intermittently with thick gold bands, keeping the mass of hair neatly in place. Unlike the King, who was dressed in simple but elegant robes, he wore nothing more than soft black pants overlaid with a floor-length black skirt slit up the sides. His chest was narrow but well-toned, and he wore no adornment but cuffs at wrist and throat to match the bands in his hair. With utter casualness he moved to sit in the King's lap, twining his arms around the King's neck. "Doubts ill suit you, Majesty."
The King smiled faintly. "We are alone, Nanda."
Nanda's mouth curved in a whisper-soft smile. "Doubt ill suits you, Shah." He kissed Shah softly. "If you want to be driven crazy, then summon those two idiots trying to bring the palace crashing down. They excel at mayhem; there is no need for you to drive yourself mad."
Laughing, shaking with the force of it, Shah tugged Nanda closer for a deeper kiss. "As always, my Nanda, you know precisely what to say." He gently traced the fine line of Nanda's cheekbone with the tips of his fingers. "You have been here all morning, my beauty. Find Bey and Aik, tell them to come and attend me for the rest of the day. That should keep them out of trouble for a bit. Go find food, then enjoy a nap for me."
"I do not enjoy them unless you are with me," Nanda replied, and with a last kiss slid from Shah's lap. "Perhaps I'll coerce Kiah into dozing with me." He smiled faintly. "And we'll tell you all about it later."
"That would make good hearing," Shah murmured. He motioned toward the door. "Go before I decide I have the time for a nap of my own. Pass word that I'll be dining in private tonight."
"Yes, Majesty." Nanda bowed gracefully. "I will also send in food for you, so you can relax a bit before resuming court."
"Thank you, Nanda."
With another faint smile, Nanda gave another bow and then left the courtroom, the door closing on his soft words as he spoke to the guards.
"Nanda says we are in trouble."
Shah looked up from a report he'd been skimming, smiling at the men approaching him. "You and Bey need to be locked in my quarters, my monk." He tilted his head back as the man swooped down to kiss him. "I told you to restrain him, Aik."
Aik rolled his eyes and sat down on a pillow to the left of Shah's chair. Like Nanda, he was bare-chested, dressed in the pants and skirt outfit that immediately marked the members of the King's harem. His hair, shoulder-length and ink dark, was bound neatly in a tail at the nape of his neck, and he wore thick, heavy bands of gold at his wrists and throat, bringing out the gold in his dusky skin. "I did restrain him, that's the frightening part."
"I was afraid of that," Shah murmured as he tugged the second man close, kissing him deeply. "Perhaps I should set you, my beautiful witch, to watch them both."
"Witcher? Make us behave?" Aik threw his head back and laughed. "I would like to see that happen."
"Be quiet, monk," Witched said, making a face. He hummed as Shah's hands stroked softly across his unusually pale skin, sky blue eyes bright with pleasure. His hair was bright blonde, just long enough for fingers to sink into, grab hold of. Gold hoops gleamed at his nipples, the only decoration he wore. "If my King orders me to make you behave, I will do so."
Aik's dark eyes flashed with challenge and desire. "Shah, tell him to make me behave."
Shah chuckled and released Witcher. "Perhaps tonight, as Ikram has instructed I dine with my harem in private lest the council descend upon us in murderous rage. What did you let Bey do, my monk? And where is my pirate? I remember saying he was to be here for the afternoon."
"Your Queen stole him for the afternoon. They were bringing word to you when Nanda found us, and we said we would relay the message. As to what Bey did," Aik shrugged, "his mere presence in the palace, and in your bed, is enough to ensure the council acts like men driven mad by too much sun."
Witcher rolled his eyes from where he sat at Shah's
The King smiled faintly. "We are alone, Nanda."
Nanda's mouth curved in a whisper-soft smile. "Doubt ill suits you, Shah." He kissed Shah softly. "If you want to be driven crazy, then summon those two idiots trying to bring the palace crashing down. They excel at mayhem; there is no need for you to drive yourself mad."
Laughing, shaking with the force of it, Shah tugged Nanda closer for a deeper kiss. "As always, my Nanda, you know precisely what to say." He gently traced the fine line of Nanda's cheekbone with the tips of his fingers. "You have been here all morning, my beauty. Find Bey and Aik, tell them to come and attend me for the rest of the day. That should keep them out of trouble for a bit. Go find food, then enjoy a nap for me."
"I do not enjoy them unless you are with me," Nanda replied, and with a last kiss slid from Shah's lap. "Perhaps I'll coerce Kiah into dozing with me." He smiled faintly. "And we'll tell you all about it later."
"That would make good hearing," Shah murmured. He motioned toward the door. "Go before I decide I have the time for a nap of my own. Pass word that I'll be dining in private tonight."
"Yes, Majesty." Nanda bowed gracefully. "I will also send in food for you, so you can relax a bit before resuming court."
"Thank you, Nanda."
With another faint smile, Nanda gave another bow and then left the courtroom, the door closing on his soft words as he spoke to the guards.
"Nanda says we are in trouble."
Shah looked up from a report he'd been skimming, smiling at the men approaching him. "You and Bey need to be locked in my quarters, my monk." He tilted his head back as the man swooped down to kiss him. "I told you to restrain him, Aik."
Aik rolled his eyes and sat down on a pillow to the left of Shah's chair. Like Nanda, he was bare-chested, dressed in the pants and skirt outfit that immediately marked the members of the King's harem. His hair, shoulder-length and ink dark, was bound neatly in a tail at the nape of his neck, and he wore thick, heavy bands of gold at his wrists and throat, bringing out the gold in his dusky skin. "I did restrain him, that's the frightening part."
"I was afraid of that," Shah murmured as he tugged the second man close, kissing him deeply. "Perhaps I should set you, my beautiful witch, to watch them both."
"Witcher? Make us behave?" Aik threw his head back and laughed. "I would like to see that happen."
"Be quiet, monk," Witched said, making a face. He hummed as Shah's hands stroked softly across his unusually pale skin, sky blue eyes bright with pleasure. His hair was bright blonde, just long enough for fingers to sink into, grab hold of. Gold hoops gleamed at his nipples, the only decoration he wore. "If my King orders me to make you behave, I will do so."
Aik's dark eyes flashed with challenge and desire. "Shah, tell him to make me behave."
Shah chuckled and released Witcher. "Perhaps tonight, as Ikram has instructed I dine with my harem in private lest the council descend upon us in murderous rage. What did you let Bey do, my monk? And where is my pirate? I remember saying he was to be here for the afternoon."
"Your Queen stole him for the afternoon. They were bringing word to you when Nanda found us, and we said we would relay the message. As to what Bey did," Aik shrugged, "his mere presence in the palace, and in your bed, is enough to ensure the council acts like men driven mad by too much sun."
Witcher rolled his eyes from where he sat at Shah's
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