The Sheikh's Untamed Bride. Jackie Braun
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down with the child, stroking her back and talking to her, hoping desperately that the tone of her voice would do the trick and the child wouldn’t wake and realize that the comfort came from a stranger.
‘There, you’re safe now—and you need to go back to sleep.’ She talked nonsense, and then decided a story might help. ‘Once upon a time...’ She told the same stories she’d told her sister at the same age, remembered them word for word, and the familiarity of the ritual soothed her as well as the child. She talked quietly until the little girl’s breathing suggested she was deeply asleep while all the time the two Saluki lay by the bed, heads on paws, watching her.
Afraid that if she moved she’d wake the child, Layla stayed still, her fingers tangled in the dark curls that belonged to Raz Al Zahki’s daughter. Looking down at that sweet, vulnerable face, now smeared with tears, she felt her heart twist.
What had she been through?
What had she suffered?
She’d stay just a while. Until she was sure the girl was asleep.
Then she’d return to her bed and he wouldn’t be any the wiser.
* * *
The red ball of the dawn sun was rising up behind the mountainous dunes when Raz rode back into the camp two days later. His eyes were gritty from lack of sleep, his head pounding following long days spent in meetings with senior tribal members.
He needed sleep, but nowhere near as much as he needed a swim.
It was still early and everything was quiet and still. No one was stirring.
Having handed over his stallion to one of the waiting grooms, he made straight towards the tent where his daughter slept, noticing with a frown that there was no sign of the guard.
Fear for his daughter fuelled his stride.
Entering quietly, he stood for a moment on the threshold, his eyes adjusting to the dim light, relieved to see the dogs sprawled protectively at the foot of the bed.
The familiar sight of the lump in the bed brought relief rushing down on him—and then he realised that the lump was bigger than usual.
Stepping closer, he saw that there in the bed, with her arms wrapped around his daughter, was Layla.
Shock and surprise were replaced by anger, and then another, darker emotion he didn’t dare examine too closely.
The dogs sensed the change in his mood and growled, and those growls woke the child. Her expression brightened as she saw her father and she sat up sleepily, the movement waking Layla.
Her eyes opened and her gaze met his, blank at first and then alight with consternation.
Sitting up, she clutched at the sheet. ‘We weren’t expecting you so early.’
‘Evidently.’ His tone was silky soft and he saw the colour return to her cheeks as she met his hostile gaze.
‘I’m pleased you’re early.’ Zahra slid out of the bed, paused to hug and kiss the dog closest to her, and ran across to him, arms outstretched. ‘Has Shakira had her foal?’
‘Not yet.’ Raz scooped her into his arms. Her hair brushed against his jaw and he felt his insides knot with love. It was a love that overwhelmed every emotion he’d ever felt. A love that made a strong man vulnerable. And he felt that vulnerability now as he held her and felt those slender arms tighten around his neck.
‘When can we go and see her?’
‘Soon.’ He hugged her protectively, his eyes still on the woman in the bed. ‘Zahra, I want you to play with your toys for a minute while I speak to Layla.’
‘Can’t she stay?’ Zahra was openly disappointed. ‘She hasn’t finished the end of the story. We both fell asleep.’
‘I can finish it later.’ Without meeting his eyes, Layla slid out of the bed.
He saw her hesitate before allowing her feet to touch the ground and saw her hold her breath as she stepped carefully over the dog blocking her path, as if doing so required nerves of steel.
Oblivious to the atmosphere, Zahra smiled at her. ‘When you’ve finished talking, can we play in the sand like yesterday?’
The news that she’d been spending her days with his daughter was the final straw. ‘No, you cannot, because we are going riding.’
‘Together?’
‘Together.’ Touched by her expression of delight, he put her down gently. ‘Play with Isis and Horus for a moment.’
She needed no encouragement to play with the dogs, and they in turn fussed around the child, proving themselves better guards than the people he’d paid to stand over her and keep watch in his absence.
Keeping his anger in check, he left the tent, noticing that one of the guards assigned to watch over his daughter was now standing outside, having no doubt taken a badly timed bathroom break.
Deciding to deal with him later, Raz followed Layla to the edge of the oasis, noticing that she stopped a safe distance from the water’s edge.
‘You deliberately went against my orders.’
‘Yes, I did.’
She turned to face him, her expression calm. She made no excuses. Nor did she apologise and that surprised him.
‘I thought I’d made my wishes clear on this matter.’
‘Would you rather I’d left your daughter to scream, Your Highness?’
The news that Zahra had been screaming again sent ice down the rigid length of his spine. ‘If she was screaming then it would have been better for someone familiar to comfort her. That was your advice.’
‘And I stand by it. But there was no one familiar. She was alone.’
‘My daughter is never alone. She is under twenty-four-hour guard and Nadia is with her at all times.’ Even as he said it he remembered that the guard had not been present when he’d arrived, and her next words confirmed that.
‘She was alone last night. And the night before. And the night before that. There was no guard and there was no Nadia.’ She seemed more annoyed than intimidated. ‘You weren’t here. I made the decision I thought was best, Your Highness.’
‘My name is Raz,’ he said tightly. ‘I think we are now sufficiently well acquainted for you to use it.’
‘Evidently not, since you don’t see me as fit company for your daughter.’
Raz breathed deeply. ‘Nadia is supposed to stay with her at night.’
‘Then no doubt that is something you will wish to explore with her.’
Listening to that calm appraisal, Raz realised just how much he’d underestimated her. He’d mistaken silence for a lack of opinion, and shyness for a lack of forcefulness, but it seemed his new wife had a layer of steel, visible only if someone pressed hard enough. On this she wasn’t budging.
‘Nadia would not have left her alone.’
‘Are you accusing me of lying?’
‘Perhaps it was a simple misunderstanding. Perhaps she went to fetch Zahra a drink or something to eat.’
‘There was no sign of her at any point during the night, nor of the guard. I understand that as her nanny you believe Nadia to be the best person to care for her, but I’m providing you with evidence that she left the child alone. Why would you doubt me?’
‘Because Nadia isn’t Zahra’s nanny. She is her aunt.’ That confession was met by a tense silence.
For a moment she said nothing and simply stared at him. Then her mouth moved and finally words emerged.
‘Her aunt?’
Raz