Kardal appeared uneasy at the suggestion. Sabrina knew he was wondering what they would all discuss. The reasons he, Givon, abandoned his family? Why he’d never acknowledged his bastard son? She sighed. While her summers in Bahania had not allowed her to move in royal circles beyond Bahania, she’d met King Givon several times. From her personal experience, not to mention all she’d heard about the man, he was a decent person. Stern, but not cruel. So why had he treated Cala and Kardal so badly?
“What about a small dinner the first night,” Sabrina said. “Just you, the king and Kardal.”
Cala nodded slowly. “Yes. That would work. Rafe, you are welcome to attend, and of course you’ll be there, Sabrina.”
She wasn’t so sure she wanted to participate in what promised to be a most awkward meal, but felt it was important for her to be there, at least for Kardal.
“As for the meal itself,” Sabrina said, “I’ll discuss several options with the chef and come up with a tentative menu. There is also the matter of entertainment. I was thinking of background music more than an actual show.”
They continued to discuss different ideas. At least Cala, Rafe and Sabrina did. Kardal was no longer participating in the conversation. Sabrina wished there was a way to make this easier for him. She wished a lot of things. She wished that she understood why she cared if Kardal was apprehensive about meeting his father. She wished she knew why she wasn’t anxious to leave the City of Thieves. While the opportunity to study the stolen treasure was not to be missed, she was here on the whim of a man who claimed her as his slave. Not that he’d treated her badly. He obviously had no plans to abuse her or mistreat her. So why exactly was she here? What did Kardal intend for her?
Cala asked a question, forcing her attention back to the conversation at hand. Fifteen minutes later everyone stood.
“I think we have a basic understanding of what we plan to do,” Cala said brightly, although her eyes looked more haunted than happy. “Kardal, you are pleased?”
He took his time in answering. Sabrina could practically read his thoughts. He wasn’t pleased about any of this, but he didn’t want to make his mother more uncomfortable. She wasn’t surprised when he replied in a reassuring tone.
“Yes. Well pleased.”
He walked to the door and held it open. Cala went first. Rafe hesitated. Kardal murmured something to him that Sabrina couldn’t hear. The American nodded and stepped into the hallway, leaving Kardal and Sabrina alone.
She collected her notes. “Are you all right?” she asked.
Instead of answering, he crossed to the window and stared out at the elaborate garden. Today he wore western garb—a well-tailored suit in dark gray with a white shirt and red tie. She wasn’t used to seeing him dressed like a businessman. In some ways she found that she preferred Kardal in more traditional clothing.
He motioned for her to join him at the window, then pointed to the stone benches circling a large tree.
“This is a replica of a French garden,” he said. “From some time in the eighteenth century.”
“Early or late?” she asked, following his gaze and staring at the neatly trimmed shrubs.
“Late. When being a member of the royal family put one’s head at risk.” He touched the glass. “It takes more water than it is worth, yet I cannot find it in myself to instruct the gardeners to dig it up. Sheer folly.”
“I’m surprised the heat doesn’t destroy everything.”
“It would, however in the summer the gardeners hang tarps to provide shade.” He looked at her. “As I said, a waste of time and resource. There was an English maze on the other side of the palace. It had taken nearly fifteen years for the hedges to grow tall enough. Every fall and spring there were festivals in the maze. The children loved it.”
“What happened?”
He shrugged. “During the Second World War there were more important concerns than caring for the maze. It, too, required protection from the desert summer. The decision was made to dig it up. The land is now a park. Something easier to maintain within the walls of the city.”
“This world is so different from any I’ve ever known,” she said, wondering how it was possible that something so magical existed within a few hundred miles of the capital of Bahania.
“I hope you are pleased with it.”
“I am.” She smiled. “Although I still think you should return some of those treasures.”
He dismissed her with a wave, then rested his hand on her shoulder. The slight weight was most pleasant, she thought dreamily, wishing that he would kiss her. While she was a little nervous about repeating their previous intimacy—the one she barely thought of anymore—she wouldn’t mind repeating their kisses.
“I should have told you about the rest of the palace,” he said. “You may change rooms if you wish.”
“No. I already told you, I like where I am.” She tilted her head. “Besides, if I’m your slave it would be inappropriate for me to choose my own room.”
He slid his hand down her arm, making her tremble slightly. Her thighs felt too weak to support her weight. He stopped at her wrist where he fingered the gold slave bracelets binding her to him.
“Are you my slave?” he asked softly.
His eyes flared with a light she didn’t understand. Although she often knew exactly what he was thinking, at this moment, Kardal was a mystery. A looming, slightly intimidating male mystery.
“I wear the bracelets,” she hedged.
“I see that. But do you embrace their philosophy? Is your purpose in life to serve me? Will you do whatever you must to provide me with my heart’s desire?”
It was as if he’d run a feather along the length of her spine. The hairs at the back of her neck rose and she felt goose bumps on her arms.
“Are you asking if I’ll die for you?”
“Nothing so dramatic.”
His fingers continued to rub the bracelet with occasional forays onto her forearm and the back of her hand. She found herself wishing he would spend more time caressing her and less time polishing the gold.
“I simply wondered how far you would go to fulfill your duties. If you are my slave.”
“You mean there’s a question? I’m free to leave if I want to?”
His dark gaze never left her face. She found herself leaning toward him, wanting to be closer. The need for him to kiss her grew until it was difficult to breathe. She wanted to be in his arms, feeling the male strength of him. She wanted the forgetfulness she found when they were together.
“Do you want to leave?” he asked.
It was, of course, a completely logical question. She shouldn’t have been shocked by the inquiry. Yet she was. Stunned, actually. Leave Kardal? Leave the City of Thieves?
She turned away from him until she was staring out the window. But she didn’t see the beautifully landscaped garden. Instead different images filled her mind. The ride out into the desert. Her first view of the city. The way her father had barely bothered to greet her when she’d arrived in Bahania.
“Sabrina?”
She squeezed her eyes tightly closed. “I don’t know if I want to go,” she whispered.
“Then don’t decide now,” he suggested. “You are welcome to stay in the City of Thieves for as long as you like. Should you grow tired of our company, there is always the troll prince.”
She opened her eyes and glared at him. “Talk about threatening me with something horrible.”
“He may not be as bad as you think.”
She shook her head. “With my father arranging things, he’s probably worse.” But she didn’t want to think about that. Instead there was something more important to consider. “Why do you keep me here?”
Kardal smiled. “I come from a long line of men who collect beautiful things. Perhaps you are to be my greatest treasure.”
If her knees hadn’t been in danger of collapsing before, they certainly were now. Whether or not he meant them, she appreciated his words. Did he r
eally think of her as a treasure? She’d never been valued before. In the past she’d only ever been in the way.
“Why did you lie to me about the city?” she asked. “Why didn’t you want me to know there were modern conveniences?”
He grinned. “You are known to be spoiled and willful. I thought to teach you a lesson.”
She knew he was teasing, but the words still stung. “You were wrong about me.”
“I know.”
“It was not your place to teach me anything.”
He shrugged. “I am Kardal, the Prince of Thieves. My place is what and where I choose it to be.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t go all royal on me. I get enough of that with my brothers.”
“You cannot change my nature.”
“No, but I can insist on retribution. I should be compensated for your lies.”
“They were little more than omissions.” The humor fled his gaze. “What would you like for your compensation?”
Her ability to read him was back. She knew exactly what he was thinking. That she would pick some bauble from the vault. Perhaps a priceless necklace or earrings.
Disappointment filled her. Just when she thought he finally understood her, she realized that he didn’t. Frustration filled her voice. “I’m not her,” she insisted. “I’m not the spoiled brat from the papers. Why can’t you see that?”
And why did it matter that he didn’t? Except she was afraid to answer that question.
He folded his arms over his chest. “What are you talking about?”
“You. Right now you’re assuming I want one of the treasures. Haven’t you figured out that all the gold in the world can’t buy me what I want?”
“What is it you want?”
She returned her attention to the garden. Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them away. What was the point? Kardal wouldn’t understand and she would never make herself so vulnerable as to speak the words. What would a man who had been well loved all his life know of not being wanted anywhere? She and Kardal shared a past of being torn between two worlds, but he’d always had his mother’s support. She, Sabrina, had been unwelcomed by both her parents. What she wanted more than anything was to be loved for herself. To be accepted, welcomed, cherished.
He touched her cheek. “Ah, my beautiful desert bird, you are wrong about me. I may not know your heart’s desire, but I can guess what you would like to compensate you for my omission of certain details about the castle.”
“I doubt it.”
“You have so little faith.” He tapped one of her slave bracelets. “While it is your duty to please me in all things, it is my duty to protect you and care for you.”
How she wanted the words to be true. “You haven’t a clue about me.”
He leaned close until his breath tickled her ear. “You are wrong and in the morning, I’ll prove it.”
Darn the man. He’d gotten it right in one. Sabrina thought about being annoyed at the fact the next morning when they left the city on horseback, but she was too happy to be riding in the desert to want to quarrel with Kardal.
“I feel as if I haven’t been outside in weeks,” she announced when they’d cleared the gates and cantered toward the rising sun. “This is wonderful.”
Kardal didn’t reply with words. Instead he urged his horse forward until they were racing across the smooth desert floor. The air still contained a hint of coolness, but that would soon burn away. It was spring in the desert, which meant the intense, killer heat lurked around the corner. But Sabrina didn’t want to think of that. This morning there was only the rush of air in her face as her robes flew out behind her.
Kardal had appeared at her door shortly after five thirty that morning. He’d brought traditional clothing for her, explaining that in robes and a headdress she would not call attention to herself. She’d seen the sense of his suggestion right away. Now, flying over the sand as the sun rose higher above the horizon, she felt at one with the glory that was the desert.
After a half hour or so, they slowed to a walk. Sabrina glanced around at the endless empty land.
“You do know how to find your way back, don’t you?” she asked, her voice teasing.
He met her gaze. “I have been out here a time or two. I believe I will manage quite well.”
She remembered what he’d told her about growing up with his people. “Did you really spend months at a time out in the desert?” she asked.
He nodded and moved his horse closer to hers. “Until I was sent away to school, I lived in the desert. I only went to the city to visit my mother and grandfather, although sometimes he rode out with me as well.”
He stared toward the horizon. Sabrina looked in the same direction and saw nothing, but she suspected Kardal could see a thousand adventures from his past.
“I would guess it’s a difficult life,” she said.
He looked back at her. “The desert does not tolerate weakness or fools. But it honors those who know its ways. I learned. The elders taught me, as did my grandfather. By the time I was eight, I could find my way across the length and breadth of the El Baharian and Bahanian desert.”
He pointed to the north. “There is an oil field. You should be able to make out the pumps.”
She squinted slightly and saw several metal pumps, along with a few low buildings.
“There are many more stations, such as that one. We take from the desert, but we do carefully. If there was an attack, the fragile ecosystem would be destroyed. After the Gulf War, oil fires raged for months. I do not want that for my land or my people.”
Sabrina nearly pointed out that the land wasn’t really his. It belonged to the two neighboring countries. However, while Kardal’s territory might technically end at the borders of his city, in truth it stretched for thousands of miles. Neither King Givon nor her father could begin to control the vastness of the desert. It was here that Kardal reigned supreme.
“Perhaps it is time to change your title,” she said. “You are no longer the Prince of Thieves.”
He smiled. “Perhaps not, but I have no desire to acquire a new title.”
He looked especially dangerous on horseback. She had seen him slip a gun into a holster before they left and she doubted that was his only weapon. Should they be attacked, Kardal was prepared. She’d been more than stupid heading out on her own the way she had. She was lucky to have been found alive.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“That I should have stayed home instead of going off looking for the City of Thieves. It wasn’t my finest hour.”
“But if you had not ridden into the sandstorm, I couldn’t have taken you as my slave.”
She wanted to say that wouldn’t have been tragic to her at all, but the words got stuck in her throat. “Yes, well, you did and here I am.” She pulled at her head covering, removing it so the breeze could stir her hair. “Where exactly will the air force be located?”
Kardal gazed at her for a full minute, letting her know that he didn’t have to accept her change in topic. But eventually he responded to her question.
“The main base will be in Bahania, but there will be airstrips all over the desert. I believe your brother, Prince Jefri, is in charge of the development of the air force.”
Sabrina shrugged. “Maybe. No one has mentioned anything to me, not that I’m surprised. As a woman, I’m not considered bright enough to follow any kind of meaningful conversation.”
“Obviously they have not spent much time in your company.”
She smiled. “Obviously.”
Their horses were practically bumping shoulders, they were so close. Sabrina liked the feeling of being next to Kardal. He was unlike anyone she’d ever met.
She stared out at the desert and tried to imagine a jet cutting through the silence. “The planes are going to be very out of place in the middle of all this,” she said thoughtfully. “Are any pilots going to be stationed in the City of Thieves?”
“Probabl
y not. They will be at different bases in the area.”
“Is Rafe going to coordinate all that?”
“Yes.”
“Because you trust him.”
“He has given me reason.”
In the process Rafe had become a rich, powerful man. “I can’t imagine him as a sheik in traditional robes. I would guess—”
Without warning Kardal reached toward her and grabbed her by the hair. He wrapped her long red curls around his fist and held her tight.
“Make no mistake,” he growled, pulling her close, forcing her to lean toward him. “I may be willing to give you some freedom, but you are still mine. All the men of the city, including Rafe, have been warned.”
He held her firmly, without hurting her. She listened to his words and stared at the fury in his face. Energy poured from him.
“What on earth is wrong with you?” she demanded. “I asked a simple question.”
She supposed she should have been afraid, but she was not. Not of Kardal. Nor of his power or his possession.
He released her, then ran his palm along the length of her hair. His dark eyes glittered. “You asked about another man.”
“We were discussing the air force. Rafe is in charge of security and getting the whole thing off the ground, so to speak. I didn’t think inquiring as to whether or not he would be coordinating it for the city was out of line.”
Kardal urged his horse to take a step away from hers. “I see.” His voice was tense. “He is an American. Many of the women find him attractive.”
Sabrina stared at him. “You can’t be worried I’m going to do anything with Rafe. Kardal, I’ve avoided men and romantic entanglements all my life. Why would I give in now?”
He shrugged. “I do not know. We will speak of something else.”
“Aren’t we being Mr. Imperious?”
She wanted to pursue the topic, to find out what he thought she might do with his chief of security. She found she sort of liked the idea of Kardal being a little bit jealous. He’d never said how he felt about their kissing and the touching. She didn’t want to be the only one affected by the experience. Apparently she was not.
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