Page 51 of There's No Place Like Oz

Talos seemed kind at times. Playful at others. He was interesting and dark and I could only imagine the trauma he’d suffered. When he threw me in the water today, I thought we’d had some slight connection, but how could I connect to someone who I couldn’t truly speak to? Was body language and touch really enough to get to know someone? I didn’t think so. I hoped that when we met his witch and I freed him from his curse, he might stick around long enough that I could get to know him in earnest.

I hugged Tobias as his cock tensed and released his own orgasm inside me. I should have been more embarrassed to be on display like this for them, but some deep desire to perform made me like it. And maybe I hoped it might entice Crowe and Talos to give me a chance too.

When we were all three sated, I pulled my wet dress back on, and we settled on the shore of this beautiful little oasis in the sand. I laid back and stared at the hazy orange dusk through heavy eyelids. A good orgasm almost always made me sleepy, and I was quick to give into rest under the trailing desert sun. Once the moon was high in the sky, we’d continue our journey. I hoped this witch would be a bit less violent. I didn’t know if I could repeat the last encounter. Not without Leon’s killer instincts radiating through me anyway.

I might need to channel Talos’ grudges this time, but how could I make that connection with him?

Chapter 39

The perishable travelers among us took a cat nap in the shade while they waited for more manageable temperatures, and the Tin Man and I remained in a bit of a stand-off. Had I been pushing him to make a connection with Dorothy lately? Yes. Frankly, it would be easier for me if they could talk among themselves, and I didn’t always have to play translator. Furthermore, I would prefer he have a genuine connection with her before we faced off against his witch. That would only be to our advantage.

Everyone else was much too soft on her to force her to become a murderer, so the onus of corruption always fell on me, and I would like Talos to join my efforts. Tobias was as much a puppy dog as his former life implied, and Leon was annoyingly good natured and honorable for someone who called himself a beast. The Wicked Witch of the West would still be alive if they had been her only company, and I wouldn’t travel with someone who didn’t at leastconsidermurder as a reasonable way to exit a social situation.

But how could I convince Talos to just make her bleed on his pierced cock already? He had the discipline of a fucking rock. Maybe Sasha could loosen him up where I couldn’t.

I was appalled at the thought, though I’d admit it could be my only real bet. If I wanted those two to have a connection outside me, I needed to be the one to facilitate it somehow. All I had to work with was the fact that Dorothy seemed to fantasize about monster cock, and that hot, dangerous men made her wet. A really convenient combination, really, but entirely too one sided to help me right now.

The sliver of the moon rose in the sky, not providing much lighting. A recipe for disaster, to be sure.‘Hey guys, it’s hot out. Why don’t we just travel in the dark, so we have more chances of being ambushed?’I mocked in my head.

Fucking humans. If it’s not food or water or sleep, it’s temperature and being killable by minor flesh wounds. If I got separated from the group again because of this, I was going to just let them all die this time.

My peripheral vision caught a glimpse of Dorothy stirring from her nap. I wandered over to entertain myself, since Talos was being boring and all.

“Have a nice nap?” I asked as I crouched down beside her.

She rubbed her eyes then blinked several times before she acknowledged me. Her cheeks were pink with blush. “Too nice, maybe.” She laughed nervously, before glancing between her two partners. “How long was I out?”

I shrugged. “A few hours. We should have about eight hours of darkness left before the sun is fully bearing down on us again.”

Dorothy nodded. I offered her a hand to get her to her feet. She straightened out her dress, which had dried easily in the hot, arid climate, then she stared at me for several moments, as if studying my expression to find some hidden story. I had no clue what was going through her head right then, and I found myself preferring Talos’ company on principle. Emotions were hard enough to understand as it was. I wasn’t a fan of having to guess what someone was feeling. I just about always got it wrong.

“Since it’s just the two of us, can I ask you a question, Crowe?”Why did she sound so nervous?

I rolled my eyes at the irony of the request. “Asking permission while also committing the crime. You’re a human after my own heart, Dorothy.”

Another chuckle of nervousness instead of amusement.Confusing. “How did you know how to find me when the Wicked Witch kidnapped me?”

That question had me completely taken aback. “The castle was rather prominent. It didn’t take much guessing to figure out that’s where she took you.”

Dorothy shook her head. “The castle was also gigantic. There must have been a thousand rooms in that thing, but you knew exactly where to go. You never would have made it in time if you didn’t.”

NowIwas the one blinking in confusion. I opened my mouth to speak, but I wasn’t sure how to answer that.

No, I did know the answer. I could sense her. I could feel her scream in my gut, and it was obvious where she was. It hadn’t even occurred to me that I would have to search. “You screamed, and I followed the noise.” A dismissive answer felt least damning. Though what I was damning myself for, I couldn’t quite explain.

“I didn’t scream.” Those big blue eyes felt invasive as she looked at me. “I could only speak by the permission of her spells. I wanted to, but I couldn’t make a sound.”

I paused.IknowI heard her scream. It vibrated through my fucking bones. “Curious.” Was all I managed.

“So you could feel my internal screaming. Is that because I have the Wicked Witch of the East’s shoes?” The conclusion she’d reached was logical—which she often was, I’d admit—but I didn’t like it. The last connection I needed her to make was that she’d taken on some of Hildy’s power. On the list of revelations she didn’t need, that was just ahead of the fact that I would let her die as soon as it served me.

“Perhaps it was just a lucky guess. Gwen was Grunhilda’s twin, after all. I was likely just drawn towards the similar magic signature of my old witch.”A better explanation.

Again her chin swung back and forth, and again I was annoyed by her observational skills. “I see.” She said, dropping the subject, but it still felt as though she was seeing something in me that wasn’t supposed to be on display. It made my fucking skin crawl.

“I said I’d protect you until I got my wish from the Wizard. You don’t need to read any further into it than that.” I took a step back. I wasn’t scared of her. She didn’t throw me off. I simply didn’t want to risk what else she might spy if she kept staring into me. “Sasha likely won’t be as docile as Gwen. Don’t let yourself get distracted by nonsense.”

“I’ll have to kill her too, won’t I?” Dorothy hung her head as she asked.

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