Chapter
8: Untitled (A small taste of freedom? Spank me, Baby, One More Time? No Room in the Inn?)
She
dashes back into the room and grabs the book from the chair, where it still lay
discarded. “Finally it is going to
provide some real entertainment,” she thinks.
Ayden goes to the door and tries the knob. It opens easily. She pulls the door carefully open and pokes
her head into the hall. The hall is
deserted. She looks to the staircase Master
Hunter used when they came in last night.
It is halfway down the passage.
She chews on her lip trying to decide if she can make it. She makes one more quick check of the hall
and pulls the door closed on the book, wedging it in so the door will appear
closed but will not lock her out. She
dashes for the stairs. They are empty. Ayden carefully creeps down step by step to
the ground level. When she reaches the
first floor she remembers the commotion outside with the grape vats and almost
turns back to her room, but she hears voices behind her and knows there is no
turning back.
She
takes a deep breath and whispers, “Ayden what is wrong with you? You can do this. It is just a fruit tree in a garden and you
are going straight back to the room.”
She
opens the back door of the Inn slowly and looks around. The vats are empty and there is no sign of
any workers in the fields. She can hear
loud voices and laughter coming from within the inn. Somewhere inside it sounds like a large crowd
is having a party.
She
ventures out into the sunshine, a small taste of freedom. She tugs at the bottom of her shirt feeling
self-conscious about it now that they are off the beach. Timidly she moves to the end of the building. As she rounds the corner the tree comes into
sight. “Almost there, Ayden,” she tells
herself. Reaching the front of the inn
is easy and she peers up and down the drive to be sure no one is around. Ayden is surprised how uneasy she feels just
walking around outside alone. It makes
her feel a little silly to be so insecure.
She
darts across the drive and finally reaches the shade of the tree. Ayden looks around and the quiet is
eerie. A chill runs down her spine. What had seemed like a grand adventure in the
comfort and safety of her room suddenly feels ominously reckless. Ayden looks up in the tree and realizes she
did not think her plan through completely.
She wonders how she will reach the fruit that draws her in, tempting her
with its sumptuous juices. The water
flowing down from the fountain seems to be mocking her, laughing at her
impudence. It is as if the fountain and
the tree are in a game of keep-away with her and she is the monkey in the
middle of their childish game.
It
has been a few years, but she climbed the occasional tree when she was a young
girl playing with Meg in the apple grove near her home. The branches look sturdy enough to hold her
weight. She circles around the trunk
looking for the best approach. On the
far side, away from the inn, she finds the weakness her opponent has been
concealing from her. There behind the
trunk is a low hanging branch full of sweet ripe fruit just waiting for her to pluck
it. She manages to pick three big pieces
before her arms are bursting. Ayden
pulls up the hem of her shirt and uses it to make a pocket to safely hold the
hefty fruit. She releases the small
harvest from her arms into the protective compartment and reaches up into the
tree claiming one more that is hanging just over her head.
She
thinks how silly she was to be afraid to walk down to the garden alone. Ayden smiles smugly at herself and her new
found independence when she hears muffled voices coming towards her. She holds her breath and presses her back
against the tree trunk. Frantically she
looks around for a better place to hide.
She is sure it must just be a family that has come down to enjoy the
flowers and the quiet. She listens
carefully trying to hear what is being said.
She
cannot believe when she hears a gruff voice say, “Are you sure she went into
the garden?”
Her
heart is beating so loud she is sure they can hear her. She looks to the nearby hedge and wonders if
she can duck under it without being seen.
It is impossible to breathe with her heart climbing her throat, threatening
to beat its way free of her. She tries to tell herself there is nothing to
worry about but it only makes her heart pound stronger. She clutches to the fruit wishing it had the
power to save her.
She
knows they are right behind her. Just on
the other side of the tree. She can
smell their cologne. It is had a deep
spicy scent.
“Come
on. She’s not here. Quit wasting time. Let’s go inside,” comes to her ears like a
symphony to her rescue. She smiles to
herself, in relief, while chiding her arrogance. She watches as two butterflies chase each
other across the roses, and marvels at the merry way they live their
lives. She knows she should have stayed
comfortable and happy looking down on the garden from the safety of her
balcony. She pledges to take her bundle
of fruit up to the room and read that foolish book until Master Hunter
returns. She will tell him what see did
and beg for his mercy.
Just
steps away from her the butterflies have landed on a beautiful rose. The inside of the petals are the deepest
crimson she has seen and the outside is contrasted by the purest perfect shade
of white. It would look beautiful in the
vase on the table. Ayden decides it
could be a symbol of her gratitude to Master Hunter for all he has taught her
these past few days.
She
holds her breath listening, but all she hears are the birds singing
over-head. The voices have quieted and
the drums in her chest have settled into an even cadence. Ayden takes a deep breath and releases her
bond with the trunk of the tree and finally pushes herself free. She peeks around to be sure that she is
finally alone.
Ayden
wonders if it is just her nerves or were those men really looking for her. Watching the entrance of the garden she moves
to the rose bush fumbling with the heavy fruit.
She leans in to smell the sweet nectar of the rose when she hears a
voice behind her. He is leaning against
the far side of the trunk, hidden behind its massive twisted trunk. He has one foot propped up behind him supporting
his weight. He smiles at her and says, “There
you are. We had wondered where you had
gone. We saw you sneak out of the Inn
and have been looking for you.”
Ayden
hears herself scream before she knows she has opened her mouth. The fruit from her shirt lands with a thud on
the ground at her feet. She backs away
from the man. He is young, fit, and his
features are neither striking nor unpleasant.
He has dark hair and deep set eyes.
He is wearing a blue plaid shirt and simple denim pants.
Ayden
watches him warily but he has not moved.
He is still leaning tranquilly with his back against the trunk. He smiles at her and puts two fingers into
his mouth letting out a shrill whistle that cuts through the still morning air. Everything around Ayden goes quiet. The birds stop their singing and the
butterflies have disappeared. Even the
water from the brook that flows from the fountain is silent. There are only his eyes meeting hers.
Ayden’s
feet are glued to the ground. She watches
him. Her breath feels choked, coming out
in short quick pants. Voices are coming
towards her down the slope from the drive.
Their steps sound like the thunder of a hundred horses to her ears.
In
a fleeting moment it does not feel real. He moves. His body comes forward pushing away from the
tree with his foot until he is standing, facing her. He takes a small step forward over a root at
the base of the tree.
He
is leering down at her and moving in her direction. She takes a step back. He takes another step forward. She moves back one step further. Ayden feels the rose bush pressing through
the thin material of her shirt. His
smile widens and he looks to his friends that are swiftly returning.
“Down
here,” he calls up to them. Ayden looks down
and she is still holding the last of the illicit fruit. His eyes return to her and with the instincts
of a ninja mouse being chased by an alley cat Ayden hurdles the fruit at his
head, turns away from the tree, the fountain, and the voices heading in her
direction, and she runs.
Ayden
darts down the slope running as fast as she can. Her bare feet pound over the stone path. She looks back over her shoulder and his friends
have reached the tree. The man in the
blue plaid shirt is wiping fruit juice from his face. Ayden hit her mark and takes some
satisfaction in it, but that has not slowed his friends’ pursuit. They are closing in on her fast.
Ayden
is suddenly faced with the impossible maze.
She changes paths and turns down a row of tall hedges. She hopes that she can lose them when she is
out of sight, but they are too close now.
One of the men is very tall and he has nearly reached her. Ayden can feel his fingers sweep through the
tip of her ponytail, but he misses and ends up with a fist full of air.
Ayden
veers to the side and finds another route.
This one leads up to the exit. If
she can only reach the safety of the Inn and get back to her room she will be
free of her pursuers. She is nearly out of breath. Ayden scurries up the hill as fast as she
can. She catches her toe on the edge of
a stone but it does not slow her sprint.
She
is almost back to the tree. She can see
the limbs stretching over the top of the tall hedges. She nears the top of the row and can hear the
pounding footfalls fading away behind her.
She listens for their labored breathing.
She finally dares to take a peek over her shoulder to calculate her
lead, but when she does she hurtles right into the waiting arms of the man who
is now covered in juice.
“I
knew you could not stay away for long,” he sneers as Ayden struggles in his
arms. Ayden screams but the only reply
is the laughter of his friends that have now caught up and are panting and out
of air after the chase. “Did you miss
me, Pretty-little-thing?” the man in the blue plaid shirt asks laying a kiss on
her jawline while holding her around the waist, pinning her arms to her sides.
“Good
job guys. This is a feisty one. Let’s get her back inside,” he tells his
friends. He half picks Ayden off the
ground so that her feet barely drag across the tufts of grass and half walks
her haltingly past the fountain with his legs moving hers forward as if she
were dancing on his feet.
Ayden’s
little parade of kidnappers marches her right up to the main entrance of the Squeeze
Inn, with its grand carriages pulled by pretty girls and its regal balconies that
later in the day will be filled with on lookers. They march her right through the front doors
and into the lobby. It is a typical
lobby. To her left is a dark polished
wood reception desk. Near the desk is a staircase that hugs the back corner. It leads up to a balcony that runs the length
of the lobby. On the other end of the
lobby, to her right, is a river stone fireplace that takes up most of the far
wall. The ceiling is open to the
windmill like dome which sits on top of the Inn. The glass allows light to filter in and gives
the room a mystical glow. The chimney of
the fireplace travels up passed the second floor and disappears into the
ceiling. It is not crowded but there are
people visiting on the couches in front of the roaring fire. There are pretty girls in lacy pink tunics
kneeling around the room and others that are busy with simple tasks. An older couple is occupied with a game of cards
at one of the two large tables in the center of the room.
Ayden
cries out for help. Every head in the
room immediately jerks in her direction, but no one moves. The man who is marching her into the lobby
abruptly clamps his large hand over Ayden’s mouth and hisses a hasty warning
into her ear, “Do you want to find yourself on a post come the next Reclaiming
Day?” It is enough to stop her pleas
instantly as Ayden remembers the girl that was carried through the crowd
yesterday morning. The older gentleman
stands to face them and using only her eyes she begs him for help. Her kidnapper holds up his hand telling the
old man to keep his distances. Before
Ayden has a chance to try and escape he uses his other hand to spin her around so
that she is facing him. He shakes his
finger at her, nearly tapping her nose and then he nimbly bends, grabs her
around the thighs, and suddenly Ayden is flying into the air as she is tossed
over his shoulder.
Upside
down she watches the old man smile at his wife and nod to Ayden’s abductor
before sitting back down to his game.
Ayden balls up her fists and pounds on the young man’s back but he simply
slaps her on the bum. In the quiet of
the lobby the spank makes a pop that echoes off her bare thighs up to the glass
in the dome above their heads. The young
man, in the simple blue plaid shirt, just chuckles at her and loudly jokes,
“Patience, Pretty-little-thing.”
Their
parade route follows the carpet runner that travels from the front door, right
past the grand reception desk, and under where the stairs meet the
balcony. The doorway, under the balcony
leads out of the lobby and into a short hallway. The door to the hall is a wide open carved
wooden arch with thick pillars on either side.
Ayden stretches out for the nearest column but her arms fly free as the
pillars cruise past beyond her reach. He
carries her into a dimly light room filled with loud laughing voices. They sound like the voices Ayden heard from
the stairs. She imagines that is how the
men saw her sneaking out the back door. Ayden
realizes she should have been more obedient to Master Hunter and wonders what
he will say if she sees him again.
The
young man carries her past several men that are drinking at tables in the
center of the room. He swaggers up to
the bar and pulling a deflated Ayden from his shoulder he plops her down on the
slab of wood facing him. “There we go
you, Lassie,” he says to Ayden with a huff.
The bar top is still damp and her legs stick to the film created by
years of spilled drinks.
Ayden
looks around the room for any sign of help or route to escape. His friends have all followed them into the
room. The tall one takes a seat at a
nearby table and is pointing to her and laughing with the men sitting there. She is quickly drawing their attention. She searches the faces of the men seated at
the tables hoping that Master Hunter will be there. Ayden’s hopes for rescue are dashed when she does
not find him among the men. To her left
is a curved staircase that leads to a second story gallery. The back wall of the gallery has three arched
openings that each lead to a dark wood door.
There is a small table for two in front of each archway. A metal railing runs along the front and
hanging in front of each of the tables is what looks like a decorative cricket
bat. Two of them read “Vacant” and the
one on the end in red scrolled letters says, “Occupied”. Below the gallery is a small dark alcove with
cafe tables that are nearly deserted with the exception of a few dark shadows
lurking near the back.
Her
captor runs his hands down her thighs.
When he reaches her knees he squeezes them making Ayden flinch. He spreads her legs and pulls Ayden forward
so that her legs embrace his ribs. “That was quite a chase you gave us,” he
says with a chuckle. “No harm done,
huh? I bet you’re thirsty now aren’t
you?” he asks but Ayden does not answer him.
His
hand comes down like a clap of thunder on the bar and Ayden jumps. “Tony, bring me a pitcher of the house ale
and an extra glass for this pretty young thing,” he calls to the man behind the
bar who is busy wiping up.
Turning
to Ayden he smiles and jutting his chin in her direction asks, “You like that
vigor fruit don’t you, Pretty-young-thing?”
Looking down at his damp shirt, “She even shared some of hers with me,” he
adds while he brushes at the now drying juice that dripped from his face to the
collar of his shirt.
“Hey,
Ethan you know the house ale ain’t for girls.
Miss Avishag don’t allow it. She
makes it too strong for the likes of them,” the barkeeper replies.
“Ahh,”
Ethan scoffs, “Tony, you have not seen the fire in this one. We found her wandering around outside, alone
in the garden. Can you believe that on
the final day of Reclaiming Days?” he says with a hint of awe in his voice.
While
the bartender pulls on a handle, behind the bar, to fill the large pitcher Tony
turns his attention back to Ayden. He
whispers to her privately, in a conspiratorial voice, “What were you doing in
the garden? You know it really is not
safe to be out there alone today.” Ayden
studies, Ethan, her captor’s face but does not reply. She wonders if she might have misunderstood
him. He has not hurt her and seems
friendly with the men in the room, but he has dragged her in here against her
will and she does not want to trust him.
When
the pitcher is full Tony, the barkeeper picks it up in one hand and fingers
four glasses in his other. He brings
them down the end of the bar and places them on the counter beside Ayden. “One more glass coming up, but this is on
your head. I want nothing to do with
it. You hear me?” he warns Ethan.
Ethan
takes no notice of Tony’s warning and begins to pour two tall glasses of the
dark ale. The bubbles tumble and turn
creating a tall froth at the top of each glass.
Ethan slides the first one close to Ayden’s thigh and begins to pour the
second glass when he orders her with one word, “Drink.” Ayden’s only response is to fold her arms
defiantly across her chest.
He
finishes filling his glass and in extremely mocking astonishment he eyes her
with a smile. He watches Ayden for any
sign of softening, but he does not receive his reward. He lowers the glass that was posed on his lip
back to the bar. “Are you serious? Are you going to fight me at every turn?” he
asks incredulously.
He
leans and in a quiet voice that only she can hear he explains to Ayden, “Look,
we did not mean to really scare you, but you should have seen the look on your
face coming out from behind that tree thinking you had outsmarted us. You can’t blame a guy for having a little fun
can you?” He laughs and takes a gulp of
his ale and rolls it around his mouth eyeing her closely. Ayden simply glares at him in response.
He
sighs and sets down his drink again. “We
were coming in and saw you sneaking around outside. You are not supposed to be outside on the
final day of The Reclaiming Days. The
beaches are still being cleaned,” he explains.
“Besides, there are a lot of guys in from out of town that are looking
for trouble. Just drink the ale and have
a good time,” he fairly pleads.
Ayden
is not sure what to think of this plain man, Ethan, but she knows she does not
want to give him the satisfaction of giving in to his demands. She is ignoring him and surveying the room. She knows Ethan is watching her and she takes
some gratification in his displeasure.
“Oh,
quit behaving like a spoiled nanny sub and start acting like a proper vessel
already,” he says with disgust as he swallows the last drops of ale in his
glass. “If you can’t I might just have
to teach you how,” he threatens but Ayden can see the smile on his face and
fights back her own, not letting it show.
“You
would not dare,” she finally challenges him openly.
“I
would and I will,” he promises. “Your
feistiness was cute at first but it is bordering on insolence now,” he says his
tone changing slightly.
Ayden
looks down at him and is about to challenge him further but she sees the
recognition in his eyes and he reacts with cat-like grace before she can open
her mouth. He scoops her off the bar and
calls out, “Hey, Joey come over here. We
need to teach this Pretty-Young-Thing some manners.”
Suddenly
her feet are on the floor and Ethan has spun a chair around. She prepares to fight him. Ayden is not about to give him the satisfaction
of surrendering so easily or taking a seat like a scolded child. Not after he frightened her so terribly in
the garden and for nothing more than his own amusement. But when his friend Joey arrives, much to her
surprise, Ayden is not offered the seat.
Joey grasps both of her hands, pulling them forward, he settles them
near the corners at the top of the back rest, and holds them there. Ethan is behind her and kicks her feet apart
so that they are held in place, by straddling the front legs. She opens her mouth to protest but Ethan’s
hand lands firmly on her backside. She
cries out in indignation. She almost
laughs at the nerve of Ethan thinking he can just take these liberties with her
when he does not even know her. She
looks around the room, but the men are cheering Ethan on. From behind her she hears him ask, “What do
you say? Does she need another?”
Ayden
yells, “What?” defiantly but she is drowned out by the cheers and raised
glasses.
Ethan
places his palm on the curve of her back and lands two hard smacks that send
shivers up her spine. Ayden twists
around squirming to see what Ethan is doing, but, Joey, Ethan’s tall friend,
has her bent at the hips and her hands firmly locked in place on the back of
the chair. Ayden sputters helplessly,
but the hands around her wrists triumph and there is a growing realization
inside of her that she is enjoying this more than she should.
Ethan
slowly rubs the tender area of warmed flesh in relaxing circles. Ayden fights the appeal to enjoy his
touch. Ethan asks the gathered crowd if
she appears ready to comply with his wishes or if she should receive a few more
lessons in manners. Instantly glasses of
ale are again hoisted into the air and a loud cheer goes out for more etiquette
lessons. His hand lands powerfully on his
increasingly willing hostage. Before she
can brace herself his hand comes down harshly repeating the ones that came before
continually moving to a new location until Ayden is no longer chuckling at the
absurd idea that he would spank her here in the bar. He continues to land hard snapping strikes
until Ayden is breathless and a tear finally appears in the corner of her
eye. Suddenly as quickly as it began the
spankings cease.
Ayden
is gasping to catch her breath when she hears Ethan announce, “Who will be next
to teach this Pretty-Young-Thing some manners?”
Ayden nearly chokes. Her head immediately
comes up in a sudden panic, looking to the tall boy holding her, anxiously
wishing he would release her, but he just smiles and give her a conspiratorial
wink.
An
older man at the back of the room steps forward and plants two thrashing blows
to her already burning flesh. Her knees
threaten to buckle but her position over the chair keeps her in position. Next an overly eager barely more than a boy
steps forward to try his hand against her skin.
Several more come in quickly with a strike or two each. The commotion draws the guests from behind
the closed door on the gallery. The tall
man with loose dark hair steps out with a girl in a disheveled pink tunic under
each arm. There is something curious
about the way he watches her that momentarily draws her attention.
Ayden’s
flesh is already burning when she feels the tickle of something being dragged from
her knees and up the backs her legs. She
hears Ethan tell Joey to hold her tight so that she does not move. This time it is one of the young men that
chased her through the garden. He moves
to the side of her and drags the object up her back caressing her skin through
her shirt. When he moves it to stroke
her arm Ayden sees it. It is made of loose
leather tendrils held together like her own ponytail. The wrapped end is held in his hand and the thin
leather strips dangle free and dance across her skin. She hears someone in the crowd call the
curious item a flogger and she cannot take her eyes off of it. Ethan’s soothing voice is near and telling
her to hold very still as the tendrils disappear behind her. He slides her shirt up to her waist leaving
her exposed except her bikini bottom.
Ayden feels the flush of embarrassment in her cheeks but she can think
of nothing but this peculiar thing they are calling a flogger. Suddenly there is a loud crack. The pain instantly fans out across her skin. Even through the fabric of her bikini the
invasion to her skin is fiery. Ayden
bites down on her lip trying to hold back the tears. It stings but something in her gives way to
the pain and her desire to feel it again.
The arousal that was growing in her is immediately intensified. She draws in a deep breath, her head tilts
towards her back and she closes her eyes as she revels in the sensations that
flow through her body.
Ethan
leans forward; his hand resting on the tender flesh of her freshly surrendered
behind and asks, “Did you enjoy that?”
Ayden
blushes and drops her head. She wanted
to challenge him but instead finds that all she wants now is to surrender to
his touch.
Ethan
throws back his head in laughter, “Aww, we have finally quieted that tongue of
yours,” he declares. “Now will you take
that drink I so kindly offered you?” he asks Ayden as he stands her on her feet
again.
With
one arm around her shoulder Ethan guides Ayden back to the bar. He lifts her gently back to her seat on the counter. Eyeing her he pours himself another
glass. “Drink,” he orders and Ayden
lifts the glass to her mouth. With her
lips pressed against the glass she wonders if she defied him again would he
spank her harder. She smiles at the
thought and draws a full mouthful from the glass. The ale is cool and her mouth is dry. It feels wonderful as it swirls around her
mouth just before sliding down her throat.
There is a loud cheer through the room and Ethan leans against her knee
with a smug look on his face and sips his freshly poured glass.
“See
there? I knew you could do it,” Ethan
tells Ayden with the arrogant tone returning to his voice. Ayden just blushes and looks deep into her
glass reliving the feeling of so many hands enjoying her surrender.
She
takes in a large swallow and whispers quietly so that Ethan can barely hear it
over the din. He is almost not sure he
heard correctly when Ayden asks, “Can we do that again?”
Ayden
is basking in the feel of the cool bar top as it soaks through the fabric of
her bikini to the fiery flesh beneath.
She looks across the room and just as she is midway through her next
swig of ale her heart catches in her throat when she sees her beautiful
blue-eyed rescuer from yesterday. He is
leaning against a pillar that supports the gallery above and appears to have
been watching the whole spectacle tucked away in the shelter of the shadows. Her instinct is to avert her eyes but she is
drawn to him. He raises his glass to her
and finishes it off. A girl in a pink
tunic is instantly at his side accepting the empty glass. She speaks to him but he does not look away
from Ayden. He shakes his head at the
girl and she disappears.
As
suddenly as he appeared the spell is broken when a beautiful young woman with
long flowing red hair walks through the door and announces in a booming voice, “Okay
boys, you have had your fun. There are
plenty of Squeeze girls waiting to serve you.”
The woman is wearing a tight-fitted black leather dress. It is open to below her navel with only a lattice
of crisscrossed laces to hold the two sides together. A delicate piercing hangs from her tight
belly. It is a large green gem encased
in intricate scrolls that hangs from a small chain.
The
beautiful woman has brought a stillness to the room. The crowd parts and the beautiful woman with
the flowing red hair and emerald green eyes moves across the room. The only sound is the click of her heels
against the hard wood floors and the swish of the leather ruffles around her
feet. She walks directly towards Ayden
and Ethan. Every eye in the room is on
her. She is so beautiful that even Ayden
is temporarily stunned.
“Ethan,
you know better than to bring your girl in here,” she reprimands.
“Oh
no, Miss Avishag, she is not my girl. We
found her out in the garden,” Ethan nearly stammers in response.
The
beautiful woman turns to face the man on the gallery ledge and when she does
Ayden can see that she is completely naked beneath the leather dress. The back is laced like the front and is open
to her knees. The delicate skin of her
back, the firm round flesh of her derriere, and the soft curves of her thighs
are revealed through the exposed lacings.
“Is Officer Jenkins up there?” she asks of the tall man who still has a
girl tucked under each arm.
“No,
just the three of us,” he replies politely.
“Very
well; I am sorry to interrupt your time but please send the girls to find him
and have him brought to me immediately,” the beautiful woman directs.
The
gentleman on the ledge leans in and kisses each girl on the top of the head
before releasing them with a swat of encouragement. The giggling girls scurry down the stairs and
drop into a rushed curtsy as they pass the red hair women on their way out of
the door.
The
beautiful woman calls after the girls, “You may find him in the kitchen getting
his lunch.”
“Richard,
please take this run away out of here until Officer Jenkins can be found,” she
quietly requests of the man upstairs. He
is already moving in Ayden’s direction before the woman finishes her sentence.
He
reaches Ayden and wraps his hand around her upper arm, tugging her from her
perch. Ayden does not know who this
woman is. She seems to be in charge
here, but she should not be throwing Ayden out.
“Wait,” Ayden argues jerking her arm free. “I was brought here by Master Hunter and we
are staying upstairs,” she tries to explain.
Richard
takes a closer look at Ayden and comments that she is wearing a collar so he
surmises that she might not be a runaway after all.
The
beautiful woman moves closer to Ayden and studies the collar closely. “I would recognize this workmanship
anywhere,” she declares. Ayden smiles to
the woman and lets herself relax
The
beautiful woman straightens and in a clear voice proclaims, “This is Hunter’s
work if I have seen it anywhere.”
Ayden
nods her head in agreement and lifts her chin slightly to allow those nearby to
get a clearer look at the collar.
The
woman gets a glint in her eye and looks right at Ayden. With a sneer in her voice the woman turns her
back to Ayden and faces the men in the room behind her declaring, “This morning
we found the door to his room propped open.
The room was empty. No one has been
able to find him all day.”
Ayden
tries to explain but Richard is grabbing at her arm again and dragging her
towards the door. She yells out to
anyone that will listen, “He brought me here yesterday and I just snuck out for
a minute to get some fruit from the tree in the garden.” “Honest,” she pleads
“Get
this thief out of my Inn. I was with
Hunter last night when he delivered this lovely belly ring to me and I have never
seen this girl before,” the woman yells.
Ayden
fights him but she is no match for the tall man named Richard and she is promptly
removed from the tavern.
_________________________________________
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