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They rounded the curve of a road that would have been invisible if he hadn’t known where to look, and his pulse started to beat a little harder just as Star gasped in astonishment at the incredible medieval structure that was more beautiful to him than the city palace. The ochre stonework stood proudly against the bright blue sky, beside the rich forest-green slash of the palace gardens.
Despite its military exterior, inside smooth functionality gave way to intricate and ornate carved stone and corridors with rooms that opened up like Russian dolls, and mentally Khalif traced a path towards quarters almost as familiar to him as his own.
‘Star, before we get to the residence—’
‘That’s not a residence, Kal. That’s a palace.’
‘Yes. Sorry, were you expecting—’
‘Something smaller, perhaps? As implied by the wordresidence,’ she teased. ‘Sorry, you were saying...’
Khalif’s stomach tightened, hating himself already for what he was about to say. ‘Because of the situation, because we can’t risk any word getting out, I have to request that you stay in your room for one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening.’ She stared at him, those oceanic-blue eyes levelling him with their eerie calm. ‘It is so that the staff can get what they need to do done, without seeing you. It’s safer for you and them. No matter what happens, I don’t want any hint of impropriety linked to either of our futures, no matter what they are.’
‘Okay.’
‘If you need anything at all, you can just leave a note in your room and they will provide it for you.’
‘Okay,’ she said again, forcing the word to her lips. Because the sharp sting of rejection was too familiar. Too tainted already with the feelings of shame and being unwanted. And right then she promised herself that if she was pregnant, her child wouldneverfeel the hurt of that.
He hadn’t missed how quiet she’d been since his declaration. Yes, he trusted his staff implicitly and yes, they were all discreet. But he would never put them in a position that would leave them open to questions from the press, or worse—his father. It was vital that he kept them and Star apart. She would understand. One day.
He had shown her the gardens first because they truly were breathtaking. Thanks to the aquifer that fed both the nearby oasis and the palace, there was enough water for the lush greenery that filled the palace gardens and to allow the natural life in the surrounding areas to thrive.
It seemed to have a similar effect on Star as a rosy blush was brought back to features turned stark by the restrictions he had placed on her. He would have wanted to show her more, but he needed to get Star settled so that he could call his father and explain his sudden departure. He drew her back towards the interior of the palace the family affectionately called Alhafa, escaping the searing heat of the desert sun the moment they passed through the doors. The thick outer walls of the palace, deep corridors and open courtyards worked to keep the internal temperature cool and manageable.
‘This entire wing has the family suites,’ he explained as he led her down the left-hand side of the palace.
‘I don’t want to take someone’s room,’ Star announced. It might have been the first thing she’d said since they’d left the Jeep.
‘It’s just us here.’
She nodded, keeping her head down.
‘Thankfully, my father listened to my mother and had the suites fitted with en suite bathrooms when my nieces were born. She refused to have her granddaughters spending time in a military fortress with no decent plumbing.’
As he’d hoped, it drew a gentle laugh from Star and the sound tripped down his back.
‘It didn’t matter for you and your brother?’
‘We were boys. It was different. It was good to toughen us up a little.’
Star looked towards a corridor shrouded in darkness. ‘What’s down there?’
‘Nothing,’ he said as icy fingers gripped his heart.
‘But—’
‘That area is off-limits.’
She turned back without a word and continued in the direction they’d been heading. His gaze was glued to her back because if he looked anywhere else he was terrified of the ghosts he’d see.
By the time they reached the room he’d had prepared for her, Khalif wanted to leave. To return to Burami. He should never have brought her here, where around every corner was a memory of his brother, of Samira. This was where he had first met her...and where he had last seen her. This was where he struggled the most to fit his feelings into a box called grief.
But it was the only place where he and Star would not be seen. And no one could find out about this. If she was pregnant, they’d deal with how and when the news of their engagement was delivered. If not...then they would go their separate ways and never see each other again.
No royal marries for love.
The words echoed in his mind as he watched her take in the room that would be hers for the next ten nights. She went straight to the balcony. The wooden screens had been pulled back to reveal the majesty of the desert. The bed was freshly made, the scent of jasmine hanging on the air from the beautiful blooms of fresh flowers in vases he’d not seen before. Her fingers trailed over her small suitcase as if in surprise and she turned to him, her hair swept over one shoulder, making him long to touch it.
