Allegra swallowed. ‘In the presence of the sand, sea and sky, I pledge myself to you. My honour, my body, my soul.’
Rahim’s gaze pinned hers. ‘In the presence of the sand, sea and sky, I pledge myself to you. My honour, my body, my kingdom.’
And with those handful of words, they were married.
* * *
‘Where are we going?’ Allegra asked, although she half suspected the answer.
Behind the wheel of the sturdy Jeep, Rahim navigated another shadowy sand dune, one of many they’d encountered since their journey from the palace straight after the wedding feast.
‘Dar-Amanian wedding custom dictates that a bride spend a secluded night in a Bedouin tent with her groom,’ he replied, his eyes on the road before them.
He’d barely spoken to her, except to introduce her to their most distinguished guests during the wedding reception. All through the ceremony, he’d conversed with his ministers, then their guests. But to her, he remained polite and courteous, but distant. And she hadn’t had much to contribute in the way of conversation, consumed as she was by what the future held. And the very vivid, unacceptable subject of his harem.
Her stomach roiled as she struggled to answer. ‘Yes, I know that from the giant book I had to study in twenty-four hours. Same way I know that the royal bride has a two-week grace period before her coronation for the night to happen.’ She certainly wasn’t in a hurry to grace Rahim’s bed, not when the thought of him choosing another bed in the near future stabbed like a hot knife between her ribs.
‘That grace period was to accommodate monthly issues that no longer apply to you since you’re already carrying my child. I did not see the need to wait,’ he stated.
Allegra’s head snapped round to him as she caught the thick pulse of lust in his voice. She was fiercely glad the interior of the Jeep was dark and he couldn’t see her unguarded reaction to that lust. Or the need for it to be solely hers. ‘I didn’t think...we didn’t discuss anything about the physical part of our marriage.’
‘What is there to discuss?’ he demanded.
She gave a shocked laugh. ‘A lot, I should imagine. Or did you think I would accept the status quo without question?’
He directed a frown at her. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘Why did you not take my call this afternoon, before the wedding?’ she slammed back, the hurt she’d tried her best to gloss over gaping wider.
‘I was busy,’ he replied.
‘Too busy to make time for your fiancée?’ She shut her eyes for a second, as if it would block out the need she could hear in her own voice.
A tense silence greeted her, his face a stark profile. ‘I assumed it was pre-wedding jitters prompting the call. Since we are now married, I’m inclined to think we’re past those reasons.’
‘You assumed wrong. We’re most certainly not.’ Her hands tightened in her lap, a new and sharper pain lancing her when she considered what she’d do if he refused what she was about to request. Sadly, her response, should he refus
e, would be definitive.
‘I’m listening, habibi.’
She sucked in a steadying breath. ‘I need you to close the east wing.’
‘What?’ The puzzlement in his voice squeezed at her heart.
‘Shut down your harem, or we won’t be consummating this wedding.’
‘My...? Where did you get the idea that I had a harem?’ he bit out.
‘Please, Rahim...don’t toy with me. This isn’t something I intend to live with. I don’t care if you threaten me with jail. Promiscuity isn’t part of this marriage deal.’
‘Allegra, be quiet for a second,’ he inserted harshly after navigating another steep dune and bringing the Jeep to a stop.
Silence broken only by the exotic sound of desert creatures drenched them. Her hands squeezed tighter, her whole body vibrating as she waited for him to continue.
‘I don’t know where you got the idea from, but there is no harem. Not in the east wing, not in the whole palace. My father was a one-woman man and so was my grandfather. I intend to be the same. The only woman who will be servicing me in bed is you. The east wing is used to house female undergraduates who form part of the internship programme to complement their hospitality degrees at Dar-Aman University. The male students are housed in another wing in the palace.’
She gaped at him, the sheer relief pounding through her rendering her speechless for several heartbeats. ‘I... What?’