by R. Casteel
“How wide is the gap?”
“Ten feet, maybe more,” she answered.
“Shit.”
“No, it’s loose shale.” She couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up. “I don’t smell any shit.”
“You’re a comedian, too.”
“Lighten up. We’re not going to let a few loose rocks stop us.”
She turned around to face him. “You have any climbing equipment with you?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Drive an anchor into the rock and pass the rope through it.”
“What are you going to do?”
Standing on tiptoe, she kissed him. “You trusted me to lead in the dark, trust me in this too.”
Taneika took off her pack and waited until Taren had driven the anchor into a crack in the rock.
She told Lobo to go across the gap.
Lobo reached the other side, sending a small trickle of stones rolling down the mountain.
Taking the end of the rope and another anchor from him, she crouched on the ledge. Before he could stop her, Taneika leaped into the night. He held his breath in fear. What was she thinking? It was suicide!
“Relax,” she said. “Give me a minute to set the anchor and you can send the packs over.”
Taren slumped against the rock face of the mountain. The sudden fear for her life and the realization she was safe left him shaken.
With both packs now on the other ledge it was his turn. He thought of crossing himself but he wasn’t a Catholic. His childhood prayers didn’t seem appropriate ‘cause he wasn’t going to bed. Besides, it had been a long time since he had prayed.
Placing his hands on the taut rope, he stepped onto the slide. His feet sank into the loose shale. Rock started to move down the slope. Hand over hand he moved across. With each step, the noise continued to build as more rock joined the moving mass of rubble. A hand reached out in the night and pulled him to safety.
Taren grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her. “Going across the way you did was the craziest stunt I’ve ever seen. You could have been killed!”
“I told you to trust me. If I had explained what I was going to do, would you have agreed?”
“No.”
“And we would still be on the other side arguing about it.” She picked up her pack and cinched the straps.
“Probably, but we made it across, thanks to you.” He slung his over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
The trail widened and leveled out.
“We have company,” she said. “Off to the right.”
She reached out into the shadows with her mind. We mean you no harm. You have nothing to fear.
Who are you?
Itano’mahkapi’si.
Daughter Of The Wolf, welcome. I will travel with you in your journey.
“Where is the wolf?” Taren asked.
“Walking beside me.”
“You’re serious. It’s here, now?”
“You are forgetting, Taren, Lobo is also wild. You’ve fed her and she’s kissed your face. Don’t be alarmed.”
He walked along in meditative silence. Her control over Lobo he could accept, if not understand. She had raised the wolf. But what was it that caused this creature, which put fear into the heart of man with a simple howl in the night, to walk beside her?
“There is a cabin ahead. Yours?” she asked.
“Yes.”
It was several minutes before he could make out the dark shadows of the building in front of him.
Taren opened the door and struck a match. The orange tongue of flame flickered and caught on the wick of an oil lamp, driving the darkness into the far corners of the room.
The logs were old. The chinking showed signs of recent work being done to stop the bitter cold from intruding. Sections of the roof were new as was the door and window. An old pitcher pump sat on a corner shelf. Taneika walked over to the stone fireplace. It was already laid, ready to bring life and heat back into the house.
“Catch.” Taren tossed her a box of matches. Deftly, she snatched the box out of the air. Striking a match on the hearth, she touched the flame to the dry tinder. The flames grew, spreading over the wood.
“Like I said, it’s primitive.” Taren began emptying the packs.
“I like it.” She stood and walked over to the table. “Need any help?”
“Sure. Find an empty spot on the shelves for this stuff.”
Taneika carried several items to the open shelves and began putting them away. “How did you find this place so far from civilization?”
“I was with another Ranger and flew over it. We set down in a clearing and came back to check it out. I found out who owned it and leased it.”
Taneika heard the wolves outside and went to the door. They each had a rabbit in their jaws. “Thank you for the food. Now go, run with the wind and find your own.”
“I’ll clean them, Taren, and cook yours over the fire.”
“Thanks.” He stared at the closed door in a state of utter confusion. “I’ll be dammed. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d call someone a liar.” The realization came. Exactly what someone would call me!
Things were beginning to fall into place, her reluctance to socialize, the absence of sports in her curriculum at the college. Were her abilities known, she would become a scientific study in a lab somewhere. Her peaceful life would be over, sacrificed to the supposed good of mankind. The impact of the trust she had placed in him was staggering.
The door opened and Taneika carried the skinned rabbits in. Skewering one with a stick, she held it over the fire. “This will be ready in a few.” She wondered if he would feed her again. If he did, she knew where it would lead. Probably end up there anyway. If the roadside park had been more secluded . . . .
“Unless you are going to share your rabbit, you might want to turn the stick.” Taren snorted at the flustered look on her face. “Daydreaming?”
“No, just thinking.” The juice from the rabbit sizzled and crackled as it hit the hot coals.
“What about?” Taren leaned back against the table and crossed his legs.
“Oh, nothing really.” She heard his soft chuckle and the scraping of his feet on the floor.
“Liar,” he accused. “You were thinking about the last meal we shared, and how erotic it was to feed each other. I can still taste your last kiss, feel the heat of your breast against my hand.”
Taking his rabbit from the fire, she carried both to the table. Taren’s eyes radiated molten heat with the intensity of his desire.
She handed him the uncooked meat. “Feed me.”
Chapter 5
Taneika sat beside him. She watched his hands tremble as he tore the rabbit apart. Blood oozed out, covering them and dripping onto the table.
The pungent smell of the freshly killed rabbit triggered the animal spirit residing deep within her. She had managed with sheer willpower to keep control when she had cleaned them, but no longer. Her breathing and heart rate increased until it became a pounding in her chest. He held the meat, dripping in blood before her. Opening her mouth, she allowed him to place the meat in her mouth. Biting down she severed the leg bone and began chewing.
Taren stared at what was left in his hand. She had chewed the bones and all. She captured his hand in hers and licked the blood from his hand. He knew he should feel repulsed, but it was just the opposite. The feeling was overpoweringly erotic. The tightness in his jeans was uncomfortable.
He opened his mouth when she touched the meat to his lips. Lost in a sensuous fog of desire he ate, mechanically chewing and swallowing the food. When his tongue licked the juice from her fingers she moaned and swayed toward him. Taking her mouth with his, the food was forgotten.
His hands were in her hair, on her face, and when the heat curved around her breast, her body arched, wanting more of this sweet torture. Hot kisses trailed down her throat and over the material of her shirt. His hands trailed down her side. Fingers frantically pull
ed the shirt from the waistband of her jeans. Delirious from pleasure, she gasped when his lips surrounded and sucked on a nipple.
Taren picked her up and carried her to the bearskin rug in front of the fireplace. Her hands had found their way to the front of his shirt, and fingers hurriedly worked at the buttons. Her arms snaked around him as he knelt to the floor. Lying beside her, Taren cupped her heat through her jeans. She moaned against his mouth, digging her nails into his back. Releasing the snap, he slid his hand inside, his fingers massaging the folds of slick velvety flesh.
Taneika writhed against his hand, wanting more. Raising her hips off the floor, she pulled the jeans down and kicked them off. She was flying, soaring. She thought she couldn’t get any higher. His mouth moved from her breast and left a trail of fire down her stomach. She was wrong. Her body pulsed with each stroke of his tongue. Bursts of light exploded behind tightly closed eyelids. Taneika lay panting, gasping for breath as he moved slowly up her body, branding her with his kisses.
She felt his hardness enter and then searing, tearing pain.
Her body tensed, pain replaced the passion on her face. Taren lay still, waiting for the pain to subside, allowing her to get used to him being inside of her. He hated to cause her pain, but this was unavoidable. In a few minutes, she would forget it as though it never happened. His mouth sought hers with tender caresses meant to reassure and comfort.
The pain lessened and she was filled with his heat. It surrounded her, rekindling the flame of passionate desire. She returned his kisses and wrapped her arms around him. Relishing the feel of him deep inside her, she became bold. Shoving on his shoulder, she rolled him over and sat astride, taking his full length. His hands found her breasts as she rocked against him. She moved faster, chasing after the elusive lightning that flashed across the sky. The explosion rocked her, sent her spiraling out of control. Arching her body, she raised her head and howled in ecstasy.
From out in the woods, answering jubilant howls split the silence of the night.
She collapsed on his chest, her head resting on his shoulder. His heart pounded against her breast, the aftershocks of their mating racked his body. Never had she imagined it would be this fierce, this shattering. Her body still vibrated from the intensity of it.
Taren was content just to lie there with her in his arms. Nothing had ever come close to what he had just experienced. He realized nothing ever would again. Taneika, a woman of unbelievable abilities, surrounded by mystery, was the only woman who had ever satisfied him, and yet left him yearning for more. Satisfaction took on a new meaning. She had set a new standard for the word. There could only be one person he could reach it with or even want too.
Taneika.
She whimpered when he rolled her onto the rug. Such an amazingly beautiful woman, the spirit within was wild, free and full of life. His fingers idly stroked her damp flesh. Blood covered her inner thigh. He hadn’t known and by the time he’d found out, it was too late. Leaning down he kissed her.
“Is it. . .always like this?” She returned his kiss.
“The pain?” Taren fingered a lock of hair, slowly twisting the strands of black silk around his finger.
“No…the end, the middle, everything we felt.”
“I have a feeling with you it will be.” He kissed her and whispered against her mouth. “I just hope you let me stay around long enough to find out.”
Taren trailed the back of his finger slowly down her face. “You didn’t bother to mention you were a virgin.”
“Would it have mattered?” Her body was languid; she felt more complete. Taneika hoped he had no regrets.
“Probably. Yes.”
“Then I for one am glad I didn’t mention it.” Fingers splayed across firm cords of muscle as she moved her arm around him. Closer she edged. Her breast touched his chest sending tingling sparks of excitement to her very core.
“Does the pump work?”
Her question confused him at first. “It does now. I had to rebuild it.”
Gracefully she rose from the floor. Filling a basin with water, she cleaned herself. She appeared totally unconcerned about her lack of clothing or that he was watching her bathe. A picture of her washing in the lake flashed through his mind. With unwavering certainty, he knew she had been washing blood from her body. She hadn’t just eaten. The bite marks on the venison, her footprints and the wolf's, interspersed around the carcass… the grisly scene played out before him.
Taren’s eyes were locked on her. The color drained from his face. He looked like he was going into shock. Taneika rushed to his side, touching him. “Taren, what’s the matter?”
Moving away from her touch, he tried to reason it out in his mind.
“Taren?”
“How long have you joined in the hunt and the kill?”
“You’re just now putting all the pieces together? I thought after finding the deer you would have understood. I’m sorry.”
“How long?”
She flinched at the tone of his voice. “I can remember riding on the back of a wolf, fingers clenched in her fur, the wind blowing through my hair as we ran through the trees. I was so young they tore chunks of meat and gave me little pieces to chew. The first time I came back with blood all over my clothes, my mother screamed and carried on. She thought I was hurt. I started taking them off once we got away from other people.”
Taren dropped his head in his hands. “I just can’t fathom it. It’s beyond reasoning. What about your other…abilities?”
“The same. I kept them hidden, except from my family. Like you, they never understood. But they learned to accept them. After I got big enough to help my father, he never lost another sheep or lamb to wolves.”
“They obeyed you, even at an early age?”
“Yes.”
“What about your friends? The other children on the reservation.”
She laughed; a tear trickled slowly down her cheek.
“What friends? Do I look like a Blackfoot Indian? I have white skin like you. I couldn’t bathe with the rest of the girls. Why? Because they made fun of me for not having any hair between my legs like they did. My skin wasn’t dark like theirs. I had an Indian name, raised by an Indian family. Spoke their tongue and attended their school, but I was…different.”
Years of frustration, bitterness and hurt eked out of her heart and soul. Tears flowed, unstoppable as the rain, down her cheeks.
Taren sat beside her, gathered her in his arms and kissed the tears away. “Shh, it’s all right.” She laid her head on his shoulder. Rocking her gently, the sobs tapered off and stopped. Soon, even the occasional sniffle ceased and she was asleep.
Taren carried her to the rug and covered her with a sleeping bag. He stirred the coals, banking the fire for the night.
His communication with the outside world was limited to the battery pack for his computer and his cell-phone. Still unsure after three years of investigation as to Harold’s network of information, he was hesitant about using either. Harold Fallings had money. Where it had come from, he had his ideas. Finding proof was next to impossible. He had power and influence in Washington. To the best of his knowledge, Harold’s money didn’t control his two bosses, the Secretary and Under Secretary of Interior. Anyone else was suspect to greed.
Opening his laptop, Taren checked his messages. A top-priority message waited, flashing on the screen.
Where the Hell are you? Fallings is pissed. Filed obstruction of justice charges. Contact ASAP. Linda.
Taren began typing. “Safe. Tape in mail. Contact Santa if needed. Need discussed papers ASAP.” He sent the message and turned the power off.
* * * * *
The phone rang.
“Hello!”
“Mr. Fal. . . .”
“Shut the fuck up, you idiot! How many times do I have to tell you? No names.”
“I got a couple of short transmission bursts. Not long enough to get an accurate fix.”
“Well, can you giv
e me an inaccurate fix?”
“Yes, sir. They came from somewhere inside the park, sir.”
“Inside the park. Do you know how many acres are inside this fucking park? I need something more to go on.”
“Sorry, sir. It’s all I’ve got. I’ll keep watching.”
“I’m not paying you to watch, find the son-of-a-bitch.”
For the second time in his career, Harold felt threatened. He had eliminated the first threat without being caught, and he would do the same to Taren Carpenter, when he found him. He had built a large network of informants on both sides of the fence. His shipments would have to be delayed. It would cost him dearly but in the end, Taren Carpenter and whoever placed him here would be the ones to pay.
* * * * *
Taneika woke with an arm curled warm and sensuous around her middle. Memories of last night came back with a rush: the heat, the passion and the pain of her confession. Her last thoughts were of being held within his arms, cradled safely against his solid chest. His breath tickled her ear, blowing a strand of hair gently against her face.
“Morning, Little Wolf,” he whispered softly against her ear.
“Morning.” She turned her face away to hide the tears that came unbidden to her eyes. “Little Wolf…is what my Father called me.”
“Called?” He heard the catch in her voice.
“Yes. He went to be with the Ancients a year ago. A bear came down from the mountains and attacked the sheep. Father tried to drive it off. By the time I got to him, he was dead.”
“I’m sorry.”
“His death was avenged. I tracked the bear back into the mountains. It died by my father’s bow. My mother’s knife skinned it.”
“And what of Little Wolf? How did she avenge?”
“Little Wolf cut out the heart of the bear, while it was still beating and ate it before he died.”
Taren tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Little Wolf was very brave.”
“Bravery had nothing to do with it. Little Wolf was pissed!”
A bark sounded outside. She got up and opened the door.
Lobo bounded in and stuck her nose between Taneika’s legs. Taren laughed. Lobo dove under the covers and put her cold nose between his legs. “Damn!” He jumped out from under the covers. “What’s gotten into her?”
