Ardeth worked diligently, sowing the wound in her side with precise stitches even though he had never really done it before, she grimaced a few times but never once cried out, he wondered at that.

"I'm almost done." He said softly, putting her at ease. "I just have one more stitch."

"Okay." Her voice was strained and tense, her body stretched tight as a bow.

Cassandra didn't relax, even after he had pierced her skin for the last time but remained tense until he completely pulled away from her, she visibly relaxed only a little then turned so she lay on her back once more. He looked down at her, his eyes lazily searching her blank expression, not once when he was stitching up the wound had she cried out or complained about the pain. His Habiibii was stronger than she looked, far stronger than he would have given credit for.

"I was surprised to see you there."

She tilted her head. "I was just as surprised to be there, I assure you."

It was his turn to tilt his head, but this time in question. "You were kidnapped?"

"Yea." She said softly. "That man, Khaldun, he needed me for something, but I'm sure what. I didn't even know the guy but he seemed to know me."

"Khaldun? I heard you say that name before, when we were riding away."

"The man who stood at the front of the temple, his name was Khaldun."

"Impossible."

Cassandra frowned. "I can assure you it's not… sir." She added emphasis to the sir at the end. "Actually people are named very strangely everyday."

Ardeth leaned forward. "But his name isn't Khaldun."

"Of course it is that's what he told me it was."

"Are you sure?"

Her expression turned angry. "What are you getting at?"

Ardeth frowned deeply. "Getting at?"

"It means 'What do you mean?' or 'What are you trying to say?'"

"Oh."

She waited a few moments, watched him as she sat there, digesting what she had said. "So?"

"Well… it's complicated, you see, in this time his name may very well be Khaldun but…." He trailed off.

"What?"

"In another time this man named Khaldun was called Imhotep."

Cassandra tried to restrain a laugh. "You mean, the High Priest to Set?"

"Yes." His face was dead serious.

"You're kidding."

"No."

Now Cassandra was concerned, this was not a man to joke but what he was saying was so far beyond her comprehension that it couldn't be true, could this man be crazy?

"Are you crazy?" she said aloud before she could stop the words from spilling out.

Ardeth frowned at her, his face become dark with anger. "Crazy?"

the side of her head.

"You know, Looney, a little strange in the head." She tapped

"I am aware was the word Crazy means."

Cassandra fell silent, now she knew that he had faith in reincarnation and many different lives, she also knew, somewhere in the back of her head, that this man was not crazy in any shape, form, size, or weight crazy. He was 100 lucid, which made believing him that much harder to do, not that it really mattered to her, she had a life to live that didn't involve this horribly intriguing man that roused her passions like no other could. She had people who depended on her and this…. Whatever it was, was interfering with that.

"Well, it was nice to see you again, but I really have to get home."

Cassandra sat up to try to get up but found his arm a deterrent.

"Stay." Was all he said.

"I would really love to stay, but I have to be getting home, I have….things I need to attend to."

"You won't be able to ride a horse this late at night, not only that but the wound in your side will open if you leave, you must stay for at least the night if not the week."

"A week? Are you kidding? I have to get home." she feared that her voice was becoming more and more whiny.

"Just for the night then."

In protest she opened her mouth but found his lips upon hers once more, her world began to spin, everything around her lost focus until all she could see was the man, all she could feel was his lips on hers, all she could smell was him, horseflesh and heat, masculine musk and something darker, all she could taste was his eroticism, his darkness and light. She felt dizzy when he pulled away and looked at her with dark, indefinable eyes.

"Just for the night."

"Fine." She said in a soft whisper. "But just for the night."

Ardeth laid her out on the pallet, being careful of all her wounds as he pulled the blanket up and around her then around himself as he laid next to her, she could feel the heat that rolled off him as he laid one massive arm on her waist and tucked her close to him.

"I missed you, Rohi."

She wouldn't say it, she couldn't…. "I missed you too." She whispered before her eyes drifted closed.

Middle of the Night

Something was moving beside Ardeth, he could feel a small figure tossing and turning in his arms but he couldn't quite identify what it was, the movements were just enough to wake him but not bad enough that he couldn't sleep through it. He realized quite suddenly when a hand shot out from beneath the blanket and smacked him firmly in the face that the tossing figure was that of Cassandra. She was moaning and writhing in sleep, sweat clung to every part of her small lithe body, he wondered if she were in the throes of her woman's passion but decided quickly that all was not well.

"Cassandra?" he asked softly.

She answered by moaning louder and flinging her arms around as if trying to fend off an imaginary captor, he took one wrist into his hand and tried to soothe her by crooning softly near her head. She didn't seem to know that he was there, either that or couldn't wake up from whatever nightmare held her in it's clutches.

"Cassandra?" he said louder.

Still she did not wake up, and did not stop flinging her limbs around like an octopus, Ardeth grew worried when she did not awaken the fourth or fifth time he called her.

"Cassandra?" he yelled.

He took both her wrists in one hand and touched her forehead, she was burning up with fever, unable to control what her dreams brought her, which meant that he had to pull her out and soon.

"Cassandra? Wake up! You need to wake up!"

TBC

What a horrible place to stop! Oh well….

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