by Cara Albany
Rashid wondered what people would think of Hakim if they could see him like this. They would be shocked and appalled. But Rashid wasn't surprised by the transformation. He knew what Hakim was really like.
Deciding to test Hakim, Rashid pulled on the gate and opened it up fully. Rashid stepped through the open gates and stood a few paces from Hakim. "You heard what I said, Hakim," Rashid said.
At first Hakim seemed surprised that Rashid had emerged from the confines of his palace. A tightening of Hakim's shoulders hinted at a reaction, but it was quickly contained. Hakim grinned cruelly. His gaze drifted down the length of Rashid's tall frame.
Hakim nodded. "I heard what you said, Rashid."
"And?"
Hakim sighed. Rashid could tell that Hakim knew there was nothing he could do. The rules Hakim had invoked to try and force Nicole to become his bride, were the same ones Rashid had now invoked to keep her safe. At least for seven days.
And nights.
"You agree?" Rashid asked sharply.
Hakim shoulders slumped visibly. He nodded. "Seven nights."
That was it. By speaking those words, Hakim had conceded. For now, at least. They both understood what it meant.
Rashid saw Hakim gaze past him. "You really think she'll accept this?" Hakim asked with more than a hint of sarcasm.
"She'll understand," Rashid said. "Especially if it means she doesn't have to look at your face ever again," he added in an acid voice. He met Hakim's penetrating gaze.
Hakim took a step toward Rashid, but Rashid merely gazed indifferently at Hakim.
Hakim halted. "You think you're so clever, Sheikh Rashid, don't you."
Rashid shook his head. "You said yourself, back at the camp. Tradition is all that matters." Rashid shrugged and grinned. "You might say I'm just making the most of the small print," he said tilting his head at Hakim.
"Are you planning on making the most of the next seven nights?" Hakim asked sarcastically. "That's what this is really all about, isn't it?"
Rashid shook his head slowly. "I told you, Hakim. I'm nothing like you. I never have been. Nicole will be perfectly safe while she stays in my palace for the next seven nights."
Rashid leaned closer to Hakim. "My word is my bond. When I make a vow, I mean to keep it."
Hakim's eyes narrowed. He smiled lustfully and ran a hand across the dark stubble on his chin. "She is beautiful, this American woman. Is she not?" Hakim sneered lifting a brow.
Rashid struggled to hide the rush of indignation that made his cheeks flush with heat. He drew in a deep breath and calmed himself. "Nicole will be treated with the honor which seems so alien to you, Hakim," Rashid declared.
"Honor, eh? Is that what you call it, Rashid?"
"There's nothing more to say," Rashid announced turning away from Hakim. Rashid went back inside and closed the gates. "The agreement has been made. I expect you to honor your side of the agreement."
"I'll be waiting," Hakim said walking back to his horse. He got up onto his mount and seized the reins. "You know the rules," Hakim said.
Rashid nodded. "If Nicole remains with me for seven days, then you forfeit your claim to her as your bride."
Hakim shook his head. "She's a feisty one, that American," he said. "I think, once she finds out about the real reason you brought her here, she won't be eager to stay."
Rashid glared at Hakim. "Be on your way."
"I'll be watching these gates. If I see her leave, I'll know you've failed to persuade her to stay. Then, she'll be mine, and there'll be nothing you can do about it."
With that, Hakim turned his horse around and started back toward the distant dunes.
Rashid watched Hakim for a few moments and then made his way back to the palace.
Once up in his room, Rashid flopped down on the sofa. Rashid thought about the conversation which had just taken place. What had he done?
It was really very simple.
He had agreed that the beautiful American woman would be his captive for seven nights. A willing captive. But, a captive nevertheless.
That was bad enough.
But, he knew what the unspoken part of that agreement included.
Not only had Rashid agreed that he would persuade Nicole to stay with him willingly. He'd also agreed that during the next seven nights, Rashid would have do everything in his power to make Nicole fall for him.
He would have to win her over using every means at his disposal.
Not only that.
Rashid would have to persuade Nicole that the place where she really belonged, before the seven nights were up, was in his bed.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Soon after falling asleep, Nicole awoke to the distant sound of voices. Male voices somewhere nearby, outside her balcony.
For a moment she struggled to remember where she was. Then it came drifting back into her mind. She was lying in a bed in a sheikh's palace in the middle of the border wilderness in the north country of Qazhar. Sleep clawed at her, tempting her to remain in bed, to claim her badly needed rest.
Nicole ran a hand through her tousled hair and realized she wasn't wearing anything. She saw a traditional robe thrown over a chair by the bedside. Of course, her own clothes had been taken away by Raina, one of Rashid's staff. The promise was they'd be ready for Nicole before the morning.
She glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was after midnight. Soft light came in through the thin curtains draped across the double doors which led out onto her balcony. The doors had been left slightly open and fresh night air filled the bedroom.
Nicole sat upright sharply when she heard the distant roar of a male voice. Who was out there? She slid out of bed and grabbed the robe. It took her a few moments to put the robe on. She padded across the marble floor on her bare feet. The floor felt cold against the soles of her feet, and even cooler when she pushed open the double doors and stepped out onto the balcony.
The lights from the palace lit the garden most of the way to the far wall and the gate at the end of the driveway. Nicole could just about make out two figures at the gate. Both were men dressed in traditional white robes. They seemed to be arguing. Or at least one of the men was more agitated than the other.
A shock of recognition coursed through Nicole's body when she figured out the identity of the man outside the gate.
Hakim.
He'd come for her.
In spite of everything Rashid had done to make her feel safe, Nicole couldn't control the twisting knot of anxiety which settled in her middle.
Had Hakim come to demand that Nicole be released from the palace? Would Rashid give in to Hakim's demands?
Nicole squinted, trying to see what was happening at the gate. She couldn't make out what was being said. But it was clear that Hakim wasn't happy.
Then she saw Rashid open the gates and step outside the confines of the palace grounds. More inaudible words were exchanged and on one occasion Hakim made as if he wanted to attack Rashid. But Rashid stood his ground. It was obvious there was some serious resistance being mounted by Rashid.
Nicole watched as the conversation wound down and then Rashid came back inside and Hakim rode off on his horse.
Relief swept through Nicole.
Rashid had sent Hakim packing. That much was sure. Nicole knew she should feel relieved, even thankful that Rashid had proven himself loyal to her. He had obviously told Hakim that Nicole was here, and that she wasn't going to be dragged out into the desert in the middle of the night.
As she watched Rashid make his way back to the house, Nicole stepped back into the shadow on the balcony. She didn't want him to know she'd been watching him. Most of all she didn't want him to think she'd been spying on him.
But, there was clearly something to ask Rashid. What had been said down at the gates? What was the plan for Nicole to return to Qazhar city?
She decided to go to Rashid. The night air had woken her up, and if she didn't get some answers, she knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep.
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Nicole went through her room and out into the softly lit corridor. She didn't know where Rashid's room was, but as she reached the end of the corridor she heard footsteps from the far end. Racing quietly on her bare feet, she saw Rashid entering a room and closing the door behind him.
The palace was deathly quiet after the sound of his door closing had faded into the night. Nicole walked slowly along the corridor, debating with herself whether she should ask Rashid about his meeting with Hakim.
Of course she should, she chided herself. She couldn't wait until the morning.
Nicole reached his bedroom door. She knocked quietly. There was no immediate answer. She knocked again, this time louder. As her knuckles rapped on the ornately carved wooden door one last time, the door was wrenched open.
Rashid stood there, dressed in his white robes. His face was flushed with emotion and his eyes were wide. He looked amazed to see her. Rashid's gaze ran down the length of Nicole's body, taking in the sight her wearing Qazhar robes. For a second he looked genuinely puzzled, then quickly regained his composure.
"Nicole? What are you doing here? I thought you were sleeping," he said.
"I heard some voices. They woke me up. Did someone come to the palace?"
Rashid's brows furrowed. "I see." He nodded. "Hakim was here."
"What did he want?"
"What do you think he wanted?" Rashid asked. He looked at Nicole. "He wanted you," he added bluntly.
She was taken aback by the abruptness of that statement.
"And what did you tell him?"
Rashid pulled the door fully open. "Why don't you come inside," he said.
Nicole hesitated. "Into you bedroom?"
The corner of Rashid's mouth lifted. "I give you my word, it'll be alright."
Nicole lifted a brow. "Really. Your word?"
Rashid nodded. "You already know I'm a man of my word."
"So you keep telling me," she replied.
Nicole walked into Rashid's room and he closed the door behind her. She gazed around the room. It was as exquisitely furnished as her own suite. His room had a distinctly masculine touch; furnishings were darker colored; the walls were decorated with masculine images showing hunting scenes and men on horseback; the flooring had darker mosaic patterning with red and black coloring predominant.
"So this is your retreat," she observed turning back to look at him.
"What do you mean, retreat?" That word seemed to catch at his attention, almost offend him. Or so it seemed to Nicole. Why was he so sensitive to a word like that. It wasn't the first time she had a sense that this palace was some kind of sanctuary for him. His room merely emphasized that feeling even more.
"Are all the other rooms like like this?"
Rashid peered at her. "Are you uncomfortable in your room? Would you like to change it for another?"
Nicole tilted her head at him. "How many bedrooms do you have in this place?"
"Enough."
"You've lost count?
Rashid sighed softly. He walked past her. "Take a seat," he instructed gesturing to a long sofa. He sat down and she joined him, leaning into the corner. Nicole was aware that he was watching her as she took her seat. She tugged at the white robes, trying to get comfortable as she sat back.
Rashid smiled. "Still trying to get used to wearing traditional robes?"
Nicole pulled at the fabric and eventually managed to tuck her feet beneath herself with the robes settled around her legs. She saw him glance at her bare feet.
"You're not too cold with no shoes on, are you?"
Nicole glanced down at her feet and then back at him. It was time to put the playacting to one side. She needed an answer from Rashid.
"What did Hakim say?" she asked.
Rashid looked at her. For a moment he seemed to be deliberating what to say in answer to that question. Was he trying to hide something from Nicole?
"He wasn't happy," Rashid said evenly and then smiled. "I can't blame him. He lost face tonight, and he knows it."
"He deserves it," Nicole said sharply.
Rashid grinned. "I would agree."
"Did he threaten to do anything foolish?" she asked.
"Like what?"
Nicole rolled her eyes. "I don't know. Like storm the palace with a hundred men?" she asked with a shrug of her shoulders.
Rashid laughed quietly. "I know things seem primitive out here, but that kind of thing only happens in movies."
Nicole peered at him and pouted. "You do know I was only joking, right?"
He nodded. "Of course I do."
His eyes looked at her with a sudden appreciation. Nicole felt her face flush slightly. There was that look again. He knew how to make a woman feel important with just a look. Where had he learned how to do that?
"So, Hakim isn't going to do anything really stupid?" she asked eager to change the subject.
Rashid's eyes widened. "More stupid than what he tried to do back at the camp?"
Nicole nodded. "I guess that was about as dumb as you get," she said.
"Wanting to marry a beautiful woman isn't necessarily a stupid thing," Rashid said evenly.
Nicole felt something flutter in her middle. Had Rashid just described her as beautiful? Why would he do that? They'd only just met and she'd been here in his palace barely a few hours. And already he was paying her compliments? She brushed the not-so-subtle compliment to one side.
Nicole gave Rashid a blank stare for a moment. He looked like he was waiting for a response from Nicole, but she wasn't going to give him even the slightest hint that she'd noticed what he'd just said.
"I got the impression he wasn't too pleased that you have me holed up here," Nicole said.
Rashid shook his head. "He wasn't."
"So, what did he say he's going to do about it?"
"Nothing."
Nicole squinted at Rashid. "Nothing? He's just going to leave it at that?"
"Not exactly," Rashid replied slowly.
There was that feeling again, Nicole said to herself. The same feeling she'd had earlier when Rashid hadn't told her the whole truth. What was he hiding from her now?
"What's he planning to do?" Nicole asked.
Rashid thought for a few moments. She could see that whatever he wanted to tell her wasn't going to come easily.
Finally Rashid looked at Nicole. "I have to explain something to you. Something about what happened tonight."
"Not another quaint custom, I hope," Nicole said lightly. But she could see he was serious now. The good humor of a few moments before had been placed firmly to one side.
Rashid shook his head. "When I took you from that camp, the intention was to stop the marriage from happening."
She snorted. "I'm grateful you did," Nicole said. "You don't know just how grateful I am."
Rashid still wasn't smiling. Whatever he was about to say wasn't going to be trivial. "And, for the moment, we've succeeded in stopping it from going ahead."
"For the moment?" Nicole asked.
Rashid nodded. "My bringing you to my palace has made something else come into play."
"You make it sound like some kind of boy's game."
Rashid frowned. "It is certainly not a game. Lives are at stake." Rashid leaned forward. "Your future is at stake."
Nicole stared at Rashid. "What are you talking about? My future is back in Qazhar. And I hope I don't have to wait too long to get back there. Speaking of which. How exactly am I getting back there?"
Rashid ran a hand through his dark hair. He looked worried now. "I'm afraid your return will have to wait."
"Why? Can't you get transport."
Rashid shook his head. "Transport isn't the problem. That can be arranged."
"Then arrange it," she said bluntly.
Rashid shook his head. "There is something which must be done before you can return. It has to do with you being here in my home. And the way you were brought here."
Nicole leaned closer to Rashid. She co
uld see that he had to tell her something and she needed to know what it was.
"What's on your mind, Rashid?"
Rashid breathed out heavily and peered into Nicole's eyes. "The tradition I'm about to explain to you will sound archaic and primitive. But it is the law out here. I have to respect it." He looked away to one side and she could see the emotion in his eyes. "For now, at least."
Butterflies started tumbling in Nicole's stomach. She reached out and laid a hand on Rashid's arm. "Tell me," she said to him.
"By bringing you to this palace after taking you from Hakim, I have invoked an agreement with Hakim."
"What kind of agreement," Nicole asked. She definitely wasn't feeling happy about where this conversation was heading.
"If a sheikh claims a bride intended for another sheikh, and takes her to his private domain, then the woman must remain with the sheikh who claimed her."
The words hit Nicole like a body blow.
"I have to stay with you?" Nicole asked. She knew her face must be masked with shock.
Rashid nodded.
"I'm a prisoner in the palace?"
Rashid shook his head firmly. "No. You are not a prisoner. You are my guest."
Nicole squinted at Rashid. "Are you for real? Where I come from someone who can't leave a place is usually called a prisoner."
"This is not the same," he insisted. "This is a matter of honor."
"Honor?" Nicole shrieked. "What kind of honor keeps a woman captive in a palace?"
"The honor of our traditions," Rashid said. It didn't sound convincing, even coming from him.
Nicole gasped. She almost started to laugh. The whole thing was starting to sound surreal.
"How long do I have to remain with you?" she asked.
"Seven days and nights," he replied.
"What!" Nicole exclaimed. "Seven?"
Rashid nodded. "The alternative is that Hakim can claim you once more."
"I'd like to see him try," Nicole scoffed.
"I agree. It would be most unpleasant and highly unlikely. But there would be great trouble for everyone involved if it were to happen."
"Including you?" she asked suddenly aware that he looked genuinely worried.
Rashid shrugged. "I would be fine. Eventually."