Page 16 of The Sheik's Embrace

His forehead furrowed at that bit of news. “Didn’t the state government require it?”

She snorted. “Absolutely! But our school classes were different than what the boys were studying. We were all home schooled in one of the community homes. But girls were only taught cooking, cleaning, and sewing. The boys were taught agricultural skills.”

“No math or science classes?”

“No way! Ethan explained that knowledge, other than an understanding of the rule book, was Satan’s way into our brains.”

“Sounds like he didn’t want anyone to question him.”

Tara nodded. “Exactly. Kaia explained over and over again that a person with a poor education doesn’t have the intellectual skills to question authority. She said that understanding the world helps us with critical thinking. And since females weren’t allowed to learn how to read and write, our efforts at reading everything she could get her hands on was part of Kaia’s rebellion against Ethan’s dictates.”

“She sounds amazing. When can I meet her?”

Tara laughed suddenly. “Kaia has been protecting me ever since she snuck me away that horrible night.” She looked into Zayed’s eyes. “I don’t know where she is, but if Elijah is nearby, then I won’t endanger her to come to me. I won’t.” Unconsciously, Tara squeezed his knee as she continued. “Kaia got a retail job at sixteen and was so good at it, so aware of every employee’s and customer’s needs, she worked her way up to department manager by the age of eighteen. Everyone thought she was older, so even the more senior staff members never questioned her authority.”

“I’m even more impressed.”

“We got an apartment, just a tiny place and I shifted from babysitting jobs to a retail position when I was sixteen as well. We saved up all of the money we earned, never spending anything we didn’t absolutely have to. We shopped at thrift stores, bought basic foods and constantly read whatever we could get our hands on.” She blinked as tears formed again. “We were doing okay. We’d just started to think that maybe we were free. We were sitting in a park, just reading and minding our own business, when we spotted Ethan walking along the sidewalk.”

Tara wasn’t aware of the long pause, remembering that terrifying morning. The panic, the terror, they felt as they’d satthere on that park bench pretending to read until he was out of sight.

“We didn’t go back to our apartment that day. We abandoned everything. Thankfully, we always had cash on us and we had money saved in a bank account by then. So we had money that Ethan couldn’t take from us.”

“What happened,habun?” he prompted again.

“Kaia heard about an employment agency looking for international staff.” She peeked up at him through wet lashes. “I interviewed for this job and, for the past two years, I’d finally felt safe.”

Chapter 15

Zayed felt his chest grow tight.

“Now I understand how you see things other people miss.” He leaned closer. “You are always on your guard, aren’t you? Always waiting for someone to grab you, to take you back to hell.”

She let out a snort that was most likely a burst of laughter. “Yes. Always.”

“Well, you’re safe now, Tara. No one is going to get you.”

She shook her head. “You don’t understand. I’m married to him! At least, in his mind I am. He will claim me.”

He tightened his fingers around her cold hands. “Tara, you are not married to him. Whatever ridiculous ceremony you went through when you were twelve years old, it wasn’t a wedding. It was a grooming ceremony, at best. You are not married to whatever his name is.”

“Elijah Collins.”

“I don’t care what his name is. You’renotmarried to him.”

She shook her head. “He’ll get me, Your Highness. He thinks I’m his property.”

Zayed stood up and walked over to his desk, his hands fisted on his hips. He thought about the situation for a moment, then came to a decision.

Turning, he crossed his arms over his chest, knowing that Tara wasn’t going to like his next suggestion.

“You’ll marry me.”

Chapter 16

Tara stared at Zayed for a long moment, then suddenly burst out laughing. She laughed so hard, she bent over, clutching her stomach. Tears of laughter slipped from her eyes and she wiped them away, but these tears weren’t a problem. She hadn’t laughed this hard in…ever!

When her laughter finally subsided, she straightened up and sighed, folding her hands on her knees and looked at him again, the amusement still lurking in her eyes.

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