by Sarah Bale
“There is no way in hell we’re going by the fields. Why don’t you go tend your lions and leave us alone,” he snapped. “Come on, Lexi. We need to head back to the compound.”
Hank laughed. “I would mind my own business but my lions were killed when my ringmaster was sent to prison, as I’m sure you remember. In addition, you should be a little kinder to me. I mean, I’m saving your ass right now. I could’ve let you walk into an ambush.”
Ian didn’t doubt his words. Angry mobs weren’t uncommon around the saloon. Hate and anger seemed to thrive there, killing any form of kindness. But could he trust Hank? That was the real question.
“Besides, the fields haven’t been active in a while. Going that route will be much faster than going all the way back to the compound.”
Now that was interesting. He looked at Hank from his head to his feet and could have laughed in joy. Hank wasn’t under the “effects” of the fields, which was a good sign. Come to think about it, he hadn’t heard of Hank being arrested recently either.
“How long have they been inactive?”
Hank sighed dramatically. “For too long. Nearly six months and two days…not that I’m counting, of course.”
“Of course,” Lexi echoed.
Ian’s gaze settled on her. It would be dangerous to take her near the fields but it might actually be worth the risk.
He turned to Hank. “I’m going to need to see some proof.”
Hank rolled his eyes and took off his red jacket. He rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt to show his veins. Ian ran his finger over the vein, making sure there were no marks or makeup hiding the marks. If Hank had used the liquid from the flowers recently then Ian would be able to tell but there were no signs.
“See? I’m clean. No needle marks,” Hank said defensively. “I’ve found other ways to occupy myself.”
Ian held up his hand. “I don’t need or want to hear what these ‘other ways’ are. It’s best for you to keep them to yourself.”
By oath, he would have to hold Hank accountable to whatever crimes he confessed to and he knew the other man had a habit for finding trouble.
“Are we going to go by the fields?” Lexi asked.
Dark shadows were forming under her eyes and he realized just how tired she must be. They had traveled a great distance since leaving the compound but they were only halfway to Sapphire City.
“We’ll camp for the night and then head west toward the fields tomorrow. You need rest.”
She smiled up at him. It then dawned on him that he didn’t have a tent in his bag. Andrew had mentioned not packing one and he had forgotten to get it before leaving. A curse slipped past his lips and then he noticed a tent on Hank’s pack.
“Hank?”
Hank rolled his eyes and took his bag from his shoulder. He dug around and then threw the tent to Ian.
“You owe me,” he said.
“I’ll repay you one day, I swear on my word.”
Hank nodded. “I bid you farewell then. I wish you a good night and safe travel in the morning.” He began to walk away, then turned and added, “I’ll watch the path tonight so fear not.”
Ian knew Hank would keep his word. Though strange, he was a good man at heart, even in an area as unsafe as this. In different times, Ian might even call him an ally.
“Thank you, Hank,” Lexi called after him.
He soon disappeared in the shadows of the night until the only thing that could be seen was the glow from his cigarette. Ian took Lexi by the hand.
“I trust Hank but I’ll feel safer when we’re away from the Wooden Brothel. We’ll camp for the night at a place nearby. It’s an apple orchard with the reddest apples you could imagine.”
Lexi smiled. “That sounds wonderful.”
The two walked in silence for a while. The full moon above created enough light for them to see where they went without needing a lantern. Crickets hummed all around and fireflies drifted about like tiny stars. Ian put his arm around Lexi and smiled when she snuggled against him.
“We’re almost there,” he promised.
She nodded sleepily and he stopped. Without saying a word, he scooped her into his arms.
“Thanks,” she murmured against his chest.
Her head bobbed for a few moments before she dozed off. She was light in his arms. He used the time to let his mind wander. Hank had been right about one thing. The Ringmaster’s capture happened by his own hand. There had been no way around it but Ian still blamed himself.
When ambushed, the queen had cried out Brian’s name as her traitor and several people were witness to it. His letter had sent her rushing away from the palace without her guards. When confronted, Brian denied sending the letter but not even he could deny his own signature.
To punish Brian and to honor the fallen queen, all the circus animals had been executed. Brian watched from his prison cell, helpless. Ian closed his eyes as he remembered the cries of the animals as they died. It still haunted him. Brian’s anguished cries haunted him more. It was truly the most awful punishment imaginable for him. A few weeks later, he had hung himself in his prison cell unable to continue living a life behind bars.
Before his death, he had told another prisoner that he was innocent even though no one believed him. It was hard to believe that he had maintained the same story even after losing everything. That was the one thing that bothered Ian the most. How could a man continue to lie when everything he cared about had been ripped away from his life?
Ian sighed and pushed the thoughts from his memory. He reached the orchard and set Lexi gently onto the ground. The grass was lush and thick under the trees so it made a nice bed. The wind carried the scent of apples and the moonlight made them glow like gems in the trees.
He watched Lexi sleep for a moment and then set up the tent. It had been a long time since he had slept outside. His work with the Royal Guard left little time to enjoy life’s small luxuries. He considered camping a luxury.
As he put the tent pieces together, he tried not to think about the path they had decided to take. If the king knew that they were traveling near the Enchanted Fields, he would be furious. But Ian also knew the Witches grew angrier each moment Lexi lived.
He took in a slow breath. He was going to have to tell her the truth, and soon. She needed to know the events that had led to the queen’s death. And as much as it would kill him to tell her everything, she needed to be prepared. If she was the One, she would also face the same battle as the queen.
Lexi stirred in her sleep and her eyes opened. She sat up and yawned. He smiled, forcing his face to appear relaxed.
“Sorry I fell asleep,” she apologized. “I feel bad that you had to carry me.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’re as light as a feather,” he said with a grin.
Lexi stood and looked around the orchard. She reached up and touched one of the red apples gently.
“It’s beautiful here.”
He put his hand over hers. “If you caress the apples, they’ll drop from the tree into your hand.”
She looked up at him and said, “Oh I don’t want to do that. I’d feel like I was hurting the tree. I can just eat one from the ground.”
He shook his head. “No, the apples on the ground are meant for the animals and to rot and go back into the soil. It’s the way of the Sinodaian people.”
She caught her lip between her teeth and then gently caressed the apple. It dropped into her hand and she smiled. Ian reached up and did the same to another apple. He watched as Lexi bit into the ruby red apple. A little juice dripped down her chin and he wiped it off with his finger.
Her cheeks turned pink and she said, “I just don’t know how you do it?”
“Do what?” he asked, confused.
“You just did something simple and innocent by wiping the juice from my chin and all I can think about is how I want you to make love to me. What’s wrong with me?”
Ian could feel a smile growing on his face. �
��Does that mean you’re wet for me?”
She nodded. “I’ve been wet for you since seeing you at the compound. I was scared and alone but I wanted you then.”
“It’s not a bad problem to have,” he said with a laugh.
She snorted. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one walking around feeling like a Slip ’N Slide.”
He wasn’t sure what a Slip ’N Slide was but he got the general idea of what she was referring to. And he loved hearing that he turned her on.
“Well it’s definitely something I can help you with.”
“I wish you would.”
She stepped away from him and took off her corset and skirt. She was naked a moment later and he could see the juices glistening on her pussy. God how he wanted her. His eyes ran up to her breasts and the air left his lungs in a whoosh, as if he had been punched in the stomach.
Her nipples budded from the cold air but he could also see small marks around them. Marks that he knew too well.
“What’s wrong?” Lexi asked.
He reached out and caressed her breast. She leaned into him and made a sound of pleasure.
“Your nipples are sensitive, almost like someone used a clamp on them,” he said, watching her face for a reaction.
Her eyes fluttered open but she didn’t meet his gaze.
“I think the corset has just been rubbing them.”
He looked away for a moment. Only one person he knew loved to use clamps but it couldn’t have been him. Ian couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in his gut. He wasn’t jealous at the thought of Andrew being near but he wondered how it was possible. Did Lexi realize what had happened?
She reached up and pulled his face down to hers. Her lips caught his.
“Please, I want you now, Ian. We can talk later.”
He nodded and began to undress. “Okay. But we aren’t done talking about this.”
He pulled her into his arms and carried her to the tent. She tried to scramble from his arms but he stopped her.
“We are going to do this my way. Get down on your hands and knees.”
Her eyes grew large in excitement as she dropped to her knees.
“Do you want me to suck your big cock, Ian?” she asked as she reached up and stroked it.
He was already hard for her but he pushed her hand away.
“I said hands too, Lexi. Now.”
He was going to show her that he was in control and that no one would ever fuck her as he could. She dropped onto her hands and he made a circle around her. Those lovely large breasts were hanging down and her nipples were even more peaked, if it were possible.
Her ass was in the air and her legs were open so he could see her pussy. She was so ready for him.
“I love your pussy, Lexi. It’s so fucking beautiful,” he said as he squatted down next to her.
He ran his finger through her folds to her clit. She took in a sharp breath and he tapped her clit.
“One day, you’ll think back on this moment and you’ll always remember that no one knows your body like I do,” he said in a low voice.
“Yes,” she agreed.
He smiled. “Good. Now get some rest.”
He lowered next to her and tucked his arm under his head. He yawned and then looked over at her. He had to swallow back a laugh when he caught sight of the look on her face.
“Are you…are you kidding?” she asked slowly.
“No, we have an early morning so grab some sleep while you can.”
“But you had me get on my freaking hands and freaking knees. And I took my freaking clothes off.” By the rise in her voice, he knew she was getting angry.
He nodded. “As I said, you’ll always look back and remember this freaking moment, Lexi. Now, good night.”
She glared at him and he bit back a smile. Turning, he tried to ignore his hard on. He could hear her huffing as she put her clothes back on. When she finally settled next to him, he glanced over his shoulder. “And the next time Andrew appears while I’m sucking your clit, you should really let me know.”
He waited to see what her reaction would be.
Her mouth dropped open and she said defensively, “I wasn’t sure if that was real.”
He hadn’t expected that.
“What do you mean?”
She glared at him. “When you were…doing what you were doing, I just kept thinking about what it would be like for someone to suck my nipples at the same time. And all of a sudden someone was there sucking my nipples.”
Ian could feel the anger simmering beneath his skin.
“No, you didn’t wonder what it would feel like for someone to have their mouth on you, you were thinking of a specific person.”
She didn’t flinch from his gaze and nodded. “I’m sorry, Ian, but how was I supposed to know that if I thought about Andrew he would appear? Is that normal here? Because I can tell you that things like that don’t happen in Oklahoma.”
Ian turned away from Lexi. No, it definitely wasn’t something normal, even in Sinoda. Only two types of people could summon someone at their desire. And thinking of Lexi as either choice scared him to death. He just prayed no one had noticed Andrew’s appearance in the brothel. It would only bring more unwanted attention to Lexi in Sapphire City.
Finally, he said, “Go to sleep, Lexi. We’ll talk more in the morning and figure this out.”
Chapter Seven
Lexi barely slept all night. She kept running Ian’s words over in her mind. He was mad at her for summoning Andrew, which she understood. She didn’t know how she would feel if he summoned another woman to appear while they were having sex. It also bothered her that he aroused her and then told her to go to sleep.
The more she thought about it the more she was starting to realize she was changing. She had gone from getting glimpses of what people were feeling to being able to summon them. Deep down, somewhere inside her, she knew she could summon anyone she wanted to and it scared her. Was it because she was the One or a Witch?
Ian was trying to hide his thoughts from her but she had still been able to pick up on a few. There was something about the queen that he wasn’t telling her and it was something important. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at his sleeping profile.
“Jerk,” she muttered.
She desperately needed to use the restroom so she quietly left the tent. Her cramped muscles protested as she stood and stretched her back. When she looked around, the sight she saw made her gasp.
Apples were scattered all over the grass. The morning dew caused them to shine like rubies. The apples in the trees were more breathtaking though. Gone were the red apples from the day before. Now they were a light green with yellow mixed in.
“Yum,” she said to herself. “They look like golden delicious apples.”
She reached up, about to caress one of the delicious fruits when a hand pulled her back.
“Don’t eat it,” Ian commanded with a firm tone.
“Why not?”
Ian wasn’t listening to her, though. His eyes scanned the horizon rapidly. She could see his pulse throbbing in his neck. Something was wrong.
“What—”
He shot her a look that told her to be quiet. She followed his gaze, trying to see what he saw but nothing looked out of place. In the distance, she could see smoke rising from a chimney. At least, she thought it might be a chimney. The smoke drifted lazily into the air, mixing into the purple and blue streaks of the sky.
“Ian?”
He finally looked down at her but it wasn’t a look she wanted to see.
“The Witches have been here.”
Panic rioted within her chest and she swallowed loudly.
“How do you know? Are they still here?”
Ian stepped away from her and ran his hand through his hair. His silence was worse than anything he could have said. The Witches had the perfect chance to capture or kill her and they hadn’t. What kind of game were they playing?
He finally
said, “The apples. I know they were here because the apples have turned. Nature can’t fight their magic so it’s always the first hint they’ve been near. Their magic must have called to the fruits while we slept.”
“What would’ve happened if I ate the apple?”
From the look on his face she knew what he was going to say before he spoke and the anguish she felt coming from him took her breath away. She would have been poisoned on the spot and died a horrible death.
“You would have died.”
He turned from her and went to the tent, breaking it down in a few moments. She watched silently as he put it in his pack and then extinguished their campfire, erasing any evidence that they had been there. His words danced in her mind. She would be dead if he hadn’t come out of the tent to check on her.
She sighed. The only thing she wanted was to be home, in Oklahoma where there were no Witches. Except…back in Oklahoma there was no Ian.
Without looking, Ian knew Lexi was scared. The nervous vibes radiated off her beautiful, pale skin. His hands clenched into fists. She had nearly died right before his eyes and for a split second, he feared he wasn’t going to save her. One bite from the green apple would have poisoned her instantly. She would have been dead before she hit the ground.
The Witches must not have seen their campsite, though. If they had, they surely would have killed them while they slept. It would have been an easy kill and that very fact pissed him off. Why had he left the holding compound without backup? He should have insisted that Andrew accompany them. It almost felt as if he was playing right into their game.
He finished packing and stood.
“Lexi, we have to get to the palace today. Each moment you’re outside the protected walls, you’re in danger.”
She nodded silently and gazed at the apples in the trees. He wished she would say something but she didn’t.
“Once we get past the orchards, we’ll reach the Enchanted Fields. Sapphire City and the palace lie beyond the fields.”
She smiled tentatively. “That doesn’t sound too bad.”
He couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth so he said, “We’ll be sitting with the king by noon.”
