The night was warm, with star twinkling high in the velvety black sky, Ardeth sat atop his horse and watched the stars as he rode into a small town. He needed to be alone, away from the strictures of his responsibilities, they would ride to Hamanaptra tomorrow night. Ardeth was 34, he was younger than most Med-jai chieftains but he felt like he'd lived a hundred years, he felt tired and alone.

"You are my good friend." He whispered to his horse.

He came closer to his destination, he looked up at the sky and tried to forget himself, he listened to the sounds of the night. The scent of exotic flowers filled the air, and sounds of crying babies waned in the distance. Ardeth lifted his hood and pulled it back from his dark hair, he dismounted easily from his Arabian and patted his neck lightly, the horse snorted and pushed his face against Ardeth's. Ardeth laughed softly and gave the Arabian a carrot.

Turning away from the horse, Ardeth walked towards a shabby looking building and opened the door. Inside the room was dimly lit but cool, Ardeth looked around and nodded at several men who seemed to know him. Only a few women stood around the room, dressed in sleeveless dresses the reached the floor, they hung on men, using their feminine wiles to convince them to come to their beds.

"Hello, my Arabian prince." Said one of the women to him in Arabic.

He peered at the woman and shook his head.

"I am not interested." He replied in Arabic.

The woman harrumphed and left him, he walked to what seemed to be the bar and sat on a stool, a man strode over to him and poured him a glass of something. Ardeth didn't argue. He drank from the glass and placed it back on the bar, he didn't look around for a few moments, just placed his head in his crossed arms and tried to relax.

Moments later he heard a crash from the front of the room, he picked up his head a looked to the front. He frowned when he saw a gentleman manhandling a young lady dressed in breeches and a white cotton shirt. The man had his hand wrapped around her upper arm and was dragging her to the front of the bar.

"Release me right this minute!" she demanded in English

"Shut up." One of the gentleman said

"I will not! How dare you speak to me in such a manner!"

One of the man pulled an object from his pants and showed it to her, she quieted instantly, Ardeth saw the glint of a small dagger in the man's hand. Ardeth's body went alert…. In more ways than one.

The woman was young, with long brown hair, from where he sat he could see the glint of red highlights in her hair, her eyes were a smoky green and glittered with unshed tears. Her face was well developed with a small nose and well shaped eyebrows, her lips were pink and plump, she ran her tongue over her lips nervously. Ardeth stared at the woman, he could tell that she was not from the desert but her skin was tanned, she was British from her accent with warm Arabian tones like she'd been her a long time.

The woman looked to him and he saw the fear run through her eyes then disappear, she hiked up her chin and walked with the gentleman.

"I will escape you, barbarian." She whispered to the man

"We shall see."

Ardeth looked back to his glass and looked into the warm amber fluid, he couldn't remove the image of her face, looking at him. He sighed and stood up, showing his scimitar and he whirled around and looked at the man. The man was looking away.

"Prepare to fight." He said in Arabic to the man

The man whirled around and looked at him.

"Mind your own business." The man replied

"I cannot."

"Fine. Then I'll help you." The man said

The man came closer, his large body forcing a crowd that had gathered to separate. Ardeth pulled his scimitar from it's sheath and relished in the shing it made as it came out, the other man frowned then smiled and pulled a sword of his own out. Ardeth nodded and waited for the man to attack, he released the woman but tied a rope around her wrists and to a chair, she tried to kick the gentleman but all she gained was a light punch in the stomach that forced her to her knees. He heard her moan loudly.

Ardeth was the first to make a move, the man feinted to the left then parried with his own move, forcing Ardeth back into the bar. Ardeth came forward and thrust his sword forward, the man feinted to the right this time and thrust his sword forward, Ardeth deftly stepped to the side and waited for the next move.

The man tried again to thrust his sword forward, Ardeth stepped again to the right and waited, scimitar posed. Ardeth stepped forward with his sword, the man caught his sword his Ardeth's, they both heard the screech of metal against metal.

Ardeth pushed into his scimitar, the man backed up. The man smiled and twisted his sword out of Ardeth's hand, the sword fell to the ground and slid out of his grasp. The man dropped his own sword and reached for Ardeth, he stepped to the side just as the man came too close. Ardeth deftly kicked him behind the knee and watched him fall to the ground, the man quickly got up and followed Ardeth.

Ardeth turned his hip to the side just as the man tried to through a punch at his midsection, Ardeth pulled a small dagger from the man's pants. He held it up to the light. The man caught Ardeth with a left hook, Ardeth fell to the ground and looked up at the man. He caught the man in the stomach with his feet, pushing the man back towards his table, the woman squeaked. Ardeth stood and looked at the man who appeared to be stunned, Ardeth frowned, then the large man fell to the ground, a knife protruding from the back of his neck.

The woman stood behind him, her hands were covered with crimson red.

"We must leave." He told her

She nodded. He came over to her and untied her wrists, he took her hand and pulled her away from the man lying dead on the floor.

"Who are you?"

"Cassandra." She muttered

"My name is Ardeth."

Ardeth pulled her out of the building and picked her up to place her on the front of his horse, she opened her mouth to protest then saw men coming after them and thought better of it. He pulled himself up behind her and clicked his heels into the horse's side, the horse took off at a gallop down the narrow street, leaving a trail of dust behind them. Ardeth felt the woman's warm back pressed against his chest and smiled in the darkness, even being followed by a bunch of men he enjoyed the feel of this woman in front of him.

He smelled her warm hair and was overcome with the smell of lilacs, he sighed silently and rode harder than he had in a while.

They arrived late that night at a cave, it was empty but quiet and far away from the town they had just left. Ardeth's Arabian was tired and out of breathe, Ardeth himself was tired and ready to relax. Cassandra seemed to be more afraid than tired.

"Sit." He commanded her

She didn't argue.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, she nodded

"Were you hurt?" he asked, she shook her head

"I'm sorry." She whispered

He didn't speak for several moments, just stared at her.

"You're hurt." She said to him after a while.

He looked down at himself and saw that a gash had formed across his chest during the fight. He looked back at her, but she was staring at the wound in his chest, she stood up and crossed over to him. He frowned at her and tried to push her away from him but she batted his hands away and was probing the wound. Sharp spikes of pain slid through him but he tolerated it, he could smell her warm clean scent as it rolled off her.

He breathed in her warm scent, wanting to reach out and touch her.

"The wound is superficial, it will scar but you'll be okay for the most part."

"Thank you." He said

She nodded but didn't move away from him. He gave in to his desire and reached out and touched her hair, it was soft and warm beneath his touch, he reached behind her head and pulled her closer, lightly touching her lips with his own.

She didn't fight him, moved closer to him and returned the kiss. She knelt before him, he was sitting on a log before her, she moved the hair from his face and kissed him again. He pulled her up to him and sat her on the log next to him he pulled her close to him and kissed her again, opening her mouth with his tongue. He pushed his tongue into her mouth and heard her moan lightly, he felt her tremble lightly. He moved his hands along her shoulder and down her arms.

Ardeth suddenly stood up, she looked up at him confused, he smiled and shook his head and went to his horse, he pulled a small blanket from his pack and came back to the cave. She watched him with curiosity, he came back to her and held out his hand, she took it and stood up. He pulled her against him and kissed her again, passionately, she moaned when he pulled away from her again.

He walked to a spot in the cave and laid out the blanket motioning for her to come to him, she walked over, doubts clouding her mind. He motioned for her lay down, and she did so. He came down on top of her, he kissed her hard on the mouth, all her doubts floated away on a wave of passion. His hands traced her collar bones, he kissed down her jaw and down to her throat and bit the hollow space in her throat lightly. She moaned.

"You will be mine, for all time." He whispered in her ear.

She didn't say anything, she felt his hands sliding over her breasts, caressing them lightly, he looked down at her and saw the fear reflected in their depths.

"I will be gentle." He said and kissed her eyelids

"I know." She whispered

He moved her hands away from her chest where they lay, he looked down at her and smiled, she offered him a tremulous smile back. He moved the first button out of place, a small triangle of flesh appeared, he moved the rest one at a time, and more and more flesh appeared. He kisses every inch of the exposed flesh, she moaned softly and arched her back, he became more urgent he ripped the black lace bra from her body and kissed her breasts softly. She didn't argue or protest.

His hands moved over her bare stomach, her hands moved to his robes, trying to pull the thick black fabric from his body. Ardeth smiled down at her and pulled the robed from himself, baring his thickly muscled body to her scrutiny, she smiled up at him and her hands deftly moved over his chest, touching the hot flesh but avoiding the gash.

His pants prevented her exploration from touching his thick and hard sex which lay just below the waistband.

"This is my first time." She said softly against his ear.

He nodded and pulled up from her. She lay there, innocently fearful of what may happen.

"I will be even more gentle, my habiibii."

She sighed deeply as he stood back up and shed the last of his clothing, she averted her eyes from his large sex. He didn't force her to look at him merely lay back down next to her and unbuttoned her pants. She turned her head to look at him and found him staring into her eyes, she blinked and smiled at him, she barely knew him and here she was, about to give him whatever she had left.

He then pulled himself over her and yanked her pants down and off her body, leaving her almost naked with her black lace underwear and black silk stockings. He pulled her underwear away from her body and she tensed, closing her eyes against him. Ardeth placed his right hand between her soft thighs and forced them slightly apart, rubbing the tight nubbin of flesh. Her hips jerked up and away from him, she moaned hard and loud, he calmed her hips and began his gentle massage.

She felt one of his long tanned fingers enter her body, pushing against her tight passage, she moaned louder and arched her strong back. He stopped tormenting her body but pulling his hand from between her thighs and pushed her knees apart again placing his slim hips in the cradle of her thighs. She didn't move, merely raised her knees and pulled him down, kissing his lips and stroking his back. He placed each of his strong hands on his hips and pressed his sex against her entrance, she screamed at his light penetration.

"Relax Habiibii."

She couldn't relax with his sex pushing deeper into her body, she scratched her nails down his back, leaving thin rivulets of blood down his back. He smiled and tried to hold himself back from ramming himself into her and risking hurting her badly. He pushed lightly and waited until she could get used to his size inside her, she relaxed slowly so he pushed in further until he touched the wall of her innocence.

"I must hurt you now, Habiibii."

"Just do it." She said

He pushed himself inside her to the hilt, she screamed out in pain and moved her hips to push him out. Ardeth held himself completely still, feeling her tremble beneath him, she moaned in pain and he felt his heart begin to pound.

"I'm sorry, Habiibii."

She didn't speak but he could feel the walls of her sex were convulsing around him and he felt his control slipping. He whispered in her ear.

"You are hurting me!" she said

Shock reverberated through him and lifted his hips to pull out of her, surprise rippled through him as her legs wrapped themselves around his hips. He looked down at her and saw that her passion was back.

"You are hurting me but not moving." She whispered

Ardeth smiled down at her and moved out of her, then slid back home, he looked down at her and saw that he was still hurting her but passion was overriding the pain. He moved again and felt his control slowing moving out of his grip, he began to move with a new urgency, moving faster within her. She moaned louder and stronger, her hands moving down his back and squeezing his buttocks with her palms.

They moved to completion, moving together towards the peak of their excitement, she bit his lip hard and he squeezed her nipples lightly. She arched her back and her ponytail came loose, her hair flaring out around them. She came first, her body flying apart, he moved faster and spilt his seed inside her.

Ardeth laid on top of her, relaxed and warm from their lovemaking. They fell asleep

Morning was coming, Cassandra could smell it on the air of the morning, she moaned at the soreness between her thighs then remembered the glorious night she had spent with Ardeth. She turned and saw his sleeping form beside her, she leaned over and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"Good bye, my desert lover."

She quickly stood up and searched the cave for her clothes, dressed and snuck out of the cave, just as the morning was rising on the horizon.

"I need your help." She said to the horse.

The horse seemed to understand her predicament and nodded to her, she moved around the side and pulled herself atop the horse, nudging him away from the cave. As soon as she was far from the cave she galloped away from Ardeth, and the cave where she had given him her innocence.