She felt his hand, warm and strong against her bare back, as he pressed her down onto the soft mattress and shifted her underneath him. She felt the weight of him, the strength and the power. Felt his lips move over hers in a kiss that created an instant response. It started deep inside her and then exploded outwards.
Intense excitement shimmered over layers of despair.
Was this how their relationship was going to be?
Days where they saw nothing of each other and nights spent in the dark?
Intimate strangers?
She wondered how his kiss could make her melt when her emotions weren’t involved and tried to control her response to him, but her nerve-endings were already on fire and the erotic skill of his mouth left her with no choice but to kiss him back.
His mouth closed over her nipple and Layla moaned. Just like before, he used all his skill and knowledge to drive her crazy, until she was hot and desperate. The only difference was that this time she knew. This time she knew what was to come. And when he surged into her with sure, deep strokes she climaxed instantly, and again and then again, while he possessed and controlled her totally.
Afterwards Layla lay there, numb. Maybe she should be grateful for the protection of the darkness, but she wasn’t. The knowledge that he could only make love to her if it was in the dark hurt her more than she would have thought possible.
She turned her head, plucking up the courage to talk to him about it, but before she could speak she heard a high-pitched cry coming from close by.
Layla sat upright, heart pounding. ‘What’s that? It sounded like a child.’
And then the screams began.
* * *
Raz moved quickly, his hand on the knife he kept strapped to his belt whenever he was in the desert.
The screams sliced through him, ripping his composure into shreds, because he knew who screamed.
His strides fuelled by a primal need to protect, he tore open the entrance of the tent next to his and saw the child sitting upright, eyes staring in terror, forehead glistening with sweat, as she screamed while Nadia stood there helplessly, hopelessly out of her depth.
‘I can’t get her to stop.’
In seconds he had the child in his arms, folding her tightly. ‘What is wrong with her?’
He heard the raw edge to his tone but the girl simply shrugged defensively.
‘She’s awake but she won’t respond to me. It’s as if she’s having a fit or something.’
He smoothed the child’s hair, gazed into those staring eyes and felt an anxiety so acute it slowed his thinking. He prided himself on the speed and accuracy of his decision-making and yet now, when it was so important to get it right, his brain was motionless.
‘Her breathing is fast. Her pulse is fast. Get someone medical in here immediately.’
A calm voice came from the entrance to the tent.
‘It isn’t a fit and she isn’t awake.’
He turned his head and saw Layla, dressed only in a thin nightdress, her hair tangled and tousled from his hands. Her gaze was fixed on the child. ‘She’s having a night terror. My sister had them all the time at the same age. You shouldn’t wake her.’
“She’s already awake. Her eyes are open.’ Nadia’s eyes were cold and unfriendly.
Raz ignored her. ‘You have seen this before?’ Fear made his voice harsh, but Layla seemed calm and unflustered.
‘Many times. It’s very unsettling to witness, but I can assure you she will remember nothing of it in the morning. Who is closest to her? Who does she know the best?’
Her gaze flickered expectantly to Nadia and Raz drew a deep breath.
‘Me.’ The confession was dragged from him, because he hadn’t yet decided how to broach this topic and this wasn’t the way he would have chosen. ‘I have the closest relationship with her.’
Was she shocked?
If so, she didn’t show it. Nor did she question what that relationship was.
‘In that case you should be the one to tuck her back into bed. Snuggle the sheets around her to make her feel safe. Talk to her quietly. It’s not what you say that matters, it’s the way you say it. You need to hold her securely. Blow out all the candles except one. Darkness helps. When she goes back to sleep, stay with her for about ten minutes. Once she is deeply asleep it’s unlikely to happen again.’ Having delivered that set of instructions, she looked at Nadia. ‘We should leave. The fewer people the better.’
The other girl’s expression was stubborn. ‘She knows me.’
‘It’s better that way.’ Layla’s voice was firm. ‘She needs quiet and just one person she trusts.’