by Albany,Cara
Any moment now he knew she would disappear into that narrow cutting. But he wasn't going to allow that to happen. As far as he was concerned the chase was over.
"Lucy!" he roared, his voice echoing eerily around the rocky enclosure. "It's me. Azim. Stop."
He saw the effect of his voice in the instantaneous way she halted her mount. He saw her twist in her saddle and look back toward him.
Azim drove his horse toward her, desperate that she should see he was unaccompanied, that he'd left the tribesmen behind. Azim had made sure that Jawad hadn't had any choice in that matter. This was Azim's problem now.
As his horse pounded across the soft, dusty earth, Azim saw Lucy's eyes widen, saw her mouth open in surprise. He must seem like something out of a dream, he said to himself. Riding toward her in the half-light of the end of the day, deep in a ravine in the middle of a mountain range in his own country. This was the last place he'd ever thought to see her again.
"Azim?" he heard her say as she turned her mount to face him. Her voice sounded quiet and strangely out of place in this harsh corner of Qazhar. "Are you alone?" she asked sharply.
He saw her glance past him, back toward the opening through which he'd just emerged. Surely she didn't think he'd let those barbarians come with him in pursuit of the woman who'd once meant so much to him. Who still did. How could she even think such a thing?
"Of course I'm alone," he said trying to contain the disbelief in his voice.
Azim saw Lucy's shoulders slump slightly, as if all the tension had instantly slid out of her body now that he knew he was alone with her. Did she even think about the fact that he'd come racing after her? Did she understand just how desperate he was that she be safe?
He was a mere few feet away from her when he drew his mount to a halt. He took a moment to gaze at her and felt the familiar sensations course through his body. Old sensations he'd never forgotten. Just to look at her like this was such a relief. She was still as beautiful as he'd remembered. Even more so now, he told himself. If that was even possible.
Azim took in the sight of the woman he'd once loved with an intensity which had terrified him. Lucy was simply amazing looking. He'd forgotten how delicate her features were; her heart shaped face; clear, smooth skin; full lips; high cheekbones and broad forehead.
He recalled how it had felt running his finger along the length of her beautiful jawline. He could see even through her white shirt the fullness of her breasts, and he remembered how it had felt holding her, running his hands down to the width of her hips.
She wore dark pants, but even through them he could sense that her long legs were still strong. Perfect for horse riding, he'd told her more than once, especially when he'd wanted to persuade her to go riding with him in the desert. She'd resisted every time, and now it was ironic that they were here together like this, facing each other on horseback.
She raised a hand to her thick blonde hair which she had tied back in a pony tail. Memories drifted into his mind of the softness of that hair as he'd snaked his fingers through it.
"Is anyone else coming?" she asked, forcing him sharply out of his reverie.
Azim shook his head firmly. "Of course not," he replied as if it was the most obvious thing he could say.
He saw her eyes flicker nervously over his shoulder. Didn't she believe him?
Her horse shifted beneath her, and he wondered if it sensed her nervousness. Lucy tugged on the reins. "I can't believe it's you," she said softly. "How did you know I was here?"
"It's a long story," he said dismissively.
"But, I thought I'd kept a low profile when I came into the country," she continued ignoring his reply.
Azim narrowed his brows and quirked the corner of his mouth. "Do you really think you could come back to Qazhar and I wouldn't know about it?" he asked incredulously.
Lucy shrugged and cocked her head to one side. "I guess not. I seem to recall not much gets past you. Did you have my name on some special watch list?" she asked, a hint of irritation in her voice.
"Of course not," he replied firmly. "What do you think I am? Some kind of global stalker?"
Lucy mouth pursed, and he could see that she was annoyed that her anonymity had been compromised somehow in a way she still couldn't fathom. The truth was Lucy hadn't done much to hide the fact that she was back in his country. Had she even been hoping Azim would find out she was here? That thought made him feel a flicker of hope, something he hadn't felt in a very long time.
"Of course I don't think that about you, Azim," she said. "It's just that you were the last person I expected to see here."
"I'm sure," he said bluntly. "I take it you've come to see the stone carvings?"
Lucy nodded and gazed around the high cliffs and the deepening gloom. "Why else would I have come to this forsaken place?"
Azim raised a brow. "Why didn't you contact me, before you came back?"
"You know why, Azim."
"Didn't you know these mountains have rebel tribes?"
Lucy nodded. "Of course I knew that. I just didn't expect to be taken capture like something out of the Arabian Nights."
"Those men aren't the kind of men you find in fairy tales, Lucy. They're dangerous."
"You seemed to cope pretty well with them."
"They only listened to me because of who I am. My connections."
"That's right. The royal family of Qazhar. Or one of the many related families," she said acidly. He was shocked that she would mock his family connections, especially since they'd just been responsible for saving her from unthinkable harm. He controlled a shudder when he thought of what might have happened if he hadn't found out where she was and trailed her.
"The fact of who I am seemed to impress that so-called tribal elder enough that he agreed to let you go."
Lucy's eyes widened. "He was going to release me?"
Azim nodded. "I'd just finished negotiating with him when you decided to stage a foolish escape bid."
"I needn't have bothered?" she asked incredulously.
Azim shook his head and smiled. "It was dramatic, though," he said. "I was impressed by your riding skills."
Lucy squinted at him. He could tell she knew he was playing with her. "I've been practising," she declared.
"Really? Practising riding? Now, that I can hardly believe."
"I thought it would come in handy. Seems I was right," Lucy said defiantly. He saw her brows narrow. "Were they really going to fire on me?" she asked.
"I stopped them before they had a chance."
"I thought I heard someone shouting," Lucy said. "That was you?"
Azim nodded and said nothing. He moved his horse closer to Lucy's. He saw her watching him come closer until he was alongside her. He reached out and laid a hand on her arm, feeling the soft material of her shirt against the coarse skin of his fingers. He saw her gaze drop down and look at his hand. Then she lifted her gaze and peered into his eyes. For a moment he was sure she was about to say something, but then she seemed to change her mind. She cleared her throat and moved her arm away from his hand.
Lucy glanced around the ravine. "What are we going to do?"
Azim drew in a deep breath. "We can't go back the way we came."
Lucy's brows rose in surprise. Azim wondered whether he should tell her that he didn't trust Jawad further than he could throw the man, but chose, instead to err on the side of caution. "I think they have other plans. It might be best to leave them to it for a while." Azim gazed around the ravine. "In any case. There are other ways out of this mountain range."
"Even before dark?"
Azim shook his head. "Not before dark. After first light, we can get back to the desert, and then we're in my territory. I know my way around this part of the desert. There are places we can use for the journey back to Qazhar."
"Back to Qazhar city?" she asked. He sensed a note of indignation in her voice, as if she were about to object to his assumption that he would take her back to the safety o
f the city. But that was exactly what he intended to do, and there was nothing she was going to do to stop him. He had already decided.
Azim glanced up at the darkening sky. "We need to find shelter before nightfall," he said.
Azim saw Lucy's face pale slightly at the realization that Azim was suggesting they spend the night together taking shelter in the mountain range.
"Are you sure we can't find our way out of here before dark?" she asked. He was sure he could hear her voice cracking with the beginnings of emotion. Now just what emotion could that be, he asked himself. Surely she wasn't frightened of being with Azim. Didn't she trust him?
Azim shook his head. "We'll have to shelter for tonight. Then leave in the morning."
Lucy shook her head. "I didn't come all this way to not see what I came for."
Azim frowned. "You don't mean the carvings," he said.
Lucy nodded firmly. "I mean exactly that," she said.
Azim felt a knot of worry ball up in his gut. How was he going to tell her about the destruction of the sacred carvings? There was nothing else for it, he realized. He'd just have to tell her the truth.
"There's something about that I have to tell you, Lucy. And, it's not good news."
He saw her brows furrow, worry tightening her features. "What do you mean?"
Azim drew in a deep breath. "I spoke to Jawad, the tribal leader. He gave me bad news."
Lucy leaned forward. "About the statues?"
Azim nodded. "They've been damaged."
Lucy stiffened and she reached out, seizing Azim's hand. "No!" she shrieked and her voice seemed unnaturally loud in the confines of the ravine. "How badly?" Lucy demanded.
Azim paused and looked directly into Lucy's eyes. He could see the intensity there, the sheer purposeful determination that lurked in the depths of those gorgeous blue pools. The same pools he'd sunk into so many times before, wanting to be lost, seeking to find himself in their azure beauty.
"I don't even know whether we should believe that useless son of a..." Azim started to say but was interrupted by Lucy's tightening grasp of his hand.
"Have they been destroyed?" she insisted.
"I don't know for sure," Azim admitted. "I haven't seen them with my own eyes. So, I can't be sure. How can we any faith in a man like him, anyway?" Azim said.
He heard Lucy gasp and saw her eyes moisten. "I can't believe it."
Azim laid a hand over Lucy's. He wanted to reassure her, take away the shock, the disappointment she must be feeling. He was sure he could feel her hand shaking, and he desperately needed to calm her, prove to her that her journey here hadn't been pointless. He knew just passionately she felt about her work. Azim knew that there was real value in what Lucy took it upon herself to do, bringing the world's attention to the plight of these artefacts of his country's past.
"There's only one way to be certain," he said.
Her gaze was penetrating as she sought to understand just what he meant.
"We'll have to go and see for ourselves," he said.
He saw her eyes narrow slightly as she weighed up his suggestion. It was what she had come here for. Even if it meant spending time with Azim, he was sure she'd see the sense in his proposal. In any event, it would give Azim a chance to spend time with Lucy, keep her safe. Exactly what he wanted.
After a moment she nodded. "Okay," she said quickly. He saw a sudden brightness on her eyes. "You're right. There's only one way to find out of that creep was lying."
Azim had to contain a burst of laughter that leapt to his throat at Lucy's description of Jawad.
"What's so funny?" Lucy asked.
"Nothing. I was just thinking that just about describes Jawad perfectly."
"Even if the site has been damaged, as Jawad claims it has been, if I get some good documentary evidence of the damage, that will have made my trip more than worth it," she said.
"The only immediate problem we have is where we are going to spend the night," Azim said.
He saw her cheeks flush at his suggestion of forced intimacy. Was she remembering how things had been between them?
Lucy started to fuss with her pack. "Do you have any suggestions?"
Azim drew himself up on his horse and peered through the growing gloom and into the pathway he knew led to the area where the site was located. "We can make a start and head down that ravine. I know it heads northeast and it should take us to the site. I've been here before to monitor the site. But, it's been a while since I've spent any time in these mountains. I guess I'll just have to rely on instinct."
"The instincts of a sheikh?" Lucy said. Was there a mocking tone in her voice?
"Of course. What else do I have to rely on?"
Lucy cleared her throat and turned to peer down the ravine. "That sounds like a plan," she said. He thought her forced flippancy sounded strained with emotion as if she was trying to contain thoughts of just what it might mean to spend the night with Azim.
She turned back and gazed at him. "We're talking cave?"
Azim nodded. "We'll find something, I'm sure. There're plenty of places to take shelter. The nights can get cold. But you already know that," he said giving her a look. "Don't you remember?"
He saw memory flicker across her features, but it was quickly buried beneath a sudden purpose and need for distraction. He couldn't forget the nights they'd spent beneath the stars. How could she? Was she so determined to pretend they hadn't shared a tumultuous relationship that had shaken both their worlds?
"Let's get going then," she said turning her mount in the direction of the entrance to the riverbed ravine. "It'll be dark soon," she added.
As he followed behind her, Azim wondered just what he could look forward to on the first night he'd spent with Lucy in two years.
CHAPTER FIVE
"This will do, I suppose. It's pretty small, but I'm sure we'll be able to keep warm," Azim said to Lucy as he emerged from inside the small cave they'd found after a short ride up the valley. Lucy stood, arms folded and peered at the tiny entrance. It did seem awfully cramped. Too small. Surely he hadn't forgotten how she felt about cramped spaces.
She glanced further the valley. "Isn't there a chance we'll find something bigger further up that way," she said pointing into the gathering gloom.
Azim shook his head. "Not enough time."
She watched him lift the large pack off his horse's back. She wondered how he had packed so much stuff at such short notice. Azim noticed her puzzled look. He heaved the pack up. "Most of this is water containers," he explained. "I guessed I might be here a while, so I came prepared."
"You have enough for us both?" she asked.
"And the horses," he replied starting toward the entrance. "Although, we'll have to be careful how much we use."
Azim turned to her and smiled. That smile! She'd forgotten how something so simple could make her feel. Butterflies tumbled in her middle, and she just knew that her face had changed color in a treacherously revealing way.
"Sound okay?" he asked, eyes bright and expectant.
"Sure," she said fussing nervously with her hair.
Azim turned back to the cave entrance, bent down and she was treated to a view of him from behind. Even through the close fitting white robes, that part of his physique was easily discernible. She cleared her throat and tried to wrench her gaze away from the sight of his narrow hips. But she couldn't take her eyes off him as he bent low and went inside the cave.
She followed after him, bending low. She was pleasantly surprised when she saw just how spacious the cave actually was. It was about twelve feet square and the same in height. The air was dry and there was an earthy odor that filled her nostrils. The coolness made her skin tingle. She felt suddenly confined. Even although it wasn't as small as she'd expected, it still made her feel as if the walls were forcing themselves in toward her. She wrapped her arms around herself, and tried to control the sudden sensation of panic that fluttered in her middle.
Faint light fro
m outside was just about enough for her to make out the flat, dusty floor upon which Azim had laid his pack. He bent over and started unpacking the contents. He quickly laid out two narrow blankets side by side, laying the the bulky pack in the space between the two places. She watched him take out a small device and flick a switch.
A surprising amount of welcome light filled the small cave from the very tiny electric lamp. She felt instant relief. He had remembered her problem with the dark, after all.
Azim turned to her. "How does that look?" he said gesturing to the two parallel blankets.
She forced herself to smile. "Looks comfy," she replied.
Azim fussed with the rest of the contents of the pack. "I've got some food here, although it's not much, I'm afraid."
"Food? You certainly did come prepared," she said.
Azim shrugged. "Its standard practice out here. It pays to be prepared for any eventuality." He smiled at her. "Even someone from your past turning up unexpectedly," he added with a grin.
Lucy tried to ignore how those words made her feel, but it wasn't easy. It sounded like he was teasing her, trying to make her feel at home. She could never feel at home, though. Not in a place like this. She glanced out the cave entrance. "The horses will be alright, won't they?"
"They'll be fine. I tied them up. They won't be running off in the middle of the night," he said.
"What about Jawad's men. Won't they be able to find us here?" she asked.
Azim shook his head. "They're mountain men. They know better than to wander around these parts in the dark."
Lucy turned back and looked at him. He patted one of the blankets. "Take a seat. I'll serve," he said glancing apologetically at the food he was starting to unwrap. "It's not much, but it'll do," he added.
Lucy eased herself down onto the blanket, feeling the hard packed earth beneath her. It felt so firm, she wondered if she would sleep at all during the coming hours.
They ate for a while, saying little, and Lucy could sense they were both trying to adjust to the situation in which they'd found themselves. It was almost unreal, being here with the man she'd left so abruptly. The man she had abandoned.