Book 2 of: Whispers Of Desires.
In the kingdoms of Niameda, Althea, and Ivamis, trade ships are mysteriously vanishing without a trace. When Kazi, the General of Niameda, risks her life to save the King of Althea from an assassination attempt, he of...
A knock on the door, startled Kazi as she put on her shoes. She smoothed down her clothes and walked towards the door. Uriel stood outside, her face a mixture of nervousness and urgency.
"Sir K," Uriel began, her voice barely above a whisper, "His Majesty, Prince Azrael...well, he requires your presence."
Kazi raised an eyebrow, "Requires my presence?" she repeated, her voice low and measured. Hadn't Azrael been actively avoiding her since the weird encounter in the courtyard when Ren arrived? Yet the idea of being summoned by him, let alone sharing a single carriage, sent a jolt of excitement through her. She quickly stamped it down, reminding herself of her duty and the mission at hand.
"And what exactly does His Majesty require?" Kazi asked, her voice still measured and controlled. As she spoke, she straightened her shoulders, steeling herself against whatever Azrael might have in store for her. Uriel shifted uncomfortably, her eyes darting between Kazi and the floor.
"He...he needs you to accompany him to...the royal opening of the children's orphanage," she finally blurted out, her eyes still downcast.
Kazi's surprise gave a small smile. Azrael, attending a children's orphanage? It was not exactly the picture of princely duty she had in mind. "Very well," she said, "Inform His Majesty that I will be honoured to accompany him."
Uriel curtsied and walked away leaving Kazi alone with her racing thoughts. Part of her felt a bubble of nervous excitement – the prospect of being close to Azrael again, even if under such formal circumstances, was undeniably appealing. But the other, more rational part, urged caution. This was a mission, not a romantic rendezvous.
Taking a deep breath, Kazi walked out of her chambers. She would not let her guard down, not for anything. Not even for a carriage ride with the frustratingly handsome Prince Azrael.
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Minutes later, Kazi arrived at the royal courtyard a carriage awaited them. Azrael stood beside it; his back turned as he spoke to the coachman. Kazi cleared her throat, and he turned, his expression unreadable. He gave her a small nod the bare minimum of acknowledgement before climbing into the carriage.
Kazi followed suit and entered the carriage, sitting opposite of Azrael. There was a tense silence as the carriage pulled away. Azrael leaned back against the seat, his eyes closed, seemingly asleep.
Kazi couldn't help but stare at the man sitting across from her. Even when he slept, he was undeniably attractive. She quickly averted her gaze, reminding herself that this was not the time for such thoughts. "Just duty, Kazi," she whispered to herself, reinforcing the wall she had built around her heart. "Just duty."
The journey stretched on in an awkward silence, interrupted only by the soft clatter of the carriage wheels against the cobblestones and the occasional hushed command from the coachman.
The carriage rolled to a stop, causing Azrael to wake up. He exited the carriage first and Kazi followed suit. She briefly forgot about her concerns and watched Azrael interacting with the children.
