“That threat is a few more words from becoming reality. And don’t think your royal guard can help you. I can end you all without breaking a sweat.”
“You know what?” Amjad gave him the once-over. “I believe you can, Super Soldier-man. But what next? You massacred your previous tormenters, who I assume gave you this delightful souvenir—” he flicked a hand at Rashid’s scar “—and escaped to live long and prosper. I don’t see a similar scenario here, as there’ll be no living long and prospering for you now. Not without Laylah.”
Hearing her name slipped another notch of his control. “I am at the point where I don’t care what happens next. If you don’t get out of my way, I’ll kill you for the pleasure of it.”
Amjad smirked. “Was that why Laylah canceled your wedding? She discovered your homicidal tendencies?”
Rashid didn’t even try to hide the truth. “She believes I want to marry her only to have an alliance with Zohayd. With you.”
“That’s not true. Sure, being Laylah’s husband will sweeten the deal when I take you under my wing. But that’s just collateral damage. You really love her.”
“Love? Love is a conditional emotion tainted with self-serving. I’ve been using the word, making believe it means what I feel. But I can’t describe how I feel for Laylah. There is right and wrong and honor and disgrace, until it comes to her. Then there is only her. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do, nothing I wouldn’t endure or sacrifice for her.”
Amjad held up his hands. “Hey, I’m not the one you should swing that sales pitch at. I believe you. It takes one colossal fool for love to know another. I almost alienated Maram forever, too. Good news is, those women of ours love once and all the way, no matter what. Yeah, Maram told me as much, after she nearly killed me, before taking me back. So even if you think your world is over and Laylah lost to you forever, if you grovel creatively enough, strip yourself to the bone until there’s not much left, she’ll relent, fish you out of hell and dunk you back in paradise.”
Amjad’s assurances did nothing to dispel Rashid’s despair. “Maram discovered you used her to get the Pride of Zohayd jewels back. But your goal looked noble, as the conspiracy could have resulted in war. Laylah discovered I planned our engagement to become king, which looks purely self-serving. And while you kidnapped Maram under the pretext of a sandstorm, Laylah believes I approached her under the pretext of a kidnapping attempt.”
Amjad scowled. “Okay, that’s where you not only lose all my sympathy, it’s where I might have you thrown in the dungeon. I might even let you sit on that throne just to squash you on it.”
“If you think me capable of something like that, feel free to treat me like the criminal it would make me.”
After a contemplative second, Amjad waved. “Nah. One thing I’m infallible at is reading people. Especially men. You have some terminally honorable syndrome, wouldn’t scare any woman like that, not even for a throne. So, where did she get the idea?”
“Hasn’t she already told you everything?” he gritted.
“She informed us the wedding was off, wouldn’t be persuaded to say why, adding only that she never wanted to see you again.”
This bewildered him. “She said she would stop me from becoming king. I thought she would tell you what she believes happened, ending any chance of an alliance between us. Why didn’t she carry out her threat?”
Amjad’s lips twisted. “See? A sign that she still cares.”
“I know how much she cares—cared. Her agony and disillusion now is as absolute.”
“Yeah, I know.” At his exasperated growl, Amjad tsked. “Seems I’m going to have a perpetually pissed off lion for an ally.”
“You won’t have anything if you keep condescending to me.”
“No condescension. This time. I told you, been there, done that, with Maram.” Amjad grinned. “Tell you what. I’ll work on Laylah. I’ll exasperate her until she has to talk to you again.”
The hope that Laylah might speak to him again caused Rashid’s throat to almost close. “You’d do that for me?”
“Yep. I’m magnanimous like that.”
“You get her to speak to me again, Amjad, and I’ll hand you my neck on the end of a leash.”
Amjad winked at him. “That’s how I like my allies. Done.”
Then with one more smirk, Amjad turned and walked away.
Rashid watched him leave, thoughts of tearing through the palace looking for Laylah roiling like thunderclouds through his mind.
But what would he do when he found her? She was no longer his Laylah, but the woman who’d told him no one had hurt or degraded her like he had. What could he do to atone?
Before he could make a move, Haidar and Jalal exploded through the palace doors. He watched them stride toward him, their steps and expressions laden with fury.
Haidar almost slammed into him, did punch him in the chest. “You lied to me.”
Jalal wrenched him around. “You did plan to use her to get the throne, didn’t you?”
Haidar jerked him back. “And you’re here looking like a madman, to what? Beg for Amjad to still endorse you for the throne of Azmahar? Yeah, we know he thinks you’re the number one candidate. That weasel. But he turned out to be a stupid one. You had even him fooled.”
Rashid shoved the twins away. “You two and the throne can go to hell. I’d send you all there if I had time for you. But I don’t.”
He stormed away. Haidar and Jalal caught up with him on the first floor, dragged him into an empty meeting room.
“You’re not walking away from us again,” Haidar hissed.
“We’re getting everything out in the open once and for all.” Jalal turned from closing the door. “And I mean everything.”
Images of cutting them both down where they stood, something he could do in his sleep, deluged his mind.
Suppressing the mindless aggression with the last tatters of control, he glared at them. “You’re still pretending you don’t know why I hate you? You’re still trying to slither your way out of any responsibility, you sons of a serpent?”
“Shut up, you exasperating son of a...” Haidar jerked his shoulders uneasily. “I have no idea what your mother was, but I sure as hell won’t call her names so I can insult you.”
“Calling your mother a serpent is a terrible insult—” he bit off “—to the worst human snake who ever lived. But you want my version of what happened? So you can have a complete picture? Fine.”