by Linda Mooney
As soon as it was safe enough, Croat approached the pole. They were lucky the villagers were confined within their homes. He smiled to himself. Or maybe it was the warning cries from his fellow Lupan making the people have second thoughts about venturing outside tonight. Either way, their absence allowed him easier access to Tora in the dark, without immediate fear of discovery.
What few people knew was that all Lupan still had all their animalistic abilities when in human form. It was only the physical strength and stamina they lacked when human. Their sense of smell, hearing, taste, touch, and sight remained acute. For him, it was easy to keep track of the few guards traversing the perimeter of the village and center area where Tora was bound. Plus the rising wind covered his footsteps.
Using stealth, Croat made his way to the pole and to Tora. He could tell she was drifting in and out of consciousness, although she was aware of him. He could smell her fear for him. Sadly, he could also sense her strength fading. At the moment, she was numb; there was no pain. But once the baron’s men took her down from the pole, all those nerves would reawaken, and the agony would become even more intense.
Her body was like cold clay. Pressing her against the pole with his own body, Croat tried to feed her his warmth. Dragging his arm from the sling, he carefully wrapped himself around her and opened himself up, hoping she was able to take his strength.
Her beautiful woman smell was all but gone. Replacing it was the flat odor of hardened wax and many faint echoes from the men who had rough-handled her. Their callousness in their treatment of someone as frail as Tora, who had no capacity to fight back, rankled him.
As he enfolded her, almost willing her back to health with his own, she moved in his arms. Her head lolled over to one shoulder. In a voice cracking from dehydration, she whispered, â��Hello, pumpkin eyes.”
Of course she would recognize him in his human form. It was something he never doubted.
“Do you have the power to make me fall in love with you?â�� He already knew the answer. Yet, years of self-preservation made him ask.
“No. I never did.â�� The truth was as pure as spring water. It was as if she had opened the door to her soul, allowing him not only the ability to see for himself, but beckoning him to enter and become a permanent part. It was a moment that stunned him and changed him forever.
“That’s what I thought,â�� he said, then kissed her, letting her know she never need to fear or want anymore.
Her lips were inexperienced and as cold as winter. Yet it was the sweetest, most erotic kiss he had ever felt. She tried to kiss him back, but her strength was gone. It didn’t matter. Croat could tell she was gradually sipping his vitality in tiny amounts. Encouraged, he held her tighter.
He was falling into her. The harder he held her, and molded himself against her, the firmer she became. Stronger, alert, and more cognizant. A soft moan echoed in her chest. It reverberated in his head until he was forced to pull away from her mouth. His body had tensed, unable to resist his physical need for her. Desire was racing through him with lightning speed, zipping through his veins until it threatened to overwhelm him. He could feel his erection, a pole of rigid flesh, nearly digging into her abdomen. The animal in him howled, forcing Croat to clench his teeth.
“C-Croat?”
“Hush.â�� He nuzzled her cheek with his nose. â��Listen carefully. I have to leave soon.”
“No!â�� Tora tried to protest, but Croat quickly quieted her.
“Shh, shh, shh. Don’t worry. You know I’m not leaving you. Read me, Tora. I’m not leaving you. Ever.”
Almost imperceptibly she nodded her head. He sensed her relaxing against him again.
“The baron is coming for you. Did you know that?”
Another nod.
“We can’t undo your shackles. We have no idea who has the keys. So we’re going to wait for the baron’s men to take you away from here. Once they’re a good distance from the village, my men and I will attack them.”
He felt the shudder go through her. She understood what he was saying, as much as she understood what he was not telling her. The baron’s men would be slaughtered when the Lupan attacked them to rescue her. It was a fact that could not be avoided.
“I’m taking you back with me, Tora.”
“Buh…Basil?”
“We’ll find him,â�� Croat promised, and silently prayed he could keep his word. â��Trust me.”
“I…do…â�� She took a deep breath and tried to burrow herself further into his body heat.
“Tora.â�� He stroked her face one last time before he had to step away. â��Tora, I’m never letting you go again. Never. You know that, too, don’t you?”
Incredibly, she managed to give him a smile that touched him to the core. â��I’ve always known it,â�� she whispered. â��I was…waiting for you to.”
I was waiting for you to. Well, his father had always accused him of being dense and hard-headed. Croat acknowledged the fact as he kissed Tora goodbye for now. Thank the gods he had come to his senses in time to save this woman who now meant the world to him.
One lone woman who was both his present and his future. And perhaps the future hope of his people, as well.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter 23
Rescue
Four men on horses arrived the next morning. A riderless fifth horse trailed at the rear.
Throughout the night Croat and his men had kept to the shadows, observing and learning the details of the village’s guards. It was quickly discovered that these people feared Baron Agrino more than they did what was out in the forest. And more than they feared the woman tied up in the square.
Security enforcement was practically nonexistent. It was almost a sure thing the baron’s men would not present any real threat, either. The simple knowledge that these men on horseback were the baron’s representatives was enough to deter any crime or quell any protest from the people who opposed him. Baron Agrino ruled with a hard and unforgiving fist. For that, Croat was grateful. It was that overblown sense of self-importance that would be the undoing of the four men coming to take Tora back to the baron’s castle.
Croat steeled himself for the unavoidable pain when they took Tora down from the pole. One of the constable’s men gave her another drink of water then a second man unlocked the cuffs. Fire shot down his arms. The sensation nearly dropped him to his knees. Croat gasped as they put Tora on a horse and tied her wrists to the saddle, still keeping them separated from each other. After a few more words were exchanged between the constable and the leader of the entourage, all four mounted their individual animals. Tora was placed directly in the middle of the line as they turned around to begin heading back to the castle.
They would take the same route back that they had used to get to the village, just as they had done countless times. Croat knew the road intimately. The moment the riders were out of sight, he let out a howl and slipped through the trees to the predesignated rendezvous. Once they met up, they started after the escort.
The Lupan followed the baron’s men, taking care to remain hidden beyond the tree line and downwind from the animals. It was easy to keep even with the horses. Apparently the soldiers weren’t in a big hurry to get back to the castle. Neither did they feel they were in any sort of danger. The Lupan often heard the guards laughing and taunting their prisoner.
Croat remained at the back of the pack and rear of the guard. During a brief pause when the men stopped to water the horses, Gessat hung back and waited for Croat to catch up.
“They’ll arrive at the castle before nightfall, despite their pace.”
“I know,â�� Croat said, voicing his decision before Gessat could ask. â��Tell the men we’ll attack at the crossing.”
“Lupan?”
“As Lupan.”
Gessat hurried away, vanishing in the brush as the baron’s men continued on the trail. Croat’s eyes remained locked on the
thin figure hunched over in her saddle. He felt nothing from her. She was either unconscious or sleeping. Croat guessed it was more of the former.
The stiff breeze from the night before had not let up. It continued to gust with chilly resonance. He felt the cold slicing through Tora, and his anger deepened because he knew the men wouldn’t give her the comfort of a saddle blanket or jacket.
The location where he planned to attack was a narrow stretch of land that bridged over a large, white water river. Travelers were forced to cross it on foot and in single file, as horses tended to shy away from the loud rush of water.
The forest thinned as everyone reached rockier ground. The Lupan remained hidden in the brush and allowed the guards to pull ahead slightly. The added distance between them didn’t matter. In their animal form, they could run as fast as the horses. Faster, if the horses were carrying riders.
The baron’s men approached the crossing and paused on this side of the river. The sound of the water’s heavy roar drowned out whatever conversation passed between the guards, but it quickly became clear that they planned to keep Tora on her steed rather than have her walk across on her own. Not a wise move on their part, but Croat could see the reason why. No one wanted to touch Tora, believing that mere contact with her, any kind of contact with her, might infect them.
Shifting into Lupan form, Croat howled, signaling the others to advance. They broke from their cover, running upright and in a semicircular formation.
The rear man spotted them first. He yelled as he drew his gun, but Jefron reached him before he could fire. With a loud growl and a swipe of his claws, the Lupan left the baron’s man clutching a shredded arm. Gessat kicked the gun, sending it skittering across the rocky ground until it fell over the edge of the embankment and into the river.
Two of the baron’s men tried to get off a shot. Osanis and Burgari quickly disarmed them as the group leader started across the land bridge, pulling the reins to Tora’s horse. Kreegah and Preataruth started after him, but Croat stopped them.
“Don’t! Not while they’re on the bridge!â�� he yelled to be heard above the river’s roar.
“Wait until they reach the other side?â�� Osanis called out.
Croat started to answer him when the horses squealed in fright. He watched in horror as Tora’s animal fought the reins. It tried to rear, but the guard held on. The horse couldn’t hear the man’s voice as he tried to calm the steed. Or, if it could, it made no difference. The beast neighed, shaking its head to rid itself of the tight grasp preventing it from bolting.
Suddenly it bucked. Unable to shake loose, or even move its head, the horse tried to free itself by backing up. Too late, Croat saw that the horse was backing at an angle. He yelled a warning just as one hoof slipped over the edge of the bridge. The grip on its reins, the sound of the water, and the scent of the Lupan threw the horse into utter panic. It tried to rear again, unsuccessfully, and the animal began its slow descent off the land bridge.
With the sound of his men’s cries of horror, Croat bolted for the animal. Seeing the Lupan coming after him, the guard let go of the reins and ran for the other side of the river. Croat ignored him as he scrambled down the embankment, rocks and brush tearing into his clothes and flesh.
The horse was falling backwards, straight down, but in its struggle, its body started to list sideways. With only her hands tied down, Tora slid off the saddle to dangle helplessly along the animal’s side. She was semiconscious when she and the horse hit the frigid, rushing waters.
For a moment, both horse and Tora disappeared in the white froth. Croat frantically scanned the river, until they broke the surface nearly twenty feet away. The horse was white-eyed and trying to make it to shore with Tora a slight but nevertheless dead weight impeding it. The animal squealed in frustration and fear.
The moment he saw the horse and Tora breach the surface of the roiling water, Croat jumped into the river after her. As a swimmer, his human form would have been a better choice, but he knew his Lupan body would better protect him from the freezing water.
As he expected, the river nearly threw his body into shock. He gasped more from the temperature than for air when his head broke the surface. The current was tossing him around like a leaf in a windstorm as it carried him away from the land bridge. Unfortunately, it didn’t carry him any closer to Tora and her horse. Flinching against the pain lancing up his arm, Croat began to swim, hoping to close the distance between them.
Rushing around a narrow bend in the river, the horse seemed to find purchase in the muddy bottom. It lurched, dragging Tora alongside like a sodden saddlebag. Its hooves sank in the loose soil lining the shallows, but the animal finally managed to climb onto drier land.
Croat struck out for shore. He was thrown against a submerged boulder, the impact nearly knocking all the air out of him. He was able to slip around the back side of the rock, which got him out of the worst of the river’s fury. Sloshing through thigh-high water, he got to the horse and Tora, who was nearly comatose from the events. A single swipe of his razor-sharp claws severed the ropes tying her to the saddle. The moment the horse felt the extra weight removed, it jumped forward and galloped into the forest.
A howl rang in the distance, the signal to regather. Croat howled in response to let them know where he was. An answering cry told him they would soon be joining him.
Croat lowered Tora onto drier ground. Her eyes were rolled up into her head, and the utter lack of any kind of emotion coming from her frightened him.
Cradling her in his arms, he pushed the wet hair out of her face. Her lips were blue, and holding her was like holding a corpse already grown cold.
“Tora? Tora, speak to me. Say something, or give me some sense of you,â�� he whispered.
The wind was merciless and made their sodden clothing feel like they were wearing ice.
“Tora!”
He felt…nothing. He could feel her heart beating, fluttering like a butterfly’s wings, but there was no rise or fall of her chest. Her essence was diminishing, a tiny flame on a candle about to be blown out.
Flipping her onto her stomach, Croat whacked her between the shoulder blades. �Breathe for me, Tora!� he growled, and hit her again.
As if she had heard him, Tora gasped and coughed. The water she’d swallowed came up and splashed onto the toes of his boots. She vomited again as Croat held her. When she could finally take a breath without bringing up water, Croat rolled her back over and pulled her into his arms.
“Croat?â�� It was a weak, barely audible sound. He started to answer her when he heard his name echoed behind him.
“Croat?”
Goldon and Osanis emerged from the woods. Behind them trailed two of the baron’s horses. They walked up and stopped as they waited for Croat to make a decision. Shortly after, the rest of the men arrived to join them.
“The guards?â�� Croat growled.
“Done,â�� Goldon replied. He didn’t need to explain further.
“Get yourself on one of these horses,â�� Jefron half-ordered, half-suggested.
“I agree,â�� Osanis said before Croat could object. â��It’s going to be close to midnight before we reach the village. If you ride, we’ll be able to move faster.”
Croat glanced down at the barely conscious woman in his arms. They were right. He was not well enough to keep up the pace they would have to take to return posthaste to their village. And it was imperative they get back as quickly as possible. Tora needed immediate care. In addition, the other horses belonging to the baron’s soldiers were more than likely heading back to the baron’s castle. Once they were spotted, the baron would send someone out to investigate the disappearance of his missing men and the woman they were supposed to be escorting.
Morphing into human form, Croat climbed into a saddle. Tora was handed up to him, where he placed her in front, facing him. She managed to slide her arms about his waist and lay her face along his shoulder and
neck, where he could hold her in place with his good arm. Had he been in peak condition, Croat would have had no qualms about galloping off and leaving his men behind in order to get her back to the village as quickly as possible.
Still, they managed to keep up a fast pace and arrived back in the middle of the night as they had expected. Deelaht was still up and waiting for them, along with several other Lupan, in case more help was needed. She ordered Tora carried to Croat’s cabin, and hurried to follow with her basket of medicants.
Croat made no comment as he watched Tora being taken to his abode. He would have given the same order if his grandmother hadn’t. After dismissing his men, he went to join the two women.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter 24
Souls
“There will be consequences.”
The comment greeted Croat as he walked through the door. He scowled, knowing his grandmother had aimed the remark at him, and entered the tiny bedroom at the rear of the small cabin. Tora was propped up in his bed. Deelaht and Corralta, Gesset’s wife, were wrapping towels around the sensitive’s hands and wrists.
At the sight of him, Tora’s eyes brightened. A sharp, white feeling filled his chest as her happiness rushed into him. Croat paused at the foot of the bed to stare at her.
Seeing his numb silence, Deelaht nudged him with her elbow. â��What are your plans?”
The question brought him out of his trance. He gave the old woman another disapproving look, but it only made Deelaht chuckle. It was easy enough to see she was enjoying the interaction between him and Tora, and especially delighted in his odd behavior because of it.
Tora’s eyes directed him to the other side of his bed. He took the hint and sat across from his grandmother just as Corralta got up to retrieve another towel draped from a rod hanging over the fire. The towel smoked slightly as Deelaht unwrapped the cooled one from around Tora’s hand, and replaced it with the fresh one.
