by Jones, Sarah
She murmured something incomprehensible, and Said got closer to her, trying to hear her better.
"What happened to you, my beautiful gazelle?" He cupped her face in his hands and looked at her, waiting for her to see him.
When Louise opened her eyes, and stared at him, she looked lost. "Release me," he stammered, moving his head to the sides.
Said lay down beside her on the bed and pulled her to his side, hugging her carefully.
"I'll take care of you, stranger," he said slowly and quietly. - Trust me.
She moved against his chest, and the Sheik caught her breath, startled by her own reaction to that contact. He needed to take care of her hands and then find out what had really happened in his absence.
Sleep, my girl. He stroked her neck until he felt soft against her. "You are mine, and it is my duty to protect you."
Chapter Eight
What had happened to her?
Said studied Louise's hands with interest. The burns extended in the palm, forming red lines that descended to the back of the hand, surrounded by small bubbles. The hands were swollen and, fearing that they would infect, the Sheikh applied a mixture composed of a plant and a type of healing mud found in the rare desert oases.
Louise was still asleep. Even with the lowest fever and the bandages that were put in her hands, she did not look better. Said feared that besides the burns something more serious had happened to her. The servants and guards had tried to tell her something about what the foreigner had done, but he had decided to hear from her what had happened. Now he suspected that his body could be hurt too.
This made Said consider removing Louise's robes to see if there really was any bruise. He was about to undress her, when a wave of consciousness hit him. He knew the foreigner would not like it and would be annoyed. Not that he did not like to see her imposing herself, that pleased him a lot. The problem was that if the woman lost control, it could aggravate her condition. Besides, Said wanted her, and even though she knew she was sick, she was not sure she could curb the effects of her nakedness on her own body.
He resolved only to palpate his limbs to confirm that they had no fractures. She slid her hands down the woman's thighs, taking advantage of the soft texture of her plump legs, admiring the curvaceous complexion so different from the female biotype of her realm.
"What do you think you're doing?" Louise asked as she opened her eyes and met the man bent over her legs as she tightened her thighs.
Said sat on the bed and looked at her irritably.
I was looking for more injuries. How it feels?
She looked at him suspiciously, then inspected her body. At least she was still dressed. He noticed the linen bandages in her hands and frowned, unable to understand who had put them there.
"To your disgust, I shall remain alive," she said, turning her face to the other side. What was happening? Why had she suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to cry?
The Sheik studied her for a moment, sensing her change.
"I need you to tell me what happened," he said in a low but authoritative voice. "I want to hear from you, miss." And I hope, by Allah, not to dare to lie to me.
Louise narrowed her eyes, feeling them burn with tears. She was not weak or cowardly. I would tell him, yes.
"You left me here locked." She shrugged uneasily. "I thought I could run away, back home."
Said stood and turned his back to her.
"How dare you defy my orders?" He shouted, turning suddenly to her.
"Can not you understand you are mine, and what I say in my palace is law?" He went back to the bed where she was and knelt, placing his arms on either side of Louise's body, standing over her. "Can you remember what I said would happen if you tried to run away from me?" He asked in her ear. Louise swallowed, terrified. He whispered in her ear, as if it were the devil himself threatening him. "I should cut your throat like I would with all the traitors. The Sheik slid his lips to Louise's neck, making a tantalizing caress that contrasted with his words of death. "And then, when your blood gushed on the sand, I'd leave your body lost in the desert." He kissed her chin and let his face hover over hers, looking into her eyes. "But I can not do that. His blue eyes darkened, startling Louise even more. - I can not.
She slowly raised her hand and, even with the bands, touched the Sheik's face, making him startle with the unexpected touch.
"Why do you do that?" She asked, now letting the tears escape freely. "Why do you make me afraid?" Said closed his eyes so she would not have to look at her. "Let me go back to my house, please."
Said slowly opened her eyes and the compassion Louise hoped to find was not there.
"Your house is here, my gazelle. He kissed her on the cheek, wiping away her tears. "I do not want you to be afraid." Surrender to my will, and I will give you what you wish.
She narrowed her eyes, not wanting to look at him, not wanting to be affected.
"Will you let me go back to England?"
"No, not ever. Angrily, Said left her. Louise leaned on her elbows to see him better. "I realize I can not grant you anything, foreigner. I'll have to leave, but at night I'll be back - and with one last glance, he left her alone in the room.
Louise had a last glimpse of Said's dark robe, turban, and scimitar. She was convinced that the man, yes, was the devil and had imprisoned her in hell.
She turned to the other side of the bed and, shrinking from the pain in her body, fell asleep again.
***
Said dismissed the guard from Louise's room and opened the door slowly, hoping to find her asleep. To her relief, she was sleeping soundly.
The room was bathed in the silver moonlight, which entered through the huge oval window, and this allowed Said to be able to guide himself to the bed, where slowly, still standing, began undressing.
He unbuttoned his tunic and dropped it to his feet, as did his pants. He removed his turban and placed it on a small table next to it.
Completely naked, the Sheikh stared at Louise's body, covered by the sheet that shaped the curves of her hips and breasts.
Said briefly prayed to Allah, asking for his control and wisdom. He was a man accustomed to order, a warrior from the sands, and knew exactly how to confront the enemy. Louise was not an enemy, despite her rebellion, but she had similar power and as mortal as the best warriors.
Carefully not to wake her, Said lay down next to Louise and covered herself with the sheet, feeling her skin touching hers. She wore a piece of silk to sleep on, and he was wondering why she did not sleep naked. It was something to think about.
Surprisingly, Louise snuggled into the Sheik's heat, probably unaware of what she was doing, uninhibited by sleep. Said liked it and hugged her, drawing her to his chest, releasing a groan of satisfaction as he felt her soft breasts tighten against his skin, her nipples erect as he urged. He inhaled the scent of her hair and leaned his head against the pillow, inebriated by the scent.
It would be difficult, but he would control himself that night.
***
Lady Louise awoke with a delicious sensation, feeling a different scent, as well as a strange heat in her body. Still without opening her eyes, she moved on the bed, but felt something trapping her waist. What was that?
She opened her eyes and blinked, trying to get accustomed to the light coming through the window. Then he realized that something was wrong. She looked at her waist and saw a huge hand squeezing her.
Frightened, she tried to pull away, but it did not help.
"Do not try to run away again.”
Louise felt something touching her neck and gasped when she realized it was Said. Why, what was he doing there?
- How dare you...
"Your skin is as soft as I imagined. He kissed her on the shoulder, sliding his hand to the curve of her breast, and she pushed him away.
- What are you doing here? She turned to him, her eyes wide with shock. She saw him smile and almost stopped breathing when he realized he was naked! "Get
out of my bed right now!" She pointed to the door, feeling the blush cover his face.
Said saw Louise cringing, intimidated by her nakedness, and almost believed her. It was obvious that the foreigner had seen other naked men, and it was all a farce.
He rested his head on his elbow and waited for her to calm down. Louise found herself even more frightened, because now she also noticed that the Sheikh had her hair messed up, her chest and arms ... Oh, sir! She was behaving like a whore.
"Last night I felt a little lonely and I thought I could ease my loneliness with you," he said, still smiling.
"You should have gone to one of your concubines!" She spat, her eyes sparkling.
"I could," he admitted, and with a quick movement he settled on Louise. "But the problem is I want you, not another woman.
Louise wanted to hit him! Strike him in the chest ...! She did not, for she remembered her bruised hands, but she did not give up. Just changed the tactic.
She began to move her hips, moving them up, determined to make him leave her.
- What are you doing? Said asked in a choked voice. He was completely stiff, being tortured by the almost sexual movements Louise made.
She frowned and continued to push.
"I'm trying to get you off me!" She exclaimed nervously, until she felt something odd to poking in. She looked curiously at Said's body, which, even covered by the sheet, was different ...
- Stop this! She shouted, immobilizing him. He was breathing heavily and he was angry. "I know what you're trying to do, but know that you will not behave like a naja, woman.
- Get off me! Louise screamed, almost on edge of madness.
"Close your eyes," he ordered, and when she did, she climbed out of bed and put on her clothes. He had her back to the bed, but he still knew she was spying on him. That amused him. - Starting today you will begin to learn the culture of my people. I will appoint a woman to teach her. He looked at her, now calmer. "I'll give you another chance, stranger. Only one.
Louise was silent, watching him walk away.
He had absolutely nothing to say about Sheik.
Well, perhaps he could say, among contradictions, of course, that the man was very attractive.
Chapter Nine
That morning, a young woman with dark skin and big eyes called Najila was introduced to Louise, who had greeted and informed her that she was there to guide her in the customs of her people. Despite sympathy with the young woman, Lady Louise's first reaction was to feel furious. Earlier, when she awoke, she had found Said by her side and she had told her that she should know that strange culture. The Englishwoman had not imagined that the Sheik was serious. But what could she expect from a man who reminded her at every moment of her position?
Louise, feeling that her hands were a little better, decided to drop the bandages and was happy to realize that the bruises were looking much better and that she no longer felt any pain, because of the ointment applied by Said and the care he provided.
"You must accompany me to the kitchen, stranger," Najila had said with her head down, avoiding looking at the lady.
Louise followed her through the corridors of the palace without uttering a single word. She kept silent as she considered the actions she should take on the Sheik, which was obviously becoming longer than she could imagine. She knew that the fact that Said ordered her to know the customs meant she would not let her free. But if she thought Louise had agreed to that, oh, the poor man was very much mistaken.
The kitchen of the palace was as large and roomy as Louise had ever seen. She had been there before, but at the time little awareness had of the size of that place. She could not remember the kitchen of her house in England, and not even that which was on the estate of the family on the south. The number of women that morning was smaller, but the profusion of colorful fabrics and laughter bothered Louise.
Najila led her to a long wooden table, where Louise sat down beside a woman with a round body, purple-colored, who looked at her reluctantly and turned to the other side.
"You will learn how to prepare the lentils to the liking of our master." The woman sat down beside her and pointed to a portion of the grains scattered across the table. "He likes it to be cooked with meat and prefers to eat it cold," Najila explained.
Louise picked up a handful of lentils and studied the beans for a moment, imagining the horrible combination the woman had mentioned. How could anyone, even Said, like this? She returned the lentil to the table and turned to Najila, ready to get the answers she needed so badly.
"Najila, I wanted-"
"We are not allowed to talk about matters that are not of our culture, my dear," she cut it off as she separated the grains into a bowl of clay and prepared it for the fire.
The women around stopped doing their jobs and cast a curious glance at Louise, who shrugged, uneasy at the attention she had received. Suddenly the women's eyes narrowed in the direction of the lady, as if she were some kind of strange being. Some of them pointed out nothing discreetly and uttered words in an unknown language.
She leaned toward Najila.
- What is going on? She whispered.
Without looking up from what she was doing, the woman answered in a very low voice:
"They know what you are, and you tried to run away a few days ago."
Louise was troubled by the answer.
"And what do they think I am?" - She asked.
Najila looked up at her and wrinkled her thick black eyebrows, proving to be confused.
"Everyone in this palace knows that you are the new Sheikh slave," she said, looking down again.
A chill ran down Louise's body as she heard that response. The English girl was a bit afraid to look at those women again. Is that what they thought of her?
"I'm no slave." I'm only here for a few days, until I can return to my house in England, "she protested aloud in Arabic so that everyone around her could hear her. She tried to convey an air of superiority, but it was evident that she had not achieved the desired result, for the women stood in their places and stared at it in amazement.
"When the Sheikh takes you to your bed, you will realize that you can never leave this desert." That's what happens to all of them, "a lady said from the other end of the table, where she separated small balls of dough. The women looked at her and confirmed with a nod.
"I will not lie with that man!" Said Louise, outraged by such a suggestion.
He heard a murmur of words of astonishment and decided to ignore what those women were saying.
The old woman, on the other hand, did not shut up, smiled, and continued her speech.
"In the name of Allah, as I am sure, foreigner. Our Sheik will possess you and make you surrender to him. Her lips tightened until the few teeth glistened.
"How can that be?" Louise exploded, trying to at least keep her voice in check. She did not want the guards to appear at that moment. "Don’t you want to be free and get out of this place?" Don’t you want to be free from the judgment of this terrible man?
Najila got in the conversation:
"Our Sheikh is a good man, foreign. We owe our lives to him, "he said, standing to bring the lentils to the fire.
"I do not understand," Louise admitted.
"The Sheik's kindness kept us alive during the famine, miss. Like his father, he allowed us to believe that Allah had plans for us. A black-skinned young woman on the right commented slowly, showing difficulty with the words.
"But he caught me here. He will not let me go back to my country, to my father. How can I find it fair? By now Louise was almost allowed to cry. However, with effort and dignity, he managed to remain firm.
There was no answer, and she did not even think she would. These women, however, could not defend Said's attitude, even if they were submissive and devoted to him. When she finished helping to separate the lentils, Louise was taken by Najila to the far corner of the kitchen, where on the floor, on the floor, two women cut the pieces of a piece of meat. They
handed hwe a knife with a thin blade and taught how to separate the fat from the meat, which would soon be prepared for meals throughout the day, explaining that what was left would be reserved for drying.
Silently, Louise did as she was shown, thanking her mentally for something to distract her thoughts, which were taking rebellious course. She had a dangerous object in hers hands, and with a glance at the sides, she noticed that at the moment there was no guard nearby. Of course there was a principle of despair, in which Louise thought to arm herself with courage and try to escape. She could. It would be sensible and forgivable if she rebelled and ran at the back of the kitchen and, perhaps, fled into an animal.
But there was still a certain sense of danger in Louise, which had not been affected by all the turbulence in her life and which prevented her from committing such an ... insane act.
"Gadhan said this was the biggest of the animals." The woman next to Louise commented, smiling behind the veil that covered her face. - He killed him himself.
Najila looked at the other with interest.
"I hear Gadhan is looking for a new wife," she said with a discreet smile. "I think maybe I could seduce him."
- I thought the same. I like his two wives and I think we can live harmoniously, "concluded the other.
Louise stopped what she was doing. She looked first at Najila and then at the woman next door. It was still hard to get accustomed to the idea that a man could marry several women and that they all quietly accepted such a situation.
"Rest your hands, stranger. Najila reached for the knife, and Louise returned it quietly. "We'll leave the kitchen and go to your room, where I'll guide you about the robes."
For Louise it was a relief to leave that kitchen, because unfortunately she had not gained much skill in the art of cooking, much less had gained the sympathy of the women who served Said, not after trying to escape. Holding her dignity together, she wiped her hands in a bowl of fresh water and, without looking back, followed Najila back to her room, at the other end of the great hall.
