Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 62127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62127 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
“Good morning,” Samir said.
Warrehn paused with his teacup at his mouth before giving a clipped nod.
Licking his lips, Samir walked closer and sat down to Warrehn’s right, trying to act nonchalant and not give away that his heart was pounding. He was just nervous about his mother’s plan. She must have sent him here for a reason.
A serving droid rolled to him and started serving him. Samir ate automatically, feeling ridiculously self-conscious, the silence in the room making his stomach feel funny.
He darted a look at Warrehn’s hard face. Warrehn looked up, and their eyes met.
Samir moistened his lips with his tongue again and cleared his throat a little. “So we’re leaving tomorrow morning, right?”
“Yes,” Warrehn said, watching him with an intense expression Samir couldn’t quite read.
Why are you looking at me? Stop looking at me, I can’t stand it.
Samir tried to gather his thoughts. “What do you expect from me during the publicity tour?”
Warrehn opened his mouth to answer but went still, his eyes narrowing and his shoulders tensing up. His nostrils flared and his gaze darted around the room.
Frowning, Samir looked around too, but he couldn’t see anything. “What is it?”
“There is someone in the room.”
Samir let out a laugh. “There’s no one here but us.”
Warrehn got to his feet, his brows furrowed as his sharp gaze continued to search the room.
Samir’s heart started to beat faster. Could Warrehn be correct? Was this part of his mother’s plan?
“Why do you think so?” he said.
“I can sense them,” Warrehn said shortly, his hand coming to rest on the table beside Samir.
Samir stared at those strong, tanned fingers blankly as Warrehn’s meaning finally registered. He could sense people’s presence without trying? Just how powerful was Warrehn?
“The ventilation shaft,” Warrehn said, taking a few steps to the right and looking up. “It’s ajar. Someone was there, but I can’t sense them anymore.”
Samir frowned, confused. He didn’t understand.
Tugging at his cravat absently, he got to his feet, too, and walked to stand next to Warrehn. He… He wanted to be closer to him.
Suddenly, Warrehn stiffened and turned to look at Samir. “Do you feel it, too?” he said, his voice strained. He was breathing unsteadily, his jaw tense, his pupils unnaturally dilated.
Samir swallowed, suddenly aware that his cock was hard. This… this wasn’t normal. He usually didn’t go from zero to full mast in under a second, for no reason.
Warrehn cursed elaborately, his expression darkening. “Fariz, security and a doctor to the breakfast room,” he barked out. “Tell them to wear bio-hazard gear until we know what we’re dealing with.”
“Right away, Your Majesty,” the palace AI said.
“Is this your doing?” Warrehn said, looming over Samir.
His heart beating faster, Samir wet his dry lips and shook his head, and Warrehn blue eyes followed the movement of his tongue, transfixed. Hungry.
Shit. What was going on? Samir’s body felt on fire, his skin oversensitive, his clothes too rough and too numerous. He wanted to be naked. He wanted skin against skin. He wanted this big, hard man on top of him, rutting against him, into him, taking him hard and fast and—
“Fuck,” Warrehn bit out, practically jumping away from Samir and staggering back as far from him as possible, to the other end of the room.
Security guards in bio-hazard suits entered the room. “Your Majesty?” they said.
Warrehn took a deep breath, looking pained, and ground out, “Restrain Prince Samir and don’t let us come near each other until the doctor is here. Ignore any other orders I might give you.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the guards said.
Samir took a few steps toward Warrehn, but the guards stopped him, firmly holding him in place.
Warrehn twitched toward him and turned away with a curse, propping himself against the wall, his muscles bulging as he breathed like he’d run a marathon.
Doctor Jihan entered the room. “What’s wrong, Your Majesty?”
Warrehn turned his head, his gaze not quite focused. “We’ve been drugged with something,” he said in a clipped voice. “Something invisible and scentless. It should probably be still in the air.”
The doctor frowned and pulled out a medical scanner. His frown deepened and he muttered something under his breath before saying more loudly, “Please tell me your symptoms, Your Majesty.”
Warrehn didn’t answer, his glazed eyes fixed on Samir. As if in a daze, he took a few steps in his direction, and Samir keened eagerly, panting as he struggled to free himself from the restrictive hold those men had on him. Why were they holding him? Who were these people? Why were they not letting him go? He wanted his mate.
“Restrain them both,” someone said. “Bring them to the medical wing and order a decontamination team into the room. I’ll need samples of the air. And Lady Dalatteya will need to be informed.”
And then Samir was being pulled somewhere and people were talking to him, but he didn’t care.