Drowning In Feelings

Tariq moved quickly through a snaking stone corridor, holding Aneesa's hand as she trailed silently behind him, the Malika's footsteps still echoing in her ears.

She hadn't spoken since the executions.

Her eyes, usually sharp and alert, now looked far away, as if she were walking through fog.

Tariq said nothing until they reached an open courtyard, with a long reflecting pool that mirrored the sky, which was painted in the pastels of dusk. 

"One Moment," he told her as he approached a guard to converse discreetly.

Aneesa stared at the water, then at the light dancing on the columns beside it, and finally at the sky, a mix of purple, orange, and blue hues. She tried to distract herself from the images of the murders she had just witnessed, but they flashed in her mind. 

All at once, she collapsed into the water.

Tariq and several guards rushed to her. He jumped into the pool, picking her up into his arms. Her body was soaking wet, and his robes were drenched to his knees.

He carried her, calling out her name.

"Aneesa, my love, please.." his voice echoed in her head as she drifted in and out of consciousness.

The feeling of being weightless disoriented her. 

"Tariq," she whispered. "I'm sorry." 

Tariq smiled and mouthed something she could not hear before she passed out again.

-----

When she awoke, she was lying on warm stone. The walls and ceilings were adorned with bright colors, and steam wafted through the air.

"You shouldn't have been there," Tariq said, his low reflective voice echoing in the Hammam. 

"Tariq," she whispered, outstretching her hand to touch his face.

He gestured to a female servant waiting by the wall. "Bring fresh robes and something to drink."

The servant bowed and left.

He lifted Aneesa into his arms, crossing an open-air floor. The nighttime sky twinkled through the latticed ceiling, and soft glowing lanterns cast shadows on the walls. 

He entered a new room filled with steaming baths, the atmosphere otherworldly. A golden hue enveloped the walls and ceiling, decorated with intricate geometric shapes that mimicked constellations. He carried her into a warm bath that smelled of lavender and rose oil.

"We need to undress," he said, looking down into her eyes, which teared up once again.

She didn't stop him as he unlaced her robe, but flinched when a servant entered to place a tray of tea and robes nearby.

A look of concern pained Tariq's face, worried that she no longer felt safe in his presence.

"You may leave us," he told the servant before staring at Aneesa gently. "Let me undress you."

She nodded.

His gaze fixed on her bare skin as he peeled back layers of silk like pages from a sacred text. Her body was warm beneath his fingers, but her eyes were still far away.

"Aneesa," he touched her face, and she broke.

"I've never seen someone die before," she began to cry. "Not like that. Not in front of me. Not…"

He pulled her close, hands cradling her head as her tears fell down his chest.

"Life in this palace is filled with death. It is a constant reminder of our fragility. Your response is normal; this place...is not. I'm sorry my mother brought you here," he said with a tinge of sadness in his voice.

Aneesa pulled away from him and stood. Her bare chest was dripping with the oil and water of the bath. Tariq removed his tunic and waited for her to lead. She guided her hands down his chest to the deep cut at his waist and ultimately his arousal. She kissed him deeply, stroking him gently as ripples danced in the water. 

Tariq shuddered as he hardened in her hands. His fingers caressed the small of her back before grabbing her bottom and pulling her closer. He plunged his tongue deep into her mouth and then grabbed her hair, pulling their mouths apart.

They panted heavily. Her hands didn't stop. He throbbed in her palms.

"Aneesa, you don't...uh...we don't...ya allah," Tariq moaned as her hands moved faster, he threw his head back and bit down on his lip before grabbing her hands and forcing her to stop.

"Make me forget," she said, kissing him wildly on his chest, which glistened with sweat and steam. "Please...j'alni ansā d-dunyā."

Tariq gathered her wrists into one hand, raising them above her head. He searched her eyes.

"I don't want to take you like this. I can make you forget, but we don't have to do this," he said, caressing her face with his other hand and grazing her lips with his thumb.

"Please, Tariq. I want you." Aneesa moaned. She did want him. She wanted him to fill her mind and body. She wanted to forget about the day and go back to the morning before the bell rang. Before her efforts for the Malika claimed lives. She wanted her mind to be as blank as it had been before, when they embraced.

Tariq paused for a moment in thought and then guided his hand down her neck to caress her breasts, her stomach, and finally between her thighs. He touched her deeply, feeling the clear distinction between her wetness and the water of the bath. His hand now fully immersed in her honey.

"Yes..." he whispered before guiding her to kneel before him. She did so obediently, and he released her wrists. He towered over her, his glowing eyes watching in anticipation.

He took the hand that had touched her most intimate part and scooped water from the bath into his palm. Then he snapped, transforming it into a blue flame.

Aneesa was mesmerized by the fire; it burned so bright that it lit up the whole room in a heavenly hue of green.

"It's beautiful," she said. "Will it hurt?"

"It doesn't burn. Not the way you think." Tariq assured her. "It is our desire manifested." 

They both smiled, and the flame began to die.

"What's happening?" she asked. 

"All flames, my love, must be fed," he whispered. "Now...open your mouth." 

Aneesa obeyed. He stepped closer, guiding himself into her mouth. She wrapped her lips around him and gently began to suck, her eyes locked into his.

Though new to this, something in her moved with certainty. It was as if her mind was filled with a knowing of how to please the Emir.

"Uh, Aneesa...you are so good...yes...uh" he moaned, his body responding, his hand on her head as he pressed deeper.

"Now, watch the flame," he said. Her eyes stared into it, transfixed. It grew larger every time she took him deeper into her mouth. She began sucking vigorously, and his moans grew louder, his body trembling between her lips.

Aneesa's mind emptied as the glow hypnotized her. As their desire grew, so did the flame.

Tariq watched her, mesmerized. Her body shimmered in the light, her breast slightly hidden in the water. He held back for as long as he could; the longer he resisted, the stronger the transmutation.

But he couldn't anymore. 

She was too good. It felt too good. He needed to release.

He withdrew, but Aneesa pulled him back. She took him deeper, her hunger unstoppable. His moans filled the bath, driving her mad, and in that moment, she felt a power she hadn't had before.

At last, Tariq came into her mouth. The blue flame burst into amber. Aneesa drank him down as he pulsed on her tongue, and his body shook. 

She released him, and he slumped into the bath, panting. 

"Thank you," she said, straddling him and kissing his neck, then his chest. 

"You will undo me," he said as she felt him stir between her legs.

She guided him inside, pressing down to take it all. His hands gripped her waist, thrusting deeply. She whimpered at the edge of pain and pleasure.

Aneesa rode him slowly, waves curling around them, her lips tickling his ear as she moaned his name gently.

"Aneesa, I'm yours..." he uttered before giving her everything.