Twenty-Four

 

Anahita watched in stunned horror as Philemon's robe fluttered to the sand, seemingly empty but for a tiny bulge she knew had to be his frog body, especially when it moved. She rushed forward and scooped him up, robe and all, then dropped him back on her bedroll. She wasn't sure what magic let him become a man there, but she intended to find out. She might not be an enchantress, but she still was a witch, even if all she could do was understand animals.

Though understanding Philemon was proving quite a challenge. She'd never met a frog like him – or a man like him, either.

The robe ballooned out as the magic in him turned him into a man again, or at least she hoped so. Philemon groaned.

"I'm going to check on the camels," Haidar said pointedly. "Like Asad, I will be a while."

Anahita didn't pay him more than a fleeting glance and a distracted nod as she patted down the robe to find the man she hoped was inside. He felt...normal.

A sigh of relief whooshed out of her as his head emerged from the neck of the robe. "Thank heavens," she breathed.

Philemon sat up suddenly, and his face was dangerously close to hers. It was now or never.

Anahita took a deep breath, then pressed her lips to his.

Please let this kiss break the curse, she prayed to anyone who was listening.

For a second, they stayed there like that, before Philemon leaned back and broke the contact between them. "What was that?" he asked.

Her heart sank. "A kiss, of course. Asad thinks that a kiss from me might break your curse, and as we arrive at our destination tomorrow, you might appreciate being able to walk around and talk to people as a man again, as I will not be as...available."

"Yes, I have heard that women can be quite busy at weddings. Especially if they are close to the bride," Philemon said drily.

Anahita wet her lips. Dare she tell him the truth? No, she could not risk it. "Yes, I am close to her. So if I can help you break the curse, it must be tonight."

"You must kiss me tonight?"

Curse him, it almost sounded like he was holding back laughter.

"I already did," she snapped.

He did laugh then, a rich sound that echoed off the dunes. Nothing like the reedy voice of a frog. It did things to her belly. "That wasn't a kiss. Definitely not something a spell would recognise."

Anahita pouted. "What sort of kiss does a spell recognise? Tell me and I shall do it."

"I don't know for certain, never having broken a spell with one before, but I imagine a kiss with the power to break spells would need some passion behind it. You'd need both your heart and soul in it. And your tongue."

"My tongue?" What was she supposed to do with her tongue? Lick him? Desperately, Anahita wished she'd brought Maram along. She knew about kissing, and such things. For all her husbands, Anahita had never kissed a man in her life. This idea was rapidly turning into a terrible one. But if she could break the curse, she had to do it tonight. For tomorrow would be too late. "Very well."

His face loomed close – almost too close – and he lifted a hand to her cheek. Not to capture her, like other men might have. No, his fingers brushed against her hair as his palm cupped her jaw, sensing she needed the support or reassurance. Leaving her free to flee if she needed to.

But she did not need to, Anahita scolded herself and her racing heart. Why, even her breath was coming fast now.

His thumb traced her lips. The top one, then the bottom, as she forced herself to exhale slowly.

"Don't be afraid," he said softly.

She wasn't afraid. She wasn't. By all that was holy...

Then his lips touched hers, and she forgot all else.

He inhaled, stealing her breath, before sealing his mouth to hers. Her mouth opened almost of its own accord, her lips following his. And then his tongue stroked hers, a teasing invitation to come out to play.

She wasn't afraid.

She cupped his face in her hands, and kissed him back with all of her being. Tongue, lips, breath, heart...maybe even her very soul. Clumsily at first, but when he didn't seem to care, she grew bolder, opening her eyes and raising them to meet his.

And she was lost. Utterly and completely lost, yet found, never wanting to stop...

"Ana. Ana!"

Who was calling her name at such a moment?

"Breathe, Ana."

Her face was pressed against a broad chest as a tender hand stroked her hair.

She sucked in a breath, then another, relishing the taste of him on her lips, her tongue. The heat of him, so close.

"Philemon, why did you stop?" she asked.

Laughter rumbled beneath her cheek. "What do you think your brothers would do if they knew you'd kissed a frog with such passion you'd forgotten to breathe?"

Her brothers? Anahita flicked her fingers. "Nothing, I'm sure. They hardly know I exist, so I'm sure they would not care what happens to me."

"Not so. Haven't they been watching us all evening? I'm sure Asad and Haidar care very much about you. So much that if they knew what we had just done, they would happily bury me alive in a desert grave before dawn."

It was her turn to laugh. "Asad and Haidar aren't my brothers! They're my father's sworn men!"

Haidar's voice came out of the dark. "Your sworn eunuchs!"

Philemon stiffened.

"Sworn to protect me," Anahita amended. "Ready to come at my call, should I need their help."

Philemon eased away from her. "Men who would happily remove a frog from your bed. I should find my own bed, or bucket." He rose.

Anahita grabbed his arm. "No! If any kiss can break a curse, that one should have done so. Surely. You should sleep here. I will take some of the spare cushions and things in the tent. Or take Asad's bedroll. He often complains it is too soft for him." She bit her lip, unable to tear her eyes away from his. Philemon looked so...so sad. "Tell me that kiss was enough!"

He sighed. "One kiss from you will never be enough, and yet, it must be. But yes, if any kiss had curse-breaking powers, it was yours." He pried her hand from his arm. "I thank you for your hospitality tonight, and pray that your dreams are sweet."

Her dreams were never sweet. Especially not the night before she married. Anahita turned away before Philemon could see her grimace.

"Sweet dreams to you, too, Philemon," she called over her shoulder with forced lightness as she trudged to the tent where she hoped she might get some sleep tonight.