There was a tickle under her nose. It flicked back and forth under her nose, as swift as the wind. It was annoying. Persephone groaned and rolled over but the wretched item followed after her. She swiped her hand across her nose to move it away, however that didn't work. It was like a little fly that she couldn't get rid of. She fought with the mysterious fluffy object until a chuckle broke through her conciseness.

She was met with sleepy chocolate eyes.

"AH!" she yelped. Moving too fast she falls off the edge of the bed in a tangle of sheets. Barsad chuckle turns into full-bellied laughter as he peered over at her. Persephone could make out a large white feather in his hand. "I wasn't expecting that reaction," he said as he playfully stroked the feather across her face.

She sneezed as the feather tickled her nose, "Well I wasn't expecting a rude awakening."

"Rude," he echoed. "No that wasn't rude baby girl. This is." Barsad hopped off the bed and proceeded to tickle Persephone's side. Her shrieks of laughter sounded throughout the room. She was positive that the guards outside could hear her. She manages to break free and then there was a cartoonish chase around the bedroom. "Leave me alone Barsad!"

"Not until you admit defeat." She slips on the sheets on the floor, leaving an opening for him to straddle her again. She pushed against his biceps, but her strength didn't match him. He grabs her wrist pinning them above her head. She uses this time to catch her breath, she hasn't laugh this much in a while. She enjoyed the playful tickle match even though she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that. Barsad looks down at her fondly, he missed her smile, and it was better than the slight hesitance she had whenever she was around them. Sure, she was getting comfortable however she didn't know their full plan until then there would be some wariness.

She blushed under his gaze. Her heart was beating intensely, a man has never looked at her liked that before. Correction, men have looked at her... with lust. Multiple men whether they were wealthy or not saw her as a keepsake. A woman they could use to get close to ger father and his money or a pretty little housewives they could have on their arms. In Dubai, she could be who she wanted to be, no one knew her. That action led her to Barsad.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. She blinked a few times; she must have zoned out when she got into her thoughts. "No, I'm fine." She turned to the open window, "Where's Bane?"

He sat back on his haunches, "He had some business to attend to."

"What type of business?" The look he gave her made it obvious that he wouldn't tell her.

He helped her up, "Go get dressed. We're going out."

"What are we doing?"

"I'll tell you in the car."

Persephone proceeds to the bathroom, the sooner she gets dressed the sooner she could figure out what was going out.

Barsad watched her go. There was a smile small on his face as he sat on the bed. He knew she was thinking of that moment they had. She had a trip down memory lane just like he had.


Dubai (3 years ago) …

Persephone giggles as soft kisses were placed on her body. Josh was quite the character; he took her to multiple clubs dancing and drinking. In between the partying, they snuck in some conversation.

He was 28 years old and from West Virginia. He was a former military man with an honorable discharge. Ever since he left the military he chose to travel, loving the adventure each new country brought. Tall, sexy, and an attentive lover, he was just her type. She giggled again as the kisses moved to her neck, up to her jaw, and finally to her lips. He pulled back and placed his forehead against her's.

"You're a wild thing."

"Life is too short to play it safe."

"Words to live by." Josh rolls over to his back, he takes her with him so that she is laying on his chest. The stayed this way for a time just soaking up each other's company. He runs his hand up and down her back, it's a soothing embrace. "So, what brings you to Dubai?" he asks. She stops breathing for a moment, trying to think of a response to tell him. She obviously couldn't say, 'Oh, I embarrassed my rich father. So, he sent me into exile here until the heat died down.' No, absolutely not, she couldn't say that. But she could bend the truth.

"I couldn't take being in a gloomy big city during the summer. I decided to pack my bags and spend my summer here."

She could feel his chest rumbling, "You have a restless spirit."

"Maybe, but it was worth it. What about yourself?"

He sat up to lean against the headboard. "Work actually. I have been here for a bit of time. My job got away from me, so I went out for drinks. By chance I ran into this beautiful woman who commanded the dance floor."

She laughed, "Such flattery. What do you do?"

"Private sector. Security mostly, it gives me the ability to choose the job and the place."

She wrapped her arms around his waist, placing her head on his pectoral. "You must know your way around Dubai. Especially, the beaches."

"Yes, the beaches are spectacular. The crystal blue waters are a must see. The shawarmas are the best, let's not forget the biryani and luqaymats. If you want to have a real fun time you should try biking on the sand dunes."

"I've always wanted to go biking!" Persephone exclaims.

Josh eyes held amusement, "We could go today if you like?"

"Really?" The reality of the situation seemed to it her. While he was nice now, she just meet him last night. He must have read her thoughts. "We can go with another group and if you still wish to leave, I can hail a taxi for you back to your hotel. I know we just meet, but I give you my word that I will not put you in danger."

As much as she wanted to feel that there was something wrong with him, she couldn't find it in her. She felts safe and that was rare. There was this intense connection that was burning between them. She was away from negative influences, the sun was shining, and she had this handsome man ready to take her on an excursion. Why not have some from? Plus, Roland was footing the bill.

She looked him in the eyes, "Let's have some fun."


Around that time, he was on one of his rare missions in which he was without Bane. They both trusted one another, and it wasn't the first time they had share. Bane trusted Barsad to have his own flings and if it got serious, he would tell him. When he first meets Persephone on that dance floor, he thought that it would be a one-night stand, hell, if that were the case, he wouldn't have stayed the night with her.

The instant connection with her was similar to what he felt for Bane. He couldn't let it go; he wasn't going to until she was snatched from him.

"I'm ready to go if you are."

Now that she was back in his life a lot of things were going to change. That is if Talia didn't get in the way, and he will do everything in his power to prevent her.