Yield (31 page)

He promised me he would never go on a mission at night unless it was absolutely important.  He also promised that I would always know everything that was going on involving a mission, but last night had nothing to do with realm business. 

Of course, he left me hanging and said it did pertain to me and I would know soon.  He looked almost giddy about it.  I’d never equate Ames as giddy or anything, I just couldn’t think of another word for it.

Days went by with not a negative word from any direction.  We didn
’t hear from either grandmother either.  Another week went by spending days just living, planning a very discreet wedding, and running the realm.  I spent a lot of time in the gardens hidden in the haze of the mountain, while Ames spent time guiding the guards stations and monitoring the day to day question and answers.  And day missions of secrecy involving Wicker, Trigger, and a few others.

I volunteered in the book room to organize the past into a paper version “card catalogue” system.  I felt like I should put on ugly glasses, shove a pencil in my hair, and wear pantyhose.  While several of who reached to the outside world used cell phones, the majority of the realm never left to the human world.  I might not need it, but I liked getting texts from Ames.  And we had to have them for when Trigger or anyone left on missions.  We weren
’t inside the mountain and we weren’t far from human civilization, so the towers reached.  Not awesome service, but still.  Technology was just a different bird altogether.  Once I stood back and looked at the big picture of where I lived now, I was glad they had a septic system. 

Ames planned on updating more he just wanted to ease into for the sake of the people. Culture shock, as he called it, would shut them down and abhor the usefulness of any technology.

I offered the opinion as an outsider looking in at this wonderfully hidden world that shouldn’t need too much technology for the simplicity of living the way they do.  It would be damaged by the introduction of some choice technologies and not others.  Helpful tools to aid the way they already live are great, but tools that would alter the existence of the realm could potentially be devastating.   Like television.  The realm had every kind of music, brought in by the ones who left, but not anything like MTV.  They played video games, but only the ones brought in by the ones who left.  It was odd what was okayed before I came and what wasn’t, but as a whole the people were good people. 

I wondered when they accepted electricity, but got a laugh from Katelyn whom said that she
’d never not had it.  The goblin world was just picky on what was subjected to them. I couldn’t agree with them more.

I initially thought them to be way too Amish like, but really they weren
’t.  They embraced what could help them, but not what society has warped as a whole.  The best way I can describe it was they just lived. 

After three weeks of a routine, Ames announced that he had decided on a wedding date.  We
’d talked about it several times, but it always ended with him saying, “Let’s do it tomorrow.”  I’d get upset and tell him my dress wasn’t ready and he’d go to the kitchen to eat yet again. 

We weren
’t arguing so to speak, just disagreeing.  He had some reason, other than the wedding night bliss, that he had in the back of his mind.  He just wouldn’t tell me what it was.

So after several weeks of indecision, he told me this morning it would be next week and he wouldn
’t take no for an answer.

Not knowing how to argue a man down from wanting to marry you, I agreed.  Rushing the ladies making my dress was the real issue.  They growled at the timeline, but embraced it when I told them they could do all the flowers too.  Us women are so easy when it comes to beautifying the world.

Emma didn’t know my reason for the short notice on the wedding.  I’d tried for weeks to set a date and she always said it depended on the dress.  I let it go not knowing how to tell her I wanted to have this “special little drink” to make her magic come back ready to go.  I’d made a list (friggin’ tired of lists) of what all she’d sacrificed for me and would be.  I certainly couldn’t tell her that I thought sacrificing her virginity to me would be the ultimate one since I didn’t deserve her in the first place.  Making myself even think about that night, much less picture it had me walking crooked.  I had the whole night planned and was as nervous as a boy seeing a girl naked for the first time. I couldn’t believe I actually get to keep her all for myself.

Of course, thinking thoughts like that made me rage at any man ever seeing her or even getting near her so I tried to steer clear of the idea but I
’m a friggin’ dude verdangit.  I can’t focus away from that for too long.

Either way, she
’d sacrificed her magic and that should be enough.  I’m not waiting any longer with one exception.  I want to be married to her first.  I didn’t want her going through that pain again until after I’ve given her what I hoped was the best day of her life.

“Can I talk to you?”

Emma was flying by me on the way to where she thought I had no idea she was hiding the dress.  I hadn’t planned on knowing or looking, but I went to ask Trigger’s mother a question last week and there it was.  Unfinished, but is perfect.  I couldn’t wait to see it on her.

“Of course,” she glanced sideways in the direction she was headed and back to me with a smile.  I could tell she was stressing over having things done in time.  She needed a distraction.  Hmmm!

I was on the way to check on the dress.  The ladies were planning to stay up all night to finish it and I wanted to be sure they were comfortable. I hated they were doing it with such precision it took all their spare time, but they insisted.  And I really wanted my dress done.

Ames stopped me halfway there and wrapped his strong arms around the whole of me, then slowly walked me backwards into the shadows of the little hidden corner behind the main hall doors. 

His lips barely touched my neck before I crumpled in his arms.  His hands went straight to my hips where he knew I
’d fall apart at even one kiss.

“What are you doing
, Ames?”

“Hmm!” he moaned.

“I only have a week, Ames.”

“Hmm!”

The second his lips hit the spot just below my ear, I was completely gone.  Wobbly armed and jelly legged. 

Ames moved his kisses up and I forced my eyes open to not miss the burning secrets his eyes would tell me he was feeling.   They didn't let me down. 

His mouth moved meticulously slow across the corner of my mouth with every single one leaving heat trails across my skin.  He refused to close his eyes, so I didn’t either.

But then...then he really kissed me.  If time moved on, I never knew it.  Everything around me was all Ames.

And then he left me there.  Cold and alone without ever asking whatever it was he wanted to talk about. 

I
’d never contemplated revenge, but I was changing my values on the subject where kisses from Ames Cahn was concerned. 

I was there to ask her about meeting me after dinner to tell her I would be able to get her magic back for her, but her worrying eyes made me forget my purpose. I just wanted to make her forget things for a little while.  When I walked away fast to keep from taking it too far, her desire was so strong I almost nixed the waiting game.  That
’s how I knew I needed to leave.

Maybe after the wedding was best anyway. 

I convinced her to sleep alone in her room for the next few nights saying it would be better.  She couldn’t see my reasons were because I didn’t trust myself and I felt like a heel for letting her get cold at night without me, but it would only be till Saturday.

One day till I am Mrs. Ames Cahn.  I couldn’t believe it was finally here.  Everything miraculously was ready and I haven’t seen Ames in over twenty-eight hours.  He agreed on text that we could secretly meet tonight for a few minutes in front of his room, but not anywhere it would be private space without someone to see us.  I giggled like a little girl at the thoughts I knew were passing through both our brains.  Oh, I was scared to death, but I couldn’t wait.

The day passed kind of quietly as the older ladies gathered and situated everything to perfection.  Katelyn was going to do my hair and makeup, but she
’d done all that before.  I knew I’d love it.

Dinner came and I was bouncing all the way to Ames door to see him.  The guards eyed me with grins that I couldn
’t read and before I could make a sarcastic remark, the door swung open and closed with Ames standing outside of it.

Hmm!  He was hiding something in that room. 

I pondered that quickly and then got back to the matters at hand.  I wanted to feel his arms around me but not in front of an audience.  Just seeing his face was relief enough from a whole day without him. I didn’t think about that when I agreed to a quick “hug” in my mind since I didn’t think he would even kiss me.  He had a whole argument with himself the other day of making this completely special for me.

I found it weird he was so adamant on making this so humanized and not like the goblin king weddings I read so much about.  My mother
’s wedding was like a beauty pageant on steroids with the man part of the winning line up.

“Let
’s move to your room for a few minutes,” he nodded to the guards whom nodded right back.

Was there a time in his life that Ames was not up to something?

Herded back to my room, I walked in without mentioning this was a “private space” and no one would witness our chastity.

“I need to ask you to do something before tomorrow.”

I wasn’t sure where this was leading, but I went with it.  I hoped he wasn’t upset with my inexperience or something.  “Okay.”

“I should have told you before now and it shouldn
’t be tonight of all nights, but I don’t think I can wait.  I want you to know before tomorrow comes.”

Now I was really nervous.  “If you want to wait I understand.  I was worried to about moving too fast with the wedding.  If you
’re having second thoughts, I’m—

His pacing stopped and his index finger was hushing my lips.  “You have it all wrong.  This is not about us or tomorrow or the wedding.  I want that moment more than anything, but I need to give you something else before I can let you marry me.”

I looked down at his shirt pocket and saw nothing pressing out.  He rarely wore a button down shirt, but he had for the last two days and today.  I giggled every time I saw him picturing a romance novel moment where he would unbutton it slowly and take it off under a water hose in the hot sun.  Ames was that hot.   Okay, so maybe that was my own fantasy, but it’s all in my head so no one knows. (Except sneaky telepathic witchy grandma’s who aren’t around at the moment.)

Ames took my hand and pulled me to the sofa in my room.  It was frillier than his and less comfortable according to him, but it wouldn
’t be needed for much longer.  I WAS MOVING!

I
’d forgotten to put away my journal I’d written in for weeks now.  Only yesterday did I place in there one of my most prized possessions.

“What is this?” he snatched it from the top corner of where it stuck out of my journal.

I blushed like always.  Marriage wouldn’t stop the heat he created in me.  He read it to himself before looking back up at me.

Her eyes like the sun, her hair like the yellow licks of a flame.

I had to see what it was she had that made the king so harnessed to have her.

I took the task in hope for a favor of the king.  She would take me to a new world. 

I watched his face reread the
whole
thing. Maybe I really only read the beginning part over and over.  I didn’t want to remember what he
almost
did.

Instead of committing on my kee
psake, he folded it over and laid it on top of the journal. He seemed to like that I kept it, but he wasn’t saying so.

“You know how much it meant to me that you gave up your magic at the risk of losing you,” he tenderly moved both my hands into his and held them between us with our knees touching.

“You’re scaring me, Ames,” I admitted.  Whatever this was, it was big.

“I found a way to get your magic back.”

I couldn’t help it.  I jumped straight up.  “You did.”  I was leery.

“Mrs. Clark said—

“She said we needed things that aren’t attainable anymore.  How did you get the gruroot?”

Beside the point.  Couldn’t she see what was important here?

“I just did.”

Her eyes narrowed to slits. “Then how did you find out the rest?”

I couldn
’t
not
tell her.  I sighed heavily and leaned back on the sofa to pull at my hair, “The night I was gone I went to my grandmother’s house and got it.”

Emma
’s head cocked to the side with disbelief, “And she just gave it to you.”

No.  “Yeah!”
             

“And you brewed it like a potion all by yourself?”

I’m not incompetent!  “Yes,” I said a little perturbed at her lack of confidence in me.

“So you
’re saying you think me drinking that will just push the magic back into me?”

“Should.”

“Why now?”

“Because it isn
’t right for me to ask this of you after the wedding.”  Her eyes clouded over and I couldn’t decipher the meaning.

“Why not?  And thank you for leaving behind the one word answers.”

Growling, I couldn’t help but want to kiss away her anger at me.  “I wanted to spare you the pain in case it’s like when you drank it the first time, but I couldn’t bear to not give you back what I took.”

“You didn
’t take it.”

“Might as well have been.”  She sat back down beside me.

“Oh, Ames.  Quit moping about something I don’t necessarily miss.  I got what I wanted.  I’d like to start enjoying him a little more which is what tomorrow is for.  I’m sitting right beside you and I’m still not close enough.  Magic means nothing to me.”

I was sure she held me responsible and just wouldn
’t say it.

“But I have it and you don
’t.”  Did she just reference that she wanted to have sex with me?

“I told you,” she moved on top of my legs and nestled her rear into my knees.  She sure knew how to distract me.

“I am happy with or without magic.  If I get it, fine. But it isn’t a deal breaker.  I don’t hold you responsible and I don’t care if I get it back or not.”

I kissed her.

“Now what are you here for again?” she asked pushing off me.  I promised myself I wouldn’t touch her once today.  So much for that.

Instead of answering I pointed to the cup on the table beside her.

“When were you in my room?”

That
’s
what she asks now? 

“Just drink it.” I
’d busted my rear to get this thing and mixed it alone in my bedroom.   I needed this done. 

“Okay.”

Finally.  Without any buildup, she downed it. 

The same as before, she hated it.  Nothing happened.  Nothing.

“Maybe it takes a little longer to return,” she offered up.

Or maybe I got the measurements wrong.  Or Grandma Clark offered up the wrong list.  Or she lied altogether.

I thought back to that night.  It was two or three minutes before Emma started doubling over.  I had the essence of her mother in it. I didn’t ask if it would work the same way in reverse like the creation itself.

“How do you feel?” I asked.

“Fine,” she sat up straight and crossed her legs.  She had on her jeans and the second shirt I gave her for her birthday.  Barefoot, she tapped her foot on the floor trying to hide her nerves.  If that fake smile wasn’t the giveaway, the tapping was. 

Five minutes.  Quarter of an hour.  “
I don’t think it’s going to work, Ames.  I’m telling you I’m fine with it.  Quit worrying.  I don’t need it.”

Devastation and remorse for being the one to destroy something within her was eating at me.  “I will find a way.” 

She didn’t know I had a backup plan.  I worried something might go wrong, as was my nature, so I would pull out my own drink when I returned to my room.  If she goes without it, I do too.
              Emma drew her legs on the sofa and stood up on her knees beside me just as something banged on the wall.  She ignored it and put her face above mine, “I know you will because that’s who you are.”  She kissed my nose.  “I have complete faith in you.”  She kissed my cheek.  “I trust you Ames Cahn that you will do anything and everything to make me happy.”  She kissed my other cheek.

And I smiled because that
’s what this girl wanted me to do, but inside I was reeling with what I had to do next to make it happen.

“
I don’t want to leave you alone,” I admitted.

“I can
’t let you stay.  Besides, a girl begged you to sleep with her for days now and you turned her down.  Some guy you are.”

She was just joking, but it wasn
’t a joke to me.  Anything but.

“Then Katelyn is sleeping in here.”

“Already planned on it.  She is standing right outside the door waiting now.”

I popped my head that direction.