Author's note: Hello everyone. Again, I am grateful to MsSensualiT for her continued help to be my second set of eyes as we crawl slowly towards the end. I hope those of you who enjoy this series continue to do so.
~ellie.
The moon boot that now encased Marcella's leg saved it from many of the big jolts, but her ass wasn't lucky enough to escape as they travelled seemingly without roads across the scrubby tree-dotted edge of the red desert. They travelled with a convoy of vehicles that looked like they had come straight out of a Mad Max stunt teams' graveyard of cars. Some of the bigger vehicles looked to be ex-army trucks, while the smaller quads and four by fours appeared cobbled together by experimental mechanics. They were travelling to a satellite camp separate from the main houses of the property, and rather than mustering as she knew it to be from reading and television, they were about to meet some ringers and hunt wild bulls.
Wild bulls, she had been told, were probably the most dangerous animal in the Never-Never, more so even than the water buffalo, who were bigger but slower and not quite as aggressive. There were three Jeeps like the one she rode in, each towed a trailer full of supplies, and each looked out of place with the strange collection of cobbled-together vehicles. If they were trying to hide in the Never-Never, then using cars that would stand out as much as these Jeeps was probably not a good idea. At least, that is what she thought before they slowed to a stop part way along their journey to traverse a stream carefully.
When she exited the car, she saw that the jeep she travelled in was no longer sleek and shiny. Instead, it was covered in the red dirt of the land just like everything else out there, making the paint look almost rusted and pockmarked like the other stranger vehicles. It was the beginning of the wet season for the territory, and they took special care and consideration of even the most minor streams in the outback. Noah, who rode shotgun as she stretched out her leg along the back seat, pointed out the wild bulls, brumbies and explained that the water buffalo tended to stay further north near the rivers and wetlands. However, a few could be seen this far south in the wet season, along with the freshwater crocodiles.
Marcella would have been happy never to see another crocodile again. Still, as Hector had said, she had gotten off reasonably lightly, and aside from several deep puncture marks and stitches in her lower leg and ankle, she had been relatively unscathed by the event. It inconvenienced her more than it caused her any real pain. When they stopped again, she looked around and was surprised by what she saw. A large tin shed stood on one side, which served to help hide the cave-like dwellings set into the wall of a small cliff or something like that behind the shed making the area defensible should they come under attack for some reason. The entrances to the huts were dark so that she couldn't see within the cave-like dwellings, but a more careful look around showed her several tent-like huts that seemed to be covered in paperbark so that they blended in with the area. The only thing to stand out in this place was the tin shed which looked aged and unused, matching most of the cars and trucks that surrounded it.
"Let me show you where we will be staying," Noah held out his hand to Marcella, who looked at it and back at him. He chuckled. He should have known better than to give her a choice that she could argue with, but things had been going so well in the last few days that he had allowed himself to believe they had turned a corner in their relationship.
"Sure," Marcella agreed hesitantly, turning to look at the strange tents and cave dwellings, unsure what to think about any of this. Eventually, she felt Noah walk up behind her and put a hand loosely around her waist as he tried to guide her forward. Then, realising it was difficult for her to walk over the rough surface in her moon boot, he bent and swept her up into his arms.
"You don't have to do that," she gasped.
"Did you pack the crutches, because I think we left them behind," he smirked, enjoying having her in his arms and didn't want her to start fighting him again.
"It looks awkward, but it doesn't hurt. You can put me down," Marcella protested weekly.
"I don't want to," he said honestly and smiled down at her. The red dust of this place was so pervasive that he could see it sprinkled over her olive skin, making her almost glow in the bright sunlight.
Marcella leaned further into his chest rather than return his soft gaze. No one had ever gotten to her the way Noah had, and she tried to analyse why for the umpteenth time. She had dated handsome, intelligent, bold, and beautiful men before; so, although she could admit he was those things, she didn't think that was why she kept letting him wear her down and allowing him back into her life and bed. He was persistent. She gave him credit for that, but it was also more than that. She'd grown to trust him or at least trust him more than she trusted most other people. In him, she had found someone who could force her out of her own head to live in the moment with him while keeping her safe from all the demons that haunted her.
In the past, she had always been the dominant one in her relationships once she had successfully distanced herself from Apollo and the tables. She chose who she dated, where they went, what they did and if they ever got a second date. Not that many ever got that far with her. She was far from dominant with Noah. He would let her be on an equal footing with him, but more often than not, he had taken control of their intimacy. From their very first tussle over who controlled their first kiss, she wanted to prove herself to him, and his rejection that night had stung so badly. It was as if she would never be enough or worthy of him.
How far they had come since then, she thought. She had made Noah prove he was worthy of her over and over again rather than proving herself worthy of him. Yet, deep in her gut, she knew it was right between them. Whether it was his curse or hers that had brought them together, she had given in to that pull, and although it scared her, she didn't feel the overwhelming urge to get away from him and the family organisation he was born into. He had shown her a different side to all of that, and it was rocking her world as she came to terms with what it meant to him and his family.
"Noah?" she quietly asked just before he ducked his head into one of the cave-like structures against the cliff wall.
"What's wrong?" he asked, bending his head under the low ceiling and placing her feet on the floor while still holding her close.
