Katy opened her eyes once she heard Ardeth settle onto the rug across from her. She had tried to sleep but could not, spending the past hour listening to the warrior as he moved around her, feeling his eyes occasionally rest on her when he was certain she was sleeping. The truth was, she was afraid to let sleep come. Either she would have that dream again – the one that never reached conclusion and always left her with more questions. Or she would awaken the next morning, one day closer to the end. End of what? She did not know. The world. Her life. The lives of so many others. Or her time spent with Ardeth.
Moving to her knees, Katy began crawling toward Ardeth; uncertain of what she would do once she got there but knowing she had to be near him all the same. She could not – would not – allow him to push her away any more. There was something very real and very strong between them and to Hell with his duty and honor and desert ways.
Once at his side, she rested on her hip, staring down at him. He lay uncovered, his chest bare. Tawny colored skin, well muscled, smooth. Had she ever before glimpsed a more perfect man? She did not think so. Everything about him exuded strength and masculinity with an underlying tenderness and need to protect. His hands, which would one moment wield a sword with perfection, would next wipe away her tears with the most gentle of touches. A stern voice made to command armies would turn her to mush with a softly whispered word. Reaching out, Katy took a strand of his dark hair between her fingers, playing with it momentarily before she found courage enough to whisper into the dark.
“Ardeth? Are you awake?”
“No.”
She blinked at the reply then poked him in his side.
“Ow!”
“Don’t pretend to sleep,” she told him.
He opened his eyes, focusing his dark gaze on her. The dying firelight cast soft shadows across her face; her red hair seemed fiery in the glow. “I doubt I was the only one feigning sleep.”
Katy ignored that. She was uncertain what to say or do. She began playing with the talisman he had given her earlier.
“Katebet?” He questioned softly. “What is it you want?”
She sighed. “I…” Shaking her head, she looked away. “I’m afraid.”
“I know.”
“No. I… I want to be next to you.” She turned back to him, her gaze searching his. “Can I sleep here, next to you?”
Ardeth was silent for a long moment before finally leaning up on his elbow, nearer to her. He wanted more than anything to say yes, to pull her down next to him and hold her through the night. But he feared the repercussions. Once he touched her, once he felt her next to him, would he be able to simply hold her? Or would he want more? Ardeth had wanted her to come to him, but in some ways she was still a child, still so very innocent. Did she even understand what she asked of him?
“You must understand what you are asking, Katebet. I hold myself back because I know that once I touch you, I will not be able to stop and you are an innocent and do no understand. My blood burns for you, Katy O’Connell. I want to make you mine – I need to make you mine. But once we take that step, there is no turning back. There is only safety in distance between us.”
Katy lifted her chin stubbornly. “I understand the ways of the world, Ardeth,” she announced. “I’m not a child. And I understand how I’ve felt since the first moment I saw you in England. I’ve never felt this way before – and it terrifies me! I feel that I shall die if you do not touch me --”
His mouth closed over hers before she could speak another word, his hand reaching behind her neck, pulling her down to him. His lips moved against hers, exploring, inviting her to do the same, and when she began to follow his lead, he cupped the back of her head, his fingers sliding tantalizingly against her nape while his free hands began sensually stroking her back.
Ardeth kissed her endlessly, long drugging kisses that shook Katy to the core of her being and made her want more and more. His tongue traced the line between her lips, coaxing them to part for him, then plunged inward, retreating, tormenting and teasing her until Katy, feverish with the need to make him feel as she felt began to match him stroke for stroke. The instant she did, the kiss exploded. His hand shifted, curving around her buttocks, pulling her tightly against his hardened body, while his tongue continued to ravage her mouth. Driven by pure instinct and the pleasure that coursed through her veins, Katy moved against him, sighing into his mouth. She felt the hardness of his manhood pressing against her and the familiar fluttering began in her stomach.
Rolling them both over so that his body covered hers, Ardeth moved his hand up along her hips, across her rib cage to her breast where it stilled for just a moment when she stiffened beneath him. He kissed her until she relaxed once more and then his hand cupped her breast, circling the nipple through the fabric with his thumb until it hardened into a tight bud against his palm. He kissed her temple, her eyes and her cheek, nuzzling her neck as his hand continued his exploration of her full breasts, her uncertainty quickly being replaced by desire as she moved her hips against him. His mouth trailed down her neck to her breastbone, where his fingers gently pushed aside the fabric of her tunic, exposing her breasts to his hungered gaze. She trembled slightly beneath him, her gaze unable to meet his, color suffusing her face. Ardeth smiled at her sudden shyness, loving her all the more for it. He brushed his hands lightly across her breasts, watching as the nipples rose proudly before him, then bending over to capture one between his lips, suckling gently as Katy gasped at the touch.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Katy’s mind shouted as tendrils of pleasure coursed through her in waves as the dark head bent over her continued its ministrations, teasing her with both mouth and hands. Her fingers tangled in the dark hair at the nape of his neck, holding him closer to her breast and when he nipped her lightly with his teeth, caressing the orb with his tongue, her whole body twisting against his in need. Pulling away from her, Ardeth sat up, straddling her hips, pulling her up to him where he held her while he stripped the tunic over Katy’s arms, the firelight casting shadows across her pale flesh. His fingers trailed down her arm and she shivered beneath his touch, their gazes meeting. Dazed with pleasure and wonder, Katy searched his scorching eyes, sensing instinctively the care he was taking with her, the desire he was reining in, in order not to frighten her. Ardeth smoothed the hair back from her face, cradling her in his arms as if she were an object fragile and breakable. She realized suddenly that was not what she wanted – she wanted his hands on her, needing her, pulling her against him, his mouth once more ravaging hers.
“Ardeth… “ She spoke his name, throwing her arms over him and crushing herself to him, her breasts tingling at the feeling of his warm skin against hers as her mouth sought his. He responded to her need, his hands smoothing over her bare back before moving around to cup her breasts once more. He pushed her back down to the pillows, his mouth and tongue moving down her face and neck, back to her breasts where he suckled and teased until she thought she would die from pleasure. Freeing one hand, he continued down her belly to her hip where he pushed aside the fabric of her trousers, covering the curly triangle between her legs. She stiffened at the intimate touch, clamping her legs together, wildly shaking her head.
“Do not be afraid of me, Katebet,” he whispered, coaxing her to relax, kissing her lips softly as his hand began to move, gently but relentlessly caressing her most sensitive place, his fingers probing the moist warmth, seeking entrance. “Trust me,” he whispered before leaning down to once more suckle at her breast.
Slowly, the rigidity left her and Katy’s thighs parted of their own accord. Ardeth continued to stroke her until she began to move restlessly against him, signaling her need. He moved down her body, placing soft kisses along her stomach, teasing her belly button with his tongue before he slowly removed her trousers, sliding them over her hips and down her long, shapely legs. He lifted one leg, kissing the ankle while his hand caressed the calf, his lips trailing along it to her knee where he nipped at a sensitive spot causing her to jerk within his hold. His mouth continued upward, licking the inside of her thighs until he came to the juncture between her legs. She seemed prepared to tense once more but Ardeth caressed her slowly, gently, kissing her abdomen until he heard a low, desire-hungry moan escape her lips. Parting the folds of her womanhood, Ardeth took her with his mouth. He laved her with his tongue, teasing the already swollen nub as Katy bucked beneath him, her attempts at stifling her cries failing. He burrowed his tongue deeply within her, leaving no part of her unmolested, before taking the nub into his mouth and suckling at it until he felt Katy’s muscles begin to clench around him. He continued relentlessly until her orgasm consumed her, rippling through her while she shuddered beneath him, gasps of pleasure and surprise escaping her mouth.
Katy could barely breathe as she felt Ardeth move back up over her body, his lips finding hers once more, covering them with his kiss, the taste of her still lingering on his mouth. She buried her hands in his hair, pulling him to her; unable to convey to him what she was feeling at that moment, how she would rather die than ever be separated from him. She felt him moving against her, unraveling the tie that held his trousers, his sex springing forth against her, poised at the entrance to her body. He was hard and hot against her and Katy found herself straining to feel more of him, all of him, against her body.
Ardeth pulled away from her mouth, his gaze capturing hers. “Take my hands, Katebet.” She did; he stretched them above her head, holding them there, clasped within his. “Open yourself to me.” Her eyes widening, Katy did as he asked, instinctively knowing as he pressed himself against her flesh that the size of him meant pain, and he did not want to hurt her.
Her breath coming in frightened, shallow little pants Katy kept her eyes riveted on the man above her, as if simply gazing on him provided her with the reassurance and comfort she needed. Moving his hips slowly, Ardeth penetrated her a fraction with each stroke, pushing slightly deeper into her tight warmth until he found the barrier that blocked further entrance. Lifting her hips to receive him, he withdrew almost completely before covering her trembling lips with his own. Holding her there, he drove swiftly forward into her. Her body arched and a whimper of pain escaped her mouth against his own but she did not struggle, allowing him to hold her to him as the pain receded. With painstaking slowness, Ardeth began to move within her, plunging gently then retreating to plunge again as she began instinctively to move with him.
Her hands moved involuntarily to his shoulders where they clutched him, her nails biting into the hardened muscles as she strained toward him in trembling need, pressing herself willingly to the demanding, rhythmic thrusts of his hard body. Within her, an uncontrollable inner excitement began to build, jarring her body with quick, piercing stabs of desire. Suddenly, ecstasy exploded within her, spilling through her veins while spasms racked her body, making her cry out. The moment she did, Ardeth tightened his arms around her and drove fiercely into her. His body erupted like a volcano, pouring his seed into her welcoming warmth. Convulsions of pleasure were still racking him as he lifted his weight from her and moved onto his side, taking Katy with him.
They lay in the silence together, the firelight having long receded into darkness, as Ardeth absently stroked and caressed the soft skin of the woman he held. Never had he believed he would find such pleasure in one woman’s arms; never had he believed he would find the true mate of his soul. She lay in his arms like the missing piece of the puzzle of his life, silently providing him with the happiness for which he had searched. And yet the Elders demanded that he take her in silence only; that he could not proclaim to the world the love that burst like an Egyptian sunrise within his heart.
Katy sighed softly to herself, wishing that Ardeth would say something. Anything. She hated the silence, fearing that it was a condemnation of her. She wanted to know if the warrior who held her had felt all of the glorious feelings that she had experienced. She wanted to know if he was pleased. But she did not press for these things, occupying herself with caressing the smooth chest that rose and fell beneath her hand, tracing the curvature of the muscles that contracted beneath her touch. Ardeth caught her hand, pulling it to his lips where he lingered over it with a kiss for a long moment. Katy craned her head back, searching his face for something, anything. He sighed, shifting so that they lay facing one another, dark eyes meeting green.
“There is so much within me to say to you, Katebet,” he whispered in the darkness. “I do not know where to begin.”
Katy smiled, pleased that she was not the only one who seemed to be floating in a void, with nothing suddenly to cling to but the man beside her. She traced the beard that covered his jaw, then his lips, which had recently given her such pleasure. “Then do not speak, Ardeth Bay,” she replied softly, knowing that all he needed to say, all that he felt, was reflected in his eyes and his touch. This incredible man loved her! That realization was enough for now. “Sleep. You’ve had a rough day, I think.”
Ardeth smiled, pulling her body against his, cradling his head between her breasts and closed his eyes. This was fulfillment, he realized. This was what it meant to want for nothing. They fell asleep, holding to one another tightly.
Ardeth awoke the next morning to the sounds of a crackling fire and Katy’s soft laughter. He leaned up on his elbows, glancing around the empty tent, spying the fire around which various plates and saucers were set in preparation for a meal. He heard her laughter again and looked past the flap of the door to see the red head standing just outside, attempting to communicate with one of the women of his tribe. Standing, Ardeth pulled his trousers and tunic on and moved over to the flap, blinking against the sun as he stepped out into the daylight. Zahra bowed to him as Katy flashed him a welcoming smile.
“I hope I didn’t wake you!” she said quickly, lifting her hands before him that held four eggs. “Zahra and I have been attempting to barter with one another over these and I think we have finally settled on my watch.”
The Medjai woman held her wrist up proudly, showing off the slim silver timepiece encrusted with tiny diamonds.
Katy grinned ruefully. “I’ve never been very good at keeping time anyway. Breakfast?”
As she moved past him into the tent, Ardeth flashed a parting smile at Zahra then followed her inside, commenting, “I would hardly think a couple of eggs would be worth a watch, Katebet.”
She glanced up at him from her position before the fire. “For you they are.”
She quietly went back to preparing the meal while Ardeth stood staring in surprise, uncertain of how to respond. Finally, he took a seat beside her, enjoying her nearness and the quiet comfort that now existed between them. He watched her as she went about cooking the eggs; the tiny frown lines between her eyebrows when things did not go her way, the slight flaring of her nostrils as she concentrated, the absent worrying of her lower lip that he had quickly come to characterize her by. Her eyes briefly flickered over to his for a moment and she smiled.
“What is it?” she asked, scooping his eggs onto a plate and handing them to him.
He shrugged. “You are just incredibly beautiful.”
“Oh. Is that all?” Katy laughed and rolled her eyes, suddenly feeling incredibly self-conscious in his presence. As memories of what they shared the night before consumed her, she felt her cheeks grow warm with embarrassment and quickly moved away, losing herself in cleaning the tent.
Ardeth chuckled at her timidity and finished his breakfast, allowing her time to relax once more.
“My Chief? I am sorry for the intrusion.” Menes stood just inside the door, his gaze sweeping over the domestic scene before him.
“It is all right, Menes. What is it?”
“I have assembled the men as you have instructed for training.”
“Good. I will be there in a moment.”
Menes bowed and ducked out of the tent. Ardeth stood and began to dress. Before he could protest, Katy was standing before him, helping him with his robes and weapons. He reached out and gently caressed her face as she strapped his scimitars across his chest.
“You seem eager to be rid of me, Katebet.”
She laughed. “Hardly. It just appeared that you might have slept a lot longer than you anticipated.”
Ardeth chuckled. “I wonder why that could be, hmm?”
Katy blushed, leaned up to brush her lips across his quickly. “May I accompany you? I would like to watch you train.”
Ardeth winced mentally, knowing that he must abide by the Council’s wishes and not flaunt his relationship with Katy before the tribe. How was he to explain to her that the love they felt for one another could only be expressed in the privacy of his tent? By Allah, how could he tell her that what they shared could only be a fleeting thing?
Katy watched the expressions waft across Ardeth’s face, the hesitation in his eyes. Only a few days, yet she knew him so well. There was something he was not telling her; the man dabbled in secrets. She frowned, taking a step back.
“What? What is it? Let me guess, you are ashamed of me? Of caring for a Westerner?”
“No!” Ardeth immediately denied, placing his hands on her arms, pulling her back to him. “Never think such a thing, Katebet. I would shout to the world my feelings for you…”
“But?”
Ardeth sighed, glanced outside the tent where his men were beginning to gather. The truth then, he thought. No less than that.
“You do not understand my people,” he began. “We are steeped in our history, our culture. No outsider… that is, no one of non-Egyptian descent has ever been married into the tribe, let alone to a Chieftain.” He turned his gaze back to her, tensing as he realized he was unable to read her expression. He continued. “My people are wary of you because of the curse. If they were to see us… If they were to believe –”
“You would no longer be respected as Chieftain because of who and what I am,” she finished for him, her voice soft.
The Medjai Chief nodded, his hold on her tightening. “Katebet, believe me when I say that if I could change things I would, anything to be with you, to be able to promise you for—”
“No.” Katy quickly placed a finger against his lips, cutting him off. “Don’t say it. Please. I’m no fool, Ardeth. I’ve seen how the world works, and it isn’t my place to step all over the belief system of your people, now is it?” She gave him a sad smile. “If this is all I can have… “ She trailed off, shrugged. “It is enough… to be with you.”
Ardeth crushed her to him, bruising her lips with his kiss. He held on to her as if refusing to let go, letting her know with his touch how very much he loved her. His hands moved over her body possessively, as if to let her know by their very act of joining last night, he had staked his claim to her, for all eternity. She gave in to his need to possess her, allowing him to play the aggressor, to dominate over her as she felt he needed to do. She found herself feeling sorry for his sparring partners that day, for he would surely have anger that needed to be spent.
Katy pulled away first, handing him his turban, watching silently as he wrapped it over his head. She had what? Maybe a few days left with him at best? And then… Mentally she shook her head. Best not to think on that. Best not to consider that she finally had found somewhere she would be proud to call home, somewhere that she would gladly live out the rest of her life.
“I will not be far,” Ardeth told her as he prepared to leave. “Kahma will be outside should you have need of anything.”
Katy smiled. “I’ll be fine.” She touched the tattoo on his right cheek then leaned up and kissed him quickly. “Go now. The sooner you leave, the sooner you will return.”
The Chieftain nodded, taking one last long look at her before moving out into the desert sun.
Katy was lying amidst the stack of pillows, staring restlessly at the tented canopy above her when the first shots and screams rang out across the stillness. Jumping to her feet, she hurried over to the tent flap, peeking out to see more than a dozen horses and riders tearing through the Medjai camp, firing their guns wildly as the women and children ran. Her eyes narrowed as one of the riders passed by, dressed in trousers and dusky shirt, his dirty blonde hair signaling this was no tribal battle. Ducking back into the tent, Katy tore through her knapsack until she found her pistols and ammunition. Strapping the holsters low around her hips across the black robes, she gripped the guns in her hands and charged out into the sunlight.
The first rider was an easy mark as he rode toward her, realizing too late that she held two deadly weapons in her hands. She shot him in the thigh, not enough to kill him but the pain knocked him from his horse and the animal ran off while his rider lay in the sand, crying out in pain. Katy darted into the fray, pushing children behind her to safety, motioning them into the tents while she continued to fire at the intruders. Ahead she saw Zahra trip and fall as she tried to scramble for the safety of her tent, a rider bearing down on her helpless form. Katy screeched, running forward, grabbing Zahra by the arm to pull her up as the rider came toward them, his shotgun raised. She and Zahra ducked as he rode past, firing, the bullet whizzing past Katy’s ear. She fell back, firing as she did, her attacker tumbling from the saddle as a spot of red blossomed across his back.
Katy jumped back up, pulling Zahra with her, pointing toward her tent, signaling to the woman to get inside and stay there. More screams erupted, pulling Katy’s attention back to the fight. Some of the attackers had dismounted and were entering the tents, grabbing women and children, beating them when they did not comply or simply shooting them to save themselves the trouble. Katy held both pistols aloft, shooting at the men, no longer taking care not to kill them. They immediately ceased their activities, turning to aim and fire back at her. She ran for cover, glancing at Kahma out of the corner of her eye as he battled with two of the horsemen. Darting behind Ardeth’s tent, she found the young boy Hamid crouched down as well, staring wide-eyed at the battle taking place within the camp. Cursing her lack of Egyptian, Katy grabbed Hamid by the shoulders, their gazes meeting.
“Ardeth!” She told him, hoping he understood. She pointed to the East where she had seen the warriors ride off to earlier that morning. “Imshi!” Luckily, she had picked up a few words during her travels. At least, what she considered the important ones.
She watched as Hamid ran off across the desert then threw herself back into the fighting. More riders appeared and Katy began to realize the attack had been a well-thought out plan. Just when it appeared that she and the few young warriors-in-training thought they were victorious, more of their attackers would appear. Seeing a young boy struggling within the grasp of one of the men, Katy fired a shot at him but the man sensed the attack and pushed the boy away, ducking just in time as the bullet flew by. He returned her fire and Katy cried out in surprise as a burning sensation pulsed suddenly through her shoulder. She fell backwards, her pistols falling out of her hands as the pain washed over her. Before she could gather her strength, her attacker reached her, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her to her feet where he backhanded her hard across the cheek, causing an explosion of lights to dance before her eyes. Katy struggled to stay conscious.
“Well, well, well. What have we here?” he said, his American accent washing over her along with his rancid breath. “You don’t look like no desert dweller I ever saw.” He yanked the turban off her head, whistling appreciatively as her waist length red hair cascaded down her back. “Hey Joey! Take a look at this!”
Katy began to struggle in her captor’s grasp as Joey, a man with dark hair and icy blue eyes, joined them. His gaze swept over her briefly before commenting, “Nice work, Chuck. She fits the description of the bitch who stole the urn. Wonder what else she may be hiding?”
Katy sucked in a breath as he approached her, his hand reaching for a neck. Just as his fingers closed around the neckline of her tunic, tearing down to expose the amulet, she kicked out hard with her right leg, catching him in the groin. He stumbled back from the pain and as Chuck looked on in surprise, she belted him hard across the jaw with a right hook. Taking no time to dwell on her success, Katy sprang away from them, rushing back into the melee.
She hesitated briefly as the smell of smoke wafted across the breeze. Turning, she gazed in horror as the Americans began setting the tents on fire, forcing the women and children out into the open and destroying the camp around them. Hurrying over to one of the men she had shot, Katy turned him over, locating his guns and picking them up. She began firing once more, wincing against the pain in her shoulder with every pull of the trigger. She took down two more of the Americans before a fist slammed into the side of her face, knocking her to the ground. Katy shook her head to clear her mind, spitting out the blood that filled her mouth as she attempted to crawl away. But Chuck had her by the hair, pulling painfully until she was back on her feet, her back hard against him.
“You chose the wrong men to mess with, little lady,” he whispered in her ear. “When we get done with you – “
“Chuck!” Joey approached once more, eyeing the red haired woman before him with a little more respect. And anger. “We’re here for a reason, remember? Now get the goddamned amulet and let’s get out of here!”
“Uh… right.” Chuck reached for her neck but Joey’s hand snaked out, grabbing him by the wrist.
“Idiot! Don’t you pay attention? The boss said if you try to remove the necklace, it will kill you!”
Chuck stared blankly at Joey. “So what’re we supposed to do?”
Joey pulled Katy from Chuck’s grasp, forcing her to her knees. “You get it the old fashioned way!” He grinned, a scimitar appearing in his hand that he had taken from one of the young warriors he had killed. At Katy’s gasp, he glanced down, flashing her a smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll make it quick.”
Katy closed her eyes, willing the fear away as the sword was raised above her. She would not give these barbarians the satisfaction of seeing her beg for mercy. Briefly, she found herself wondering who these men were and why they were so interested in the amulet when the zing! of a scimitar sounded through the air and she waited for the end of it all.
Only it did not come. She heard Chuck curse and opened her eyes to see Joey’s lifeless head lying on the sand before her. She looked up to see Chuck scurry away, Ardeth chasing after him on his black stallion. She tried to scramble away before gagging consumed her but did not get very far as she retched up blood and the morning’s breakfast.
Katy looked up in a daze, watching as the Medjai warriors rode into camp, taking down the American attackers in minutes. Silence quickly settled over the camp as the women and children stared in mild shock at the destruction that had fallen upon their camp. Slowly, they began to put out the fires and tend to the wounded as the warriors attempted to make sense of what had occurred.
Katy struggled to her feet, her vision swimming before her. The side of her face felt as if it had been crushed by a horse and her shoulder was beginning to throb painfully. She took a step and quickly sank to her knees, unable to move any further.
“Katebet!”
She looked up at Ardeth’s voice, relief flooding through her as he hurried to her side. “They… they were after the amulet,” she told him, wincing as he reached out to her, touching her shoulder gingerly, his fingertips trailing over the bruises already forming on her cheek. “How did they know?”
“Shhh, Katebet,” Ardeth silenced her, lifting her into his arms and heading toward his tent. If he had a tent. “You are injured. We will worry about this later.”
Luckily, his tent had been spared and he laid Katy against the pillows, instructing her not to move while he gathered cloth for bandages and medicine. Menes entered the tent and they spoke briefly, their voices rising slightly in anger. Katy attempted to raise up to tell Ardeth he must look after his tribe before her, but her strength escaped her and she sank back into the pillows. She felt rather than heard Ardeth kneel beside her once more, his cool hand moving over her forehead gently.
Rage such as he had never experienced exploded through Ardeth as he stared down at the woman before him, her face bloodied and bruised, blood seeping from her shoulder where a bullet had entered and, luckily, exited instead of becoming lodged within the bone. Gently, he stripped the tunic from her, tending to the bullet wound first, cleaning it, wincing as Katy cried out from the pain. He knew she was trying to be strong so he ignored her silent tears, loving her stubborn courage and hating that she needed to display it. After he dressed the wound, certain that it would not become infected and would heal quickly, he soaked a clean cloth and dabbed at her cheek, rinsing the blood from her mouth and attempting to staunch the swelling from the blows she suffered. She was still beneath his ministrations, sometimes closing her eyes as if to sleep, or staring ahead at nothing.
Ardeth wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and assure her that she would be all right, apologize for not being there to protect her. But he knew he had to check on his people; he had to let them know he was still their Chief, no matter how much he loved the woman beside him.
“Katebet,” he whispered softly, his fingers running gently along her temple. “I must check on the camp. I will return shortly.”
She said nothing, did not even meet his gaze. Ardeth once more fought against the anger that surged through him and leaned forward, kissing her forehead before standing to exit the tent.
Kahma approached him almost immediately, blood dripping down his right arm that seemed almost severed at the shoulder. “I am sorry, My Chief. I have failed you.”
“Kahma – “
“You asked me to protect the red haired woman and I failed in this task.”
Ardeth shook his head. “No, Kahma. It is I who have failed. Please, go and have Zahra look to your wound.”
Kahma bowed low, though it pained him, and turned away. His Chief watched him walk away then moved forward into the camp. Tents around him smoldered, the fires slowly dissipating as women tended to the wounded and the men buried the dead. Menes, his second-in-command, was soon beside him, walking silently with him through the carnage.
Ardeth sighed heavily, coming to a halt near the man who he had decapitated just before he had been prepared to deliver the same fate to Katy. His hands clenched at his sides as he stared down at the lifeless eyes. He needed an outlet for the rage building within him but he could not let Menes see that need. It would make him appear weak as a leader.
“Report,” he said finally.
“They killed seven of our young warriors, three women and a child. Total of their dead comes to twenty-five. We have found temporary bedding for those who lost their tents. The Elders remained in their tent when the fighting began, praying to Allah for a swift end. They are fine. We have acquired all of their horses, though there was nothing on them in the way of information that would help us.” Menes glanced around the camp silently for a moment, then added, “Zahra claims that Katy O’Connell fought like a warrior, saving her and many others.”
Ardeth glanced at his second-in-command, surprised that he would offer such information. “Thank you, Menes.”
The man beside him shrugged. “Have you spoken with her? Does she know anything?”
Ardeth did not want to inform him yet that they had been after the amulet. He needed to know more. How they had known to look here, of all places, he did not know.
The Medjai Chief spent the next hour moving through camp, speaking with his people, asking their needs and meeting their requests as best he could. A watch was set up around camp as darkness fell, preparing for another attack if one were to take place. Once he was certain there was little more that he could do, Ardeth returned to his tent and to Katy, finding that she slept fitfully against the pillows, the bruises on her cheek having darkened and swelled.
Lying beside her, careful not to disturb the dressing on her shoulder wound, Ardeth gathered her into his arms and pulled her against him. He kissed her forehead, her temple, her eyes, whispering all the while to her how sorry he was that he had not been there to protect her. Her eyes opened briefly and she smiled up at him, offering her mouth to him, which he took, kissing her gently, lovingly. Settling her back against his arm, Ardeth commanded her to go back to sleep. She attempted to argue, wanting to talk of what had happened but he laid a finger over her lips, just as she had done to him that morning, effectively silencing her. Replacing his finger with his lips, he kissed her a bit longer until he felt her relax against him, her strength weakening as sleep soon overcame her.