RATING WARNING: The second half of this chapter is rated R for sexual content. Please have ice water or a cold shower available. ;-)
Chapter Nine – Souls Entwined
Khay woke with the feeling one gets when one realizes they aren't in the same place they were when they fell asleep. She opened her eyes and looked at the man beside her. For a moment, she lay still, trying to figure out how she came to be in the bed with Ardeth Bey. Once her brain shook off the fuzz of sleep, she realized that she'd climbed in next to him during the night. He'd been restless, dreaming, and her presence seemed to quiet him. His presence quieted her as well, she admitted. So there she was, lying on her side next to him with her hand on his chest.
Still, Khay had the feeling that something wasn't quite right. She closed her eyes and let her other senses fly, searching for any clues as to what the disturbance might be. The room was quiet. Ardeth's deep, even breathing the only sound she could hear. She opened her eyes once more let her gaze circle the room. The chamber was bathed in the gray shadows of coming dawn, but nothing looked out of place. Finally, she recognized the feeling that teased at the back of her neck. She was being watched. Khay sat up and peered deeper into the shadows. Finally, in the shadowy recesses of the large armchair by the bed, she saw her.
Azizah. Her mind made the connection quickly for the small girl was most definitely Ardeth's child. Her curling hair and fuller lower lip was all the confirmation Khay needed. She smiled at her as she eased out of the bed and put on her dressing gown but Azizah only blinked at her curiously.
"Come with me," Khay whispered, opening the bedroom door and motioning for Azizah to follow. The child didn't comply right away; instead, she climbed onto the bed and put a small hand to her father's face, as if to assure herself he was still there. She then lay her head on his chest and only when she was satisfied that his heart beat steady and sure did she climb down and join Khay in the hall.
Quietly, they descended the stairs. Khay stopped at the library and beckoned Azizah inside. "Shall we talk in here?" she asked.
Azizah still didn't speak but she entered the room and perched herself at the end of the large sofa. Khay took up the other end and the two of them regarded each other in silence. Khay had the distinct feeling she was being weighed in those long moments. Azizah's sharp gaze never left her face and Khay would later swear that the girl was taking the very measure of her soul.
"You are the healer." The words came out of a silence so deep that Khay actually started slightly.
"I am," she replied.
"Did you make my Babu well again?"
"I did. With the help of Mrs. O'Connell."
"Aunt Evy is very smart. She is a very good helper."
Khay smiled at the girl's earnest affirmation of Evy's intelligence. "Yes, she is."
"She is the curator of the Museum and that is a very important job." It was clear that Azizah was quite impressed by her 'aunt'.
"I know. I work for her. I'm your Aunt Evy's secretary." Khay wanted to smile again at the perplexed frown that creased Azizah's forehead but she forced her lips into a neutral line.
"You work at the Museum? For Aunt Evy? But I thought you were a healer?"
"I am a healer. And I work at the museum. I do both."
This clearly impressed the girl. "I did not know one could do both." She thought about that some more. Then, "What is a sec-sec tra crary?"
Khay did smile at that. "Secretary," she said the word slowly. "It just means that I'm Evy's helper. I write letters and keep her schedule and things like that."
"Oh!" Azizah rolled her eyes in a show of great understanding. "You are a scribe."
"You could say that."
The child frowned again. "I just did."
It took great effort but Khay did not laugh. Instead, she changed the subject. "You are Azizah, aren't you? Evy told me about you. She says you a very special little girl."
"Uncle O'Connell says I am a tempest in a teapot," Azizah offered, "but I have never been in a teapot, I am far too big."
Khay did laugh at that. She couldn't help it. "Much too big," she agreed.
Azizah grew still again, her eyes once more studying the woman across from her. "What is your name," she asked after a long moment.
"Khay... Khayriyyah. Khayriyyah Alaa' al Din."
"You are the one they have chosen for my father." It was almost an accusation.
"I am."
Azizah's chin came up defiantly. "I will not let anyone have my father who is not worthy."
"And you shouldn't."
"He will not choose someone without my help."
"And he shouldn't."
"You agree with me?" Azizah was unsure. Although the Med-jai respected her position, she was still a child and adults tended to treat children as if they had no idea what they were talking about.
"I do. It is important for you to accept this person as much as your father must. I only hope that you will give me a chance to prove myself worthy because...."
"Because why?" The girl's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Because I find that I love him, Azizah. I think I have always loved him. He is the Heart of My Soul. Do you know what that is?"
A bright green fire flashed in Azizah's eyes. "I know what it is."
"Then I ask you to give me a chance to show you that I am worthy. For I would die if I could not be with him."
"You would do that? You would give him up if I do not approve?"
Khay's heart sank. Her initial impression of Azizah was that she was not a petty child. She hated to think she was wrong. "I would have to. I could not be with him knowing that it made you unhappy. I am the Heart of his Soul, but you are his child. That is a bond that I would not even try to upset."
Azizah grew very quiet. "Babu has no family but me. There is grandmother, but she is not here." Silence filled the room, a silence that seemed to grow with each passing second. Eventually, Azizah raised her eyes to Khayriyyah and Khayriyyah felt as if her very soul was exposed. Deeper and deeper she sank into the depths of Azizah's gaze, almost as if she were being hypnotized. Suddenly, Azizah smiled the bright winning smile of her father and Khayriyyah knew that she had been tested and found worthy by this tiny Med-jai daughter. Her heart breathed a sigh of relief. "Will you say the words, Khayriyyah?" Azizah asked.
Khayriyyah swallowed and moved to kneel before Azizah, her dark eyes never leaving the girl's lighter ones. "Azizah Bey, I, Khayriyyah Alaa' al Din, humbly ask for the honor of being wife to your father."
Azizah lay a small hand on Khayriyyah's shoulder. "I accept you, Khayriyyah Alaa' al Din as wife to my father. From now until all eternity shall you be Khayriyyah Bey. Clan of my clan, tribe of my tribe, wife to my father, and mother of my heart."
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"Khayriyyah."
Her name fell from his lips like water from a fountain, soft and musical. In her dream she heard him calling her. She turned her head toward the sound and saw him as he surely must be in life. Tall, strong clad in the black robes of the Med-jai, his hair flowing long behind him in the desert breeze.
"Khayriyyah, my Heart. Come to me."
She walked toward him smiling. "My Heart," she called to him, "I come."
She reached up her hand as his reached down, and he swung her up to sit before him on the huge black stallion.
"I have waited many lifetimes for you, my Heart," he said, his deep voice husky against her ear.
A shiver of delight ran from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. "And I, you," she whispered as his lips lowered to claim hers.
She closed her eyes in anticipation but nothing happened. She opened her eyes with a frown. Ardeth was no longer sitting astride the magnificent horse. He was gone.
Khayriyyah awoke with a jolt, almost spilling off the chair. Her wide eyes flew to the bed. Despite two days at Ardeth's bedside, she needed to reassure herself that Ardeth was real, was still there. She gasped aloud and rose to her feet when she realized that the bed was empty.
"My apologies. It was not my intention to wake you."
The deep husky voice of her dream came from the far side of the bed, the side hidden in shadows by the dim light and bed hangings. It took but a second for Khay's eyes to adjust and she saw him.
Ardeth leaned heavily against the bedpost, a fine sheen of sweat on his body the only evidence of the effort he was expending just standing there. All romantic dreams of their first real meeting fled as her healing instincts kicked in.
"What do you think you're doing!?" she shrieked. "Get back in that bed. Get back in that bed this instant!" Without any real idea of how she got there, Khayriyyah found herself at Ardeth's side, pulling ineffectively at his powerful arms as she tried to lead him back to bed.
A soft, hoarse chuckle penetrated the fog that blanketed her. She looked up at him and could only stare. He was smiling at her, his white teeth flashing against the black of his beard, his light eyes glimmering with sparks of humor. Khayriyyah was completely blind-sided. Never in her entire life had she ever seen anyone so handsome. "And he's mine!" she thought triumphantly, unable to stop a feline grin from pulling at her mouth.
Ardeth's eyes widened slightly as he watched the slow sexy smile spread across her face. He wasn't sure what caused the look but something in his gut told him he was better off not knowing. Instead he simply looked his fill. Her eyes were dark, almost black, framed by long lashes. A fine, straight nose and full mouth were complemented by the black hair that fringed her face and swung jauntily at her shoulders.
He watched her lips move and blinked, realizing that she'd spoken.
"My apologies, I didn't . . . " He stumbled over the words "like a love struck youth!" he thought. Her light silky laugh seemed to fill the room.
"I said 'you really ought to get back in bed'. Where do you think you're going, anyway? You can barely stand."
He nodded, accepting her observation. "I am sorry to cause you such dismay. However, I find the need to relieve myself."
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Ardeth regretted them, wishing there were some other way to put the situation. The Egyptian Med-jai were very open about bodily functions but he wasn't so sure about the outer tribes.
Khayriyyah groaned and clapped a hand against her forehead. "Of course you do! Khay, you are an idiot. Now come along, lean on me, and we'll get you taken care of straight away."
Before he could think of anything else to say, Khayriyyah had an arm around his waist and was leading him toward the bathroom. She'd taken his considerable weight on her shoulders and to her credit only stumbled slightly as they started off.
"Now then," she said as she transferred his bulk from her shoulder to the wall nearest the toilet, "I'll leave you alone for a moment, if you think you'll be alright?"
Ardeth nodded and she hurried out, careful to leave the door open a bit should he need her help. She straightened the bed sheets and turned them down, her hands lingering over the still warm places where his body had lain. A thrill coursed through her as she considered what would pass between them as husband and wife for although she was a virgin, she was well versed in the pleasures of the flesh.
The Med-jai were a very open society where sex was concerned. Their young women didn't go ignorant into marriage and were instructed in the many ways of physical pleasure before they sought out a mate. And the thought of Ardeth's tall, lean body stretched against hers was enough to make Khayriyyah quiver.
After a few moments of sensual fantasizing, she returned to the bathroom. A burst of steam and the sound of running water greeted her as she pushed open the door. Ardeth sat on the side of the bathtub, leaning against the wall behind him while hot water splashed into the tub. He looked up as she entered and smiled.
Khayriyyah narrowed her eyes and propped her fists on her hips. "A bath?"
Ardeth shrugged. "I feel the need for one," he answered, still smiling.
"You need to go back to bed," Khayriyyah countered, her lips pursed defiantly.
"I will rest easier when I have removed the sweat from my skin. I fear my horse smells better than I."
She studied him a moment, then sighed resignedly. "Very well. I'll help you bathe. But then you will go to bed." She began unbuttoning her blouse. Ardeth's eyebrows rose in an unspoken question. "I'm removing my shirt so it doesn't get all wet," she explained. "Besides, I've still got my underthings on so it's perfectly respectable."
"Respectable?" Ardeth asked playfully, his eyes falling to the thin chemise that covered her ample breasts.
"Yes. I mean, we are two persons of the opposite sex. We shouldn't be alone together to intimately."
"Ah, but you forget, Khayriyyah, you are not just any person. You are my wife."
She would never, for as long as she lived, forget the way her name sounded when Ardeth spoke it for the first time. Khayriyyah. His deep, husky voice made it sound magical and mysterious and she felt empowered as a woman for the first time. So caught up was she in the way her name sounded when coming from his lips that she almost didn't realize the second part of what he said. Wife. He'd called her his wife.
"I...I'm your . . . " she stuttered, her mouth unable to form the words.
"My wife, Khayriyyah, and more than my wife. The heart of my soul. We both know it. Nothing can separate us now that we have found each other. We are bound to one another forever." Ardeth forced himself upright, his legs protesting the effort it took to stand. He pulled her close to him and put a gentle hand under her chin, forcing her eyes up to meet his. "Khayriyyah," he said her name again, feeling the way it rolled off his tongue, "look at me, my heart."
Khayriyyah raised her eyes to his and knew that what he said was true. She was his. He was hers. There would be no turning back for either of them. Any thoughts they had harbored of getting out of this paper marriage had vanished the moment she'd stepped over the threshold two days before.
"My heart," she said quietly.
Then his mouth lowered to hers. Nothing could prepare Khayriyyah for the soft sensuality of Ardeth's kiss. His lips moved against hers, gently at first, then more urgently as they were both caught up in the maelstrom of passion that ignited when their mouths met. Her arms moved around his back as his hands came up to cup her head, his fingers entwining in her hair. Ardeth pulled her head to one side and slid his tongue across the tender flesh of her neck. Khayriyyah moaned as he sucked and nipped at the skin along her chin, then slid across her parted lips, tasting her briefly before returning to the warm cavity of her mouth. There, tongues met in a slow, sensual dance of exploration before they tore away from each other, gasping for breath.
She felt his legs give way an instant before his weight fell heavy on her shoulders. Khayriyyah helped him to sit again on the side of the tub.
"I had no idea my kisses had that effect on a man," she laughed, her voice shaky with what had passed between them.
For an instant, Ardeth's eyes darkened and his hand shot out, grasping her behind the neck and bringing her face close to his. "I will allow no other man to touch you in this way," he ordered in a voice hoarse with passion. "I will kill any man who dares."
Somewhere deep in her mind, Khayriyyah knew she should be afraid of this jealous man but the newfound power flowing through her veins wouldn't let her. She knew that no other man could affect her like this, knew that she would never desire another man. She also knew that she felt the same way.
"And I will kill any woman who dares the same."
"We are agreed then, wife," he asked her without asking.
Khayriyyah didn't hesitate. "We are agreed then, my husband."
A mischievous look spread across his handsome face. "In that case, you are allowed to assist me at my bath."
She smiled and leaned across him to turn off the faucet. A shock went through him at the feel of her lush, full breasts brushing against his arms.
She ran her hand lazily through the water, taking her time in straightening up again.
"The water is just right. Shall we get you undressed?" She stood up and helped him to stand. Her hands slipped slowly down his sides to the top of his loose pants. With deft fingers she undid the drawstring and the black cloth slid to the floor. As he stepped free of the garment, her gaze traveled over his lean, muscular frame and lingered at the hard evidence of his desire for her. A rush of lust ran down her spine and pooled in her lower belly at the thought of that hardness pressed against her. Khayriyyah met his eyes and knew that before the night was over, she'd be his totally and completely in all ways. She smiled at him, another sexy smile that made his heart race as she helped him into the steaming water.
"I don't want to get this wet," she said coyly as she shimmied out of her skirt and hung it over the towel bar. Then she slipped her slip off her shoulders and over her head. The satiny material pooled like white water on the floor. She sat on the edge of the sink and rolled her stockings down very slowly while Ardeth watched with hot eyes. When she was clad only in her chemise and panties, she knelt beside the tub.
"You said something about wanting to be clean?" she asked, a bar of soap and a sponge in her hand. Ardeth nodded and watched as she rolled the soap back and forth across the sponge, sending frothy bubbles sliding down her wrists. When she was satisfied she had enough soap, she motioned for Ardeth to move forward so she could reach his back. With strong fingers, she massaged his tired muscles while cleaning the sweat from his body. The hot water quickly relaxed the Med-jai and he fell under the spell of her skilled hands. When she'd finished his back, she moved to the end of the tub and picked up one of Ardeth's feet. From his toes to his knees she slid the sponge up and down his strong legs. Then did the same with the other leg. By the time she reached his broad chest he was completely relaxed, his eyes closed, damp lashes just brushing the tattoos against his cheeks.
"Let me wash your hair," she whispered, her fingers eager to bury themselves deep in the satin softness of his black tresses. Khayriyyah helped Ardeth lean back in the tub and supported his neck with one hand while she wetted his hair with the other. A dab of musky scented shampoo and soon her hands were stroking against his scalp, the satin strands of Ardeth's impossibly soft hair falling over her fingers while she worked. When he was rinsed an the water cooling, she helped him stand up again and wrapped him in a large towel, then she led him to the bed and sat him on the edge while she sat behind him, drying his hair.
"Feel better?" she asked quietly as she rubbed the black, now curling strands with the towel.
"Mmmm," was all Ardeth could manage at the moment. The feel of her drying his body was both soothing and exciting and he wondered how long he could stand the dual pressure before either falling asleep or taking her in his arms. Khayriyyah reached around him and applied the towel to his chest. He felt the soft fullness of her breasts pressing against his back and decided he'd take her in his arms after all. In a heartbeat, he turned and had her pressed on her back against the mattress, his length covering her from top to bottom.
"Oh!" Khayriyyah gasped as she found herself staring up in to Ardeth's face over hers. Her eyes darkened with passion and she could feel her pulse begin to race. This is exactly what she wanted and she wasn't going to play coy now. "Hello, there," she said in a voice husky with desire.
The heat in Ardeth's eyes matched her own. "Hello." His deep voice thrummed against her chest then there were no more words as his lips crushed down on hers. Their first kiss was nothing compared to the hot, passionate meeting of their mouths this time. Tongues entwined, hands grasped at hair as they pulled each other closer, trying to get as little space between them as was physically possible. Flesh touched flesh and Ardeth found that even the small sections of cloth that made up her undergarments were too much.
"Remove these," he ordered huskily, indicating her remaining clothing and he rolled off her and waited.
Khayriyyah sat up slowly then knelt beside this powerful warrior of hers. There was no smile now, only the hot passionate fire of her gaze as she reached up and unlaced the chemise she wore. With a shrug of her shoulders the garment fell free and dropped to the floor. At the sight of her magnificent bosom, Ardeth licked his lips unconsciously. She was magnificent. Her breasts were large but firm. Enough for a man to get his hands around and still have enough left to explore for a lifetime. Her nipples stood forth proud and ready and his passion flared as he waited for the second he could close his lips around the tight peaks. He watched as she slid off the bed and removed her panties. Her plump body beckoned a man's hands to wander and the dark triangle of curls at the junction of her thighs begged to be explored. Ardeth waited as she kneeled next to him once more, then he kneeled before her and took her face in his hands.
"You are more beautiful than I could have imagined," he whispered huskily as his eyes drank in the sight of her. His strong hands lifted to her waist and slid up her side to cup the undersides of her breasts. Thumbs crept up to caress the erect nipples and at the feel of his fingers on her flesh, Khayriyyah's head fell back and her eyes closed. "Yes," she groaned, unaware that she'd even spoken. Then Ardeth's hands were at her back and his head was bent forward. Almost worshipfully he brushed his lips against one tight pink bud, then followed with his tongue. Khayriyyah's sharp intake of breath was all the encouragement he needed and his mouth opened wide and he sucked as much of her into his mouth as he could.
Khayriyyah had never felt anything like the liquid heat that filled her belly at the touch of Ardeth's hot wet mouth on her skin. Of their own accord, her hands found the back of his head and she pressed him closer to her, urging him to suckle harder. She felt herself grow damp between her legs and wanted nothing else but to feel his fingers against the damp flesh of her womanhood. As if hearing her unspoken request, Ardeth lay her down, his mouth never leaving her breasts, and ran a hand up her thigh. His fingers twined through her curls for a moment then he groaned. "Open for me, my flower."
Without hesitation, Khayriyyah opened her legs and his fingers slid into the wet heat of her core. It was her turn to moan as he rubbed against her, two fingers split to caress either side of the hard bud that was the center of her sex.
"Ardeth." His name was a soft plea of want and desire. He knew what she needed, what her body craved from him so he set a tempo with his fingers, sliding up across the tight nub and then plunging deep inside her where he would soon rest his shaft. Again and again he plundered the sweet heat of her womanhood until she rose up against his hand, her body begging for the climax that only he could bring her. He felt the stiffening of her body, heard the cry of pleasure that fell from her lips and at that moment Ardeth pulled her up so she straddled him and drove himself into the still convulsing tightness at her center.
Khayriyyah gasped, not so much in pain but in surprise that the large length of his shaft fit inside her. He waited a moment for her body to adjust to him then began to guide her hips up and down in a slow pace that drove her to still another frenzied peak.
"Khayriyyah, my ameerah, yes, oh, yes!" he encouraged as she moved above him. He had never felt anything like the tight fit of her around his throbbing manhood. He wanted nothing more than to pour himself into her but he waited, holding back until she was with him, until she was ready to explode again for him while he was deep inside her. His lips found hers and their tongues mated as did their bodies. And when he felt he could hold back no longer, the racking convulsions started deep within her and she called out his name as he called out hers, and they came together in a moment of sheer physical perfection that lasted for many heartbeats.
When her breathing had slowed, Khayriyyah realized she was curled against Ardeth's body, his arm wrapped around her, her head resting on his chest. She had no idea how she'd managed to end up there but knew in her heart that it was the place she was meant to be. She looked up him only to find him gazing down at her.
"Now, you are truly my wife," he said quietly.
Khayriyyah took his hand and brought it to her lips. She entwined her fingers with his. "And you, Ardeth Bey, are my husband."