The Sultan's Daughter (Princesses Uncovered #5)

Chapter 34: I Promise

Yaz burst into the room, tears streaking her face. “Cemal!” She yelped, eyes falling onto the bed and his battered form.

He was sitting up, eyes closed as he struggled to remain conscious.

He opened his eyes when she spoke.

“I…I…I’m sorry I didn’t get there soon enough to stop more of it… I’m so sorry.” She stammered, collapsing onto the floor beside the bed.

He ran a weak, bandaged hand through her silky hair, smiling at her.

She knew it pained him though because he winced moments after.

Resting her head against the side of the bed, she longed to curl up beside him and have his strong arms go around her instead of sitting here beside the bed, wishing that he wasn’t so sick.

“Hey… Yaz… It’s not your fault.” He grimaced. “Guess it was stupid to go after Hashim by myself without another magician?”

Yaz nodded, laughing softly at his teasing tone. “Ye…yes… It was stupid.” She whispered, a stammer still there.

She turned to face him, taking his hand in hers with gentle care to avoid hurting him. “Cemal, listen… I’m sorry I didn’t let go of Gafar sooner… I really am. As soon as you’re well enough, I’m announcing my official engagement to you with Father’s permission.”

At that moment, Imaran walked into the darkened room. “My permission for what?” He gave Yaz a broad smile and gave Cemal a worried look. “Son, you look terrible.”

“You don’t say…” Cemal drawled – or attempted to drawl, anyway.

Imaran and Yaz laughed.

“I was just telling Cemal yes to our engagement… If you give your blessing that is.” Yaz murmured, heart aching to see Cemal’s condition.

“Of course you have my blessing, daughter.” He winked. “Cemal will do fine taming you down, I think…”

She huffed. “You’ve spent years trying to tame my wild ways. You haven’t succeeded. Why should he?”

“Because, love, we both know you can’t resist me when I beg.” Cemal whispered, tugging a strand of her hair playfully with his uninjured hand.

She gave him a mock glare. “You’re too sick to argue with me right now. Stay out of it, Cemal.” She chided.

Imaran laughed. “You two are something… I’ll say that for you both…”

“That’s what’ll have to go on our tombstones when we pass on, then… Here lay the Princess Yaz and her husband, Cemal… The best we can say for them is that they were something else.” Cemal mumbled, sarcasm tingeing his tone.

Yaz laughed. “Cemal… Even in your pain-wracked state, you still insist on being flippant or sarcastic, don’t you?”

“What do you think, love?” He teased.

She rolled her eyes at him, but smiled.

“Can we please move him onto the palanquin now?” Imaran asked, smiling at the happy pair.

Yaz nodded, and Fath walked in, lingering just inside the door beside Akila.

“We’ll help if you like.”

Imaran waved them in, and Akila rested her hand on Cemal’s.

They disappeared seconds later.

***

Yaz sat in the palanquin with Cemal, his head resting in her lap, his dark curls nearly black in contrast to the sky blue, silk underskirt she wore. He looked up at her, his pain abating slightly as he relaxed in the palanquin.

Whatever salve Akila had used on his wounds had a numbing agent, which was working its way deep into the cuts.

“How do you feel?” Yaz asked, stroking his hair.

“Well enough to kiss you…” He flirted.

“You are not! Have you seen your face, you lying fool?” She squeaked, blushing.

He laughed. “Alright. Not well enough to do that… But whatever salve Akila put onto my wounds has numbed the pain some.” He raised his uninjured hand, stroking her cheek and then running his fingers over her lips and moving them into her hair.

Before she could protest, he pulled her head down to his to give her a soft kiss. He was careful not to be too pushy or insistent because the kiss did cause a twinge of pain in his face, but the kiss was a sweet relief to him after his near-death experience.

He had almost lost the ability to do this ever again, but now here he was with Yaz in this palanquin, kissing her sweetly and softly. He moaned quietly as the pain in his wounds became more pronounced and released her.

She straightened. “You shouldn’t have done that, Cemal…” She whispered, running her fingers through his hair. “Now I really want to kiss you again and not nearly so softly. But you’re injured, and I can’t.” She pouted. “It’s not fair to do that to me…”

He grinned, but it wasn’t as broad as usual because of the pain. “You’ll be able to kiss me again soon. I promise I’ll get better quick.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” She smiled as she chided him.

He gave her an innocent look. “But… I thought you knew. I can keep it…”

She glared at him. “If you weren’t an invalid at this moment, I would slap you… You can’t guarantee that you’ll get better quickly.”

He laughed. “If you keep me laughing, I might… After all, they say laughter is the best medicine.”

“Really? And why is that?”

“Don’t know. Maybe because the patient is content instead of miserable? And if you keep teasing me or threatening to slap me, then I won’t be happy, which means a slower recovery…”

“Cemal?”

“Hmm?” He stared up into her eyes.

“Shut up.” She murmured. “Go back to sleep until we reach the palace. You need the rest.”

“Aye, aye, Captain.”

She felt childish then and stuck her tongue out at him, immensely annoyed with his flippancy about his injuries. Here he was, barely able to move due to the ribbons his back had been reduced to, and he was cracking jokes about it. Really… Who did that?

Cemal, apparently.

He closed his eyes as she’d ordered, and moments later, his soft, steady breathing filled the silence of the desert through which they were traveling. She smiled, leaning back to catch up on some much needed rest herself.

All last night she’d been awake worrying about him. And that was very draining on one’s energy reserves. So she needed to sleep to replenish those reserves.

Moments later, she too was asleep, and the two rested – Cemal with his head in her lap, she with her head resting against the pillowed wall of the palanquin.