Page 16 of The Sheikh's Desert Captive

CHAPTER FIVE

Rashid drove the horse on into the night and farther into the desert. It was clear to Nicole that he had no intention of stopping. Not while there was the chance they were being pursued. She didn't know whether Hakim's men were somewhere behind them in the dark. But, it was obvious that Rashid didn't want to tempt fate. She figured he knew this place better than anyone.

Nicole held onto him as he spurred the horse across the moonlit desert landscape. The night was cold, surprisingly so. Nicole leaned against Rashid's back, seeking warmth. The heat of his body took the edge off the coldness of the night air.

Leaning the side of her head against his shoulders, Nicole gazed up at the night sky. The stars were bright diamonds. The moon cast a subtle light across the desert. The landscape looked like something out of a dream. The dunes seemed to shimmer like the waves of an ocean in the faint light. Nicole thought her eyes must be deceiving her. Maybe that was what the desert was like at night, she told herself. Like a sea of sand that twisted the perceptions.

Rashid said nothing to her as they rode on through the night. Before he'd become so silent, she'd asked him what had been said at the meeting. He'd grunted impatiently and repeated that the elder's decision had been made, but that there were other ways of dealing with that.

Nicole didn't know what Rashid had meant by that. All that mattered to her was that she wasn't in that encampment any longer. Her nightmare had been left behind. For now. She wondered what lay ahead. Where he was taking her? Every time she asked him, Rashid repeated, "somewhere safe".

It seemed as if they had ridden for a long time, maybe an hour, when Rashid finally drew the horse to a halt. They were on the summit of a dune. Rashid slid down off the horse and reached up to Nicole. She let him help her down off the horse. Her feet sank into the soft sand, and she wrapped her arms around herself. Rashid noticed her shivering and went to his saddle bag, pulling out a thin blanket. He wrapped it around her. She watched him as he did that, sensing the simple pleasure he took from caring for her like this.

"You should have told me you were cold," he said softly. There was genuine concern in his eyes.

Nicole lifted a brow. "You were kinda busy," she said. "I thought you might have other things on your mind. Like rescuing me from Hakim," she added with a smile.

Rashid's eyes narrowed and she sensed that he wasn't quite used to her habit of making light of situations with her sense of humor.

"Did I say, thank you?" she murmured. Nicole smiled at him but his gaze was firm.

"There's no need for you to thank me," he replied. "It was my duty to prevent that from happening to you."

Nicole peered at him. Was that all it had been? Had he just been acting honorably because of some sense of obligation to her?

Rashid gazed across the moonlit landscape. She could tell he was trying to see if they had been followed. Nicole followed his gaze, but she couldn't see any sign of pursuers. The moonlit dunes were barren of any sign of life. There was no sign of movement. Just the gentle touch of the cool night air against her skin.

"Do you think they know where we are?" Nicole asked Rashid.

He shook his head. "I don't think so. I did my best to lead them astray. At least for now," he said. "I think I lost them."

"They were following us?" she asked startled for a moment.

Rashid nodded. "Undoubtedly. They wouldn't have allowed me to take you without coming after us. Not to do so would have been to admit defeat. And Hakim is not one to do that."

Nicole thought about Hakim. She never wanted to see him again. The thought of what he had done triggered another wave of indignation. Maybe, once she'd made it back to the safety of the city, there would something she could do about Hakim. Right now, she was safe. Or was she?

Nicole peered at him. "Where are we going?"

Rashid looked at her. His brows furrowed as if he was surprised at the question. "My palace," he announced.

Nicole nodded. "Of course. Your palace. Why didn't I think of that?" she said with a hint of irony in her voice.

Rashid seemed oblivious to her sarcasm. "There is nowhere else to go."

"Isn't there some way I can get back to the city?"

Rashid shook his head, but said nothing. What was he holding back from Nicole?

"My palace is the safest place, for the moment."

Nicole lifted a brow. "Won't Hakim know you've taken me there?"

Rashid shrugged. "Of course he will. But there's nothing he can do about it."

"What do you mean?"

Rashid sighed. "I'll explain later," he replied. He went to his horse and began to tighten the straps of the saddle. It looked suspiciously like he was trying to avoid looking at Nicole.

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