by Sarah Bale
She hadn’t voiced her fears to anyone, though. If they knew she would face risks in her realm, they would try to stop her from leaving.
She nodded and said, “Thank you, Father.”
“Are you sure you won’t stay, Lexi? We could find a way to make it work…”
“No. I just can’t. But if you need me, you know where to find me.”
Her magic tied her to Sinoda. If they needed her, they only had to go to the Veiled Room and seek her help. She would be back in the realm by the end of the first night after summoning her.
He smiled at her. “Always in my heart, my daughter.”
She threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. Hank and Brian were next, both kissing her cheeks until she cried at the love she felt. Sully stood a few feet away and simply bowed. She understood, though. He didn’t want to be overcome by emotions.
Carter pulled her into a hug and whispered, “Thank you for freeing me, my lady.”
“It was my pleasure, Carter.”
Colleen gave her a quick embrace and said, “You would have been my best girl at the brothel what with your magical skills.” Then she said, “Thank you for ensuring my baby will have a good life.”
Andrew was last. “I could come with you, if you wanted.”
He was willing to leave his home just to make sure she was happy. Images of the life they could share as friends crossed her mind but she knew he would never be at home in Oklahoma.
Tears began to fall down her face and she replied, “I need you to look after him when I’m gone. Make sure he’s taken care of.”
He nodded and kissed her on the cheek before stepping back. She took in a deep breath before stepping through the portal. For a moment, she thought she heard Ian yelling her name but before she could look, she was pulled through to the other realm.
Everything became a blur as time and space collided. She saw things she never thought possible in the cosmos between the lands. Things long forgotten stared at her as she crossed into the other realm and she knew she would never be the same again. She heard a loud popping sound right before she began to lower from the sky.
The humid air hit her in the face and she knew that a cyclone was close. Her body hummed as she wooed the storm into calming down. The people of Oklahoma didn’t deserve to see another tornado so soon. She entered the middle of the funnel and could feel the winds dying down. It, too, didn’t want to hurt anyone.
Her feet finally touched the ground and she found herself in her backyard. Just as her father had promised, her house stood as she had left it. She opened the back door and laughed. Apparently the engineers had decided to make some upgrades. Everything was brand new on the inside as if they were giving her a fresh start. She took in a deep breath.
Now all she had to do was learn to live without Ian in her life.
Chapter Nineteen
Lexi waved to her neighbor as she finished her nightly jog. She had been home for exactly two months now and had fallen into a routine. She woke up, worked from home, ate, exercised and then went back to bed. But that was all that it was. She was just going through the motions. And now…now she didn’t know what she was going to do.
She opened her front door and stopped in her tracks. Ian’s scent filled the house until it was hard to breathe. Her heart began to pound as she went into the kitchen. Ian was leaning against the counter as if he had been to her house a million times. He wore his black combat pants and green t-shirt reminding her of the first time they had met.
There was something different about him, though, something that hadn’t been there before. He was stronger now, stronger than he had ever been. She started to reach out for him but stopped.
“Is everything okay in Sinoda?”
Her father had told her the only way a Sinodaian citizen could come to her realm was if she was desperately needed. That had to be why Ian was there but was it the only reason?
His brows lifted and he said, “I suppose I deserve that.”
He took a step toward her and she held up her hands to stop him.
“What are you doing here?”
He took another step and put his hands on her shoulders, “I tried to stop you before you left through the portal. Didn’t you hear me calling your name?”
Her dreams had been filled with nothing but the sound of him yelling her name. Over and over she had dreamed about it and each time she woke up feeling like a wound had been ripped open.
“I… I wasn’t sure if that was real.” She swallowed and then asked, “Ian…what are you doing here?”
“I was such an ass. You have to believe me when I say that I had no control over my actions. It was the damn side effects of the Enchanted Fields.”
She tried to take a step back but was blocked by her table.
“I never doubted that, Ian. What I did doubt was how you felt about me.”
“I know and I hate myself for that. When you came to see me before you left, it was as if I could see you through a thick fog. When you kissed me, the fog vanished. And when your tear landed on me, I was healed. Everything was so clear in that moment that it took my breath away.”
“Why didn’t you try to stop me right then?”
“I did but no one believed me. They all thought it was just a trick so I could escape. I trained my men well, though, and they put up a good fight, which is partly why it took so long for me to come and find you.”
Hope was starting to blossom in her chest but she tried to fight it. It would kill her if he weren’t there for the reason she needed him to be.
“And why did it take you two months to come and find me?”
“Because I had to convince everyone that I was worthy of you. And I had to confess to my sins. It’s partly my fault that your mother died, Lexi. If I hadn’t been with Miki that day, I could have stopped Ricki and Vicki from capturing her and killing her.”
She shook her head. “I think we can all agree that they would have done whatever it took to capture my mother. You just happened to be there and became a pawn in their game. And I am sure my father agrees or you wouldn’t be here.”
An image of King Loren listening to Ian confessing crossed her mind. As she thought, her father had been more than understanding. He had figured the truth out years before and held no hard feelings toward Ian. His only regret was that his wife had not been saved but it had been unavoidable.
Ian’s lips lifted into a smile and he said, “There are a lot of people who love and care about you in Sinoda. We all want you to come back and not just because there is a threat of a new Witch rising.”
Her dreams had been correct then. For the last month, she had dreamed of a young Witch who had discovered that apples changed for her. She had taken the basket of apples and fed one to a woman from her village. The two had been rivals, both beautiful but the Witch felt the other woman would surpass her soon.
After eating the apple, the poor woman had fell into a deep slumber and the young Witch had fled in shame. Though she had not turned to the darkness yet, Lexi knew that she walked a thin line. If the people of Sinoda had sensed her powers then they must be growing, which meant that her people needed her.
“So you came to take me back to Sinoda to save the realm?”
He was still for a moment before speaking, “I’ve gone over this moment a thousand times in my head and each time it comes out different. Lexi…I was such an ass. If you won’t come back to Sinoda because of me then do it for your friends.”
“Because they love and miss me?”
“Yes. But know this…none of them love and care about you like I do.”
Goose bumps popped up all over her skin as he said the words she had been waiting so long to hear.
She said, “Say it again.”
“I love you, Lexi, and I can’t live without you. I will go wherever you want to go because your arms feel like home to me. As long as we are together, my life will be complete. Please tell me I’m not too late.”
He spok
e from the heart and his thoughts surrounded her much like her own thoughts had when he was with Miki in the tower. The love and passion he felt took her breath away and she blinked away the tears that filled her eyes.
She looked up at him and said, “There is one thing I need to know before I answer you. Do you remember anything that happened in Miki’s tower?”
His face clouded. “I didn’t at first but I do now.”
“Do you remember how I defeated her?”
“You surrounded me with your love and it killed her. I saw every moment that we shared together as you saw them. I had no idea I could be loved like that.”
She reached up and caressed his cheek, “Do you remember the last thought I sent to you before she died?”
He nodded and she could tell that he did remember.
“What if I told you that one of my new powers is seeing the future? That my dream I shared that day was more than just a dream?”
“Are you…are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
Joy and happiness surrounded her and her stomach fluttered in excitement. Even her little one could tell how excited Ian was.
“We must return to Sinoda at once. I can’t imagine raising our child anywhere else.”
She pulled him close and whispered, “I love you.”
He caught her lips in a kiss and replied, “And I you.”
“Now, let’s go home. I have a realm to save and news to tell our friends.”
The wind chime in the tree began to blow wildly as the wind picked up, causing it to sing its heart out. This time the song was a happy one but also a song of goodbye. Her time in Oklahoma was over and it was now time for her to go to the place she truly belonged. The scent of rain drifted toward her through the open window and the blue sky turned gray.
In the distance, a tornado began to lower though the sirens didn’t go off. This storm would only be there for a moment and its only path was right in front of her little house. Lexi took Ian by the hand and they went outside and waited. As it got closer, she grinned.
“Hello, old friend. Take us home.”
The tornado swirled around them, lifting them into the air and Lexi held onto Ian. She protected them using her love and hope for their future. Never again would Sinoda go without a female in the palace and the magic that flowed through her veins would pass on from generation to generation.
She kissed Ian as they crossed through the portal that would take them back to Sinoda. Already news was spreading of her return. She grinned. Anything was possible with love on your side and she was finally home.
She whispered into Ian’s ear as they began to descend, “There’s no place like home.”
About Sarah Bale
Sarah Bale’s family always knew she was destined to write romances when they saw the elaborate stories she created for her Barbie dolls as a child. Throughout middle school the writer inside Sarah began to bloom. At fifteen she penned her first book, which will never see the light of day if she has any say.
When Sarah is not writing she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. To keep her creative juices flowing she attends WWE live events–who wouldn’t be inspired by all those muscles! She resides in Oklahoma and doesn’t plan on leaving any time soon.
Sarah welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Also by Sarah Bale
Fighting for Desire
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
www.ellorascave.com
Home In Your Arms
ISBN 9781419991950
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Home In Your Arms Copyright © 2014 Sarah Bale
Edited by Victoria Reese
Cover design by Kelly A. Martin
Cover photography by Valua Vitaly, O.V.D., Elena Blokhina, Oleg Senkov
Electronic book publication August 2014
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