It was long past the hour and Thaniel knew Vinod, Rajeev and their men had been asleep for hours. He traded quietly through the halls, his socks meeting the marble floor beneath him without a sound. His eyes and ears kept attentive to every little sound, getting caught would land him in more trouble than he needed to be in. He had been lucky to avoid what little guards were out and avoid awakening anyone in the room he walked past. A bead of sweat rolled down his face, with every door he passed he was getting closer to his destination but his growing worry at being heard also grew. As he walked he bore no other thoughts than to reach the room he had been invited to and avoid getting caught in the process. Finally, just three doors away he stopped, he stared at Kiran’s door knob wondering what awaited him on the other side besides her presence. Perhaps it was a trap? Perhaps all of Vinod’s men waited there to get him, or Abhiraj to report him, or even Rajeev to claim Kiran his by a challenge. It sounded ridiculous, but was it really? He contemplated leaving, turning around and heading back to his chamber and sparing himself if it was a trap. But then what if it wasn’t? What if it was really Kiran that wanted to see him? She might’ve invited him with true intentions of being with him… Suddenly his thoughts were broken and his body jolted in surprise. “Mr. Brougham?” Abhiraj’s voice came from behind him. Thaniel’s heart raced mercilessly, his nerves caused him to near damn well faint. He had been caught, maybe it was a trap, Kiran was going to burst from her door at any second and claim he was going to her chamber to take her. He turned as calmly as she could on his heel, “Abhiraj!” He whispered, approaching the clearly confused and suspicious man, “I got lost again,” he muttered trying to seem embarrassed. “Which room were you seeking?” He asked, his eyes still scanning the hall and Thaniel. Thaniel thought quickly, “The study room,” Abhiraj cocked an eyebrow, “The one with the record books, from three years ago.” Abhiraj composed his expression, it was understandable. Thaniel had only been shown once the study with the older record books, he usually worked in the second study with the newer records. “I wasn’t able to sleep and thought I’d sort through some of the dates, make sure old debts are paid and such… harder to find my way in the dark.” His instigator nodded, “Off down this hall, to the right and it’ll be the fourth door to the left.” Thaniel smiled, “Ah well, I wasn’t too far off. Thank you.” He bowed and walked off down the hall he was directed through. He rounded the corner and stopped, waiting for Abhiraj’s foot steps to fade away before emerging again. This time without thought or second consideration, he quietly rushed to Kiran’s door and knocked. She answered the door immediately and ushered him in. “I heard you two talking,” she said quietly, locking her door. “Did he suspect you?” “I don’t think so,” he answered as he sat down on her bed. Her room was beautiful, much more than his, more even so than Vinod’s throne room. He suspected Rajeev had showered her in gifts and luxuries to please her and spoil her and make her feel like the princess she was to become. He also had no doubt it was a way to claim her his, the lavishes and extreme riches and endowments clearly she showed she was spoken for. Her bed was soft, round in shape and covered in sheets of silk and velvet, her entire chamber was decorated in colors of purple, auburn and gold; very rich and royal. Her floor was littered in beautiful rugs that seemed to have come from different countries, pillars of gorgeous marble, differing in colors from that of the rest of the palace, stood at each corner from floor to ceiling. Her room held no windows and so was lit by soft, calming lamps that stood at each corner in front of the pillars. The smoke of burning incense twirled in the room, filling it with the sweet smell of rosemary. Kiran turned from her door and laid her desert eyes on Thaniel, a sweet yet luring smile gracing her face. Thaniel’s eyes froze on her as she walked towards him, her thin; see through, belly dance skirt swayed in perfect skin with her hips and thighs. Her raven black hair was down over her slender shoulders. A golden tiara came down over her forehead, dropping a red gem between her almond eyes, accenting their color and effect even more. She walked gracefully up to him, her legs stopping perfectly between his. Her hands grazed slowly up his arms and stopped at his shoulders. Her left leg suddenly lifted from the ground and bent, her knee moved up from his inner thigh, over his hip and came to rest on the bed beside him, soon after her right leg followed suit. Her hand moved slowly up from his shoulder, over his neck and her fingers entwined slowly into his hair. Her lips, curved in a seductive smile, lowered perfectly onto his. Thaniel couldn’t help but fall into her kiss and take her. He placed firm hands on her hips and in one graceful, easy movement he rolled over onto her bed. He immediately took to placing soft, irresistible kisses on her neck. He took a hold of her waist and pulled her in towards his as she entwined her leg over his. All thoughts and worries of being caught, killed, imprisoned or any other morbid consequence flushed from his mind as she unbuttoned open his shirt and let her cool, slender, soft fingers enter and graze along his back. Kiran’s fingertips grazed suddenly over a clutter of fine, healed, glossy scars. She grinned and pulled away from Thaniel’s kiss. “Your wife is not so gentle either, is she?” She teased. Thaniel was wrenched suddenly and rather painfully with the thought of his wife, his pregnant wife. He frowned down at Kiran but rather than pull from his actions, he only took her and kissed her harder, bore more of his weight down on her frame. The dancer didn’t fight it but he could feel… sense she wasn’t to give herself up as he was hoping. She continued to urge him on, pull him further into her seduction, and erase more and more common sense from his mind with every move her body made. Finally when she saw in his eyes that he was lost to all but her she moved in with her plans. She wanted him and wouldn’t let another stand in her way. Again she broke their kiss but kept his attention by continuously letting her fingers slide along his back and nudging her hips against his. She brought his ear down to her lips and spoke, placing small kisses on it as she did. “Do you want me, Edmund?” She asked, her voice in a bare whisper, her soft breath sending chills through his back. As many times as he had done jobs with disguised names he couldn’t accustom himself to Kiran calling him Edmund, he wanted to hear his name, to hear Thaniel leave her lips, not a cover name. Still, lost in everything she had done and was still doing to him he could only nod in response. She moved her hands over his ribs, down his chest and back over his back. “You can have me…” She said. His heart raced ten times faster than it already had. A deep exhale escaped him at her words, in the moment he had wanted to hear nothing more from her. He placed and eager kiss on her neck, showing he was more than ready and willing to do what she pleased but her next words shattered him. “… but I promised to never give myself to a married man.” He lifted his lips from her neck and merely stared down at the pillows beneath her head and the strands of dark hair resting upon it. Despite the fact that he found it extremely hard to think clearly, he knew exactly what her words meant. He wanted the woman beneath him and she wanted him just as much… and Juline was standing in the way. The gentle movement of Kiran’s fingers broke him from his thoughts and brought him back to the current situation, “Edmund?” She asked quietly. He had to make the decision, he knew she had a plan and it was now the time to decide which road he would take. His mind ventured briefly to the thoughts of his home, his child, his wife, his room, his belongings but quickly it drew back to the memories of nights in the dance room. Nights of watching Kiran dance flawlessly before him and at some point for him. His body urged him on to the woman he knew he wanted and craved. Again, another brief and weak thought of Juline passed through his mind as he lowered his lips and kissed Kiran gently and softly on the shoulder, letting his action speak his response. She grinned, it had worked without fault and getting rid of his wife was no longer a problem. In a seemingly affectionate manner Kiran took Thaniel’s face and gave him a last kiss before moving herself out from under him and standing up. Thaniel dropped onto her bed, suddenly drained and emotionally burdened. She moved over to a small chest she had sitting on her vanity. She took its small, brass key and unlocked it then slowly pulled it open. Countless little jewels littered the bottom of the box, coins, rings, necklaces and other trinkets also filled the box. But among the litter of precious belongings lay a small, glass bottle filled with a deep, purple liquid. She removed it carefully from the box and walked back to Thaniel. Sitting on the edge of the bed she presented it to him. Thaniel gave Kiran an odd expression as he perked up on his elbow and took the bottle in his hand. “What is this?” “Poison,” her lips formed the word dangerously. His eyes moved sharply from the object and back to Kiran’s eyes. Her expression showed she clearly knew what she was offering, the danger and cruelty she was suggesting, yet her face showed no regret. “It’s extremely potent… and quick. She will feel nothing,” she continued to explain. As Thaniel’s eyes moved back to the bottle he reminded her, “She’s pregnant.” For once Kiran’s eyes moved away with a pained stare but her response came sharply, “It will kill them both.”