“We’ll be safe for a little while. At least until they figure out where we’ve gone,” Charles said. He turned to walk forward and the ground disappeared beneath him.

“Charles!” Sammie exclaimed.

A groan from below let them know he was alive. “I’ve fallen on a sharp rock.”

“Are you cut?”

Mawri had started to cry after witnessing her daddy fall.

“It’s okay baby, Daddy just has a booboo,” he yelled back up for her. Sammie clutched the toddler and bounced her.

“Okay girls, come with me,” Ruby said, leading them away from the scene and trying to look for more booby traps. “Sammie, do you have blankets?”

“Yes, I do.” Sammie reached into a bag she’d taken from their cell and pulled out three worn blankets.

Ruby spread them on the ground and picked Mawri up.

“You two are going to have a slumber party. I know you need sleep so you’re going to nap while we fix daddy’s booboo, okay?”

The two girls didn’t argue. They lay down and allowed her to cover them with the blankets. Mawri stuck her thumb in her mouth and started to twirl Rori’s hair around her finger. She was out within a few seconds and after about a minute Rori fell asleep as well.

“I’m going to come down there and see if I can help,” Ruby yelled down to Charles.

She slowly climbed down the hole to Charles, and examined his leg. There was some blood but it didn’t look deep. She moved the pant leg out of the way, where they’d become soaked and stuck to his leg, and found a nasty gash.

“Sammie, I need some water and a clean cloth,” she called up to her.

“Got it,” Sammie said.

“What happened to your friend?” Ruby realized they hadn’t returned with the man they’d gone to save.

“We were too late.” Charles looked down. “How bad is it?” he asked, pointing to his leg, which he’d not moved since falling in the hole.

Ruby leaned over Charles and put pressure on the wound. “It’s not that bad, we’ll have you fixed in no time.” She smiled.

He sat up and groaned. Charles looked over at her, his blue eyes shining with gratitude. Her stomach clenched. He was a very attractive man and he was brave, which made him even more so. She tucked some hair behind her ear.

He reached over and moved it back in her face.

“I like your hair framing your face,” he said, “it’s pretty.”

“Thank you.” Ruby felt the blood rush to her cheeks. He reached out and did the same thing on the other side.

She stilled as his hand brushed over her neck on the way back down. When she looked up at him, he was staring at her, a smile on his face. Was she reading this wrong? Her stomach tightened even more and she licked her lips. Leaning forward she moved her head towards his. Hesitating, she waited to see if that’s what he wanted. His hand went around her neck and pulled her the rest of the way. His lips brushed hers first and then he pressed their mouths together, his fingers digging into her neck. She moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she parted her lips.

His tongue thrust into her mouth and the tightness in her stomach was replaced with sensations that went all the way down her abdomen. Throbbing ensued between her legs and she threw a leg over him before she knew what she was doing.

She pressed against him, pushing her tongue back into his mouth. The sensation at her core intensifying as she moved against him. She felt him harden beneath her and gasped, wetness pooling between her folds.

What was she doing?

The kiss gained fire and intensity and she moaned deeply, feeling overtaken by desire until a small throat clear brought her back to herself.

She looked up to see Sammie looking down at them and jumped away from him quickly. She was ashamed but her desire had not been extinguished.

“Throw a rope down to help us out of this hole Sammie, please.”

Sammie disappeared and a vine came down a few minutes later. Ruby didn’t want to go up to the surface, but Charles encouraged her with a nod. She wrapped her hand around the vine and pushed her up by her butt. His fingers grazed over her mound. Surely he felt the heat from her body. The fire ignited deep inside her again. She would have glared at him but she was busy climbing to the surface to face the music.

Sammie didn’t say anything, just turned away and dropped the vine down for Charles. The two women helped him up, pulling the rope. His injured leg made it hard for him to get a grip on the wall of the trap with his feet. 

She washed and wrapped his wound not looking him in the eye. She also didn’t look at Sammie.

Once he had been doctored, she sat on the ground beside him studying a stick. “I’m so sorry, Sammie. I don’t know what came over me, I think it was the fact we were almost killed. I never touch married men, I just don’t know what came over me.” She realized she was repeating herself.

“Ruby, it’s okay,” Sammie said.

“No, it’s not okay,” Ruby stated. She didn’t really know what else to say. They were running for their lives and she let her stupid sex drive get in the way of what should have been happening.

“It is, listen. Charles and I have what some would call an open relationship. We welcome other women, and men into our bedroom. Both of us are attracted to you, he just made the first move.”

For a minute she wasn’t sure she’d heard her right. Her parents had taught her while they were polyamorous not a lot of the universe was. Most people, they’d said, would not agree with the way they lived.

“That’s such a strange thing,” Ruby said.

“I know, and most of the people where we’re from think so, too. We aren’t open about it and we’ll completely understand if you aren’t into it.”

“No,” Ruby said, “I should say it’s a strange coincidence.”

The two looked at her confused.

“I have two moms and two dads.”

“Really,” Charles exclaimed, genuinely surprised.

“Yeah. They all love each other, but they’ve always told me their way is not the way of everyone.”

Sammie leaned in closer to her and smiled. “It’s the only way.” She brought her face close to Ruby’s and the ache returned in her stomach.

They heard angry voices nearby and heavy footsteps. The Hallaw had found them.

Charles sprang up a little too fast and fell back down.

“Stay, I’ll go see,” Ruby said. She got up and stayed low to the ground. She ran towards the entrance they’d come into the forest through and hid behind a large tree. There were only two Hallaw’s and she surmised this might be a hunting spot for them, with the trap. It made sense. They could take on two. The weapon she had was set to stun and kill. She thought long and hard about whether she should kill them or not.

“Mommy,” Mawri’s small voice caught her attention and she rushed back towards the others. A shout and Sammie’s screech pierced the air. The other two Hallaw were alerted and Ruby had no choice. She shot them.

When she made it back to them, Charles was standing over one on the ground with his gun pointed at it. Sammie lay on her back with Mawri and Rori standing over her.

“Once came up from behind, and scared the baby. Sammie rushed him and he shot her. We have to help her.

Ruby took a deep breath and hoped the wound wasn’t too bad.