27
“Do not move,” said the Sheikh, barely moving his jaw as he said it.
Irene could feel Bilaal slowly shift his body to shield her and Sage from the direction of the growl. They couldn’t see the animal yet, but Irene knew it wasn’t any of the wildcats, which meant it was a bear. A big one.
“It doesn’t matter,” said Irene, grabbing Sage and pulling him onto her lap and hugging him hard. “If it’s a grizzly, we’re done. We can’t outrun him, and we can’t outfight him.”
“Then we will out-talk him,” said the Sheikh, slowly rising as the growling got deeper and closer.
“What?” said Irene, trying to grab the Sheikh’s arm before he got them all killed. But the Sheikh was stark naked, his skin wet and glowing from their lovemaking, and he pulled away from her and stood to full height just as the bear emerged from the woods.
It was enormous, a full-grown grizzly with a head the size of a wrecking ball, eyes like red coals, a snout longer than she’d ever seen, yellowed teeth bared, claws out. Irene could feel every hair on her head and neck stand up straight, and she pulled Sage into her breast and wrapped him up in that blanket and hugged him for dear life. This bear would have to go through both the Sheikh and her before it got a chance to even touch Sage. He would survive, she told herself. That’s all that mattered.
“You are an older bear,” the Sheikh said, his voice gentle but deep, almost like he was talking to a child—a very big and dangerous child. “A loner. You have raised a family and your cubs are grown and living lives of their own, in territories of their own. I am just starting my family. My cub is young, and we only stopped on your land to rest. We are only passing through on our way to my land.”
“Are you insane?” Irene muttered as she stared incredulously at this buck naked king, his muscular buttocks facing her, naked and bronze. “You cannot negotiate with a goddamn grizzly!”
The Sheikh ignored her and kept talking in that gentle but firm tone. The bear was still growling, but it had not advanced yet, and Irene finally had the courage to look at the beast, even though she was careful not to look it in the eye.
Now she understood what the Sheikh was trying to do. Of course the bear couldn’t understand what he was saying. But the tone of voice was having an impact. All animals respond to a gentle, soothing voice, she remembered reading in a book by a famous animal trapper who would capture dangerous animals for zoos. Gentle and soothing tone, she thought again as she watched the Sheikh stand his ground even though she knew his natural instinct would be to run.
Gentle and soothing, came the thought for a third time, and now Irene plucked up her courage and took a breath to calm herself down. She slowly unwrapped the blanket from Sage, cradling her bear-cub in her arms. And then she began to hum that tune, that old western lullaby.
She saw the Sheikh’s body tense up, his fists clenching as he tried his best not to make any sudden moves. Then, just like he’d done with her when they rocked their cub to sleep, he began to hum along with her.
Sage wasn’t crying, even though by all rights he should be terrified. Perhaps he felt safe in Mama’s arms, with Dada standing guard in front of them. Who knew. All Irene knew is that right then, right there, she was singing for her life, for her child’s life, for her man’s life.
For her family’s life.
The surreal scene continued for what seemed like an eternity, and Irene wasn’t sure how long she could maintain this calmness before she broke and allowed the panic to take over. The Sheikh still stood in front of them, naked and tall, facing the bear with his cock hanging out. Perhaps she would have found it funny if she weren’t acutely aware of the danger.
She could feel her resolve weaken as the bear stood its ground, its teeth still bared, its eyes fixed on the Sheikh. Then she sensed movement in the animal, and she realized it had turned its head to gaze at her and Sage. Somehow she kept humming in that calm, gentle, soothing tone, even though she could feel a trembling build up in her. She wanted to burst into tears, but she knew they’d all be torn to shreds if she broke.
I won’t break, she told herself. And he won’t break. We’re protecting our child, and we won’t break.
Now a smile broke on her face as she hummed, and she could feel the Sheikh’s deep baritone carry her sweet soprano over the bubbling waters of the stream, mixing with the rustling of the trees, the chirping of the birds, the calling of the insects. It was like an orchestra now, all of nature joining in this divine song, all the flora and fauna of the woods singing together, reminding her that they were all part of nature, all born from the same heavenly womb.
Two plump tears rolled down her quivering cheeks, and for a moment Irene wondered if the exhilaration she felt meant she had lost her mind from the stress. But she could hear herself still humming, the Sheikh along with her, the birds still chirping, the insects still merrily cricking and crooning. Sage was smiling up at her, and through her tears she realized she herself was still smiling.
And as that surreal song of theirs played its magical tune, the bear took a step back. Its raised lips slowly lowered. Yellow teeth getting smaller, finally disappearing beneath its snout. Another step back. And another. Then it turned and stomped away through the woods.
The Sheikh stood rigid for a moment, his head pointed in the direction the bear had taken. After several minutes, Irene saw him relax. Then he turned to her, and she saw the strain on his face mixed with traces of that same feeling of joy she’d experienced. He came to her, going down on his knees as he embraced her and their son.
Finally the relief came pouring in, and as the tension broke, Irene let the tears break. Soon she was sobbing into his chest, Sage pleasantly squished between Mama and Papa, the Sheikh crying along with them, all of them moved by something inexplicable, something magical, something wonderful.
Love.