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‘Everyone’s waiting,’ she said through clenched teeth, shifting away from him a little, just enough to dislodge his hand from her waist. ‘Let’s do this.’
Daisy was charming and lovely. He watched as she spoke to the assembled guests, moving from group to group and using the native language. He hadn’t realised how good she’d become. Her accent was excellent and while she paused from time to time to search for a word, she was able to cover more than the basics. He watched the effect she had on his people and a warm sense of pride lifted him.
She was a natural.
No one, regardless of their lineage or birth, would have been a better Emira than Daisy. He turned back to his own conversation, listening to the rainfall statistics for the last quarter, but always he was aware of her location in the room. From time to time he would hear her laugh, soft but imprinted on him in such a way that meant he could pick it out easily. Would he ever lose this fascination with her? Would he have the ability to inhabit the same space and not hone in on her with every cell in his body?
Yes.
Of course.
Because that was what he wanted, and Sariq knew that with determination and focus he could do anything he wished. Daisy was beneath his skin at the moment, but he would dispense with that in time. Once the baby was born, he could even contemplate giving her exactly what she wanted, sending her to live away from him.
His body tightened. Rejection, anger, dismissal. Doubt. Disgust. She wasn’t a piece of trash he could simply discard once she’d served her purpose. And yet she was the one who’d suggested going to America.
But her security was of paramount concern. The men held in the prison beneath the city were not part of a wider organisation. They were rogue militants with their own agenda. There was no reason to think she was in any greater risk than she had been before, and yet the idea of any harm befalling her, even the slightest harm, filled him with the sense of burning acid.
His eyes found her once more. She was in conversation but she looked as though she wasn’t listening. His eyes narrowed. Her skin was so pale, like milk. She nodded, but then she swayed a little, just as she had before, at the end of the rukbar.
His chest clutched.
He cursed inwardly. She was going to faint. ‘Malik.’ His voice cut through the room and Sariq began to stride quickly, just as Daisy stumbled. Another curse, this one said aloud, and he broke into a run, catching her only a moment before her body crumpled. She would have fallen to the floor if his arms hadn’t wrapped around her, lifting her and cradling her against his chest.
The room was silent; he barely noticed. Holding her to him, just as he had when they’d left the tower and she’d been exhausted from the lateness of the hour and the way they’d spent their night, he carried her from the room now, his heart slamming against his ribs in a way that told him all he needed to know.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
‘PLEASE PUT ME DOWN.’
Such stiffness in her voice, cold and hurt, and he winced inwardly because he understood it. He’d disappeared and he’d hurt her. Pleasure turned to pain, always.
‘Sariq? I’m okay. It was just hot and I was tired.’
‘You should not have stayed so long.’
He wished condemnation didn’t ring through his words but, damn it, didn’t she see? Protecting her was important.
She didn’t say anything and that was wise. He felt worry and a worry that was close to turning to frustration and anger. Panic, too. A team of men stood outside the doors to her room. ‘Where is the doctor?’
‘Here, Your Highness.’
At this, Daisy scrambled against him, trying to stand, but he held her tight, pushing through the doors. Only when he reached her bed did he loosen his grip, laying her down on the bed, not wanting to remember the last time he’d done that.
‘Please.’ Her cheeks were pink. ‘This is so silly. I’m fine, really.’
‘The doctor will confirm that.’ Sariq stepped backwards, allowing the doctor room to move.
He could see Daisy wanted to argue so he played the trump card, which he knew she would listen to. ‘Think of the baby, Daisy.’
At that, she stilled and, after a moment, nodded. ‘Thank you.’ But her gratitude was directed to the doctor. The examination was thorough yet brief. He checked Daisy’s blood pressure, heart, temperature, felt the stomach and then listened to the baby’s heart using a small handheld device that spilled the noise into the room. And Sariq was frozen to the spot at this small, tangible proof of their child’s life. Daisy too lifted her eyes to Sariq’s and he saw the emotion in them, the understanding of what they’d done.
Together, they’d made life. It hadn’t been planned, and the pregnancy had led to all manner of complications, but it was, nonetheless, a miraculous thing.
‘Your blood pressure is a little high, but not alarmingly so. You must rest. Stay hydrated. I’ll come back to check on you in an hour.’
‘Is that necessary?’
‘Yes.’ The doctor’s smile softened the firmness of his response. ‘Absolutely.’ He turned to Sariq and bowed, then left.
