She gave him a sidelong glance through the black curtain of her hair. Now that the danger had passed, she could relax. A little.
"I want you, Star. Now."
She gasped at his blatant command. And I want you.
He reached over and put his hand on her breast, claiming possession of her. "Come here, my Badger wife, my industrious woman, my sweet-smelling flower."
She smiled as he pulled her to him. He cradled her close and began kissing her neck. Shivers ran down her spine. "Ah, Falcon," she moaned. How was it this man could do so much to her with only a kiss?
"Do you like that?" he murmured.
"Oh, yes."
"What about this?" He kissed her neck again and ran his hands up and down the sides of her stomach. Soon his hand was inching around to the soft juncture of her thighs.
"Let me take this off," she whispered, reaching for her dress.
He helped her pull the garment over her head, then shrugged out of his own leather shirt and trousers.
Star was clad in nothing but a thin leather breechcloth. It was something she knew Jaguar women wore. It barely covered the curling hair he was staring at. "Ah," he breathed. "You are so beautiful, Star."
She smiled coyly. "Do you think so?"
He chuckled and kissed her forehead, folding her under him. When he sprawled on her like that, she thought she would melt into the elk robes.
He braced himself on his elbows to take some of his weight off her. "I think," he said, looking down into her eyes, "that it is a good thing you came into my life, Badger woman."
Star went still, struck by guilt again. I will soon be leaving your life, she thought. And you will hate me for it. Oh, Falcon, what shall I do?
He traced her nose, her cheeks, her lips with a finger. When he pushed his finger into her mouth, she bit it.
"Ow!" He chuckled and bent his head. His lips covered hers and she could feel his tongue demanding entrance into her mouth. She kept her teeth clenched until he started tickling her in the ribs. Then she giggled and opened her mouth and he came into her. Their tongues swirled in a mating dance.
"How I want you," he murmured. He clutched her head, his hands entwined in her hair, and held her still. He stared at her, and she felt sad suddenly. This is the last time we will make love, she thought. The last time I will hold you, the last time ... She had to close her eyes to keep her tears from falling. Oh, Falcon, what have I done? She turned her head to the side.
"Star?"
She shook her head, unable to answer.
"Star? Are you all right?"
She swallowed, her throat tight. Her arms went around his neck and she pulled him closer. "Yes," she whispered, and her voice was husky with unshed tears. "Just love me, Falcon."
He yanked off her breechcloth and parted her thighs with his hand. Then he surged into her, claiming her in one swift stroke. She clung to him as he moved within her. Suddenly his kisses became fierce as he pressed his mouth everywhere on her face. He was brutal as he kissed her neck and she thought that if he had been a jaguar animal, he would have pierced her jugular vein, so forceful was he.
But she welcomed this ungentle taking. Welcomed it wholeheartedly. It was how he would take her if he knew that she planned to run from him ... it assuaged the terrible guilt she felt.
The strength of him as he pushed within her, the force of his thrusts, ground her into the elk hides. And still she clung to him, demanding more and more. And he gave her more.
When the explosions in their bodies came, she soared to the heavens and fell back to earth with him. He collapsed on top of her.
Gently, she pushed aside a lock of his black hair that fell across his forehead. "Ah, Falcon," she murmured.
His face was buried in her shoulder. His grip on her tightened. "You are mine, Star."
She smiled sadly at the roof of the tent. She closed her eyes to shut out the one lie she knew she must tell. "Yes." That was all. Just one lie: yes.
He lifted his head and searched her eyes. For what, Falcon? The truth? I cannot tell you, though my heart cries out for you.
"I will not let you go, Star." His firm hold on both of her upper arms surprised her. She smiled to calm him. Surely he did not suspect?
"Remember that, woman."
"Why, Falcon, I" His kiss stopped the second lie she was about to tell him. I cannot help it, Falcon, she wanted to cry. Tula in her envy, and Chokecherry in her desperation have forced me. They will do everything they can to ensure my escape. I cannot stop this. I want to, but I cannot!
She squeezed her eyes shut and then the tears came. She clung to him, silent sobs shaking her whole body.
He rolled over onto his side and kept her in his strong embrace. He kissed her hair, her face. "Star," he whispered. "What ails you?"
She shook her head, afraid to speak, because she knew if she did, she would tell him everything. Everything, including her growing love for him.
He patted her awkwardly on the back. "We will talk about it in the morning," he assured her. "You will feel better then. And I" He yawned and then touched his forehead. "I feel strangely tired... ." He was asleep in a heartbeat.
Tula's medicine, she realized and to ok a ragged breath. But I will not be here in the morning, Falcon. Tonight I must flee and leave you forever. Oh, Falcon! This is far more bitter for me than I ever thought it could be!
Chapter Twenty-five
When Falcon awoke, Star was gone. He swiftly dressed and glanced around the tent. In the eerie light of dawn he could see that two deer bladders of water were missingand the hide-covered basket.
He smiled grimly. Horn had told him of the planned escape. At first Falcon had not believed his former brother-in-law. Had not wanted to believe it. He thought Star truly cared for him and wanted to stay with him. Even last night, in her arms, he would have sworn to the Great Spirit that she cared for him. He was even willing to believe her lies despite the dried strips of meat he'd seen hidden in the basket. Oh, yes, she had made a fool of him!
How Horn would laugh at him this time! Tula's brother had always liked to joke. He had been a good hunting companion, too. He and Falcon had been close friends, but after Tula left Falcon, their friendship had withered like an old berry. Falcon had kept his distance from Horn, knowing that Horn's first loyalty would henceforth be to his sister, Tula. Horn once told Falcon that he disapproved of his sister's choice of second husband, Marmot.
Horn had just done Falcon a good turn. One he would remember.
Falcon picked up his spear and shrugged into the newly made jaguar cloak that Star had tanned and designed and sewn. Good! It was fitting that something she made for him would keep him warm as he hunted her down.
As Falcon left the tent, Cat Lurks hailed him. Cat Lurks prowled toward him, dressed in warm leather clothing and carrying his spear.
"You look like you are going on a hunt," said Falcon.
"Hunh," grunted Cat Lurks. "My woman ran away." His face was grim; his eyes held a cold, stony anger.
"As did mine," admitted Falcon sheepishly.
"When I get that woman back, I will beat her," said Cat Lurks.
Falcon raised an eyebrow. "A woman's strength is less than a man's. I think it is a bad thing to beat a woman."
"Stay out of my concerns," snapped Cat Lurks.
Falcon shrugged. He guessed that if Cat Lurks beat Chokecherry, she would run again. As for himself, he had his own plans for Star once he recaptured her, and they did not include beating her.
"Did any other women flee?" asked Falcon. He had been so certain she would stay... .
Cat Lurks shook his head. Falcon fell into step beside him and the two hunters left the camp, heading east in the direction of the old Badger camp.
Because basalt rock gravel covered most of the ground, it was difficult to find the women's trail. But Falcon's and Cat Lurks's persistence was finally rewarded when Falcon spotted a freshly broken twig on a ravine path. He smiled. They had traveled this way.
Later, Cat Lurks spied a footprint in the dirt on a trail over the cap of a hill. They followed the trail to a narrow creek. There, a single feminine imprint in the mud pointed at the water. "They are clever," murmured Falcon. "They stayed on the basalt gravel so that we could not find their footprints and now they hide them by wading in the water."
"I will beat Chokecherry," muttered Cat Lurks, his fists clenching.
"You are poor company," complained Falcon. "All you talk about is beating your woman."
"Silence!" snarled Cat Lurks. Falcon had grown up with Cat Lurks, the spoiled only son of a strong hunter and his first wife. Though the second and third wives had produced two offspring each, because they were daughters, the father had always seemed to value Cat Lurks the highest. He gave him the choicest meats, and interfered when his son played with the other boys so that Cat Lurks got favored treatment. During his childhood, Cat Lurks had been given everything he wanted and he did not like to be thwarted in his wishes.
They followed the trickling creek for some distance, watching the mud for telltale footprints. "Those women walked a long way in the freezing water," observed Falcon. "Their feet must be very cold by now."
"I will beat her," snarled Cat Lurks.
Falcon grimaced at him. "I am tired of hearing about how you will beat her when you find her. Stop telling me that."
Cat Lurks glared at Falcon but he kept silent.
They walked up to the top of the hill above the creek. When they reached the crest, Falcon gazed out over the brown, scarred mounds. The hill he stood on towered above those around it and great fissures sloped down to the main river. Some of the fissures hid tree-covered ravines laced with trickling creeks like the one the fleeing women had waded through. The creeks flowed downward to the single wide river, the one his people called Bear River.
Upstream, a waterfall poured over a rock wall and Falcon watched the white water plummet down. The crashing sound of the waterfall masked any sound made by Falcon and Cat Lurks.
Suddenly Falcon saw a movementa brown blur. "There!" He pointed.
"It is they," said Cat Lurks in excitement. "I see Chokecherry!"
Falcon glanced at him. Perhaps Cat Lurks felt something tender for Chokecherry after all, a feeling beyond anger. "If you beat her, she will not like you," Falcon warned gently. "She will not want to stay with you. If you treat her kindly, she will stay."
That cold gaze surveyed Falcon in contempt. "Do not tell me how to keep my woman when your own woman flees from you!" He pointed his spear at the two brown blurs slowly working their way to the main river. "And it is none of your concern!"
Falcon turned back to watch the two women. He had been mistaken to think that Cat Lurks wanted anything more than to punish the woman who thwarted him.
"They are trying to reach Bear River. It is easier to walk along its banks and they probably know it will lead them back to their Badger camp."
"She will not make it to her Badger camp," said Cat Lurks through clenched teeth. "I will see to that!"
"They are a little distance away from us," observed Falcon, "and they have yet to see us. We will catch up with them soon."
Cat Lurks began striding down the hill toward the distant figures. With a sigh, Falcon followed.
The two women rounded a hill and disappeared into a ravine. When next they emerged, it was beside the wide river's bank.
Falcon and Cat Lurks continued their swift pace, and Falcon judged they would reach the women very soon. The waterfall drowned out the noise of the approaching men, though neither woman watched for pursuers.
"They seem confident we cannot track them," said Falcon in amusement. Indeed, Star was taking off her leather dress and Chokecherry was kicking off her moccasins.
''They are going to swim in the river!" exclaimed Cat Lurks, baffled.
"It is the best way to rid oneself of the ticks," observed Falcon.
He watched Star wade out into the slow-moving current not far from shore. Her smooth brown back enticed him ever closer. Cat Lurks, too, was staring at Chokecherry as she yanked her dress over her head, tossed it on the riverbank, and walked out into the water. He frowned and gripped his spear tighter, growling softly to himself. Falcon pitied Chokecherry.
The men entered the small ravine and wended their way through the wind-sculpted thicket of trees. Just as they emerged from the ravine, Star glanced up. She screamed and threw herself into the deeper water and began swimming frantically. Chokecherry looked up and her face showed her fear and surprise. Then she, too, launched herself in the water, arms flailing.
Falcon and Cat Lurks ran along the riverbank, keeping even with the swimming women. "They cannot swim faster than we can run," said Falcon.
"And that cold water will stop them soon." Cat Lurks had a cruel smile on his face, as if he enjoyed the women's suffering.
Chokecherry was beginning to tire, Falcon saw. She was behind Star and her strokes were weaker than Star's. Soon she would have to come ashore.
While the current was slow not far from shore, it was steady and the women were carried along. Out in the middle the water flowed more swiftly.
Chokecherry's head went under and Falcon began to fear she would drown.
Star's black head bobbed farther ahead of Chokecherry. "Wait!" screamed Chokecherry. Then she went under once more.
"We must save Chokecherry," said Falcon. "She is weakening rapidly. If you do not swim out and save her now, she will drown!"
"Let her!" Cat Lurks had that cruel smile on his face. "She should not have run from me. This is what happens when she defies me!"
"I fear she will not learn your lesson in time," said Falcon. "She will be dead."
Cat Lurks shrugged. "I care little what happens to her. Let her drown!"
Falcon shook his head in disgust and quickly shed his clothes. In his haste, he left his knife belt on with two obsidian knives dangling from it. He dived into the water and swam at an angle until he reached Chokecherry. She looked exhausted, barely able to keep her head above water. "Help me," she gasped, reaching for him. She latched onto his neck.
Her desperate groping pushed Falcon underwater and he had to fight to get to the surface for air. He managed one gulp of air before her struggles pushed him under again. Her panicked grasp would drown him!
His feet felt the bottom of the river and he thrust himself upward. When he reached the surface, he unwrapped her arms from around his neck. "Float on your back," he commanded.
She thrashed wildly, frothing the water around him. Fear contorted her face.
"Float on your back," he said again, willing his voice to stay calm. When she still did not heed him, he deliberately pushed her under, then brought her up again. With wild eyes, she bobbed up, gasping for breath.
"Listen to me," he said. "You must do as I say or we will both drown." Something of what he said finally reached her. She stopped struggling and gaped at him. "Float on your back."
Relief flooded through him when he saw that she understood. She moved onto her back, letting the water support her. Falcon held her between the middle of her shoulders and towed her through the water.
Cat Lurks stood onshore, hands on hips, a malicious smile welcoming them.
Falcon ceased his swimming, turned, and began swimming to the opposite shore. "Listen carefully," he said to Chokecherry. He hoped the dazed woman would understand him.
"I am setting you free," he told her as they moved with the current to the far shore. "If you go back to Cat Lurks, he will beat you. Or kill you. You must escape alone. Do you understand?"
Onshore, Cat Lurks raced back and forth, screaming Falcon's name.
Chokecherry nodded feebly. They reached the shallow water and Falcon helped her to shore. "Here," he said, handing her an obsidian knife from his belt. "Use this knife to protect yourself." He wondered if the naked woman, armed with a mere knife, would ever survive the trek back to her people. But to return her to Cat Lurks would seal her death.
&nbs
p; "Go," he commanded, setting her on the riverbank. Across the river, Cat Lurks shook his spear and ran along the bank. His face was black with rage. When she saw him, Chokecherry gave a little cry and staggered off along the muddy riverbank.
"Run!" Falcon told her.
Then he dived back into the river to pursue Star. He reached the middle of the river and glanced around. She had disappeared.
He strained frantically to see her while the current carried him ever forward. Ahead was a bend in the river. He swam with an occasional stroke, but the swifter current in the middle of the river pulled him along. Where is she?
He scrutinized both banks of the river, but he could not see her. Had she drowned while he was helping Chokecherry? His gut tightened. Chokecherry would have drowned if he had not helped her. Yet to lose Star! Had he misjudged the strength of her swimming skills?
The water felt cold suddenly and he wondered how long she could survive its freezing hold.
"Star?" He shouted her name several times, but the only sound he received was his echo bouncing off the tall basalt cliffs near the bend.
The current was very swift now; he need do nothing but stay afloat as he passed the riverbanks with swift ease. "Star?"
Once he had rounded the bend, he suddenly caught sight of a black, bobbing head swimming slowly toward the shore. Relief surged through him and he propelled himself forward with strong, swift strokes.
He could see that Star was tiring. As she waded onto shore, her shoulders drooped, her body heaved with each breath. When she reached shore, she glanced back once and saw him. She ran and darted into a thicket of trees.
She is alive! Falcon's heart sang as he swam to shore. She is alive!
When he reached the shallows, he raced for the thicket. "Star!"
She had vanished. He heard branches breaking and he laughed inside. He would soon catch her. Most important, she was alive.
Chapter Twenty-six
Star paused, breathing heavily, listening for sounds of Falcon's pursuit. I must escape, I must! Exhaustion from her swim crept over her, but she urged herself on. Run! Hide! He must not find me!
Broken Promise Page 16
