Chapter 1: Introduction

Fire crackled, and biting smoke melded with the sand-filled wind sweeping through camp. The air bit like vengeful shards melded into a howling storm. Weather-beaten yak tents wilted in defeat against the siege.

To my left, a thriving sea of horses and camels fed on the weak landscape. Tendrils of heat shimmered above the wretched scene, casting a scene that wasn't quite a mirage on the scorched horizon.

Jutting out among the ashen ochre and sienna of this parched land, Tengri Khan's grandest tent squatted. Dark eyes gleamed in anticipation as I watched its entrance—the prize I'd won in the blood-soaked lottery of war.

The slit of the tent drooped open, and she was revealed, her silhouette floating like a scholar's longing dream. Ai-Yan, my lost love, shrouded in darkness, shackled in sin.

Her once-free heart hardened by the weight of golden chains, snaked around her willowy neck, these chains amplified her voluptuous allure.

As she unfolded her elegant form from within, Tengri Khan's muddy eyes plucked at her being. Her dark flowing hair snaked down her front, cascading upon her sumptuous gown, as it hugged her sinuous figure. Jade-green eyes, bursting with mystery, glittered defiantly.

"You dare to claim me, Mongol?" she hissed, her lilting accent as rich as aged wine.

"Like the most precious jewel in my possession." Tengri's round mouth quirked into a grin. "And yet, I see a flicker of a once-familiar fire." He glanced over his shoulder at me. "One I enjoy extinguishing."

The throbbing pulse of burgeoning need ached in the air. I watched her struggle, my heart wrought with agony.

Tengri Khan revealed his plans for the captivating beauty, my once-upon-a-time lover.

"Temujin, you'll ensure her every need is met," the Khan commanded.

The thought of being close to her prowess, rather than raping her like the rest, brought me both relief and torment.

"Don't think I've forgiven you, artist," she spat, our eyes locked. "I'll fight it, you know.