One Choice (21 page)
Authors: Ginger Solomon
****
Anaya peered from Cahri to Josiah. “Did I interrupt something?”
Heat suffused Cahri's face, so she changed the subject. “What am I supposed to wear?”
“I see you've found a nice way not to answer my question. No matter, I can tell I did. I've never seen my brother look so irritated at my appearance before.” She smiled. “Now, you tell me what you think you should wear, and we'll discuss it.”
Cahri returned to Josiah's side after Anaya left. She had calmed down by then and a certain amount of guilt niggled at her because she had pushed her husband past where he wanted to go.
She waited for a few minutes before he acknowledged her presence.
“All done picking out an outfit?”
“Yes.” Would he reject her again? She didn't know what to do, but infused with courage she said, “What now?”
“Now, we pretend this afternoon did not happen, so we can make it through dinner without causing a scene. Then late tonight, we'll return to our room and our bed where we will both fall asleep exhausted from just such an effort.” He grimaced, and she couldn't help but smile at the face he made.
“Josiah?”
He lifted his eyes to hers.
She hesitated and glanced away. “Do you want me to be your wife in all ways?” She paused for a moment. “I don't want to push you into something you don't want to do.”
“Look at me, Cahri.”
She complied and he continued.
“Did my reaction to you seem put-on in any way? Did I act like I didn't want you?”
She lowered her eyes again, ashamed of her insecurities. “No.”
He reached out and lifted her chin with his finger. “I want you as my wife, now and forever. Sex doesn't signify my acceptance of you. It is a God-given gift which comes with marriage, not before and not outside of. You are my wife, Cahri. Put away the doubt in your mind. I want your body as mine. I promise you. I can take just so much waiting when my wife looks like you.” He pulled her closer and kissed her with great tenderness. She could sense his control, but still the kiss was filled with a promise of coming passion.
Josiah had been right. They had returned to their room â after dinner and long, boring conversation â exhausted. The next few days proved to be quite busy and their time together shortened.
The splint had been removed and another cast replaced it. He needed Cahri's presence less as he learned to maneuver with the wheelchair. Crutches would have been easier, but his ribs hurt too much if he used them for any length of time.
Anaya continued Cahri's instruction, pulling her away from him more and more. His father required he work for at least a few hours in the morning and in the afternoon. They saw each other at meals and bedtime. At the end of the day, fatigue claimed them.
“I miss you, my wife. I liked being with you all day, every day.”
“I know.” She touched his lips with her own, igniting a fire inside him he was too exhausted to do anything about. “I miss you, too. I want more time with you.” She yawned. “Will it always be this way, Josiah? Will we always be too tired to be together?” Tears trickled down her cheeks.
He pulled her close and kissed away the tears. “No, my sweet. Things will settle down, and we will be together. It's just a little hectic right now as I haven't been able to see to my responsibilities since the accident. When you get the hang of dealing with the household tasks, they will take less time and energy. It's extra hard because this whole marriage thing is still new for both of us.”
“Okay,” she replied, half asleep. She snuggled closer to him. Moments later, her even breathing confirmed she slept.
He wanted to sleep to claim him as well, but the day had been hectic, as well as over-the-top stressful and disturbing. His mind kept reviewing the security report. Matthias's suspicions of Waseem ran through his mind over and over. He didn't see the depth of hatred Matthias saw, even after contemplating it all afternoon, but he trusted his friend's instincts. Waseem had been with them for the last two years, but Matthias had been in the palace since he was a boy and had learned from his father about watching people.
He closed his eyes and prayed. When he'd found the peace he sought, he slept.
Another week passed, and Josiah thought he would go mad with desire for his wife. He'd tried everything he knew to spend time alone with her, but someone always interrupted. He didn't want their first encounter to be rushed, but the wait frustrated him.
Waiting for their honeymoon to get her to himself did not appeal to him. He would have to do something unexpected.
****
Cahri rested on the bench in the garden. Stormy curled up beside her. Anaya had given her the task of planning the menu for the next week, including a dinner party for a trusted adviser to the king. Anaya explained everything to her and then left her to it. Cahri sighed. She never realized how much work overseeing a household like this would be. Would she be able to do it alone?
She played with ideas in her head before she wrote down a tentative menu for the week, except for the dinner party. Deep in thought, she jumped when someone touched her shoulder, dropping a few papers and her favorite pen.
Stormy hissed.
“The prince needs you.”
She glanced up at Waseem and wondered at his gruffness but chose to ignore it. She gathered the papers and searched for the dropped pen. “Let me put this stuff away.”
“No time. We leave now. You can get this later.” He took her arm and pulled her to her feet.
“Let go of me. You're hurting my arm.” She felt a chill slither down her back and yanked on her arm. He didn't relent.
“The prince said he needed you now. It's an emergency.”
All thought of not going with him left her. “Why didn't you say so?”
She let him lead her past the pool and the shrubs. Her breath hitched at the difference in the landscape. The vista before her was stark in comparison, with sand and scrub brush for as far as she could see. “Where are we going?”
“The prince is waiting for you in a cabin on the edge of the property.”
“Oh.” Minutes past, and she wondered why Josiah would be out here. She stopped.
“Why is he out here and not in the palace?” He shrugged and kept on walking, pulling her with him. She tried to pull away, but his grip tightened on her elbow. “Let go.”
“I think not, Princess.” His sneer caused shivers to race down her spine. She gazed around and realized they had moved farther away from the protection of the palace than she'd thought. Even if she screamed, she doubted anyone would hear her. Her brain tried to find a way out of the situation. His grip on her arm was vise-like, and she couldn't pull away from him, and if she did, she didn't think she could outrun him.
“Where are we going, Waseem?” she asked, trying to sooth him with her voice.
“I told you. A cabin at the edge of the property.”
“Is Josiah there?”
His cackle chilled her. She tugged on her arm once more and his fingers dug deeper into her already tender flesh.
“Stop resisting or it will be worse for you.”
She tried to walk slower. His steps never hesitated, however, and his grip on her arm just hurt worse. What could she do? She walked faster and thought to trip him, hoping his grip would lessen on her arm and she could pull away.
She stuck her foot just in front of his ankle. He fell to his knees with a grunt, but his grip did not relent. He regained his feet and yanked her arm so she stood in front of him. He jerked her head back by her hair causing her to squeal with pain. He forced her to look into his face.
“I didn't realize you were such a fighter.” His eyebrows lifted. “This is going to be more fun than I thought.” He released her hair and slapped her so hard her whole body jerked. Had he not been holding her arm, she would have fallen. “Bad girls get punished.”
Tears burned her eyes as she brought her free hand to her stinging cheek. She lifted her chin, refusing to allow the tears to fall.
He chuckled and resumed walking toward their destination, pulling her along.
****
Josiah stood on his crutches, looking out the window of his office. He took a deep breath. He wanted to be with Cahri so bad his chest ached. Gritting his teeth, he decided he was tired of wanting his bride but not having enough time or energy to enjoy being with her. They had just enough time to share about their day before they both fell into an exhausted sleep.
He hobbled out of the room. When he reached his father's office he stopped and knocked. At his father's entrance call, Josiah twisted the knob and maneuvered his way to stand at the desk.
“Father, I'm stopping for today. I need time with my wife.” His father's smile caught him off guard.
“It's about time you stood up for yourself and your marriage.” The king raised his eyebrows and gave Josiah an innocent look. “I would like to have grandchildren, soon.”
To avoid his father seeing the heat rushing to his face, Josiah swung around on his good leg and retreated from the office. When he reached his room, he wasn't surprised to find it empty. He called for Waseem, but he didn't appear either. A chill of foreboding ran down his spine as he remembered Matthias's words.
He hobbled as fast as he could to the security offices, in search of Matthias.
“Matthias,” he yelled down the hall. Matthias appeared and raised an eyebrow at Josiah's shout.
“Where is Cahri?”
“I don't know, my prince. I saw her last in the rose garden working on a project for Anaya, but she wasn't there when I went by a little bit ago.”
“Then where is Waseem?”
“I haven't seen him, either.” His eyes widened in understanding. “I will begin an immediate search.”
As Matthias walked toward the security room, Josiah twisted around and headed for the rose garden. His leg ached, as did his ribs, but he clenched his teeth and continued on. His anxiety level increased when he saw Anaya picking up Cahri's favorite pen from the walkway.
“Please tell me you know where she is.”
Anaya glanced up, questions shooting from her eyes. “No, Josiah, I don't.”
He plunked down on the bench and dropped his crutches, not caring where they fell. He buried his face in his hands. “Something's wrong.”
Cahri scanned the cabin Waseem had shoved her into. He had stepped out and locked the door without a word. She took a deep breath. Time to find a way out of here. Every single drawer and cabinet in the kitchen was devoid of dishes, silverware, or food. Even the tiny refrigerator was spotless. She moved to the bathroom. Save for a single roll of toilet paper, a washcloth, and a towel, it too provided nothing useful.
Moving back to the other room, another door on the other side of the cabin grabbed her attention. She entered a bedroom. A huge iron bed filled the room. How had it come to this little cabin? A dresser, a nightstand, and a lamp. She went for the lamp, but it was attached to the oak nightstand with screws and wouldn't budge. She peered under the bed. Nothing, not even dust. She huffed in frustration.
Back in the main room, she checked the lamp and found it secured, as well. She inspected the space again. The window. Why hadn't she thought of it earlier? She hurried over and attempted to unlock it. It wouldn't budge. She ran around checking them all. Nailed shut. Tears pricked the backs of her eyes. She wouldn't give up. The right moment would come.
She positioned herself in the single comfortable chair in the room, trying to come up with a plan. She'd been gone for a little over two hours. No one would be missing her yet. She tried praying, but her thoughts were too scattered for more than a simple, “Help me.”
The door knob jiggled and then opened. Waseem entered and relocked the door. “Princess.” His gaze caused her to shiver although the room was quite warm. “I've brought you some lunch and more appropriate clothes to wear for our time together. Come get them.”
She didn't move. Approaching him was not high on her to-do list at the moment.
He snarled and put down the bags he carried. She felt her eyes widen as he moved toward her.
“I warned you, my dear, bad girls get punished.”
He grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the chair. She hit him with her free arm as hard as she could. He didn't even wince, but pulled a knife from his pocket. She froze.
“Good girl,” he murmured in her ear. Bile rose in her throat, and she swallowed it back down. “Since you don't want to cooperate, you can eat later after I'm gone. It's time to change.” He released her and returned to the door to retrieve one of the bags. After tucking the knife back in his pocket, he handed the bag to her. “Put this on.”
She opened it and peered in. What she saw made her stomach churn.
“No.” She threw the bag on the floor and lifted her chin in defiance. She saw his hand tighten into a fist in her peripheral vision, but she was too late to duck out of the way when he swung at her. Pain seared her jaw, and stars blinked like lightning bugs behind her eyes. She picked herself up from the floor.
“Put it on,” he demanded, handing the bag back to her.
She lifted her chin again, refusing to take the bag. “No.”
He grabbed a handful of her shirt and pulled her to him. Hatred emanated from him. He crushed her lips with his. She struggled, but his hold was too strong. “You will be mine, willing or not. Now, undress or pay the consequences.” He shoved her away.
She didn't reply, but neither did she remove her clothes. She stared at him, waiting for his next move. Mere moments passed before he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the bedroom. Fear silenced her questions. She didn't want to know, didn't want to think about what might happen.
When he finished beating her, she felt his gaze rake over her bruised and naked body, but she couldn't summon the will to care. He moved around to the side of the bed she faced. He pushed her hair from her face and rubbed his thumb across her cheek to wipe away her tears with a gentle touch. “I warned you, little princess. Bad girls get punished. I didn't want to hurt you, but you brought it on yourself.