“Don’t think I won’t tell El Hamin how you treated me, by the way,” she grumbled.
Hussan smothered his laughter. “Should I mention how you called him a monster? Or…what was that other term you used….” He pretended to think for a moment, rubbing his chin which Isla hated to admit was a very strong, very handsome jaw. It made him appear more intelligent than she suspected he actually was.
“Hairy?” he remembered and he enjoyed the soft blush that stained her lovely cheeks.
“The man is hairy,” she growled. “Let’s just leave both of those issues alone, shall we? It’s a draw, I guess.”
He chuckled softly as he watched her pout, thinking she was lovely even when admitting she was wrong. “I didn’t know we were fighting.”
Isla turned and glared at him. “Life is always a battle. Especially when it comes to the opposite genders.”
He raised his eyebrow, wondering why she was so disparaging at such a young age. He might have expected something like that from a woman in her forties or fifties after a failed marriage or bitter divorce. But he knew Isla was only in her mid twenties. “That sounds like a cynical take on life. I wouldn’t have expecting something like that from someone so fresh and lively.”
Isla wasn’t sure how to respond. Besides, they were getting closer to the palace and her fear was increasing. She tore her eyes away from the handsome but irritating man and focused on straightening her clothes for the man she was probably going to meet the moment they touched down on that helipad less than a mile away. The sun was bright on the palace and she could see the city surrounding the walls. There was a great deal of damage to some of the buildings, but she also saw people bustling about and construction work was everywhere. It was a thriving city and she didn’t see signs of abuse. Normally, when people were neglected or tortured, they weren’t out during the day. Frightened civilians did their daily activities at night when they had a better chance of not being hurt or discovered, questioned by the wrong person who might cart them off to jail.
This city wasn’t like that. It was actually quite lovely despite the damage. There were trees growing in some areas and a fountain in the middle of the town. She only had a brief glimpse of that as they flew overhead but she saw people in markets and rushing around. As the helicopter flew lower in anticipation of landing inside the palace compound, she could see the faces more clearly. They were still far away, but Isla had the distinct impression that these people were happy. Relaxed even.
She glanced over at the man who was also looking out the window and she was startled by the look of intense pride on his face. She tried hard to pull her eyes away, not wanting to look at him and notice how attractive he was, but it was such an astounding expression, it struck something deep inside of her, sending her stomach quivering in an odd and not so comfortable fashion.
Unfortunately, he chose that moment to pull his eyes away from the city below and look at her instead. She was startled by the heat, the force of his gaze and she blushed once again. And those feelings in her stomach increased, making her feel peculiar and awkward.
The helicopter landed gently on the ground and several men rushed up to the machine, some with rifles ready, others holding papers close to their bodies so they wouldn’t fly away with the wind of the rotors.
“We’re here,” Hussan said needlessly and touched Isla’s arm to help her out of the seat. His hand briefly touched her waist when he unlatched her seat belt and he felt the shiver run through her. Hussan felt the tremor and looked into her eyes, telling her that he’d felt her reaction and wasn’t going to ignore it. She turned her head away and he smiled slightly, not at all fooled by her attempt at being demure. He was glad she was now feeling something besides anger towards him because being near her like this, smelling her soft, pretty scent, was driving him crazy with the need to get her all to himself and show her just how much he wanted to touch her. Everywhere!
Isla held her breath as his hands unstrapped her seat belt. She could have done that just as easily herself, but the man seemed determined to touch her. Was he doing it just to irritate her? Or was he trying to embarrass her by showing that he had some sort of control over her body and how it reacted?
Isla looked around, startled by how efficient everyone looked. The guards were standing at attention but still surveying the area surrounding the helicopter landing pad. The others were also very industrious and she didn’t understand why this man could attract so much attention and such deference. Why was the whole crowd vying for his attention? She even noticed some of the soldiers stand taller as this man approached.
The tall man beside her helped her out of the helicopter and, even as Isla tried to avoid it, he was able to touch her in small ways that bothered her. She wanted to step out of his reach, but he held her arm, then moved his hand to the small of her back as he led her through the guards.
As they approached the building, the helicopter rotors had slowed so the wind and noise had died down significantly. She heard the other men rushing towards him, all of them vying for his attention first, asking him questions, waiting for his guidance. He’d only been gone for the morning, hadn’t he? Isla didn’t understand why this man could be so important.
And then it hit her. The questions these men were asking, the way they treated him so deferentially, the guards, the helicopter….he wasn’t some ruler’s minion. He was the ruler!
She stumbled as the reality of her situation hit her and the tall man beside her stopped and caught her, looking at her without any expression since he was still answering questions fired at him from the left and right, never missing a beat and making decisions for everything that was presented to him.
She was looking up at him as she corrected her step, then nervously turned away so he couldn’t see the confusion in her eyes. She’d thought he was just some sort of high level deputy coming to retrieve her for his leader’s wedding but the man who had carried her out of her home like a sack of potatoes, who had watched her fight back tears throughout the helicopter ride and sat closely next to her while they drove, he was to be her husband!
She was so embarrassed, humiliated, to have said those things earlier in her future husband’s presence. Thinking back, she realized that her brother had tried to warn her! He’d told her to stop, to cease because he knew that El Hamin was right behind her, watching her theatrics and hearing her call him a monster and a torturer.