The Sheik’s Expecting Bride by Erin Snihur
10
Kamran didn’t know what had come over his brother, Nashat, in the last month. Since the gala in Musat, Nashat had taken a bigger interest in their family’s interests and the Crown’s businesses.
Handing off the final plans for the renovations of one of the more remote village’s schoolhouse to his advisor, Nasim, Kamran mutters gruffly, “Make sure my representative knows this is to be handled as a top priority item. The students shouldn’t have to suffer because of our lack of focus.”
Nashat pipes up then on the other side of the desk, “Don’t beat yourself up, brother. How were you to know that the last representative was stealing aid funds?”
Kamran sighs and waves Nasim away as the younger man scurries out of the throne room. “It seems that every time I place someone in a position of trust and power, they abuse it.”
Nashat chuckles. “I won’t let that happen, brother. You can trust me.”
Kamran smiles. “Yes I know, brother.”
Suddenly, beyond the throne room’s closed doors, the sounds of yelling is heard. A few guards standing inside the throne room’s perimeter tense up as the sounds of yelling grows louder and louder.
Curious, Kamran steps off the dais of his throne and spares his brother a confused glance. Without warning, the doors of the throne room are pushed open and all begin to hear Kamran’s advisor, Nasim, yelling at another man.
“I must speak to His Majesty. It is an urgent matter for his ears only,” the unknown man shouts, his voice deep and familiar to Kamran, but unfamiliar all the same.
Nasim’s voice is higher, and obviously more frustrated. “But sir, you do not have an appointment.”
“I do not care about your asinine appointments, boy. Let me pass.”
Fed up, Kamran motions to a nearby guard and mutters, “Bring them both in.”
After the guard bows and departs, Kamran’s advisor, Nasim, enters, followed by a tall, bulky man in a rumpled suit. His dark hair is cut short to his skull and his red face pales slightly upon entry into the throne room.
Kamran tenses up at the man’s sudden appearance and instantly recognizes the man’s dark skin and face as the one and only Mahdi, Hasna’s loyal guard.
Immediately, his mind drifts to Hasna and their dinner together. Confused by the man’s sudden appearance without Hasna in tow, Kamran instantly asks, “What is the meaning of this intrusion?”
Mahdi glances around the room, seeming to take notice of the guards, as their hands drift to their weapons, and Nashat’s presence.
Mahdi glares at his brother for a few moments before Kamran waives a hand to the rest of the people in the room. “Leave us alone.”
Nashat curses under his breath and shakes his head when Mahdi also nods towards him. “Him too, Your Majesty.”
When Kamran hesitates, Mahdi shoots him a pointed glance. “This is of the utmost importance. It is about my employer.”
“What?” Kamran whispers, his mind racing at the thought of something happening to Hasna. An unfamiliar feeling takes hold of his heart and Kamran’s hand instantly shifts to rub at his chest.
He pointedly eyes Kamran again before straightening his back and raising his chin. “There has been a new development.”
“Is Hasna alright?” Kamran growls, uncaring as his brother’s mouth parts in a gasp and he spins around to face Kamran.
“Hasna? What is going on, brother?”
Both brothers stare at each other for a moment before Kamran murmurs to Nashat, “This isn’t the time, Nashat.”
Then Kamran glares at Mahdi. “Is Hasna well?”
Mahdi’s red face pales slightly as he bows, “Yes. I apologize, but I do not know for how long she will be in the same condition I left her in. Please, it is of the utmost importance that you and I speak privately.”
Nashat steps closer to Kamran and glares at him. “Kamran, you have to tell me the truth. Has something happened since…”
Kamran interrupts his brother with the deep, icy voice he had learned from his father many years ago, “Leave us. That’s an order.”
Nashat frowns as a guard opens the doors to the throne room. Neither brother had ever kept any secrets from the other before. This was the first, and Kamran could tell that Nashat is fuming over Kamran’s gruff words.
“But, brother, please…”
“Now. Leave now.”
Sighing, Nashat drops his eyes and nods before shooting one last curious glance in Mahdi’s direction. Marching out of the throne room with a guard following on his heels, Kamran’s shoulders droop when his brother does not even bother to look back.
A handful of the guards that escorted Mahdi into the room disperse around the throne, giving Kamran a bit of privacy. For that, Kamran is grateful, but it is all that they will give since Mahdi is an unknown and could possibly be carrying a weapon.
Glowering at Mahdi, Kamran mutters, “How did you even get in here?”
Mahdi shrugs and offers, “The same way you and your brother used to sneak out as children.”
Staring at the man in shock, Kamran chortles, “Thank you for reminding me that I need to post better security on that entrance.”
Mahdi smirks slightly. “Hasna told me about it once. I doubt she told anyone else.”
Nodding quickly, Kamran waves his hand in the air for Mahdi to get on with it. “Is she hurt? Has Bandar done something?”
Mahdi grimaces. “Unfortunately, all of your questions are why I’m here.” He pauses for a moment before taking a step closer to murmur, “Bandar fired me from my employment as Hasna’s guard.”
“What do you mean you’ve been let go?”
Mahdi runs a hand through his short hair and shakes his head. “Bandar is of the opinion that I am incapable of keeping Hasna safe. Even from herself.”
Kamran shakes his head once again in confusion and then everything clicks into place. Glaring at Mahdi, Kamran murmurs, “Has Bandar discovered the truth about our night together? Is that why he fired you?”
When Mahdi shakes his head, Kamran visibly relaxes. He didn’t need that worm threatening Hasna with that kind of information.
“Hasna wouldn’t tell him the truth. She lied, so that you could be protected.”
“Me?” Kamran growls, his mind and heart racing in tandem at the thought of Hasna protecting him from her sadistic uncle.
“All he knows is that Hasna spent the night with an American diplomat, a married American diplomat.”
Kamran scoffs, “Hasna would never do something like that. It would ruin her character.”
Mahdi’s eyes squint slightly as he mutters, “And yet she did it for you.”
Kamran scoffs again, his throat releasing a raspy chortle that falls short and sounds forced as he shakes his head.
“She didn’t do it for me. She did it for my brother.”
Mahdi shrugs. “Before Hasna’s father sold his businesses and his land to your father, I worked in the Jazah palace.”
He smiles softly. “There was no one that could make Hasna smile like when you visited with your father.”
Kamran shakes his head. “I think you have me confused with my brother. We do look alike.”
Mahdi nods. “You may look alike appearance-wise, but it is your character that is alarmingly different. You must understand that Hasna only spent as much time as she could with Nashat because she secretly wanted to earn your approval.”
“This still doesn’t explain why you were fired.”
Mahdi nods and sighs. “Yes, we’ve drifted off topic. I apologize.”
“What is the problem then? What danger has befallen Hasna?”
“Bandar is aware of Hasna indiscretion. He is currently attempting to orchestrate a marriage between Hasna and Sadi el-Salahuddin.”
Kamran scoffs, recalling the way Hasna had revealed that fact over dinner. She hadn’t seemed excited about the idea, almost resigned to her fate.
“Yes, she told me that Bandar is only interested in using her and what remains of her people like a trophy.”
Mahdi nods. “What the man is really after is her land.”
Kamran scoffs and waves his hand in Mahdi’s direction in disbelief. “Hasna’s land, or mountain, I should say, is used primarily by sheepherders and nomadic tribes that do not wish to be ruled by Nilan.”
Mahdi nods. “Once Sadi has married Hasna, those mountains and lands will be mined and destroyed. Unless something is done, a lot of people will be without a home.”
“It is not up to me to decide who a princess from another country bequeaths her lands to, even if I do own what remains of her country.”
Mahdi nods and murmurs nervously, “Hasna didn’t tell you the truth at dinner last week.”
“The truth?” Kamran mutters and then snarls as he marches forward to grab a fistful of Mahdi’s suit. “The truth about what?”
Mahdi shrugs, though his expression remains calm as Kamran holds tightly onto the fabric of his suit. “I didn’t know if I should tell you, but I know that if she marries Sadi, her life will be over. She will never be the same again. Bandar and Sadi will have killed every last shred of goodness inside of her very soul.” Mahdi sighs with a shake of his head. “I cannot let that happen. She thinks she is protecting someone by marrying Sadi.”
“You have already said this. She is protecting me,” Kamran begins. “We agreed that we would never speak of this again to anyone.”
Still held on to by Kamran’s fist, Mahdi braves a step forward and pulls a piece of paper from his pants pocket.
“These are urine test results from a doctor of mine that were performed a week ago.”
Confused, Kamran reaches for the paper, but Mahdi snatches it back at the last moment, keeping it out of Kamran’s reach. “That day Hasna and I arrived at your construction site, she was going to approach Nashat and reveal to him a secret.” Then Mahdi’s eyes squint as he hisses, “A secret regarding the growing fruits of your indiscretion.”
“What are you talking about?” Kamran snarls and snakes his hand upwards to grasp the piece of paper out of Mahdi’s now closer hand.
On the piece of paper is the letter head for a well-known doctor in the area where Kamran’s construction site is located. Scanning the piece of paper, Kamran briefly skims the test results for a moment before he loses his breath. Air caught in his throat, he shakes his head slowly before staring back up at Mahdi in confusion and disbelief.
With a whisper, Kamran manages to say rapidly, “This is impossible.”
Mahdi shakes his head and visibly gulps as Kamran releases his suit to put both hands on the piece of paper and read it over a few more times.
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. It is the truth.”
Why didn’t she tell me?Kamran inwardly thinks. Hasna had every opportunity to tell him that day at dinner. Kamran’s mind drifts back to that dinner and the moment that he agreed with her that they should never discuss their night together again.
Why didn’t she say the truth? Voicing his concerns, Kamran hands the paper back to Mahdi with an attempt at calmness. “So Hasna is pregnant. How can I be so sure that the child is mine?”
Mahdi’s eyes squint slightly as he openly glares at Kamran. “If you have to ask that, then you don’t really know Hasna at all.”
Kamran nods and inwardly agrees, knowing that Hasna would never seek to make up such a scheme. If anything, he wonders why Bandar hasn’t done something to sink his hooks into Nilan or Jazah’s fortunes via this newfound piece of information.
“And Bandar doesn’t know the truth?” Kamran assumes.
Mahdi murmurs, “He discovered she was pregnant before he fired me earlier today. I drove straight here after he had me removed from the property.”
At Kamran’s cluck of annoyance, Mahdi continues, “Bandar and Sadi were in talks to align their fortunes so that they might reclaim Jazah’s lands and people.”
“The country of Jazah is no more,” Kamran argues, to which Mahdi nods.
“I know this, but there are still old, wealthy men who hold an interest in seeing a war break out within the amalgamated country.”
“And Bandar is the rightful heir?”
“Through Hasna. He could be,” Mahdi croons solemly.
“So he is using Hasna and her inheritance to further his campaign for a country that no longer exists?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he murmurs and shakes his head. “Hasna wants nothing to do with such a war-like campaign. All she ever wanted after her parents’ death was to return to the mountains and travel with her nomadic tribes as she did after her father gave up his title.”
Kamran grimaces as his mind drifts to the thought of Hasna travelling around with his child.
“Hasna’s pregnant,” he whispers finally in disbelief. She is pregnant with my child, Kamran inwardly ponders as he lets out a hard breath.
As a child, Kamran always imagined that the woman he would marry would be like Hasna. Soft, delicate, but a spitfire when it came to doing what was right. Hasna is everything he had hoped to find a wife, but had never found anyone who could emulate her mere presence.
Now he had the chance for the real thing. He just had to convince Bandar to do what he wanted. Turning to face Mahdi, Kamran asks lowly, “Are you interested in a job?”