I sneaked a peek at the couple. They prepared for the feast, Onacona never leaving Inola’s side. Instead of joy, I felt sadness. My life would never be that simple now that it had changed.
I spotted Kasey walking up to the couple congratulating them, her eyes briefly looking my way. I glanced up at Gawonii, and he had noticed her too. Slightly nodding his head to her, she lowered her eyes, but I saw all I needed to see.
Without another word, I dropped his hand and walked away.
Ahyoka’s words came back to me. What you want you can have.
She was wrong.
Chapter 6
Mohe
I yawned, waking up to a beautiful morning, stretching my sore muscles all wonderfully provided by Gawonii’s love making last night.
Almost a month had passed since I’d completed the bonding ceremony and that Ahyoka fiasco. Being married to Gawonii was proving to not be as horrible as I’d originally predicted. Every day was a new experience with him. His patience with my lack of knowledge of his people’s culture and the fact that I couldn’t cook was damn near miraculous.
Oh, and I couldn’t forget the love making.
I smiled, rolling over in our bed and burying my head between the pillows, smelling his scent on the sheets. I could never forget the lovemaking. I learned more about my body in one month than I did in thirty years of life … or was it six-hundred years?
Popping up in the bed, I looked around. Again, he was the first to rise and out of bed this morning. Rubbing my eyes, I quickly washed up and dressed. As usual, he left breakfast waiting for me on the table, still warm. If it weren’t for him, I would starve. Yes, starve. There weren’t any microwaves, and I couldn’t use a conventional stove to save my life. Plus, he wouldn’t allow me off the land to get any fast food.
I sighed. What I wouldn’t give for a pizza.
As I ate a newfound favorite of mine, fry bread with honey and hand-picked berries that Gawonii must had picked earlier, I could hear a commotion outside. It sounded like someone was fighting which sent a chill up my spine.. Pushing myself away from the table, my curiosity led me to go check it out. Hearing laughter, I opened the door to see him outside, naked from the waist up, as he usually was, but he was also accompanied by three other men dressed similarly. I grinned at all that beauty. Must have been my lucky day.
Watch it, priestess. I heard in my head. You are about to send each one of my friends to their deaths.
I stuck my tongue out at him; mentally, of course. Well, you shouldn’t bring your hot friends over here half naked then.
That got me a nasty glare, drawing attention to me. Tsiyi, Onacona, and the one I thought Gawonii called Waya dropped to one knee.
I didn’t think I could ever get use to that.
Gawonii stuck one end of a pole into the ground and leaned on it, watching.
“It’s nice of you to join us, Your Highness,” Gawonii said. He started advancing on me. Uh oh, I thought. “Today, we’re going to continue with your training,” he added with a smirk. I was taken off guard with a picture of last night. A blush crept up from my bosom to my cheeks. We’ll continue with that later, I heard him say to me next. My pulse quickened, and I wished it were already later. Smiling knowingly, he turned away, his long hair blowing in the wind. I wanted to reach out and tangle my hands in its silkiness.
I followed him down the steps.
“So, who’s training me today?”
He flashed me a mischievous grin, picking up the rod he had stood in the ground. “I am. I don’t think we can afford another mishap like a month ago, so I will train you from now on.”
“I wasn’t that bad,” I joked. “Everyone is alive and well.”
“Barely,” Tsiyi coughed. The two other guardians chuckled. I gave Tsiyi the side-eye, and he answered with a wink.
“Nonetheless, I will be in control of your progression.” Gawonii tossed the rod over to Waya. “You can go,” he told the spectating guardians. “I should be able to handle things without assistance.”
The three men headed away from the cabin, leaving us alone. Seeing their departing figures, I bounded over to Gawonii, ready for my first lesson. It was pretty exciting to have him train me. The first month together, we did a lot more avoiding each other than being husband and wife. I was kind of happy that things had begun to change after the second ceremony and our first night together.
I squinted, looking up at the hot sun. It was early, but even now, the sun promised a scorching day. Sweat was already glistening on Gawonii’s chest, creating a strong sexual longing inside me as I thought of what we’d do later. My mind went nuts, and I was having a hard time bringing my wayward thoughts under control.
Eyes traveling lower and stopping at the bulge in the front of his pants, I bit my bottom lip, daydreaming. I didn’t give a damn what he wanted to do right now. What I wanted was to run my fingers over his—
“Ama!”
I snapped back out of my daydream state to look at him, embarrassed.
“As much as it flatters me that my wife desires me so openly, now is not the time.” He came over to me until he stood only a foot in front of me. I had to tilt my head back to get a good look at him. “If you perform well today, I’ll reward you,” he said with a crooked smile. “If you continue to be distracted and exhibit lack of focus, you will be disciplined.”
Goddamn! Either way he put it, he had me wetter than a fish in a tank.
“What are we going to work on first?” I asked eagerly.
“First things first,” he began. “Your temper.”
As soon as it left his mouth, my mind was flooded with images of him and Kasey. Their happy times, the times they were angry at each other, then when they made up. I thought I was more hurt than angry if the tears showed any indication. Then, a picture of a former boyfriend I dated before I became sick materialized. Things were going great between us and we were happy. Well, at least, I thought we were until I became sick, and he left, telling me that he didn’t know how to handle my illness as if he were the one going through chemo.
The visions stopped, bringing me back to the present. My fingernails had dug into the skin of my hands, leaving half-crescent marks. I clasped them together to stop the trembling while I got a good look at my surroundings.
So much for controlling my temper, I thought, staring behind Gawonii at the dying vegetation.
I slapped my stinging hands against my thighs. “That worked,” I joked sarcastically. “Now your home looks like Iswali’s.”
He didn’t find my little joke amusing. “Adsila will fix it,” he replied. “You must try harder to not let your emotions consume you, Ama.”
I stormed over to the now dead tree to sit down, still peeved over the last flashback. “It’s not that easy, Gawonii. I can’t just shut off all emotions like you. And I don’t appreciate you going into my private memories and stirring up old feelings again.” I pulled at the dried grass that crunched underneath my bottom.
“I will use whatever is necessary to prepare you.”
“Hey, buddy, those emotions saved my life twice, thank you.”
“And nearly killed a town full of people, Chitsa, Adsila, Tsiyi, and …” His hand motioned to the dead plants. Rolling my eyes, I stood up on my feet and dusted myself off.
“Okay, fine! But no more flashbacks of the ex.”
He gave me a stern look. “What difference should it make? He is no longer a part of your life. You are now my wife.”
I stared out across the field. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” I said, sensing him probing my thoughts for answers. His invasion irritated me. “Cut it out, Gawonii. Just ask me whatever it is you want to know.”
“I’m sorry,” he said with actual remorse. “You’ve spent so much time hiding yourself from me that I’ve become accustomed to looking for the answers for myself.”
“Well don’t,” I snapped, wanting to get this over with.
“You had cared for him, but he be
trayed you,” Gawonii went ahead anyway.
“Story of my life,” I muttered, still picking at the scorched grass that stuck to my clothing.
“He didn’t deserve you. You are where you’re meant to be now.”
And where is that? Right back with a man who has betrayed me, I thought, forgetting there were no secrets around my new husband. I looked up, realizing my slip. Blushing, I lowered my head to look out over the field.
Okay, so maybe I was still upset about the whole Kasey and Gawonii screwing thing. Why did Gawonii expect that I would just let it go so easily? A few nights of great sex weren’t going to change that overnight. Shaking my head, I hoped to erase the blunder from both of our minds.
“Let’s keep going. The sooner I have a handle on these so-called abilities, the happier you and I both will be.”
He didn’t move right away, his eyes fixed on me, and I could tell that he held back on asking the questions that hung on the tip of his tongue. But this time, he remained respectful of my privacy, and I appreciated that.
I tried to get my head back in the game, but all those old memories were a mood killer, making this little training segment with Gawonii kind of suck. No matter what I did, he was better than me, stronger than me, faster than me. Just plain better. I really thought I’d improved, but that was a joke. He was kicking my ass.
“Enough for today,” I heard him say as I picked myself up off the ground, sulking.
“There’s no way I could beat you if my life depended on it,” I retorted, bent over at the waist and catching my breath.
“You’re more powerful than you realize. You’re capable of so much more. I have seen it for myself, and neither did I enjoy being on the other end,” he admitted, trying to make me feel better. “We used to scrimmage quite often, and you were not only good with your abilities but also with your hands.” He shocked me with a smile. “You had your share in kicking my ass on occasion.”
He handed me some water to drink. So, he was listening in on my thoughts. I took a sip of the water he handed me, frowning.
“Mm,” I moaned, feeling the water cool my throat. “Thank you.” I tried to hand the water back to him, but he waved it away.
“You must drink all of it. You’re weakened because you’re dehydrated. Water is your life source. You must always remember that. You will last much longer in a fight if you are well hydrated.”
Adsila appeared suddenly, and it looked like she was back to her lovely, blatantly exposed self. She walked towards Gawonii, cautiously keeping an eye on me.
I found it quite comical since she was the one who’d attacked me back then.
Gawonii nodded. “Adsila,” he acknowledged her. It was quite intriguing watching him keep his eyes above her neck while she stood there in all of her glory.
I wonder if he ever looked down …
His response was immediate, I’d rather looking down on all of your assets instead, my priestess.
I couldn’t hold back the giggle that bubbled up, and then I felt him mentally touching my body with gentle strokes, unbeknownst to Adsila.
With her eyes still on me, she spoke, “Inola sent me to fetch you. Utsi will need an escort to our sister tribe near the Cullasaja Falls. They have requested his services.”
There went all the mental foreplay. She really could be a party pooper. I rolled my eyes, walking over towards Gawonii.
“For what?” he asked, pulling me behind him.
“The chief’s daughter has been troubled over a vision she’s seen and has refused to rest. Utsi is to calm her by removing the memory of the vision.”
“What was the vision?” Gawonii pressed.
“The messenger did not say, just that you’re to hurry.”
“Tell Inola that I will be there shortly. Find Chitsa and tell her to meet me near the weeping tree.” Gawonii started to head back to the cabin, and I chased after him.
I grabbed him by the forearm, stopping him. “I want to go.”
“No,” he answered bluntly without any hesitation.
“But you would take Kasey?”
He turned to me; stress lines now etched in his face. “I take ‘Chitsa’ because other than Utsi, she is the best healer for this mission, and she is not a liability.”
Yup, that stung.
“Why not Tsiyi or Waya?”
“Tsiyi is second in command, and he will need to lead while I’m away. Waya is one of my best warriors, and Tsiyi will need him if we are attacked.”
“Dammit, Gawonii! How am I ever going to learn when you keep me locked away here?” I pushed, weighing in how much I could keep pressing the issue before he lost his patience with me.
“I cannot afford anything setting you off. Chief Mohe’s people have not forgotten the atrocities you committed, and they dread the day that you will come back into power. They are not aware that you’re here.”
My brows furrowed. “But they don’t know who I am. I don’t look the same. I am not the same person, Gawonii.”
“Mohe is not a foolish man. He will take one look at you and know who and what you are, Ama.” His hand came up, his thumb softly stroking the fleshy part of my cheek.
“Then you will explain. Don’t leave me here.”
His expression hardened. “Is this about wanting to go with me to learn and exonerate yourself or is this about Chitsa?”
“And what if part of it is about her?”
“Then you are once again letting your emotions overshadow what is important here. The truth is that I do not trust your abilities enough to allow you to go.”
I shoved him away, going around him. This time, he grabbed me by the arm and pulled up the porch steps. “You think it’s that easy to make this decision? Mohe’s people do not love you. There is hatred and fear there. He would think I betrayed him by withholding that you are here, and the peace I have maintained all these years would be in vain.”
“But what did you tell me at the festival?” I asked, and he stared at me, baffled. “You said that I needed to repair my relationships as much as I can. I can’t do that stuck here. How am I able to show them that I’m not who I use to be if you won’t let me? You can’t continue to hide me away in this cabin because you’re afraid I might hurt someone.”
He paused at the top of the steps, looking over my head at something in the distance. “Ama, I have more than one reason why I cannot take you along.” He hesitated, but I waited patiently for the explanation. “Mohe welcomes Chitsa as my mate.” His eyes closed briefly before looking at me. “Their acceptance of Chitsa and rejection of you I feel will be too much for you to handle right now.”
And there you have it!
Taking a deep breath, I bit down on my tongue, fighting off a number of emotions. I could not lose my cool now. I needed to prove to him that I could control myself under pressure, but it was goddamn hard … especially now.
“Right … Of course, they do,” I muttered. Unable to conceal my true feelings on hearing the truth due to that damn bond, I turned away from him. I wanted to get as far away from him as I possibly could so I could compose myself. I was only a few feet away from the cabin when I heard a voice behind me say, “Let her go with us.”
I turned to see Kasey walking towards Gawonii. I couldn’t help but wonder how long she’d been listening.
“We will talk to Mohe. We’ll need to tell him about her anyway, Gawonii. We cannot change the fact that she is here now and has taken her place as your wife. It is an insult to treat her as anything less than.” Gawonii looked between Kasey and me, most likely not caring for Kasey disagreeing with him. “If she doesn’t go, then I don’t go either.” Kasey said, adding the final blow.
Lips pursed in a straight line, Gawonii nodded his approval, which only faired to irk me more. There was no jumping up down for me. It was clear that Gawonii valued Kasey’s opinion more, and I supposed he would. There was no telling how many quests and adventures they had been on together and how many battles they had fought sid
e-by-side on.
Kasey glanced at me awkwardly before walking away. “I’ll meet you at the tree. I’m ready when you are.”
We left immediately to see Mohe’s daughter. Utsi, sensing the tension, stayed on the outside of our traveling party.
Smart boy, I thought.
Of course, Gawonii stayed further ahead, with Kasey doing what she does from above. I walked alongside Utsi, which was a godsend. He had the ability to provide peace and tranquility to anything within a few feet of himself, and I needed to take advantage of that talent on this excursion. This would not be the first time I wondered if he was an Angeni or a guardian. He turned to me with a smile on his young face, making me realize that I was staring.
“Are you afraid?” I asked him, ducking under a low-lying branch. He shook his head, following behind Gawonii’s purposeful steps just as graceful as his uncle.
“No, I am requested many times,” he answered with a shrug. “It is the one thing I am sure of. I have been doing this since I can remember.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. You truly are special.”
He gave me a huge grin. His hair curled over his eyes, so all I saw was hair and teeth. I reached over and brushed his hair aside so he could see.
“I wish your gift would have worked on the bear that attacked you those weeks ago. Too bad it doesn’t work on animals.”
“It does,” he said matter-of-factly.
“What do you mean it does? There was nothing docile about that beast, and if it weren’t for the ability to heal, I would still be sporting three nasty gashes on my arm.”
Utsi laughed, almost doubling over in his mirth. “That was no beast, although she can sometimes be mistaken for one. She wasn’t really going to hurt me, and neither would I have drowned. That was your test, and you passed.”
I stopped dead in my tracks. When Utsi realized that I was no longer beside him, he spun around, his expression confused.
The Ageni Series: Queen Page 8
