Jistan

Jistan took off his weapons, rinsed out his mouth, washed his face and hands, removed his boots and tunic, and did some nighttime stretches. Shai’s face kept coming to mind the whole time, even as he climbed into bed.

Thoughts of her invaded his head as he lay under the plush covers, yawning and rubbing his eyes. They had almost kissed twice now. Maybe he should’ve just told her everything he was feeling. He may not get another chance to.

Although what was the point? They lived two different lives. They could never be together. Father wouldn’t allow it.

But it wasn’t just that. Jistan had responsibilities. He had an empire he was to inherit one day. What would his people think if they saw him courting, or even marrying, an ex-thief? Would it matter to them that she didn’t belong to The Cliq anymore? Her past was a stain on her existence for the rest of her life.

Then again, it was possible people could eventually see past who she used to be. Besides, after this upcoming heist, wouldn’t they judge him for the same misdeeds? He would be no better than her. They both had to use immoral means to achieve their goals.

He blew out the lantern by his bed, and darkness enveloped the room. He was grateful for the warm blankets because it was chilly in here. This desert city was too hot in the daytime and too cold at night. He missed his room back home with its fireplace Lary would’ve lit for the night.

Jistan’s eyes had started drifting to a close when he heard a soft knock on his door. He groaned. Who could be bothering me this late? “Who is it?”

The door opened before he gave the person permission to come in. He glanced wearily toward whoever it was, and when he saw the silhouette of a female, he immediately thought it was Shai, and his heart fluttered. He actually hoped it was her.

But then the person stepped into the moonlight of his window, and his heart sank as he sat up.

“Lady Aladia?” he said. “What are you doing in here?”

“I couldn’t sleep.” She glided over to the side of his bed. She wore a black silk robe, tied in the front with a thin belt. “I thought I’d come keep you company tonight. We can celebrate the first step of our plan being a success.”

He threw the covers off himself, then realized he was indecent before her, wearing only a pair of underwear. Goose bumps crept up his skin from the cold. “I’m grateful for your help getting the key earlier, but you shouldn’t be here. I can escort you back to—”

“Shh.” She cut him off by putting her finger on his lips. “I want to stay here. I need to get the feel of that lewd prince off of me.” Her hand slid down, rubbing his bare chest, over his abs. His heart pounded, and he was no longer cold as his body heated.

He caught her wrist when her hand reached his pants. “Aladia, stop. We can’t.”

“Yes, we can,” she said in a sultry voice. “We don’t have to wait until we’re married. Let me show you how great a wife I can be.”

And before he realized what was happening, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, kissing him tenderly. A strong fragrance of wildflowers wafted from her as if she’d bathed in scented oils before coming to his room.

After a few seconds, she pulled away. He blinked, stunned. It was the first time a girl ever kissed him. He’d always kept those who fancied him at arm’s length, so they never had a chance to get close enough to kiss him.

But he was an adolescent nearing adulthood, and Aladia was rather beautiful. Plus, he was curious to feel what it was like to be with a woman…

He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back toward him as he started kissing her roughly. He wanted to forget all his troubles and let his thoughts drift away, just for tonight. He didn’t want to think about his responsibility to his country or his responsibility as an obedient son. He wanted to feel numb inside and stop thinking about all the pain that came from his feelings for…no, he didn’t even want to think her name. He should focus on what was in front of him.

Aladia seemed surprised by his eagerness, but she responded, kissing him back and caressing his arms, his chest, his abdomen. He kept his hands on her face, neck, and shoulders, not yet brave enough to touch her in other areas.

She untied her belt and let her robe drop to the floor. Her olive skin seemed to glow in the moonlight. She was completely nude, her voluptuous body exposed before him in all its beauty. A body that could belong to him forever, and he could have tonight if he wanted—

But even though his body longed to have hers, his heart suddenly ached as he thought about Shai.

He gently pushed Aladia away. “I can’t do this.”

“What? Why not?” she asked, her brow furrowed.

“Because…I have feelings for someone else.” He didn’t know those words were going to come out of his mouth, but once they did, they felt right. And his heart felt lighter. He just wished it hadn’t taken him kissing someone else for him to finally admit it out loud.

Aladia’s eyes flashed with anger. “What does that matter? You have to marry a highborn lady for the good of the country. Who else is there, if not me?”

He rubbed his eyes, the thoughts jumbled in his head. “I’ll talk to our fathers about this when we get back to Valizea. I’ve made my choice. I don’t want to marry you.”

She sat back with a snarl. “Well, you don’t have a choice. Our betrothal has already been negotiated by our fathers. We’re going to be married, and neither of us has a say in it.”

Jistan’s eyes widened. “What? When did this happen? Why wasn’t I told?”

She shrugged. “They wanted to surprise us by throwing an engagement party when we got back. But I found out about the deal.”

He closed his eyes. Dammit. It’ll be harder to get out of a deal already made.

“Can’t we just be together for this one night?” she asked. “I can make you forget about the one you have feelings for so you can focus on what needs to be done for your empire.” She moved in to kiss him again.

He flinched away, holding her back by her shoulders. “Go back to your room, Aladia. I don’t want to be with you. Not tonight, or any night.”

She frowned, looking furious and hurt, but he continued glowering at her. He watched her snatch up her robe and slip it back over her shoulders.

“Fine. But you better get over the other girl before our nuptials.” She stormed out of the room.

He fell back onto his pillows and closed his eyes, huffing through his nostrils.

So…he could admit to himself he had feelings for Shai. He might possibly be in love with her. His stomach felt jittery at the thought. But this marriage deal complicated things. If he told Shai about this, how would she react? And did she feel the same way about him? Of course, neither of their feelings would matter if he were forced to marry Aladia.

Jistan had never defied his father before. And Aladia’s father, Lord Jefros, had control of a good chunk of Casland’s army, so if an alliance with him fell through, it could be detrimental to the Crossover War. Jistan was supposed to prioritize his country over his own happiness.

He sighed, pulling the covers over him again as he tried to shut out all his stressful thoughts. It took him a while to fall asleep, and when he finally did, he dreamt of Shaielle Breanon.

* * *

As soon as his eyes popped open in the morning, he decided what he was going to do. He would go to Shai and tell her how he felt. Then they could figure out what to do about the marriage deal together.

He jumped out of bed, smiling and feeling like a huge burden had been lifted off him. He shed his underwear and took a long, thorough bath, scrubbing his face and lips especially to get the scent and feel of Aladia off him. He felt ashamed and guilty when he remembered how he almost took her into his bed. How could he have even kissed her? It was a momentary lapse in judgment.

Everything would be fine if he could just talk to Shai.

He wished she’d been the one in his room last night. If she had come into his room nude, he probably would’ve let her stay.

His face flushed as he dried himself off and put on a sleeveless white tunic over black breeches. After tugging on his boots and clasping on his sword belt, he strolled out of the room. The orbs of light along the walls had been recast for the day, shining dimly over him.

As he walked down the wood-paneled hallway toward Shai’s room, he took a deep breath, his heart hammering almost painfully in his chest. Was he really going to do this? What would her response be? Would she reciprocate his feelings? Would she shun him because he was supposed to marry Aladia?

He lifted his fist to knock on her door, then hesitated when he lost his nerve. But he found his courage and was about to actually knock this time, when someone called to him from down the hall.

“You’re awake!” Emperor Varo said, coming over and draping an arm across the prince’s shoulders. “Good morning, did you sleep well?”

“I did,” Jistan half-lied, lowering his fist.

“Good, good. You must join me in the dining hall for breakfast. Today’s a big day! I hope you’re ready to pick up a quill and sign that peace treaty. Come, come!” The emperor had a jovial smile on his face as he led the prince away toward the stairs.

Jistan started to protest, glancing back at Shai’s bedroom door. But he knew he shouldn’t be rude to the emperor. He couldn’t give Varo any reason not to trust him or be suspicious of him the day before they were planning to steal from him.

“If you see extra guards around the palace today, don’t be alarmed,” Varo added. “It’s just a precaution.”

Now the emperor had Jistan’s full attention. “Precaution? Why? Has there been a disturbance?”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing significant. One of the guards at the fortress reported that he may have seen something strange last night, so I added a bit more security, mostly to the Treasure Fortress and the labyrinth underneath. Can’t take any chances, you know. Could you imagine if an item like the Obsidian Chest fell into the wrong person’s hands?” He shook his head. “No, can’t have that at all.”

Jistan tried not to show his inner panic as he cleared his throat. Dammit! Curse that guard. “Yes, that would be most unfortunate. What…what extra security precautions have you taken? Anything besides extra guards?”

“Well, I told Keion to keep the keys to the most important vaults on him for the next few days. And we’ve added a few more magical wards. But it’s probably all for nothing. I assure you, you and your companions are perfectly safe here.”

“I don’t doubt that. But I agree, it’s always better to have too much security than too little.” He forced himself to smile and hoped Keion didn’t check to make sure the keys were real.

Emperor Varo slapped him on the back, laughing. “Of course, you would understand more than most. You’re head of your country’s armed forces after all. Maybe I could share a bit of my expertise with you over breakfast.”

Jistan nodded slowly as they continued on to the dining hall. But inside he was screaming and trying to keep himself from wallowing in despair.

Tomorrow’s heist just got a little more complicated.