Eli sheathed his weapons and wrapped his arms around Auburn. She buried her face against his chest and choked back her tears. She didn’t want to disappoint him with her weakness.

“You’re sure you’re okay?” Eli tightened his arms around her.

“I am now.”

As he held her, Auburn realized he’d done as she’d asked. Prince Eli hadn’t killed Ajeem because a slave had explained why he needed to spare the Qumarefi.

No one had ever listened to her before, had ever cared what she had to say. That anyone, much less a prince, paid attention to her words made her a little light-headed.

A whisper of a smile curved her lips as she lay her head against Prince Eli.

“Where are my guards?” Eli said.

The anger in his words made Auburn shiver.

“It’s not your fault they aren’t here. They left my room unattended and created a vulnerability. Their recklessness could’ve cost you your life.” Eli held her closer. “By the gods, my guards better have a damn good reason for leaving their posts.”

Sligo opened the door, and Rolland was a few steps behind him. They both bowed.

“Did you find my men?” The ice in Eli’s words had Rolland stepping back.

“Yes, Your Highness,” Rolland said. “Found them asleep two rooms down.”

“They will be...” He paused at the expression on Sligo’s face. “What happened to them?”

“We think they’re drugged. We can’t wake them up, Your Highness,” Sligo said.

“Might be yetha root.” Auburn glanced up at the prince. “It’s expensive and impossible to get unless the buyer is well-connected. If it’s yetha root, your men will have no memory of what happened, but they’ll be unharmed when they wake up.”

Eli sucked in a slow breath as he held her closer. “So the perpetrator avoids a diplomatic incident and can blame the guards for being drunk or falling asleep on the job.”

Auburn shivered. “Might even put a bloody dagger in one of their hands to make it look like they killed me.”

Rolland’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve never heard of yetha root. You’re sure it’s real?”

“They warn the sultan’s traders that deal with Oskelesians of it.”

“You’re not a trader,” Rolland said.

Auburn met his stare. “I listen when others talk.”

“Your Highness, she might have been involved in this,” Rolland said. “She could be working with your enemies to sow distrust.”

“What I want to know,” Eli said, “is how an intruder got in here. More men protect these rooms than the two visible guards that stand outside my doors.”

“Perhaps he was stealthy,” Rolland said.

Eli arched a black brow. “As stealthy as an ox pulling a cart.”

“The door never opened,” Auburn said. “I was waiting for Prince Eli to return. I would have heard it.”

Rolland glared at her. “Perhaps you’d fallen asleep. How else could he have gotten in here except through the door?”

Sligo peered out the windows. “No footsteps in the sand caught on the window ledge.”

Auburn lifted her shoulders. “Some rooms have hidden passages so slaves can serve without being seen. I’ve never been in this part of the palace before, so I’m not sure if there are any here.”

“Show me what to look for,” Sligo said.

Auburn did, and the two of them scoured the room for a hidden passage.

Eli ignored Rolland’s growing impatience.

“Here,” Sligo said as he pointed out an almost invisible seam in the thick stone.

Eli strode over and scrutinized the telltale hairline. “How do we open it?”

“It might only open from the inside,” Auburn said. “The slave would come in, see to their duties, then disappear back through it.”

Sligo’s jaw set. “That the captain of the palace guards missed this in the security briefing is unacceptable.”

“Might not have thought of it,” Rolland said. “Qumarefis think little of slaves.”

Sligo’s gaze passed from Auburn back to Rolland. “Then they’re fools. I will send three guards to stay here with you, Your Highness. I will secure this passage and search the other rooms for similar ones.”

“See to it. And there’s one other thing we need to consider,” Eli said. “Premal attacked me, and I must make a corresponding show of force. Thoughts?”

Rolland paled. “Do we really want to court such a powerful enemy, Your Highness?”

“Premal is an adviser to the sultan, but the sultan has many of them. What makes Premal so powerful?”

“He’s rich, well-connected...”

“Many in the Qumarefi court are.” Eli’s cold blue gaze fell on his attaché. “Powerful, rich, and well-connected or not, Premal chose to make me an enemy. He cannot strike at me without consequence.”

“Perhaps the nectar from an azalea blossom,” Auburn said. “When I was young, the other children forced me to eat one. I was sick, but never in real danger. They grow in the sultan’s garden.”

“Sligo?”

A dark smile curved the bodyguard’s lips. “Consider it done, Your Highness. I expected you to make enemies, just not this quickly.”

“You can’t poison a member of the sultan’s court!” Rolland said.

“Of course I can, unless they can stop me.” A serpent’s smile curved Eli’s lips. “And I will get a trade deal.”

“But the Dragon Church...” Rolland said.

“They’re my concern, not yours.”

Rolland opened his mouth to say something and snapped it shut again.

“We all need to be extra vigilant.” Eli studied Rolland. “One asp has shown its scales. I’m sure there are more.”

Rolland sucked in a breath, but before he could say anything, a knock on the door had them all turning.

Sligo opened it to let in three guards. The men dressed in Tamarian uniforms took up positions near the door and the secret passage.

Rolland bowed. “Should you need anything, Your Highness-”

“I won’t.” Eli’s hard gaze never wavered as he watched his attaché leave.

Once Rolland was gone, Sligo bowed and left Eli alone with Auburn and the guards.

Auburn breathed in the prince’s rich clean scent. “Sligo doesn’t trust Rolland, not even with three Tamarian guards in the room.”

“Sligo is the best judge of character I’ve ever met.” Eli held her closer. “How are you doing?”

“Better, thank you.”

Eli kept an arm around her as he led her to the overturned chaise and righted it. He motioned for her to sit then poured her a glass of water. After she’d drunk it, he sat beside her and held her close.

“What was his excuse for being here?” Eli asked.

“Ajeem said he was taking me to Premal. Some other things that didn’t make much sense.”

Eli stilled. “Like what?”

She shook her head. “None of it matters.”

“It does to me.”

“Called me a viper.”

“That denotes power,” Eli said. “In Qumaref, a more common insult is whore.”

Auburn chewed her lower lip. “Hadn’t thought of that before, but it’s true.”

“What else did Ajeem say?”

“Something about how I’ve always been Premal’s.” She shook her head. “I’m just glad you got here when you did.”

“It’s because of your advice. The sultan was growing restless. When he took a break, so did I.”

A smile curved her lips. “Exactly right.”