(Here it is... the long awaited meeting. Enjoi this long pre-written fanfiction. I won't hold you back any longer! ;))

Chapter 6: To Burn

The wind had picked up upon the departure of Langley to the Nottingham castle. Ominous clouds hung over the skies like a dark omen of what was to occur tonight, but she paid no mind. Langley was sure all was going to go well, and if it didn't she was most confident Robin could get to her before she died, or so she hoped. Setting her mare into a canter she cast all thoughts aside and focused at the mission at hand: she needed to rescue Lady Marian from the Sheriff's clutches.

Easier said than done.

Even though Langley was just as skilled, if not more so than Robin in the arts, taking down a hundred of the Sheriff's Dark Knights give or take and infiltrating his home would still be quite the challenge, especially since she is doing so alone, even if the brutes were as skilled at fighting as the outlaws were at counting. Langley wasn't going to back down though, Robin asked her to do this and she couldn't begin to imagine how miserable Marian was locked up in that handsome bloke's castle. A breeze caught her cloak and she instinctively wrapped it around herself tighter, leaning further into her mare as she spurred him on to go faster. She needed to arrive before nightfall and the sun was already setting, if she didn't her plans would be foiled. With renewed gusto Langley smirked into the mane of her horse and yelled "Hya!" into the wind, hoping that no one in the nearing village heard her approach.

Just outside the walls of the Nottingham castle Langley and her dark mare sat hidden behind a tree, she had dismounted moments before and was waiting for the guards to change posts on schedule before leading her horse to the blind spot underneath the nearest watchtower. It had taken a while to find the pattern and weaknesses of the castle from afar, she had managed and was exploiting the findings now. Her green eyes trailed the walls where she saw a dark figure climbing the stairs to where one of the Sheriff's Knights stood at his post. He disappeared from his position, no doubt wanting to leave as soon as possible, which left a ten to fifteen second gap to lead her horse under the watchtower in the hopes of not being spotted. "Come Spade, we must hurry." Langley murmured to her horse, ushering him forward with the gentle tug of the reins as she made a hasty jog across the grounds.

Time was slowly inching away, any moment the new guard could return to his post and jeopardize the mission and her life. Thirty meters, then twenty five, then twenty, fifteen, ten… She saw the guard walking up the stairs, if he glanced down he'd see her; she began a sprint, hoping he wouldn't hear her horse gallop, praying that traveling lightly would pay off. Only five meters, the guard must have heard, but she was there, under the watchtower; hidden safely in the shadows cast by the stones jutting from the initial wall. Letting out a breath of relief, Langley prayed thanks to god of her safety and unpacked the necessities of the mission. She was already dressed for the part, but she always brought a dagger for extra measures, which was hidden on the inside of her boot. Langley turned to Spade slowly, patting the black mane of her loyal stead and looking it deep in the eyes. "I shall be back later, boy. Be good, and if I call come to me, we must save the lady. You know how to get in, just as we practiced, now stay and wait." The horse let out a giddy neigh and softly kneaded the ground with his front foot, nuzzling into his master's neck and letting out a resounding huff. "Don't worry of me, stay safe and we shall both be fine."

Turning from her horse with a final pat, she began scaling the wall, placing her foot in any uneven crevices the stone provided. She was swift and quiet in her ascent, barely making a noise and neither drawing attention to herself nor making her presence known in the slightest. Langley hid behind the nearest column when she landed on the ground after successfully scaling the wall, the guard swirled around in her direction with his sword drawn and raised, ever so slowly inching in the direction of the noise. "Who's there?" His voice was young and soft, quivering with fear of having to face the enemy. Langley was sure by his tone of voice that he had been forced to become one of the Sheriff's Dark Knights, but even then she couldn't take mercy on him, he was bad and that was that. Period.

He was getting closer, then he was right in arm's reach and in one swift motion she had retrieved her dagger from her boot, pressed it into the gap of armor at his neck and had his armed hand twisted and denaturalized at his side. "Sh, don't say a word or I will kill you. I need your help, you will have to leave your post and play a part in my mission. If you refuse you will die, if you accept you may live."

Fear seemed to swell behind his blue eyes, Langley watched his Adam's apple bob in discomfort and she felt a pang of guilt sweep through her at the sight of his fear, but she quickly suppressed it. "Listen closely, you are going to lead me to Lady Marian's room as a maid. We are going to leave this post open and hope no one finds you gone, if they do you might die, if you don't follow my rules though you'll die right now. Speak a word and I will slowly rip out your intestines with a spoon and then hang you by the neck with them. Understand?" He nodded his head furiously at her extremely exaggerated bluff, and she took the knife from her neck, hiding it in the sleeve of her arm, the metal hilt pressed into the palm of her hand to extract at a moment's notice. "Lead the way." The guard turned slowly and began shuffling towards a back entrance of the castle, his sword replaced into his belt as he didn't wish to risk his life.

They entered the castle quietly, anyone who passed not giving the duo a second glance "What's your name?" The guard turned to face Langley with a curious expression on his face, though there was still the underlying hint of fear prominent in his features.

"Ben." He whispered lowly, his voice barely audible over the combined volume of their steps.

"Well Ben, how did you become one of the Sheriff's Dark Knights? Not willingly I hope."

"No, my father was threatened to death if I did not join."

Langley felt sympathy course through her veins, licking her lips at the thought. Robin's parents had died from the Sheriff, as had countless other's at his hand, but making threats like this only added to the pile of sins he had. "I will free you and your father of that burden if you can promise to play your part, I will help you escape, tonight, and you will no longer have to be a Dark Knight, I can also ensure the safety of your family if you comply."

"But why?"

"Why what?"

He paused, the hushed conversation between the two gaining more tension the longer he didn't speak. "Why would you help the enemy?"

"You are not the enemy, the Sheriff is, I shall help you if you help me." If I see that man god help me! I will enjoy r-

"Guard? What are you doing, and who is that with you?" Langley's hands clenched at her sides, but she managed to school her expression into that of a maid's when she recognized the suave voice of the Sheriff. Speak of the devil… Langley saw the Sheriff over the guard's shoulder, her green eyes taking in the undeniably handsome face of the cruel man before going to the ground where she bit her lips to prevent a scowl from crossing her features.

"She is a maid of Lady Marian's come to deliver her lady with news of the manor, I would have asked you if she could come, but she pleaded it was urgent." Ben explained with a bow, Langley was surprised at his quick switch of emotions, he was definitely a very good actor. Curious…

"A maid of Marian you say?" Langley didn't hear the Sheriff step forward, but she saw his polished black boots come into her line of vision, and not a moment later two fingers were pressed under her chin – his thumb pressed against the chin itself - and were roughly forcing her head to look at him. The first thing Langley noticed was his height over her: he was almost five inches taller than her, and that was a considerable amount considering her over average height for being a woman. From such a close distance she could come to admire his features in greater detail too, even now she was physically attracted to this brute, but who in the right mind wouldn't be? Even if he was on the wrong side he was a handsome man, any lady would admit to it. His dark brown eyes were flecked with gold, narrowed upon her features and assessing them with equal prowess as she him. He had a large nose with a blunt tip, though it may not have looked well on other men, it complimented his olive skin tone and made his thick lips even more pronounced. Even his black beard and curly hair seemed to work in harmony with the rest of his features. At such a close proximity she couldn't admire his lean body without pulling away, but she could feel his warm breath fanning against her lips as he leaned in closer and smell his intoxicating scent of leather and musk. "My, my- what a pretty one we have here. The Lady does choose her maids very wisely… after she has delivered the message I wish you to escort her to my private chambers." Langley gulped, she didn't have to hide the fear from her eyes at the thought of being alone with him in his private chambers. Her stomach churned at the prospect, she felt herself grow hot, but she marked it as disgust, having to bite down her remarks and growing want to spit violently in his face, that sick man.

"As you wish Milord." The guard bowed, and Langley went to curtsey out of the Sheriff's touch, though as she bowed her head he didn't move from her path.

"Has there been news of the outlaw?"

Langley shrunk further into herself and froze at the implication of her name, shuffling unsurely around him, trying to hide the blush and fear that crept into her at being caught. "No milord, not yet." The Sheriff glanced at the maid before looking to the guard, "Send for me when her arrival is done, I should be through with this one before she arrives."

"As you wish, milord."

Langley hid the blush that was earnestly creeping up her cheeks and scurried down the hall after Ben, her back burning with the harsh gaze of the Sheriff before she disappeared around the corner. "Aye, that was convenient."

Langley huffed, still blushing, and now very hot… "You're telling me. The nerve of that man."

Ben shrugged casually, seemingly a lot more at ease with the current situation than before. "He is used to getting what he wants without a fight."

"I suppose we outlaws have been breaking that quite a bit, tis about to happen again too."

"Yes, he's not used to such resistance, and I'm sure Gisborne and the other officers will have their ear chewed off afterwards. Us guards too for letting you come in and escape."

Langley smirked deviously, "But we shall me long gone by then, so you mustn't worry."

They walked in silence for the rest of the distance, stopping short of two wooden doors in a lone hallway. Even from afar they looked intricate and fancy, no doubt they were quarters for someone of special interest of high power. Without wasting another second Langley slipped into the room, her presence remaining unknown to the lady as she sat in front of a mirror by her four poster bed. "Marian." Langley called hesitantly, her voice a low whisper.

Marian's head snapped to the side, her face transforming from one of boredom to surprise then happiness. "Langley! Oh how glad I am to see you! Where is Robin?"

"He is not here, he has sent me to rescue you from the Sheriff." Marian stood up at the news and crossed the room in ire, her voice rising slightly, though still staying at a barely audible level.

"All by yourself? It's not safe! You will get caught and punished, maybe even by death."

"Your lack of faith in me is astounding, even if the Sheriff does catch me he won't kill me right away. He'll try and pry answers from me, make a big public deal of it, then kill me. And by then I'm sure Robin shall be here to save me, now come, we must make haste. Is there anything you need?"

Marian shook her head, and Langley didn't know if it was out of irritation or she had nothing she wanted to bring. Either way Langley grabbed Marian and dragged her from the room, knowing they would need to keep a fast pace if they wanted to leave. "He did not force himself upon you, did he?"

Marian shook her head, following behind Langley and Ben, though her eyes narrowed on the guard. "No, why?"

"This is Ben, he is my help right now, and I ask because Locksley would kill him if he had, that and he thought I was a maid and requested I go to his chambers once I delivered a message to you. He will be quite put out once he realizes I'm not coming."

Marian's face contorted in disgust, "You make it seem as if Locksley wouldn't kill him anyways."

"Not if you can help it, but thats a conversation for another time."

The halls twisted and curved around the trio as they steadied there pace through the quest. Langley didn't like wholly relying on others as she learned trust was a very special thing and often people broke it for their own benefit. She trusted Marian whole heartedly, but…

Ben stopped walking and turned around, the sound of metal on metal ripping through the air before his sword was unsheathed and pointed at Langley. She immediately pushed Marian behind her and got in a half crouch, standing protectively in front of the lady as to not jeopardize the lady's life or capture, it would spoilt the whole point of the mission If they both fell into the Sheriff's clutches; the least Langley could do was make sure Marian didn't. "Do you know your way out from here my lady?"

"Yes, but I refuse to go and leave you here." Marian said firmly, her eyes glancing between the two.

Langley unsheathed her dagger and jerked her head in the direction of what she assumed to be the nearest exit. "Go, I am armed. If I do get captured Locksley shall know because you tell him, then you can come save me. If we both get captured then all my work shall go to waste, now make haste! You mustn't get caught. Go to the stables where I have a horse prepared for your departure, leave and don't look back, I shall meet you at the beginning of the woods if all is well." Langley whispered urgently, leaving Marian no room to protest. "Go!"

She heard the swirl of a dress and the soft footfalls of Marian as she swept away, Langley closed her eyes in a moment of short prayer, hoping to god that Marian escaped and that she could too, hopefully the least bit unharmed. "The Sheriff will be pleased once he realizes I've captured one of the legendary outlaws, especially one he was so…. interested in. It's a shame I will have to hurt such a pretty face, hopefully the Sheriff will still wish to bed you after I'm through with you."

Langley's eyes snapped open, her green orbs lighting with a fire of rage as her lips curled up into sneer at the man across from her. "Why are doing this, Ben? I've offered you a life free of the Sheriff's reign, what more could you want?"

"You've offered me a life of fear, no protection, and lawlessness! If I deliver you to the Sheriff I shall be greatly rewarded and my family will never have to beg for food ever again. Either come by will, or force."

"You seem very confident in your abilities, don't forget I have a knife, and what I fight for is the people I love, not for money." Langley hissed, brandishing her dagger as she took a step forward. "Tis a shame I'll have to kill you Ben, I really liked you."

Ben lunged with his sword, giving Langley the perfect opening on his side to twist to an exploit with the tip of her knife. As soon as it was buried into the gap of his armor she kicked his leg, sending him off balance and sprawling backwards. Ben recovered quickly, swinging his sword diagonally across her chest to where she narrowly missed the strike, twirling around and glancing his face with her fist before drawing back as he swung his sword wildly in her direction. Langley smirked, "Had enough yet?"

He let out a growl before running at her, sword drawn and raised above his head. Langley threw her knife at him, watching his steps falter as the tip of the blade embedded itself deep into the skin of his neck. He dropped his sword, taking a few steps and letting out a gurgled cry before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the ground, a lifeless corpse. This wasn't Langley's first time killing, and though it wouldn't be her last she still felt the guilt of his death weigh upon her shoulders. It left soon though, as she thought of just whose sides he was on, she clenched her first and approached his body, taking her dagger from his neck and smirking as she felt his armor beneath her fingers. She had an ingenious idea…

A guard was running down the hallway with soft but quick footsteps, hand ghosting over the hilt of their sword at their waist as they went. Upon turning the corner the guard saw the Sheriff waiting, his foot tapping impatiently on the ground as he peered down a perpendicular corridor. Hoping not to be seen, the guard took a few small steps backward when the Sheriff's head snapped in their direction. "You there!" He yelled, pointing his hand at the figure hidden in the shadows before pushing off the wall and stalking in their direction. "Are you not the same guard who escorted the maid to Lady Marian's room?"

"I am, sir." The Sheriff noticed a slight change in the voice, but he had not paid enough mind to it before to draw any differences.

"Then where is she? I have been waiting for ten minutes least!" He snapped angrily, lunging at the guard and grabbing them by the collar of their tunic and ripping them into the light. The guard, who was unsuspecting of the move, had a sneer on their face as it came into the Sheriff's eye. He all but gasped at the sight, it wasn't the guard, but the maid! In fact, it wasn't the maid at all, it was Langley.

"Oh boo-hoo, you will have to wait forever more if you want to get me in your quarters- you swine!" She hissed before shoving the Sheriff back with the butt of her palm and drawing her sword from her waist. He stumbled backwards, before regaining his composure and pulling out his sword as well.

"You!"

"Very perceptive of you, my lord," Langley hissed sarcastically before lunging at him, her move parried with ease by the quick Sheriff as he spun with the whoosh of his cloak and threw a blow of her own at him. She ducked in just enough time, swinging her sword upwards and diagonally but finding that it was thrown back by another quick parry. They continued like this for a long few minutes, their breathing growing heavier as neither progressed nor lost ground on each other, though it was obvious the Sheriff was a more skilled swordsman. Langley raised her sword to block a fatal swipe of the Sheriff's sword, with a loud crack! her sword split in half, the top of the blade having been severed in half by the stronger steel of the opposing sword. Langley stare horrified at her useless weapon, dropping it before taking a few retreating steps backwards. Even if she'd wanted to she couldn't have drawn her dagger, not that it would have made much of a difference against someone as deft in the art as him, but she wasn't going on without a fight. However, he pressed her up against the wall, the side of his blade digging into the skin of her neck. Her head was tilted up, her whole body pressed far into the wall as she tried to avoid the honed edge of the weapon and touching his body; one of her hands was pinned behind her back, the other caught in the harsh grip of the Sheriff's gloved hand.

His face loomed in her's, his hot breath fanning over the slick skin of her face that was wet with a fresh layer of sweat. She tried to turn away, but felt the blade dig into her neck and turned back to face the dark haired man head on, their lips mere inches apart. "I could so easily slice your throat with my sword, and I would savor every moment of it." He hissed in her ear, causing her to squirm slightly under his hold to find a falter in his stance to free herself. There was none.

"Then do it already." Langley whispered back, her voice low from the previous workout as the fight began to take a toll on her body.

"I wouldn't enjoy it as much, I love a fight- a challenge does after all make things much more interesting," he offered her a small but smug smirk. "And you happen to be the next best thing milady, a very hardheaded lady such as yourself will be a very tough nut to crack." Langley went to speak, but the Sheriff continued on after the soft cluck of his tongue, "maybe if I crack you I can have my way with you in the bedroom." Langley's face turned red with anger – and modesty – at his words and the thoughts going through her mind as a result of them. "It would only be fair after all, after what've you done to me."

Done toy you? What have I done to you besides ruin your reputation, steal your money, and kill you men? Oh wait… "You'll never have me you handsome bloke." He raised an eyebrow at her, his amusement showing clear in his face before Langley cursed silently, she had not meant to say that! Handsome bloke? Why don't I just tell him it would be my honor to let him take my virginity! Jesus Christ!

"We'll see," he smirked deviously, pressing his body further into her's before continuing on. "Now-" Langley stopped listening, she needed to get out if she was to make it alive or without being captured, she didn't know which was better, but she needed to get out right now. He had the advantage, but, with a half thought out idea in mind, Langley pressed her lips against the Sheriff's, his words immediately ceasing as she claimed his lips with her own.

The Sheriff didn't move for a long moment, but then his lips were kissing hers back with an animalistic feistiness that left her insides churning. Langley found his lips were rather soft as they began moving in sync with her own, massaging and kneading each other in a mutual growing desperation. His eyes had widened before closing, hers following suit with a flutter before shutting completely. She found that her mind had gone blank and all thoughts of escaping had been thrown out the window, almost as if they'd never been there in the first place. He dropped his sword and tilted his head to the side, providing a better angle which caused Langley to do so as well, her mouth opening slightly as she tried to get a whiff of breath. It served the opposite purpose, as the Sheriff slipped his tongue into her mouth and brought one hand around to the small of her back, the other going to the nape of her neck to force herself more harshly upon him before pressing her hard against the stone wall. Their bodies grew impossibly closer, and in the heat of the moment as both kissed each other fervently, their passions sparked and ignited a fire unbeknownst to the either, one that only the other could put out.

Langley moaned slightly as his tongue caressed hers, both fighting for dominance in the kiss; her hands went instinctively to his curly locks, her finger knotting and twisting in his scalp at the warmth that he had placed in the pit of her stomach. He groaned as she tugged them, one of his hands gliding down her back and gripping her thigh - moving it to hook sensually over his waist – to provide a better angle for their groins to move in harmony. Langley growled in annoyance at the thick black armor that blocked their bodies from any friction, her hand moving to his waist and dancing over the leather before she grasped it in her fingers and ripped it from his midriff. Suddenly they both pulled back, the need for oxygen even overpowering the desire between them as they let out quick shaky breaths. Langley's mind was far behind her that of her body, and she had yet to fully comprehend the situation at hand, the only thing she managed to recognize was the growing need for the man pressed against her. The person whose breath she'd managed to steal away – quite literally – and made quite excited (she could tell from the bulge that was pressed up against her nether regions). Langley admittedly felt the same level of excitement if not more, her whole body on fire with lust as she closed her eyes and leaned back against the cool stone of the wall behind her. It was a frighteningly stark contrast from her now, but felt very refreshing against her skin.

His bearded face moved down the column of her neck, his full lips kissing and suckling on the length of her skin; Langley might have thought the sensation of his prickling beard would have felt odd, but it felt anything but that, and was actually quite sensuous.

He ground his hips hard against her, and she ground back, the pleasure she received wetting her underwear and eliciting a hiss from his lips. It vibrated against her skin; the feeling of his nimble lips and the sensations the rest of his body brought caused her to moan quite loudly, and she could feel him smirk deep in the crook of her neck. "You are very eager…" His voice was thick and dripping with desire, but Langley only moaned louder as his teeth scraped her skin, before he took sweet spot in-between his teeth and bit down hard. It was definitely hard enough to leave a very visible mark, but Langley had to bite her lip even harder to keep from crying out. No one needed to hear what was transpiring right now, let alone become curious and find out… "You should be easier to crack than I first imagined."

Langley's eyes snapped open, reality coming back into full focus as she level-headedly assessed what was happening. It would take longer to review how she felt on the current predicament, but to put it bluntly she was thoroughly enjoying it, that however was not the problem (not directly at least). Her anger was the problem: she was anything but easy, and she would never succumb to the desires for a man as arrogant and conceited as the cruel Sheriff, even if he was devilishly handsome and an amazing kisser- and making her burn for it. Gathering her resolve and what little dignity she had left, Langley brought her free knee to connect with his crotch (that was now unprotected from the blow as she'd ripped the armor off), her hands moving to push him from her. "If you think I'm anything but easy then you've got some bad news coming your waySheriff, because the only thing that's cracking in my presence is your nuts." Langley hissed (her voice still slightly breathy from the kiss), bending down to retrieve his sword before her desire resurfaced or he could get to her. With that she left, her legs pushing faster than they'd ever gone before. She had no idea where she was going but she needed to put what just happened behind her, it became harder to do so however when she heard the profound sound of footsteps trailing hers and a familiar and still slightly husky voice roar from behind her. "GET THE GIRL! I WANT HER ALIVE!" His voice echoed through the halls and Langley was sure that everyone in the whole castle heard him.

Langley came to a halt down a hallway when she noticed at least ten guards blocking her exit, she couldn't go the other way because she was sure the Sheriff was coming, and not a moment later she saw she was surrounded on either side with only a sword. At least it was a nice sword. "Surrender now or die!" One of the guards in the mass of black yelled, almost all the guards pulled out their swords in synchronization, their lack of skill showing through their close calls with fumbling the weapon.

"No you won't kill her you oafs- I need her alive!"

Langley scoffed, Need or want? "Well if you want me, you're going to have to come and get me." Turning towards the only hope she had left, Langley climbed quickly onto the windowsill and glanced back at the mass of glistening metal and black. "However I don't fancy being caught right now, au revoir." With one mighty swing of the Sheriff's fine sword, the colored glass crumbled and shattered with a resounding crack and shatter before it fell into a million pieces on the pavement below. She didn't wait a second more and jumped out, landing on the slanted roof below; she twisted around at the sound of her pursuing attackers, the Sheriff himself at the head with a sword in hand.

"Get her!" Langley looked over her shoulder at more guards pouring out of a window to her right, not far from where she stood. Again she was trapped on either side, but with a grimace on her face she wracked her brain for any thought of escape.

Of course! How could I not have thought of it earlier? Putting her fingers to her lips, Langley let out a deafening whistle which reached the horse's ears. The profound sound of a gallop filled her ears, but the Sheriff and his men were closing in quickly and she needed to get a move on. The ground was amassed with men, so the only safe place was up. Scrambling around, Langley hoisted herself up and out of the Sheriff's grasp just in the Knick of time. "What are you idiots doing? Stop staring and get up there!" Had Langley not been in such a unprepared situation she would have laughed, but now was not the time, she had much bigger fish to fry at the moment.

Oh god, I hope Marian is fairing well and hasn't been captured. An arrow whizzed past her ear, and Langley heard the screech of the wind as it cut through a sound barrier right by her. "That was too close." She was sure Marian wasn't of the guard's top priority right now, and surprisingly, not the Sheriff's either.

Langley noticed a set of stairs and a door at the end, she was sure she was on ground level, so with light feet as skipped down the stairs and ran towards the door. It opened, and a group of unsuspecting guards were there, but she slipped past them, sending their heads whirling about with her momentum as she made her way to the inner gates. "SPADE!" She whistled loudly, trying to get her horses attention as she ran as fast as she could towards the gate.

"CLOSE THE GATE!" The Sheriff's animalistic roar behind her almost threw her off her feet, but Langley managed to dodge a few more oncoming guards. The gate was closing, and it was halfway there when she was fifteen feet from it.

The guards were swarming behind her, and Langley could have sworn the whole army was chasing after her, the Sheriff at the lead.

The gate was growing smaller, smaller… Ten feet, seven feet… The shouting was growing louder, the Sheriff's commands blurred in with the background noise. The gate was almost closed, five feet left. Her blood pounded in her ears, and with a sliver of hope in her mind and not much of an exit to make, Langley slid on the ground.

The gate closed behind her, dirty flying up from her dramatic but necessary exit as a metal fence between her and the Sheriff and his men was put between them. She let out a deep breath, and Spade, ever so timely, came.

"He's dead, you know." Langley had one foot in the stirrup when the Sheriff spoke, and she twisted around to look at him, her face blank, because if she showed emotion she wasn't sure she'd be able to control it. "We attacked while you were away, the lot of them are dead."

Who he was talking about sunk in, and Langley, not trusting her voice or her mind, said nothing. She kicked Spade off, ignoring the guards that were reopening the gate to get her. She'd be safe, but she was beginning to worry if everyone else was…

The Sheriff watched her off, an angry sneer on his face as he did so. Mortianna's words rung in his ears: make her burn as she makes you.

Now he understood was she spoke of, the riddle was clear as daylight: he burned for this outlaw; burned for her touch, her smell, her kiss… She denied him, bewitched him, deprived him, teased him of the one thing he realized would be hard to live without: her. The Sheriff knew what he had to do, but he was sure killing Robin was merely one step to his victory, one step closer to making her his.

"Soon, very soon." He turned and left, his fingers hovering over his lips where the ghost of her kiss still lingered.