Chapter 31

Naomi took another blind step back as Tavik kissed her and felt something furry tangle with her feet. She faltered to try and get clear of it, but Tavik had already taken a step for them. She lost her balance and began to fall. In the back of her mind, a voice cried, ‘Timber!’ She landed on her back without her arms to offer any buffer. Tavik landed on top of her, squashing her.

She groaned in pain and tried to shift him off her. “Goddammit, cat!” Her hand went to remove the blindfold so she could glare at the cat, but Tavik's hand intercepted hers and jerked it away from her face.

“This is why it is dangerous,” he said.

“What’s the big deal? Why can’t anyone see your face? Are you terribly scarred, disfigured, what? It doesn’t matter!”

“It does matter, Naomi. I am sorry.” Holding her hands immobile, he leaned forward and gave her a lingering kiss, but it was not a kiss to ignite passions but a kiss of farewell. He rose to his feet and was gone. Naomi waited a moment and heard the door to her chamber close. She reached up and snatched off the blindfold. Agatha crouched under the bed glaring at her.

“What is the big idea, are you trying to kill me?” Naomi demanded.

“And I want to know what you were trying to do? We need Tavik to stay pure.”

“Are you sure Mr. Squibbles was right because Tavik certainly doesn’t act like a virgin.”

“I’m sure.”

“Well, maybe there’s another virgin in the castle. Have you considered that? Maybe we should expand our option.”

“Why, so you can remove Tavik as an option?”

Naomi blew out a breath in aggravation. She rose up and went to her window to look down onto the courtyard. Maids beat carpets. A blacksmith toiled with a hammer on a piece of hot metal. Children chased chickens. Everyone was going about doing normal, mundane things while she argued with her talking cat and plotted how to kidnap her virgin husband. She wanted to beat rugs.

Agatha leapt up to sit in Naomi’s lap. “I doubt we have much time before Tavik returns to his troops and escapes our grasp,” the witch said. Absently, Naomi stroked the feline’s head.

“What do you suppose we should do?”

“The best option I can think of is to drug Tavik. We can carry him down through the secret passage and be long gone before anyone knows anything.”

“They have placed a guard on the horses due to Mr. Squibbles’ little theatrics the other night.”

“That will make things a little more difficult, but we will be able to get around it.”

“And how do you suggest we drug Tavik?”

“Surely, he would accept a drink with his wife,” Agatha reasoned.

“I wouldn’t count on it.” Agatha dug her claws lightly into Naomi’s thighs. Naomi hissed at the slight pain.

“Enough of this gloominess. We must stay confident. We will succeed.” Naomi pushed the cat off her lap.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’re a team of a mouse, a cat, and a captive woman. What will we succeed except total and utter failure?”

“That’s the spirit,” grumbled a squeaky voice. Naomi looked at their new arrival.

“Do you have any bright ideas? How about we throw a net over Tavik and conk him on the head?”

“Do you still want to get a unicorn or not?” Mr. Squibbles asked.

Naomi dropped her head but nodded.

“We need Tavik, then.”

“Isn’t there another virgin we could get? Maybe instead of kidnapping someone, we could just ask them to help us?”

The mouse shook his head. “The only other virgins in this castle are children. Do you want to take a child from his or her family?”

“You know that Tavik is the worst person to take. He is not only the most dangerous, but a lot of men will come looking for him. How can we be sure we’ll make it to a unicorn before they find us?”

The cat stood up on her back legs and placed her forepaws on Naomi’s knees to look up into her face with large unwavering eyes. “You have such little faith. I am a powerful witch; capable of many things that would surprise you. In fact, I bet you are capable of a few things that would surprise you too.”

Naomi felt a little better. Agatha was an amazing woman. Naomi was sure she could do lots of things that would astound her, and Agatha was more than willing to help her. If Naomi couldn’t have much confidence in herself, she should at least have more in her new friends.

“I’m sorry. I do believe you, and I’m grateful for all the help you have given me. I wouldn’t have a chance without both of you.”

Agatha and Mr. Squibbles nodded accepting her apology. “So what do you have in mind really?” she asked.

Agatha opened her mouth to reply, but her head whipped to the door. Naomi jerked to look over there as well. Yula cracked the door open and peered in. Naomi groaned.

“Lady Alyssa, who is in here with you?” the maid asked tentatively.

Hoping Yula had not heard anyone but her, Naomi chuckled thinly and indicated Agatha. “Just the cat. I know it’s silly, but I just started talking to her and couldn’t stop.”

Yula pushed the door open and slipped in. She looked around the room. “I thought I heard other voices.”

Naomi laughed again. “I may have been answering myself with a pretend voice. I’m not crazy. I promise.”
Yula did not look convinced that Naomi was acting strange and not actually talking to someone else, but the only other being in the room was the cat. Mr. Squibbles had run back under the bed as soon as they became aware of Yula.

“Was Lord Tavik here?” she asked.

Naomi rolled her eyes when she nodded. “Yes, his grand lordship graced me with his presence.”

Yula smirked at Naomi but did not comment. She took the seat left behind by Tavik. She continued to grin at Naomi until Naomi began to wonder what the old woman was amused by. Her comment had not been that droll. Naomi stared at her waiting for the old woman to let her in on the joke, but Yula’s smile only widened into a Cheshire cat smile.

“All right, I give up. What’s so funny?”

“The ribbon for the front of your dress appears to be missing.”

Naomi looked down and saw that the ribbon that laced up the front of her dress was gone. She had not even noticed Tavik tugging it off during their lip lock. She looked around the room and saw Agatha playing with it near the bed. When she bent down to pick it up, she whispered, “You could have told me this was missing.”

Agatha merely reached up and batted at the dangling ends. Naomi snorted at her behavior. She returned to her seat and began threading the ribbon back into her dress. Yula’s eyes still danced in amusement.

“I have no idea how this happened,” Naomi muttered. Yula chuckled at Naomi’s expense.

Naomi and Yula were once again strolling in the garden when a servant came to find her. “Lady Alyssa, Lord Tavik requests your company for dinner tonight.”

“Who will be dining with?” she asked.

“It’s to be a private dinner in his chamber.”

At the news, Yula giggled like a school girl, which earned her a glare from Naomi. Agatha, who had been roaming the garden with them, took off back to the castle. Naomi assumed she was going to consult with Mr. Squibbles and create a plan to kidnap Tavik. She wondered if the two would remember that she would most likely be tied up for the meal and unable to slip something into Tavik’s food, and Tavik would probably notice a cat or a mouse trying to get at his cup or plate.

Yula was more excited about the private dinner than Naomi. She worked harder on Naomi’s appearance than she had for the banquet. Naomi tried to dampen the old woman’s zeal, but Yula was having none of it. She was swept up in the romance and muttering things like how nice holding a baby again would be. Needless to say, Yula’s excitement was freaking Naomi out.

“I don’t need anymore perfume! The cooks can probably smell me from the kitchen while chopping onions!” Naomi protested.

Yula wielded the perfume bottle expertly out of Naomi’s reach and still dabbed the perfume pestle in Naomi’s cleavage before she could stop her. “We want you to smell nice everywhere,” she countered, but she put the perfume down. She picked up the hairbrush next. Naomi began backing away with her hand over the back of her head.

“Get away from me, Yula. You’ve gone bonkers.”

“Just a few more strokes, Lady Naomi. We want you to look your best for Lord Tavik, don’t we?” The maid tried to dart behind Naomi with the brush. Naomi skipped back and stepped on the bed to get away from her.

“No, we do not! I looked perfectly fine for Tavik an hour ago!” Naomi felt quite ridiculous delivering this protest from where she stood in the middle of the bed, but she was not going near that woman until she put down the hairbrush.

“At least put on a little more jewelry. I think Lord Tavik especially liked that ruby pendent on you. He stared at it quite a bit at the banquet.”

“Are you sure it was the pendent he was staring at?” Naomi knew the pendent had rested over her breasts.

“Well, we should at least give him an excuse to look there,” Yula said coyly.
Naomi stomped her foot in frustration and toppled forward when the bed bounced. Her hair fell across her face, and she felt the combs Yula had put up there to hold her hair shift out of place.

“See, this is what you get for being obstinate with me,” she scolded. Naomi muttered curses to herself as she rolled off the bed and let Yula put her hair back to rights. Tavik better come get her soon because the evening would probably be ruined if she killed Yula.

Continue to Chapter 32.