Part 8:

Sherrie covered her face with a thick veil and moved to the window, quickly swinging down the bars and sliding out into the tight corridor, the knife she'd hidden under her bed tucked into her waistband. Carefully, she padded down the hall toward where she presumed she'd find lady Safia's chambers. She was coming close when she heard footsteps behind her. In the dark of the corridor, she couldn't see who it was or how close they were. The young woman started running blindly, feeling for openings or hiding places as the footsteps got closer and heavier.
Suddenly, she was plucked off her feet and dragged into a small crag in the stone wall. Sherrie felt a strong male body at her back, an arm around her waist and the other hand tight over her mouth. She barely had the time to react when her follower passed by her and disappeared into a part of the wall that slid out of his way when he depressed a carving made into the wall. Once he was out of sight, Sherrie started fighting back against the man who held on to her.
"Ouch!" She recognized Shane's voice immediately and turned to him, punching him in the stomach. "You scared me!"
"I was trying to help," he wheezed out. "What are you doing here anyhow? And how did you get out of your room?"
"I worked two of the bars loose. What are you doing out here?"
"I was coming to check up on you. Your departure at dinner worried me and the Tigress."
"Well, I'm fine."
"I can see that. Where were you going?"
Sherrie hesitated and looked up at the shadow she thought was Shane's face.
"Can I trust you?" she asked.
"Of course you can."
"Shane, I mean, can I trust you to not tell the sheik what I am about to tell you?"
"Yes you can."
"Shane, I think lady Safia has something to do with the killings."
"What! Have you lost your mind?"
"Shane, all the women who were killed, they were out of favor with the sheik's mother. They had all upset her somehow."
"Are you saying she is a killer?"
"No… but whoever is killing those girls is doing it on her word."
"Sheridan, you have read too many of those silly novels by Mrs. Radcliff."
"I have never read any of her novels Shane. And if you don't want to believe me…"
"Sheridan, for some reason, you have decided to paint lady Safia as a villain, which she is not. She is a wonderful woman. Even what you said about her disliking the Tigress… you saw her at dinner, she was perfectly charming."
"Fine, do not believe me Shane. But I know what I feel when I am around her Shane… a compelling need to watch myself."
"Sheridan!"
But she had already wrenched her arm out of his grasp and was running down the hall toward Safia's bedroom. Frowning, he took off after her and was about to pull her back to her room when he heard a familiar voice in the lady's quarters.
"… Calm down. This cannot be good for you."
"A little excitement is always good for the body and for the soul Ronald. I would expect you, of all people to know that."
"I know enough to know that you're overly excited Nicola."
"Nicola… there are days when I forget what my real name is. No matter how much I long for Europe and its civilization, I have forgotten the thing that makes me most European… the name my parents gave me."
"Oh Nicola, you know you are the truest European I know…"
"You flatter me Ronald. But… there are things none can deny… I was married to a heathen and gave birth to his son… another heathen… by doing so, I betrayed the world I loved."
"And what, pray tell, were your choices? Had you refused your son's father, he would have had you killed and not thought about it. You did what you had to in order to survive. No one can begrudge you that."
"I can."
Shane and Sherrie shared an understanding look and she squeezed his hand softly. She knew how much he admired his friend's mother and she knew how disappointed he must be to learn her duplicity.
"Nicola," Ronald said, "what do you want me to do about the announcement… your son's newest fiancée?"
"I yearn to rid myself of her… but I cannot do that… not yet… it would seem too obvious… however…"
"She can disappear," Ronald provided. "There are caravans in the city every day, bound for places far and wide."
"Yes… the plan is solid… and it must be done before the marriage takes place. The loss of a favored concubine will go by much more easily than the loss of a wife. If she is married, then sold into slavery, I fear my son will not hesitate to start a war to find her."
"I shall set the wheels in motion."
"But do not move until I give you the word. I want to befriend the twit before she disappears. If it is suspected that I still bear her no liking, my grief at her loss might not be believed."
"And the lady Sheridan?"
"I had my son bring her here so she could be his wife. I will not be deterred."
"She does not seem to want to accept her fate as the sheik's future wife."
"My son and I will rid her of her silly resistance… we'll leave her no choice but happiness."
Ronald nodded and Shane drew Sherrie away until they came to a level with her window. He helped her back into her room and followed her in. He quickly lit up the torches and turned to her. Her face was deathly pale and she had tears in her eyes. She hastily threw off her veil and started pacing the room, wringing her hands.
"Are you all right?" he asked her.
"I don't know Shane. I just heard your best friend's perfect mother plan my friend's disappearance. I feel like riding in the park, you?"
"Sherrie…"
"We have to protect her Shane. I don't know how but we do… we can't let Safia and Ronald kidnap her this way."
"I know, I know."
"If you can give me a sword, I'll start sleeping in her room and I'll make sure she's safe."
"You're quite the protector of the defenseless, aren't you?"
"Kat's my friend Shane. I'll save her… I'll kill for her if I have to."
She looked at him so fiercely, green eyes shining brighter than the most beautiful jewels he'd ever seen, and the control he'd prided himself on having faded away until he crossed the room in a few long strides and pulled her into his arms. This time, their kiss wasn't soft, it was brutal, their teeth banging together as tongues searched for entry in each other's mouths. He pulled at her shirt until the hem of it was out of her pants and his fingers pressed against the skin of her back. Sherrie found her arms tightening around Shane's neck as the new sensations made her feel dizzy and confused.
Shane scooped her up in his arms and walked her over to the bed, laying her down upon it, spreading her thick mane on a brightly colored pillow. Sherrie looked up at him and in her eyes, trust mixed in with lust and other, deeper emotions…
"Are you going to make love to me?" she asked, smiling slightly, "I hear it is what men and women do when…"
Shane quickly covered her mouth with a finger as he became aware of the situation he'd found himself in for the second time in the same day.
"Sheridan, you must know what to do with men who compromise you. Well, I'm very close to becoming one of those men… in fact, I am one of those men. So, in order to maintain what little honor I do hate, I will leave now. But before I do, promise me you'll stay in your quarters for the rest of the night, is that clear?"
"But Shane…"
"Promise me."
"I promise."
Shane bent over Sherrie and laid his lips against hers one more time and walked away, wondering if he would be able to find an English official who would marry them at the earliest possible convenience.

Sherrie lay in bed, watching Shane walk away from her and she covered her burning lips with her fingers and felt her wildly beating heart and wondered… was this love?

Kat could not disguise her shock at seeing Sherrie sitting by her bed when she woke up that morning. She jerked up and brought a sheet up to her chest.
"Lady Sheridan," she gasped, looking at the woman she'd thought of as a friend, "what, in Allah's name, are you doing here?"
"I came to apologize," Sherrie explained.
"Apologize?"
"Yes. For treating you so awfully. I will not ask for your understanding again, I have done that too often. Instead, I will beg for your forgiveness."
Kat took in her friend's words and mulled them over. She wondered what could have happened the previous night to make Sherrie so affable and willing to mend fences. Had Shane gone to her? She knew lady Safia did not have a hand in softening Sherrie's stance in this matter. But who, or what, had? The eyes belong to the sheik's betrothed bore down on Sherrie's mouth, finding it plumper and pinker than usual.
"What exactly happened last night?" Kat asked.
"Excuse me?"
"Something happened last night. After you excused yourself after dinner. You were kissed. Thoroughly I would say."
Nervously, Sherrie ran her tongue over her lips, finding the taste of Shane still lingered there. She blushed as she recalled the pleasure of his kiss, at the feel of his body atop hers, his fingers over her bare skin…
"Sherrie!" Kat's voice interrupted the flow of her memories.
"Uh, what?"
"It's Shane, isn't it? Shane McMahon… he kissed you last night."
"What are you babbling about?"
"Your lips are swollen… with blood… lust. You were kissed," Kat said with a knowing smile, "and from the look in your eyes, he kissed you well."
"…"
"Come now, you can tell me. I am your friend."
"Yes," Sherrie said quickly, grasping her friend's offered hand, "you are my friend."
"So… how do you feel about Shane?"
"I do not know. He confuses me."
"Confuses you? How?"
"I don't know… oh Kat. I know men admire my beauty and I can tell when that is all they want… me as a bauble they can show to their friend. They don't want to hear about my opinions. They don't seem me as an individual. But he does."
"And that makes you feel good?"
"Wonderful," Sherrie sighed.
"But?"
"It might be the setting. Kat, I am no fool. I know how potently exotic this place is. I know that I might only be infatuated with him, that I feel what I feel for him right now might be solely based on the fact that I see him as a savior."
"And what if there is more to it than that?" Kat asked.
"Then I am lost."
Sherrie put her head down on her friend's lap and closed her eyes.
"You know," Kat said, "when I first met the sheik, I was violently attracted to him. How could I not be? He was superb! I had had suitors before him, men who had offered marriage, not just a place in their harems. I had been kissed and well enough to arouse my curiosity about men and about what happened between men and women. And I believe Shane aroused the same curiosity in you, is that right?" Sherrie looked up and nodded vigorously. Kat smiled.
"Now, for all the experience and curiosity I thought I had, Khalid had but to look at me once and I wanted to be to him whatever he wanted me to be. My pride rebelled at first at the thought of being nothing more than one in his harem of many… but… then he gave me his heart."
"So you knew then?" Sherrie asked.
"I knew then… and I still know now… he loves me."
"It must feel wonderful to know that."
"It is," Kat smiled. "And one day, you will be sure of someone's love as well."
Sherrie sighed and tightened her fingers around Kat's. As for the Tigress, she softly ran her hand over her friend's jet black hair and smiled, hoping Shane would reveal himself before Sherrie's romantic fantasies got the better of her.

Sherrie spent the rest of her day sticking to Kat like a second skin. Although the Tigress was glad to have her friend back, she could tell there was another layer to her friend's sudden protective attention. The protective aspect of that attention came to light especially when Safia came to Tigress' quarters almost an hour before the dinner the women were to have with Shane and Rock.
"Here," Safia said, handing Kat a bolt of the finest Chinese silk.
"A present?" Kat whispered, trying to hold back her surprise as she fingered the amazing fabric in a stunning shade of green.
"Yes. I understand my son's fond of that particular shade of green and it would look rather lovely on you. As a matter of fact, one of my serving girls is a gifted seamstress. I'm quite sure she'll make you a dress that'll look just stunning."
"Lady Safia, this is too much… I cannot accept all of this."
"It is nothing… after all, if you're to become my son's wife, you should, at the very least, dress the part."
The veiled insult escaped Kat but it did not escape Sherrie who all but bared her teeth at the sheik's mother.
"Clad in nothing but the sky and sun, the Tigress would be a bride worthy of your son. Your gift of this silk is nothing but a well-hidden bribe to buy her forgiveness for your past behavior to her."
Kat's mouth dropped as Safia's tightened into a fine line. Sherrie tossed back her hair defiantly, daring the older woman to strike back at her.
"I stand corrected," lady Safia said. "However Tigress, I would like you to keep the silk. It is a present meant for you. I will now leave the two of you to your final preparations."
Safia crossed the seraglio, another name for the corral of womanhood, to her room and dismissed all of her servants but one guard. She gave him but one look and he left. Five minutes later, Ronald Traylor was in her quarters. He watched his love stride across the room angrily and held his tongue. Interrupting her now would be a grave mistake. Finally, she turned to him.
"Rid me of lady Sherrie as well. Then arrange for my passage, and yours, back to Venice."
"Excuse me, you cannot mean that. Nicola, to do so would bring about a war upon this land that would make the Crusades look like a joust."
"I care not… not anymore. She will suffer for her insolence to me."
"Insolence? What happened?"
"She knows something Ronald…"
"What could she know?"
"I don't know… but she knows something. And whatever knowledge she has is dangerous to me… she could expose us…"
"Are you certain of that?"
"Do I have to be? Ronald… she means danger. To me, therefore to you. We must be rid of her."
"It will be done."

After dinner that night, Rock and Tigress left Shane and Sherrie alone at the small round table. Both were silent for a good long time before they looked up at each other. And when they did, the wealth of their feelings could no longer be contained. Not caring who saw them, who would judge them, he pulled her into his lap and pressed his lips to hers. Sherrie did not resist the kiss. Far from it, she accepted it and returned it with as much heat as she could.
He ran his hands up and down the curve of her back, feeling the heat of her skin through the thin silk. Quickly, his hands found that heated skin through the folds of the fabric, making her body come alive with the magic of his hands.
"Before we go any further," he whispered, "I have to tell you. Sheridan, as soon as we leave the palace, I will marry…"
"Hush," she said, stopping the flow of his words with her mouth. "No promises tonight Shane… please."
Shane saw the thunderous look in Sheridan's eyes and got up, taking her in his arms. Making his way to a hidden doorway, he carried her to her room in the harem and carried her inside through the window, taking down the bars she'd worked loose the previous day. He laid her down on the bed and quickly covered her body with his. As they kissed and she discovered the wonders of each other's bodies, both were completely unaware of their audience.

Sherrie came awake with Shane kissing his way up and down her jaw, lighting her body on fire anew. She looked up at him and smiled, caressing the side of his face with the back of her hand.
"You've turned me into a wanton woman, lord Titan."
"I know. And for once, I am glad for it."
Sherrie sat up in bed next to Shane, bringing up a sheet with her. She put her head down on his shoulder and twined her fingers with his.
"Before… you said you would marry me Shane. I don't know if I want that."
"Excuse me?"
"I don't know if I do want to marry you… it's strange. I know I want to spend every moment of my life with you but at the same time, I want to travel the world, see the wonders I've read about in books, live adventures like my uncle's."
"Sheridan, the life your uncle has lived is hardly suitable for a proper English lady. As a matter of fact," he chuckled patronizingly, "it's not even suitable for an English gentleman."
"I don't want suitable Shane. I want adventure. I want… I want… more than to become a mother and a matron. I want to do everything I can."
"What," he asked, gently patting her hand, "is it that you want to do?"
Sherrie watched Shane's eyes and saw nothing but good intentions and kindness. But it angered her still, his condescending tone, although he didn't mean it to be condescending. He was trying, she knew that but she'd hoped for more.
"Sheridan?"
"Shane, please. Whatever you think about me or about what I'll be, you have to understand that I will never, ever be, the kind of prim and proper woman. To me, riding does not mean riding a docile mount as a fashionable hour in the park while being accompanied by a groom and a male escort. To me, riding is mounting an animal that'll jump over dangerous hedges and make me lose my breath with its speed."
"You think like a man."
"Yes! Exactly. I am still a woman in many ways. But my ideas of what my everyday life should be… they differ. I want to be independent."
Shane watched her as she spoke and his lips curled into a smile as he remembered a story he'd once read about a female pirate. His Sheridan could fit the bill so well, standing on the deck of her ship, her white shirt billowing behind her, her long hair hidden underneath a vibrant swatch of fabric, a cutlass bound to her slim waist, her legs encased in long trousers and high boots glossed to a brilliant shine, her hands on her hips, her face proud and lightly sprinkled with sea spray.
"We will marry lady Sheridan Blanchard," Shane said, pulling her under him in the bed, "and then, I will take you on a honeymoon that will have us visiting the entire world."

Shane had no notion of time when he left Sherrie's room that morning. And focused as he was on finding an official who would marry him and Sheridan as soon as possible, he never heard the footsteps of the man who snuck him behind him and struck the back of his head.

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