CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Some time later Aslar stealthily dipped into the tent, his eyes glinting when he saw the bracelets in front of Grayson, and the way the professor was studying the inner surface.

"It is done?" he asked, his eyes gleaming with an unholy light.

Grayson nodded and smiled. "It is. Everything we need is right here, all we have to do is get the girl away from the others."

"That will be hard. Ardeth is quite serious about marrying her," Aslar spat, sneering with disgust. "You said you would get her to betray him?"

"Yes, and I will. I'm just wondering if it will be enough to get her family away from her as well. If she has no-one it will make our job that much easier."

"We will need to plan well, it seems. To that end, I have an idea, one which will help rid me of some of my problems," Aslar said, sitting down on the sand gracefully.

The professor sat and listened to the Med-jai, a cold smile curving his lips as he agreed with what the other man had thought up.

****

Three days passed and Charlotte spent as much time as she possibly could at Ardeth's side, both of them trying to act decently in front of all the others so no-one would suspect anything had happened between them. But she was sure that it was obvious, because she couldn't keep her eyes off his face, blushing whenever he looked at her and gave her that slow, sexy smile he was so good at. He had only been able to visit her at night one more time, and he had regretfully informed her that he would be on watch at night for the next week, possibly longer, as he had had to despatch some riders to another area. The only good thing about that was the fact he had sent Aslar away with the riders. Charlotte found the way the other man often looked at her disconcerting, and it scared her. A few days without him around the camp would be very welcome, especially since he always seemed to be watching her and Ardeth.

It was early evening and the sun was starting to sink slowly below the horizon, sending out streamers of bright orange and deep red to colour the sky as it went. Charlotte and Ardeth sat slightly apart from the others near the campfire, close together but not touching as they could be observed by many of the other people, but she wanted to touch him and her fingers twitched slightly where they rested in her lap.

Ardeth looked down at the brief movement and smiled slowly, his dark eyes sparkling as they caught hers. "There is something wrong, my lady?"

"I just wish...well, I wish we were alone," she whispered, looking at him with longing.

"As do I," he said, taking her hand and lifting it to his lips so he could kiss it. She gasped a little when his tongue flicked out and caressed her knuckles, then he lowered it gently to her lap again, making sure to brush his fingers over her thigh.

"That...that's not fair," she said shakily, biting her lip at the rush of feeling that went through her at the careless touch.

He gave another wicked smile. "I know."

Charlotte glared at him and then quickly looked away, seeing that Evy was looking at them with a small smile, her eyes sparkling. "Is everything alright, Charlie?"

"Fine, thank you. I'm just er...a little tired," she improvised, hoping she looked slightly less shaky than she felt. She heard Ardeth give a small chuckle next to her and she wanted nothing more than to slap him.

Evy nodded and gave another strange smile before snuggling up to her husband and chatting to the assembled group about their finds. Charlotte shot Ardeth a glare and unobtrusively pinched his hand.

He looked shocked and frowned at her. "Why are you attacking me?"

"When I attack you, you'll know all about it!" she hissed, trying not to smile at his horrified expression. "That's for touching me!"

"And you do not like it when I touch you?" he asked, smirking slowly, his lips a sensual temptation for her. He saw the way she was looking at his mouth and his smile widened. "You would like to feel my lips again, my love?"

She nodded dumbly, and bit her lip. "I wish we were already married," she admitted and his chest seemed to swell at her words.

"And to think that I believed you did not want to marry me," he murmured, brushing his hand down her soft cheek, his eyes full of love.

"I hate not being able to touch you," she said softly, darting a hand up to touch his where it rested on her face.

"No more than I do," he said, caressing her fingers as he lowered his hand. "Perhaps a brief walk?"

"Can we?" she asked eagerly and he chuckled again.

"Yes, we can. I do not believe our absence will cause too much fuss," he told her, rising to his feet and helping her up beside him. Evy and Rick were the only ones who saw them walk away and they just gave small smiles, knowing that they needed time on their own and remembering how they had been.

Ardeth guided Charlotte to a secluded spot at the base of a sand dune, and he drew her quickly into his arms, smiling tenderly down at her. "We do not have much time, we must be quick," he explained before he lowered his mouth to hers and toyed with her lips in a leisurely fashion, belying his words of a moment before.

It didn't take long before he had her moaning under the insistent pressure of his mouth and he smiled again, giving in to both their needs and deepening the kiss, his tongue exploring every crevice of her mouth. She gave as good as she got and ran her tongue along the line of his teeth, probing under them and twining her tongue around his so she could taste him. He broke the kiss and drew back, gasping in a breath as he pressed her body tighter against his. "You learn quickly my lady," he said huskily, bending to nuzzle her neck as his arousal swelled against her.

"Is...is that alright?" she asked, closing her eyes at the feel of his lips nibbling at her neck.

"Hmm, that is perfectly alright, my lady, I like it," he murmured, biting her skin gently and then pulling back. "However, I have started something I cannot finish, not here," he said, looking annoyed.

"But I want you," she blurted out, not caring if it sounded shameless to say such a thing.

He smiled and hugged her. "I am glad, because I want you too, right now. But it cannot be."

Charlotte frowned. "Maybe I should go and find someone else to kiss and...stuff," she said, narrowing her eyes as she looked at him, a mischievous smile tilting her mouth. "I'm sure the professor would be only too glad to oblige!"

Ardeth's eyebrows shot up and then he frowned. "Do not even think about it, Charlotte."

He sounded so serious that she lost the smile. "I was only joking," she said, placing one hand over his heart. "I wouldn't ever do something like that. I love you."

She felt him relax under her touch and she realised she really shouldn't have said what she had. But then he smiled at her and she relaxed a little. "Do not ever joke about such a thing, Charlotte. You are mine now, you understand?"

She nodded and gave a small pleased smile at his possessiveness. "I won't do it again. You do realise you're mine now too?"

"Oh, I had no doubt about that," he murmured, pulling her in for one more kiss before he hugged her tight and started to calm his body down. "We must return to the camp."

"I know, but I don't want to," she said, clutching his robes tightly and enjoying the way he had her wrapped up against him.

"Nevertheless, we will go," he said firmly, tugging her with him as they walked towards the distant campfire. "I have to resume my duties and I am already late. It seems we will have no real privacy until we are married. Therefore, I must learn restraint," he said, glancing down at her with glittering eyes, "as must you."

She looked up at him and couldn't help smiling at his wicked look. "You were the one who dragged me off," she reminded him.

"And you were the one who wanted me to," he shot back, grinning light-heartedly. "Do not try and place the blame on me, my heart, you are insatiable."

She blushed. "That's your fault," she murmured.

They were near enough the campfire now for him to see the colour in her face and he gave a small laugh. "You are still shy with me, my love, after everything that has happened? I find I like this," he whispered, stroking his fingers down her face and feeling the heat beneath the skin. "And when we are alone once more, I will show you just how much."

She blushed even more and he kissed her fingers, leaving her with Evy as he went off to stand watch.

Evy and Rick both gave her speculative glances, and Rick whispered something in Evy's ear, making her giggle. Charlotte didn't even notice, she was too absorbed with watching Ardeth walk off into the dark, admiring his long legged stride and his grace of movement.

*****

Grayson watched as Ardeth brought Charlotte back from wherever he had taken her. They hadn't been gone long enough for anything too involved to have happened, and he breathed a sigh of relief. It was time to act, he decided, time to make people doubt her in some way. A smile tilted his lips and he starting planning out exactly what he would do. A small spell of illusion would be sufficient, and he only needed one person to witness what happened for a seed of doubt to be sown.

Making an excuse so he could leave, he walked away from the camp and made his way to his tent. His books had provided him with many spells and incantations in the past, but the magic he used was all his own, and he loved having an opportunity to use it. He closed his eyes as he sank down onto his knees, and starting intoning the ancient words he needed, his deep voice hushed inside the tent as he directed the spell in Charlotte's direction. Smiling when he finished chanting, he stood up and walked slowly around the back of the group of people at the fire, making sure that all the Med-jai were out of his way as he walked towards Charlotte. He stopped in the darkness, staring at her small form and smiling again. "Come to me," he whispered and held his hand out towards her, watching the way she suddenly swung her head around to look behind her. Her eyes locked on his and she gave a tiny smile, getting to her feet and walking slowly over to him, unobserved by the others.

"Ardeth, I thought you had to go on watch," she said as he took her hands, her eyes looking at him with such love that he wished he really was Ardeth Bay. To her eyes, of course, that was exactly who he was. But to all the others, he would just be himself.

"I just couldn't keep away," he murmured, hearing the deep accented voice of the fearless leader coming from his mouth. "I wanted just one more kiss from those sweet lips."

Charlotte smiled at his words and put her hands on his shoulders, letting him pull her in to his embrace as she tilted her head back to receive his kiss. Grayson studied her for a second and then lowered his head, kissing her roughly and deeply, determined he would get as much out of this kiss as he could. He was by no means unskilled in the art of seduction, and despite the roughness of his ardour, he knew she was enjoying what his mouth was doing to hers. It made him wonder if Ardeth had ever kissed her in quite this way, but he doubted it. The Med-jai chieftain looked like he had little passion running through his blood as far as Grayson was concerned.

He let his hand run down Charlotte's back and he cupped her buttocks, lifting her up to press against his aroused body. The fact that she wasn't shocked at such a blatant caress didn't impinge on his consciousness, and he continued to enjoy her mouth. He knew it wouldn't take long for someone to notice them, and it was Evy who looked around and gave an audible gasp, making Rick turn to see what she was looking at.

He gaped at the sight before him, unable to believe that Charlotte was standing there in the darkness kissing the professor, and apparently enjoying every second of it. "What the hell is she doing?" he asked his wife, narrowing his eyes as the professor's hands squeezed the girl's backside.

"I don't know....I don't understand," Evy whispered, blinking in confusion. "If Ardeth sees them..." she tailed off, not having to finish that sentence. She knew that Ardeth would go mad, and he would probably kill one of them, or both. The one thing she had learnt about the desert tribes, was that they were incredibly possessive when it came to their women, and no-one dared touch someone's wife unless they had a death wish. To all intents and purposes, Charlotte was Ardeth's wife.

Evy continued to look as the professor drew away from her cousin and took her hand, kissing the knuckles before walking into the inky blackness that surrounded them. Charlotte stood there for a second and then walked unsteadily back to the fire, sitting down with a dreamy smile on her face.

"Charlie...is everything alright?" Evy asked her, surprised that the other girl didn't look remotely guilty.

"Yes, thank you. Why?" she asked, frowning at the way Rick and Evy were looking at her. They looked almost...acusing.

"It's just...well, we saw you two kissing," she whispered, frowning.

"Oh. Oh I see, I suppose we shouldn't really do that in the open. I know...it's just, I couldn't help myself," Charlotte said, biting her lip and shrugging.

"But, Charlie..." Evy began again, staring in astonishment as her cousin didn't even seem remotely guilty at what she had been doing. "I thought that you and Ardeth...er...that you were going to be married?"

Charlotte frowned now. "Well, yes, we are. Evy, what's wrong? I don't see the problem, unless it's got something to do with Ardeth's culture?"

"His culture?" Rick said, shaking his head with surprise. "I would think it had something to do with any man's culture when his bride is standing there in full view of everyone getting herself kissed and groped!"

Charlotte blushed at his words. "I suppose it could have waited," she said softly, still able to feel the thoroughness of Ardeth's last kiss.

"Could have waited?" Rick burst out and then quieted down when Evy smacked his arm.

"I'll talk to Ardeth, he'll understand," Charlotte mused, thinking that she'd have to tell him they shouldn't be touching each other in company like that. To Evy and Rick her words had an entirely different meaning.

"You don't know him at all, do you?" Rick said, his voice hard as he got up and stalked away, angry for his friend at her betrayal and her apparent ease with the whole situation.

Charlotte stared after him in shock and then looked at Evy. "I don't understand," she said, wondering what had made them so angry.

"That's fairly obvious, Charlie," Evy said, sighing deeply and getting up. "Listen, I don't know what it is you're up to. But please, just think before you act next time okay?" She gave a worried smile and walked off to join her husband, leaving Charlotte staring after them dumbfounded.

****Okay, sorry it's a bit short and maybe a bit....hmm...slow? It took me forever to write each sentence and the whole process has become painful now! I know where I want this story to go, it's just hard getting there! Ah, writers block, such a great thing eh? Hopefully I'll shrug this off soon and come back with more, but for now, deepest apologies!****