Leaving Darius proved hard. Looking at him, his eyes closed in repose, his features relaxed, Shereen wanted nothing more than to snuggle close to him. To ignore the Lazuli offer, forget the power stolen from her - the betrayal by her own father - and sail away from here. Find a nice place. A safe place where she and Darius could make love, over and over.
It sounded like paradise, but epic s*x couldn't be the only thing she did with the rest of her life. She had been raised with a sense of responsibility. Raised to, one day, rule the citizens fairly and wisely.
She'd hoped she'd be much older when that happened. Hadn't wanted to ever imagine a world without her father.
And now. . . She was so conflicted.
The man she'd loved and idolized had been the one to hurt her, to handicap her and
