“Excellent!” the general replied. It took Luna a moment to understand his response. What had she asked? Oh, right! How he was doing! Goodness, she was tired. And these shoes! They really hurt!
“Good,” she smiled. “Well, I’d better–”
“I’m heading to my bed for the night, my dear. Thank you for a lovely evening.” And then, the general moved off, heading towards the guest quarters.
Luna watched him walk away. He really was a nice man, she thought.
A half hour later, Luna was ready to throw these shoes into the trash! Her feet were so sore, it was becoming difficult to walk. Stepping behind one of the tall, marble columns, she slipped her shoes off, intending to just walk around barefoot for the rest of the night. Or maybe, she’d get her assistant to go back to her room and grab her slippers! Oh, yes! That’s exactly what she’d do! Her dress was long enough to hide her feet. No one would even know that she was swearing slippers for the last half hour or so of the night. Besides, most of the guests were leaving.
She turned, then stopped, spotting the general leaning in to speak with someone she didn’t recognize. Hadn’t he just said he was off to bed? Why was he still here?
Pulling back, because she didn’t want to get into another conversation, she pressed her shoulders back against the wall, trying to stay out of sight.
“No no,” the general was saying. “You don’t need to worry about her anymore. She’s fine. Tasim has that bitch eating out of his hands! She’s completely under control. She’s a new breed. Completely predictable and won’t cause problems.”
“But what if…?” the stranger began.
“Don’t worry!” the general assured. “Everything has gone off without a hitch!”
The two of them shared a laugh and Luna heard the sound fading, as if they were moving away.
What did they mean? Who has who eating out of his hand? Tasim? Who did Tasim have eating out of his hand?
Luna’s hand fluttered to her stomach. Did the general mean that Tasim had her eating out of his hands? She thought back to that conversation earlier in the week, about how Tasim knew how to charm people.
Had Tasim…?
The rabbit. Luna thought about the story of the rabbit. At the time, she’d thought the story poignant. Tasim had charmed the rabbit, gotten the rabbit to be his friend. A lonely boy befriending a wild creature.
But what if there was a different moral to that story? He’d warned her at the beginning of this week that he’d do anything to ensure his sister’s happiness. What if he’d worked his way into her bed in order to ensure that she didn’t do anything to hurt his sister’s wedding celebration?
Was Tasim that ruthless? Had she been a sap to fall for his ruthless charm?
No! That wasn’t possible!
And yet, the words from his uncle kept echoing in her ears. Had Luna been the problem that had been taken care of? Was she predictable? Had Tasim seduced her in order to keep her under control?
That just seemed so farfetched!
Moving back into the ballroom, she forced herself to smile as she wished each guest a good night, trying to be the gracious host as the crowd slowly departed.
When there were only small clusters of people still huddled around the room, Stephanie came over and tapped Luna on her shoulder. “I can take it from here,” she said. “Why don’t you go get some sleep?”
Luna looked around, wanting to talk to Tasim.
“He left,” Stephanie whispered.
Luna turned back to look into Stephanie’s eyes. “Who left?”
“Sheik Tasim? Isn’t that who you are looking for?”
Luna’s throat tightened. “Was it that obvious?”
Stephanie smiled reassuringly. “Only to me because I’ve known you for so long.”
“When did he leave?” Luna asked, that miserable sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach intensifying. Tasim wouldn’t do that to her. She knew him! She’d shared her body with him, slept in his arms. She’d seen the way he’d looked at her, felt the tenderness in his touch!
“He left about two hours ago.”
Luna’s heart ached. “Did he leave a message for me? Say anything before he left?”
The pity in Stephanie’s eyes gave her the answer before she said it. “No. He just went to his apartment.”
Luna lifted her chin and forced herself to smile. “Well, then I guess I don’t need to stick around any longer, do I?”
Stephanie shook her head. “Not at all. I’ve got everything covered.”
Luna nodded, feeling as if her heart was shattering. “I suppose I’ll see you at breakfast. It’s scheduled for later tomorrow morning, correct?”
“Yes. You scheduled breakfast for ten o’clock tomorrow morning in anticipation of everyone being up late tonight.”
“Right,” she whispered. Trying to hide her pain, she turned and walked out of the ballroom. Immediately, her guards surrounded her as she walked slowly, shoes still in hand, towards her apartment.
When she stepped inside, she half expected Tasim to be there, maybe napping in her bed, waiting for her. She could ask him about his uncle’s comments and they would laugh about her silly notions.
But Tasim wasn’t there. Her bed looked lonely and cold. Shivering, she stepped into her dressing room and changed clothes, wondering if Tasim might show up.
“You have got to be kidding me!” Tasim growled as his aide explained about the riots back in his country.
“My apologies, Your Highness,” Paduil replied with a slight bow. “The riots have burned down several buildings and the police are overwhelmed. They are begging for assistance.”
Tasim mentally cursed the constant demands on his time. But this wasn’t just his job, it was his role. He knew what was required of him.
