Empath's Angel - M J Marlow (easy readers .TXT) 📗

on the sundress she was wearing. “I’m coming.” Zachary stepped aside for herand they went to the pool area. Men surrounded Bridget,and she was like a queen with her retainers. Emilia sank down on the lounge next to herand some of the men turned their eyes on her. They didn’t move when they caught Zachary’s chilly eyes on them. They had told her that they were scoping out the men, looking for just the right man for her to trap for them. She would have been just as happy to stay in her stateroomand spend the cruise alone. The idea of being used as bait to trap some hapless man for Zacharyand Bridget disgusted her, but there was nothing she could do. They would kill anyone she tried to turn to for help. “How do you like your accommodations, Mrs. Winslow?” the ship’s Captain asked as he came over to her side. “The quarters are lovely, CaptainAndrews,” Emilia smiled briefly at the handsome older man. He reminded her of the actor Brian Dennehy; the same broad chest, the same warm smileand dancing eyes. “Allow me to introduce you to Sheik Adrian ben Yusef of Pashtu,”Andrews smiledand indicated the tall, dark-eyed man beside him. “He has been dying to be allowed to meet you.” “Why?” She noted the man beside himand something froze inside her. There was something wrong about this man .He was not as he appeared to be. “Why would you wish to meet me?” “A woman of such incomparable loveliness must ask such a question?” Yusef spoke for Stephen, after Stephen had said something to him in Pashtu. “My lord Sheik would be pleased if you would do him the honor of joining him at dinner.” “Emilia would be pleased to join you, Sheik,” Bridget spoke up before Emilia could beg off. “She has been keeping to herself far too much.” She picked Emilia’s hand upand stroked it, the very image of a concerned sibling. “We’re here to help you move on with your life, darling,” she said as she smiled at the girl in feigned concern. “You need to get outand meet people.” Emilia bit her lip to keep from sobbing. She closed her eyesand leaned back on the lounge, struggling to control her grief. How could they be so callous? Stephen was gone, her baby was gone, her father was gone,and now she was their property. All she wanted to do was curl upand die so she could be free of this pair. She pulled her hand out of Bridget’sand moved away. Bridget was right behind her after a hurried excuse to her minions. Roman cut her offand she was caughtand held by his dancing eyesand his warm smile. Stephen smiledand moved after Emilia, knowing Roman would keep the woman occupied while he went to his wife. She was in such pain,and he could do nothing yet to free her of it. He saw her enter the lounge,and went towards the sound of a piano playing a very sad piece. Sure enough, Emilia was in the lounge, tears streaming down her face as she played. It had been one of the pieces she had shared with him after her father had ‘died’ the first time. He came towards herand she rose to her feet, a wariness in her eyes that he hated seeing on her face. He bowed to herand when he straightened, she was looking at him with a puzzled look on her face. “Forgive this intrusion,” he said in his chemically altered voice, deeperand richer than his normal tones. “Your song drew me.” He took a step towards herand saw her stiffen. “I would not frighten you for the world, little one.” “I just needed some time alone,” Emilia replied. She rested her hands on the keysand calmed herself. She looked up as he came towards herand something in the way he moved made her frown. “Do I know you?” Emilia asked as she looked at him shyly. “There is just something so familiar…” She flinched as the doors openedand Zachary came into the lounge. He saw the Sheikand Emiliaand felt a strange surge of jealousy. “I will see you at dinner?” “I am looking forward to it,” Stephen said warmly,and bowed over her hand, “most anxiously.” He bowed his head to Zachary,and Emilia watched him go, wondering why he felt so familiar to her. She had never met the man; she would have remembered someone like him. He reminded her of the sheiksand swashbucklers she had adored in the old films her father had shared with her. Maybe that was it, she nodded. He was reminding her of Errol Flynn. Zachary clamped his hand on hersand he yanked her back to the stateroom, frowning. He was not at all happy with Bridget’s plan. The sheik was far too dangerous an animal to trap, using Emilia as the bait. But when he told Bridget about finding Emilia alone with the Sheik, the woman was ecstatic. “It’s perfect, Zachary,” Bridget cooed. “He is already smitten with our darling pet. It will be all too easy to use her to trap him.” “I’m not going to let you use me to hurt that man,” Emilia protested. “No,” she shook her head as the couple turned her way. “I won’t.” “You have no say in this, Emilia,” Zachary told her bluntly. “You gave yourself to me. Remember?” He clamped his hand on her throatand pushed her up against the wall. “Disobey meand I will have someone you love disappear again or worse.” “No, please!” Emilia cried. She saw his eyesand knew he was not going to change his mind. “All right,” she lowered her head in defeat. “What do you want me to do?” “That’s a good girl.” Zachary smiledand kissed her. “All you have to do is be your own lovely little self. The Sheik will do the rest.” He stroked her cheek, relishing the silken feel of her skin. “Don’t worry, pet,” he smiled as he saw her expression. “We will step in long before he can ravish you.” He stepped back. “Now take your medicine.” “Open up, little one,” Bridget laughed as she took a pill from the bottleand forced it into Emilia’s mouth. “Swallow it down, like a good girl.” She patted Emilia’s cheek when it was done. “That’s my sweet pet.” Emilia opened her eyes several hours laterand sat up, frowning. She dressed quicklyand moved out of the stateroomand down the companionway. He was here, her mind told her. Waiting for her. Stephen wanted her with him,and she had to go to him. Emilia saw the crewman as she passed, but she did not stop. This was too important. She continued around the corner to the first stateroom. The door was just openingand she froze as the Sheik stepped out. This wasn’t Stephen, her mind cried out in pain. She let out a cry of such pain that Stephen felt as if his heart had been knifed. He caught her as she collapsedand carried her into the stateroom, leaving her to the care of the women. “Stephen!” she whimpered in her sleep while Maryam tended to her. “Proszę nie pozostawia ja!” She thrashed out wildly in her nightmareand Stephen was horrified. What had his brother done to his angel? “Proszę pozwalał mnie udają się!” Her eyes shot openand she looked directly at Stephen, her eyes wide with longing. “Proszę …” “Poor child,” Maryam shook her head as Emilia collapsed. She looked at Stephen sadly. “We have to take her back to her stateroom, Adrian.” “Call them in a couple of hoursand tell them where she is,” Stephen decided, refusing to let her go in this state. “Let her sleep somewhere safe for a while longer.” He slammed his fist into the wall with a Pashtu curseand saw that his people agreed with him. “I need to talk to the Captain.” Maryam noddedand watched him leave. She agreed with his sentiments. Zachary Winslow was a bastard of the first order for harming this glorious child. She waited three hoursand then made the call as he had asked, praying it was the right decision to make. Five minutes later, Bridgetand Zachary arrived. Bridget looked at the sleeping girl, frowning. She heard the lady Maryam’s story of how the girl had been found wandering in the companionway. “My ladies thought it unwise to leave the child alone, as she appeared to be in a trance state,” Maryam finished her tale “so they brought her here to me. We are more than willing to allow her to remain here until she wakes.” “Thank you for your concern, lady Maryam,” Bridget nodded at the woman’s concerns, “but I think we can handle things from here.” She followed Zachary back to the stateroom where he was just setting Emilia down on the bedand saw Emilia’s eyes opening. “You have a strange talent for gathering protectors, little one,” she said as she pressed certain points on the girl’s body. “It won’t help you.” “That hurts,” Emilia cried. She looked at Bridget in shock as she tried to get upand her legs refused to obey. “What have you done to me, Bridget?” “Just seen to it that you can’t go roaming again, pet,” the woman smiled down at her. “I’ve paralyzed your legs by applying a little pressure at the right points.” She sank down on the bed, smiling coldly as she opened the bottle of pillsand took one out. “It’s time for your medicine.” “What are you…” Emilia’s eyes opened wide as Bridget shoved the pill into her mouthand made her swallow it. “Please stop this, Bridget. I don’t want to seduce the Sheik.” “You will by the time I’m through with you, darling,” Bridget smiled down at her. “The drug will make you very eager for him.” She laughed as Emilia shook her head in refusal. “You can’t fight it, pet. I’ve used this drug many times over the past several years. It always works.” Emilia’s eyes began to glaze overand Bridget smiled. She opened a box from her robe pocketand slid out a patch. She turned Emilia onto her sideand pressed the real drug to the back of the girl’s neck. Great invention – time released medication. “You know you want him, Emilia.” “I want Stephen,” Emilia cried out softly. “Stephen is gone now, baby,” Bridget said softly, stroking Emilia’s back gently as she began removing the paralysis. “He would want you to be happy. The Sheik can make you happy.” “The Sheik?” Emilia frowned, wondering why she couldn’t seem to hang on to her thoughts. Something was very wrong with her mind. Bridget had – her frown deepened as the memory slipped from her grasp. “I feel funny, Bridget.” “It will pass, love,” Bridget smiled in triumph. The drug was working beautifully. “It’s time to get ready for dinner.” She saw the frownand knew Emilia was still fighting for her mind. “Listen to me, baby. I only want what’s best for you.” The frown remained a moment longerand then vanished, replaced by a smile. Emilia got upand went to the closet to pull out an evening gown. Bridget was quite pleased. The girl was theirs; she was never going to remember that she was here unwillingly. Soon she was going to do anything they asked of her. Bridget’s smile widened as she watched Zachary pick another gown; one that displayed Emilia’s lovely body to its fullest. He smiled as she allowed him to strip her, without one word of complaint,and then dress her. “You are going to have the man panting for you, pet,” Bridget smiledand kissed Emilia on the cheek. “That is what we want, isn’t it?” “That is what you want,” Emilia said softly, still struggling to keep control over her mind. “Please don’t make me do this.” “You don’t have to do anything, pet,” Zachary laughed, as he looked her over. “You show up at dinner looking like thatand every man on this