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She was angry, very angry and he didn’t bla he’d done had been manipulative The proble Immoral But in his world, he’d been sly, clever He’d found the woman he wanted and taken her, ood Successful

She was right about their worlds being different and he at least had the advantage of knowing her world having aschool Now hishis father—another successful kidnapping story—but she was also a spirited woman, beautiful, educated, proud

Tair’s first wife, Ara, was Barakan—a chieftain’s daughter—but she and Tair’s mother were like two peas in a pod They’d been close, Ara becohter in the desert and all their lives changed

It was then hisup her beloved Bur Juest city

She lived close to the Nuri’s palace, in a compound of her own but with excellent security The Sultan Malik Nuri and his wife Nicolette included Tair’s overn and her friends at the palace, his mother lived a full life But he knew his randchild she lost Zaki had been her only grandchild and it was hard on hiswoman—to have lost so many of those she loved

Tair hoped Tally would like his mother He knew his mother would love Tally He also knew that his randchildren

Tair glanced at Tally who rode not far froht forward She was so furious with hi in monosyllables

That would change once he had her alone later, in his bed She’d be far warer to talk then

They reached El Saroush just before nightfall and Tally gave his men orders Some were to inspect the city palace maintained by the el-Tayer family for the past two hundred years Others were to see to the horses Others were to keep watch during the first part of the night

Tair showed Tally where her room would be and told her that dinner would be served shortly He encouraged her to explore the interior gardens where the purple and mauve jacarandas were in full blooh walls and iates

Tally was happy to wander through the walled courtyards and fragrant gardens After riding all day she was tired and sore and she found the gardens, now illuht by ancient torches, beautiful as well as inviting