Home in Your Arms (14 page)

“Ian. Wake up.”

Ian’s eyes opened and he found Miki leaning over the bed
with a smile on her face.

“What are you so happy about?” he rasped out.

Everything was torture now. Even the blood pumping through
his veins was turning him on. And as much as he hated to admit it, he was glad
Miki was there.

“I heard your stupid girlfriend was dumb enough to try to
seek help at the Wooden Brothel. She hasn’t been seen since leaving with
Colleen so I’m sure you can guess what that means.”

Colleen was the top recruiter for the Wooden Brothel. Her
ability to slip innocent people drugs and get them addicted was notorious. If
Lexi had fallen into her trap then she would end up being one of the whores at
the brothel. She might not even realize what was happening until it was too
late.

“Andrew will save her.”

He hated that it was his friend who would have to save her
but he wasn’t dumb. Anyone depending on him for help was doomed. He was
probably going to die on the very bed that he was lying on.

Miki chuckled. “That’s where you’re wrong, lover. Andrew
couldn’t even save himself. He’s here, in the dungeon. I’m not sure what we’re
going to do to him yet. It might be fun to keep him around. What do you think?”

Ian closed his eyes and didn’t respond. A hand grasped his
cock and squeezed so hard that he was coming before he knew what was happening.
He cried out as the orgasm went on longer than the previous one had.

“You bastard. When I ask you a question, I expect an answer.
Now. What do you think we should so with Andrew? And don’t say let him go
because that isn’t going to happen.”

Ian gasped out, “I don’t know, Miki.”

She laughed. “You know I can help you out if you ask. Every
time you come, it’s going to get worse until your body can’t handle it. If you
let me ride you, it will take some of the edge away.”

Ian was desperate. He nodded. Anything would be better than
the unsatisfied feeling left in his body. Miki unbuttoned his pants and his
cock sprang out. It was harder than he had ever seen it before and she purred
in approval.

“I wish my sisters could see this. They never did believe me
when I told them you had the most beautiful cock I’d ever seen. But I won’t
share you with them so there is no need for them to be in here.”

Miki slid the lacy panties she wore off and draped them
across his face. Her familiar scent filled his nostrils as she slid onto his
cock. Someone moaned and he didn’t know if it came from her or him.

She began to move and his hips lifted, wanting to find
release. Their bodies moved as one and he hated that they found their pattern
so easily. The sex had never been a problem between them, though. It had been
her desire for power.

“Now, now…no thinking while we’re fucking,” she said as she
bit his nipple.

A shock of pleasure spread across his chest and he knew he
was about to come. Finally, he would feel relief. His balls tightened and he
cried out as he came. Miki clawed his chest as she came too. Ian’s entire body
trembled as he emptied his seed into her but instead of feeling better, he felt
more wired than ever.

Miki began moving on top of him again and said, “Did I say
having sex would help you? Silly me. I meant to say having sex would make you
crave it even more. I guess it’s a good thing I have a very healthy sexual
appetite.”

Ian cursed as he came again. Waves of pleasure coursed
through his body and he knew he would never get enough.

Miki stopped moving and asked, “Do you want me to stop?”

“No,” he cried out. “I need you.”

She grinned. “I knew you would see it my way sooner or
later.”

He knew he was lost now but he didn’t care. If this is what
his life was going to be then at least it was with the one person who would
never deny him. Lexi’s face crossed his mind but he shoved it away. She
deserved better than him and the sooner he forgot about her, the better off he
would be.

* * * * *

The cave had finally emptied out as the other men left to
get ready for their shift at the palace. The vibe in the air filled with
excitement and Lexi could not stop smiling. It had been a long time since so
many of the men had felt hope.

Carter picked up her cape and pulled something from the
pocket.

“Where did you get this?”

She glanced at him to see what he was talking about. He held
a small weapon in his hand and she realized it was the same gun Sully had given
Ian.

“Where did you find that?”

“In the pocket of your cape.”

She thought back to the moment in the Enchanted Fields when
Ian had pressed something cold against her back. He must have slipped it inside
her cape then.

“I think Ian put it there.”

Carter replied, “Then we have been blessed indeed. This is
one of the tin master’s weapons. It might be the only thing that can take the
Witches down. And they have no idea it is so near.”

“How do you know?”

“If they suspected it was close, they wouldn’t rest until it
was found. The type of metal used in the bullets is so rare that they would be
able to sniff it out but they won’t know it’s near until it is too late. This
is perfect.”

Several different images of the Witches getting their heads
blown off crossed his mind and he smiled at his thoughts. Lexi didn’t smile but
saw it as quick thinking on Ian’s behalf. He had to have known that the weapon
would come in handy.

“There is one thing I was curious about,” she said. “Why did
they want Ian so much? What is he to them?”

Carter’s eyebrow lifted. “Didn’t he tell you?” When she
shook her head he went on, “Ian used to date the eldest witch, before she was a
witch of course.”

The news stunned Lexi. Why had Ian never mentioned it?
Carter’s thoughts began to drift to rumors he had heard of the Witches and of
Ian.

Lexi shook her head. “No, you’re wrong. Ian would never help
them.”

Carter shrugged. “I won’t argue with you, my lady. All I can
say is they captured him when they could have had you. What does that tell you?”

She tried not to let his words bother her but they did.
Capturing her would have made more sense if they thought she was the One. But
they had taken Ian instead.

“Come, my lady. It is time to leave.”

Turning to Colleen, she said, “Thank you for everything.”

Colleen, who was smoking a cigarette, replied, “It was my
pleasure.”

Lexi smiled and twisted her hair into a bun before slipping the
helmet onto her head. Glancing at the small mirror above the dresser, she was
pleased to see that she didn’t look feminine. The less like a woman she looked
the better.

“Remember, don’t make eye contact with anyone while we march
to the palace. They’ll know something is up and sound the alarm. When we get
inside, follow me.”

She nodded and took in a deep breath, trying to calm her
nerves. Carter held out the gun and she slipped it in the back of her pants
where it fit against her skin as if made for her.

Carter noticed and said, “That right there is why Sully is a
true tin man. His weapons have minds of their own and know what to do.”

“He’s inside the palace somewhere, as well as a man named
Brian. We must try to rescue them too.”

“Four men? You have high hopes, my lady.”

She smiled up at Carter. “And faith in the men who are
leading me into the lion’s den.”

Her meaning was clear. She trusted him with her life but she
knew he was honored. And it had been a very long time since he had done
anything of honor. A horn sounded in the distance and Carter motioned her to
follow.

“It’s time.” He paused and then said, “If I don’t make it, I
want you to know how thankful I am that you saved me. I can die knowing I was
free.”

She blinked her tears away. “You won’t die, Carter.”

“May your words be true, my lady.”

He grabbed her hand and kissed it before letting it go. She
waited a moment and then followed him. Though it was morning, the sun did not
shine. She wondered if it was because of a spell the Witches had cast. They
seemed to fear things that gave people hope.

The men got into their marching formation and she slid into
a place behind Carter. One of the other men was hiding in his tent so that the
numbers would not be off when they switched places with the guards inside the
palace. She worried that he would be harmed if he was caught but as he had told
her, it was his risk to take.

Carter yelled out and they began marching. Luckily, the men
surrounded Lexi or else the others would surely be able to tell she didn’t
belong. With each step they took, Lexi could sense the pain and agony coming
from the palace.

Some of the feelings were coming from the guards heading
their way. Their skin had fresh marks from where the Witches had beaten them.
One of their thoughts drifted her way and she had to bite back a smile. Andrew
had not gone down without a fight. She was also able to tell that he was still
alive.

As they got closer to the other guards, Carter called out to
them and they replied. She knew this was her sign to lower her eyes. She looked
at the feet of the man in front of her.

They were almost past the other group when someone yelled
out, “Halt.”

Lexi kept her head low as the leader of the other group came
up and said, “Something isn’t right. Carter, did you really think you could get
away with it and no one would notice?”

“Notice what?” Carter questioned, ice dripping from each
word.

In his tone alone, it was clear why he led the Witches’
guard.

The other man smirked, “We know you had a woman in camp last
night. She was spotted entering but was not reported leaving. Thought you could
slip her past us without sharing, didn’t you.”

Carter laughed but it held no humor. “Yes, I fucked a woman
last night before handing her off to most of my men. What of it?”

Lexi’s face flamed. It sounded horrible when put like that
but she wasn’t about to voice her thoughts on the matter. Besides, he spoke the
truth. Colleen
had
slept with all the men in camp.

“Where is she now?”

Carter shrugged. “I don’t know nor do I care. She’s probably
dead after being pounded all night long.”

There was a rowdy round of laughter from the other guards
and Lexi could feel her own men getting angry. She pushed a calming thought out
to them and it seemed to work, which surprised her. One man near her even
sighed as she shared a thought of strolling barefoot in the sand. It was one of
her best memories.

She then pushed a thought toward Carter, which caused him to
cough as he tried to cover a laugh. It was of the other man wearing women’s
clothing and makeup. He would make a hideous female.

“See you later, asshole,” he said as he began to march.

Lexi lowered her head as they passed the other group and was
thankful when they weren’t stopped again. She was also glad no one had noticed
the change in most of the men’s eye color.

As they marched, the ground became harder to tolerate.
Carter had warned her that the terrain would become very rough before they
reached the palace and to make sure she didn’t trip. Each of the guards was
trained to walk the ground barefooted so they knew every inch of the earth they
protected.

The jagged rocks dug into the soles of her boots but she
kept marching with the others. The tunes that some of the men hummed help her
keep in step with them, which she was thankful for. Finally, a loud horn blew
as they reached the gates of the palace.

A crow cawed as they entered and she was surprised to see
that the bird had green eyes as the men once had. What was inside the Witches
that caused everything they touched to take on a green hue? Was it a sign of
possession?

She didn’t have time to ponder it anymore because Carter
called out for his men to follow him. The other men marched to their posts
where they kept watch over the palace. Lexi kept her head lowered as her group
made their way toward the palace.

The guards weren’t allowed to enter the palace through the
main doors. Instead, they took a staircase located near the moat to reach the
dungeons. Carter assured her that once inside they would be able to use the
stairs within the palace to find the men she was looking for.

The moat bubbled and seemed to have a mind of its own as
they grew near. Dead fish and human remains floated on the water until the
bubbles swallowed them up. Lexi wanted to gag at the scent but knew better than
to draw attention to herself. Carter had warned that one form of punishment was
to drink the water from the moat. Most didn’t survive.

They reached the stone stairs and began to make their way
down. Fresh blood made the stairway slick and Lexi prayed it wasn’t from
Andrew.

“The other captain would have told me,” Carter said under
his breath.

She hadn’t realized she had pushed her thought toward him.

“When we reach the bottom my men will go to the left and we’ll
go to the right. If your friends are alive, they’ll be in the dungeon cells
that are enchanted. Be prepared to fight.”

Lexi nodded as they reached the end of the stairs. The men
sent positive thoughts her way as they went to interrogate a new prisoner. She
knew they didn’t want to hurt anyone but they had to until they were free.

Carter went to the right and she followed. With each step
they took, the light seemed to dim until it was nearly impossible to see. She
held her breath as someone ahead screamed followed by a woman’s cackle.

“Poor little baby. As if this is the first time you’ve had
something put up there.”

Lexi shuddered. She didn’t want to know what was happening
but had a pretty good idea.

The hallway ended and she could see several cells, each
glowing green with the magic that protected them. The cell at the end of the
row was open but she knew that was where the Witch was also torturing the man.