Whore!” he snarls, slamming me into the wall so hard stars burst in my eyes. I hiss at him, the tiger in me threatening to emerge and rip out his throat, but a shout brings me back to myself.
“Zahra!”
I turn my head and see Aladdin running toward us. When he sees that it’s Darian holding me roughly against the wall, his face twists into such rage that he seems unrecognizable.
He crashes into Darian before the prince has a chance to say anything. The two slam into the ground, Aladdin throwing a punch that cracks against Darian’s jaw.
“Stop it!” I cry. “Prince Rahzad!”
The boys ignore me, rolling and thrashing like dogs.
Leave them! Zhian roars. Let me out!
“How dare you touch her?” Aladdin spits, grabbing Darian by the hair and pressing the prince’s face into the stone floor. “You bastard!”
“I didn’t give her anything she didn’t ask for,” Darian hisses back. “Get off me or I’ll have you executed!

Jessica Khoury