Johanna Lindsey by Captive Bride

Author:Captive Bride [Bride, Captive]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-02-05T14:16:08+00:00

Chapter 17

T

HE pain in his eyes brought Philip awake. When he opened them, he stared directly into the late morning sun and was blinded for a minute. He wondered for a moment why he had slept outside, until he tried to rise and felt the pain in his shoulders.

So—the sun was already doing its work, he thought when he looked down at his burned chest and arms. At least Hejaz had been wrong about one thing—he had not been awake to see the sun rise. Philip Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

lay perfectly still.

The sun was directly above him now. Philip's tongue felt foreign in his mouth, like a piece of dry cloth.

The sweat baked from his body hurt him as it rolled over burned skin. How long could he last? He forced himself to think of pleasant things and lost himself in thoughts of Christina.

Philip heard a voice calling Mm from a distance, pulling him out of his unconsciousness as it became louder. He opened his eyes with an effort to see Ali Hejaz standing beside him. He tried to speak, but his mouth was too dry and his lips were cracked and blistered.

"So—you are still alive. You must have a strong desire to live." Ali turned to the guard standing beside him. "Give him a few drops of water, but no more."

The guard dribbled a few drops of water into Philip's mouth, and Ali said, "Tomorrow morning should finish you off. If you still live, I will have one of my men kill you, because we must break camp tomorrow and move on. The water here is running low. I would take you with me and stake you out again, but your tribesmen will come searching for you soon. You will die tomorrow, one way or the other. Pleasant dreams, Abu."

The sun went down, but Philip was still on fire. The water he had been given had only teased his senses.

He thought of Christina lying only a few feet away from him in Hejaz's tent At least she was sleeping through this nightmare. But she might enjoy seeing him roasted alive. After all, she hated him. Well, soon she would be back with her brother, as she'd always wanted.

The moon was high when Philip sensed a presence beside Mm. "The camp is finally asleep, but we must be quiet to give no alarm," the man whispered as he bent down beside Philip. "I am Amair Abdalla, brother to Amine who lives in your camp. I beg you to forgive my father and me for our part in this. My father is an old man and only wished to see an end to our sheik's hatred and to see his daughter once again. He realizes now it was wrong to capture your woman. She did not deserve to suffer, nor did you. I will rub a salve onto your skin now. You must not cry out."

Philip's body jerked when the cooling grease touched his skin. He fought back screams as the man worked the salve into his chest and face.

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