Page 28 of The Sheikh's Desert Captive

Rashid shook his head. "Transport isn't the problem. That can be arranged."

"Then arrange it," she said bluntly.

Rashid shook his head. "There is something which must be done before you can return. It has to do with you being here in my home. And the way you were brought here."

Nicole leaned closer to Rashid. She could see that he had to tell her something and she needed to know what it was.

"What's on your mind, Rashid?"

Rashid breathed out heavily and peered into Nicole's eyes. "The tradition I'm about to explain to you will sound archaic and primitive. But it is the law out here. I have to respect it." He looked away to one side and she could see the emotion in his eyes. "For now, at least."

Butterflies started tumbling in Nicole's stomach. She reached out and laid a hand on Rashid's arm. "Tell me," she said to him.

"By bringing you to this palace after taking you from Hakim, I have invoked an agreement with Hakim."

"What kind of agreement," Nicole asked. She definitely wasn't feeling happy about where this conversation was heading.

"If a sheikh claims a bride intended for another sheikh, and takes her to his private domain, then the woman must remain with the sheikh who claimed her."

The words hit Nicole like a body blow.

"I have to stay with you?" Nicole asked. She knew her face must be masked with shock.

Rashid nodded.

"I'm a prisoner in the palace?"

Rashid shook his head firmly. "No. You are not a prisoner. You are my guest."

Nicole squinted at Rashid. "Are you for real? Where I come from someone who can't leave a place is usually called a prisoner."

"This is not the same," he insisted. "This is a matter of honor."

"Honor?" Nicole shrieked. "What kind of honor keeps a woman captive in a palace?"

"The honor of our traditions," Rashid said. It didn't sound convincing, even coming from him.

Nicole gasped. She almost started to laugh. The whole thing was starting to sound surreal.

"How long do I have to remain with you?" she asked.

"Seven days and nights," he replied.

"What!" Nicole exclaimed. "Seven?"

Rashid nodded. "The alternative is that Hakim can claim you once more."

"I'd like to see him try," Nicole scoffed.

"I agree. It would be most unpleasant and highly unlikely. But there would be great trouble for everyone involved if it were to happen."

"Including you?" she asked suddenly aware that he looked genuinely worried.

Rashid shrugged. "I would be fine. Eventually."

Nicole leaned back against the sofa. She'd been rescued from one captivity only to be thrust into another.

"So, let me get this straight. If I stay here, in the palace, for seven days and nights, then Hakim loses his claim to me. And I will be free to go home unhindered."

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