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She knew enough about the cats to know they were incredible predators. They managed to get most of their fluids from their prey, existing without water for much of their lives.
It suddenly shot out of its burrow, its huge, fluffy paws not even making a mark on the sand as it crouched low and moved forward, clearly on a mission. It wasn’t until she took some shots of the animal that she realized exactly what that mission was.
A yellowy-brown, striped snake slithered slowly across the sand in the shade of the rocks and trees, its tongue flickering and its head raised a little.
Holly’s whole body tensed as the cat attacked. It struck at the snake with its paws, its sharp claws digging deep before it jumped back as the snake went to strike. It was like a well-choreographed dance with the cat batting at the snake’s head or body a nanosecond before it tried to strike.
In the end the cat was too agile, its claws too sharp, and the snake succumbed to its injuries. The desert cat trotted back to its burrow with its head high and the snake in its mouth, the snake’s tail trailing behind in the sand.
“Oh wow, that was intense!” she enthused.
He grinned. “Was it? I must have been too busy enjoying my naked lover in her element taking photos.”
Her face burned a little, and she cursed her pale skin that flushed so easily. “I’m glad you weren’t too bored.”
She put down her camera and moved closer to him, his arm pillowing her head. She smiled. How was she so comfortable with this man? Anyone else would be bowing and scraping to him, respecting their sheikh. She was as natural around him as a woman could be with any lover.
Her lashes fluttered closed and tiredness pulled at her. The heat, the excitement and the energy she’d used making love had clearly taken their toll. A smile pulling at her lips, all thoughts faded as she succumbed to sleep.
She woke in the single bed at her parent’s house, the sounds of an argument causing her stomach to fill with dread.Not again.She climbed out of bed, her bare feet touching the cool linoleum floor. She shivered, wishing only to be safe and warm, and cocooned from the nightmare that was her life.
Her dad’s voice thundered through the walls. “You’re not wearing that to the shops. What are you, a whore?”
Her mother’s soft voice barely registered. “But it’s just a singlet. I-I’ve worn it before and you didn’t care.”
Crack.
Her mother didn’t cry out, didn’t say one more word in self-defense. Of course she didn’t. She’d learned the hard way it only made things worse. Better to submit and act docile than rebel and earn more hits.
The same couldn’t be said for Holly. Something unraveled inside her, a dark fury set off its leash. She marched toward her tall wicker basket with its sports paraphernalia inside, and grabbed her baseball bat. Jerking open her bedroom door, she stepped into the lounge room. Her father was bent over her mom, who lay in a fetal position on the floor.
“Leave her alone,” Holly growled. She wielded her bat in the air as she approached. “Or feel what it’s like to be beaten black-and-blue.”
Her father straightened slowly, and twisted to face her, his eyes narrowing and his lips curling into a feral smirk. “You wouldn’t have the guts, girl.”
“Try me,” she gritted.
He stood still for a long minute, then exhaled heavily. “She’s not worth it. Neither one of you are worth it.”
He spun on his heel and pushed open the front door. Then turning back to them, he announced, “Just make sure the groceries are done before I’m home again.”
Then he was gone.
Holly didn’t bother to tell him to go fuck himself. She was just glad the danger was behind them until the next time. She dropped the bat onto the floor and raced toward her mom, unprepared for the sight of her bloodied and broken nose, the purplish-black bruise and swollen eye.
“Oh my god, Mom. We need to get you to a hospital.”
Her mom shook her graying head. “No, no.No!They’ll ask questions that I can’t tell them—“
“Likewhat,Mom? That your husband uses you as a punching bag and you’re terrified of him. Maybe it’s time you told them the truth and found a way to escape from his violence.”
Her mom’s whole body tensed, her face paler than ever. “He’ll beat me up, maybe even kill me if I say a word against him. I-I can’t risk that. Not for anything.”
Holly’s heart sank. “Not even for me?”
The dream faded as cool air brushed over her skin. She opened her eyes to find Hamid awake and fully dressed as he watched her.
“You were dreaming,” he said softly.
