AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Throughout this, however, Hyacinth had been curled asleep on the couch in the sheikh’s private office, with the sheikh having given her an ultimatum via a curtly worded message.
I would appreciate if you were to wait for me at my office tonight. I expect the king’s ball to be done before midnight. If, however, I do not find you there, then I shall take that as your desire to no longer have anything to do with me.
Exactly two weeks had passed since the sheikh’s birthday, and things still hadn’t completely gone back to normal between them. Numerous times, the sheikh had tried to talk about what happened, but she had outright rejected every attempt.
Like seriously, what kind of girl would want to relive the fact that the guy she liked did not want to kiss her?
She had fallen asleep fuming over the sheikh’s denseness, and when she woke, it was to find her mobile phone besieged by a barrage of messages and news alerts. Anisah had texted, saying that she would be spending the rest of the night helping out with first responders. There were also several missed calls from Mrs. B., and twice the number of frantic messages that asked the same question. Is the sheikh with you? Is he safe?
Terror seized her ever so slowly as she read the words, a sense of foreboding making the hairs on her neck rise. Something was wrong, something was so badly wrong. Her fingers shook as she started to scroll through the news, and a cry broke out of her as pictures of the attack flooded her screen.
Authorities still trying to get a firm grasp on the number of casualties...
As of press time, Queen Harper is airborne and safely en route to America.
It has been confirmed that the Emir Sheikh himself and all four of his vassals had engaged in armed conflict.
Hyacinth’s phone fell from her nerveless fingers.
And then she was running, blinded by tears and deafened by the sledgehammer pounding of her heart. Her bare feet slapped against the cold hard ground of the tunnels as she frantically made her way to the sheikh’s bedchamber.
Please.
Please.
Please.
Tears rushed down her cheeks.
I’ll do anything.
She lost her footing, scraping her knees, but she pushed herself up, unmindful of the ugly red gash on her skin.
Just please keep him safe.
She was vaguely aware that she had started to bleed, but she couldn’t care any less. She just needed to see with her own eyes that he was safe.
A tiny gasp of relief broke past her lips when she finally reached the tunnel that opened straight to the sheikh’s bedroom, and as she started to push the panel to the side – that was when she saw...that was when she heard...that was when she knew.
Finally, finally, finally she knew why.
Twelve
“I was terrified I’d find you hurt or worse,” she whispered. “I couldn’t bear the thought of n-not finding you in time...” She raised her hand shakily, a part of her still so, so afraid of touching the face that had haunted her dreams for as long as she could remember.
But the moment her fingers finally came into contact with his blood-crusted skin, it was like touching home, and a sob escaped her as the tear gates broke, and all her pent-up feelings poured out.
Oh, how she loved him.
“Rayyan.”
It was heaven and hell to say his name, and it took so much out of her that if not for his strong arms catching her she would have fallen apart completely, in every goddamn way there was to break.
Rayyan felt her begin to tremble, heard her struggling to breathe, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
This wasn’t right, dammit.
But even knowing this, even knowing she couldn’t ever be his, and they couldn’t ever be together –
His arms still remained around her, his heart still beating for her. It always had, ever since the moment he laid his eyes on her.
She wept in his arms, her tears telling him what her lips couldn’t bear to speak out loud. It was heaven and hell, the way it felt so good to be with her even when it was wrong. That was how it always seemed to be between them.
His fists clenched and unclenched against his sides, but as sobs continued to wrack her body, his self-control deserted him, and he slowly lifted his hand to stroke her hair.
“Oh, Rayyan.”
His fingers threaded through the silky locks of her hair, and it was agony to feel its forbidden softness.
“Oh God, Rayyan.”
He sucked in his breath when she suddenly lifted her head and took hold of his hand so she could press her cheek against his palm. Lost dark eyes clung to his as her rosebud lips slowly parted, and words that he had never thought she would say came tumbling out.
“You were right all along. I should have...we should have...”
