Yield (5 page)

At first return, Emma
’s brow was drawn and her arms were crossed.  If he laid one friggin’ finger on her I will jack up his face beyond recognition. 

“What
’s wrong?  What happened?”  Forget the dang rules again.  I pulled her close and held her.

“It was awesome
, Ames.  Their room was really theirs.  It had a bed and tables and...”

She was so excited, not anything like her face portrayed.  She went on for another minute before she looked me in the eye and asked if I was okay.  We were so messed up in the heads sometimes.

“You have to see it, Ames.”  Her hands were on my hips.

“Another time.”  I lifted my eyes above her head and caught the eyes of one who loathed me dearly.  At that moment, I had a change of heart.  She was mine and no one would take her from me.

“I change my mind.”

“About what?  Did I hurt your feelings?” she asked. 

Burning deep was a fire only she ignited.  She encouraged me to be the person she claims I am.  The good man who fights for what is right.  She’s right for me. Minus the feelings comment.  Men don’t share feelings.

“What I want.”  I watched her fiery face light up, but Caydon knew who I spoke to.

“That’s rather selfish on your part,” Caydon said pointedly trying to spare Emma with his way of answering my directive, but he would lose this no matter what I had to do.

“I am a selfish man.  Either way, she
’s mine.”

“But the treaty...” Caydon lifted one hand in her direction. 

“Is null and void. I will find a way. If she is the queen, she has a say so.  If she chooses you, so be it.  If she chooses me, then I keep what is mine.”  It wasn’t true, but I could pretend a little longer.  He knew I was stalling.

“And if she doesn
’t? Or can't?"

“Uh...wouldn
’t happen.  The
she
in this fake drama you two are pretending I can’t hear is part of the equation.  Besides, if I’m in charge, I say the treaty is null and void.  The end.”

Ode to her directives.  She
’d make a great queen.

“She has some reading to do.”  He meant for the treaty to be found and he was hoping she could lead us to it.  He didn
’t love her.  Damn loyal to the court punk.  For all I know—and continue to rehash—the damn curse was a hoax to keep the realms apart.

Caydon flagged a guard over.  I tightened my hold on
her waist as she flipped against my body and glued her back to my front.  Caydon held out another stack of papers I recognized as my own penmanship.  He wouldn’t dare!

Those were null and void now too.

“Tomorrow.”

“
Today
.”

“No.”

Verbal ping pong at its worst.  “
Guys,” I waved my hands in front of both their faces.  I don’t think either noticed they were right up in each other’s faces with me between them. 

“You can both buy a clue.  Whatever you
’re hiding isn’t worth arguing over at the moment.  I will find out in due time.  I always do.” 

I might have mumbled the last words a little lower to avoid speculation or extra comments from the testosterone committee, but it didn
’t work.  And he might not have thought I recognized his handwriting on the top of the stack Caydon was holding, but I did.  I confirmed once again that Ames and Caydon weren’t recent acquaintances.  Enemies!  Freniemies!  Something!

“Maybe, but twenty-four hours is all you get
, Cahn.  Then I want her back and in her parents’ room.”

This Caydon guy goes from sweet talker to rude butt in two seconds flat.  And tomorrow was my birthday.  I didn
’t want to be away from Ames. 

“
Done.”

“Not if I have to come without Ames.”

Caydon lifted a brow in my direction meant only for me.  It wasn’t innocent, yet it wasn’t rude.  It was as if he were pleading.  I wouldn’t say on that day that I would ever change my mind about Caydon Morrow, but I did.  In so many ways.

Away from the Loggin realm we left.  I was never so apt to be gone from a place as I was from there with Emma, Jem Loggin in my possession.  Caydon would give it everything he had and I was sorely afraid he might achieve it.  But not without a fight.  Giving up a girl I didn’t know was easy back when we made the deal.  Giving up the realm was easier.  Nothing is that simple now. 

Those papers, messages, told lies.  I made those promises in a different light. 

“Would you like another frappe?” I asked her.  I needed to cut the fingernails that were digging into my palms for gripping the steering wheel like a steel bar. 

“I
’m good.”  She tapped her leg with her fingers.

“Know that much.  Late lunch?”

She watched me during all this display of nervous tension and need to blast a few hundred anythings to smithereens. 

She nodded no again. 

“Want to go see Wicker and Katelyn for a sec?”

Her eyes said she knew I was up to something.  Her mouth told me it was okay to go where I asked.  I was only seeing pumpkins across the force I was hiding to keep from scaring her.  Smashed pumpkins.  Thousands of them.

“You knew Caydon way before me, right?”

I can
’t do this right now.

“I asked him to help me with the orchard.”

Him! 
Him
help?  “Why did you ask him?”

She folded in away from me.  “He offered.”

“Why didn’t you ask me?  Because you thought it too difficult a task for me?” 

“I just assumed you
’d help without asking. I didn’t think it would hurt your feelings.”

There was that word again.
Feelings.
  I officially hate that word.  It shouldn’t be a word.  And women should know it is a female cuss word not to be used on a man.  But they sure do throw it around like so.

Yawp!  I needed air.

At the small enclosed clearing where Wicker kept the ball rolling on a daily basis, I was not let down by the small amount of gourds left intact.  A huge pile of watermelons stood beside it. One look at me and Wicker knew something was up.  Of course, he bypassed asking me and went straight for her. 
              “What’d you do to him?”

I didn
’t make it around fast enough to see her initial look because it was obvious she’d changed whatever was there before with the plastered smile on her sweet lips. 

“I see.”

No, he doesn’t. 

“You need a few minutes on the rock?”

I felt her nudge my arm.  Her face showed up in front of mine and she whispered, “Go!”

Maybe she really did get me.  No girl had ever tried.

I fell in step with Wicker then stood waiting and ending up alone since he made his way back to my girl.  I knew he’d try like heck to get it out of her the second she left me, but did I care?  No!  I’d rather not have to go into it with him and it would be better if she did it anyway.  It would sound lame and pure stupidity coming from me.

Making my way to the
place where normally the newlings stood seemed laughable with the way I felt.  I stepped up to the first ledge that held back the newlings and climbed on the top.  Before I even had the thought in my head, the rock in front of me split into pieces.  Good thing this girl didn’t affect me.  At all!

“Um, I think we need to move away.”  Wicker put his arm around my neck and pulled me farther into tree cover. 

“Is he going to be okay?” My voice shook giving away my apprehension with leaving Ames alone.

“Why don’t you tell me what happened?” he asked after we settled on the bench that I knew was new to the area.  It’s the same place I stood in hiding when I first came here nearly a year ago.

“Ames took me to see my mother
’s apple orchard...or what’s left of it.  When we were there a guy showed up and invited us into my realm.  I don’t think Ames was happy to see him, but I don’t get why he’s this angry.”

“
Ahhh, you met Caydon.”

Was that a question?  “Yes.”

“I see.  And what went down with that situation?”  Wicker always acted the jokester in a way, but he was older in his ways.  Like a mentor or something to any who seemed unwise in comparison.  It’s not that he looked down on the person he was trying to help, just well,
fatherly
.  A rather hot father figure for looking around twenty-fiveish, but I’m not complaining.  Rather him than a wrinkly of toothless wizard who spit his aged wisdom in your face.  And I didn’t mean just the advice.

“Just a tour and seeing my parents
’ room.”

Wicker was deliberating something more than what I was giving, but wasn
’t telling.

“You know something I don
’t.”

“I know lots of things you don
’t.”  His smirk reminded me that men always keep certain things from us women folk “for our own safety” and all that hoopla.  I knew the drill by now.

“Don
’t play that game with me.  Just tell me what he’s mad about.”  We heard a long bang and then a crack.  I thought he was just here to practice and get some frustrations out, but it sounded like he was destroying the whole area.

Over my shoulder I asked, “Should we go check on him?”

“Oh, no.  That wouldn’t be a good idea.  The last time he was this angry people got hurt.”

“Hurt. How?”  Diabolical, cunning men surrounded me masked by a strong gentleness when they felt my frustrations consume me to the point I needed a release
myself.  We were all so in tune with each other.  Maybe it’s a goblin thing.

“No matter.  Tell me more about your visit with Caydon.”

I shared every last detail.  It wasn’t a secret, but I felt traitorous telling Wicker all the details of seeing my parents’ room before telling Ames.  Wicker nodded and pondered through it all and at the end just sat and stared at the trees above.

“
Well?” I begged.

“I think I shouldn
’t be the one to tell you this, but I am anyway.”

No one premised that with good intentions.

Crack!

I swallowed looking over my shoulder.

Clunk!

Wicker turned my head back to him and away from the TNT area.

He was mad at me for something I did.  “Whatever it is, I’m sorry it made him this mad.”

“It
’s not what you think.  He’s not mad at you.”

“Then what?”

“A piece of paper that says you’re not his to keep.”

I might have ventured into poor actions on my part in saying yes to wanting to see my realm.  I might have even let my mind think I
’d screwed up by walking away from him to my parents room in the false pretense that he really just wanted to me plead for him to go with me.  But I didn’t for one second think it would be because he thinks he might
lose
me.

“
I don’t understand.”  Understatement of the century.

“You don
’t want to,” he sighed.  “Ames is from our realm.  Caydon is from yours.  Ames told you about the treaty made by your parents.”

I nodded.

“Well, also in that treaty was an agreement of the arranged marriage kind.”

Oh!

What the bojangles!

Oh!

“Paul Wicker.  You better be lying your butt off.”

“
I wish I was.”

Guess that was my genie wish for the day.  Somehow, I didn
’t think it would come true...today.

“And this arranged thingy is with someone other than Ames, I
’m guessing.”

Wicker nodded gravely.

I shifted in the direction of where the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life continued to pound on objects without the least bit of slowing down.  It had only been about ten minutes or so, but he didn’t seem to be tiring out.

“What was the other time he came here this angry?” I asked.

Wicker chuckled, “The day he met you.”

Hmm!

“I’m going to go talk to him.”

Halfway in the air, Wicker tried to stop me.  Not having it.

Cautious of being harmed by flying debris, I called out his name as I tiptoed closer.  No noise came from any direction.  In fact, not a peep since I stood up.  I peeked into the clearing and surveyed the atrocious display of smashed pumpkins and watermelons littering the ground.

“Ames.”

Across the field of gourd happy rubbage was Ames bent over with his hands propped on his knees and hiding his face. 

“Ames,” I said again a little louder, but raspy sounding.

He still didn’t look up. 

“
You can’t just avoid me forever and hope it goes away.  I get that you’re angry, but it’s ridiculous.”

His eyes lifted and I wasn
’t sure I wanted the look they were giving.  It wasn’t the answer I was looking for.  A mixture of anguish and fear, hatred and pure pain. 

“I
’m glad you find it funny,” he steamed. 

He was mad at me.  Wicker was wrong.  “Forget it.  I
’m sorry I’m not what you want.”

I stomped two steps at a time knowing he
’d try to catch me and make me answer to what I said.  I didn’t care.  I couldn’t do mean guy comebacks.

“Emma, stop.”

Nope.
              “EMMA, please.”

Okay.  So I am pushover when it comes to Ames.  I let him stop me with a strong hand to my shoulder.  His index finger dug into my shoulder blade.  He closed in circling his hand around the front of my waist and rested me against the length of his body, sweat and all.  His scent was warm and fresh, not at all bothering me like it should.  Breathing raggedly, he said low beside my ear, “I
’m sorry.  I don’t know how else to react right now.”

Apology accepted.  “Ames, a dumb piece of paper can
’t rule our lives.”

I was heartbroken by his face knowing that I knew.  A secret I
’m sure he thought he was sparing me from hurting over.

“Even if I could agree with you, it wouldn
’t be enough.  You haven’t heard all the facts and until you do I need to give you the time to hear them.  I hope with everything that the odds will turn in my favor, but until you return to…” he closed his eyes, “Listen to what Caydon has to say, you can’t decide anything yet.”

“Nothing he says will change how I feel.”  I looked at where the area was completely destroyed by the man standing beside me.  He could take out a moving train, I think.

Yeah, Ames was the “bad boy” image I’d vowed to stay away from.  And maybe he even qualified as the ultimate bad boy in terms of not quite human, but I mean what I said.  Nothing would change how I feel.

“Maybe, but a deal is a deal.”

I knew there was a punch line I was missing.  “Deal?”

“I promised Caydon a long time ago that you would hear and see your family
’s heritage regardless of what the circumstances were.”

But... “You were taking me to Joshlin initially, not to him.”

Circumstances be damned.  I wasn’t believing this.

“Even unde
r pressure you think so clearly.”   A faint smile emerged from the lips I kind of wanted him to kiss me now.  He eyed where my look was targeted and lifted my chin to make me focus. “I agreed now...and then that you should hear the history that was buried with your parents.  You have the right to know.  Caydon is the only one who can tell you how to get to it.  It is the reason their room is still intact.”

“So you wouldn
’t go not because you wanted me to go alone, but because you can’t.”

“Oh,
I could go wherever I wish, love.  I just don’t go back on my promises.  I may not like it, but it is the right thing to do.” Ames nudged his nose into my neck. 

“So there
’s something hidden in my parent’s bedroom?”

“Of a sorts.”

“And you know what that is?”

The heat of his sigh warming my own already dewy skin made my insides crawl with excitement I should not have in this particular moment. 

“Ames?”

“Yes, Emma.”

Whatever it was, he was afraid it would make me want to leave him.   A kind of fear I’d never felt enter my mind lapsed into my soul.  Was there something about Ames I didn’t know?  About myself?

“One day you will tell me more about all of this.  Like why your handwriting was on the letters Caydon threw in your face.”

“They weren’t letters.  They were messages.”

Men and their definitions.  “We
’ll get through it together, Ames.”

He swallowed long, “We will?”

“I heard a phrase once told to me by a wise man.”  He stared at me.  “When you run into a wall...”

He smiled for the first time in hours showing his d
imple lifting up on the left, “You push through it.”

“
We
will push through it.  Together.”