Read Online The Sheikh's Desert Bride (Qazhar Sheikhs series Book 8) by Cara Albany - Free Book Online Page A

for over two thousand years.
    Lucy turned back and gazed up at the enormous figures which had been carved into the rock. They were two huge carvings of winged lions that faced each other, strange almost mythical looking creatures that could have stepped out of the pages of a book of fantasy animals.  
    Weather had taken some toll of the carvings. Parts had crumbled away. That would have been inevitable since the bas-relief statues had been dated to around 200 B.C. But, still the original artisans who'd created these giant testaments to some long lost deity, had carved the stone deep as if defying the future elements. They had intended these mythical offerings to last into the depths of time.
    The figures had been dug out of the rock, expertly and delicately carved by a myriad of expert hands. Both figures stretched up to perhaps one hundred feet in height, she estimated. The heads of the lions had enormous carved manes, rock carved to flow like hair, and the two powerful muscled bodies stretched along the length of the cliff wall.  
    No wonder her breath had been taken away, Lucy realized. As she knew all to well, it was one thing to see photos or video images of something like this. But, it was an entirely different experience just being in the presence of something which had stood since early Roman times.
    Beneath the twin facing winged lions, just above the valley floor, she saw the almost completely crushed remains of a high stone platform. No-one knew what this place had been used for, but the educated guesses were that some kind of group had settled here in ancient times, existing nearby as cave dwellers. In those times the climate had been different in these parts, more moist, with possible vegetation in these mountains, and such a life might have been sustainable for a modestly sized community of believers. But these winged lions had such an incredible majesty about them. They exuded history and power and mystery like she'd never witnessed before.
      She'd seen similar animals depicted in ancient Assyrian wall decorations in other parts of the region. But, for various reasons, those countries had become inaccessible to people like Lucy in recent times. Emotion overtook her and she felt another wave of sobs threaten to swell up within her.  
    Lucy turned to Azim and saw the concern in his eyes. She could tell he knew just how much this meant to her. It had been her passion since she'd studied ancient history at college.
    Azim came to her and she didn't resist him at all when he wrapped his arm around her and held her close. She leaned her head against his shoulder and looked up at the incredible sight before them.
    "I'm so happy," she murmured. "They're undamaged. It's amazing."
    She felt Azim pull her closer to him. When she looked up she saw his eyes were bright with appreciation. Then he did something which took her by surprise, but on reflection it really shouldn't have. She felt his head dip and he planted a kiss on her forehead. She did nothing to stop him doing that. It felt almost right for him to do that, she told herself. His lips felt moist against her skin for a brief moment, and she pushed away the sudden thought that rose up in her mind. Hadn't that felt good, she asked herself.
    "I'm glad," he said. "Aren't you going to do what you came here for?"
    Lucy snapped out of her reverie, suddenly aware that she had plenty of work to do. Her camera was in her bag in the pack on the horse.
    Azim released her and she raced to her horse and started unpacking the equipment she would use to record the evidence for which she'd come such a long way.  
    Lucy glanced over toward Azim and saw him standing, hands on hips, craning his neck back to take in the sight of the winged lions. She knew he cared as much about this as she did. Maybe being here would focus his mind, and that of others who had influence, to do something to ensure that this incredible site would be properly protected, made safe from potential damage