by Cara Albany
Hakim lifted his head and gazed off into the distance. "Here, in the desert, I am master. I decide what will happen. This is my domain." He peered down at her. "I rule here."
Hakim breathed sharply. "From the first moment when I saw you I knew you were destined to be mine." His gaze became steady and dangerous. "I could sense the need in you from the moment we met."
Nicole gasped and tried to pull away from him but he held onto her. "What do you mean?"
"You're a woman who needs excitement," Hakim said.
Nicole snorted." And you think becoming your wife will give me the excitement you think I need?"
Hakim shrugged. "Some women would deem it to be a privilege."
"What? Marrying you against their will," Nicole grunted incredulously. She scowled at him. "What woman in her right mind would put up with the something like that?"
Her taunt triggered anger in him. His jaw tightened and he leaned closer. She could feel his breath against her skin.
"You will come to see that being my wife is something to treasure. Something to enjoy," he added, leering at her.
Nicole pulled her arm away from him even more forcefully this time.
Finally, she loosened her arm and staggered back toward the tent. She had no idea where she was going, what she was going to try to do. All she knew was that she had to get away. She had to come up with something to avoid this ridiculous fate that he had engineered for her.
Nicole grabbed at the entrance to the tent and tugged it open. She was desperate to get back inside. She knew there would be no safety in there, but at least it would give her a moment of respite. A chance to think.
"Nicole!" he cried out from behind her. She didn't even pause to look back at him, knowing that if she did she would feel another surge of fear and terror.
Before she went back inside the tent she decided to show him that nothing he could do would make her back down. She looked back at him.
Just as Nicole turned she saw that Hakim was looking off in another direction, toward the entrance to the camp between two high dunes. There was a figure on a horse riding into the encampment. It was a man, dressed in traditional white robes.
He drew his horse to a halt and dismounted. After securing the reins, the man started to stride toward Hakim. There was an instant change in Hakim's demeanor at the site of the newcomer in the camp. She sensed Hakim's body stiffen, his features harden. It was clear the newcomer wasn't entirely welcome.
Nicole wondered who the new man was. She scrutinized him as he strode defiantly toward them. He was about the same age as Hakim, in his early thirties. The man was tall and slid back the hood of his robe from his head to reveal a thick shock of dark hair and even, handsome features. His eyes were dark, filled with a penetrating gaze that right now was fixed firmly upon Hakim.
Nicole turned to Hakim about to ask who the man was. But she paused when she saw that Hakim's face had paled. She saw him take a few steps back in response to the advancing figure of the newcomer.
For some strange reason Nicole couldn't understand, she was tempted by the sudden impulse to run toward the newcomer. Even if she did not know that he was friendly, she sensed in his attitude that he was no friend of Hakim.
Before she knew what she was doing, Nicole dashed toward the newcomer. He stopped in his tracks and stared in disbelief at the figure of the running woman heading straight for him. Nicole had no idea what she was going to say to him, what she could possibly say to him under the circumstances. Maybe he was a friend of Hakim. Maybe he was here to attend the wedding. That thought almost made her feet slide to halt in the sand.
Moments later, she was by the side of the stranger and grasping onto his white robes. Nicole peered up into his face, noting the starkness of his features, now that she was close to him.
"You have to help me," she gasped.
The stranger peered down at Nicole. She saw a flicker of understanding in his eyes and his features seemed to soften for a second in response to her pleading.
The stranger lifted his head peered across at Hakim and Nicole saw the stranger's jaw tighten.
"What is the meaning of this, Hakim?" the man said. His voice was deep and resonant.
Nicole turned and saw Hakim walk toward the stranger. "I was about to ask you the same question, Sheikh Rashid."
Nicole peered up to the man's face. His name was Rashid and he was no friend of Hakim. Now she knew it for certain. If that was the case, then there was a chance he would help her. She felt a flickering of hope.
Hakim took a defiant stance in front of Nicole and Rashid. "Why have you come?" Hakim demanded.
Rashid peered past Hakim's shoulder and toward the makeshift platform. "Is that what I think it is?" Rashid asked.
Hakim nodded, a sudden insolent expression on his face.
"It is," he stated firmly. Hakim looked at Nicole. He reached out a hand to Nicole, but she scowled at him and he withdrew his hand.
Nicole leaned against Rashid and felt him sigh heavily.
"You know what I think of this kind of thing, Hakim, Rashid said.
"I know that you no longer value our traditions," Hakim said with obvious disdain.
Rashid shook his head. "On the contrary. When I heard about what you were planning, it was my duty to come and stop you."
Hakim's eyes widened. For a moment, Nicole thought that he was going to leap across the distance and seize hold of Rashid. "Who are you to challenge my authority here?" Hakim demanded.
"It is my privilege to challenge you on this," Rashid replied. "And my right."
Hakim grunted. "You have no right. The law is clear."
Rashid shook his head. "On the contrary. I can challenge this. This cannot go ahead." Rashid peered down at Nicole. She searched his expression seeking any hint of compassion for her predicament. But, right now, she saw none. She felt disappointment well up inside her.
"You cannot stop this, Rashid," Hakim reiterated.
"I can. And I will." Rashid paused and looked down at Nicole. "I demand arbitration," he announced.
Rashid's voice hung in the wind for a long moment. Nicole had the sense that what he had just said has some kind of special significance.
"You cannot do such a thing," Hakim retorted.
Rashid shook his head. "On the contrary. Since we both share a common border, and I am Sheikh of my own territory, it is my right to demand arbitration over any decision which can affect our common livelihoods. Therefore the tribal elder must be involved in any decision to take a wife in these circumstances."
Had he emphasized the word "take"?
Rashid looked down at Nicole and this time she saw more than a hint of compassion behind those dark eyes.
And then he said something which drew the breath out of Nicole.
"Especially with one so beautiful as this," he said softly. Nicole felt a flush of color rise to her cheeks.
She wondered if he had noticed that, but right now it didn't matter. All that really mattered was that the stranger who had come from the desert was willing to be her saviour.
Nicole looked across at Hakim. He had no answer to what Rashid had just said. She could tell from the hard look in his eyes that Rashid had made a demand that he could not refuse.
Nicole glanced up at Rashid.
This man could well be the only way that she could escape the hideous fate of a forced marriage.
CHAPTER THREE
It was the early evening and finally Rashid managed to muster his courage and pay a visit to the beautiful woman who had spent the last few hours awaiting the decision.
He paused outside the tent and tried to gather his thoughts. What could he say to the woman? He wanted to apologize for the disgraceful behavior of his fellow Qazhar countryman; a man who was a sheikh like Rashid himself.
During the time since he'd arrived, Rashid had been arguing his case was Hakim. And failing to persuade the man who had virtually kidnapped the American woman with the intention of forcing her into
marriage.
He and Hakim had a long history of animosity. Their two families had suffered many years of tribal disagreements and border disputes.
Hakim was stubborn. But Rashid already knew that; had known it for years. For the moment, Hakim was refusing to see sense. As far as Rashid was concerned, bringing a woman out to this wilderness, far away from civilization had been rash and completely unacceptable.
It didn't make matters any more acceptable that the woman concerned was American and stunningly beautiful. In fact, it made it even more outrageous, as far as Rashid was concerned. Women deserved better than that. They were not mere chattels to be traded and exchanged. Why couldn't Hakim understand that?
Rashid knew the answer to that question. Hakim was merely showing the weak, lustful side of his personality. It was a side of Hakim with which Rashid was all too familiar.
Rashid was determined to do one thing. He was duty-bound to prevent the forced marriage which Hakim had obviously planned. When he had seen the beautiful foreigner race toward him from the entrance to the tent, Rashid had felt a confusing mixture of emotions.
On the one hand, he had felt an instinctive, instant anger toward Hakim for daring to try and perpetrate such a thing as a forced marriage. Especially since the last forced marriage had turned out so badly for everyone concerned.
Rashid forced the memory of that into the back of his mind.
Forced marriages were a thing of the past. Rashid was determined they would have no place in any part of his kingdom. Obviously, not everyone shared his enlightened views.
The other emotion he had felt as the American woman had raced towards him had been wholly surprising to Rashid. In spite of all his years of solitude and self-imposed isolation, he'd found the sight of her running away from Hakim, obviously seeking Rashid's help, strangely moving.
Her blonde hair had tumbled around her head as she ran. Her eyes, dazzlingly blue, had been filled with a mixture of panic and relief. Even although he was a complete stranger to this woman, she had come toward him with such a desperation, such a need, that he had instantly felt the impulse to help her, to protect her.
He didn't know why such a thing had happened. All he knew was that it had felt utterly real.
Arguing with Hakim had been pointless and both men had agreed to wait until the arrival of the tribal elder later that evening.
Then the decision would be made. Permission for the marriage would be granted or denied.
Rashid wondered what the American woman would make of this. He wondered why she had agreed to come out here to engage in such an act is marrying a man like Hakim out here in the middle of nowhere. Maybe she was simply a pleasure seeker, someone bored with life and needing something completely new and different to enliven her dull life.
But that couldn't be the case, could it? Rashid couldn't believe that someone so beautiful as this American woman would need to liven up her life by coming into the wilderness and throwing herself at the mercy of Hakim. Hakim was a rich man. There was no doubt about that. He and Rashid were equally wealthy in that regard.
So, what had brought the woman out here?
Maybe, the promise of wealth; the temptations of a fantasy of life in the desert; the opulent life that Hakim could offer her in his palace not far from here.
But Rashid did not believe that. He had seen something in the American woman's eyes, a defiance that had caused long forgotten emotions to stir inside him. He hadn't felt them in a very long time.
As he strode toward the tent, he thrust the memory of that feeling away into the darkest recesses of his mind. He knew he was being watched by the other men, but it didn't matter to him. He had long ago given up caring what other people thought of him.
He tugged open the flap of the tent and stepped inside.
The American woman, whose name he knew to be Nicole, looked up at him suddenly from where she was sitting on the red sofa on the far side of the tent.
In the soft light of the candles which had been placed around the corners of the room, he could see her face was pale with fright. He didn't blame her. Maybe she thought he was just another one of the troublemakers from outside.
Rashid walked across the thick carpet. She watched him come toward her. Her eyes narrowed with obvious doubt. He could see that she didn't trust him. Not yet, anyway.
He stopped in front of the table and looked down at her.
"Is everything satisfactory?" he asked realizing how stupid the question must sound given the circumstances.
Nicole glanced at the plate of food on the table. "I don't seem to have much of an appetite." She glanced toward the door of the tent. "What's going on out there?"
"They're waiting for the tribal elder," he explained.
He saw a flash of defiance in her eyes, and for a moment he thought she was going to stand up but she just sighed heavily. "Can you get me out of here?" she breathed.
For a moment he was taken aback by the abruptness of her question.
He shook his head, but said nothing. He saw her shoulders slump and her brows furrow. This woman had a strong spirit, he told himself. That thought triggered a flicker of excitement in him, but he didn't allow his features to betray how he felt.
"The elder is a wise man. I have known him many years. He will make the right decision," Rashid said.
Nicole's eyes narrowed. "Which is what?" she asked sharply.
"That the wedding should not be allowed and that you should be able to return home safely," he said.
Nicole looked surprised at his words. Hadn't she expected him to say that?
"Can you make sure I get home?" she asked.
What could he tell her? It wasn't as simple as she might assume.
"We'll need to wait until after the elder's decision."
"Who are you?" she asked gazing intently at him.
"My name is Sheikh Rashid Al Khassan." He said it with a habitual pride, one that had been ingrained into him since childhood. She saw her eyes widen, and she seemed to be scrutinizing him more closely. Had she been impressed by the imperious way he'd announced himself?
She didn't hesitate to let him know. "Wow! That sounds grand," she said with a hint of sarcasm.
"It is not meant to be taken sarcastically," he replied. He had been slightly offended by her response and it was difficult to disguise his disappointment.
She seemed taken aback by his sudden reaction. "I didn't mean to offend you," she said quickly. "It's just that all the sheikhs in this country seem to have very high opinions of themselves."
Rashid bowed his head, agreeing with what she'd just said. "It's true. Every family in this country of ours has a history to be proud of. Each sheikh knows where he has come from. His heritage. Each understands what must be honored." He looked at her and narrowed his eyes. "I see no reason why anyone to be ashamed of that."
Nicole leaned back on the sofa. She seemed more relaxed now that she knew who he was. "Where do you live, Sheikh Rashid?" she asked. He liked the sound of his name on her tongue, the way her accent made the words seem so alien.
He pointed in the general direction of North, his instincts for direction infallible as usual. "My palace is a short horse ride from here. Sheikh Hakim and I have territory which borders upon each other."
"You two don't seem to get along," Nicole said.
Rashid tilted his head to one side. "He and I have a long history of disagreement. We've had our differences."
"I guess I'm lucky you came along, then," Nicole said.
"You could look at it that way," he agreed.
She smiled at him, the first time she had really done that since his arrival.
Nicole's eyes widened. "Do you think Hakim will arrange for me to go home if the elder refuses him permission?"
Rashid shrugged. "I am not sure. He is a man of principle and he does value all of our ancient traditions. But Hakim did bring you here under false pretences. That is unforgivable."
"Does Hakim include abducting women a
nd marrying them against their will in his list of pastimes?" she asked. Her eyes flashed with sudden indignation.
"I understand the strength of your feelings about this, Miss Summers," he said.
"Do you?" she asked sarcastically.
"I do not agree with these old traditions." He looked at her, as if trying to make sure that she understood he was being completely genuine. "It is time we moved on from such things."
"Are you saying these forced marriages still happen?"
He took a few steps toward her. "It is something that does still take place. People don't like to speak of such things. Families are not always honorable. Sometimes marriages are arranged for reasons of property or family honour."
Nicole stood up. "There was nothing honourable about what Hakim did," she declared.
"How did he persuade you to come here?" asked Rashid.
"He didn't," she said quietly. "I asked him to bring me here."
"You did? Why?"
Nicole sighed. "I don't want to go into it. Not right now," she said shaking her head.
"Hakim must have done something to persuade you," Rashid said.
Nicole snorted. "You're right. It was the usual things. Charm. Good manners. Promises. He made it all sound like such a lot of fun. Coming out here was going to be an adventure." Nicole rolled her eyes. "Well, it certainly turned out to be an adventure. And I can't wait to get home."
Rashid cleared his throat. "Well, that's the thing. There's no guarantee that the outcome will be the one that you are wishing for."
"What?" she exclaimed.
"Even although you are obviously someone of importance," Rashid said evenly, "it may not make much difference in the end. I have the strong impression that Hakim is very determined to make you his wife."
Nicole groaned out loud. "I cannot believe this is happening. When this is all over I am going to look back on this and laugh so hard."
"I hope you are right," he told her.
Nicole looked at Rashid and saw him smiling. "I admire your fortitude." He grinned at her. "And your sense of humor."
"Why are you doing this?" she asked.
