Charlotte was tired and irritable and she hadn't quite realised how hard it was to walk on the deep shifting surface of the sand. It was far easier on a horse. He had actually pushed her off his horse! Well, his caring facade had soon given way to his real personality, she thought. Maybe he felt bad about kissing her, but was that her fault? No! She knew she had a bad temper and she had always kept it under wraps. But he had managed to bring it out in her in only a few short hours with his commands and his rudeness. And then to push her off his horse! She still couldn't believe he had done that, and in front of all those men. But then, she didn't actually know him, did she? He had murdered those men in cold blood and hadn't even shown any change of emotion over it.
Okay, so she had been glad that they were dead, but was that what he was? A cold blooded murderer? Her emotions were going into overload and she couldn't do a thing about it. First she was kidnapped, her brother taken with the threat of murder, and then she was saved by these men who looked like pirates on horseback. And now here she was, walking alone in the desert, not knowing where the hell she was going and praying to any God that would listen to just let her go to sleep and wake up in her comfortable bed in England.
The sound of muffled hoof-beats made her look around and she saw the men riding away from her, all except Ardeth who was coming straight at her looking grim. He wasn't moving particularly fast and she supposed he didn't have to. She couldn't outrun a horse and he could follow her for the rest of the day if he so desired. Well so be it! She would rather walk right now than be anywhere near him.
Ardeth watched her for a short while, turning every now and then to see the progress of his men, watching as they became mere specks floating in the heat mirage. Good. As much as he knew she deserved what she was about to get, he didn't really want his men to witness it. He kicked his horse harder and trotted up to her, leaning down one long arm, intending to grab her around the waist and lift her back onto the horse. But at the last second she turned and saw what he was about to do and ducked away from his grasp, breaking quickly into a run and moving away from him. He swore under his breath and jumped down from his horse, giving chase on foot. It would be far easier to catch her this way. Besides, he was able to move over this terrain with an agility she didn't have a hope of matching.
Before she had taken more than five steps he had tackled her to the ground, knocking the air out of her as she landed heavily underneath him.
"Get off me! Get off me!" she raged at him, trying to wriggle out from under his weight.
He pulled himself off her and yanked her up with him, sitting on the sand and tugging her across his lap so her head was almost pressed into the gritty granules. He held her down easily with one hand on her back, despite her furious struggles. "Let me up...ow!" She yelped when the first slap hit her backside, shock making her stop struggling instantly. The next slap made her start-up again and she tried to escape the painful smacks he was doling out with depressing speed. "Stop...oh...you pig! Stop...ow!"
"You will learn, *smack*, never to speak to the men, *smack*, of my tribe, *smack*, in such a disrespectful, *smack*, manner again!" he said, continuing to paddle her backside as her struggles slowly ceased. Unbelievable, she thought, the amount of pain this caused even through the layers of clothing she was wearing. At last he seemed to have finished and as he gave one more hard smack he rested his hand on her rear and relaxed, staring down at the now subdued female.
Charlotte felt totally humiliated and her backside was so sore she didn't think she'd be able to move at all. Tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks. This was just too much. Oh God, she hated this country and everybody in it!
Ardeth felt her breath hitch with a sob and pulled her up off his lap, determined to show absolutely no mercy...until he saw her red, tear-streaked face. He almost reached for her but she scooted back away from him, wincing as her bottom made contact with the sand, her eyes wide on his face. She didn't, however, say another word, a fact that wasn't lost on him. He stood and looked down at her.
"Come, we must ride to join my men at the oasis before it gets dark," he said, holding out a hand to her and staring at her hard, watching to see whether she would still be so ready to defy him. He could see she was waging a battle with herself, but in the end she obviously decided that obeying him was the better option and took his hand, allowing him to pull her up. She immediately withdrew her hand and walked slowly behind him as he approached his horse, wiping the tears away from her face.
"I...I need to..." she began, stopping when he swung around to face her, narrowing his eyes on her as if she were about to incur his wrath again.
"You need to...what?" He stood looking down at her, his arms folded over his chest and his eyes glittering darkly as she took a shaky step backwards.
"Er...I have to...er..." she stuttered, more embarrassed than she could ever recall at having to ask this man to let her have a pee. Ardeth wondered at her intense colour for a moment before he realised what she was trying to say. He felt some embarrassment of his own as he relaxed his stance.
"If you need...time alone, you may go on the other side of that dune. I shall remain here. With my back turned," he said, his voice almost kind as he directed her to the sand dune he was talking about.
As soon as she walked away he turned to face the other direction, waiting patiently until she returned to his side, her head downbent with her remaining embarrassment. He immediately mounted his horse and pulled her up in front of him, trying not to notice the way she grimaced as she sat on the saddle. But after riding for nearly an hour, he realised how much the journey was hurting her now tender bottom and knew that they would never reach their destination at this rate.
He slowed the horse and took hold of her, picking her up like she was a doll and turning her over the saddle so she was hanging head down. Her eyes widened at the position he had put her in and she struggled wildly, wondering what on earth she had done now to deserve another beating. Ardeth was surprised by her violent movements and as her legs thrashed about she kicked the horse, making it rear up and unseat them both.
Charlotte lay struggling for breath where the fall had winded her, but Ardeth had no such difficulty, jumping up and striding over to where she had fallen and pulling her roughly to her feet. "What did you think you were doing?" he yelled at her, shaking her like a rag doll.
"Please don't..." she gasped out, her eyes filling with the weak tears she hated so much. "I don't want you to hurt me again," she whimpered and he stopped shaking her, staring down at her with concern.
"I had no intention of punishing you again," he said, frowning in confusion and then understanding. "I saw how uncomfortable you were and knew that it would be better for you if you were laying across the saddle. That is all." He sighed when he saw the disbelief in her eyes. She had a right, especially since he had caused her this pain in the first place. But her continued attempts to tug herself away from him were making him angry again. He held her more firmly and picked her up, shoving her face first over the saddle before she could protest further.
"We have no time for this, the light is fading and we still have another hour to travel. Be still," he barked at her, mounting the horse and moving it swiftly into a gallop.
If Charlotte thought she had been uncomfortable before then this took it to a whole new level. She was bouncing around in the saddle, her head lolling about no matter how hard she tried to stiffen her neck. Ardeth held her in place with one hand on the small of her back, urging his horse into a faster and faster pace, each bounce knocking the breath out of her. It seemed an eternity before their pace slowed and she managed to move her head to see where they were.
She saw the other men in the distance, sitting around a beautiful pool in the middle of a fertile oasis, trees surrounding it. It was a welcome sight after all the sand. There were tents set up among the trees already and a fire was lit, a huge pot of something bubbling on it. The men had obviously been here for some time. A few of them turned as they saw them approaching but a quick gesture from Ardeth made them turn away and resume what they had been doing, ignoring them as they got nearer to the outskirts of the camp.
Ardeth stopped the horse and leaped down out of the saddle, pulling her down into his arms and striding through the trees, leaving his horse for one of the men to tend to. She didn't bother speaking as he carried her along, she was too exhausted and out of spirits to think of anything to say anyway. They entered a tent that seemed to be a bit away from all the others and he lay her carefully down on the bedding, standing to stare down at her for a few seconds.
"I will bring you some food in a while. For now I would suggest that you get some rest," he said, looking undecided. He seemed about to say something else but thought better of it and left her alone.
Charlotte groaned as she tried stretching her tired body, feeling bruised and aching all over, especially on her buttocks, chest and stomach. She was sure she would have bruises to match the ones on her face. Good God, what a sight she was going to be when she got back to Evy. All she wanted was a good, hot bath and clean clothes. And to be away from these strange men, most particularly Ardeth Bay!
She peeled the robes off her and sat in her skirt and blouse - the ones she had put on a few mornings ago. She was well aware that she didn't smell too fragrant and she gazed out of the tent doorway at the inviting looking pool of water. She could see now why Ardeth had brought her directly in here as several men were wallowing about in the water, obviously cleansing themselves. She wondered if she would be allowed to have a quick wash once everyone else was asleep and made a mental note to ask Ardeth when he returned.
Just as she was about to lie down and relax her aching muscles she caught a glimpse of another man walking toward the water, wearing only a pair of loose black trousers and she scooted closer to the doorway to get a better look, intrigued by the play of muscles visible and the long dark hair brushing his shoulders. He turned sideways to talk to one of the men and Charlotte drew in a breath as she realised it was Ardeth.
She put a hand to her chest as she looked at him, feeling that she was doing something forbidden. He had a magnificent body, his back and chest gleaming and bronzed in the light from the rising moon, muscles sharply honed from years of fighting standing out from his smooth chest. She saw dark patches of tattooing running across his back and chest and also down his long, powerful, arms, but couldn't get a clear picture of them. He laughed at something one of the men said to him and then walked down into the water, still wearing his trousers. She wondered why he wasn't getting fully undressed - until he turned and pinned her with his dark gaze and gave her a mocking smile, bowing his head in her direction before submerging himself under the surface of the dark water.
Charlotte jerked back from the doorway and lay down on the bed. How had he known she was watching him? Maybe that was what the other man had been saying to him, maybe he had seen her peeking out of the tent. She felt a flush of heat move up her neck and into her face at having been caught staring. But he did have such a nice body, she thought, even if it was the first one she had seen without a vest on. A shame that the man who owned it was such a pig then.
She mentally chastised herself. He had saved her life, after all. And hopefully he would save her brother's life too. What was a beating compared to that? Albeit a vicious and barely provoked spanking. A spanking that had left her extremely sore and uncomfortable. The more she thought about it the more she fumed, so she closed her eyes and tried to think of more pleasant things.
