by Avery Kloss
“We did as well.” Ronan touched my back. “I feared the worst. It was a terrible moment. I remember returning to where we thought the river camp was, but nothing remained. The water washed everything away.”
“Did you ever see any of our clan?”
“A few here and there. The men scattered. I don’t know what happened to the women.”
“We came across a small band of them. Then … a clan adopted us.”
Ronan tilted his head, interested in this. “What clan?”
“Kia’s people.”
“They took you in?”
“Yes, we stayed in a cave much like this one, but it had another smaller cavern. Kia and their leader, Magnon, became lovers. The other women found mates as well.”
“Then what happened?”
“We were attacked by a white clan, who killed all the men and took the women. They weren’t keen on taking Kia or her kind, so they left them behind.”
“I’m surprised they didn’t take you.”
“I hid with the other children in the small cavern. They never saw me. I’ll never … forget the horror of that day. I’ll never forget the blood.” I swallowed, as unhappy memories returned. Their leader was called Greggor.”
“I’ve never heard that name.”
“We couldn’t stay at the cave. That was before Ara and I learned to hunt. We left it after, nearly dying in the grasslands. We suffered a big cat attack, one of our people, Bena, being eaten.”
“We’ve encountered more than our fair share of cats,” muttered Enwan. He took another piece of meat, his eyes on me. “What happened then?”
“We fled for the forest. There we met an old healer. His name was Sungir. He took us in.”
“That was lucky,” said Ronan.
“It was. He taught Ara and I how to hunt. He taught me about healing herbs. He taught me so many useful things.”
“Like that bow?” asked Enwan.
“Yes. It’s a magnificent hunting tool. It takes some skill, but I can teach you.”
“A woman teaching a man to hunt,” laughed Enwan, snorting. “I never thought to live to see the day.”
Ronan touched my arm, feeling a muscle. “I don’t doubt for a moment she knows what she’s talking about. She’s had plenty of practice with that weapon, from the looks of it.”
I nodded confidently. “I do.”
“Then I look forward to the lesson.” A glimmer of pride shone in his eyes, reminding me of how Sungir looked at me, although his interest was only parental, not carnal.
“Tell me what happened to you then? What did you do after the flood?” I chewed on meat, although I wasn’t hungry anymore.
“Enwan and I wandered for an age, coming to one clan after another. We never stayed long. I met a woman, and we took her with us. Enwan met a woman too.”
“Where are they?”
“Suni died of illness.” Ronan shrugged. “There was nothing I could do. Marrina didn’t wish to travel with us any longer, so she stayed with another clan.”
“Marrina was your mate?”
Enwan nodded. “Yes.”
“Then I met Cannima, and she lived with us for several seasons. We settled with a northern clan, near a big body of water, but sickness spread, killing almost everyone. I caught it as well, but I didn’t die.”
“What happened then?”
“Cannima perished from it. She was heavily pregnant. The baby died too. I cursed my luck at that point. I gave up on finding a woman. Instead, Enwan and I set out to search for paradise.” He grinned. “We came to this place purely by accident.”
“Like me.”
“Yes.” He tossed the remaining portion of meat to the wolf, grabbing me. “I don't wish to talk anymore, Peta. I want you.”
Something pleasing skimmed down my back, the sensation leaving me feeling drugged, as if I had taken one of Sungir’s potions. His lips sought mine, the kiss bordering on aggressive. Within the space of a few moments, I found myself beneath him, his manhood demanding entrance.
“You’re my woman now, Peta. Mine,” he said, his tone deep and raspy. “I swear to love you forever.”
Enwan observed this, his look smoldering, while the leather of his skirt tented. “You’ve had her once already, Ronan. I do believe it’s my turn.”
“Will anyone consult me on the issue?” I giggled. “Or will you behave like heathens?”
“We’ll behave like men,” said Ronan, suddenly grasping me. “Turn around. Get on your hands and knees.”
Stunned by the request, I did as he commanded, feeling him prodding, the area still sore from earlier. He entered with one thrust, the feeling stunning—intrusive. Fingers gripped my hips, while I braced myself, memories of the past drifting through my consciousness. Couples mated this way often. I always found it silly, the noises they made, and their desire to do it so often, but now I understood.
“If she’s obliging,” murmured Ronan. “You can take her mouth.”
Enwan’s manhood appeared, the lower portion hidden by hair. I hardly knew what they were about, and yet, knowing what they wanted. I could refuse him, but I would not, desiring to make them as happy as I felt, wishing to please.
In the end, we lay together, our lust having been quenched for the moment, with the fire dying slowly. Enwan’s hand did not remain idle, exploring me, touching my breasts and stomach, drifting lower. His lips connected with mine, the kiss soft and sweet, while Ronan glanced at us. A feeling of contentment drifted through me, my purpose now clear.
“Will it be just us then?”
“Until you have a baby,” said Ronan.
“Are we enough people to sustain a clan?”
“For now. I don’t give much thought to the future. Ever since the flood, it’s useless to plan anything. The gods have a way of learning your plans and ruining them.”
I believed that. “Yes. Let’s not make a single plan then.” Enwan, having explored me thoroughly, now lay still. “What do you think?” I glanced at him, marveling at the fact that I felt a tenderness of attitude towards him as well.
“We’ll do as we always have,” he murmured. “We need only live this one day. The next will take care of itself.”
The gods had let me down far too often to think it a coincidence; I doubted the bitterness would remain, though. I also feared growing too attached, knowing how painful separation was.
“What’s the matter, Peta?”
I turned to Ronan. “I’m remembering how Kia and my sisters disappeared.”
“You haven’t said what happened to them.”
“They were by a stream washing up. Someone came and took them. They vanished into thin air. Ara and Maggi.”
“Who is Maggi?”
“The baby Kia had with Magnon.”
“It wasn’t one of our kind then,” said Enwan.
“I tried to follow where they might’ve gone, but the footprints disappeared.”
“Perhaps, you’ll come across them again one day,” said Ronan. “I never thought I’d see you again, but here we are.”
“I don’t know.” I pondered that, realizing that as long as I remained content here, there was no reason to leave. I would not be searching for them any longer. “I’m tired of wandering. I want to settle now. I desire to have a baby.”
A chuckle escaped Enwan. “Well, you’ll have plenty of help on that score.” He lay back, smiling. “We can practice again in a moment. That was nice.”
Ronan reached for me, drawing me into his arms. “Peta, my love,” he murmured, kissing me. “I desire only your happiness. I wish to make your life as comfortable as possible. You need never want for anything again.”
I felt a twinge of sadness where Kia and my sisters were concerned, praying that they were in a good place and not mistreated. “I am happy. I don’t ever wish to be alone again.”
“You weren’t,” said Enwan, yawning. “You had a wolf for company.”
“He’s still learning to trust me.”
“Wolf is a good name,” I murmured. “We’re the clan of the wolf, I suppose.”
“We are,” laughed Ronan. “And when he grows, he shall frighten off intruders. His paws are enormous. That animal will be a force to be reckoned with.”
I raised myself on an elbow, glancing at my lover. “I like that.”
“Kiss me, Peta, my beautiful wife. I imagined what you might grow to look like, but you’re so much more than I ever thought. You’re perfection.”
I grinned. “You’re a lusty heathen,” I teased.
“Indeed.”
“What about me? I believe I deserve some praise as well. I found this cave after all.”
I glanced at Enwan, his legs so long the feet dangled over the edge of the pelt. “I haven’t decided about you yet, but you may mate me as well, if you wish. I don’t think I could deny either of you.” I shivered at the thought, knowing exactly what the evening held in store … and the future.
Chapter Forty-One
The three of us wandered through gently rolling grassland bathed in sunlight. Having spotted game, I wanted to show Ronan and Enwan the bow and how I used it, hoping they would be impressed. We cut through a thickly forested patch of land, the sweet smelling pine filling my senses. Birds chirped in the branches above, my feet crunching over dried leaves.
When we emerged, the lushness of the valley took my breath away, a crystal-clear brook cutting through at the lowest point, with a herd of stags on the other side. “I need to be a little closer.”
Ronan nodded. “I would imagine.”
We approached stealthily, as I positioned the small spear tip, drawing back on the twine of leather. Ronan and Enwan observed my every move, my arm pulling back, aiming carefully, and letting the spear tip fly. It shot into the air with extraordinary speed, embedding into the neck of its prey a moment later.
“God almighty,” murmured Ronan. “That contraption is ingenious. We’re at such a distance, yet she hit it.” The animal in question fell to the grass, the others in the herd darting away.
I smiled, feeling pleased with myself. “It does work rather well.”
Enwan eyed the bow, having studied it for more than two days already. “Can you teach us how to make it?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Can you teach us how to use it?” asked Ronan.
“Yes.”
“That’s extraordinary; it really is.” Ronan began to walk. “Let’s retrieve supper, shall we?”
Enwan and I followed, the coolness of the grass offsetting the heat that beat down upon my shoulders. Wearing a leather skirt, I left my hair loose, the strands hanging down my back. Bathing in the heated spring every day left me cleaner than I had ever been. If only Kia and my sisters were here to share in this. However, if they had not gone missing, I might never have left the hut in the woods.
Upon retrieving the stag, the animal draped over Enwan’s shoulders, we turned for home. Within the rocky confines of a hill, our cave remained hidden. Finding a bush along the way, I stopped to pick berries, dropping them into a leather bag.
“I’ll go on,” said Enwan. He continued towards the forest, disappearing into the dense coolness.
I watched him go, smiling slightly. “And you’ve never seen anyone else in this valley?”
“Just you.” Ronan stood over me, with hands on his hips. He eyed the vista. “It’s secluded. Most of the clans are where we were. Perhaps, one day, they’ll come this way. I pray it’s not too soon.”
I got to my feet, having taken all the berries I could. “If we have children, they’ll need to find mates when they grow old enough.”
“I’ve thought of that. I won’t worry on it now, Peta. I try not to think too far ahead.”
Life could be unpredictable. “Yes.” Glancing at the jagged peaks of the mountain across the valley and the grassland in the opposite direction, which I had traveled over, this region wasn’t accessed easily, not without a great deal of effort. “I don’t imagine anyone else coming here.”
“There might be another clan over there.” Ronan pointed towards where the river disappeared between two mountains. “I’ve not gone that way. Enwan and I have explored some, but we have what we need here, so it wasn’t necessary to go further.” His hand touched my shoulder. “Let’s have a bath first, before going up.”
“All right.” I smiled, relishing that idea. We came upon the steaming pool a short while later, Wolf suddenly appearing. He had gone off earlier on his own adventure. “There you are. Where have you been?” He trotted over, although he would not come directly to me, sitting a few feet away. Dropping the bow and the leather bag, I left everything in a heap, with the pouch of berries.
Ronan entered first, falling back into the water with a smile on his face. “Ah … very nice.” Dunking his head back, he wet his hair.
Untying the leather skirt, it fell to the ground. I joined him a moment later, sighing with pleasure. “This must be wonderful during the cold season. Is it always warm like this?”
He drew me to him. “It is.” Hooded, dark blue eyes gazed at me, an affectionate gleam emerging. “You’re my ideal mate.”
I wrapped my arms around him, as his hand skimmed down my back, fingers curling over my buttocks. “I am?”
“Yes.”
“I’m the only woman here. You would say that.” I teased him. His exploring hand touched me intimately. I kissed him, savoring the contact and wanting more.
“You were always special to me, Peta. I can’t tell you how distraught I was after the flood. I’ve never felt that way before about anyone. I searched for you endlessly. I looked for you in every clan we came across, asking if they had seen a tiny blonde girl. I always left disappointed.”
“I missed you as well. I never forgot you. I feel that way about my family.” Their loss would be a burden I carried for the rest of my life.
“I’m sorry they’re gone, but maybe one day you’ll be reunited. I can’t imagine they were taken for ill. It sounds like men traveling through decided to take wives. It’s the only explanation. If that’s the case, which I'm certain it is, then they’re well cared for.”
“I hope so.”
“I don’t want you to worry. I can see the sadness in your eyes.”
“I have you now,” I whispered.
“Yes.”
“I never thought to see you again. I had forgotten what you looked like. It’s been so long.”
He nodded. “Those sorts of memories do fade, but the feeling remains.”
“You made me feel safe. You were kind to us, even when the clan turned their backs on us. We were never truly accepted.”
“No.”
“But you were different.”
He smiled slightly. “I remember a tiny, frightened little girl who needed comfort.”
“I was not.” I frowned, not agreeing.
“You were vulnerable, Peta. You were scared. The slightest noise made you jump. Whatever happened to you made you that way. Kia found you alone. You were an orphan. You have a clan … somewhere.”
“I don’t remember any of that.”
“You were too young. There was some trauma that happened. Something separated you from your parents.”
“I hope that never happens to our children.”
“It won’t.” He kissed me, his tongue slipping into my mouth. “We should get out. I wish to mate with you on a comfortable pelt before a warm fire.”
A shiver of arousal drifted through me. He had yet to remove his hand from between my buttocks, his fingers having been … busy. “I’d like that.”
“Let’s go then.”
The bottom of the pool felt slick, a layer of something slimy over the rocks there. Climbing out, our skin glistened in the sun, my body warm and relaxed. A small path cut through a rocky incline, the walk winding around haphazardly, until we came to the opening of the cave, the groun
d here bloodied from Enwan having butchered the stag. Wolf sat patiently, waiting for pieces of meat, the smell of it grilling lingering in the air. Damp hair hung over my shoulders, my body feeling refreshed from the bath. I emptied the berries into a basket, while Ronan contemplated the fire.
“We should smoke what we can,” he said, a satisfied look in his eyes. “This’ll keep us for a while.” Using a comb made of bone, I thrust it through my hair, sitting cross-legged on a pelt. Ronan observed me, a hint of a smile appearing. “She looks comfortable in our abode, doesn’t she?”
Enwan nodded. “She looks like the daughter of a god.”
That compliment made my cheeks feel warm, such high praise as it was. “I am not.”
“She really is the most beautiful creature. I’ve never seen a woman fairer.”
Being admired by two virile men produced a riot of pleasing feelings, having fallen in love with them both, although Ronan captured the biggest part of my heart. Having finished untangling my hair, I eyed them, waiting patiently for Ronan to approach—yearning for it. He sensed it as well, knowing what I wanted. Dropping the leather skirt at his feet, his manhood jutted, a patch of light brown hair at the base. He strode over, the muscles in his thighs bulging with each step.
“Something’s got her attention,” he murmured, chuckling.
I reached for him, as he knelt on the pelt, his gaze lingering on my face. His mouth descended to mine. The kiss spun wildly out of control, my senses infused with the scent of him, the sun-kissed quality of his skin. His hair smelled like the wind, with a hint of campfire. I attacked his mouth, biting gently on a plump lower lip.
“We’re more aggressive today,” he murmured.
A distracting tingle stole whatever thought I might have had, my mind running blank. I wanted only the pleasure I found in my lover’s arms, deciding to be a little more fearless. Pushing against his chest, he fell to the pelt, a smile toying around his lips. Leaning over, I straddled him, sitting on the hardness that pressed against my buttocks.
“What will you do now, Wife?”
Grasping his hands, I held them over his head, pinning them to the fur, while leaning in to meet his gaze. My damp hair fell around us. “You did this to me the first day.”
