Desert Prince by Constance O'Banyon

Author:Constance O'Banyon
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Romance, Fiction, Historical, General
ISBN: 9781428515123
Publisher: DP
Published: 2008-12-30T00:55:33+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

It was the next morning before Sabinah had gathered enough courage to venture past the small courtyard outside her bedchamber. She expected a guard to be posted outside the wall to stop her, but there was no one there, so she ventured farther down the pathway.

The sky was clear, the land awash in sunlight, and it lifted her spirits to be away from the house where she had been a prisoner. Off to her left she could see grape arbors, and it was tempting to walk in that direction.

Hearing the roar of a lion, she smiled and turned her steps down the path that led to the huge fenced area. As she drew near, Sabinah saw how large the pens were. She counted a lion, two lionesses, and two leopards. Their surroundings, including several shade trees and ponds, had obviously been created for their comfort.

When she drew up to the lion enclosure, she pulled back when a huge male approached the fence, pressing his nose against it. Gathering her courage, she took hesitant steps toward the big cat. She could feel her hand tremble as she reached out to the animal.

Sabinah giggled when she felt its rough tongue lap against her fingers. Feeling braver because the cat did not attempt to eat her hand, she buried her fingers in its stiff mane. The lion seemed to purr, rubbing his face against her fingers.

Sabinah felt hands span her waist, and she was lifted and jerked away from the enclosure.

Julian glared at her. “Do not think because the cats seem tame, they will not tear your hand off! You are a stranger to Tibon, and he is, after all, a wild animal.”

Sabinah clasped her hands behind her back, feeling rebuked. “I love animals.”

“Do not reach inside the enclosure again unless I am with you. These cats are old, and they oft have a day when they do not want any human near them.”

“Why do you keep the animals in enclosures?”

“Simply because they would not know how to survive otherwise.”

“You say these cats are old. I see Tibon has lost most of his teeth. Does no one here train new animals?”

“Not since my mother left.”

Sabinah saw Julian glance into the distance, and her gaze followed his. There were several tents being disassembled as the sheiks prepared to leave. “What is happening there?” she asked.

“Nothing that need concern you.”

Sabinah observed sadness darken Julian’s eyes, and he looked weary. She wondered why. Instinctively she reached out and laid her hand against his cheek. “Something troubles you.”

Her fingers were cool upon his face. Looking into her eyes, he saw concern reflected there. But not trusting her motives, he swatted her hand away as if it were a deadly spider. “I warned you before, do not try any of your tricks here. They might work on your Roman friends, but not on me.”

She longed for the past when he had smiled at her and called her Sunshine. “I have no Roman friends, Julian, and I have no tricks.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.