The Sword & the Sheath (Khamsin Warriors of the Wind Book 5) by Vanak Bonnie

Author:Vanak, Bonnie [Vanak, Bonnie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-12-31T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

A shocked gasp rose from his mother. His father, the great sheikh of the Khamsin warriors of the wind, turned a brilliant red. An interesting color. Like sunrise, Tarik thought calmly.

"You…you…"Jabari pressed two trembling hands to his temples—shaking with rage.

"Yes, I've known." Tarik nodded. "For some time. The first attempt was about four months ago. Someone cleverly cut the straps of my saddle before I exercised my mare."

"Tarik! How could you keep something like this from us?"

He steeled himself against the frantic worry in his mother's voice. "I had to, to avoid alerting my attacker. The two other attempts were less subtle. An asp in the latrine." His lips twisted in a wry grin. "That was a bit frightening. I nearly, well…had to use the latrine over that one." His little joke failed to elicit any amusement, and Tarik sighed. "I killed it with my dagger. The next time, someone shot at me as I went into the deep desert for meditation. Very few knew of my absence—"

"Shot at you?" the sheikh roared. "And you kept quiet?"

Tarik ignored his tirade. "The shot went wide, very wide. I saw a flash of indigo, gave chase, but Asad turned up."

"I sent him to guard you when I learned you sneaked off alone," Ramses said, exchanging troubled looks with his son.

Tarik had retrieved the bullet. It was a British .303, the type Khamsin warriors used for their Enfield rifles. He had intended to lure his attacker out with a shooting competition, risking his own humiliation, but Fatima's arrival delayed his action. Well, deep down he knew the truth: He did not want to display his poor marksmanship, his deepest weakness, before her. Especially not when she was such an excellent shot.

"It's known that the Jauzi are terrible shots, which is why they usually fight with swords. That Rider today didn't want to shoot me, only to distract from another attacker, who struck when Fatima threw herself on me." Tarik dragged in a deep breath.

Jabari stopped pacing, turned. His long fingers curled into white-knuckled fists. "You knew a murderer pursued you? I have given you credit for more brains than this! From this moment on, I will set ten warriors to guard you. You will not take a piss without them watching your every move." He glanced at his wife and Katherine. "My apologies for the vulgar language, but I am too furious to check my words."

Katherine's gaze remained steady. "I don't give a damn about your language. My daughter leaves to protect your son, returns wounded, and now your son tells us he's a killer's target, putting both himself and Fatima in danger? You men all talk of honor and bravery, are all words. Well, I'm her mother, and I have words, too."

She turned to Tarik, eyes blazing with unshed tears. "Do what you must to keep her safe. All I ever wanted for her was joy. Not this. And let everyone seeking to hurt my daughter beware: I have a crossbow and can hit anything—even particular male parts.

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