"It will work perfectly, won't it? How long will it take to cure the wound completely?"Ava cast a hopeful glance at the little pot in her hand. A thick, dark green colored ointment inside the pot gleaming in the candle, its exotic scent filled the air in Madam Nora's little cottage. "Certainly, it will cure any kind of wound in two or three days. Just try and you'll see the magic."Nora answered without the littlest doubt. The fortune teller strained her eyes at her in a mysterious gaze. "Get yourself prepared, young lady." "For what?" "Turn and twist of fate. It's coming your way, there's no stopping it, there's no escaping it." Another absurd, indecipherable prophecy. She better went home now, before the night fell. Certainly she didn't want to experience another terror like the last time she left this place. It didn't stop her to come here again, though. Because

He must be insane, he was totally out of his mind. The brazen request should never be made, but the moment it was said, he felt greatly relieved he had done it before his senses came back and ruled him. Such a sweet tempting torture she was, he just wanted to endure it a little longer. She stood perfectly still, but couldn't bring herself to answer. Suddenly he was crazed by fear that she would reject his request. A second of wait felt like an hour of torture. When the pressure peaked to its extreme culmination, he uttered the question in measured composure. "Do you accept my term?" He detected a slight gleam in her eyes, like suspicion or hesitation. She stared at him in a state that seemed as if she was on the alert. "In one condition." She answered the question with a cautious reply."I accept as long as I am not to be painted nude." "God, no!!"He chuckled, coul

She was completely ignoring him and he flew into a rage. In a second he already breezed across the room, grabbed her wrist and turned her to face him. The sudden violent move must have shocked her to death. He meant to give her a hard lesson but when he saw her flinching, when she looked at him with the fearful look in her eyes, suddenly the rage turned into a surge of guilt and remorse. She bursted out in a desperate look."Do you have to be this cruel to me? Whatever you might think or believe, I never meant to challenge you. I have no defense against you. Why would I ever want to vex you?" And the words struck him in the right place. He had been unnecessarily cruel to her. He knew certain things could provoke him to explode very easily, but this time he had acted like a total creep. He had overreacted to her response, in fact he was the one who pushed her to the edge. Moreover, how could he used such physical force to threaten a de

A concealed weapon. He made it sound as though she was planning an unexpected attack. Ava put the pistol and other stuffs inside the reticule quickly under his cautious inspection. "I bring it anytime, anywhere since the night I almost... you know, the night you saved my life. We never know when we would meet some ... unexpected situation." "You bring it in the morning? To the market?" She nodded. It was a lie. Actually she just didn't bother to tidy up her reticule after her last visit to Madam Nora. But she didn't want to complicate things up. "That's morbid." He was still looking at her with the same expression."Can you use it?" "Very well." That was the truth. She was dangerous, literally, it never occurred to him that she was carrying that weapon all the time while she was with him. He had b

What was happening to her? She felt silly and awkward and warm all over. She shook her head slightly to get rid of the strange emotion and tried to steady herself. She heard the grass made a soft, rustling sound as he stepped behind her.  Ashton followed her in silence, watching her back as she moved across the field. His interest for her found an echo on her feelings. The signs were brief yet unmistakable. In split second her pupils dilated, almost smothering the green of her orbs, and she licked her lips, not in a seductive way, rather unconsciously. But as much as she was attracted to him, she was denying her own desire. She maintained her distance from him and wrenched away everytime he was near. It seemed like she had yet to perceive her own feelings.  After a moment, Ava considered that she was still feeling unsound. No way. She couldn't have a crush on him, not a bit, not at all. He was a man whose good looks