I shook my head.
“You’re always so astute, Zaria—except when it comes to yourself. I suppose it’s a charming quality, really.”
I rolled my eyes. “Get to the point.”
“It’s precisely because you’re—officially—a servant that Yasmine is so interested in you. I know my aunt spews a lot of poison, but she’s right about Yasmine. She did start out as a dancer from a poor family. But she was highly skilled—especially at the more difficult knife dances, from what I’ve heard—and she attracted the attention of an older merchant. When she first married, it was an enormous step up for her, but she still wasn’t rich like she is now. It was her cunning and skill that built their merchant empire, and it’s only expanded since she was widowed and is now unencumbered by a husband.”
I wrinkled my nose. “That’s an awful way to talk about losing your husband.”
“I’ve been to one of her parties, and I can guarantee that’s the way she thinks of it. She started with nothing, but now she’s rich, influential—a sultana, in a way, of her own social set. But it took her decades to achieve that. And here you are, barely eighteen, and overnight you’ve gone from being an ordinary servant to this.” He waved at my outfit and then at the room in general. “She’s vastly intrigued, and she wants to know if you’re going to be an ally or a competitor.”
“A competitor?” Now I was the one laughing. “I have no desire to compete with Yasmine.” I caught a final glimpse of her before she was swallowed by the crowd. “If she was once a dancer, it makes that dress even more audacious. It’s certainly eye-catching.”
“She likes to remind everyone of her origins,” he said. “She wants them to remember it was her skills and acumen that got her this far. And she certainly likes to be the center of attention.” He looked at my dress again and chuckled. “Which is another reason she’s interested in you. She didn’t expect to find anyone here tonight more eye-catching than her. Imagine if she knew you could rival her on the dance floor as well?”
I groaned. “Don’t exaggerate. I was never a professional dancer. And unlike Yasmine, I’m not interested in catching eyes.”
“Except for one pair, perhaps?” He cocked an eyebrow and gave me a knowing look.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said in my most dignified tone.
“Then I suppose you won’t be interested that a certain someone is just over there?” He gestured behind me and to one side, and I whirled.
“Where?”
He laughed, and for a moment, I thought he had merely been teasing me. But then my eyes caught on a tall, familiar figure, and I forgot about Navid entirely.
Rek.
CHAPTER16
Seeing him out in the city and on horseback, I had thought this new Rek seemed more grown up. But here, in his home environment—the environment I had known him in for so many years—the change was even more obvious. The boy I had once known was entirely gone, replaced with a confident crown prince who couldn’t have been more at ease. One who made my heart beat faster every time I saw him.
He looked up, and our eyes met across the room. My heart stopped beating entirely. For a foolish moment, I thought I read stunned admiration despite the distance. But he didn’t even nod acknowledgment. Instead his face darkened, and he turned back to the older man in front of him as if I were a stranger who had dared to catch the prince’s gaze.
Vaguely the thought crossed my mind that his companion looked familiar, but it was hard to focus on anything but Rek’s unexpected rejection.
“That’s Jerome, one of the guard captains,” Navid said, kindly trying to cover the awkward moment.
His words jolted my memory. He was the one who had led the guards the day I first saw Rek again. I had only had a glimpse of him then, but I never forgot a face. The captain was dressed as a guest, not a guard, but there was no mistaking his posture. He stood straight, his feet planted firmly, his alert stance giving the appearance he was ready for action at any moment. Whatever they were discussing seemed serious, both of them intent on their words.
Seeing the captain again, I could understand why Rek hadn’t included him in the secret of the cave. He had needed not only men who were loyal to the kingdom, but ones whose loyalty to him personally came above everything else.
One look at Captain Jerome, and I could easily imagine how he would have responded to Rek’s risky plan—a conversation with the sultan and physical restraint if necessary. Had Rek told him the truth now, or was he still trying to outmaneuver his father?
I took a glass blindly from a passing tray, reminding myself that Rek had important duties here. It was natural he would be distracted. And he hadn’t wanted us here anyway.
I needed to keep reminding myself that his arms around me in the darkness, as we rode back to the city, hadn’t been an embrace but a practical necessity. He had clearly shown he was glad to regain contact with an old friend, but from the beginning his manner had lacked the open enthusiasm of Adara’s. She had been ready to cast Azzam out for his wrongs toward me, while Rek had been measured and practical. I would be a fool to transpose Adara’s emotions onto Rek.
“Do you want to join the dancing?” Navid asked. “I know you’ve missed it.”
I hesitated, tempted despite everything. “Actually, I don’t feel in the mood for dancing. If you don’t mind.”
“Oh.” He sounded genuinely disappointed, so I tore my attention away from Rek, who I had been watching from the corner of my eye, and looked at Navid properly.
He wasn’t looking at me at all. Instead his eyes were on the dance, and after a moment I saw why. Adara was in the middle of it, skipping lightly from partner to partner, as the dance required.
I opened my mouth to utter words of caution, only to be seized by a moment of rebelliousness.