Before he could ask, one of the guards collected the knife, snake and all, and took it from the room. Tasim looked over, wanting to ensure that his sister was safe. She was being carried out of the room by her fiancé. It was at that moment that Tasim realized that Ella was completely devoted to Elon. And he reciprocated that devotion. His sister’s face was buried against his neck as he whispered into her ear.
The doors closed with a soft snick, leaving just Tasim and Luna alone.
She looked as if she were frozen, unable to move. Then he watched as she reached out, a hand touching the window. Her fingers trembled so badly, he knew that they wouldn’t support her. He rushed across the room, pulling her into his arms just before her knees gave out.
“You’re okay,” he whispered, reassuring her softly. He tightened his arms when he felt her tremble, trying to give her some of his strength. He felt her bury her face against his neck and something inside of him relaxed.
“You were protecting Ella,” he whispered roughly, rubbing his cheek against her hair, absently noting the softness. In fact, her whole body was soft and silky and fit against him perfectly.
“I knew what to do,” she murmured, snuggling against him. “I knew what to do but…dear heaven, I hate snakes!” She shuddered and hid her face more firmly against his shoulder, hiding her face from him. Tasim tightened his arms around her, holding her close as he tried to reassure her. She’d been so damned brave! And what a throw!
She must have suddenly realized that she was being comforted by “the enemy”, because a moment later, she stiffened and pulled away.
She put several feet of space between them, rubbing her forehead hard, as if trying to punish herself for accepting comfort from him.
Tasim watched, impressed at how quickly Luna rallied. With a sigh, she lifted her chin and squared her shoulders. With her hands clasped tightly in front of her, she bowed a fraction of an inch. “I apologize. I was just...” she didn’t finish the statement. Instead, she moved over to the chair and sank into it. She took in a slow, deep breath, then let it out through numb lips. A moment later, she looked up at him, trying to appear calm and composed. “What were you saying?”
Tasim walked over and knelt down in front of her, looking into her chocolate eyes. He smelled her feminine scent once again, remembering last night when her perfume had irritated him. But today, he knew that her scents were just a part of her. A very sweet, wonderful part of her. She smelled of strawberries today instead of lily of the valley. He liked both.
Which was a problem if he was going to continue disliking this woman.
He stood and surprised both of them when he lifted her into his arms, cradling her against his chest as he sat down in the chair, his arm strong against her back as he settled her in his lap and pulled her close.
“Where did you learn to throw a knife like that?” he asked, feeling her begin to relax ever so slightly.
Luna shifted in his arms and he looked down into her eyes.
She seemed…startled…when she realized he was holding her like this. But she didn’t move away. Instead, she shifted slightly, getting more comfortable. A moment later, she pretty much collapsed against him, resting her cheek against his shoulder.
After a long silence, he heard her sigh. “Summer camp.”
It took him several beats before he remembered what he’d asked her.
“You learned to throw a knife in summer camp? Was that a normal activity?”
She smiled gently, pulling out of his arms and sliding off his lap so that she was sitting primly in the chair next to him. Luna smiled up at him, but her expression was tremulous, as if she were trying to figure out what had just happened. Being in his arms was definitely off-putting. For both of them.
“No. It wasn’t part of the curriculum. I just–” Luna stopped, her gaze returning to the spot where the snake had slithered out from underneath the bed. For a long moment, she trembled, her arms wrapping around her body as if she could somehow protect herself from the now-gone threat.
He touched her arm, encouraging her. “What happened?”
She shrugged, wrapping her arms around her waist. Again, her gaze returned to the spot where the snake had died.
“I was about twelve years old and there was a boy, well, actually, a group of boys.” She smiled faintly, shaking her head. “I should probably back up a bit. There was a bonfire one night. I’d gotten into an argument with my cabin mates about who had to clean up the bathroom that day. I’d done it the day before, but one of the girls, a truly mean girl, claimed that I didn’t have to clean toilets at home, so I should have to do it more often at camp. She claimed it would make me more human, more approachable.”
“Sounds like a real prize,” he grumbled. “What happened?”
Luna sighed and looked out the window, hiding her expression.
“I didn’t agree with her. But she was one of those mean girls who…well, she ruled the camp. If you wanted friends, you had to be friends with her or she’d ostracize you. I knew she’d do it too, because I’d seen her do it to some of the other girls.”
“So, you remained friends with her? Got angry about cleaning the toilets and learned to throw a knife at her?” he teased, relieved when
