Flight of Souls

Chapter 15 – First Night

There had been no more discussion. A'isha showed Rick and Evie to a place for them to sleep, and Ardeth had ushered Tia back to his own tent. Tia felt worn out. The realization of her past life had been both a shock and a relief. So many things now made sense. Questions that had bothered her for most of her life now had answers. She was in danger, though. A man from her past wanted to kill her, for no good reason as far as Tia could see. What would happen if he found out where she was?

Ardeth removed his robes and dropped them negligently on a chest. Clad only in a pair of loose pants, he sat next to Tia on the bed. "Are you all right?"

Tia smiled hesitantly. "I'm frightened."

"Of Sir Randolph?" Ardeth asked. "Of me?"

"Both, I think," Tia admitted.

He tilted her chin up so that their eyes met. "You needn't be afraid of me. And I will protect you from Sir Randolph."

In the flickering light of the candle near the bed, Tia could see the resolution in his eyes. "I believe you."

"Are you afraid of this?" he asked, unfastening the sash around her waist and dropping it to the floor. Next he unfastened the sleeveless over tunic and slipped it off her shoulders. "Relax," he said softly, his hands caressing the soft skin of her neck. "I'm not going to hurt you." He gathered her close to him, pressing her face into the curve of his shoulder. "Shhhh," he murmured, massaging her back through the thin fabric of her under tunic. "Just relax."

Tia breathed in the scent of his body and tried to still the way her body was trembling. By concentrating on the comforting warmth of his hands on her back, little by little her tension eased. Ardeth felt the muscles in her back loosen and her body become more pliant. His hands began to caress rather than massage. Gently he tipped her head back and covered her mouth with his.

Tia closed her eyes. His hands were now easing beneath the tunic she wore, stroking her back and coming around to explore her belly, her shoulders, her breasts. His mouth was more urgent now, parting her lips to deepen his kiss, then trailing down her neck. Impatiently he pulled the tunic over her head and pressed her down on the bed. A quick tug loosened the drawstring of her pants.

Ardeth took a deep breath and summoned up the last vestiges of his self control to keep from lowering himself on her and giving in to his own urgent need. If this was indeed her first time she deserved better than that. Instead he continued to stroke and kiss until she was once again relaxed.

Memories floated in Tia's head. More than three thousand years ago another man not of her choosing had taken Tia, or rather Tiye, to bed. The hands that had roamed her body then had been harsh and uncaring. The hands that were on her body now were gentle. Strangled into submission, Princess Tiye had been able to do nothing except grit her teeth and endure. Certainly she'd had no desire to respond to her rapist. Tia DeWitt did have a choice. While she was sure there was no stopping Ardeth now, she could choose her response. She could choose to turn her head to the side and wait for him to be done, or she could respond to the feelings of desire awakening in her body. Decision made, Tia ran her hands up his muscular arms and over his broad shoulders. When he bent over her she curled one hand around his neck and pulled his mouth down to hers.

Later, Tia lay pressed close to Ardeth's side, her head pillowed on his chest, his arm around her shoulders. She listened to the steady beating of his heart. He'd been as good as his word – he hadn't hurt her. His breathing was deep and slow. He'd fallen asleep almost immediately after rolling over and pulling her against him. Tia smiled slightly and snuggled close, closing her own eyes.

Ardeth stepped out of his tent shortly after dawn. He'd left Tia fast asleep. He'd been tempted to wake her, but decided against it. She'd been sleeping so soundly he didn't have the heart. He'd been both surprised and pleased by her response to him last night. He just wished he knew if it had been genuine desire, or merely guile – a wish to please him – that had made her cling to him while they'd made love. He shrugged slightly. It didn't matter, he supposed. It was a start. And she'd been honest with him about her past experience. He now knew for sure that she'd never been with a man until last night.

As he walked toward the horse enclosures he saw Rick O'Connell leaning against a fence. Ardeth nodded to him. "Good morning."

"Morning," Rick replied. He rubbed the side of his nose and looked at the ground, obviously uncomfortable. Ardeth stopped and looked at him, eyebrow raised. "Oh hell," Rick muttered. "Evie has a bee in her bonnet and she made me promise to talk to you about it this morning."

Ardeth waited a moment in the resulting silence, and then said, "Yes?"

Rick groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's about Tia."

"What about her?"

"Well, Evie is afraid that Tia's being coerced into something against her will."

Ardeth's lips tightened. "She's afraid that I'm going to mistreat Tia? I'm sorry Evelyn thinks so little of me."

Rick groaned again and looked away. He stared at the horizon for a few moments then looked back. "Look, Ardeth, I understand this a lot better than she does. Evie was pretty sheltered before our marriage, and even since then she hasn't come much into contact with this sort of situation. And if we're talking about her past life, she remembers an arranged marriage with a man she neither liked nor respected. It's not that she thinks you're going to mistreat Tia, Ardeth. It's that she's afraid Tia will end up living the rest of her life as a servant - passed from man to man – looked down upon because she isn't Arabic. She considers Tia her sister, and doesn't want that to happen to her." Rick paused and then spoke again. "As I understand how the system works in the desert tribes, you keep concubines until you're tired of them, right?"

"Usually."

"If and when that happens, will you promise to send Tia to Evie and me in England?"

Ardeth looked at Rick. "I'm surprised you haven't asked me to give her to you now."

Rick grimaced. "Evie wanted me to, but I refused."

Ardeth raised his brows again. "How did she take that?"

"Not well."

Ardeth sighed and leaned against the fence. "I will not give her up now, O'Connell. But you need not worry that her life will be a misery. If she and I come to a parting of ways, I will send her to England if she wishes it. You have my word."

"Thank you, Ardeth. And I'm sorry to be interfering with your personal life."

"I understand your concern. I will speak to Evie myself."

"Just don't do it in public. I don't think your men would appreciate their War Commander being shrieked at by a woman."

Ardeth grinned. "I'll keep that in mind." He gestured toward the horses. "Will you ride with me? I'm behind in my training."

Rick shrugged. "Sure."

"Good." Ardeth indicated a dark liver chestnut gelding with a crooked white blaze. "Take him. He's a three year old. I'll be taking him to the horse market soon. You can tell me what you think of him."

Thank you Lometari, tellergirl, Mommints, eris and lilylynn. I'm glad you're enjoying the story!