Kismet's Kiss: A Fantasy Romance (Alaia Chronicles) by Cate Rowan Read Free Book Online Page A

she knew here; it wouldn’t do to lose him.
    At the end of the hall, he laid her sack down, still without looking back. A door swung open beneath his touch, and his back tensed as he stared into what was beyond.
    Varene followed him into a majestic bedroom, her slippers nestling into plush rugs. Satins of wine, silver, and gold draped the bed canopy while plump pillows clustered on a graceful divan. A breeze infused with juniper wafted from the mountain slopes beyond the wide window and sunlight danced across the carpets. But the sense of languor invoked by the furnishings contrasted with its inhabitants.
    A small boy, perhaps four or five, lay with closed eyes near the edge of the enormous bed, under snow-white sheets that underscored his pallor. The brunette beside him sat up, staring at Kuramos and Varene. The slit in her long, tight skirt of scarlet silk reached her thigh, displaying a shapely leg. A slim midriff of golden skin led to an impressive bosom in a scarlet brassiere, showcased by a diamond-mounted emerald nestled at the top of her décolletage. Jewels dripped from her earlobes, fingers, and painted toes. Her eyes, too, flashed like polished emerald, and exuded hauteur. As she gazed at Varene, her expression mutated into distaste. She turned to Kuramos. “Who is she ?”
    “Varene na Seryn, the Royal Healer of Teganne.” His voice deepened with an undertone Varene couldn’t identify.
    The woman’s eyes flicked back to her, dismissively. “Why did you bring her? Bairam—”
    “Is doing his best.”
    Varene was almost certain the words “for what that’s worth” were hanging in the air.
    “He was here a moment ago, but left to confer with the others,” the brunette sniffed. “So you’ve brought a woman ? A Tegannese infidel?” Her gaze raked over Varene, then turned its scorn on the sultan. “You would have her ensorcel our son?”
    “She’s here to heal Tahir.”
    “This… this heathen stranger? A Teg witch ?”
    Varene stiffened and narrowed her eyes, but Kuramos was faster.
    “Sulya!” his voice lashed out. The woman flinched, but covered it well. “She’s our guest, Sixth Wife.”
    His wife! And the sixth … Varene stared at the beauty who’d married the sultan even though five others had already done the same. A distasteful custom, the harem system. Why would any woman accept such a horrid compromise?
    Yes, Kuramos’s outer form was gorgeous and his position as sultan, all-powerful. And perhaps he exuded some sort of…mesmeric force. All considered, he might be worthy of someone’s private erotic dream. But his unfettered arrogance surely drove his women into seething rages. And for them to share a husband with five others? Faugh!
    With six acknowledged wives, just how many other women were there? What if Kuramos had dozens, even hundreds, hungering for him, each begging and scheming for his limited time, to get him into bed, to touch him, to feel his powerful hands gliding over her skin…
    Varene could almost excuse this wife’s insulting temper. Almost.
    Sulya slid off the bed, her sullen glare on Varene. “Here’s my son, Sorceress. Since you claim to be here to heal him, do so.” She moved to the wall and continued in a lower tone. “It will soon be clear you have no skill.”
    After an irritated pause, Varene looked at Kuramos. “I can’t make promises about his recovery. I can only try to determine what the illness is, and treat him and the others as best I’m able.”
    His eyes locked on hers for a moment, evaluating. After a curt nod, he turned back to the bed.
    Surprisingly, the rigid planes of his face softened as he gazed upon Tahir.
    Varene blinked and stared at the sultan’s profile a moment longer. Was it possible that this tyrant possessed an abiding love for the child?
    Feeling somehow embarrassed, she cleared her throat and turned to the boy.
    Now that Sulya no longer guarded her son like a fanged wolf, Varene stepped toward him, her full skirts