The Duke's Runaway Princess Page 0,56

see Rashid, to explain to him what had happened, and try once again to justify why she’d run away. If only she could tell him about Derrick, she knew he’d understand. But Rashid was being obstinate and wouldn’t let her make any phone calls, wouldn’t let her talk to Sidra because he knew she’d see Zarah’s side of the issue.

It was all too much! Not to mention the two new body guards who were following her everywhere.

She just had to get in to see him, to explain and make him understand how much she loved Derrick. Surely he could understand since he loved Sidra so much. Good grief, he’d basically kidnapped Sidra to get her here after he’d lost track of her all those years ago.

There was movement down the hallway and Zarah looked up. Several of the palace guards were waiting in the hallway outside Rashid’s offices. That wasn’t normal, she thought and hurried down the hallway herself. Something wasn’t right, she told herself.

And then she saw him! How could Derrick be walking into the palace as if nothing were wrong?

“Derrick!” she called out, just to see if her eyes were playing tricks on her or if he really was here.

When the tall, handsome man stopped and spun around, she knew that he was real. He cut through the guards and with that movement, Zarah ran down the hallway towards him. When she was only feet away, she threw herself into his arms, completely ignoring her body guards’ calls for her to stop. In fact, the louder they called to her, the faster she ran, afraid they would stop her before she could touch him and make sure he was real.

“Zarah!” he called out, his arms closing around her as she hurtled through the air towards him. He didn’t even mind the impact of her soft body as he held her close, his hands running through her hair and down her body to ensure that she was okay and wasn’t hurt. “What happened? Why did you leave? I can’t believe you didn’t tell me what was going on!” he growled a moment before his mouth closed over hers, not giving her a chance to answer any of his questions.

Zarah didn’t mind. She just wanted to hold him and know that he was actually here. She loved his strong arms that wrapped around her and pulled her off her feet while he kissed her, proving that he was controlled by the same emotions that she was feeling.

When he pulled away, he set her back down on her feet, looking at her with anxious eyes. “Are you okay?”

She grinned up at him, still so surprised that he was here. “Yes. I’m fine.”

“When I heard that you’d been taken back to Tasain, I went a bit crazy,” he groaned and pulled her back against his chest, messing up her hair once again in his frenzied need to make sure she was whole and unhurt. “Don’t ever do that to me again!” he commanded.

“I agree, baby sister,” a deep voice said from behind him.

Derrick spun around, keeping Zarah behind him and every muscle in his body tensing in anticipation of a fight. “Who the hell are you?” he demanded of the tall, black haired man with an arrogance that just irritated Derrick further.

Zarah could already see where this was heading and it wasn’t good. “Derrick, this is my brother, Rashid.”

Derrick turned his head to see if she was teasing him or not. When he saw the truth in her eyes, he turned back to the man who was still standing in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest and a stern expression on his face. “You’re the man who had the gall to kidnap your own sister?” he demanded. Derrick’s voice was calm. Too calm.

Rashid stepped forward, fully prepared to defend his actions. “I’m the brother who brought her back to the safety of her home,” he corrected.

“Semantics,” was all Derrick said before he pulled back with his right arm and smashed his fist into the smug man’s face.

Suddenly, there was a rush of movement but Derrick maintained Zarah behind his back while his body guards closed ranks around him. The other man lifted his hand quickly, halting the guards who immediately drew their weapons and were about to pounce on the stranger who had dared to assault their ruler.

“Stop!” Rashid called out as added incentive for his guards to not interfere. He looked back at the younger man standing