When the highborn’s footsteps could no longer be heard echoing from the corridor, Malik barked to the guards, “Out. Both of you.”
The guards hesitated, but when Malik shot them a hard glare, they scrambled out the door and closed it at their backs.
In their wake, Malik’s eyes blazed. “What the fuck was that? Are you mad? What the hell are you thinking?”
Nasir sagged back against the stone wall, his heart racing with the remnants of an adrenaline rush that was now leaving him weak. And hopeful. “The only thing I can do.”
“The Infrit hasn’t been trained yet. He’s no match for you on a good day. He’s insane, I’ll give you that, but you could take him down with your eyes closed.”
Nasir ran his hand through his hair, remembering Kavin’s fingers doing the same last night. He drew a deep breath, knowing he was doing the right thing, and met Malik’s hard eyes. “I’m saving the female I love. I know you would have done the same if you could.”
Malik’s jaw tightened. Then he muttered, “Motherfucker. She’s a Ghul. You barely know her.”
His mu’allim wasn’t changing his mind. “You saw the same strength in her I did. If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have helped her.”
Malik’s lips thinned. But behind the spark of fury in his eyes, Nasir saw he agreed. “She won’t let you do this.”
“She’s not to know.” Nasir straightened from the wall. “I want her out of this hellhole, Malik, and I’ll do anything to set her free. But I need your help. This will only work if you agree. I know you don’t want what happened to your female to happen to her.”
Malik’s eyes were as hard and cold as Nasir had ever seen them. Everything hinged on his support. If he was pissed Nasir hadn’t consulted him about his plans, if he’d lost his compassion after all these years as a slave, Kavin was lost.
“She wasn’t just my female,” Malik finally said in a low voice. “She was my wife. And yes, I’d have done anything to free her, even give up my own life for her, if I’d been able to.”
Nasir’s pulse pounded hard as he waited. As he hoped.
“I’ll help her,” Malik said softly.
Relief was as sweet as wine, zipping through Nasir’s veins. He reached out and clamped a hand over Malik’s shoulder. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” He nodded at the opal around Nasir’s throat. “That thing is bound to you by magic. I don’t know if I’ll be able to direct it.”
On this, Nasir knew he was safe. When I’m dead, the chain will release. It binds me to a sorceress, one of great power.”
“A sorceress?” Malik asked in surprise.
Nasir nodded, not about to get into the hows and whys of how that had come to be. “Whoever wears it will be bound to her will, as was I. I don’t know why she’s waiting, but at some point, she’ll call the opal back. And with it, the bearer.”
A slow smile slinked across Malik’s weathered face. One Nasir had never seen. One that lit up his eyes and made him look years younger. “Clever move, sahad.”
One corner of Nasir’s mouth curled in response. In a matter of hours, he’d be dead, Kavin would be free, and that prick master of hers would be Zoraida’s next slave. There would be justice this day.
He dropped his hand and focused on Malik’s eyes. “Let’s hope so. Now, tell me about the Infrit I’m to fight.”
* * *
Kavin’s hands shook as she bathed quickly and dressed in the gown Hana held out to her.
She stood in the center of the marble bath in her suite at the harem as the violet silk slid down her body. Behind her, Hana smoothed out her skirts and closed the few buttons at the back. They hadn’t spoken as Hana had escorted her back to the harem, and every time Kavin had tried to meet the girl’s eyes, she’d looked away. But Kavin had too many other things to worry about than what the girl was thinking or feeling. All she could focus on was the fact Nasir was fighting today.
Her pulse picked up speed, and her hands trembled as she waited for Hana to finish. She didn’t care what Zayd did to her anymore. Hadn’t thought once about facing him again after her night with Nasir. She just needed to know that Nasir was okay. She needed him to live.
“There,” Hana said in a quiet voice. “You’re done.”
Kavin turned to face the girl. Her eyes were downcast, her hands clenched in front of her. Kavin knew she was thinking about what had happened yesterday in Zayd’s room. Remembering the story Hana had told her before she’d been sent to Nasir, Kavin couldn’t stop her heart from going out to the girl. “They won’t touch you again. I made sure of it. You don’t have to worry.”
“I…” Hana’s voice broke, and when she lifted her eyes, they brimmed with tears. “Thank you. I don’t know how to repay you. I acted so superior to you before, and I shouldn’t have. I…we’re all just slaves.”
Nasir had told her the same thing. But Kavin didn’t believe that mattered. Not anymore. “Hana—”
The door to the bathroom pushed open. Kavin whipped around to find Zayd standing in the doorway, eyeing her with hard, cold, unreadable eyes.
“You’re escorting me to the arena today. Your sahad is fighting, and I’m told it’s going to be a spectacular show. One you won’t want to miss.” To Hana, he said, “Be sure she’s properly made up. I want everyone to know she’s my newest jarriah. Including the great champion.”
The way he snarled the last words set Kavin’s nerves on edge. What had been said between them after she’d left Nasir’s cell? The victory in Zayd’s voice was more than just gloating over the fact she was finally his. Something else was going on.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you.”
A shiver of foreboding rushed down her spine as Hana tugged her toward the vanity. “Come. We don’t have much time.”
Kavin’s head spun as she sat on the tufted ottoman, and Hana began fiddling with her hair. But all she could see were Nasir’s soft eyes. All she heard was his gentle voice. Telling her again and again that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
She gripped Hana’s hand so hard the girl yelped. “Listen to me. You said you didn’t know how you could repay me. I know how you can. But I need you to do it now. You have to go to the pits. You have to find the sahad’s mu’allim before the fight.”
“But the master said—”
“Fuck Zayd!” Kavin said, squeezing Hana’s hand tighter, causing the girl’s eyes to go bug-wide. “I don’t care what he said. Nasir’s planning something. And I can’t—won’t—let him do it. Hana, you’re the only one who can stop this. He doesn’t deserve what’s about to happen to him any more than you deserved what those guards did to you. All life has value. Regardless of tribe or race or gender. Please…please do this for me.”
Fear rushed over Hana’s face but was slowly replaced with a strength she seemed to pull from the very heart of her. She swallowed once and nodded. “O-okay. Tell me what you want me to do.”
Options, scenarios raced through Kavin’s mind. How could she stop this? She didn’t even know what Nasir was planning, but she had to prevent him from doing something that would get him killed. Would Malik listen to her servant? And what if he bought into the same bullshit the highborns had been spewing for years—that all sahads were the same? Monsters better locked in cages. Sent to fight like dogs. He worked with them every day. He knew way more about them than she did.
Her adrenaline surged. She had to try. She just hoped Nasir was right and there was a shadow of the djinni Malik had once been somewhere left inside him. “Get me paper and pen. And hurry.”