Page 32 of Forty Days and One Knight
“What do you fear?”
Tahira realized what she’d said could be misinterpreted. “I mean, I am afraid I might die while reliving what happened. My breathing and heart rate become out of control. I have heard people can die of fright, and it scares me. That and my screams might have someone finding out I was ... I was raped.”
It was still difficult to say out loud. Darius had been trying to convince her there was nothing to be ashamed of, but Tahira felt conflicted. As a woman who’d been sexually violated, she knew it was not her fault and she shouldn’t feel guilty. But as a daughter of the king of Timasur, a country where a woman’s lack of virginity on her wedding night was considered by many to be a crime worse than murder, she couldn’t let anyone else learn of her assault. More than two centuries ago, Timasur had been another country altogether, and Tahira could’ve been stoned to death if her secret had been discovered, even with her royal status.
The two women spent the rest of the hour-long appointment discussing what had happened—what Tahira did remember and what she didn’t but had learned from Darius. Dr. Dunbar also taught Tahira some relaxation techniques for when she felt a panic attack coming on, assuring her it was very rare to die from fright.
When a soft ding sounded from a small table next to Dr. Dunbar, she took off her reading glasses and looked at Tahira. “I’d like to see you three times a week to start with, if that’s okay with you. As you work your way through this, we’ll drop that down to twice or once a week.”
Tahira nodded. “Yes, that is fine. I—I appreciate what you are doing for me.”
The psychologist smiled at her. “I’m just listening. You’re doing all the work.”
After they scheduled her next few appointments, Tahira exited the office to find Darius sitting in the waiting room, reading something on his smart phone. When he heard her, he jumped to his feet, concern filling his handsome face. “How’d it go?”
“It went well. I like her—she is very nice.”
The tension in his features eased. “Good, I’m glad. Are we all set?”
She smiled and handed him the business card Dunbar had given her. “Yes—these are my next few appointments.”
As he led her to the elevators, Tahira was shocked when he slid his hand down to hers, entwining their fingers. When she looked up at him, he seemed to be just as startled by what he’d done. Before he could have any regrets and pull away from her, she squeezed his hand. “Thank you for bringing me here, Darius. I hope Dr. Dunbar will be able to help me.”
He hit the call button for the elevator with his free hand, then turned and cupped her chin. His penetrating gaze sent a shiver down her spine. “I hope so too, Princess.”
The doors to the car opened, and they stepped inside. Tahira was disappointed when Darius released her hand to push the button for the lobby. She immediately missed the warmth and safety she felt whenever he touched her. She wished she could see his aura, but after a brief flare of red had surrounded him, he’d shut down, causing it to disappear. How was she supposed to know if what she was starting to feel for him was reciprocated if she couldn’t see his aura? She was in uncharted territory here. It had never bothered her before when she couldn’t see someone’s colors, but then, again, it had never happened with someone she was attracted to. Somehow, she had to figure out if what she felt was one-sided or not because she hoped like hell it wasn’t.
26
After turning into the driveway of the estate, Darius kept going and pulled into the open garage and hit the remote to shut the overhead door. The press was back at the gate in full force. He hadn’t wanted to return by boat, giving away their ruse in case they needed to use that route again. Let the damn bottom feeders stew and wonder about how they’d been tricked.
Escorting Tahira into the attached kitchen, he nodded when she said she was going to change out of the dress pants and blouse she’d worn to her appointment. Darius forced himself not to imagine her peeling off her clothes until she was standing there in just her bra and panties—which in his mind were baby pink and lacy. Damn it—so much for pushing down that thought because it was now front and center. He had to think of something else quickly before he had a raging hard-on.
“Hey, how’d it go?”
Relief coursed through Darius when Cain walked into the room.Work. Yes. Work. No baby pink lace over soft, bronzed skin. Work, work, work. Focus.
Clearing his throat, Darius sat on one of the stools at the island in the middle of the huge kitchen, which could be part of a five-star restaurant. “Good, I guess. Tahira liked Trudy, and she’s got appointments set up to go back.”
As far as his teammates, the Deimos agents, and the royal guards knew, Tahira was having nightmares from just the kidnapping and her time in captivity. Neither Lindsey nor any of the men from Trident had questioned Darius further when he’d said he’d rescued Tahira from Secada before anything could happen to her. None of them had given him any indication they thought he’d glossed over the truth.
“How was the parade?” he asked.
Cain snorted. “All that was missing were the bagpipes, fifty-foot balloons, and the ticker tape.”
“Any idea what they know and how they found out?”
Leaning on his hands against the island, the team leader bent at the waist and stretched his back. “Well, they know about the kidnapping, but how they know is the question. Tried interrogating a few, but they just waived their First Amendment rights in our faces, citing anonymous and confidential sources.” He stood straight again and shrugged. “Could’ve been one of the other captives, one of the Jamaican cops—although I don’t think it was them since the press had details the cops didn’t know, like knowing about Argentina. Hell, it could even be a leak in the palace. Who knows? While it came as a surprise, they didn’t have anything that wasn’t going to be in the press release. Maybe one of what’s-his-name’s public relations people let it slip.”
That was a possibility Darius hadn’t thought of. Sebak had no reason to pull something like this—his ass would’ve been fired, and Darius suspected the man liked his position as right-hand man to the king too much to do something to jeopardize it. But someone on his staff could have easily been bribed.
“Anyway,” Cain continued, “Bastide called and updated Amar, and the official release will go out first thing in the morning, Timasur time.”
“Good. Hopefully, we’ll be able to keep the rest of it under wraps.”
The other man paused and then tilted his head. “You’re really going through with this, huh?”
Darius didn’t have to ask what Cain meant by that, and he tried to sound convincing in his response. “Yeah, I’m getting married. Go figure. I’d always thought Skipper or Romeo would be the first from Omega to fall.”
