His big hand reached up and locked itself into her hair, thus preventing her from moving. His mouth took hers in an almost brutal kiss that left her breathless. 'Be silent, Zuleika,' he murmured low against her lips, 'or I shall be forced to beat you. I may anyway, just for the pure pleasure of it.' His dark eyes held hers.
She could not turn away from him. 'You would not dare,' she gasped, but she wasn't really certain.
'I am Amir Khan, my princess, and after last night there is nothing I would not dare to retain you in my possession,' he told her, and then kicking his stallion lightly he finally looked away from her as they began to move off, through the palace gates and out into the city.
Sabola had mounted his own big stallion, and reaching down he pulled Bahira up with him. She nestled like a small bird in the curve of his thick, muscled arm. 'You are very beautiful,' he told her as they rode. 'I like your blue eyes, and the red lights in your soft hair. Are you afraid?'
'Of course not,' Bahira said, smiling up at him. 'The moment we touched, my lord, I knew you were he for whom I have waited since my birth. I am yours, and will not question the gods in this.' She gave him a sweet smile.
Sabola, the fiercest of the khan's warriors next to Amir Khan himself, felt his heart contract at her words. He had known many women in his time, but he had never loved. He had never even been certain what love was until this moment. 'I will always care for you, Bahira,' he told her tenderly.
'I know you will,' she answered, and then she put her head upon his chest, hearing the steady rhythm of his heart beneath her ear. He was very big. She wondered if he was big all over. She suspected she would soon know.
They reached the khan's encampment, and wending their way through the tents they finally stopped before the khan's pavilion. Dismounting, the two men lifted the girls down from their horses. Zuleika attempted to strike Amir Khan, but he ducked the blow, and then yanking her over his knee smacked her bottom several blows, causing his men to burst into guffaws of laughter. He dragged her kicking and swearing into his quarters, Sabola and Bahira following behind.
When they had reached the relative privacy of the interior, Amir Khan said, 'Are you going to allow me to explain without shrieking at me, or must I gag you and tie you to a tent pole?'
'There is nothing you can say to me that would explain your betrayal, you devil! I offered you Dariyabar upon a silver-nay, a golden-platter, and you have scorned it! I cannot believe you are that stupid. Are all barbarians such blockheads, my lord?'
'If I had insisted upon marrying you rather than having you as a concubine, Zuleika, it is likely I should have never left your father's audience hall alive. And if I had, my days, and yours, would have been numbered. Prince Haroun is a sly fellow, but he would have understood the threat I posed as your husband.'
'So you decided that you would rather fuck me, and return to Khanistan with your tail between your legs!' she accused.
'No, I decided I should fuck you to both our pleasures, and then take Dariyabar, kill your cousin to prevent his threatening us, and lastly, marry you in your father's house with the old man by our side,' he told her.
'But by dragging me in such barbaric fashion from the palace you have forced me to leave Kansbar behind, you great fool!' she cried.
'Will not your Rafa number it among the possessions she brings you?' he asked. 'I assume your servant knows the secret of the bowl?'
Zuleika nodded.
'And your cousin does not know about the bowl?' he continued.
'No. I do not think so, though what my father will say to him now that I am no longer there, I do not know! Ibrahim's greatest passion, even greater than his love for my mother, is Dariyabar. Kansbar is Dariyabar's guardian. He may now tell Haroun of the genie. If my cousin gets his wicked hands on the bowl, you have no hope of gaining the city,' she told him.
'Your father is old. His memory is not good. It is not likely he spoke with your cousin the moment you departed. He will mourn your going, for now all of his children are gone from him. Rafa will be here tomorrow. I will send a company of my own men to bring her safely to us. Tonight is for pleasures you and Bahira have never tasted.' He smiled at her.
'I do not trust you now,' she insisted. 'How can I? You might have told me last night of what you planned.'
'I did not know last night. I did not even know this morning, for Sabola will confirm that I told him we were to marry this day. We even bathed for the occasion, Zuleika. It was just before we were to leave for the city that it came to me that if your cousin believed everything he has planned and schemed for is coming to fruition, it will be easier to overcome him. The genie can gain the city for us, but we must together defeat Prince Haroun, my princess.'
'You are, I am learning,' Zuleika said, 'a far cleverer enemy than I anticipated, Amir Khan. How can I be certain that if I allow Kansbar to aid you, you will not deceive and delude me once again?'
'You cannot,' he said, 'unless you trust me.'
'What guarantees can you give me, what proof of your honor, if indeed barbarians understand honor?' she demanded.
She was a worthy opponent. She would make him a commendable wife. The children from their loins would be strong, and have integrity. Daughters as well as sons. 'I have not lied to you, Zuleika,' he said.
'But you did not tell me everything,' she countered.
'It is a mistake I will not make again,' he promised her. 'It is not in my nature to lie. I am simply not used to a woman as an equal.'
'I am superior to you, barbarian,' she snapped, but she found she was somewhat mollified, especially when she focused on his tight leather pants. He was the most breathtaking man.
'Do you wish me to spank your round little rump again, you wildcat?' he asked pleasantly, but there was a look in his eyes that she did not like.
'I am hungry,' she told him. 'Do you mean to starve me, my lord? And what of my poor Bahira?'
'I am hungry, but content otherwise,' Bahira said mischievously.
The khan clapped his hands, and immediately two elderly male servants appeared bearing trays of food. There was roasted lamb, and to Zuleika's surprise, fresh fish from the sea. There was a bowl of saffroned rice with plump raisins and almonds. There was yogurt, and a platter of peaches, melons, grapes, pomegranates, plums and oranges. There were small honey cakes. The khan motioned them to the pillows that were set about a low and square ebony table banded in polished brass. They sat, and their cups were filled with a sweet heady wine. They ate, and when they had finished the servants brought bowls of scented water in which to wash their hands and faces, handing them linen cloths to dry with.
'You are more civilized than I had anticipated,' Zuleika said.
'Do you call all people not of Dariyabar
'Yes,' she answered him simply, and he laughed.
'Why do you want a window on the sea?' she wondered.
'For trading purposes,' he told her. 'It is trade that brings a people their wealth. There is much in the interior lands, especially furs and gems, that are desired by those beyond your shores. And then, too, a seaport offers us the chance to easily go forth and conquer other lands that can be of value to us. I intend to build a navy.'
She nodded. 'You are an intelligent man, Amir Khan.'
'Are you still angry with me?' he asked her.
'No, but that does not mean I trust you either,' she told him candidly. Her gaze turned to Bahira, and she smiled. 'It would appear that Bahira is content to give herself to your general. Sabola is a most impressive man.'
'You find him attractive?' the khan said.
'Of course I do. He is. I have been taught to admire all beauty in all of its forms. So has Bahira. We have been companions and friends our entire lives.'
'How old are you?' he asked.
'We are sixteen,' she answered him. 'We were born but two days apart. Bahira is the elder,' Zuleika explained.
'And she is a virgin too?' he inquired.
