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Her ine what this man wanted with her, what he intended

‘I said I wouldn’t hurt you’ The faintest edge of impatience had entered the man’s low, steady voice ‘This is for the best, for both of us’ Whichkidnapped How had this h theof Halina’s bedroom?

The royal palace in the desert kingdom of Abkar was several h stone wall, patrolled by dogs and soldiers Hassan Amari took no chances with his precious, beloved fa, utterly in control So at soine why or how

The man turned her towards hi and lush, his eyes not rey-green His cheeks, nose andOlivia an even stronger sense of the grim determination and inflexibility she’d seen in hih the

‘I will keep you safe’ Looping a rope around her waist, he heaved her over theto plummet down into the desert darkness

The breath whooshed fros and she was too startled to scream as the air streamed past, her heart suspended in her chest Then the rope jerked taut and she landed with a heavy thud in another round, but before she could scream he had covered her mouth with a scarf and tied it

Thedown the side of the palace wall, as stealthy and graceful as a panther He landed lightly on his feet, his grey-green eyes narrowing at the sight of the gag on Olivia’s mouth

‘I’m sorry,’ the other man said in a low voice ‘I did not want her to scream’

The man nodded shortly as Olivia’s mind whirled

What was going on? Why had they taken her?

The edher by the elbow, he drew her towards several horses that were tethered by the palace wall

Horses? How on earth were they going to get out of the palace on horses? The only as through the front gates, tall and towering, topped with iron spikes and guarded by Sultan Hassan’s private soldiers

The antly across its back She’d never ridden, unlike Halina and her sisters, who had been practically raised on horseback Theal up to straddle the horse behind her so she was nestled closely between his hard-packed thighs

He snaked one arainst hiainst her back, the heat of his body warh His scent invaded her senses She’d never been so close to a man before

‘Let’s ride,’ the ed to be both soft and co in disbelief as they rode right through the palace gates, not a soldier in sight Had these men taken over the palace? Had there been some kind of attack and no one had even realised?

As soon as they were clear, the

‘I ahly’

Which made no sense He was her kidnapper But Olivia couldn’t ask any questions now, not with the wind strea into her eyes The man slowed the horse down to tie the scarf around her hair and cover her mouth ‘There That is better,’ heacross her skin