Alex awoke early the next day when a shaft of sunlight broke through the diaphanous curtains and landed squarely across her face. She stretched and yawned, turning over and flopping her arms on the bed as she slowly came to. Birds twittered outside. A gentle breeze ruffled the curtains. Damn, this was a nice place to wake up in.

She sat up, dragging her fingers over the silky bedspread. Even though she couldn’t guess what the day had in store for her, she could at least enjoy the small pleasures. She tugged at the tassel on a throw pillow. Tassels made everything better. Even hostage situations.

She pushed out of bed and dressed in yesterday’s clothes. On her way to the bathroom she paused, spotting her bags near the door, her vet’s kit and the emergency bag she carried with her on every call, containing a change of clothes, toiletries and the like. Someone must have dropped them off. She shivered a little at the thought that it might have happened while she slept. But maybe they’d been delivered while she was out trying to get help from the harem and it just took her this long to notice.

Once she’d peed and washed her face, she thought it might be a good time for a morning stroll. She’d poke around the palace a little bit and then swing by Sala’s enclosure to check on her before coming back to check out what breakfast looked like in this place. It was practically vacation.

She hummed to herself as she let herself out of the bedroom, her feet whispering over the cool marble floor. She took a right out of her room instead of turning left to return to the gardens. A plush Persian rug stretched down the center of the hallway. She followed it until a horseshoe-arched doorway led outside, where the bright morning sun gleamed. She smiled into the heat, which still hadn’t reached its oppressive midday status, and closed her eyes to soak it in.

“Stop.”

Her eyes snapped open. An armed guard stood in front of her and watched her with an expressionless face just this side of a serial killer. She reared back, surprise streaking through her.

“Fuck. Hi. I didn’t see you.”

“Back that way.” The guard pointed over her shoulder, back the way she’d come.

She arched a brow. “Um, sorry?”

“Back inside. You may only go to the zoo and to your quarters.”

The air went out of her. She repeated his words in her head to make sure she’d understood correctly. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me.”

When the guard didn’t move, she scoffed and turned on her heel. So much for the pseudo vacation. This was officially ridiculous. Her only sanctioned path through the palace was between her closed room and the zoo? She really was a hostage veterinarian.

Any goodwill she’d accumulated for Zatar overnight dissipated in a puff as she stalked back down the wide hall. Instead of slamming the door to her bedroom, which seemed like it might help release some of her anger, she continued outside to the gardens. Might as well go to the zoo to exercise the scant amount of freedom she was allotted under Prince Zatar’s iron rule.

She huffed, clenching her fists as she worked over the outrage. Limiting her freedom within the palace was hardly necessary. Like she could go anywhere anyway. He controlled her only exit plan: the helicopter she’d come in. Unless he was worried she might steal a car and make a run for it. She smiled briefly. Maybe she came across as a little unhinged. A veterinarian in distress. She could make headlines—it might even be good for business.

By the time she reached the zoo, she had a whole hare-brained plan cooked up involving one of the rhinos she’d seen in the zoo and convincing Timak to break free from the psychological shackles of Zatar. Saving him seemed like the right thing to do. She slowed when she reached the iron gate of Sala’s enclosure, squinting to see into the darkened recesses.

The iron clanged as she unlatched the door. Something stirred in the background. She paused.

It was Zatar. He sat up, rubbing at his eyes. Alex approached slowly. This was the second time she’d caught him sleeping with his beloved lioness. He cleared his throat, straightening his robes as she came nearer. His dark hair was mussed and disheveled. He groped around for his keffiyah just as she paused at the periphery of the overhang.

“Morning.” There was something sweet about catching him waking up. It was that glimpse of intimacy again, in surroundings that were so foreign and palatial. In these moments she didn’t feel so different from this prince after all.

“Hello. Good morning.” He grabbed the keffiyah, arranging it on the top of his head. He glanced up at her, his eyes still bleary from sleep.

“Did you spend the night out here?”

“Yes.” He propped an elbow up on one knee, looking down at Sala. “I’m afraid to leave her.”

Her annoyance from earlier disappeared in the wake of his concern. “If you get that medicine, she’ll be fine.”

“We’re working on it.” Zatar ran a hand over the shiny fur of her flank. “A plane will be here soon to take Timak to Turkey. He’ll pick up the medicine there and return before dinner.”

Alex nodded, crossing her arms. “Great. Any change in her behavior?”

“None. Still listless and worrisome.”

Alex nodded, scanning the enclosure. The only noise around them was the distant twittering of birds and Sala’s labored breathing.

“Well, sounds like you have everything under control. Which reminds me…I should really be on my way.” She narrowed her eyes at Zatar.

Zatar didn’t even look at her, just continued his blank stare at Sala while petting her.

“Zatar. I’m talking to you.”

He jolted, looking up at her with guilty eyes. “What?”

“This morning, your guards wouldn’t even let me take a walk around the palace. Reiterating a very basic fact of my stay here: I am a prisoner. This is fucked up, Zatar. You need to let me go.”

His brow furrowed, and he scrambled to his feet, shushing her while he led her away from the lioness. “Quiet! We can’t disturb her.”

“Yeah, well, you’re disturbing me. Do you hear me?”

Zatar frowned down at her, his nearness temporarily making her wobble. His heat sank into her as she gobbled up his features—the soft lines around his eyes betraying the pain in his life, the stubble on his jaw, as black as his hair, the strong nose under thick, dark brows.

“They wouldn’t let you walk around?”

“No. Said I could only go to the zoo or to my room.”

Zatar’s jaw flexed, and she was watching the fascinating twitch at his temple when she realized they were still only inches apart. But hell if she could force herself to move away. He smelled like bamboo and something indefinably manly. Probably a mixture of his own smell and that mat he slept on.

He muttered something in Arabic, pressing at the space between his eyebrows. When she asked what he’d said, he replied, “This has to be Ilia.”

“Who’s that?”

“One of the girls in my father’s harem.” Zatar started pacing the enclosure, and she felt a draft in his absence. Even in the rising heat of the morning. “She loves to cause trouble. Now that you’re here, I suspect she’ll stop at nothing to get my attention. She probably got my father involved.”

Alex deflated a little. Part of her was relieved that Zatar hadn’t ordered her confined to a fraction of the palace, but she didn’t want to investigate why she felt that way. She just needed to get out of here. Sala would be fine now that the medicine had been ordered.

“Well, I have an idea.” Alex crossed her arms. “How about you let me leave?”

Zatar seared her with a fierce look. Leaving was out of the question. “I told you already. I need you here in case there are complications.” Besides, he liked having her around. She brought something fun and new to his life…a much-needed focal point in a too-long period of despair.

“Listen. It’s evident how much you love Sala. But can you loosen the reins here? I’m a professional. I’ll stay until the job’s done. But at least let me stay at a hotel nearby or something.”

Zatar grunted, casting his sulky gaze back toward Sala. She had a point. But how could he convince her to stay? “I would prefer if you remain near.”

When she started to protest, he raised a hand. “I can provide you with everything you need here. There is simply no need to go to a hotel when Sala’s care is of utmost concern, and you can be mere meters from her. I will speak to the guards and figure out what ridiculous directive they’ve received.”

Alex relaxed slightly. “Okay. But the harem girls have got to go.”

Zatar shook his head. “They are not in my control. Trust me, they would never have been here if I had that sort of decision-making power. The best I can do is transfer you to a different guest room in the main wing.”

Alex shrugged. “Sure. As long as it’s not as crappy as the room I’m in now.”

Zatar stilled, squinting at her. “Are your quarters not to your liking?”

“Oh, come on, Zat. I was kidding. The room is amazing, and you know it.” An easy grin spread across her pretty face, and he laughed. He didn’t love the nickname, but he’d take it. As long as Alex was the one who’d given it to him.

“Fine. Now, shall we have breakfast?” He gestured toward the enclosure gate. They filed out of the cage, and Zatar led the way back to the palace. Alex trailed behind him, unspoken sentiments lingering between them.

Once they made it back to the palace, Zatar flagged the first guard he found. In Arabic, he said, “What happened today with the guest? She said she was prevented from exploring the palace.”

“Strict orders from your father, sir.” The guard bowed slightly. Alex watched the interaction with curious eyes. “He states that no one may wander the grounds without specific destinations in his absence.”

Zatar huffed. The man’s only priority in life was spending the money his country generated. His father came and went between gambling destinations so often it could give a man whiplash. Sometimes he’d come and leave within the same day. And whenever he was gone, he charged his henchmen—or Ilia—to report back about the goings on at the palace. What the harem was doing. What time Zatar woke up. Who he was seeing.

More and more he grew to loathe his father’s practices. Part of him couldn’t wait to take control of the country, whenever it might occur. “Great. And when will he return?”

“I’m uncertain, sir.”

Zatar shook his head, brushing past the guard. Over his shoulder, he shouted, “This guest is not to be restricted from wandering where she pleases! Final word!”

Alex scurried to catch up with him. “What was that about?”

“Just verifying what I knew to be true.” His stomach turned as he led her through an enormous horseshoe arch lined with glittering gemstones. It was his favorite side of the palace. Partly because he and his mother always chose this path on their daily walks. “My father and his rules.”

“Must suck to still live with dad, huh?”

Her comment made him stop in his tracks. When he turned to face her, she looked sheepish. As she should. “You have no idea the customs of our country.”

“You’re right. I don’t.”

He huffed as he led her toward the breakfast nook, though it was hardly a nook. A lavishly outfitted dining room with a full wall of windows overlooked the southern garden. Deep ochre tapestries hung on the walls, while side tables boasted enormous vases bursting with lily bouquets.

“Please. Take a seat.” Zatar gestured to one end of the table where place settings awaited them. Alex settled into an open seat, looking around with wide eyes.

“This is gorgeous.”

“One of my favorite areas of the palace.” Zatar settled into the highbacked cherry-wood chair, sipping at the glass of water at his setting. “Now, I’d like to get to know you. What drew you into the veterinary sciences?”

“Oh. Is this the interview now? Seems a bit late.”

“Sure, if you’d like.” His lips twitched, relishing her sarcastic quips. “But it seems important to know the inner workings of the woman saving my Sala’s life.”

She smiled, dragging a finger over the embroidered napkin at the side of her place setting. “Okay, then. I think it all began when I was about nine. I was walking home from school—I lived in Brooklyn then—and I came across an injured dog. He was really bad…I found out later he’d been abused, a pit bull that had been used for fighting. Anyway, my heart broke when I saw him, and I stayed with him until I could get ahold of someone to help me help him.”

Zatar watched her as she spoke, mesmerized by the soft edge in her voice. He could listen to her speak like this forever and still want more. “Did you take him home?”

“No. I couldn’t, because of where we lived. But I got him connected with a shelter, and he was rehabbed. I visited him every day for three weeks until a family adopted him. I liked to think I had a hand in placing him with that family. It was around then I became an unofficial fixture at the shelter. I began to oversee other abandoned pets and learned from the vets on staff about how to care for injured animals. The rest, I guess, is history.”

Her story pleased him more than he’d anticipated. He laughed knowingly. “Well we are more similar than we realized.”

“How so?”

“My animals are rescues as well. I keep them only until they are rehabilitated…if they can be. Paolo, the rhinoceros, won’t be released due to his missing leg. That was a byproduct of a very careless poacher. Paolo is lucky to be alive.”

Alex tilted her head, her blue eyes shining with something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. But he hoped her walls were coming down. All that resistance they’d started off with…he wanted it to melt away, so he could probe that gooey core of hers, get to know all her sweet quirks and delectable tastes.

Alex could be the most delicious nougat. Tasty in a way he’d never experienced before.

She was unlike anyone he’d ever met before. She didn’t care about impressing him, and she absolutely didn’t care about offending him. In a way, being treated with such disregard was a relief. There was no royal pretense or faked deference. She was Alex, and he was Zatar. Add in the fact that she was a petite and gorgeous blonde, on top of her love for animals…Zatar wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep himself in check.

He only hoped she would return the interest.