by Rachel Angel
“I’ll head over in a few minutes,” she simply said.
With a shrug, he headed off and Ally went inside to find a tired and haggard Kate.
“How are you holding up?” Ally said as she put her arm around Kate’s shoulders.
“A little frazzled, to tell you the truth. It’s one batch of tea after another. One batch of potent potion after another. One sick and infected person demanding treatment after another. I’m working as fast as I can, but despite the strength of these remedies, the infected keep coming.”
“What about the ingredients?”
“I’m down to the bottom of the bag of leaves for the tea, and I have only half a bag of the soil left.” Kate looked at Ally. “The way things are going I think I’m going to need a whole lot more.”
“I think you’re right.”
“And I think I’m going to have to enlist a few assistants. If I could get a few others to just brew the tea, that would leave me with more time to work on the potion.”
“I’ll find you someone, and I’ll go out and get more soil. Right now, however, I need a bit of that tea. Do you have any around here?”
“There’s a fresh kettle on the stove. Still hot.”
“Okay. I’ll take that, tend to a few townspeople here then head out to find more soil.”
“Ally, I don’t think it’ll be enough if you just bring a bag or two. Honestly, I think we’ll need a cartful, especially of those leaves. It goes fast.”
“Right.” Ally grabbed the kettle while trying to figure out how she could bring back such an enormous quantity of soil and leaves. “I’ll find a way.”
She headed out and joined William in the vacant house. “Here,” she said. “Give them all a good dose of this, and if they don’t respond, give them another dose.”
William took the pot of tea. “And where are you going?” he said as she turned to leave.
“We need more soil and leaves. Lots of it. I need to find a horse and cart.”
William gave a dose of the strong tea to the worse of the infected. “We need that much?”
“Yeah.” She drew in a long deep breath and tried to think of who she knew who had a cart.
William moved on to the next patient and administered the dose. “I think I might know where we can borrow a cart, and if we ask really nicely, he might also loan us his horse.”
“Really? That’d be great.” She looked around at the room of infected townspeople. “Okay, I’ll help you with these patients, then we’ll head out to find that horse and cart.”
She took a tin cup and poured a bit of tea in it and went to a bed where a young woman lay, her face contorted in pain and horror. “Take a bit of this,” Ally said, even though she knew the young woman probably didn’t hear her. She was too far along.
But Ally brought the tin cup to the woman’s lips, pinched her cheeks in until she was prying her jaw open and forcing the woman’s lips apart. She then poured a bit of the warm liquid into her mouth.
Patients sometimes spit the potion out, or choked on it and threw it up, but the young woman swallowed it and was soon looking better.
Ally moved on to the next patient and the next and the next, and soon she and William had taken care of all of them.
“Okay, now let’s go find ourselves a horse,” Ally said.
William set the kettle down while their patients sat up and chatted amiably together, some already standing and tending to the others whose recovery was a little slower.
“Come on,” William said. “It’s not far.”
They headed down the main street, turned down a narrow lane and came to a small house with a large barn out back.
“Mr. Garrett,” William called out. “It’s Will. I have a favor to ask.”
“That’s usually a surefire way of ensuring the person doesn’t come out to greet us,” Ally said.
“Don’t worry. Mr. Garrett isn’t like that. He’s the kind of person who is always going out of his way to help out others. You’ll see. He’ll come out.”
As if on cue, a tall, thin man came out of the barn, a bale of hay on his shoulder.
“What you want, Will?” the man said, setting the bale down and quickly cutting the cord off with a small knife, releasing the hay. He grabbed a fistful of hay and tossed it over the top of the enclosure where a pig snorted happily.
“We need a horse and cart. You know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t an emergency,” Will said.
Mr. Garrett, his leathery face warmed with a smile, looked affectionately at William. “I know you wouldn’t. Old Betsy is out back. She’s not fast, but she’s reliable and docile. She’ll do whatever you ask her to do.”
“Perfect.”
“I’ll go back and harness her,” Mr. Garrett said. “You go around the barn there and bring out the cart.”
The older man headed to the right while Ally and William went to the left and found the cart beside the barn.
“It’s a bit smaller than I would have liked,” Ally said. “But it’ll have to do.”
William grabbed several discarded potato sacks and tossed them in the cart. They then brought the cart around and met up with Mr. Garrett who quickly hitched the horse to the cart.
“I should have her back to you by the end of the day… tomorrow at the latest.”
Mr. Garrett waved dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. Bring her back when you’re through with her. Just make sure you let her feed, rest and most importantly drink.”
“You know I will.”
Ally got up and sat on the hard wooden plank at the front of the cart, while William grabbed the reins and climbed up to sit beside her. They waved goodbye and guided Betsy to the main road.
“I’ll drop you off in town,” Ally said. “And be on my way.”
“No,” William said, surprised by her suggestion. “I’m going out there with you.”
“There’s no need, William. Besides, I think Kate needs you here in town.”
“Not as much as you’ll need me out there. Come on. Admit it. The ride out there will be easier if you’re not alone, same goes for retrieving the ingredients, and then the ride back.”
She looked at him. “I guess.”
He tugged on the reins and led Betsy out toward the desert that led to the Dark Forests.
“You know,” William said as they clip clopped across the desert. “I know things have been crazy lately, but I’m disappointed we’ve not had a chance to spend some time together.”
“Things have been crazy,” Ally said.
“And you’ve been spending an awful lot of time with those princes,” he added. He waited for her response.
Ally sensed he wanted to hear her explain why she was spending so much time with the princes, but she said nothing.
“I’ve missed you, you know.” Again, he waited for a response from her. “Did you miss me?”
Smiling, Ally looked at him. “You know I thought of you, and everyone that I love from The Borders, but things were so hectic at the Academy, I barely had time to miss anyone or anything. I mean, there were fleeting moments when I missed conversations with Kate and Bilbo’s cooking and just horsing around and hanging out with you, but I was really busy.”
She heard her own explanation, her justification realizing that she hadn’t really missed him at all and felt strangely guilty about it.
But, hell. He was her brother. How many sisters really missed their brothers when they were apart for a few months?
“I know you probably think of me as just a brother,” William said. “But we don’t share biological parents. We’re not blood siblings. It’s not the same.”
Perplexed by the direction the conversation was taking, Ally began to wonder what was really going on with him. In all her years of knowing him, he’d never shown any signs of interest in her other than the normal interest of a brother for his little sister or had she missed it?
“It may not technically be the same, but the emotional link is… well, you know. I look at you as a bro
ther.” She punched him playfully on the arm. She did always found him attractive, though. She was always proud to him, and felt special when he gave her all his attention rather than to any of the girls who came around to see him.
“Well, I have to admit that I don’t just think of you as a sister. I haven’t for quite a while. I mean, I’ve kept it to myself, but… ah, hell, you’re so pretty and you’re sweet and, well, you’re just so…”
He let go of the reins suddenly and turned to her, pulled her into his arms and kissed her with such urgency, Ally was suddenly afraid of him.
His lips were hard and demanding on hers while his tongue forcefully made its way into her mouth, seeking to taste her.
Caught off guard, she was offended by his unwelcomed affection. “Will,” she muttered through his kiss.
“Oh, Ally,” he said, almost drooling with desire for her. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that; to kiss you, and taste you and… oh, damn, how I want you; all of you.”
“But, William…”
He released her suddenly, sat erect facing forward and took hold of the reins. Whistling a tune, he acted as if nothing had just happened.
Ally shot him a curious glance. Something was definitely amiss. It wasn’t like him to be so brash, then so dismissive.
For a moment she wondered if he could be infected.
They rode on for a while longer, in silence save for a few moments of mindless chatter.
Finally Ally directed him to the knoll where the strange plant grew in the strange soil. The moment they hopped off the cart, Ally knew something was wrong with him.
She’d known him for so long and she now recognized the difference in his stance, his walk, and when he turned to look her in the eyes… That look. It wasn’t William.
“Where do we start?” he said, his words seemingly innocent enough, but the look in his eyes told the story. He’d been bitten. She was certain of it.
She debated whether to make love to him to cure him, or simply let him eat a few leaves.
He decided for her, quickly walking to her and pulling her in his arms. His body was hard and his arms held her like a vice.
“William,” she said through his kiss. “I need to check something on you first.”
“Check away, baby,” he said as he backed away and opened his arms, inviting her to examine him.
“I need you to take off your clothes.”
“Oh,” he said with an aroused chuckle. “You naughty little thing.”
He stripped off his clothes and stood naked and proud in front of her.
And he had reason to be proud. Wow, what a specimen of a man. Ally had never looked at him in quite that way. She’d always known him to be strong and athletic, but she’d never considered him as a sexual being.
But now. She licked her lips, certain now that the solution to his infection was making love to him. She suddenly hungered for him.
“Now what?” William said with a grin. “Do you get naked, too?”
Caught up in his playfulness, Ally smiled and nodded. She took off her clothes, noting with every discarded garment, the light in William’s eyes.
“I want to eat you,” William whispered, his voice so hoarse, it was unrecognizable.
The words alone were enough to make Ally wet. She backed up to a large flat boulder, sat down and spread her legs.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” William said with a visible shiver of arousal. “Shit.” He approached her and knelt between her legs.
Licking his lips, he looked at her, his gaze trailing up her thigh and clinging to her feminine folds.
“You seemed so infatuated with those damn princes, I was certain you’d never look at me the way you looked at them, but now. Shit.”
He brought his finger to the moistened folds and ran it along the tender flesh, down to her vagina and back up along the sensitive flesh.
Ally’s jaw went slack, as she let all tension leave her body and simply let William’s touch pleasure her. She leaned back, resting her head on the thick moss that covered the boulder behind her.
With narrowed eyes, she watched William approach her and bring his mouth to her. His soft lips covered her clitoris and played with the sensitive nub in an exciting way.
He was slow in his motions, bringing a heightened level of sensations. There was no rush to this orgasm. It was going to be a slow ride, slow, so slow, but bringing her to heights she never would have imagined.
Every time she thought he would bring her there, he backed away, let her come down a bit while he gently stroked his cock.
The ebb and flow, the ups and downs, every time going higher, every time getting more intense; it was almost too much. Part of her wanted to beg him to bring her all the way; to allow her the release of that all-powerful orgasm, but another part of her wanted it to go on forever.
The sensation, the anticipation; it was all such an exciting ride.
Keeping her on the edge, he licked her thighs, tasted her calves, went up to relish her breasts and lick her neck. “I want every part of you, Ally. Every part. Damn, but I love you.”
While his fingers circled her clitoris, keeping her on fire, his lips latched onto a nipple and brought it to full erection.
“I’ve always dreamed of this moment,” he said as he released her and looked into her eyes, his fingers still circling her clitoris. “I know it’s forbidden. I know the world looks at us as brother and sister, but I never have. I’ve always seen the sexy woman you are, and I’ve always desired you the way any healthy red-blooded man desires a beautiful sexy woman. And now that I have you, now that I’ve seen your full beauty and tasted you, I know that you are more than I could have ever dreamed of. Every inch of you tastes like heaven.”
“Then eat me,” she said, suddenly unable to wait any longer. “Fuck me.”
He lowered back down between her legs and brought her to the brink again, but this time, just as her orgasm threatened to shake her, he came up and rammed his hard cock deep inside her, stroking the very core of her until her orgasm had her convulsing on the boulder.
She felt his essence in her and when she looked into his loving eyes, she knew she’d cured him. It surprised her somewhat. She thought she’d only be able to cure dragon shifters, and now wondered how it was that she could save humans.
William stood and looked down at her a moment before offering her his hand to help her up. She reached for him and stood then grabbed her shirt.
“Don’t,” William said. “Let me just look at you for the time that we’re here. Put your clothes back on when we’re ready to leave.”
Ally blushed. “I don’t know. It’s a little weird.”
“Well, I’ve seen all of you now. There’s no point hiding.”
“I know. It’s just… I don’t know. While making love it’s one thing, and this…”
“I’ll stay naked with you.”
She laughed and nodded. “Okay then. I guess I can try.”
William reached into the cart and pulled out two of the potato sacks and handed one to her. “Where do we start?”
Ally led him to the very spot where the strange plants grew and they set to work.
“You’re older than me,” Ally said after a while. “You were, what? Eight years old, maybe nine, when I arrived at Kate and Bilbo’s.”
He shrugged as he shoveled dirt into his third sack. “Something like that.”
“Do you remember anything about my parents? My biological parents? I mean, did Kate or Bilbo ever talk about them?” She snapped off leaves and dropped them into her second sack.
He shrugged again. “They said they were special, but that’s kind of a vague comment. I knew they’d adopted you after their death, but…”
“That’s all?” she said, disappointed.
“I often heard them say that you were special, but I always thought they just said that because you were adopted… you know. To make you feel more at home or something.”
“Did you
ever notice anything special about me?”
He smiled and looked up at her. “I always thought of you as special, Ally. From the very first time I saw you, I knew you were special. I was actually quite upset when my parents announced they were adopting you. I didn’t want you as a sister. I wanted you as my girl, and I knew that it would be impossible if they adopted you.”
Chuckling, he tied up his full bag and tossed it into the cart with the others and grabbed another empty bag. “For weeks I argued with them and came up with all these reasons why they shouldn’t adopt you.”
Ally laughed. “Like what?”
“I told them you’d stolen my toys. Then I said you’d deliberately broken Kate’s favorite mug. And one time I even hid Bilbo’s wallet under your mattress and told him what a thief you were.”
“My God, William! That’s horrible.”
He grinned. “It was all because I loved you. I loved you so much that I wanted you out of my house.” He laughed.
“Did they believe all of your lies?”
“Not one bit. I think they knew what I was up to. They knew that I was attracted to you.”
“Did they ever prohibit you from pursuing me?”
“They didn’t have to. I knew what it would mean once you became my sister.”
Ally tied her bag of leaves and hauled it to the cart and tossed it over the sideboard.
William tied up his bag of soil and brought it to the cart to toss it in. He then turned to Ally, took her hands in his and brought her knuckles to his lips.
“I love you, Ally. No matter what happens with this war… when it’s finally over, I just need you to know that I love you.”
She smiled and affectionately patted his cheek. “I’ve always been so fond of you, Will. You’ve always shown qualities that I thought I would want in a husband someday, but I never thought it possible.”
“Well, think about it now.”
She nodded and got back to work, and William followed her. Soon the cart was full and they were on their way back to town.
“Have you thought of options other than these potions?” William said after a while. “I mean, I know that they’re effective and all, but… I don’t know. It seems we just can’t get ahead.”
She knew he was right. Every time she thought they had the upper hand, they learned about another facet to these monsters.
