"Until The Fall" - 12/48
Title: Until The Fall
Author: Rissy James
Characters: DG, Cain, Azkadellia, Jeb, Glitch, Raw, Tutor, the Queen, Ahamo, and some old & new OCs (updated 03.09.09)
Pairing: Established Cain/DG; established Jeb/Az
Rating: M
Summary: Sequel to " Of Light". After an annual of living in the O.Z., DG sets out to complete the task given to her by the Gale. Soon, she must learn that there is always more to everything than first meets the eye. (updated 03.18.09)
Extras: Cast Page on livejournal.com (updated 04.05.09)
Warning: Good morning, Mr. Cain ;)
Chapter Twelve
DG awoke to the bluish-grey of pre-dawn. Her surroundings were unfamiliar as she opened her eyes, she was lying in the wrong place... but no, it came to her fast. Milltown, her sister, Wyatt... she covered her eyes with her hand, as one after another, the memories slid into proper place, until she was able to uncover her eyes and know where she was. She was lying on her side, near the edge of the bed; sometime during the night, she'd rolled away from Wyatt. Turning over onto her back, her foot collided with the firm length of his leg. He lay on his back, one hand on his chest, the other on his stomach. The blanket lay over his hips, gripped in the hand resting on his abdomen.
Why she was awake, she didn't know. It only seemed as if sleep had come to a sudden stop. Blinking, letting her eyes adjust to the dimness, she tried to remember if she'd been dreaming. Nothing came to her, only the memory of falling asleep wrapped up in Cain's arms, and then blissful emptiness until her eyes had popped open.
The night before came into sharp focus, as her brain began to waken, and she wasn't sure on what she wanted most to concentrate on - Azkadellia's summon, her decision to head to the Realm, or Cain's unexpected back-down and concession. She had no idea why he'd given into her so quickly, and she wondered if she had cause to worry. She wasn't used to him giving her what she wanted without a fight, or at least the illusion of some sort of resistance.
Its always what I want... what about what he wants? I don't even know what that is, she thought, the realization making her heart plummet and her need to get closer to him sky-rocket.
She moved carefully now, turning onto her side to face him. Propping up on an elbow, she studied his outline in the weak light. His maker had drawn him broad, with hard, solid lines. She resisted an urge to reach out, to feel the softness of his skin or the tickle of the hair that covered his arms. The straight of his nose, the angle of his jaw - these were things she knew were there, despite the cover of dark.
He slept soundly, and his breathing was even. Daring to scoot bare inches closer, until the crook of his elbow was pressed into her belly, she tried to get a better look at his face, but the shadows in the room were still too thick. Cain... Tin Man, hero, white knight, what have you, did it matter? More than those things, and yet just a man. Father, friend, lover... she raised her hand and laid it down on his chest ever so gently, to rest just over his heart, to feel its strong beat beneath her palm.
“... Believe me, heart's got nothin' to do with it...”
DG sighed, her mind coursing through a torrent of memories, the path that had led them here, to the warm bed and their naked bodies and her hand keeping still over his heart. She felt honoured that he trusted her so much with the most fragile piece of himself.
I love you, she thought, letting it slip away. No sooner had she wondered if the intruding thought might wake him up than Wyatt was stirring, shifting. The hand on his stomach let go the blanket to shoot up and grasp her gently by the wrist. “Hey,” he whispered, “you all right?”
She smiled. “Of course I'm all right. I was just thinking...”
“I know,” he said with a gravelly chuckle, “I could hear you.” She was surprised at how tense he'd woken up; she'd startled him.
“Sorry about that,” she said, feeling guilty that her neediness had woken him up. Wyatt relaxed his grip on her wrist, and she pulled away, trailing from his heart down to his abdomen, coming to a stop near the edge of the blankets.
“Mmhmm,” he hummed, as his hands came up to cradle her face, capturing her efficiently. He pulled her into a soft, chaste kiss. “I love you, too, Sweetheart,” he said as he ran the tip of his nose up the side of her face, a most tender caress. He seemed to be sitting back, waiting for her; DG took a small breath, and she let her hand go lower, following the light sprinkling of hair that created a trail from his navel downwards. She felt his muscles tense under her skating fingers, but he made no move to stop her, and she found herself smiling.
“Anything else you were thinkin' about?” he prompted teasingly, as her exploring fingers found his length already half-hard; he hissed sharply between clenched teeth as her fingers circled his base, then stroked upwards once. Heat from her hand seemed to pour straight into him, fuelling his rapidly awakening lust. He turned onto his side and propped up on an elbow, mirroring her position. His hand settled just above her hip, his big fingers dangling down, tickling her lower abdomen as he waited for her response.
“Well,” DG said slowly; she took the time to briefly lick her lips. When she didn't continue right away, his hand grasped at her waist firmly, his thumb sweeping heavily over her skin. Whimpering, her hips bucked forward instinctively, and her fingers tightened about his erection. Thought... she'd been having a conscious thought, at some point... right? Oh yes... “I was thinking about what you want.”
Again, Wyatt laughed. How could he be laughing? She might very quickly be swept away in the pounding of her heart and the sudden ache in her lower abdomen, but damn it, there wasn't anything funny. His arm was snaking around her to jerk their hips together; startled, she let go of him, her hand shooting up to grip at his arm, still wrapped firmly around her.
“What I want, huh?” he whispered huskily, leaning in to place his lips close to her ear. His hand was sliding down from her back, over her bottom, until his fingers traced over her thigh; he swung her leg over his hip, bringing himself a little closer to her as he did so.
Her lip trembling, DG replaced her hand over Cain's heart, trying to calm the raging storm in her own. “We don't ever talk about what you want,” she told him, though part of her was sure he was well aware of this fact. Its not that she hadn't noticed before, it was just that it had never bothered her as much as it did at that moment. How it could bother her, when suddenly his mouth was assaulting her neck, she didn't know; he was gently nipping and then sucking at the tenderized flesh, driving all her thought processes to almost non-existence.
She could feel him, hard and demanding now, prodding at her entrance; she moved her hand to his shoulder and gave a shove, shifting her weight and rolling them until she was on top. Growling at her play for the upper hand, Wyatt positioned himself and dragged her down onto him forcefully; a shiver ran through her as her back arched, deepening the angle and rubbing just right enough to make her moan.
His hands travelled up her back to hold her close, pressing her breasts against his warm chest. “I want,” he said, bucking his hips lightly against hers to recreate the friction, “to take you like this every morning.” Boneless against him now, she let him pull her head down to his to draw fierce, unyielding kisses from her lips like breath, his tongue dominating hers. Every movement seemed to counteract the one before, as he moved gently one moment and then with controlled power the next.
“Not what I meant,” she managed to say. DG pushed away from him, bracing herself on his solid chest as his hands returned to her hips, holding her in place. “When all this is over,” she said, a little more softly. All this, encompassed by the strange bed in which they lay. “What do you want?”
Wyatt gave another upwards thrust, guiding her hips to rock forward as he did so, and she moaned low, her head falling back. Heat coursed through her at the place where their bodies joined, coiling slowly, but so tight. “I want to marry you,” he said simply, but no, it wasn't simple. When she tried to roll her hips forward again, he stopped her, and she could almost hear him smiling.
“What else?” she asked him, frustrated by his refusal to let her move, annoyed by his patience and restraint. She squeezed around him, to give a little back, and he groaned, surging up into her again.
“Want to...” he whispered raggedly, lifting up on her hips and dragging her back down hard. “...Outside the city. One day.”
Following the rhythm his strong hands set for her, DG raised on her knees and came down, rocking her hips as she did so. He was hard, and deep, and the angle was just enough, but she wanted it to last. “Wyatt,” she moaned softly, as his hands left the guiding post of her hips to skim up her sides. He cupped and fondled her breasts as she rode him, playing the nipples between the thumb and forefinger of each hand. She arched her back, pressing into his touch; his hands were driving her crazy, everything was spinning and hazy around the edges. His hands slid up to her neck, gently tugging her down, bringing her face to his and kissing her passionately. Fingers tangled in her hair, he didn't let up, his tongue diving into her mouth again and again.
“Want to feel you come, Darlin',” he almost growled when he finally tore himself away, drawing a deep breath to form those words. His hips began to drive up into hers again, sending the coil spiralling out of control, rising faster and faster, until she crested and moaned into his neck, biting into her lip to keep the sound as quiet as possible. Warm waves spread through her, from her hair to her toes as he slowed to accommodate her, and soon, he stiffened, pulling her down hard to bury himself as deep as he could go to spend himself within her. His breathing came in sharp huffs, as she gently undulated over him, to prolong his climax, until he gripped her hips and brought her to a stop.
“Easy there,” he whispered gruffly, a soft laugh chasing the words.
Content, she draped herself over him, burrowing her face into his neck as his arms went about her. Her body rose and fell on top of his as he tried to gain control over his breathing. “Now was that so difficult?” she asked him, lifting her head to whisper into his ear, and then placing a few kisses along his jaw.
“Depends on what you mean by that,” he said, already coming back to himself, guarded and careful. DG rolled her eyes, gave her muscles a squeeze around the hardness that was still buried in her. Wyatt groaned; he wound his fingers into her hair and guided her head back so he might look into her eyes. The darkness was giving way around them, the suns would be coming up soon, the greyness lifting. “What's with all this 'want' talk, Deeg?”
“I don't know,” she whispered honestly, shrugging as best she could while pressed so close to him. “I was curious, I guess. I didn't see the harm in asking.” She frowned, suddenly rethinking the whole thing.
“No harm,” he assured her, and sealed it with a kiss. “You are too persuasive,” he said as she pulled away and settled down against him again. “What I said is true.”
You want us together every morning, she whispered to him with her magic, focusing just so... as close as he was, his body firm beneath hers and the scent of him all around her, it wasn't hard to let him hear her every thought. Once again, Wyatt's arms tightened around her, though he didn't oppose her intrusion. You want to marry me. You want to live outside the city, she finished, hard-pressed to stop herself, to leave off his last comment. Still, something in the resounding memory of his words, the orgasm he'd given her, passed between them as she shivered and his hips gave an involuntary jerk. She moaned his name out loud, the tail end of it caught up in his mouth as he kissed her again, cutting her off and swallowing her up.
“Lets go get cleaned up, Darlin',” he said, when he had to come up for air. Shifting his hips, he slid out of her, and DG felt suddenly too warm and sticky. Disentangling herself, she climbed off of him, down to the floor.
“You sure you want me running a bath, Tin Man?” she asked him as she slid Az's silky robe around her shoulders. Tying it closed, she walked over to the window and opened the curtains. While the room only lightened slightly, it was enough for her to get a better glimpse at the man sprawled naked on the bed. She grinned at his lack of modesty.
“Just leave the door open, would ya?” he said gruffly, but in the dimness, she could almost see him smile.
Miles from Milltown, to the South of the Scar, Jeb Cain awoke shivering in the back-seat of his issued vehicle; his second day in camp was beginning. The entire world seemed to be painted over in pale grey. Rubbing his eyes as he pulled himself to sitting, he took a few moments to stretch out his stiff limbs before climbing over the front seat. He opened the door and practically fell out of the cab. Humming an old hymn, he relieved himself, and then settled on the rear bumper of his truck to watch the camp wake up.
He mused over his situation as he realized he was the first one fully-awake. The rhythm of function normally didn't change from one camp to another, and this one was no exception. He'd spent a small portion of the day before learning the swing of the camp, the names of a few of the men. Some, he remembered from his days in the Resistance, from his time as leader or from before, the life on the road with his mother. Others, however, he'd never met before. New recruits, most from the Qualdin province.
Activity in the camp had reached a lull by yesterday evening, when Andrus had been in Central City, meeting with the Queen. The general was due to arrive back at any moment, and Jeb kept his eyes trained on the road, waiting for the car that would bring orders from Azkadellia.
The night before, as the men had sat surrounding the fire-pit, Jeb had found himself silently joined by a few other soldiers, men he'd never met. Young, just as he himself was, seemingly from different parts of the country. Perhaps with similar purpose. There was no talk to be had, no introductions were made. Only quiet affiliation.
Around his truck now, parked on the fringe of the camp, men were stumbling out of their tents. There were no more than a few dozen soldiers and officers, stuck in the gap between obligations. Signs and sounds of life were beginning to pour out from the makeshift mess-hall on the opposite end of the camp, and most of the men, Jeb noticed as he looked up from examining his already-dirty fingernails, made their way towards the promise of coffee.
A few men, however, hung back near the edge of the camp, eyes on the road.
Jeb smirked. Four in all, including himself, waiting on Andrus and the orders from the Queen.
The Queen... Queen Az, he thought, and a wistful smile crept unbidden to his lips. He'd spent most of the day before trying to shove thoughts of her away from him, as the image of her in his mind brought a heavy feeling to his chest he couldn't quite explain. He'd kept busy, going as far to help the camp cook with supply inventory. But she always came to him, as if she were sending herself to him... impossible, given the distance, he knew, but even so, Jeb couldn't quite get over the sensation that something wasn't sitting right.
His immediate future was in her hands - her orders would designate whether he walked headlong and with intention into an enemy base, or headed back to Central City to walk at her back and continue as her kept secret. That, surely, he'd prefer - it had taken him a long time to come to terms with his personal feelings for the long-possessed princess, now he only worried about how he would step back when it came time for her to choose her husband.
The first sun was up, and the second beginning to rise when the sound of a car approaching cut through the air. Jeb looked up, forcing himself to stay sitting. Patience, he didn't have his father's patience. Impulsive and quick, like his mother. Like the princess his father now courted.
As the car pulled up, General Andrus climbed out of the rear-seat before the car had come to a complete stop. Leaving the door hanging open, he walked swiftly to the base-tent, motioning for Jeb to follow him with a quick jerk of his head in passing.
Jeb was slow in getting up and following. Most eyes had settled onto him, and he tried to walk confidently, though he felt like he was surely being led to the gallows. Inside the grouped tents that served as a headquarters, Andrus was pulling off his gloves, and General Marsh was settled back in a rickety wooden chair. The other generals had left the previous day while Andrus was in Central.
“General,” Jeb said after he'd saluted. Andrus waved him off, though Marsh's head gave a nod of acknowledgement.
“I have your orders, Lieutenant Cain,” Andrus said shortly. Jeb stood, arms behind his back, and said nothing, not sure if he was meant to ask or respond. After a moment's pause, and a sigh, the general continued. “The Queen wants it made clear you take this mission of your own free will. She will not order you into the forest.”
Jeb looked up sharply. “What? I don't understand.”
Andrus cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Do you take the mission, Lieutenant?” he said, not wanting to dwell on such personal matters as the discomfiture he'd seen in the Queen the night before.
“Yes,” Jeb said without hesitation, his mind on the Queen who'd let him know in the only way she could that she cared, that she wanted him safe. She had not forbid him, she'd only given him the choice. Though he knew he'd come to regret this decision later, probably when he was near death or captured by enemies, he knew very clearly at that moment exactly what he was doing.
Close to midday, Jeb finally came out of the generals' tent. The morning had been spent going over what information was available, devising tactics, coming up with several 'worst case scenarios' that played with his nerves. There was a plan, or a tentative plan, and he'd learned in the Resistance that room for flexibility usually ended up being a good thing.
Three heads looked up when he began the walk towards his truck. The three soldiers, he knew their names now, knew their faces, their service records, the names of their parents... nodding towards a burly, red-headed soldier, he said “Get your gear,” and nothing more. The soldier, however, lowered his chin as sign of recognition, and headed back into his tent. The two other men who'd been watching got up from their places and walked away.
All had been waiting for their orders. Now they had them, and they went their separate ways.
Jeb stopped at his truck to pick up his jacket and his pack. He'd need to secure a horse, and one for his new partner as well. They'd make for Byvasser, a small village nearer to the gorge, and hopefully reach it before dark. They'd meet with someone who would help them make contact with the Longcoats. If all went well, in a few days time he'd be crossing the barrier that surrounded the heart of the forest, and finding out just who the 'Coats were gathering under.
Firm in her decision to head south to pay a visit to the Reader, the group made ready to leave Milltown that very morning. While DG met with Father Vue, Cain sent a message to Ambrose via telegraph. The information on it was sparse, only vaguely hinting at the direction they intended on heading.
After he left the post office, Cain made for the stable where he'd rented overnight care for their horses. He had their things packed and both beasts saddled when he heard DG laughing. A smile was on her face when she came into the stable to greet him, blonde and brown-eyed, disguised once again.
“How was it?” he asked, referring to her meeting with Vue. He brought the animals out of their stalls and led them down the drive-bay. She followed beside him.
“It was a bust,” she said absently, eyeing the stable-worker that was pretending to pay attention to something else. She ran a hand nervously through her blonde hair. “You should have come, he asked about you.”
Cain smirked, casting a sideways glance at her. “Really.”
She nodded. “Yes, he referred to you as 'that vengeful fellow'.”
He couldn't help but laugh. Standing outside the stable now, he paid a final tip to the owner before returning to DG. After helping her mount, he pulled himself up into his own saddle, and the two of them waited for the corporal to join them. If DG noticed he tried his very best to keep his smiles to himself now, tried to keep his eyes downcast and away from her, she didn't comment. A quiet day of travel spread out before them.
The wind had died, and the air around them was still. They walked their horses for a distance, before kicking to a steady run, as Cain hoped to get them as close to the southern edge of the Papay fields before nightfall as possible. He didn't fancy the thought of being caught in the orchards after dark, and they couldn't make camp on Papay land. While far from afraid, something about the dreams DG had been having unnerved him. Papay fields, and a mention of dark eyes.
The group rode west, back the way they'd come, passing close enough to Central City to see the towers and spires sparkling in the mid-afternoon suns-light. The day was beginning to grow colder, as the suns began their descent, and they came to the edge of the Papay fields, and the only road that led to the south.
Cain, who was in the lead, slowed his horse and then brought her to a halt. The others followed suit behind him as he climbed down, and soon DG was speaking up as she, too, hopped down from her horse.
“Can we make it to the other side before dark?” she asked him. Though the trees had come back to life, bore on their branches the promise of a bountiful harvest, travellers still crossed the fields at their own risk. Though the Brick Route had been deemed safe for the people of all the Realms, the grangers and runners of the Papay were not subjects of Her Majesty, and followed no such laws. Peaceful, yes, most of the Papay had become, but there were still rumours of rogues in the packs.
“Chances are low,” Cain said slowly. He took the reins of Hass's horse and tied her to his own saddle. The corporal would not be riding with them across the fields, instead keeping out his sharp eye from his unique vantage point. “We ride slow and stick to the road.”
DG nodded slowly, looking into the field, branches green and heavy with fruit. Her mouth watered at the sight, but she knew better. They wouldn't encroach on the cordiality of their hosts during their crossing. “Can a horse outrun a Papay?” she asked him in a bare whisper, trying to make herself sound casual.
Wyatt turned to give her a brief smile. “We're not gonna need to outrun anythin', Princess,” he reassured her. “Even if one of those runners has got in mind the taste of maiden.”
She frowned, until she realized he was teasing her, and then she was laughing at herself. After Hass had shifted and taken flight, circling low once just above the canopy before taking off higher, both DG and Cain climbed back into their saddles, and started at a slow pace.
The road followed an endless row of trees, gnarled, leafy branches created an open topped tunnel, walls of green reaching into an infinite expanse of cold blue sky. The road itself was hardly any more uneven than in other parts of the Zone, and it was in need of repair. The horses picked slowly over the unsteady terrain, ambling as peacefully as possible, worried about nothing. Cain relaxed a little, though he held the reins in only one hand, to keep the other positioned firmly over his holster.
DG, to her credit, was trying to ease the tension by keeping up pointless conversation. She'd veered back onto the morning's topic, and had settled on the subject of weddings. “I was thinking,” she said easily, lifting a hand to bat a stray, dark hair out of her eyes; she'd dropped the glamour as soon as they'd left the edges of Milltown, and he was glad for it. He missed her blue eyes. “Instead of making an announcement of our engagement when we get back,” and here she paused, glancing over at him to see if she had his attention. Cain kept his face straight, not wanting to rise into anything in case she was setting a trap. “We could just... get married, and then announce it. No parties, no interviews, no big-ass wedding.” She waved her hand dismissively.
“Just a small wedding,” he said, trying out the idea on his tongue. “Is that what you want?” he asked her, knowing full well how fixated she was on what he wanted.
DG laughed, covering her mouth with her hand to muffle the sound. “Are you kidding? Do you think I want to go parading around for months? No... no. I just want you and me. And you know, family and stuff.” Cain raised an eyebrow at her, and she cleared her throat. “You know, Jeb and Glitch and Raw and Az. Family.”
Cain turned away from her, keeping his eyes on the road ahead instead, as he let her words settle in. It really could be as simple as that, once they were home. The princess who didn't want a royal wedding. The thought caused him to smirk, and then shake his head as it broke into a smile.
“That sounds just fine by me, Deeg,” he told her. Sometimes, she really could be something else...
Suddenly, their horses were rearing as something dropped fast from above them; Cain was nearly unseated, though DG managed to keep herself slightly more upright. Quicker than his thoughts could follow, he was drawing his gun before his mare had all four hooves back on the ground, and he was aiming downwards at...
A kid.
The boy was no more than fifteen annuals, and he was dressed in strange clothes that had Cain immediately questioning his origin. A brown knit cap was situated on his head, and the hair poking out from underneath of it looked dark and unruly. He carried a piece of fruit in each hand, which explained why his descent had been so ungraceful. Though Cain relaxed his grip slightly, he kept his thumb very firmly over the hammer, waiting.
“What the hell are ya doin', Kid?” he demanded, a harsh bite to his tone. The kid fell back a step, holding his hands up near his head, though he didn't release his prizes. He looked terrified, and ridiculous. But before the kid could stutter out an answer, DG was hopping down off her horse, and pointing at him.
“University of Iowa,” she said, sounding confused, as she continued to point at the emblem on the kid's grey sweater.
“Can somebody please tell me what's going on?” the kid pleaded, a hint of panic on the edge of his voice.
Wyatt was frowning as he dismounted, replacing his revolver in its holster. The kid visibly relaxed to see the gun had been put away, though his eyes still darted back and forth between the two people watching him.
“Are you from Iowa?” DG asked him.
“No, this is where my dad teaches, and all I get is the stupid sweatshirt,” he muttered, running his fingers over the sweater's crest. DG was smiling at him. “I don't know what the hell happened, okay? I woke up in this forest and I've been wandering around since this morning. You're the first people I've seen, although I swear to Christ I saw something that looked like a walking bush.” His eyes widened dramatically, and DG's smile softened sympathetically. “Sorry I scared you and your horses. I'll make sure not to jump out at John Wayne here again,” he said, nodding his chin towards Cain. DG giggled, and Wyatt felt his frown deepening.
DG walked the few paces between them and settled herself at his side. The kid was looking around nervously, and he'd jammed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
“So you think he slipped over?” Cain asked the princess.
“Looks like,” she said, mirroring his worried look, as she turned back to the kid. “What's your name?”
The kid cast a nervous glance from DG, to Cain, before looking back at DG. He looked hesitant to share the information, but after a long moment and an impatient glare from Cain, he relented. “The name's Tory.”
“I'm DG,” she said, placing a hand on her chest, “And this is Wyatt Cain. Where are you going?”
She seemed to have better luck getting information out of the kid than he had. “I don't know,” the kid said shortly. “Point me to the nearest payphone, I guess, or my mom's gonna have the whole county out looking for me.”
The falcon circling the skies above them let out a loud cry, signalling the need to get moving. The suns were nearing the horizon; soon darkness would be falling, and it was another few hours walk to the edge of the fields. His mind was torn between choices as to what to do with the kid, but when his eyes settled on DG, he bit back a growl at the expectant look in her blue eyes. She gave the kid a 'just a minute' gesture with one hand, before she took Cain by the hand, and led him away, pulling their horses along with them.
“He can come with us, can't he?” she asked, as if she were picking up a stray puppy. Cain threw a glance to the kid, Tory, who was biting deep into the fruit he held in his hand, who didn't seem to care either way what happened to him. He looked back down at the imploring princess, trying her very best to look convincingly charming. When he didn't answer her right away, she frowned. “Its not like we can point him in the direction of home, Wyatt!”
She had a point and she knew it. Sighing, he glanced upwards, searching the sky for any sign of Hass. He didn't want the corporal landing, and then shifting in front of the kid. The less about themselves they gave up, the better. “When we're done our business in the Realm, he goes to Central City,” he said, not trying to hide the anger he felt. DG was watching him reservedly. “Someone there can figure out how to send him back.”
“Aww, Cain,” she said, giving him a patronizing pat on the shoulder. “I didn't know you were such a softy.”
A pained grimace settled on his face, as he passed his reins to DG and went about untying Hass's horse from the saddle of his own. He knew he didn't have to tell her to keep to herself who she truly was, and what their business might be. “Can you ride, Kid?” he called out.
“Me?” Tory spoke up. “Uh, a little.”
Cain tossed him the reins of Hass's horse. “Well, mount up then,” he said. A call from above him brought to his attention that the falcon had landed in one of the branches that stretched out over the road. Cain shook his head, knowing that displeasure was currently etched into his face. The branch bounced lightly as the falcon took flight again. He could hear DG and the kid picking up a conversation, as she explained to him that he wasn't in Iowa anymore... wherever that was.
“We gotta pick up the pace,” Cain said firmly, as he helped DG saddle-up. He watched the kid struggle into his saddle, readjusting the cap on his head as he gripped the reins tight. “You might want to relax in that saddle, Kid,” he said, and tried his best not to sound as menacing as he was sure he seemed. “You're gonna be in it for a while.”
Tory guided the horse forward, tentatively trying out the limits of the animal beneath him. Hanging back, Cain resisted an urge to shake his head and roll his eyes; he turned, only to find DG grinning at him, pleased to no end. “Thanks,” she said.
“He's going to be nothing but trouble,” Cain said low.
DG followed his gaze to where Tory rode ahead of them, and it was clear to him that she saw him as less of a hindrance, that she was already attaching herself to him as she always did. Her instincts were impeccable, he had to admit, but she followed them too blindly, with absolutely no caution.
“Come on, Cain,” she said easily, Gods knew too naively. “What's the worst that could happen?”
Wyatt's jaw clenched as he bit back the response that wanted to spill out. That's just about what I was thinking when I met you, Princess.
Author's Note II: A new character means an update to the cast page! Link is in the summary above, in case you missed it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Comments are love!
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