#featured
#1 in The Paper Plane Awards
#15 in Fantasy
#46 in Supernatural
"What do you think you're doing?"
"You seemed cold," he replied, voice sultry, alluring and tempting her far beyond what she thought she could endure. "I thought to help. That...
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Everything was perfect. There was just one problem. Zane was leaving. For how long, Raneem didn't know, but she had to let him go if she wanted the support of all Treliron behind her as well. That and to get her head back right.
How could she have demanded him to kiss her? It was downright embarrassing!
She had been mad and she didn't think straight. It killed her to see Zane flirting with Shanel. The woman was more skilled than her in dealing with men and if she ever managed to make Zane look twice at her...
Raneem shuddered. It was such a horrid thought that it sent her into a fit of worrying driving any other thought away. Zane did propose to her, but it was not official. Was it? Did that count? And even if it was, she had not formally accepted. Which meant they were not betrothed. She did not have the right to claim Zane in any way.
By the gods, she wanted to lay her claim on him, but it was not yet time. Her hold on Gwahan was not yet slid and Shanel knew their secret relationship. If she did, who else knew and was holding it as a trump card to use at an opportune time? But if it came to that, could she leave Gwahan for Zane? Could she leave him for Gwahan?
Her lips thinned in a line. No. She could not do either. She would have both or...or what? If she did not have Zane, Gwahan still needed her. If she did not have Gwahan, Zane would need her to live. Lucas did say elves could only love one in their whole lives if they allowed themselves to.
Which got her thinking. Why had he opened himself to her? No. That thought was wrong. This was Zane. He was probably being the overconfident, overbearing elf that he was and thought himself impervious to her. It put a smile on her face. She did not exactly love that part of him, but if that was what brought them together, she would bring herself to love it. To love all of him.
Unlike elves, humans were not beholden to one person, but no one had affected her as much as he did. Perhaps humans had that spark as well. If only they dug deep and did not let themselves become like elves, numbing themselves. Become like Shanel.
Bringing her back to the issue of the wanton high lady taking her Zane away from her.
Blast the woman! She knew tricks that would lure a man and there was no doubt in Raneem's mind that she had her sights on Zane. It was a declaration of war, albeit a subtle one. And she was not going to lose. But the question was, how was she going to win? The woman had the body of a whore, a face of a beauty queen and the tongue of serpent. That did not even include all the tricks she knew to bring men down to their knees.
Raneem was going up against that? It was insane. That was what it was. Pure insanity. She needed help and she needed to know better tricks than Shanel despite her years of experience.
She spun in surprise hearing a knock on the door. It was not the time to be rattled. Not now! She had to focus. Her problems with Shanel could be dealt with later. She just had to remember that she did need the woman and that she was a good person overall...if a whore. There would be time enough for her to learn about how she could win over the woman.
