by S. E. Smith
When Gem licked her lips, Ross’s manhood began to throb in frustration. At this rate, he was going to have to ask her to turn on the cold water. Gritting his teeth, he turned his back to her and finished washing. He bent down and picked up his clothes, biting back the groan that threatened to escape when she gasped again. Taking his time, he turned each piece inside out, allowing the fresh water to rinse away the dirt before wringing it out.
“You can turn off the water now,” he replied in a tight, gravelly voice. He held his clothes in front of him. “Now I just need a way to dry them. ”
Gem lowered her trembling arms and glanced down at his dripping clothes. What had started out as fun was quickly turning into blue balls. He’d never been this hot and unable to do a thing about it. He should have kept his dirty clothes on and ignored the caked mud. After all, it wasn’t like he had never worn dirty clothes before.
“I can help,” she whispered, licking her lips and staring at his waist.
Before he could respond, she waved her hands out toward his clothes. The moisture was pulled away in a long stream that ran through the air and disappeared into the forest before a steady, warm breeze encircled him. Within minutes, everything was dry again.
“Damn,” he muttered, staring at Gem in appreciation. “Could you tell me how you do that again?”
Her startled gaze moved up his bare chest, and a rosy blush flushed her cheeks when she locked eyes with him. Ross curled his fingers around his dry clothes. She looked so damned adorable that all he wanted to do was kiss her again. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was standing bare-assed naked in dangerous territory, he might have taken advantage of the situation. Instead, the feeling of eyes burning holes into his rear end was enough to dampen his desire – at least a little.
“I think it might be better if you turn around while I get dressed,” he suggested.
Gem’s eyes widened. “Why?” she choked out, staring at him.
He grinned. “Because, Princess, I am very turned on, and this isn’t a good place for me to do anything about it,” he replied with a sardonic chuckle. “Unless you are sure there aren’t any more mud holes for me to sink into; then I might just say to hell with it and give it a try. ”
“Oh… No, there may be more… mud pits – traps – spots,” she stuttered before turning on her heel. “Are you alright?” she called over her shoulder.
Ross slid his leg into his jeans, pausing at her question before looking down at his body. He was still hard. Grimacing, he quickly stepped into the other leg and pulled up his pants, making sure to adjust himself so he didn’t get anything crucial caught in the zipper. It didn’t take him long to finish dressing.
“I’m fine,” he replied as he bent over and picked up his sweater, jacket, and a new walking stick several feet away from the mud pit. “I think we better get moving. It feels like it’s getting to be early afternoon, and personally, I don’t relish the thought of being stuck in this forest once the sun sets. ”
8
Ross stuck the walking stick into a patch of thick leaves. Sure enough, it sank into oozing mud, and the end of it dissolved. After trying it a few more times in various places, he and Gem soon came to the conclusion that the round leaf-covered areas were a trap and they made sure they avoided them. Unfortunately, this made their journey seem more like a game of hopscotch than a hike.
Almost an hour after his near-death experience, they finally reached the river. He leaned against his fourth walking stick and glanced back and forth along the river. It wasn’t extremely wide, approximately thirty feet, but the water was deep and turbulent.
“We can cross there,” he said, nodding at a large tree that had fallen across the river.
“I don’t like this,” she murmured, staring at the river with a frown. “There used to be a bridge here. I can’t imagine why the Sea Witch destroyed it and not the tree. ”
Ross turned around and studied the path that ended at the riverbank ten feet in front of them. There was definitely no bridge, and they couldn’t wade across the river – the current and the depth made crossing too dangerous. The only way was to cross over on the fallen tree or follow the riverbank until they found a different place to cross.
“Maybe the tree fell after she left. We might not have enough time to keep searching for another crossing. It’s big enough to walk across. I’ll help you if you’re afraid,” he said.
Gem shook her head. “I’m not afraid, it’s just… The stone said to stay true to the path,” she murmured, rubbing her forehead.
“What, like walk on the water that’s in front of the path? That makes no sense! If we cross using the tree, that’s still part of the path. Besides, she didn’t say anything about the mud traps, did she? Maybe the Sea Witch wasn’t being as helpful as we hoped she was,” Ross reasoned.
Gem glanced at the tree. Her gut was telling her to stay away from it, yet her eyes were telling her that there was no way they could stay on the path. Biting her lip, she shook her head.
“I just don’t think we should go that way,” she murmured. “Something doesn’t feel right. ”
He sighed and faced her. Sliding his hand along her cheek, he tilted her head back until she looked him in the eyes. He smiled when he saw the worry and uncertainty in them.
“I tell you what,” he said, rubbing his thumb over her lip. “I’ll go across and make sure it is safe first. If it is, I’ll come back for you. ”
“What if it’s not?” she asked, glancing at the tree again before looking at him. “What if it is another trap?”
Ross chuckled. “Then you get to save my ass again, Princess, and you can even say ‘I told you so’,” he replied, brushing a quick kiss across her lips.
Gem raised an eyebrow at his recklessness with his life and his assumption that he could casually kiss her whenever he wanted to. Yes, it was nice, but they weren’t – well, they were, but… he was an extremely frustrating male who was casually kissing her before he went off possibly to die in a very stupid manner! He shot her a flirty wink as if to punctuate her conclusion before he turned around and stepped away from her.
The stone had not given much information, just a pictograph of the river with the words ‘Stay the path’ underneath. She looked once more at the path where it ended at the water’s edge. Before the Sea Witch’s visit, there had been a wide wooden bridge with a decorative iron railing across the broad expanse.
She started to walk toward the spot where the bridge would have begun. She was almost to it when she looked over at Ross. He was climbing over the massive roots and up onto the long, thick tree trunk. Once past the roots, he had taken only a dozen steps when Gem saw movement at the base of the tree. Fear swept through her when she realized that her gut feeling had been correct – it was a trap.
“Ross!” she yelled, as she starting running toward him across the loose gravel bank. “Ross, get off! You can’t cross there. It’s a trap!”
Horror gripped Gem when the tree suddenly rolled, and the long, thick branches began to move as the tree started to rise. Ross slid against the rough bark, grabbing hold of a knot and clinging to it as the tree groaned and pushed upward. It was alive!
Ross carefully examined the tree before he reached up, gripped the tangled roots and pulled himself up onto it. He tested a few places before putting his full weight down in case there were any rotted sections. Overall, there appeared to be enough nooks and crevices for him to get a good foothold.
He quickly reached out to steady himself when the tree suddenly shook and shifted under his feet. He wobbled unsteadily, bent forward, and scanned the tree trunk until his gaze reached the top of the tree.
He wondered if the island was doing another moan and groan. He turned his head when he heard Gem’s frantic shout above the roaring sound of the rushing water below him and the tree. Straightening up, he frowned and started to release his grip on the branch when he saw her running toward him.
It took a moment for her words to sin
k in. When they did, a grim horror swept through him.
Glancing back at the top of the tree, he groaned when it suddenly twisted and two dark, empty eyes looked back at him.
“This is one messed up world,” he muttered just as the tree rolled, and he found himself hanging onto a large, gnarled knot in the trunk for dear life.
The branches of the tree were like arms while the trunk was its body and the roots were its feet. Ross reached for a branch to get a better grip and dizzily swung around in a circle as the tree pushed against the boulders with its thicker branches near the bottom. Its trunk bowed slightly as the tree began to stand.
Ross looked down and tried to determine just how far it was to the water below. This really wasn’t the way he wanted to test the river’s depth. If it was too shallow, he could break a leg – or worse. If it was deep – well, he had been in over his head before.
The decision to release his grip on the branch or not was quickly taken out of his hands when he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. A long, pointed branch was heading straight for him. Releasing his hold on the branch, he folded his arms across his chest and bent his knees as he fell.
Cold water closed over his head, forcing the breath out of him and pulling him down. He wildly rolled along the riverbed, then pushed up from bottom and swam upward, fighting against the turbulent water until he broke the surface. Gasping for air, he barely saw the large boulder before he was being propelled toward it. He flailed desperately for any hold.
Elation burst through him when he was able to wrap his fingers around a tree limb that was jammed into a crevice. Dragging himself hand over hand, he pulled himself closer to the boulder and away from the swiftly flowing water, just in time to hear Gem’s battle cry.
Fear unlike anything he had ever experienced swept through him. His biceps bulged as he pulled himself up the limb and out of the water to crouch on the rock. He now had a clear view of one of the larger limbs of the massive tree slamming into the ground near Gem. The force of the blow was so powerful that the water in the river actually rose up and the power of the wave caused the boulder under him to shift. With a hoarse shout, Ross stood and jumped onto a smaller rock. Then he jumped into the shallow area near the bank.
“Gem!” Ross roared, pushing out of the water and sprinting across the loose gravel beach.
The tree turned around when it heard his yell. Waving his hands, Ross darted to the side when it bent over and violently swiped at him. When it missed him, Ross swung around, running parallel to the spot where he had last seen Gem. He was almost to the path they’d been warned to stay on when a branch slammed down in front of him, blocking his way. Sliding to a stop, Ross fell backwards, bracing his hand on the ground to steady himself as he twisted around.
He glanced up, then lunged and dodged another murderous branch. As the tree wound up for its next swing, Ross heard Gem calling his name from the other side of the tree. Deciding the best plan to get past it was to run as close to the base of the tree as he could, he turned toward the tree and ran straight for the tangle of roots that were slithering along the ground like the tentacles of an octopus.
Jumping over several of them and ducking down, he rolled under the tree and emerged on the other side. He still had an obstacle course of swaying roots to weave through that would have put any military course to shame. Diving over one root, he rolled under another before he was clear of the thrashing mass.
“Over here!” Gem called as she lobbed a current of strong wind at the tree again and again in an effort to slow down its movements.
She was standing in the air several feet over the water. The sight was so unexpected that he stumbled to a stop, but the loud groan from the massive tree as it turned in his direction quickly reminded him that he had no time to stare.
“RUN!” Gem cried, waving her hand at him to hurry. “The bridge is here, you just can’t see it.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” Ross groused.
She was waving her hands in a pattern and muttering now, her attention focused on the tree behind him. As he sprinted forward, he watched two long columns of water rise up out of the river. He hit the end of the path, and kept running as the water shot past him toward the tree.
He didn’t let himself slow down as the edge of the river rushed toward him. He just had to trust Gem. Drawing in a deep breath, he leaped toward the swift current, and his feet hit a solid surface a couple of feet above it. Rolling to cushion his landing, he found himself facing the tree as it was blasted by the twin jets of water, forcing it to retreat until it disappeared back into the forest with an angry groan.
Beneath him was a bridge. Apparently it was only visible if you were standing on it – or sitting on it, in his case. He stood and turned to look at Gem, taking several deep breaths. With a shake of his head, he grinned at her in relief. This was definitely on his list of the weirdest things that had ever happened to him.
“Are you alright?” she asked in an unsteady voice.
She reached up and cupped his cheeks between her hands. He returned her concerned gaze with a wary one of his own, and he gave her a wry grin.
“Yeah, I’m alright. I need my clothes dried again, though. Remind me to listen to your gut feelings from now on,” he ruefully chuckled.
Her soft, lilting laughter filled the air. She waved her hands, and he was surrounded by warm air as the moisture was pulled out of his clothing. She followed the line of his body with her hands, but her eyes never looked away from his. Ross rested his hands on her hips and gently pulled her close as the dampness in his clothes faded.
“I think that deserves another kiss,” he murmured.
Her eyes glittered with an emotion he didn’t quite understand, but he liked it. “I think so, too,” she whispered, rising up onto her toes. “You know, this is beginning to become a habit. ”
Ross paused a breath away from her lips. “What? Me kissing you?” he asked in a low voice.
“No,” she chuckled with a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. “Me saving your ass. ”
9
“Thank you, again – for saving my life,” Ross said.
A wave of warmth swept through her at Ross’s murmured admission. Shadows cast by the trees danced across his face. They stood near the edge of the forest. The rock-strewn bank had turned to dirt. They would be entering the forest again. She had stopped, needing time to gather her wits about her and take a moment to appreciate that they were still alive.
Her hands unconsciously twisted in the fabric she was holding and she looked down at his jacket and sweater that she was carrying. She’d never returned them after the incident on the other side of the river. Instinctively, she looked back at the bridge. From this side, she could see it clearly.
She bit her lip and turned to look ahead again. “I promised I would,” she said, meeting his gaze. “You were brave, too,” she said softly, “and nimble. ” She sent a mischievous glance his way and held out his jacket to him.
He huffed a laugh. “Yeah, that was Olympic medal stuff right there. ” His smile faded. “I should have listened to you. You know this place better than I do. ”
Gem’s throat tightened when he looked away from her and slid his jacket on. In the brief moment before he did, she caught a glimpse of several emotions – regret, vulnerability, and something else that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
“We had no way of knowing what would happen.” She sighed. “And I… did not trust my instincts enough. My father and mother taught me that a good leader knows when to compromise and when to stand firm. I have always had such trouble with that. You may have noticed that I do not always ask nicely when I should,” she wryly stated, ruefully meeting his eyes. “But the other part is difficult too, when I have doubts, when I don’t always know what to do. At the time I just wanted to act quickly, and the tree was the obvious route.
“I was impatient,” she whispered, “and you could have died because of it, we both could have, an
d then my people…. ”
Ross reached out and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Faint swirls of the elements rose up to wrap around his wrist, and again he was oblivious. She gripped his hand when the Isle shuddered under their feet, but this tremor didn’t last long.
Ross stroked her cheek for a moment. “No one expects you to know everything all the time, Princess. We just gotta keep moving, keep trying,” he quietly countered.
She nodded and softly sighed when he pulled back, turned away, and began walking down the path. Her mind went to the stones. There hadn’t been a warning for the mud pits, but the warning from the stones about the river had been right. They should have stayed true to the path when they came to the river.
At this point, Gem was deciding to trust that Magna was trying to help. Ross seemed to think she had changed, and when the Sea Witch had turned Gem to stone, the shadow had seemed angry with Magna. Perhaps that had been the only way to keep Gem alive and unpossessed. So, now all Gem had to do was correctly interpret Magna’s other messages.
She scanned the forest. The next warning on the stones flashed through her mind and a shiver of unease ran through her. Each obstacle was growing progressively more dangerous and deadly. Those by her father had been designed to delay and confuse – like the mud pit. An unwary traveler would not be killed, but the stones hadn’t warned her of his decoys – only those created by either Magna or the alien that controlled her.
The sudden thought occurred to her that the traps Magna had warned her about had been placed not to stop someone necessarily, but to capture them. The creature was looking for more hosts – those that it could not capture, it would kill to protect itself.
“The next warning on the stones said to be wary of the living bloodsuckers,” she cautioned.
Ross was sweeping his walking stick back and forth and paused in mid-swing. He looked over his shoulder with a frown. Gem gave him a rueful smile of apology.
