A PASSIONATE REUNION

The need to leave had suddenly become less urgent for Ardeth Bay.  He couldn't stop looking at or touching his malak [angel].  He still couldn't believe that she had come to him like this, but it was a thought that he shoved completely to the back of his mind.  If the gods and goddesses wanted it to be, it was.  He drew away from her again and kissed her once more.  He could not stop kissing her, could not stop reveling in the feel of her lips beneath his. 

"Can you leave," he asked once the kiss was broken.  "Do you feel all right?"

She leaned her forehead against his and smiled.  "I'm fine.  Wherever you go, take me with you."

He was bound by a sacred duty to go, but he was bound by his love to stay.  He looked away from her for the briefest of moments and saw that Hashim was waiting patiently, watching curiously.  "Hashim?  TfaDDal qâd haik ana qidir biqi fa'inn ba'D yaums." ["Hashim?  Please lead so I may stay for a few days."] 

"Aiwa, Ra'îs, brîd 'âyiz," he said with a respectful nod.  ["Yes, Chieftain, I will."]

He nodded.  "Shukran."  ["Thank you."]

"Mabrûk, Ra'îs.  Mabrûk, malak min Ra'îs." ["Congratulations, Chieftain.  Congratulations, Chieftain's angel."]

Once Hashim and the two other men left, Ardeth focused his attention on his muHibb [lover].  "Can you sit a horse," he asked.

Her eyes grew large and incredulous.  "Uh, I've never tried, but if that's the only way I've got going, then let's do it." 

Ardeth stood and presented his hand to her.  She took it and rose shakily to her feet.  She hadn't grown accustomed to the temperature extreme yet, but at least it wasn't humid.  She walked with him, still dazed at the unreal reality surrounding her, and she saw the black stallion waiting for them as patiently as Hashim had waited for his chieftain.  The consummate expert at this sort of thing, he hoisted himself up without the slightest hesitation.  The horse seemed twelve feet off the ground.  How in the hell am I going to get up there?  He smiled down at her and presented his hand again.  "Ija."  ["Come."]  Taking a deep breath and then letting it out, she took hold of his hand and slipped her foot in the stirrup.  Before she had to work at it a bit, she felt the strong pull of Ardeth's arm as he lifted her up and up twelve feet, fifteen feet, or however high it was.  Once seated squarely against him, he wrapped one arm around her and placed a very gentle kiss on her ear.  "I love you, Leven.  You are my heart and my soul."

She ran her hand along his, the one tightly encircled about her waist.  "Don't make me cry," she whispered with a little smile.  "I've cried enough to last a lifetime."  She turned her face toward his and brought her free hand up to his cheek.  She kissed him deeply, her lips clinging to his desperately, as if she were afraid he'd disappear at any moment.

They rode back toward the heart of the village and both were met with strange glances.  Who was this woman riding in with the Medjai Chieftain?  Neither of them was paying attention.  They had literally blocked out the world and wouldn't have known anything unless they were smacked by a flying rock.  Those who saw them noted that the Chieftain held onto the woman possessively, intimately, as if they were more than what they were, which was mere strangers.  They didn't stop, but continued on through the village as if they had another mission in mind.  They did, of course.  Leven had no idea where Ardeth was taking her, but she noticed that he continued to guide his horse onward through the blinding desert sand.  They rode for what seemed like an hour or more and Leven began to wonder what he had in mind.  She didn't care, she was with him, but the curiosity was killing her.  This was a new world for her, one she had had very little exposure to, and there were dozens of questions lingering on her tongue.  They passed tall looming pyramids, and she listened as Ardeth's soothing voice told her of the legends behind them.  He was very proud of his homeland, very protective of it.  It was all over him, in his voice, his demeanor, and the way he knew everything.  He was quite the storyteller.

Finally, after miles and miles, she asked, "Where are you taking me?"

He kissed her ear again.  "To an oasis that only a few people know," he said, his husky voice falling into her ear.  "I wanted to show you Egypt, our home.  This oasis is a place where I come to think when I wish to be alone.  Today, right now, I wish to be alone with you."

The passionate promise in his voice gave her chills.  "Yes," she whispered, "I want the very same."

They rode only a bit further until Leven's eyes caught sight of a few trees here and there and a bit of grass.  It materialized as if from a dream, and she was tempted to ask if he had produced this place of his own magic.  Yet, through all her readings, she had learned of desert oases, but had never seen anything so beautiful.  Her heart skipped a little beat and butterflies began dancing inside her stomach.  As they drew nearer to the cool, shady area, Ardeth's lips nuzzled the delicate flesh at the side of her throat.  She sighed a little, once again reveling in his touch, a touch she thought she would never experience again.  At that moment, her heart was pounding heavily in her chest and waves of anguished need flushed through her.  It had been way too long since she last made love with him, and the fact that they had almost lost each other along the way intensified her feelings tremendously.  She could tell by the way he kissed her and breathed heavily against her neck that his feelings were right in line with hers.  He rode them a little further into the shady coolness before finally stopping.  By that time, Leven was mad with desire and need.  Ardeth turned her face toward his and kissed her again, allowing his tongue to trip lightly over her teeth before seeking hers.  The arm once wrapped tightly about her waist slid upward and his hand cupped her breast gently, his fingers stroking the nipple through her top.  She placed her hand on top of his and moaned.  He broke the kiss and smiled against her lips.  Making love to her on a horse wasn't practical and he was close to doing just that.  He climbed down off the horse and placed his hands on each side of her waist to help guide her down so she wouldn't fall.  He had no intention of any harm coming to her or their child.  Once she was on her feet, he stroked the strong muscle of the horse's neck.

"Biqi," he commanded.  ["Stay."] 

Ardeth turned away from the horse and took her into an embrace that he had longed for since he laid eyes on her again.  His hand went into her hair, cupping the back of her head, as his mouth claimed hers again.  His free hand impatiently worked open the thousands of buttons on her blouse.  It was difficult, but not completely impossible.  She broke away from his consuming kiss the briefest of moments, her teeth gently nipping his bottom lip.  He gazed down at her hungrily, desperately aching for her.  He removed his hand from her hair as he watched her unbuttoning her blouse, opening it for him.  She pressed her body against his as they kissed again.  His lips moved away from hers as he reached up to yank one side of her blouse off her shoulder, pulling down the bra strap as he did.  His mouth sought and found the side of her throat and moved down to her shoulder.  His teeth grazed her flesh as his hands moved down to her buttocks.  He held onto her, pressing her against his body.  His lips swiftly switched sides and she threw her head back, crying out just a little.  Her hands reached out to loosen the sash that held his robe closed about his body.  Once undone, the scimitar nestled within [among other things she couldn't see] crashed to the ground.  Startled a bit they each drew back from the other and Leven gave Ardeth an 'oops' look.  He chuckled and shook his head.  It didn't matter.  The startled feeling lasted only a moment before she jerked open the robe, revealing his chest.  Her mouth did an exploration of his flesh and her small, even teeth nipped his nipples before it moved lower.  She was almost on her knees before him, her lips gliding over his washboard abs.  She moved back up and worked her hands inside the robe, finally pushing it down and off his body.  She kissed him again, briefly, before pulling back to discard her blouse.  Deftly, one-handed [it was a trick he learned weeks ago], he unhooked her bra from the back and drew it away from her body, tossing it carelessly on top of his discarded robe.  He didn't hesitate to lean down to take the pinkish, hardened peaks between his lips, one after the other.  He moved back up to take her lips once again as his finger drew a gentle, stroking line along her abdomen.  His touch made her quiver and she sighed against his lips.  He took hold of her and she felt her body sinking to the cool grass. 

The comforting weight of his body settled over her and she wrapped her arms around him, holding onto him, feeling utterly blessed to be with him again.  He gazed down at her, his hand gently caressing her cheek.  The love he felt for her was more than evident in his eyes and it was almost painful looking up into them.  He lowered his head to kiss her yet again and one of his hands slid down to work loose the fastener and zipper of her jeans.  He broke the kiss and worked his hands inside her opened jeans.  She lifted her hips ever so slightly as he drew them and her panties down, stopping to remove her shoes, before discarding them near the growing pile.  He kissed every inch of her nude body, lingering at her lower abdomen where he brushed his lips against it for several moments, loving her, loving his child nestled inside her.  She worked her fingers through his soft, thick hair, and smiled down at him. 

"Ana maHabbi inta, kwaiyis walad," he whispered.  ["I love you, beautiful child."]  He drew away for a very brief moment as he worked out of the rest of his clothing.  He tossed it aside and came down to her again.  "Ana maHabbi inti, il-madâm bita 'ti.  Brîd 'âyiz abandan khalla inti râh tâni marra."  ["I love you, my wife.  I will never let you go again."] 

His lips found hers yet again as he settled his hips between her thighs.  He couldn't wait, he couldn't hold out any longer.  He had longed for this moment again the instant he left her.  He entered her deeply, her cry echoing out into the oasis.  He would be grateful to the gods and goddesses for the rest of his life.  Later, they found a cool pool of water and plunged their heated bodies into it, meeting, and joining again.  Leven had never felt so wonderful in her entire life and when the waves of her climax began to subside, she cried against Ardeth's chest, never understanding what true love or happiness meant until they found each other. 

It was nearly dark when they finally quenched their appetite for each other [for the moment] and they knew it was time to get back.  He helped her up on the horse again and enveloped her shivering body with his warmth as they rode back.  They didn't speak much at first, but there was something they would have to talk about sooner or later.  He wasn't sure, but he thought in her world, courtship and marriage were quite different.  "Before we marry, I must present you to the elders and announce my intentions," he said.

"I don't understand," she said gazing up at him. 

"I know," he said.  He tightened his arm about her waist.  "It is custom.  I must present my intended to the elders of the clan.  I suppose it is like asking permission to marry.  It is no more than a formality."

She thought it was more of a big deal than what Ardeth was letting on.  In fact, it sounded pretty damn serious.  When she said she would be his wife, she hadn't given a stray thought as to how his people would react to it.  She was from a different world, a different mindset.  In her time, if a couple wanted to marry, all they had to do was get blood tests, a marriage license, and then just…do it.  "It sounds a little more serious than that, Ardeth.  What are you not telling me?  There's something, isn't there?  I'm not their idea of a suitable wife, am I?"

"I do not care what they think about you.  I will make you my wife with or without their approval, with or without their blessing.  There are certain qualities they regard more than others, but I think you are worrying about nothing."

She placed her hand over his.  "I guess not many women around here are pregnant when they get married."

He placed a gentle kiss to her temple.  "I would say not, but this child was meant to be.  Our child was conceived as a result of the most perfect, strongest love either of us has ever known.  If anyone finds fault with that, then it is not our problem.  It is they, not us.  I love you very much and I have considered you my life mate, my wife, from the day I first realized who you were to me.  Do not worry."

She sighed and settled comfortably against his body.  She loved him, had felt that he was her life mate from the start as well, but she couldn't stop worrying.  The thought of facing seven stoic clan elders unsettled her. 

By the time they made it back, Leven had fallen into an exhausted sleep against Ardeth.  He took her as far as Hazz's quarters and stopped there.  He didn't know if Hazz had been informed of Leven's arrival, but he thought the mystic would have known before anyone.  Thoroughly worn out, Leven only mumbled incoherently as Ardeth carried her inside.  Hazz looked up curiously as he saw the Chieftain carrying a woman inside, but he wasn't surprised.  Hathos and Isis had taken the warrior and his intended into their embrace and refused to let go.  What had happened was out of his control.  Gently, Ardeth laid Leven down onto a small cot normally occupied by Mukhtar.  However, tonight and for however long it took, this bed would belong to Leven.

"I see you beat time and space, Chieftain," Hazz commented lightly. 

He nodded and smiled a little.  "We did."  He placed a very gentle, loving kiss on her forehead.  "I intend to take her as my wife.  Until I can present her to the elders, I must leave her here with you.  She cannot stay with me, not while she is with child.  I have sent Hashim, Shaji, and Armil back to Hamunaptra.  I will stay here two days, making camp at the fringe of the village pyramid."

Hazz nodded.  "Very well.  Mukhtar will give over his bed to her.  Like you, Chieftain, she is honorable.  I know that she helped you greatly and I know of your great love for her."  He took Ardeth by the arm and walked him away a dozen steps.  He didn't want Ardeth's malak [angel] to overhear their conversation.  "I cannot say how the other elders will react to this woman.  She has much stacked against her, including the fact that she is already with child.  I will do everything I can to help you, Chieftain, and I am more than happy to offer your bride shelter."

"Thank you, Elder Haka.  You are a great man," he said.  "I will never forget your kindness.  Please gather the elders as soon as you can.  I want us to be wed immediately."

"Very well."

Ardeth turned away from Hazz and approached the sleeping form of his lover.  He kneeled beside the tiny cot and ran his hand gently over her forehead, smoothing her hair away from her face.  "Rest, my love," he said.  "You will be safe and protected here.  I will come to you in the morning."  He placed another gentle kiss on her forehead before pulling away and making his leave.

*  *  *

Much, much later, Ardeth felt a warm body climbing into his tent to lie beside him.  For a moment, he thought he was dreaming.  He mumbled in his sleep and instinctively reached out to his lover.  The moment he touched her, he awoke.  "Leven?  What are you doing," he whispered.

"I wanted to sleep next to you," she said.

"This is not good for you," he protested.  "Go back."

She kissed his lips gently.  "No," she said.  "I won't go back, not until sunrise.  Pregnant women don't dry up and blow away.  This is the best place for me to be.  Now shut up and hold me, I'm freezing."

He smiled.  "I did miss you."

She snuggled closely against him, burying her face into his chest.  "Mmm hmm, I thought you did."