Falcon Hunter

by Shonna Brannon

  Hours passed and darkness began to fall before she finally emerged from the house. Shoulders drooping, she limped over to where the chief and his wife sat under a nearby tree, holding each other. When they saw her coming, they stood up. Worry creased White Dove's mouth as she swiped at her tear-filled eyes.

  The woman rushed to meet her, fear filling her dark gaze. “Is Eagle Feather going to be okay?"

  Her husband gave Christina a hard glare. “Well?"

  Falcon had to give it to Christina. She never let them see how much the chief's obvious prejudice hurt her. As his intimidating presence loomed over her, she only straightened her back and met his stare head on. If it weren't for the pain shining in her eyes, he'd think the chief's bias against her didn't affect her at all.

  "Eagle Feather's fever has finally broken. He's going to be fine.” Christina stumbled backward a little as the woman launched herself at her, wrapped her arms around her, and hugged her.

  "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

  The chief nodded his head at her. He tugged on his wife's hand, and they made their way back to their home. Hunter gazed at Christina from his perch above her. She stood alone for a moment and tilted her head back to look at the starlit sky. The glow of the moon and stars on her face brought out her ethereal beauty. Even exhausted as she had to be, she was still beautiful to him. Did she even realize how gorgeous she was? He doubted it. He'd never known a more modest woman in his life.

  Her chest rose as she took a deep breath, jutting out her breasts. He longed to mold them in his hands, caress them, kiss them. It was so damn frustrating when he couldn't stay in his human form. Christina sighed into the darkness and followed the chief and his wife back to their house. About fifteen minutes later, she reemerged and told them over her shoulder that she'd be back the next day to check on their son. If they needed her sooner, they should call right away.

  With that, she slowly trudged to her Jeep. He saw her pain from her earlier fall in every careful step. He wanted so much to take her into his arms and kiss the hurt—both inside and out—away. She climbed into her car and left for home. Sighing, he took flight and followed close behind, not letting her out of his sight.

  * * * *

  He paced the length of his apartment, wondering what he should do now. There was no way he could allow his progress to go to waste. He couldn't let Christina and Falcon Hunter reunite. The consequences would be unthinkable. His heritage and future depended on keeping them apart. He had to finish what his ancestor had begun. No way in hell would he allow that damned man to get his paws on Christina. He'd make sure of it. She belonged to him, not that damn bird. He would do anything to keep them apart, even if it meant killing one of them. And he knew which one he'd pick if it came to that.

  * * * *

  Exhaustion wrapped its spidery fingers around Christina as soon as she walked into her house. Slumping against the door, she finally let her emotions over the way the chief had treated her take over, and hot tears burned their way down her cheeks. She knew she shouldn't let it get to her, but it was hard not to. She'd fought all her life to prove herself to them, but it never seemed to work or faze them. Nothing she did was ever good enough.

  The pain over not being accepted shook her to the core as the wail inside her racked her body. The people in the village were her family. Aside from her grandmother, they were her only family. But they made her feel like an outsider. There were very few at the village who welcomed her. Most just tolerated her treatments. The children were the only ones who accepted her unequivocally. Why couldn't the adults see in her what the kids did?

  A knock on the door brought her to her senses. Taking a deep breath, she swiped at her eyes as she got up from the floor. Who could that be? She wasn't expecting anyone. Swallowing the last of her tears, she opened the door. The man on the other side was the last person she'd expected to see.

  "Falcon ... What are you doing here?” The last thing she wanted was for this gorgeous man to see her at her worst. “How did you know where I lived?"

  Worry lined his face. “The people at the village told me where to find you. Are you okay?"

  She waved off his question. “I'm fine. Was there something you needed?” Christina couldn't believe that the man in her dreams, the man who'd saved her on the mountain, was standing at her front door. And looking almost as delicious fully clothed as he had half naked.

  "I wanted to make sure you were okay. I know how bad you hurt your ankle when you fell earlier.” He shifted his weight from one moccasin-clad foot to the other. “You've been crying. Are you sure everything's all right?"

  If she didn't know better, she'd think he was uncomfortable in his clothes. Her foot throbbed, reminding her of how she'd injured it and of how heavenly it had been to be wrapped in the warmth of his muscular arms. “It's only my ankle. It still hurts like crazy. I was about to take something for the pain.” Feeling rude, she asked, “Would you like to come in?"

  "Uh, sure.” He took one hesitant step inside.

  She moved aside and shut the door behind him. Christina motioned for him to follow her to the kitchen and winced as she limped her way to the aspirin she kept in the cabinet next to the kitchen sink.

  "You need to get off that foot and ice it down.” He stood watching her from the doorway.

  "I know. I haven't been home long.” She ran some water into a cup and swallowed two aspirin.

  He moved to her side and put his hands on her shoulders. “Why don't you sit down, and I'll fix an icepack for your foot."

  "You don't have to do that. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

  "Tough. According to what the people at the village said, you're their healer. You strike me as someone who takes care of everyone else, and then there's no time left to take care of you."

  He'd pretty much hit the nail on the head. How did he know her so well? Before she could protest, he picked her up and carried her over to the couch. Falcon Hunter propped her foot on a pillow and went back to the kitchen. She watched as he got a hand towel and filled it with ice from her freezer.

  Without saying a word, he came back and sat down near her foot. Easing off her shoe, he looked her ankle over before setting the icepack on the injured area and holding it in place.

  "I can do that, you know.” She fought back the smile that threatened to surface. It was weird having someone take care of her. She'd learned a long time ago that she had to take care of herself.

  "I know you can, but I want to.” He looked up from her foot and gazed into her eyes.

  She could get lost in their amber depths. They seemed so familiar. He seemed so familiar. It was almost as though she knew him. But that was impossible. Wasn't it? She'd definitely remember if she'd met a man who looked like him. He was too sexy and gorgeous to forget.

  "Thank you. I'm so used to taking care of everything, it's hard to let go of the reins sometimes.” It felt so good ... so right ... to let him take care of her. Heat scorched up her leg, pooling in her groin, simply from the light way he touched her ankle. She could only imagine the inferno they'd create if they made love. It was hot enough in her dreams; the real thing had to be a hundred times better.

  "Well, it's time someone took care of you.” He shifted the icepack to the other side of her ankle.

  It sure was nice to allow someone else to take control. For the first time in a long time, she relaxed and go. Tonight she wasn't the healer; she was the one in need. And if he wanted to step in and meet that need, far be it from her to put a stop to it.

  Hunter was at home sitting there with Christina. This was where he belonged. By her side, not on the outside looking in. It was all he could do not to touch her more intimately than her ankle. He longed to show her exactly what she meant to him, to show her how well he could take care of her. He hadn't totally lied to her. He had stopped by the village before coming here. They'd assumed he was a homeless Indian and offered him the clothes he wore. He appreciated that. The last thing he
'd wanted to do was freak Christina out by showing up on her doorstep half naked. It had nearly killed him to hear her crying through the heavy front door. He'd known it had hurt her for the chief to treat her the way he had, but he hadn't realized how hard it must've hit her.

  "It must be difficult being a female healer for your people."

  She yawned. “Yeah, sometimes. Especially when there's so much prejudice. It doesn't help that I'm part white either."

  He'd known it was hard on her but, looking at her now, he could see the weariness and stress framing her mouth and eyes. It was more difficult than he'd thought. It must cut her to the core every time they looked down on her or cut her down for being a woman and half white. He wished there was something he could do to make it easier on her. Maybe her taking care of the chief's son today would help to right the wrongs done to her for who she was. It wasn't her fault she was gifted with the ability to heal. Who knew what other gifts she had that hadn't come to light yet.

  "You look tired.” He knew she'd been having trouble, but maybe if she talked about them, they might go away. Sure, he wanted her to remember their past together, but he didn't want her to have to relive the hell she'd gone through at the hands of Black Wolf.

  "I've been sleeping okay, I guess. I've had some nightmares lately, but they always ended nicely.” The corners of her mouth quirked up in a secretive smile.

  He could only imagine how she'd feel if she knew what he was thinking about. The images of them making love in her dreams was burned in his memory. “Do you want to talk about your nightmares?” He removed the icepack from her ankle and massaged the area a little while he waited for her response.

  When he didn't get one, he looked up and found her sleeping peacefully. He picked up the makeshift icepack and carried it to the kitchen, dumping the contents into the sink. Then he came back to the living room and picked her up. He didn't want her sleeping on the couch. He carried her to her bedroom, laying her on the bed.

  Her eyelids fluttered open. “I'm sorry I fell asleep,” she murmured and tried to rise.

  "It's ok, a-tsi-ye-hi.” His skin prickled as the beginning of the change came over him. He couldn't let that happen in front of her. “I'm going to go and let you sleep. I'll lock up on my way out."

  "You sure?” She nestled into the pillow as he pulled the covers over her.

  "Positive.” He bent down and softly kissed her on the lips, then backed away before he let himself get carried away. That little peck was hot enough to set the room on fire. Before he reached the door, she was asleep again.

  "I love you,” he whispered. Then he left before the need to show her overrode his good sense.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Eight

  "Dammit!"

  He couldn't believe Falcon Hunter had managed to stay in human form long enough to spend some time with Christina. It had to be the fact that she'd been reincarnated into one of the Cherokee this time around. There was no other explanation. The last thing he needed was those two spending time with each other and risking them falling in love again. He couldn't have that. Christina belonged to him and no one else. And he didn't care who he had to go through to make sure she stayed that way.

  He hid behind a tree as Falcon Hunter locked the front door and headed around the house. A couple of minutes later, a falcon flew over the house and landed on the other side. For now there was nothing else he could do. Slinking away unnoticed, he walked to his car and left, a plan already forming in his mind.

  * * * *

  Christina awoke to sunlight bathing her in brightness. Shading her eyes, she glanced at the clock and groaned.

  "Nine o'clock. I never sleep this late."

  A light pecking drew her attention to the window where she saw her bird pal eyeing her. “Good morning to you, too. You could've woken me up earlier."

  The amber of the falcon's eyes reminded her of last night. Of staring into Falcon Hunter's eyes. The image of him bending over as he kissed her would forever be burned into her mind. Touching her lips with her fingertips, she could still feel the tingle his touch had given her. She wanted to lie there and savor the memory all day, but she had to get around and go check on Eagle Feather. She hoped he hadn't taken a turn for the worse and Chief Bear Paw had let his pride get in the way of calling.

  After a quick shower and a bite to eat, she got in her Jeep and headed to the reservation.

  The closer she got to her destination, the heavier the weight grew on her heart. Butterflies danced in her stomach. She almost dreaded this visit. She didn't know if she could handle being treated today the same way she'd been treated the night before.

  Parking her Jeep close to the chief's house, she took a moment to breathe in a few deep, calming breaths.

  At the chief's house, before she could knock to enter, the chief exited. Arms crossed, he looked down on her. Her heart lodged in her throat. This was what she'd been dreading ... the condescending look he gave her now. The look he always gave her when she came to help one of their people and even more so now that her patient was his son.

  She wouldn't let him see what he was doing to her insides, though. If she'd inherited nothing from her Cherokee heritage, she had her pride. “I came to check on Eagle Feather. How is he doing?"

  The stoic chief stared down his nose at her. She'd known he thought less of her, but this was ridiculous. He shouldn't stand in the way of his son's health just because he didn't approve of her. She wouldn't let him. Christina took a step forward to move past him, but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

  "Christina, I want to thank you for caring for my son. I know it's been difficult for you to come here and care for our people because of how some of us treated you."

  She swallowed the lump in her throat. “It's my job, my calling, Chief."

  He placed both hands on her shoulders. “I'm sorry for doubting that you were chosen as our healer."

  Tears blurred her vision, but from the corner of her eye, she could see people coming out of their homes to watch what was going on.

  Bear Paw smiled at her for the first time ever. “I will never again stand in your way of treating anyone. My son is doing great today, and you have more than proven yourself to be the healer you were called to be. I owe you for what you did for Eagle Feather.” He looked around at the crowd his speech had drawn. “Christina saved my son and is more than welcome to treat me anytime."

  She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She'd never thought she'd gain so much praise from this proud man before her. A tear slowly trickled down her cheek. “Thank you.” She looked around at everyone who'd gathered. Some smiled; others nodded their heads in her direction. If the chief accepted her, then so would everyone else. Her heart swelled almost to bursting with the gift Bear Paw had given her.

  Swiping at her eyes, she said, “Can I take a look at Eagle Feather?"

  The chief smiled and stepped aside. “Of course."

  Inside the home, Eagle Feather sat on the floor, sipping a drink. He looked up and smiled as she entered. “Christina!” Getting up slowly, he moved to stand in front of her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Thank you for taking care of me. My e-tsi and a-do-da told me how you stayed with me until my fever broke."

  "It was my pleasure, sweetie.” She ran her hand over his forehead and hair. He was completely cool. No fever and no residual effects remained from the bite. She could tell he was still a little weak since he didn't run to her as he normally did when she visited the village, but he looked great to her. Especially after the way he'd looked the night before—so pale and full of fever.

  "Do you think it would be okay if I checked your puncture wound?"

  His smile was that of a child who was proud of his “war” wound. “Sure.” He removed his shirt and showed her the bite mark. It was still slightly red, but a whole lot less irritated than it had been last night.

  Christina lowered his arm. “It looks so much better today, Eagle Feather. You a
re going to have to be more careful when you're out playing. Spiders like to hide in all the places little boys love to play."

  If possible, his grin grew even wider. “I know. I'll be more careful next time. I promise."

  "Okay. Where's your mother?"

  "My e-tsi is hanging out our clothes to dry.” He put his shirt back on and sat down again to his drink.

  "I'm going to speak with her before I leave. You take care of yourself, and if you need me, you know where to find me."

  His lips curved into a smile before she left. Christina found White Dove exactly where her son had said she'd be. “Eagle Feather looks good today."

  The proud mother smiled. “He sure does, thanks to you."

  "I want him to continue drinking a little of the Fendler Bladder tea for the next couple days. Other than that, I don't see why he can't go about his day as normal as possible. Just don't let him overdo it.” She pulled some of the herb from her pouch and handed it to White Dove.

  "Thank you. I have something for you as thanks for taking care of my son.” She went toward her house, motioning for Christina to follow. Before she could follow her inside, White Dove reappeared with a beautiful pair of handmade moccasins. “I stayed up watching over Eagle Feather all night and made these for you."

  Christina was in awe of the gift's perfect craftsmanship. “Thank you so much. I'll cherish them.” She took off her shoes and slipped them on. They were an exact fit. Emotion crowded in on her mind. First the village gave her their acceptance, and now this. She couldn't have asked for a better gift. They were probably worth more than her treatment had been.

  White Dove beamed with pride. “They look great on you."

  "Thank you again. I hate to leave, but you know how to reach me if you need me."

  "Yes. You are welcome here in our home anytime. Take care of yourself."

  Her gaze followed White Dove as she went back to hanging her clothes out to dry. Sighing with happiness for once, Christina picked up her other shoes and made her way back to her Jeep. Standing beside her vehicle was an older man. He stood proud as only a Cherokee elder could, his long silver hair blowing in the wind.