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She idly spread out the tubers they’d washed and set out to dry. The yams would be heavy to carry but worth it. “I’ve eaten them raw before, but they’re better baked with some honey or mashed with butter.”
The wind sighed through the trees, the taste of rain carried with it. They had little means to keep dry, and it promised to be a damp uncomfortable night. Not that Cara was likely to sleep anyway.
“Maybe we should travel at night.” She stopped playing with the yams and looked at him. Without the moons to light her expression, the night hid her emotions from him. Not that he could read her anyway.
“We could stumble into them.” But then again, they wouldn’t be cringing here in the storm and wondering about the morrow.
“If we travel after the rain stops, we’ll leave tracks.”
He stood up. “We better climb down before it starts then and makes the rocks too slick for safety.”
The pack was heavy but he’d carried much bigger loads. Cara tied the rolled blankets across her back while he took the bullet bag and the other pack. He went first and helped guide her feet to the most stable path.
It was very dark beneath the trees and far away thunder rumbled a warning. He flipped the leather loop holding his pistol in place off so he could pull it quickly. Roots and underbrush grabbed at their feet and legs. Both of them stumbled a number of times before he called a halt.
“Let’s go down to the beach. The wind and rain should cover out tracks and we’ll be able to move faster and see where we’re going.”
“We could miss them if they’re camped along the mountainside.”
“I can still smell whiffs of smoke. We’ll be able to see their fires. The beach between the cliffs and the sea is only about a quarter of a mile through here.”
She said nothing for a bit and he didn’t push. If she made the decision perhaps she would feel safer. “All right. Let’s go out there for a little while.”
Once out in the open, they could see the distant bolts of lightning though the sea drowned out the thunder. Behind them to the south, stars winked in the sky but in front of them boiling black clouds covered the celestial display.
They walked rapidly and soon fat drops of cold rain smacked against their faces. Not long after, the lightning moved close enough to light their way in brief flashes. He wasn’t sure ONE GOOD WOMAN SUSAN KELLEY 43
the open beach was the best place to be in such a storm, but he knew under the trees could be just as dangerous. The time between flashes shortened and the thunder made itself heard over the storm battered sea.
Cara stopped and clutched his arm, digging her fingers painfully into his muscle.
“Look!”
He stared toward the cliffs where she pointed. Lightning illuminated the scene to day-like brilliance for little more than a blink of the eyes. But it was enough. Simple, squat huts sat against the mountainside. Her grip on his arm didn’t loosen. They stood frozen until another flash proved it wasn’t an illusion.
“Let’s go check it out.” He shouted above the roar of the sea and wind.
She hesitated for only a moment and then drew her sword and moved up beside him.
They jogged through the steadily increasing rain and veered to the left of the village when they reached the trees. The thrumming of rain, the wind in the boughs and the crack of thunder made speaking impossible. He took his sword into his left hand and took her left hand with his right.
Her fingers were cold but steady against his. They moved slowly until they were only a few steps from the southern most hovel. There was little to be learned. They couldn’t peek inside and no one or thing was likely to be out in the vicious weather.
He motioned with his head for her to backtrack. She held onto his hand and led them south and closer to the cliff. They found a small overhang that did little to keep out the blowing rain swatting at their legs but kept their heads dry. Neither of them put away their swords as they leaned against the rough stone wall. The rain pelted down steadily and the storm seemed to hang directly over their heads for nearly an hour. After the worst of the thunder and lightning drifted south, the rain continued in a lighter patter.
“Do you think there are people living there?” Her voice sounded strangled as if her throat was swollen.
He wouldn’t lie even to comfort her. “I don’t think so. I believe we stumbled on a damned village of Savages.”
* * * *
They stood beneath the overhang until the sky turned gray. The rain was little more than drizzle by then but enough rain dripped from the trees it seemed it was raining harder.
Brady stretched, his wet shirt pulling tight over his wide shoulders and muscular arms. “I hate having wet clothes.”
He looked pretty good all wet. Hell. How could she even think about that now?
“We should look for someplace where we can spy this place out. For all we know it’s deserted.”
“My luck doesn’t run that way.”
He grinned at her. “We’ll make our own luck like when we went over the falls.”
“That caper probably used up our entire share of luck for the next ten years.”
He laughed quietly and started along the cliff-side. She copied his footsteps, trying to tread on the carpet of pine needles or stony ground where they wouldn’t leave tracks. They found a few places they could climb up but none that would offer a view of the village.
“Look.” He pointed to ground. “There’s a path worn here.”
She spotted the rock-fall that offered them a way up the mountainside. They had little choice but to try it as the sun already glittered on the white caps far out in the sea.
He had to help her up over a few spots with a polite boost to her rear, but his touch didn’t bother her as it might have. Part of her mind pondered her new ease with him. Having ONE GOOD WOMAN SUSAN KELLEY 44
confessed the reason behind her fears and receiving his understanding created a comfort between them her secrets had prevented.
The rock-fall turned out to be a massive avalanche that extended far up into the mountains. They worked their way to the northern part of it and saw the village far below them.
There were more than a dozen huts they could see from their vantage point. The settlement nestled in a deep slash in the cliff-side, a clever setting that would protect it from storms and offer a defensive position if necessary. Though the little houses were crudely made, they looked sturdy.
Brady moved a few stones about so they had a nearly comfortable place to watch from behind cover. Without revealing more than the top of their heads they could see most of the village and the stretch of beach between it and the sea. They were far enough away they could talk with no chance of being overheard.
“Hungry?” He took his packs off and set them down.
She wasn’t hungry but she took the offered yam and used her knife to slice off bites. The sun broke through the clouds and touched the sand and the first few huts. Small clouds chased across the sky and threw large shadows here and there. Steam rose from the trees as the sun baked the moisture off of their needles or leaves.
“Have you ever seen a Savage village like this?” Brady chomped on a yam also, his gaze on her with a more intense interest than his mild tone of voice indicated.
“Savages don’t build. They’re not organized enough to live that this.”
He didn’t say anything but she saw the doubt in his eyes. It matched the doubt in her mind. A growl from below froze her hand halfway to her mouth. There was no mistaking the sound.
They peered cautiously over the boulders between them and the sharp drop-off to the village. The village of Savages. Her breath caught and her throat closed to trap it in her tight chest. Brady reached out and took her hand. She held onto him, a bit of warmth in a world gone cold.
A large male Savage lifted his foot and kicked a small female in her wide behind. She screeched above his curses but he only kicked her while she was down.
“I didn’t take
it.” The female rolled away and came up to her knees. Her belly hung down over her thighs. She folded her arms protectively over her unborn child.
“Son of a bitch,” Brady cursed softly. “He doesn’t even care if he hurts the baby.”
Cara knew how merciless male Savages were. They cared little more for their own kind than they did for anyone else.
“You’ve been eating more than your share, you fat bitch.” The male swung his thick leg at her again and connected to her shoulder. She sprawled out on her back. He straddled her and bent down. His big fists rained blows on her head and shoulders.
She cried and screamed but there was no escape for her. As there’d been no escape for Cara when she’d been in that position.
The male Savage was typical of his kind. His chest was massive and heavy with muscle to equal two human men. His arms were thicker than a human’s waist and knowingly he used that strength against a female who looked petite next to him.
“I know you snuck in there and took extra.” The male stood over her, his fist still raised.
“Do it again and I’ll kill you.”
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He lumbered back toward the village and left her whimpering in the sand. Cara touched her sword. She could take him. She knew how to fight him now. She was strong and fast.
Brady’s hand settled on top of hers and kept her from drawing her sword.
“We can’t help her.”
“I don’t care about helping her.”
“We’re not going down there and kill him either.”
She started to stand up but he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back.
The uneven ground tripped him and they fell in a tangle of limbs. She struggled against his hold, an insensible panic taking her. They rolled over the rocks, the jagged surfaces cutting into her back and shoulders. A particularly large boulder stopped their tumble with him on the bottom and her straddling his hips.
Neither of them said anything for a long moment as they glared at each other. His grip on her waist didn’t ease. His body spread warmth up through her thighs. Her fear-powered rage turned to a heat of another kind. Her nipples hardened beneath her still damp shirt and a tingle started in the most intimate spot between her legs.
His glare melted but his eyes remained hot. One of his hands left her waist and touched her face. “You’re safe with me.”
He slid his hand into her hair and gently tugged her head down. She found no resistance within herself.
“You’re safe,” he repeated.
“I know.” She fit her mouth to his and tasted his lips. His hand stayed in her hair but he didn’t hold her there. She drew back after one quick touch.
He didn’t say anything, only lightly kneaded her head beneath her hair. The kiss was pleasant but not quite satisfying. She lowered her head again. This time his lips moved on hers and sent more pleasant tingles through her body. Beneath her bottom his erection pressed against her. She wasn’t afraid so she pressed her lips harder against his.
His mouth opened and his hot tongue touched her lips. Then again. She’d never kissed a man, but his lead was easy to follow. Her tongue tasted his lips and then the inside of his mouth.
His tongue met hers, played with it and then chased it back into her mouth.
The kiss became everything. She heard only their breathing, smelled only him, felt only his hard body beneath her. Her hands found his soft, wild hair. She stretched out on top of him and pressed her chest to his. Nothing mattered but touching him.
A guttural shout from the village echoed off the mountain and acted like a snowball down her back. Cold rippled through her. She awkwardly rolled from on top of Brady. Her knee connected with a sharp rock and further jolted her back to the reality of their surroundings.
Brady sat up, his gaze wary and still a bit dazed with his desire. “Cara, I …. ”
She shook her head and he stopped. Was he going to apologize? She waved her hand toward the village to forestall any discussion. “What are we going to do?”
He took a deep breath and sat up. He shifted uncomfortably and adjusted the crotch of his pants. “We can’t leave during the daylight. I think we should spend the day spying on them, try to figure out exactly what’s going on down there. And we should explore up this avalanche and see if it goes to the top. It’s big enough that it might go all the way up.”
“I’ll explore the mountain side.” She couldn’t watch the Savages go about their lives.
She’d already witnessed that once in her life from up close.
“Be careful.”
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She saw understanding in his eyes and wanted to kiss him again. That alone sent her on her way. Climbing the mountain alone felt like running away. But was she running from the Savages or Brady?
* * * *
Cara wiped the sweat from her brow and sat down on the thin trunk of a fallen tree.
Other similar small trees lay twisted and scattered where they’d tumbled from the cliff-side.
Younger trees still clung to the crumbling mountain wall, but they would join their elder siblings when they grew to size where their roots could no longer hold them to their precarious setting.
She could climb no higher, and the top of the mountain and the route home, towered far beyond reach. Perhaps if someone above them offered a very long rope they might be able to climb out.
The day was well beyond halfway gone. Though she’d found one trickling bit of water seeping from the solid stone earlier and satisfied her thirst, her stomach reminded her it needed food. She should head back and rejoin Brady.
Brady. The reason she lingered here in the quiet where she could think. Her lips tingled with remembrance of his touch.
Witnessing the Savage beating the female had broken the fragile hold she’d kept on her inner terrors. If they’d been able to leap from their perch and kill the big bastard, her control would have held. Somehow she’d ended up in Brady’s arms, cradled against his strong chest.
And safe. Safe enough to dare to kiss him as she’d seen other men and women kiss. The first time she’d seen such a thing it had horrified her. Then it made her think. Juston and Katerina often indulged in the intimate action, and now she finally understood why.
Pressing her body against his warm torso had been so … nice. Better than nice. Her breasts tightened again as they had when she’d rubbed her nipples against his muscled chest.
Her thigh muscles clenched as they had when she’d squeezed his hips between them. She’d felt his penis rigid and eager beneath her. And it hadn’t frightened her as it should have. For a few heated moments, she’d been without thought and wild to take everything from him a woman could have from a man. Tonight they planned to travel back to the other campsite. A secure place by the hot springs where they could sleep without worry. And do other things.
What did she want? And could she go through with what she thought she wanted? This might be her only chance to explore the mystery of what nature intended between a man and a woman. Once they found their way back home, they would return to their separate lives. Brady would eventually settle with a woman unmarked by violence and have a family with her. She could go back to her sterile existence as protector to the Deomo’s family. But while they were here, it was a time out of reality. No one would even know what happened between them, but she would have this memory. She would know the attentions of a real man for a little while.
And if it was as terrible as she’d feared for the last two years, they could go back to being comrades only.
Ever since she’d first met Brady at Sky and Vilicia’s wedding, she’d known he attracted her as she’d never expected any man to do. But she’d always fearfully backed away if he took any step to bring them closer.
Today though, she’d taken that first step. She’d kissed him. She’d controlled the heat between them. If not for the interruption from the Savages, she might already know what it
felt like to have a human inside her. Could she let it go that far? Would Brady’s face replace the horrid images in her nightmares? Or would he wipe those nightmares away?
ONE GOOD WOMAN SUSAN KELLEY 47
Many people praised her courage, but she knew she wasn’t brave. Every day of her life since her ordeal had been filled with fear and her struggle to command and conceal it. Tonight she would have to find courage from her limited supply of it.
She rose and started down to their spy perch. Back toward Brady. Tonight she hoped to make him her man.
* * * *
Brady learned a few things about the Savage colony while Cara was gone. First, it would be nearly impossible to make their way north without leaving tracks the Savages would find.
They would have to time their passage with the coming and goings of the tide and hope the waves washed away their tracks. Even then, they would be out in the open for a long stretch of time. At night the moon would illuminate the beach as bright as day.
