Chapter 6

Heading for the table Lindsey waited for a moment for them to finish, but when they didn't appear to be stopping she cleared her throat.

Dusty tried not to jump when she did this, but Lori just slowly swung her head around Lindsey's direction to look at her appraisingly for a moment.

"May we help you?" asked Lori sweetly.

"May I talk to Dusty for a moment? Alone?" asked Lindsey quietly.

They both could see that Lindsey appeared irritated, but she was doing a good job of containing it.

"I'll be back in a moment. Let me find the other girls and we can get ready to get started," said Lori right before she leaned in, gave him another lingering kiss, and then stroked the side of his face before she moved away using her hand to trace his face until she could no longer touch him as she stepped out of range.

It was hard not to follow that nice figure that seemed to have picked up a swing that the few men in the room seemed to notice. She was doing it for both Dusty and Lindsey to see as she headed back to her room.

Once she was gone, Lindsey looked hard at Dusty for a moment before she spoke.

"You're just as bad as Chad. A woman looks your way and your pecker immediately comes out! And what! You have your own personal harem now? When did you become such a dog?!" asked Lindsey heatedly.

"I'm only what you made me. You know, what with everything that happened behind my back in all," answered Dusty quietly while staring at her hard himself.

Lindsey blushed as she realized that this wasn't going the way she wanted it to go. It really was all her fault, and pissing him off wouldn't make him see her any differently.

Taking a deep breath she decided to try again.

"Dusty, look I know you have every reason to dislike and hate me, and I didn't expect you to just fall into my arms immediately like we used to be, but I really need you to give me a real chance.

"I worked really hard to find you. I gave up everything I had to find you again. Couldn't you please let me have at least one more chance to get you back?" asked Lindsey softly as she seemed to now be pleading with him.

"No Lindsey it's not that easy. The most we can be is friends now. I have a new life that I like. I can do things here that I never believed or thought possible. And most of all I have someone else I love here, who found me when I was broken, and tried really hard to fix me," said Dusty.

"With who? Snow White there?" Lindsey asked sarcastically as she recalled the kisses and Lori's response to her approach to the table when she interrupted it.

"Lindsey, she has risked her life for me in the past. And she is someone you may need to help you in the future since you're now stuck here like me, so I'd be nicer to her if I was you. God knows I've come to depend on her more than I ever thought I would, and so far she's never betrayed or infected me," said Dusty testily.

As he said that he saw Lindsey go pale, even beneath her deep tan.

Dusty felt ashamed that something he said he forgave her for he was now throwing back in her face during an argument.

As Lindsey started to rise to run from the table Dusty reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Lin that wasn't fair or right. I can't say I forgive you and then bash you with it at the same time. But they are my friends. They helped me when I couldn't help myself, just like they are willing to do for you. They are willing to help teach you how to live in this world like they did me.

"But please don't attack them. They are all special to me and I don't want to have to choose between any of you. I want us all to get along," said Dusty to a now softly crying Lindsey

Pulling her close, and feeling bad for what he just said, he let her cry into his chest for a moment as he held her.

At that precise moment looking over the balcony from her room Suzan took in the scene below her and she felt herself growing colder as she watched Dusty holding onto Lindsey and started getting a bit upset. She couldn't hear what was said, but she didn't like the actions taking place below.

Also watching, at the foot of the stairs, just inside the morning shadows Rachel looked at the two of them as well and she too wasn't happy.

Rachel could hear what was said, but it didn't matter, she still blamed Lindsey for ruining her only chance to be with the one man she had ever wanted to be with for what she felt was more than just a single sexual encounter.

She wanted to get one at the very least, but now she would never even get that from Dusty, and it was all that woman's fault

If he was so attracted to Lindsey that he was desperate to marry her, then if he had met her first then he would be hers now. She felt that Lindsey was the one who screwed that up for her.

It was a somber group that set out from town of Juniper headed to their mission.

Each one of the group seemed to be lost in their own thoughts.

The only thing Lindsey had to travel in was the clothes she came in, tight blue jeans, light blue pull over blouse, a blue jean jacket, and sneakers.

Since she wasn't prepared for any type of travel Dusty had to buy her some traveling clothes and comfortable shoes as well as a light travel pack to store some of her things in so she could carry them on her back.

As they walked Marie kept watching everyone trying to figure out what was going to happen next. She could feel that everyone was strung tightly

Lori kept watching Dusty while smiling at him big whenever she noticed Lindsey watching her. When neither was looking she was frowning at nothing in general.

Rachel was glowering at Lindsey. She was still very angry.

Suzan was looking straight ahead and not looking at any one in particular.

Dusty was trying to divide his time between watching the other women and making sure that Lindsey was able to keep up. He was worried that she wasn't used to all this heavy traveling by foot.

Lindsey was feeling sorry for herself.

Now that she found Dusty everything wasn't going any better for her than before and she kept trying to make sure Lori was the only one that he was sleeping with, even though by the actions of the other three she was sure he had bedded them all as well at least once.

One thing she noticed was that all the women were armed. Even though they were certainly attractive, something told her that they were dangerous by the look of their weapons.

The other thing that bothered her was the young woman, whom she heard everyone call Rachel, would looked so much like her but with longer hair. She was the one that Lindsey would have thought Dusty would be with now, but while Dusty remained friendly with her she didn't sense any relationship between them.

Then there was the fact that she could feel hatred from Rachel every time she looked her way. She just met her, how could she possibly hate her this much already? She figured she might inconvenience them all, as Lori acted with her there, but why the deep hostility from Rachel?

Dusty was trying not to be obvious but was trying to keep track of Lindsey as they walked. His strength may have been growing daily, and the women were used walking great distances, but Lindsey's only real exercise was Turbo kick and the often used Step and Spinning classes at the local Gold's gym where they lived.

While it kept her in fantastic shape it did nothing for real labor or strenuous travel. And he knew soon she would start to tire and give out from the exertions

As predicted, Lindsey soon seemed to get tired, but refused to say anything to anyone and Dusty drifted over to Marie to quietly say something, but Marie already noticed.

Marie's usual style was to get where they were going about a week early so they could scout the area to know where they were before a job. The only exception was when they first met Dusty and he slowed them down as he struggled to keep up. Now it was the woman he insisted they bring with them who was slowing them down.

They walked on a few more hours and to everyone surprise, but Lindsey's relief, she called it an early day. She said they would get started before daybreak to make up for the time they were resting. She picked the spot because it was near a stream.

As they quickly setup camp, Lindsey seemed to be leaning back against a tree with her eyes closed as she tried to force her body to quit being so tired. It wasn't working but she was trying.

She finally opened her eyes and looked around. She noticed that Rachel was still giving her the evil eye from time to time, the one introduced to her as Suzan seemed to be working efficiently but quietly, Marie seemed to be talking to those two in turn, but Dusty and Lori seemed to be missing.

Even though that alarmed her, she didn't seem to have the strength to get up to find them right then. Just as she marshaled enough strength to get up, because she didn't want to leave them alone any longer than she had to, they both came into the clearing laughing as they carried firewood between them.

Lindsey made her way over to everyone and tried to be a part group as she saw them return.

Sitting around the fire pit that Marie had made, Dusty and Lori started to put wood into it.

Lindsey looked startled and confused as Dusty just held his hand over the wood and closed his eyes for a moment. She thought he was praying as his mouth was moving but no words came out.

Then suddenly fire flew from his hands and hit the wood setting it ablaze.

Lindsey lurched backwards as she saw that, and stared at Dusty in surprise. As she did it she remembered that Dusty was holding lighting in his hand as he fought with Bill's men earlier, but she was too shocked at seeing him to think about it, but now it all came flooding back

Staring at Dusty as if he was a stranger she heard Lori lightly laugh as she said, "I forgot. Dusty said you don't have magic in your world. He was first shocked at our use of it here as well."

"Does everyone in this world do magic?" asked Lindsey quietly

"No, not everyone. Only a select few can be mages. It seems that the reason I was brought her was because I have the potential," said Dusty.

"Yes, and I help train him. We have an arrangement where every time he successfully learns a spell, I give him a big ... wet... kiss. Want to see how it works?" asked Lori grinning evilly at a shocked Lindsey.

"OH NO YOU DON'T" rang out the voices of Suzan, Marie, and Rachel at the same time. Even though that caught Lori off guard, it didn't seem to bother her in the slightest.

While they all said the same thing each seemed to have meant something different. Funny how one phrase can have three different meanings.

Lori looked at the three of them in mild surprise. They never seemed to get upset before with her antics. She started to smile again as she realized they must be starting to feel pressured by her to react that way.

But she was wrong, they reacted that way for different reasons.

Marie reaction was because she didn't want to embarrass Lindsey, which was obviously Lori's goal.

Suzan was because Dusty was hers and she was still trying to sort out how to balance everything out. She trusted him, but she was growing irritated by the other women's actions lately.

Rachel was because she was still pissed off at Lindsey and just reacted without thinking.

Smiling seductively Lori said "Fine, if you don't want me to this time I won't, but he still needs to practice."

"Will I be able to do magic?" asked Lindsey as she regained her seat with everyone else.

Without saying a word Lori went to her pack and approached Lindsey. Taking her hand she put he globe in it and everyone watched as the globe stayed clear.

"What is this?" asked Lindsey

Without saying anything Lori took and held the globe, and after a few seconds the globe flared a pretty but very bright powered Blue and then switched to a bright Red, and then lightly changed to different light colored versions of black, green, and white. Then it started all over again alternating between colors.

Handing it to Suzan Lindsey could see it went back to its normal clear state.

Walking to Dusty, where Lori handed it to him, while she stood behind him bent over massaging his shoulders, Lindsey could see it flare a brilliantly, almost blindingly bright Blue, Green, Red, White, and impossibly dark Black as all the colors swirled back and forth.

"As you can see not just anyone can be a mage and use magic. You have to have the power inside you for it to react to this crystal," said Lori as she smiled while draping her arms over Dusty's shoulders, putting her head on top of his, as she spoke to Lindsey.

The look was one of possession as if to tell Lindsey that he was now hers and she no longer stood a chance at getting him back.

Later Lori and Dusty sat off to the side and worked on his training, but later that night Suzan, Lindsey, and Rachel all softly cried themselves to sleep, but each for different reasons.

Even with Lindsey slowing them down they still made it to the large town where they were supposed to be without any other major incidents happening.

Lindsey was still impressed to see that Dusty still worked out daily, though here it was early every morning, and he practiced his magic before he went to sleep each night. She thought it was quaint that the women referred to his Muay Thai fighting style as "Moo-aye-tie". More than once she had to stifle a chuckle quickly as she heard them say it.

In all it had taken a few weeks to get there and by then everyone's nerves were on edge.

The women now found that they seemed to get upset with each other for the smallest things, things that never used to bother them before.

Dusty nerves were on edge because he was trying to walk a tight rope between everyone feelings and expectations from him.

And Lindsey was frustrated and upset that she was the outsider and didn't seem to be making any real headway with getting back together with Dusty with the other women around.

As they approached the somewhat large town they made their way to an Inn that they hoped that they would be staying as their base for the mission. The first thing after that was to meet with the Mayor and then later a mage named Chris who was their council contact.

One thing that Dusty wanted to do when he met Chris was using his communication crystal to contact Melkin to find out why he lied to him about Lindsey. He told Dusty that Lindsey had a good life in their world after he was gone, but how was that possible if she was here with him now?!