by Kim Faulks
Her life in the desert had changed dramatically from when she was a young woman. She was no longer the shy, withdrawn woman that stumbled into the desert and into Makkah’s arms. No, she had let the way of the Ba’akah take all of her repression and she had welcomed her new way of life with open arms and a full bed.
She kissed him deeply, pulling his massive body hard against hers. His hands moved around her, encircling her waist as he ground his hips into her. He was hard underneath the thin material and she was only too happy to accommodate his size.
His fingers flicked at the leather tie of her vest and it unraveled, spilling her breasts out and into his hands. His growl echoed inside the tent, low and guttural as he lowered his mouth to her. She opened her eyes to the other men in the tent, as they stood watching the scene before them. She had never taken one of her men inside the weapons tent before, the smell of sweat and the sharp smell of metal as the bladesmith went about his sharpening, filled the air.
Her breath caught as Sakhr pulled at the tender flesh of her breast, as his hands pushed their way inside her pants. She opened her legs wider, bringing one of them up and around his thigh to allow him to access to the most tender places of her and he slipped his fingers inside, sliding between the soft folds and she couldn’t help but cry out.
She thought it was an echo of her own pleasure, but when she opened her eyes a stranger watched them, his eyes burning like a red-hot furnace and rage pasted all over his face.
Chapter 13
“Natalie! No!” he said, crying out as he watched them and her eyes narrowed at his outburst. But the torment in his words were lost to her as Sakhr pushed her pants aside, thrusting himself against her opening.
She leaned back and Sakhr held her, lifting her to his waist while he drove himself deeply inside her and she sighed, yes she had forgotten how delicious he was. The memory of him seemed faded, but now it came flooding back. The feel of his body, how incredibly thick he was as he filled her up to the point it was almost painful. She gripped his arms as he grunted, pulling her body close so he could fill his mouth with her breast. She knew her body would be sore later as he shoved himself harder. She gripped him holding onto the wave of pleasure that ripped right through her. His eyes were open and staring at her as though he had never seen her before like this.
“My handsome,” she whispered and he groaned louder, slipping out only to slam back in. His face was so beautiful, every line on his face was known to her, she had watched those hazel eyes move over her so many times, too many to count.
She shuddered violently as the wave of pleasure crashed into the wall inside her. Sakhr pumped harder as he made small sounds of pain, holding back until she came. But there was something that held her back, something that had been bugging her since she woke this morning.
The thought drowned inside her as Sakhr slipped against the spot inside her that pushed her over the edge. She cried out and looked over Sakhr’s shoulder into the eyes of the stranger who watched as her pleasure rode her and Sakhr cried out, filling her with his seed.
She should have been in heaven as her body pulsed with the after-shocks of her pleasure as Sakhr slowly pushed into her once more before sliding out of her. She struggled to catch her breath and held on to the massive man as he gently lowered her to the ground.
“Kasia,” he said, slipping her pants back up around her waist, then lifting her face upwards towards him.
“Yes, Sakhr?” she said as her vision slipped and she sucked in her breath, holding onto him.
“It is really you?”
“What?” she said. What was he saying? His question only seemed to cause her vision to darken as she felt something push at her. She stumbled, letting go of his arm. She was going blind, she had been poisoned, she was dying.
“You!” she said to Sakhr as the pressure inside her grew until she couldn’t stand it any longer. She cried out and gripped her head while she felt hands pull at her, hot hands. Those hands pulled at her as she cried out and she could feel the vibration as his voice rumbled into the air around her. She held on to the safety of her mind as she felt it tear inside of her. It felt as though there was another, inside her mind. She was being torn inside as desperation fought against determination until she could stand the pain no longer. She felt the ground fall away below her and then she was moving.
The sun glared into her eyes and she shut them tightly until cool darkness found her.
“Help her,” said a deep voice. It was a voice she knew somehow, one that whispered to her inside her mind, echoing inside her mind as it resurrected itself from her memory. She opened her eyes and instantly found the flicker of fire in his, as his voice drifted away in her mind, even though he didn’t speak the words. I love you, don’t leave me Kasia. Please...
He held her tightly, pulling her vest together as he pleaded. “Something is wrong with me!” she screamed, pulling at her hair as the pain racked her body.
“Whatever happens, is what is meant to happen. It is in the universes control, not ours,” said a voice she knew.
“Makkah? Please, help me!” she cried, twisting in the strangers arms, desperate to find her. Makkah would help her, she would save her...she loved her.
“How can you do this!” the stranger yelled above her.
And in her mind she heard him yell at someone else, it felt like an echo of time, a time that had been lost. Get away from her Vampire! What have you done! Kasia.. Kasia, please don’t die on me. Kasiaaaaa.
She felt another’s thoughts push their way through hers, and with that a lifetime of memories that weren’t hers as his voice faded. Images and emotions surfaced that seemed all too real, a mother she didn’t know, a bedroom she had never slept in and a life time of rolling pictures in her mind. Until a voice that terrified her echoed inside her, Get out of my body!
She tried to hold on, desperately clinging onto each memory that was her own until all she could see was the flames in the strangers eyes. No, not a stranger, Malik.
“Malik, help me,” she whispered, reaching out for him. The torment in his eyes was replaced by the burn of blue fire as in her mind as in another memory he lay on top of her. Natalie, he whispered, bought back to her in a memory that wasn’t her own. It was in that instant that she let go of her hold and a feeling of serenity washed over her.
Chapter 14
Her head hurt and she struggled to keep from collapsing with the pain. “Shh. It’s okay.”
“My head,” she mumbled as the pain chased away the fog. There was something that she needed to realize but the pain was too great.
She felt soft hands at her head, lifting her until she stared into the wide brown eyes of Makkah. “It’s okay,” she waved her hand over her, whispering words she couldn’t understand and the pain inside of her eased, leaving her feeling dull and disjointed.
“What did you do to me?” she said, pulling at the arms of Malik that held her. She glanced at him and nodded and he gently let her slide to the floor. She didn’t want Makkah to become suspicious of them.
Her legs trembled as she stood, for the life of her she couldn’t remember why he even held her. The last thing she remembered was Makkah kissing her, and the memory triggered a desire that she would do better to forget.
Get away from her Vampire! said Malik and she turned around, expecting to see Alexander.
“What did you say?”
“I said nothing, Natalie,” he said, then turned to Makkah. “Makkah, this is not fair.”
“Fair! What do you know about fair, fire-eater? You know nothing of fair.”
Natalie could smell blood, it was everywhere. It soaked into her clothes and filled her lungs. She felt like she was drowning in an invisible sea of it. “I’m dying,” she whispered as her hands went to her neck, feeling for the wound that wasn’t there.
“Natalie,” Malik whispered moving towards her. “I’m so sorry. I never wanted you to find out like this.”
“Alexander,” she said, in h
er mind looking up into the piercing blue eyes and the blood that covered his mouth, and just like that she could feel him thousands of kilometers away. As if the mention of his name conjured him into her thoughts and there he was. Natalie, please don’t.
“You tore out my throat,” she said choking. “You cold murdering son-of-a-bitch.”
Anger overwhelmed her as she heard him whisper, please. She needed to do something, run or fight. She needed to get away from here, away from their sympathetic stares that only seemed to cause the anger to engulph her.
I will not stand by any longer! I am coming for you Natalie. I cannot stand by and allow this any longer, hold on please. I’ll be there as fast as I can.
She turned away from him and their stares, heading for the light as it cut through the darkness of the canvas and spilled onto the ground before her.
The clash of metal-on-metal drew her out of the tent and into the sun. This is what she needed, to fight, to hurt. She made her way towards a massive tent where the sound rang out sharp and loud, her body still feeling sore, like she had been beaten to a pulp. Two men danced around each other until one of them swung his sword down towards the other in battle. One of the men was massive, his long dark hair flew around his face as he turned, moving with a grace that was unusual for someone his size. He was enchanting as his muscles rippled and flexed with each stroke of the blade. She wanted to be like him and move like that. Like air he moved silently, attacking and defending the blows of another inside the arena.
He looked at her and seemed to falter in his stride, not looking where he needed to when the blade of the attacker’s sword sliced into his arm. He reached up as blood trickled down through his fingers. His attacker stopped and dropped his sword and moved quickly to tear the material from his pants to wrap around his arm.
“Sakhr,” he said, trying to get the warriors attention. “You are bleeding, come, we will see Makkah and get you fixed.”
He pulled at the man, leading him away from the arena towards the black tent. Natalie watched him with confusion mixed with an attraction that she just couldn’t understand. He walked past her, his massive frame towering over her and his dark eyes never leaving hers until he disappeared from view.
All that remained was the settling dust and biting smell of steel in the air. This place was a threat to her in more ways than one. Men that she felt an instant pull towards and the creature Makkah that seemed to be in the center of everything that was happening here. The shuffle of feet behind her caused her to turn and the mountain stood behind her. “Kasia?”
To be called by a name she never knew until a few weeks ago felt eerie. “No, I’m Natalie,” she answered.
He lowered his head, slowly nodding. She didn’t know why she felt a pull towards this man, but she couldn’t stop herself from reaching up, cradling his jaw in her hand. “What is your name?
“Sakhr,” he said, looking into her eyes. They were dark and haunted, hurt by the memory of the woman she had been before. She wanted to kiss his lips and felt drawn towards the curve of his mouth, she reached up and he moved his body towards her, ready for the touch of her lips until she stopped. What was she doing? This wasn’t her.
“I...need to fight,” she said, moving back. He seemed surprised as his eyes widened quickly, until the curve of a smile caused them to sparkle.
“Yes, that is what we need to do.”
He moved away, barking orders to the men that gathered around the arena, spectators to her overpowering attraction towards this man she had never met. She could have easily succumbed to the desires inside her. She could imagine herself shedding her clothes for this man and the idea of these men gathering around to watch them filled her embarrassment. Her face reddened in a blush that she felt to the tips of her toes. “We fight, yes?” he asked, holding out the curved blade towards her.
She nodded, taking it from his grasp and weighted it in her hand, so that it balanced evenly in her palm, she had some training with a knife, but none that would come anywhere near these men. The blade felt good, the grip a little too big, but it was nothing that she couldn’t handle. He held his own out before him, twisting his wrist and the blade whipped through the air in an arc until it stopped dead with a clench of his grip. She held out her own, twisting her own wrist as she carved into the air. It wasn’t as smooth as his, but it wasn’t bad and after a few more attempts she had the blade flying through the air as though she had been doing it forever.
“You are a natural,” he said, sweeping the sword around with his body as he moved around her. She felt more than saw the glint of the blade rush towards her and it felt as though it was only instinct that made her move, bringing her own upwards while she braced for the impact.
The sound of steel-on-steel bought a grimace from her and she looked down the edge. There was not even a mark on either blade. “What is this steel?”
“It is made from a metal of a forgotten age, forged by our bladesmith and is almost indestructible.”
“Again,” she said, growling, feeling the hunger for sweat and adrenaline surge through her.
They moved, circling each other, watching each other’s bodies for the tell-tale signs of an attack. He was good, the best she had ever seen and she knew she was no match for this mountain that stood before her. He moved with lightning speed, whipping the blade around her as she reacted with the skill of a fighter. He pushed her to the limits of her smaller more fragile body would allow, until she collapsed to the dirt with sweat running in a river into her eyes.
“Again,” he said, his order pulling her to her feet. She wielded the sword as though it weighed as much as truck and her muscles screamed inside of her.
She moved, turning to face him when his face paled, somewhere in the camp someone screamed and then all hell broke loose.
Sakhr moved, brushing past her, already at a sprint. The others followed quickly and Natalie moved, pushing herself to keep up with them.
A woman stood in the middle of mass of bodies. They looked as though they had just lain down and died, their lifeless limbs splayed out around them. She looked up at her as they moved closer. “There is something wrong with our Queen.”
Natalie didn’t know what exactly happened, but it seemed as though the camp and everyone in it depended on Makkah for their survival, literally. She pushed her way inside the tent and through the men that stood in a circle. It was hard for her to see as they all seemed to create a wall of muscle, but she found a gap and pushed her way through.
Malik stood opposite Makkah, his anger a massive fireball around him. It looked to her that they were only seconds from battle. She had never seen Malik so angry, his skin glowed red and for the first time since they had met she understood the power of a Djinn. He was truly born of the fire at this moment and she turned to Makkah. She was focused on him, her energy a swirl of shimmering colors in a grey sphere, trying her best to shield his flames. Her lips were pulled back and she crouched down, ready to pounce while her energy flowed around her like the eye of a storm.
She could see the bright red flare of his anger flick out towards Makkah and she moved forward. Natalie could see their battle was only seconds away. This would only end in bloodshed and most likely it wouldn’t be theirs.
“End this now Makkah, or I shall end it myself!” said Malik in a roar, his ultimatum given.
“Not while there is a chance she could come back to me!” Her voice was like cold steel, so wrapped up in her own desires and grief she didn’t realize what she was doing to her own people.
“Stop this!” Natalie said as she walked between them. The heat of Malik singed against her skin and although she knew that she was about to be incinerated she knew she needed to end this. Makkah’s power touched her, stinging as it moved up through her fingers into their arms. The pain caused her body to shake and she yelled, trying her best to control the screams of pain inside of her. “Can’t you see what you are doing? You are both fighting for someone that no longer exists!”
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Both looked at her as though she spoke another language, as though she was a mere after-thought. “I am not Kasia. She is dead, gone! And I refuse to live the rest of my existence with her hanging over my head. None of you care about me, you only ever see who you want to see. I am done with this, all of it. I don’t care if I ever see another Vampire, Djinn and whatever the fuck you are, again in my miserable life. As far as I’m concerned all of you lose!”
She turned, pushing her way through the men, her vision blurring with unshed tears as she walked back outside. She ached so badly that she thought she was tearing apart on the inside and her skin blistered from the heat, but that wasn’t the worst pain. No, that was nothing compared to the fracturing of her heart.
Her own heart was a traitor as it beat pain through her own body. She thought that here she would find the answers she needed. Did she think she would find a miracle in this hourglass of sand? No, but she thought that she could find peace. Wasn’t that all she had ever yearned for? Peace and to find her own way in this world and maybe someone who loved her, for her. Instead all she had found was heartache.
Her thoughts turned to Grayson, so far away. He had loved her as she was. He hadn’t wanted her to be anything more than she was, right in the very moment and she had turned him away. What a fool she had been.
She moved now with purpose, ignoring her own body as she moved towards the animals. She was leaving this place and never coming back.
Chapter 15
The camels moved when she neared, blowing air at her in protest of her presence. She gathered blankets and a saddle, moving quickly now, pushing her body to where her mind wanted to be, home.
“I don’t want to be here anymore than you want me to be here, so get me across the desert and you won’t have to see me ever again.”
She didn’t expect the camel to talk back, but even speaking the words caused her heart to ease and the pain inside abated. She pulled the blanket on the biggest camel she could find, he snorted and stepped away from her.
