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“Then go back into bed and I’ll sing it for you.” He lifted Lexi down, expecting her to walk ahead to her bedroom. But to Syed’s surprise, she lifted a hand and placed it trustingly in his, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. As though they’d been friends forever.
His heart squished again. He walked beside her, and when she was tucked into bed, he crouched beside her.
The song was three verses long and he sung it twice, the strange, foreign words that Lexi couldn’t possibly understand didn’t matter. It was a slow song, gentle and quiet, about a bird that flies over the dessert looking for its mate, only finding it as the sun is setting and winter is bringing coldness to the land.
It was a beautiful voice, deep and melodious, and Sarah stirred in her sleep, a smile touching her lips. Seconds later, she realised that the voice belonged to Syed. Her husband, and she sat up, curling her knees to her chest and resting her chin against them.
She didn’t understand a word of what he was saying but somehow the words soothed her. He stopped singing, and there was silence, then just the gentle pad of feet over carpet as Syed returned. He paused in the door frame, his eyes running over her slender body, curled like a conch shell, her short hair rioting around her petite face.
“You’re awake.” A low, soft question.
“Was Lexi okay? Does she need me?”
“Fast asleep, no doubt dreaming of castles and fairies and mermaids and mysterious gardens.”
“Ah, that sounds right. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.” He walked towards the bed, his eyes holding hers and all the air in the room seemed to evaporate. Sarah sucked in a deep breath and as he reached for her, she pushed up, her mouth seeking his.
She kissed him as though he were her dying breath; she kissed him with all the love that weighed down her heart.
He brought his body down on hers and the ability to think disappeared from her mind completely.
*
“So it’s true?” Zahir’s fury was a wave and it rolled around the walls of the embassy. “You have married her?” His dark eyes spit black fire; coal and embers danced between them like relics of what was.
“Yes.” Syed crossed his arms over his broad chest, his eyes meeting his brother’s without fear. It had been a long time since they’d engaged in a physical fight but Syed had no doubt of his ability to match his brother’s strength.
“Then unmarry her! It will be annulled, by my orders.”
Syed’s jaw clenched. “Sarah is my wife, and she will stay that way until death do us part.”
“Don’t give me any ideas,” Zahir barked, thrusting his hands onto his hips in disbelief. “You know how I feel about her! And how father feels. How could you do this?”
“Just because you married as father dictated doesn’t mean I intend to.”
Zahir’s skin paled beneath his all-over tan. “Father’s suggestion had very little to do with my marriage.”
“Bullshit,” Syed snapped. “At one time, you were furious at the very idea of marrying Violet. And yet you have done it, because father wished it. Where is your backbone, Zahir? Your courage?”
Zahir’s eyes narrowed. “Careful. You are walking a dangerous ground.”
“And you’re not?” Syed returned angrily. “By suggesting I annul my marriage?”
“Marriage? You are sexually infatuated with the woman. So make her your mistress, not your damned wife.”
“It’s too late for that.”
“Because you followed your dick not your head.”
Syed pulled himself up to his full height, his nostrils flaring as he breathed angrily. “She’s my w
ife. Like it or not, that position requires you to treat her with a degree of respect. I will not stand here and let you insult her.”
“She’s not right for you!” Zahir responded, the words measured even as his temper was exploding. “She couldn’t possibly understand the rigours of your life; the importance of your work.”
“Because she’s a foreigner?”
