Samir tensed up. His mother had mental traps in her mind? Her memories had been tampered with? By whom? Why?
“What about the prince?” Rohan said, snapping him out of his thoughts.
When Warrehn didn’t reply immediately, his friend said, “Warrehn?”
“I don’t want to touch his mind.”
Samir frowned.
“Why?” Rohan said, sounding puzzled.
It took Warrehn a moment to reply. “His mind is compatible with mine,” he said stiffly. “I don’t want my judgment to be influenced by that. The less I touch his mind, the better.”
Samir blinked, unsure what to think or feel. Considering that most people he knew were bonded, he’d rarely had an opportunity to touch someone else’s mind intimately, so he wasn’t sure what Warrehn meant.
“I have to go,” Warrehn said suddenly. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Samir wondered if Rohan was as confused as he was by the sudden end of the conversation, but before he could give it much thought, the door was yanked open and he found himself staring at Warrehn’s hard face.
“Learn anything?” he said, raising his finely shaped thick eyebrows.
Samir was too worried to feel embarrassed. “What is it about my mother’s mind you were talking about? You said her memories have been tampered with and that there are traps in her mind.”
Warrehn crossed his arms over his chest and stared him down, his face like stone. Samir tried not to feel intimidated, but it was so difficult. Everything about this man gave off strength and power that was both intangible and physical. Samir was in great shape himself, pretty well-built and tall, but next to Warrehn he felt small and insignificant. It was almost obscene, the way Warrehn’s black shirt stretched over his biceps, broad shoulders, and muscular chest. Warrehn’s sheer presence was overwhelmingly strong, too. He exuded the kind of power that was difficult to put into words. Samir could easily believe that he was one of the most powerful telepaths on the planet, as Rohan had said.
“Why should I tell you anything?” Warrehn said, looking at him impassively. “Your mother literally wants me dead.”
Samir winced on the inside. He did have a point. “I don’t,” he said.
Warrehn’s brows drew together. “What?”
“I don’t want you dead,” Samir said, looking him in the eyes with his most earnest expression.
For a moment, Warrehn seemed to be almost softening before his face hardened again. He scoffed, giving him a look of disgust. “I don’t trust a word you say. You’re as slimy as your mother. Get out.”
“I’d just like to talk to you,” Samir said with a smile. “We didn’t really have any opportunity to catch up, and I thought—”
“Don’t waste your breath. You can go back to your viper of a mother and tell her that I’m not interested in repeating my father’s mistakes.”
Samir stared at him—or rather, at his rich honey-brown hair, since Warrehn had turned his back to him. The hair in question looked amazingly thick and soft, gleaming in the light. It seemed completely unsuitable for this hard, unyielding man. “Pardon? What is that supposed to mean?”
Warrehn let out a humorless laugh. “I know what you’re up to. I’m not an idiot. So get out. I’m not interested. I’m not my father—I don’t think with my cock.”
“Your father didn’t think with his cock,” Samir said, just to be contrary, even though he was sure of no such thing. “He had feelings for my mother, even if they were messed up.”
Warrehn looked back at him, his lips twisted into something that wasn’t a smile. “Yes, I know he ‘loved’ her. And look where it got him. Love is a disease that turns even the smartest men into fools. I’m no fool. Now stop wasting my time.”
Samir cocked his head to the side, eyeing him thoughtfully. He suddenly wondered how bad it would have been to grow up with a neglectful father who was only interested in chasing after a woman—a woman who wasn’t Warrehn’s mother. No wonder Warrehn sneered at the mere notion of love.
Samir opened his mouth, but closed it as he realized that it was pointless. This man was determined to hate him, and nothing he could say would change that.
He turned and left, feeling defeated and out of sorts.
Chapter 5
Warrehn’s coronation took place two days later.
It was a very public ceremony neither Samir nor his mother was invited to participate in.
His mother was angry at the public slight—but also gleeful, because their absence during the coronation made displeasure with Warrehn grow among the common folk and the court. The slight looked particularly bad, considering that Dalatteya had hosted a ball in Warrehn’s honor and had been nothing but courteous and kind in public. It made Warrehn look like a royal ass.
“He must be the least popular king our grand clan has ever seen,” Dalatteya said, setting her multi-device down and smiling. “Have you seen his ratings? There are already protests all over the country. He’s one misstep away from an open revolt.”