Page 65 of Wild Flame

“On the contrary,” Astrid interrupted her this time. And I wasn’t sure if she or Hilde looked more shocked by that fact. Straightening her spine, she continued sheepishly, “The other maids told me it is a great honor to be chosen by their king and declared as his Hassai. It is not something he did lightly. She and King Malik are as good as married in the eyes of the Zehvitian people,” she defended, unknowingly echoing what Malik told me last night.

Hilde stiffened. “I saw no priest or priestess in the hall last night. No vows were spoken. What if your king changes his mind? And after he has already sullied our princess. No one in Halmar will have her if this gets out.”

“He didn’t sully me,” I said. For a moment, I had been too stunned by the words coming out of Hilde’s mouth to speak up, but now my ire was rising. And though I certainly did not owe her an explanation, I felt the need to defend myself and Malik. “Nothing happened. But even if it did, that is between Malik and me. Is that understood?”

“But in Halmar—” she began.

“We are in Zehvi,” I snapped. Hilde’s mouth clicked shut in surprise at my tone, and I lowered my voice as I continued. “They do things differently here. And we have no choice but to adjust, since it appears we will all be staying here for the foreseeable future.” I gave Hilde a pointed look and when she gave no response, I knew that was as close to agreement as I was likely to get, and so I nodded. “Good. Now who is going to help me out of this thing so I may take my bath?”

Astrid, looking slightly stunned, moved to help me remove the nightgown. She loosened the few stays, and I had just felt thecooler morning air on my bare back when there was a gasp and a thunderous voice boomed from behind me, “Who did that to you?”

I froze. So did everyone else in the room.Oh, no. No! No! No!Dread and fear and dawning humiliation suddenly swamped me, because I knew Malik was standing there with a clear view of my back.

Myexposedback.

I spun to face him, clutching the loosened nightgown to my chest as I quickly shifted my hair over my shoulder so it covered my back.

Malik’s normally calm face was murderous, and his amber eyes were shadowed with a whole host of emotions I couldn’t even begin to decipher.

“Did what?” I asked stupidly. His sudden arrival had taken me so off guard I didn’t know how to handle this other than to deny, deny, deny.

If possible, Malik’s face turned even more furious. He took several steps toward me as he said low, “Who did that to your back? Who do I have to kill?”

I swallowed and glanced furtively around at my maids. Neither of them were much help, though; they were both just staring quietly at the ground.

Malik glanced at them, as if noticing for the first time that they were even there. “Leave us,” he barked, and they didn’t need to be told twice. They bobbed swift curtsies and departed. Malik and I stood staring at each other, saying nothing as we waited for the telltale click of the door shutting in the other room.

“Answer me, siren,” Malik demanded, much more softly this time. “Who did that to you?”

“No one,” I snapped. “And we’re not talking about this.” On some level, I knew his anger was not directed at me. But I also didn’t care. I yanked the gown back over my shoulders andbegan to pull my robe back on in quick jerks, careful not to give him my back again.

“Oh yes, we are. Was it your parents? Is it a burn—?”

“Stop!” I cried, finally losing my veneer of calm. I raked a hand through my hair that was barely still in its braid, trying to regain my composure. I straightened my spine and forced my arms to stay still at my sides rather than folding them around myself like I wanted to. I met Malik’s stare and knew I had surprised him with my outburst. “My parents had nothing to do with it,” I said, and that wasmostlytrue. I matched him glare for glare. “And as I said, we are not discussing this.”

He folded his arms across his chest. “You are my wife—"

“Not yet,” I responded coldly, ignoring the scowl on his face. “We are betrothed. And if you will remember, I had no say in that. And even if you were my husband, that does not give you the right to demand information from me or badger me into revealing painful events from my past if I wish not to share them. I may not have had a choice in much of my life, but I still have a say in whether I tell you what happened and when.” I swallowed hard. “Now, I understand if seeing mydeformity,” I couldn’t help it as my mother’s word for my scars came out of my mouth, “changes your mind about binding yourself to me—” His expression—which had begun to soften as I spoke—now hardened into a scowl once more. But I didn’t stop. “. . . then I am sure steps could be taken to dissolve the agreement.”

“Never. That is not happening.” He stepped closer to me and stared me directly in the eye. “You may not know much about me, siren, but I do not go back on my word. And in this case, nor do I wish to. Knowing this about you changes nothing for me.”

I wasn’t sure if I believed him.

I could tell by the way he was clenching his jaw that he read the doubt in my eyes and was still frustrated at my refusal to explain.“I will send your women back in and wait for you in the outer rooms. There is a matter I need to discuss with you.”

I nodded and glanced away, just wanting him to leave.

It was silent for a moment before he leaned forward, so close the warmth of his skin radiated off him. Callused fingers tilted my head up, so I was forced to meet his eyes and see the burning truth there.

“And just as I told you last night that I would wait, I will wait for you in this as well. I will wait for you to tell me when you are ready.” His fingers then moved down my neck to trace delicately at my collarbone. I swallowed. His eyes tracked the movement, returning to mine before he spoke again. “And know that I do not care about your scars and certainly do not see them as a deformity. I only care about them insomuch as they have caused you pain.”

I looked down once more and said nothing.

I couldn’t.

My emotions were too raw and exposed.

Thankfully, he left me without another word. My maids returned, and they must have sensed my mood because neither of them spoke either, not even Hilde, as they helped me bathe and dress.

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