The Double by Holly Emma

Author:Holly, Emma [Holly, Emma]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: djinn, manhattan, contemporary romance, erotic romance, genie, Romance, Contemporary, Magic, Paranormal, paranormal romance, brownstone
ISBN: 9781502546845
Amazon: 1502546841
Goodreads: 23344832
Publisher: Emma Holly
Published: 2014-10-24T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE descending sun stained the desert copper as they crested the next big dune. All of them, Samir included, halted at the sight below.

Elyse experienced a moment of pure wonder. She was one of very few humans ever to see its like.

A level plain, scattered here and there with silvery scrub, extended from the base of the dune they stood on to the stark brown heights that edged this area of the Great Desert. The plain was beautiful in the way any wild place can be, but it also served as a startling contrast for a not at all humble encampment.

Dozens of dazzling white round tents had been set up on the sand. Their peaks flew pennants: some red, some gold, all fluttering in the balmy breeze. Small robed figures scurried in an organized fashion between them. These were solid beings, not smoke demons like Samir. They appeared to be lowering rolled-up tent walls, possibly to shield against the cool of the coming night. A large cooking fire glowed in a central clearing. Next to that was a hive-shaped mound Elyse recognized as a mud oven. Heat waves shimmered from its sides, the rich scent of roasting lamb confirming her assumption. Most marvelous, beside the largest of the tents a single palm tree grew—as in, its fronds were literally stretching taller before her eyes.

“Wow,” she said, at a loss for a better word.

Arcadius and Joseph appeared impressed as well, though maybe not for the same reasons.

“That is a large tribe,” Joseph commented carefully.

“A wealthy one,” Arcadius added, his leeriness echoing the other man’s.

“This is Sheik Zayd’s caravan,” Samir announced smugly. “He is the greatest sheikh in the Great Desert.”

The ifrit was enjoying their reaction, as if a private prank were playing out as he’d hoped. Joseph sent him a cool look, but didn’t speak to him directly.

“I don’t see women,” he observed.

“Or camels,” Arcadius said.

“A sheikh that rich could afford a lot of wives. If Zayd has housed them elsewhere, he won’t leave them alone for long.”

“No, he won’t,” Arcadius agreed. “He must be traveling back and forth.”

He and Joseph seemed to understand what this exchange was about. Elyse didn’t have a clue, only that they believed they’d discovered something significant. Whatever it was slid over Samir’s smoky head as well.

“Samir can take you to the sheikh,” he announced.

“In a moment,” Arcadius said. “Wait for us at the bottom.”

The ifrit pouted but went ahead. Once he was out of earshot, Arcadius turned to her. His expression told her he was braced for objections. “I need to give you instructions.”

Elyse nodded, so he went on.

“I’m aware that holding your tongue doesn’t come naturally to females of your plane, but please, for all our sakes, leave the talking to me. Whatever you do, don’t argue with the sheikh or any of his high-ranking men. They won’t abide rebellion from a woman they’re not sleeping with—certainly not a human one. Joseph and I respect you. You can trust us not to let them go too far.

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