"Shiek" - читать интересную книгу автора (Connie Mason)

"Father!" Zara fell into Youssef's arms, hating to see him cooped up in an airless room barely large enough to turn around in. The longer she took to form an escape plan, the more her father would suffer. She could do it, she knew she could. But at what cost to her emotions? she wondered. How long could she control her feelings with a vigorous lover like Jamal tempting her, making her feel sinful things she didn't understand?

"Are you all right, daughter?" Youssef asked. "You look pale. Did that devil hurt you? Or did you give up on that dangerous plan you were bent upon?"

Zara didn't have the courage to look her father in the eye. "I'm not hurt, Father, truly. Jamal was... gentle. But all that doesn't matter," she went on in a rush. "It won't be long before I have his trust. And when I do I will use that trust to gain our freedom. I will be no man's slave."

Youssef's strong, hawk-nosed features turned fierce. "You are a good daughter, Zara. I do not deserve your sacrifice. I will kill Lord Jamal for what he has done to you. Once I am free, I will not rest until he is punished."

"Forget Jamal, Father. He will return to the sea and pirating soon. It is the sultan we must battle for our freedom. Our raids must continue upon Ishmail's caravans, only next time we'll be more careful. We'll use the sultan's money to pay the taxes he levies against our people."

Youssef smiled. "You are a true zealot, Zara. Were all Berbers as fiercely loyal as you, we would be free men today, in control of our own cities."

"'Tis time to leave, lady," Hammet said, appearing in the doorway. "I am to return you to the harem."

Zara did not relish the thought of returning to the harem. She had much more to say to her father, but Hammet was adamant.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Father," she assured him as Hammet closed and locked the door behind her.

To Zara's chagrin, all three concubines were lounging in the main room when she entered. She tried to ignore them but Leila invited her to take refreshments with them. Not wishing to gain their ill-will, she acquiesced, albeit reluctantly.

"Is not Jamal a magnificent lover?" Amar asked with sly innuendo. "Did he enjoy you? Jamal rarely enjoys virgins. They are so unskilled they're pathetic. Virginity is unusual in a woman of your advanced age."

Zara gasped, surprised that her state of virginity was fodder for gossip. "Who told you?"

"We have ways," Saha said smugly. "Nothing is private in a household this size. What does Jamal intend to do with you now that he's had you?"

"Perhaps he'll sell her," Amar suggested hope-fully.

Suddenly Nafisa bustled into the room. "Ah, Zara, here you are. Come with me. If you are to attend Jamal again tonight, you must be properly groomed."

Three pairs of eyes narrowed on Zara, their dismay obvious.

"It cannot be!" Saha protested.

Nafisa nodded sagely. "Hammet would not lie."

Saha's pouting red lips curved downward. "Zara is not Jamal's type. She is scrawny and not at all womanly."

Zara had had just about all she could take of Jamal's women. "Jamal must have found something he liked about me," she taunted. "Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to rest. I had little sleep last night."

Saha screamed out in rage, and it was obvious that neither Leila nor Amar was pleased with Zara's words.

Zara walked away, head high, chin raised. She might be a slave now but she wouldn't be one for long. If all went according to plan, she would be gone soon and Jamal's women would be welcome to him. It wasn't as if she had deliberately set out to entice the sheik. Submitting to him had been difficult, given her independent nature and fierce temperament. Once returned to her own people, she intended to forget Sheik Jamal and the ecstasy she'd found in his arms.





CHAPTER 9