Sin's eyes glittered in the sunlight as he angled his head down and lifted my hand to his lips. He kissed my palm ardently as he kept his stare locked with mine.
“I'm sorry,” his voice went low, rough, and sensual, “but I had to kiss you somehow. If I didn't kiss your hand, I would have ended up at your feet.”
“Well, we can't have that,” my voice had gone low to match his so I cleared my throat before continuing. “Now, General Sin, let's take a look at my castle.”
“As you wish, Dark Star.” Sin held his arm out to me, and we headed to the castle together, moving over the stone path that bisected the lush, tropical gardens and then across an arching bridge that spanned the lake.
As we neared the grand, double doors of the main entrance, a pair of liveried footmen opened the gilded, peaked doors for us and bowed as my general and I strode into my castle.
Chapter Eighteen
“You don't do anything half-ass, do you?” Sin asked as we ambled down a hallway wide enough for an army to pass through.
Polished basalt floors—a nod to my fire and my star—stretched out before us in dark glory. A sea of black spreading over the entire first floor. I knew that it reached down into the island itself; an anchoring foundation like a speared flag into soil. This castle was my flag; my claiming mark and a declaration of war.
Instead of lightening all of that darkness with a pale color, the stone walls in the entry corridor were finished with a coating of indigo enamel and covered with layers of glass. Sparkling, amethyst stars laid between the layers. It gave the walls depth and made it seem as if you could step right into them; into the galaxy.
“Why do anything at all, if you're only going to do it halfway?” I countered.
“True, very true,” Sin murmured as he glanced down a side corridor. “So, give me a tour.”
“What do you think I'm doing?”
“You're a horrible tour guide,” he huffed playfully. “Didn't you learn anything from my example? Tell me about the place, don't just walk me through it. You could start by telling me where the windows are.”
“On the upper floors. This is a stronghold, built for defense, and windows are access points. The sheer walls prevent scaling and the oval windows on the upper floors make it harder to attach climbing hooks.” I paused when we reached an intersection of corridors and glanced back over my shoulder. “We passed the guest rooms and lodgings for the castle staff already. Those were down the side corridors.”
“Usually, the staff lives in the back of the castle,” he noted with a questioning tone.
“Again, everything was chosen with thoughts of defense.”
“Anyone attacking would have to go through visitors and servants first. You're making them cannon fodder?”
“Better them than us, my dear.” I smiled wickedly. “In all likelihood, the staff wouldn't be attacked anyway and there is always the possibility of a guest betraying us. Better to keep them down here where we'll have some warning before they reach us upstairs.”
“You are diabolically brilliant.”
“Thank you. Now, that way is my throne room where I will receive guests.” I waved down the hallway to my left. “To the right, we have the ballroom and the dining hall. The kitchens are at the back of the keep, between the dining hall and throne room but can only be accessed through the dining hall. Before us is the main elevator. Several others are spaced around the castle, including one in each of the outer towers. The towers can be accessed by bridges on the fifth floor, which is also where the windows start. There are stairs in case of an emergency; they go down through the outer layers that wrap the castle.”
“Another line of defense?” He asked.
“Any projectiles will hit the extra layers first and crumble pieces of the structure that are less integral before they reach the main keep,” I said as I nodded. “But they'll have to get past my wards before that, and I doubt anyone will be able to break those.”
“You put up wards as well?”
“Of course. The ex-king is scrambling right now; trying to figure out how he and his family wound up in Saudi Arabia and how he can get them back here.”
“You sent King Hamad to Saudi Arabia?” Sin lifted his black brows at me. “I'm surprised that you didn't kill him.”
“Banished, more like.” I shrugged. “I won't kill unless I have to. I'm doing this to protect humans, not hurt them. If I can manage it peacefully, I will.”
“You won't,” Sin said grimly. “Peace only comes after war.”
“I know,” I matched his tone. “Which is why I made a fortress on an island kingdom.”
“You chose Bahrain because of its location,” he whispered.
“Honestly, Star chose it,” I admitted. “I wouldn't have come here on my own. I enjoy a warm environment, but I also like it to be more tropical. I used to live in Hawaii.”
“Really?” He grinned as his gaze traveled down my body.
“Stop imagining me in a bikini, Sin,” I said dryly.
“Sorry, but you chose me, Dark Star. You knew what you were getting.”
“I chose you because of the man I know you can be.” I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him closer. “You are more than a Lothario. I don't mind if you want to flirt with me privately but in public, you will be my general and act accordingly. Understood?”
“Got it,” he said with a serious expression. When I let him go, he added, “But no one's watching us now so...”
I laughed and shook my head as I hit the button for the elevator. “Star knew what she was doing when she suggested I ally with you. I'm a woman who enjoys cracking jokes in the middle of a
