staying."
I look at him in disbelief.
"Will you let me leave?"
He turns toward me, still holding my hand. His thumb caresses the back of mine, sending traitorous tingles through my stomach.
"No," he replies without hesitation. "I won't let you go."
I make a face and resume walking, though he doesn't let go of my hand.
"Will I live in a harem with all your concubines?" I ask sarcastically.
Abisai lets out a deep laugh that runs down my back like a caress.
"No. For now, I want you only in my chambers," he says, taking a step closer until his chest almost brushes my back. "Where I can have you all to myself… whenever I want. Where I can undress you slowly and remind you exactly who you belong to."
I feel my cheeks warm. The possessive tone of his voice makes me clench my thighs without realizing it, and I have no words to retort.
"I didn't know that saving the future emperor's life came with such… privileges," I say, trying to sound sarcastic, but my voice comes out more trembling than I intended.
He smiles with that arrogance that fascinates and infuriates me at the same time.
"Tomorrow, a priest friend of my mother's is coming. We'll talk to him in private."
"About what?"
"About the white dragons."
My heart lurches violently.
"Don't worry," he adds quickly. "I trust him."
"But I don't," I reply immediately.
Abisai stops and makes me look at him by gently holding my chin. His thumb brushes my lower lip.
"Then trust me. And if I trust him, that should be enough."
I frown, about to protest, when a voice interrupts us from behind.
"Nephew."
That scent.
That damn scent hits me like a punch. I instinctively take a step back. Abisai tenses, but his voice comes out cold and controlled.
"Thymá."
The man approaches with a calm step. His eyes first rest on Abisai and then on me. The way he looks at me makes the gem in my chest want to shine. I suppress it with all my strength.
"I suddenly thought you'd be with your future empress," Thymá says with a fake smile. "But now I see you have… other preferences."
The voice is venomous, loaded with poorly disguised mockery.
Abisai doesn't flinch. On the contrary, he pulls me toward him in a possessive movement, wrapping an arm around my waist.
"I don't hide my preferences," he replies. "Less so now that I'll be the emperor of Anwar. By the way… where is Higmer?"
"In Padras," Thymá answers, not losing his smile.
The air between them becomes unbreathable. Neither of them looks away.
"Well," Thymá says at last. "I won't disturb your walk any longer."
He makes an exaggerated bow and leaves. Only when his steps fade away do I breathe normally again.
Abisai looks at me and notices the tension in my shoulders. His hand rises up my back in a soothing caress.
"Everything alright?" he asks.
I nod, though we both know I'm lying.
He pulls me closer to his body until my back is pressed against his chest. He lowers his head and brushes his lips against the sensitive curve of my neck, sending a warm shiver through my entire body.
"No one will touch you," he murmurs against my skin. "Not Thymá, not the future empress, not anyone in this kingdom. You're mine, Zabina. And I protect what's mine."
I close my eyes and allow myself, just for a second, to lean against him. Because even though everything inside me screams to run, my body and heart seem to have decided to stay exactly where they are.
I turn to him and kiss him.
I'm lost. This desire that Abisai awakens in me is raw and new, and I don't know how to suppress it — and the worst part is, I don't want to.
When we separate, his forehead falls onto mine.
"Tonight," he murmurs, "I'm going to make you mine. I'm going to kiss you until you forget your own name. I'm going to touch you until you tremble and beg me not to stop. And when you're ready… I'm going to sink into you so slowly that you'll feel every inch of what belongs to me."
I visibly tremble. He feels it, and his smile becomes wide and satisfied.
"Don't be afraid," he whispers, brushing my mouth with his again. "I'm going to take care of you. I'm going to make you feel so good that tomorrow you won't want to leave my bed."
"A black dragon and a white one?" I whisper, trying to resist even though my body already wants night to come. "It's impossible."
"A man and a woman," his eyes hold mine intensely. "That is possible. And tonight you're going to find that out."
"We barely know each other… if they find out that your concubine has a gem in her chest."
"No one has to know. And if they find out you're a white dragon, let them. Anwar can be your home."
"Do you want me to stay that much?"
"I think I've been pretty obvious. You're staying with me."
"Prince."
We separate abruptly.
Levin is at the entrance of the greenhouse with a bow and an expression that doesn't bode well.
"They've tried to assassinate the future empress."
Abisai tenses beside me.
"How?"
"Your father sends for you. It's urgent."
Abisai turns to me. On his face is a decision he's already made before I can say anything.
"Come, I'll take you to my chambers."
"I want to stay a little longer," I ask.
"No. I don't want to leave you alone."
"Please," I insist.
He studies me for a moment.
"Stay here," he says at last. "I'll send Stema for you. Don't move from this place."
I nod.
I watch him leave with Levin, and the greenhouse falls silent. I walk among the plants, brushing the white flowers with my fingertips, letting the sweet aroma calm my nerves. For a moment, I almost forget where I am.
Then that scent hits me.
Dense, dark, familiar in a way that twists my insides.
I turn around.
Thymá is on the cobblestone path, with his hands behind his back.
"My nephew left you alone," he says. His eyes slowly rise to the tiara on my head.
I take a step back. I don't want to seem weak. He has no way of knowing what I am. He can't know.
"I'm waiting for Lady Stema," I reply, keeping my voice firm.
He takes a step toward me.
He sniffs the air.
"Now I understand why my nephew prefers you," his voice lowers a tone. "What a… particular scent."
My stomach twists.
"Do I seem familiar to you?" He takes another step. His eyes scan me with a calm that's worse than any direct threat. "I wonder if Abisai isn't hiding something."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
All my instincts scream at me to run. The gem in my chest pulses strongly, and I suppress it with everything I have.
"Miss Zabina."
Stema appears at the entrance just in time with her usual smile. She bows toward Thymá.
"Sir."
Thymá doesn't flinch. He barely smiles and takes a step back.
"We'll see each other later," he says.
He leaves without hurrying, like someone who knows that time is on his side.
I wait until his steps disappear. Then I let out the breath I'd been holding without realizing it.
Stema approaches and touches my arm gently.
"Are you alright, miss?"
I don't answer immediately.
That scent. That way of sniffing the air. The way he looked at me as if he were calculating something he already knows but doesn't want to reveal yet.
I'm sure.
Thymá already knows what I am.
That dragon is the same one from that night.