The Sheik's Secret Bride (10 page)

“We should have to pack up the house,” she said, watching sadly as the guards put the last of the suitcases into the trunk. 

Zahir shook his head and laughed slightly.  “That will be the first thing you’re going to have to get used to, Callie.  Servants will pack up and close down the house.”

Her lips compressed with that news.  “I don’t think they’ll…”

“They’ll close it up correctly.  And we’ll come back.  I promise.”

He took her hands and tried to comfort her.  Luca was close by, playing basketball with one of the bodyguards.  “That’s his personal guard, isn’t it?” she asked, looking at the way the man watched Luca so carefully.

“Yes.  His name is Junar Alfirsi.  He’ll defend Luca with his life if that becomes necessary.  Junar will also teach him many things, like self-defense and combat training.  As will I.  There will be numerous classes that he will enjoy.”

“And a whole bunch he won’t like, right?” she shifted in the car, resentful already.  She wanted to teach him to make pancakes and cookies, decorate Christmas cookies and how to dance and treat a lady.  Zahir wanted to teach him to kill, to maim and to combat one’s enemies.

As Junar led Luca over to the limousine, she scooted as far away from Zahir as possible, focusing all of her attention on strapping her son into his car seat.  She knew she wasn’t being fair, but nothing about this situation was fair, in her mind.  She ignored the fact that Zahir had taught Luca to sail and fish, to explore the woods, seeing things in different ways.  Weren’t those all survival techniques?  Weren’t those still combat related?

She sighed, rubbing her forehead as she worked out everything in her mind.  This was not the way she’d always pictured her marriage and her life to go. She didn’t need the palace or the servants.  She didn’t even care about the limitless clothes budget.  All she wanted was to love her son and her husband, to spend evenings listening to what had happened during their day and fight over which bills to pay or argue about which Christmas party to attend. 

The flight to Larcatia was uneventful but Callie ignored Zahir.  She was so hurt and angry right now.  Or perhaps it was just her fear welling up to overwhelm her.  She wasn’t sure and she couldn’t really think rationally right now.  No matter how much she wanted to resist, she knew, deep down inside, she acknowledged that Luca needed to discover Larcatia.  Not only was he the future ruler, it was his birthright and she had no right to deny him that. 

When they landed, she’d already changed into an ice blue suit, one that looked great with her hair.  She had no idea when Zahir had ordered her a new wardrobe, nor did she care.  Besides, he probably hadn’t ordered it but had simply asked someone on his staff to order appropriate clothes.  Although she would admit that it was nice to wear something elegant.  It boosted her confidence as she faced the uncertain future. 

When she stepped out of the airplane’s bedroom, Luca’s eyes widened. “I like that one much more than your others, Momma,” he said.

She looked down at her suit, feeling pretty and feminine.  But her other work suits weren’t too bad either.  Okay, so this one seemed to fit her perfectly and the material was better than anything she’d ever worn before.  “What’s wrong with my other suits?” she asked, ruffling his curly hair. 

“They don’t make you look pretty.”  He stood up and took her hand.  “This one makes you look beautiful.”  And he looked over at his father, obviously seeking approval. 

Callie caught the look and her throat constricted.  Zahir was already teaching him things, such as how to treat a woman.  It suddenly occurred to her that those were things that she could tell Luca, but until a man told him, a man that he respected, then he wouldn’t really follow the guidance. 

It was yet another example of how much Luca needed his father and her heart wrenched that she’d denied her son this example for so long. 

The flight attendant stepped out of the galley area.  “The captain says that we’re about to land.”

Callie made sure that Luca’s seat belt was strapped in place before she found a seat as well.  Luca’s face was plastered against the window, his eager, curious mind wanting to see as much as possible from the air. 

She thought about looking as well, but she couldn’t do it.  Instead, she placed her hands in her lap, refusing to let them start wringing again which would reveal her anxiety.  She wasn’t nervous, she told herself firmly.  She was strong and confident and she was going to figure out a way out of this mess! 

The plane landed with barely a bump and then taxied over to the special gate set up specifically for Zahir’s takeoffs and landings.  The security in this airport was heightened with not just the ruler coming back home, but also the crown prince in the form of an eager four year old, clutching the ear of his teddy bear as he took it all in.

Callie stepped off of the beautiful plane in front of Luca and Zahir but he put a hand to the small of her back, guiding her to the line of vehicles.  She knew that she was stepping out carefully, almost resisting each step, but she couldn’t help it.  She finally ducked into the back of a black SUV, shivering as she realized that this vehicle was bullet and bomb proofed.  Just the need for that kind of defense made her stomach queasy. 

She watched as the convoy approached the palace and her heart thudded with dread.  Would it be that bad again?  Could something happen to Luca?  Or to Zahir?  She didn’t want to be kidnapped and dumped into a dirt prison again, but the idea of either Zahir or Luca enduring what she’d gone through made her almost sick.  She didn’t want to think about it, but the closer they got, the more anxious she was. 

She hadn’t been taken from the palace, she reminded herself.  She’d been shopping in the market, looking at the various goods on display.  She breathed deeply, carefully trying to control her anxiety. 

The SUVs pulled up into the main gate of the palace and she was stunned by the pageantry that was on display.  The palace guards were in full dress uniform and even the household staff was standing outside, their smiles huge as they waited to greet their returning ruler and their future prince.

“They know,” she whispered.

Zahir knew what she wasn’t asking.  “It was announced as soon as the treaty was officially signed.”

“How long ago?”

“Three weeks.  I arranged to come get you as soon as it was final but preparations for our week together started long before then.”  He took her hand once more.  “You see, Callie?  It really is going to be okay.”

She turned her head away, not wanting to face this reality. 

He stepped out first, then held a hand to assist her.  She took it, but pulled away as soon as she was out of the vehicle.  Luca and Ms. Fisher stepped out of the SUV as well and there was an enormous cheer as the palace staff got their first glimpse of their future ruler. 

Zahir bent down and lifted Luca into his arms, handing the teddy bear to Ms. Fisher.  Callie had to laugh at that and was relieved that Luca didn’t need it at this moment for reassurance.  She would make sure that the bear found its way into his bedroom though.  There was no way she would allow Zahir to take that security blanket away from Luca until her little boy was ready for that to happen.  There were just some things a little guy needed, and a teddy bear was one of them. 

She followed Zahir and Luca, pretending that she wasn’t swelling up with pride at the two men in her life.  Zahir carried Luca over to the staff and formally introduced him to his advisors and council members.  Each of them bowed in front of Luca who turned to his father, not sure what to do. 

Callie watched with astonishment as Zahir briefly acknowledged each person, then chuckled when Luca wiggled out of his father’s arms.  Standing straight and with more dignity than she’d thought possible in such a young man, Luca mimicked his father’s acknowledgement of the bow by each person.  In that moment, Luca captured their hearts and loyalty and Callie’s eyes stung with tears she refused to shed. 

With each small lesson from his father, Callie was discovering that her need to get away was growing less and less intense. 

Callie watched Luca sleep for a long time.  Her heart ached for him and for all of the burdens that were eventually going to be on his little shoulders, but she also knew that Zahir was going to help him get there. 

What was she going to do?  The idea of staying here filled her with an almost choking sense of doom.  She felt safe here in the palace but was she supposed to stay here for the rest of her life? 

She didn’t want to live like that, but the longer they stayed, the more she realized that she couldn’t separate Zahir and Luca.  Those two were like peas in a pod. 

Oh, and there was also the realization that Zahir hadn’t been using any form of birth control.  How could that little detail have slipped her mind over the past week?  They had made love so many times, she would be shocked if she weren’t already pregnant.

Goodness, the possibility filled her with both excitement and dread.  She would love to have another child with Zahir, but doing so would eliminate any possibility of her leaving him and going back to Virginia. 

Or was that possibility already gone? 

She smoothed down Luca’s hair, smiling at the way he was clutching his teddy bear so tightly.  He didn’t seem to be upset by his future, but there was no way he could grasp what was coming.  He was just too little and his world, mentally, revolved around the here and now. 

So how was she to keep the little guy, who loved cookies and ice cream, while Zahir started teaching him how to handle a sword?

“Come to bed, Callie,” Zahir said.

She turned her head, not able to see him in the darkened room.  “I’m fine,” she told him.  It felt like she’d given in on so much lately so, right now, she was going to sit by her son and watch him sleep for as long as she wanted. 

“He’s asleep, Callie.  Come to bed.”

She shook her head, just being stubborn now.  She didn’t even look in his direction this time.  “No.  I’m not coming to bed with you.  You’ve bulldozed me enough for one day, Zahir.  Just leave me alone.”

Zahir sighed and, because Callie wasn’t watching him, she didn’t see the hurt look that entered his dark eyes that was quickly smothered.  Zahir looked at his woman’s tense shoulders and shimmering eyes in the dim light of his son’s bedroom and wished there was something he could do or say that would make her feel more comfortable about all the changes that he was imposing on her previously simple life.  But his mind was blank.  He knew that, in the long term, she would be better off and he could make her happy.  But right now, she was hurt, angry, resentful and overwhelmed by everything.  “Okay, come to bed when you’re ready.  Just don’t wait too long.  It has been a long day and you’re exhausted.”

With that, he walked out of Luca’s bedroom, leaving her to her tortured thoughts. 

In the end, she really was exhausted so she moved back to the bedroom where one of the servants had told her all of her clothes had been moved.  This room was different from the one that she’d shared with Zahir before.  Or maybe it was the same one?  Just different decorating?  She wasn’t sure.  This room was softer, more feminine.  Zahir’s suite had been filled with leather and dark colors.  This suite was decorated in yellows and blues.  She liked it, but she wasn’t sure why Zahir would…

Yes she did.  She sighed as she realized that this was another attempt from him to make her feel more comfortable.  Her heart ached at the gesture and she once again fought the falling feeling she experienced every time Zahir did something kind or generous for her.  It was all part of his master plan to get her to fall in love with him again.

What he didn’t realize was that she was already in love with him.  Good grief, she’d never fallen out of love with him.  She’d just pushed all that pain in her heart aside and learned to live.  Day by day, breath by breath.  And now she was set up to be hurt all over again. 

She walked into the dressing room and surveyed her nightgown options.  There were about a dozen silk nightgowns in one of the many drawers and she sighed, her fingers touching the delicate material.  The lace and silk were meant to seduce.  She had to laugh because, if she stepped out of the dressing room in one of these nightgowns, it would be on the floor faster than it took to hear the slithering of the material down her body. 

Zahir was a passionate man and giving him the temptation of her body in one of these would only increase his desire. 

Perhaps that’s what was intended.  Perhaps it was all a mad conspiracy by the palace staff to get more little princes and princesses.  She wouldn’t doubt it. 

Or maybe Zahir was the one to have directed these little slips of nothings.  He wanted a large family.  They’d talked about having several children five years ago.  But they needed to talk about that again.  She wasn’t sure what she wanted anymore.

What was she talking about?  One moment, she was determined to get away, to figure out a compromise that didn’t include her living here.  And the next moment, she was wondering how many children Zahir wanted? 

Was she crazy? 

Perhaps she was, she thought with a sigh.  She stood up and walked into Zahir’s closet.  Pulling down one of his shirts, she carried it into the bathroom and got ready for bed.  She had no idea where he was, but it would be really nice if he didn’t come back to the bedroom before she fell asleep.

Callie took a long shower, reveling in the multiple showerheads that surrounded her with warm water.  With the press of a button, the showerheads switched to steam while she used the scented soap, shampoo and conditioner. 

After a long time under the warm spray, she finally accepted that it was time to get out and try to get some sleep.  She suspected that tomorrow would be just as stressful as today.  She needed to get some sleep so she could be ready for whatever Zahir threw her way. 

She dried off and pulled on the white shirt, rolling up the sleeves so that her arms could come out. 

When she stepped out of the bathroom, she came to a halt.  Standing right in front of her was Zahir, his shirt off and the top button of his slacks undone. 

His dark eyes traveled up and down her figure, obviously appreciating the sight.  “The staff forgot to provide appropriate sleepwear for you?” he asked, amusement lighting his eyes.

Callie gripped the neckline self-consciously.  “There are several silk gowns in one of the drawers.” 

He chuckled as he moved closer.  “You ignored them, knowing that they wouldn’t be on your delectable body long enough for me to fully appreciate them, is that it?”

She grimaced.  “Something like that,” she replied.  No, exactly like that, she thought silently.  And tinging that comment was a large dose of resentment at how easy things seemed to be for him. 

“I’m not going to fall in love with you,” she lied.  Her revelations from earlier were haunting her, making her feel more vulnerable than she ever wanted to feel.  And she still couldn’t alleviate that panicked, choking feeling that kept welling up inside of her every time she thought of…that pit, the nights, the bugs. 

“I can’t…”

He was there in a flash.  Zahir had seen her eyes change color, her skin pale and her whole body tensed.  “Shhh…” he pulled her into his arms.  “I’m here.  He’s gone.”  Zahir wished the monster was still alive so he could kill him again for what he’d done to this gentle woman.  He pictured what their life could have been like if it hadn’t been for that man.  If not for the sick bastard, Zahir never would have been separated from his Callie, he would have been there for his son’s birth, for his first steps, the first time Luca smiled or laughed or spoke.  He gently held Callie in his arms, willing her to absorb some of his strength. 

He hated that she was so scared.  He knew that she loved him but couldn’t admit it and he wanted to break the man who had done this to her. 

“Let’s go to bed,” he told her and lifted her up into his arms.  He didn’t make love to her that night.  But nor did he sleep.  He just laid in the bed with Callie in his arms, listening to her breathing.  He suspected that she didn’t sleep either and he wasn’t sure if he blamed her.  After what she’d gone through, he closed his eyes, trying to block it from his imagination.  He knew all too well what one human being could do to another.