Her heart swells with his tenderness. “I did. Thank you.”
One last kiss before looking back at the training field. Two others are now sparring, throwing hard kicks at each other. Tearing her eyes away from the two, she glances around, noticing everything that marks her as different.
The females wear long dresses that remind Catalina of the mid-19th century, when women still wore corsets and long flowing dresses to show off their ample breasts and thin waistlines. Glancing down at her attire, Catalina frowns. Form-fitting T-shirt and pants. No way in hell she’ll ever wear one of those dresses, but sadly, it makes her stand out even more. Inhaling a deep breath, she asks, “Is this what you do every day?”
“Train. Hunt. Patrol the boundary line. There are also guards posted outside the Commons at all times.”
Shena gracefully lowers herself to the ground, sitting with her legs tucked underneath her dress. “It is nice to see you again, Catalina.” Her voice sounds distant, and Catalina understands why.
“Shena.” Catalina gives her a polite smile.
Odias sits next to Theon, and when they start talking, Catalina tunes them out. She hears words like patrol and leaving soon, things she doesn’t want to think about. She sits there watching the others, and from the corner of her eyes, she can see the other females sneaking glances her way and snickering. She wants to tell them to grow up, but instead, she closes her eyes and bites her lower lip, trying to hold her sharp tongue.
She watches several other groups train and spar. She watches until her shirt is drenched in sweat. Fanning her face with her hand, Catalina blows out a deep breath.
“I can’t sit here any longer. Sorry.” She jumps to her feet. One day is okay, maybe even every other day, but to expect her to sit in one spot day after day is unreasonable.
“Where are you going?” Theon stands, grabbing her hand. She can tell he doesn’t want her to go anywhere, but she can’t sit there and watch all day… again.
“I think I’ll head to the lake. Don’t worry, I’ll take my bow.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“You cannot,” Odias chimes in. Theon and Catalina both look down at him. “You have to select the males who are ready to join the ranks and guard the Commons.”
Theon grimaces, knowing he’s right. Catalina can see the indecision on his face when he turns his eyes back to her. She can tell he is torn, but his duty calls .
“It’s okay.” She kisses his lip. “I’ll be back soon; I just need to cool down for a little bit. Maybe get a little bit of exercise.”
“Please be careful and do not be gone too long.”
“Okay.” She shoots him a big smile before turning around and walking away.
The Crystal Lake is just as inviting as before. As she floats on her back in happy bliss, she knows she can be happy living her life with Theon.
She turns onto her stomach and dunks under the water. Swimming has always been one of her favorite activities.
After the sun has moved some distance across the sky, Catalina decides to head home. As much as she loves the lake, she doesn’t want to worry Theon.
After drying off, she grabs her pack and heads back toward the training fields.
As she nears, her smile slips when she sees Tarra once again trying to flirt with Theon. He doesn’t reciprocate, but it still rankles her just seeing her standing so close to him.
There’s something wrong with Tarra, but Catalina just doesn’t know what it is, why she acts the way she does.
Ignoring Tarra, Catalina walks up to Theon. “Hey, I’m back.”
His face instantly transforms as he grabs her hand and pulls her close to his sweaty chest. “I am glad.” The relief in his voice is easily heard. “Are you ready to head home?”
“You are living together?” Tarra’s voice is shrill and loud.
“Yes,” Theon says in a happy voice that makes Catalina grin.
Ignoring Tarra, Catalina looks lovingly up at Theon. “I’m ready.”
Back at their rooms, Theon builds a small fire in the pit, where he roasts some meat along with some fresh vegetables. “That looks amazing.” Catalina’s mouth actually waters as she looks at the food.
“I hope you like it.”
“I’m sure I will.”
From the first bite, the flavors burst on her tongue, causing her to close her eyes and moan with pleasure.
Just as she finishes her last bite, Theon scoops her up in his arms and carries her to the furs. Coming down on top of her, he hoarsely says, “You cannot make those noises and expect me to do nothing.”
She giggles, but Theon quiets the noise as he takes her lips in a searing kiss. His hand snakes up her shirt as she pulls his over his head…
~~~~
The next morning, Catalina wakes with a soreness between her thighs. She scans the room, but Theon is not there. He must be at the training fields. Looking around once more, she throws the covers off and squeals. Her hands roam a large hard box, and removing the lid, she sees a food replicator and a design-o-pad. Tears fill her eyes as she examines her new toys.
She quickly grabs a pair of pants and a shirt, not caring if they match. She sprints toward the training fields, her arms pumping with every stride.
She sees Theon on the crowded field talking to someone, it doesn’t matter, she doesn’t care who is around. Without slowing, she runs toward him. He spots her just in time to open his arms when she launches herself into them, wrapping her legs around his waist.
His arms circle her waist, holding her to him.
“Thank you so much!” She kisses his neck and then hugs him with everything she has.
“You are welcome. I’m glad you like it,” he laughs.
“Are you kidding? Best. Present. Ever!”
When he lowers her to her feet, the silence is deafening. Everyone stares. Burying her red face in Theon’s chest, she can’t look.
Theon only laughs more. “Everyone, back to training.”
13
____________________
A Fortnight Later
Lying on the furs with Theon, Catalina rolls over, panting from exertion. They’ve just had mind-blowing sex…again. The same as they do every single night.
Turning her head, she smiles at him. “Wow! I think it gets better every time.”
They both lie on their backs, shoulder to shoulder. He turns his head toward her and grins. She searches his blue face and knows she is falling in love. She can only hope he feels the same. But she won’t tell him. Not yet. Not until she is sure he loves her back.
Instead of saying anything, he rolls over and faces her. The palm of his hand cups her cheek, and he tenderly kisses her lips. Then his expression changes from happy to sad.
“What’s wrong?” Her heart pounds as she waits for him to answer.
“I have to leave for patrol today.”
Catalina bolts up. He follows. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I did not want to ruin the moment.”
She stares straight ahead. What will she do here without him? Shena greets her each day, but it’s stilted. Odias gives her half-sincere smiles while some of the other males leer at her body. Forget talking to Tarra and her hordes of followers.
She turns so she can see his face. “When do you leave?”
“Soon.” He wraps his arm around her shoulders and pulls her to his chest. “I will be gone for one, maybe two moon cycles. Unless there are problems.”
She lays her head in the curve in his neck. “Can I go with you?” She knows he won’t let her, but she has to ask. The last thing she wants is to stay here and feel like an outcast.
“I am sorry, but you cannot. It is too dangerous.”
Silently, she wonders how dangerous it can possibly be. The entire time she’s been here, she hasn’t seen anything out of the ordinary.
“Please…”
He hugs her close and whispers, “I am sorry. How about this? When I get back, I will take you down
below to the marketplace. We can look around, get some cooked food, just spend the day together.”
“But you hate it down there.”
“But I love spending time with you.”
“Okay.” What else can she say? It’s stupid, but she refuses to make him stay with her even if that were a possibility. She wants him to choose to stay or to trust her enough to take her with him. She isn’t like the others; she can handle herself.
Theon kisses her lips and slowly gets to his feet. She does the same. When they are both dressed, he gathers his supplies, and she walks with him to the stables. They are both quiet. When they enter the stables, Theon walks over to Coliea.
“Hi there,” he smiles and rubs the gamel’s face.
“This is Coliea?” Catalina glances his way before turning to the animal and patting her face.
“It is.” Theon loads the supplies before facing a sad Catalina. Taking her hands in his, she stares at the ground. “Catalina,” his forefinger lifts her chin so he can look into her sad eyes, “I will be back soon. If you need anything, ask Kaid or Shena. Understand?”
She slowly nods, knowing full well she won’t ask them for anything. She has never depended on others before, and she will not be that helpless female now.
Odias trots up on his gamel. “Ready?”
“Just a moment.” Theon shoots him an irritated glance before he faces Catalina once again. “I will be back before you have time to miss me.”
She scoffs, “Yeah, right.” Searching his face, trying to memorize every detail, she flashes him a sad smile and says, “Be careful.”
“I will.” A tender kiss later, he mounts Coleia and they head out, away from the stables.
As she watches them ride away, she murmurs to herself, “Now what will I do?” One thing’s for sure, she won’t spend the day at the training fields.
Back in their rooms at the Commons, she grabs her backpack and fills it with supplies. Just as she leaves, she grabs her bow and arrows and heads for her favorite place, the lake.
Dropping her backpack, she strips off her clothes and dives headfirst into the Crystal Lake. As she floats on her back, she thinks about how much her life has changed. She could easily see spending the rest of her life with Theon. Having little babies…hmmm…she wonders what a mix of the two of them would look like. They could raise their baby together topside.
Her hands float back and forth, skimming the water as she stares at the sky. Will Theon miss her while he patrols? She hopes he misses her so much that he refuses to leave her again. A minute later, a picture of Alan drifts through her memories, and she hopes he’s found his sister. He would be proud of her for making a life for herself, finding happiness. If only…
A twig breaks and she startles.
Quickly, she immerses her body in water from her shoulders down. “Who’s there?” she calls out.
Nothing. It is déjà vu. Still checking out her surroundings, she swims to the side of the lake, and after making sure the area is clear, she climbs out.
Quickly, she dresses, not caring that she will get her clothes wet. “Where’s my backpack?” She searches, turning in frantic circles, but it is gone. The only thing that lies on the ground is her bow and arrows. “What the…”
Thump! Something hits her head and knocks her out cold.
~~~~
Opening her eyes, she sits up and cradles her head in her hands. “Ah… that hurts.” She blinks up at the sky, wondering what happened. The sun is in the wrong position, and she knows that a lot of time has passed. Turning her head slowly in each direction, she doesn’t recognize anything. “Shit,” she groans and falls back on the ground and closes her eyes.
When Catalina can finally hold her eyes open, she staggers to her feet. “Huh,” she scoffs as she scoops up her lost backpack and bow. Someone kidnapped her and placed her here on purpose. Shaking her head, she glances at the landscape and tries to discern where she might be. The tall mountains are on the wrong side. She gasps when she realizes... The Northern Clan. A tendril of fear takes hold, and she swallows hard.
With her backpack over her left shoulder, she carries her bow and heads toward the mountains, toward the Southern Clan territory.
With sweat beading her forehead, she is still a long way from the mountains, and the sun is sinking fast. Finding a nice thick tree, she scoots down, resting her back against the bark as she settles in for a long night. With any luck, she can get some rest.
Sounds of the night are loud, and rest does not come. She jumps with every roar even though she can’t see any animals. The two moons give off a lot of light, but not enough for her to see that well. She dozes at times, but she’s too scared to really sleep.
When streaks from the first rays of the sun race across the sky, Catalina breathes a sigh of relief. Hungry and thirsty, her trip toward home will have to wait until she finds some food and water.
She walks for most of the morning before she hears the sounds of rushing water. “Finally,” she grumbles in aggravation. Before she makes it to the water, moans of pain reach her ears, making her change directions and head east. They aren’t loud—in fact, she can barely hear them.
She rounds a boulder and gasps at the sight. An injured male sits against a big rock, holding his arm. Blood gushes around his hand. She runs to the injured male, drops to her knees, laying her backpack and bow to the side.
“What happened?” she asks as she quickly scans his body, looking for other injuries.
He doesn’t answer, he just stares at Catalina with squinting eyes.
Turning to the side, she opens her backpack and grabs some supplies. At one time, when she thought to live on her own topside, she used the design-o-pad to make gauze, bandages, and other random medical supplies she thought might be useful.
“Shit, you’re bleeding too much!” Dark brown blood gushes from his upper arm. Quickly searching the backpack, she can’t find a tourniquet. Pursing her lips, she shakes her head in agitation and bites the inside of her cheek. “Turn your head,” she orders.
He continues to stare at her instead of complying. “Listen up, buddy, if you don’t turn your damn head, you’ll bleed to death.” When he looks the other way, Catalina jerks off her shirt and tears a long strip of fabric from the bottom and then quickly puts it back on again. “Okay, you can look now.”
She takes the strip of cloth and pulls it tight around his upper arm, tying it tightly into place. Her gaze searches his body, looking for other injuries. None are visible.
“Are you hurt anywhere else?”
After a long few seconds, he finally says, “My leg.”
“Left or right?”
“Right.”
Using her hands, Catalina starts at the top of his thigh and runs a soft caress down the length of his thick leg, gently pressing as she goes. When she gets to his ankle, he grunts.
Pushing up his pant leg, she can see that his ankle is swollen and red. “What did you do?”
He turns his head and looks away.
“Listen, I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me. Yes, I’m a female. Get over it.”
He takes a deep breath and reluctantly says, “I was hunting.”
“A garr?”
He narrows his dark eyes. “No, a facuia.”
“I don’t know what that is.”
Catalina studies him as she holds a gauze pad over his arm wound, applying pressure. When the bleeding finally stops, she releases the tourniquet but still holds pressure, making sure it doesn’t start bleeding again. “You need some disinfectant and stitches.” After a few more minutes, she wraps a bandage around some fresh gauze and smiles. “There, that’s much better.”
He glances over at his arm, inspecting her work. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m Catalina.”
“Jove.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Jove. I think.” She huffs out a breath and looks around. Not only are the mountains on the wrong side, Jove’s appearance is
the only confirmation she needs. Still, she asks, “I’m in the Northern Clan territory, aren’t I?” He nods. “Crap! I need to get out of here.” She glances down at him. With his injured ankle, he can’t walk. “When will someone come looking for you?”
“I am supposed to return in two moon cycles’ time. After that, a search party will be dispatched.”
Catalina plops down on her butt beside Jove, irritated that she is stuck there. Even if he is from the Northern Clan, she can’t leave him there without food and water. What kind of person would that make her?
Looking over at her, he asks, “What are you doing?”
“Sitting.”
“I can see that. Why are you here? Where are you from?”
“Now you want to talk?” She raises an irritated eyebrow at him. He doesn’t deserve her smart mouth, but… “Fine. I’m here because someone knocked me over the head and put me here. Originally, I’m from Earth.”
“I have never heard of it.”
“Really? I’m shocked.” She places her hand over her chest and widens her eyes before she winces. “Sorry, I have a tendency to be condescending when I’m irritated.” She stretches her legs and leans back, resting on the ground.
“You live with the Southern Clan?”
“I do.” She places her arm behind her head and stares at the sky, wondering what Theon is doing. Does he even know she is missing? Probably not. He should still be on patrol.
“You are afraid of us.”
She turns her head and smirks. “Do I look afraid?”
He chuckles, a deep baritone sound. “No. You do not.”
A loud noise startles Jove. “Sorry,” Catalina says, “it’s my stomach. I’m starving.”
“If I had food, I would offer it to you.”
She turns her head and stares in surprise. It never occurred to her to ask him if he has food and water. If he did, she could leave him there to wait for his people. “That’s okay.” She sits back up. “Just tell me the best place to find something to eat.”
Jove stares at her in silence until he finally says, “Over by the water. The animals come to drink there.”
Theon Untamed: First Contact (Untamed World Book 1) Page 10
