by Lauren Wood
“We will move to the woods yes, don’t worry. There are only around 100 people at the most in this town. Don’t worry about the money, I had it. Please Colleen you need to think of the baby.” Kaiden told her, trying to calm all of her fears at once.
“I just think we would be better off without anyone around us.” Colleen looked out the window her fear apparent.
“Look at any sign of someone knowing who either of us are, I can do a spell. It is a hard one to do, but I believe I have enough magic skill to do it.” Kaiden explained.
Colleen looked at him, she studied him deeply. She saw no sign of betrayal in his eyes. He did love her, she could tell that so she felt safe.
“You will do this spell if anyone notices either of us?” Colleen questioned again.
“Yes I promise you that I will do the forget spell if anyone says a word to us that we have to wonder if we have been discovered or not. I will not make us run, not while you are pregnant. I also promise you that within the next few months I’ll start looking for a place in the woods for us to build.” Kaiden said, putting his hands on top of hers. “Please just trust me. I won’t let a single thing happen to you or our little child.”
She smiled up at him. Her fears seemed to be something that would drive her crazy. “Let’s go out and get some goods for our new home then. We will see if anyone recognizes me. I stand out a bit more than you do anyway!” She commented.
It was true the Queen would have a bounty on her head for sure by now. If they weren’t far enough from home, or if someone around here was from out of town, they might notice her.
“Alright, let’s go.” Kaiden said and walked with her outside.
He helped her get into the wagon. Heading into town, Colleen had a dreadful feeling cross over her body. She wasn’t sure why, but she had a feeling that something might take place. She hoped that Kaiden was ready with this spell. In fact as she thought about it maybe they should have just done the spell without going to get the goods.
She turned to him about ready to ask him what he thought.
“I don’t know if that would be a good idea. What if no one notices you? If I use this spell I don’t know how long it will take to recover. We use it now, and in a month or two someone notices you, I may not be able to do anything. That will mean we will have to flee while you are pregnant, and much more so at that point.” Kaiden commented.
“Aye, you are right.” She admitted.
He pulled up to the front of the store that looked very small from the outside. “ I don’t know how much stock they have on hand, but hopefully enough to start with!” He stated.
They walked in and the shop keeper looked up.
“Hello, new to town?” He asked them. He seemed like a friendly sort.
“Yes we just move down from up north.” Kaiden stated, not giving the correct direction they had come to town from.
The man looked at Colleen. “You look very familiar, do I know you from somewhere?” He asked her. His eyes got a far off look as if trying to place her face.
“No I don’t think so sir.” She answered, but felt the thrill of fear shot throughout her body.
Kaiden squeezed her hand to calm her down.
“The eyes they remind me of someone I once knew I think.” He finally commented and looked away from the couple.
They bought their goods and left the store.
“Did he know me?” Colleen asked almost before they were out the door.
“I’m not sure he had too many questions going around in his head. But I will do the spell once we get home if you want. Or we can wait to see if he says anything to anyone. He didn’t have a direct link to who you might be set in his mind though. So we might be safe.” Kaiden explained.
“That mind reading ability you have is very helpful.” Colleen commented.
“I love it.” Kaiden admitted.
“Let’s wait to see if he says anything to anyone before you use the spell. But we might have to be very careful about it. All it takes is one person thinking the wrong thing, and I don’t know if they will kill me or simply turn me over.” Colleen stated.
“I can tell you he had nothing in his mind about killing you for now!” Kaiden commented. “If he had he wouldn’t be alive still.”
Colleen looked at him no doubt that he was telling the truth.
“Is there a way you can try and focus on the whole town’s thoughts?” Colleen asked.
“It would take a lot out of me too, and trying to keep them all separate would be impossible for now.” He stated.
“But if you hear someone think something well you can do the spell, right?” Colleen said.
“Alright let me do it when we get home. I’ll see if I hear anything.”
When they got back to their new home, Colleen put the things away and Kaiden sat down to focus.
Colleen watched him from the other side of the room. The whole time she couldn’t get away from the feeling of fear in her mind. She watched as his brow furrowed.
“I’m sorry dear I’m going to have to do the spell. I hear far too many whispers about an heiress being in the kingdom. Someone the Queen is searching for. I don’t know who brought in the rumors or anything. But I know we need to stop them now.” Kaiden explained.
“I had a feeling this whole time.” Colleen admitted.
Kaiden focused and chanted the words for the spell. Colleen watched intently as he looked as if he aged years in front of her.
“I don’t know if I’m strong enough. I might be able to do it.” Kaiden stated.
She walked over behind him and put her hands on his shoulders. “Use some of my energy if you need too.”
“I can’t it may hurt the baby. This has to be all me.” Kaiden admitted.
As she watched she saw a few of his hairs turn gray on the sides of his head. The moments passed and more hairs turned color. Colleen began to worry wondering if he was going to survive this spell.
Finally, he fell to the ground. “It is done, we are safe. But I’m sorry baby we will have to stay in town for a while. Please help me to bed.” Kaiden whispered.
Colleen looked at him. “Will you be okay?” She asked, worried.
“Yes I just need sleep.” Kaiden said.
Colleen helped him lie down on the bed and curled up beside him. He placed a hand on her stomach. “It is safe for us now. But I don’t know how long this spell will last on them. I also placed a barrier up around the town to not allow new news into this town. It is what really took the power out of me. However, we can be safe here for a long time now. I hope anyway.” Kaiden said and closed his eyes.
THE END
WILD DEVOTION
Chapter one
I was never much for the great outdoors, but something changed when Travis left me for somebody with a lot more experience. It opened my eyes to how I was living my life. I wasn’t making my mark or trying different things to make it worth my time to open up my eyes in the morning.
“I can’t believe that you’re here with me. I thought it was going to take a lot more arm twisting to get you to come.” Stephanie was a wild child born under the lucky star and had no problem sharing her voluptuous figure with those she selected to take to her bedroom.
“I’ve been trying a lot of different things lately. It makes me feel alive for the first time in my life. The best thing that could have ever happened to me was Travis leaving me. It was better that it happened sooner than later. I didn’t think so at the time, but I’m learning to walk a few miles in somebody else’s shoes.” I was looking out the window at the desolate scenery and there was this sense of calm that came over me.
“Brandy, I’ve been trying to get you to come with me on these excursions for as long as I can remember. You have no idea of what you are missing out on by roughing it. There’s something primal in how we hunt and fish for our own food.” She was born with a rifle in her hands.
“I have gone camping when I was younger, but it has been quite some tim
e. I’m definitely going to need a refresher course. I don’t want to be the only one standing around not knowing what to do.” I took the precaution of getting one of my male friends to show me the basics of setting up a tent.
I was wearing these cargo pants with many pockets. The white top had a couple of buttons undone for some relief from the stifling heat at this altitude. There was no air conditioning, but the hardtop was taken off of the jeep from the moment we started out. It was a behemoth with the character of something that had been driven rough.
“I would suggest that I take you underneath my wing, but I think we can find a more masculine substitute. Have you noticed the muscles of the driver? That man is a feast for the eyes. I’ve always been a sucker for those with tattoos. I’ve seen the way that he has been looking at me when he thinks I don’t notice.” I did notice the same thing, but their attention had given me a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
The driver was conversing with the passenger and they seemed like little boys playing at being men.
The price was right. I couldn’t say no when Stephanie told me the deal that she was going to get for 10 days off the grid.
The last house we had seen was almost an hour ago. The majestic beauty of nature was all around us. I was nervously pulling at my long blond locks. Something was bothering me. I got the feeling those who had planned this excursion had something up their sleeve. They were way too accommodating and pleasant, but I could see through the welcome embrace.
“Stephanie, my mother told me never to take candy from a stranger. Don’t you think the price was a little too good to be true? I know you don’t question these things. There’s something in the way that they look at us that is making me uneasy. I wish that I could shake this feeling, but I can’t.” Her hand touched my fingers in a reassuring gesture, but it was doing nothing to quell my fear that something was wrong.
“You always worry when there’s nothing to worry about. Who was it last year that said that we were all going to lose our jobs? You had us running around the office in a mad panic trying to put together our resumes. It turned out the company was going public and offering its employees hefty pay raises and stock options.” I was never going to hear the end of that, but she wasn’t wrong about me being pessimistic.
“My father always told me to be cautious when somebody is offering too much of a good thing. It usually means they are hiding something.” He was a wise man and losing him a few months ago turned my world upside down.
“I loved your father, but he never was one to trust easily. His death was a wakeup call for all of us. I began eating healthier by eliminating sugars from my diet and exercising regularly.” I was right there with her when she took up jogging and I was not immune to the avid stares of the men getting a look at our bodies.
We didn’t do it for any other reason than to make ourselves feel better. My perception of myself was a real problem when I was growing up fluctuating from one weight to another. I had learned to enjoy my extra curves. I wasn’t stick thin. I was big boned at 150 pounds, but everyone knew that muscle weighed more than fat.
“His reckless behavior made him a perfect candidate for a heart attack. Eating greasy foods and smoking was his guilty pleasures. My mother tried, but failed to make him see that his health was nothing to take for granted.” My mother had decided after my father’s death to move to Boca Raton with my Aunt Catherine.
It was a huge step, but the haunted memories in the house made her feel that she couldn’t move on. Selling it broke my heart, but I knew that she had to do what she had to do for herself. I didn’t like the idea of her flaunting her wares in Florida for all of those available single men. I wanted her to be happy, but I didn’t want her to be happy without my father. It was selfish of me to think that way.
“We’ve never been in better shape in our lives. I can’t get over the transformation I see in the mirror every morning. I feel better and I have a whole lot more energy. I don’t wake up in the morning and roll over and go back to sleep on the weekends. We’re both up at the crack of dawn getting an early start to the day.” She gave me her vote of confidence and the motivation to change the little things to make my life more rewarding.
“Travis got in on the ground floor when I was becoming the woman I’ve always wanted to be. He took a chance by striking up a conversation and I was foolish enough to think he was going to be different. I just want a real man who can be strong and confident, but also can show his softer side.” A burly man with a thick beard and callous hands was my fantasy man.
I was through playing the field with those who had their life planned out for the next five years. I was guilty of the same thing, but I had designs on treating each day like it was my last.
I was 5’5 with an apple bottom and nice honeydews to grab their attention from a fair distance away. I was having a problem seeing what they were seeing without having a mirror nearby with my reflection showing that all the hard work had paid off.
“I’m usually exhausted after only a couple of days. This time is going to be different. I won’t have any problem keeping up with the demands that are going to be asked of us. Neither one of us is ever going to have to depend on a man again. It’s a sad state of affairs when women no longer need the firm hand of a man to guide them. I don’t know about you, but I could use that kind of attention in the bedroom.” She had a toy chest of different things but was reluctant to share her kinky perversions.
“One day you will find that man who will desire those kinky thoughts in your head. The day we can find someone that isn’t a liar and a cheater is when we’re going to have to claim him. Don’t give up because of a few bad apples in the bunch. We can’t judge an entire gender over the actions of those who don’t know how to treat us right.” It was always the same thing with the same twinkle in their eye turning toward another.
“I don’t want to think about the past. We don’t have to think about those guys. I see a few viable candidates, but some of them are fooling themselves. Did they really think we wouldn’t notice the brand new safari outfits they are wearing? They are wannabes. They have no idea what they’re getting themselves into. I get the feeling there’s going to be a few crying for their money or maybe that’s their mommy.” There wasn’t one who had the eye of the tiger.
“Ladies we have come to the end of the road. This is where we go the rest of the way on foot. Grab the one bag you brought with you. Don’t expect us to carry your luggage.” The man’s name was Peter Winter and his leadership quality wasn’t in question.
His long black hair looked like it hadn’t been washed in days. He gave off this air of superiority that wasn’t very attractive. It was actually ugly and made him something to be avoided at all costs.
“There was nothing in the brochure that mentioned we were going to have to hike the rest of the way. Are there any other surprises we should know about?” Nobody was going to ask the hard questions and it came down to me to say something.
“In the five years I have been doing this nobody has ever been bold enough to ask. This is definitely a first for me and for the rest of the guys. There is one other surprise. What we asked you to bring with you was not only to help you to survive. You made the mistake of judging the book by its cover. You’re going to need your wits to navigate this treacherous terrain and we’re not going to be there to hold your hand.” That feeling I had in the pit of my stomach was growing with each sarcastic word coming out of his mouth.
“I don’t suppose you would like to elaborate on that statement.” The rest of our group had gathered in one place by the Jeep. I could hear wildlife screaming at us to run while we still had the chance.
“This should tell you everything you need to know.” He took out his rifle and the deafening sound of it turning on us was a cold hard slap in the face. “This isn’t the trip you planned. We’re going to give you a 5-minute head start. If you’re still here by that time then we will have no choice but to make you the first casualty of t
he hunt.” Everybody thought he was joking, but I knew the seriousness of his tone.
“That’s not funny. I paid good money for this experience and I take a dim light on you making fun at our expense. I have a good mind to request a refund.” This guy with a brush cut and an attitude was poking his finger into Peter’s chest.
“It looks like you need something to convince you that running is your only option.” He pushed the man back with the muzzle of the gun and fired point blank into his chest.
Stephanie screamed and the man looked down stunned by this latest turn of developments. I grabbed Stephanie and dragged her away while she was still in a state of shock. Her mind was overwhelmed, but her body was being played like a puppet with my own hand.
“Run my little pets. This is going to be fun.” His words echoed in my ear with my eyes straying to the expensive new watch I had bought for the occasion with the 5-minute time limit running down with each second.
I was terrified beyond words, but this was no time to lose it when our lives were perilously hanging in the balance. The image of that man becoming a victim was permanently burned into my memory. I couldn’t get over the look in his eyes. We didn’t stick around long enough to see him perish.
Chapter two
She had been unresponsive for the past 20-minutes. I made her put the training she had been putting herself through these last few months to work. It was exhilarating, but I was also very aware of the dogs barking at our heels. We had walked into a nest of serial killers. It was almost comical. We had paid for an experience to remember and we were getting more than we bargained for.
“Stephanie, I need you to come back to me. I can’t carry your weight and protect us at the same time.” In my hand was a hunting knife and I turned it several times to see the gleaming steel glint in the sun.
“He…he killed him without even flinching. It happened so quick that I didn’t have time to process it. What the hell are we going to do? We were informed from the very beginning that there was no cell coverage in the area. Calling for help isn’t an option. I don’t want to die this way.” She was speaking to the choir.