Now that her mind was free from the effects of the drug, it was possible that she had decided to have nothing to do with him—-
Ah.
Khadem barely managed to hide his surprise when he felt Prue tentatively place her hand in his, and he made sure to keep his hold gentle as he carefully pulled her up to her feet.
Prue didn't know what to think or feel as Khadem continued to hold her hand as he led her out of the room. It almost felt like he was being protective towards her, but that couldn't be right. Could it?
There was at least a dozen of men seemingly waiting for him in the corridor, and Prue was unnerved by the sight of all of those men bowing as Khadem walked past. It was one thing to know that Khadem had royal blood, but it was another thing altogether to see just what it really meant for him to be a sheikh, and the fact that he was taking such deference by stride made Prue feel like all of this was a dream.
They descended the club's spiral staircase in silence, and Prue's heart pounded when Khadem took her to a private office just next to the entrance. She had a feeling she already knew what he was about to show her, and her guess proved correct when she saw the wall of monitors transmitting real-time footage from every security camera that had been installed inside the club.
"Your Highness." The club's security chief introduced himself as Martin Britt, and at Khadem's nod, the older man played back a couple of minutes from last night's recordings.
Prue felt like throwing up when she realized who it was that had spiked her drink.
Khadem's grip on her hand tightened. "That's your cousin, isn't it?"
Prue could only nod, devastated as she was by the pain of Alta's betrayal. How could the other girl do this to her? How? And why?
"There's also footage of your cousin talking to the group of guys that attacked you."
Prue felt sicker and sicker. Did she ever know Alta at all?
"Would you like to see the footage?" Martin questioned.
Prue shook her head, and the next few minutes that followed were a blur. It was like she was moving on autopilot as she thanked Martin for his help and allowed Khadem to take her hand as he led her out of the office.
She didn't even notice where they were going until Khadem's steps slowed into a halt, and Prue realized he had taken her to the hotel's vast and elegant lobby.
"What do you want to do now?" Khadem asked quietly.
Prue didn't answer him right away, and he could see that she was still reeling from her cousin's betrayal.
"If you're going to press charges—-"
Prue immediately shook her head. Her parents were the conservative sort, and Prue would rather keep the whole thing a secret and deal with Alta privately.
Khadem's lip curled at Prue's decision to simply let this matter go. She might be feeling charitable, but he was not going to let the matter rest just like that.
If there was one thing he had learned from the years he had spent fighting and risking his life in battle, it was to understand the permanency of human nature. People who were born evil would stay evil, and to show them mercy would only risk having them ruin more lives.
Prue's cousin would be made to pay for her sins, and Khadem didn't give a damn if doing so meant risk losing Prue's trust completely. That woman had to be punished, and he would damn well make sure of it. Prue might not understand this yet, but she was his, and he would do everything to keep her safe.
Prue looked at Khadem hesitantly. Wasn't he going to ask her to stay? Time passed, and hope dwindled, and Prue suddenly felt like she was forcing herself on him.
"I think I'd like to go home."
A part of her hoped that he was going to stop her from leaving after that, but all Khadem did was nod. Moments later, he was walking her out of the hotel and a shiny, black limousine was rolling up the hotel's driveway.
Prue automatically shook her head. "I can go home on my own—-"
"How?" Khadem asked pleasantly. "Your cousin made sure to take your wallet and phone with her, did she not?"
"Then—-" She was already squirming uncomfortably at what she had to ask, but she eventually managed to say what she needed. "Can you lend me some cab money?"
Khadem's expression cooled. "You do not want people to see me taking you home?"
"My parents will ask too many questions if they see me with you."
Khadem told himself this was not déjà vu at work. Alanna had also made such excuses about not wanting him to meet her parents, and it was only in the end that he realized she had been ashamed to be seen with a bastard like him.