Chapter 68

EMILY had changed from her day gown with bodice and skirts to breeches that snugged tightly around her thighs and buttocks as Ian was pulling the breeches tightly, securing them with a belt.
She was arching her eyebrows as Ian’s hands wandered to her butt just before he squeezed them. Emily glared at her husband as Ian was smirking.
“I think you have done your inspection quite thoroughly, my lord,” she said before Ian was standing behind her, fitting her into the spare ruffled shirt that Ian brought for her.
He was touching her breasts as he was fitting the silk waistcoat to her body. Emily glanced over her shoulder as Ian was whispering into her ear.
“And you know I love to do a thorough inspection. Just to make sure that nothing comes loose when we’re running and hunting in the forest,” he whispered huskily, raising the hair on her nape as Emily cleared her throat.
Dear Gods…. Why do I have such a wicked lord husband that I would love to ravish him right now? She mused before Emily was stepping away, giving some space for them as she took the quiver that contained her arrows and a bow that she was using for her practice.
Ian snugged the quiver to his back as he was gripping the bow in his hand. He looked up and down as Emily was doing the same. He nodded.
“Are you ready, Marchioness of Kain?” he asked, teasing her as he was leading their hunting into the unknown of Ngis Forest. Emily gulped but she did not let her fear control her. Not even when she was afraid of facing the wild animals that might be captured later on. She nodded grimly.
“I’m ready,” she said, gripping the bow in her hand, stepping lightly next to Ian as they ventured into Ngis Forest where the locals of St. Betown has never had the opportunity to do so before.
Not only because they were not enhanced like Emily or Ian. But because there was something else that was going on in the forest that lurked behind the trees and shadows…

IAN could feel the dark aura that was lurking inside the forest but he ignored it, for he did not want to alert his wife of the danger that would be coming their way if they were to acknowledge it.
He could see that Emily was looking around, her hand was gripping the bow that he made custom for his wife. Ian smiled at the small gesture that he made to his marchioness, but no one would ever know about it. The pregnant silence was too eerie to disturb but Emily broke it as she cleared her throat.
“Are you sure that this is a good idea? I feel… I feel as if we’re being watched, Ian. It made me uneasy with this whole hunting experience,” she whispered to him as Ian was looking at the darkened forest that hid so many things from the locals, including the Higher Court and the young queen of Niapachad Island. Ian sighed before he stopped and turned to look at his wife.
Emily’s brown orbs were looking at his face, searching for something that she needed to know at the moment. And Ian was trying to give it to her by taking her hand and kissing her knuckles. He sighed as Emily’s gaze softened to a degree that he only knew and no one else.
“I don’t know, my love. But I think it’s best if we do not hunt in this forest. I can feel the dark aura that surrounds the forest as well,” he confessed as Emily snapped her eyes at his.
“So, you can feel that as well? I know that I was not the only one that has this feeling of being watched…” she said before she whispered to him, stepping closer as their bodies almost collided with each other.
“And to think that there are some legends that surround the mountains over there, we must take precautions while we’re here, my love,” Emily said before she was nodding her head toward the overbearing mountains that were located on the northeast of Ngis Forest.
Ian chuckled softly, shaking his head before he was pulling his wife by the hand. They were tracing their steps back as he knew that Emily would not like to be spending more time in this forest, let alone be near Lake Ngis for all that he cared.
“We will be spending one more night here and then off to St. Betown we go,” Ian said as he was pulling Emily to walk side by side with him. Emily was wrapping her hands around his arm as they were taking a stroll in the quietest forest that they had ever stepped into.
“Are you sure about that? I mean, we just arrived yesterday and just because we can’t hunt in the forest doesn’t mean that we have to cancel our wedding trip, my love,” Emily said as she was staring at him.
Ian smiled before pulling her to a stop to kiss her on the lips. Emily went pliant against his hard body as she was hooking her arms around his neck. Ian broke off the kiss.
“Well, if I was being truly honest with you, my love…” he chuckled softly before Ian carried Emily in his arms, bridal style, as Emily shrieked before she was securing herself, as she was wounding her hands around his neck, gripping his nape. Ian smirked.
“I would just spend my whole day trying to discover your secrets and curves that you hid from the world, Emmy. And to think that I could have done that if we had gone to Kain Estate where we first met,” he whispered before Emily giggled as Ian was carrying her to their campsite just to lay her down on their makeshift bed for the rest of the day, he would be a happy man.

EMILY was staring at the lake that was calling to her. She did not know if this was a dream or if she was really standing by the edge of the lake. Lake Ngis was calling for her, singing in that haunting voice that was sorrow and grievance about the loss of lives.
And the fact that no one knew that Lake Ngis even existed. The lake had been cherished by many before the development of the country as the Origins first came to the island. They discovered the lake first and many had been called to their enchanted edge, just waiting for the greetings from Down Under.
Emily felt her feet were hitting the misty, moist ground as she was walking toward the call. They were waiting for her as some women, dressed in many scales of various colors, and were waiting for her. It was vibrant and eccentric to see her as she was stepping closer to the edge of the lake. Their hair was long as their eyes matched the colors of their scales that ran along their lower waist.
Not feet though, for they had what seemed like flippers that were shaped in a V-shape.
One of them, the one with the red scales, was smiling as Emily was walking slowly toward Lake Ngis. She opened her mouth and the most melodic song was hitting her eardrums. The red woman was smiling wickedly as she swam to the edge of the lake. The others that came with her; teal, orange, blue and pink, were gasping as the red woman came closer to where Emily was reaching.
“Come greet us, oh your lovely creature. You’re the one that we’re waiting for. Come, come closer and greet the Down Under,” the woman sang as she was offering her hand to Emily.
The marchioness of Kain was looking at the offered hand, wanting to reach for it before someone broke the spell that the scaly women enchanted over Emily.
The familiar sensual voice filled her night and day. “Get away from my wife, you wretched sirens!”