Once Upon a Caveman

by Cassandra Gannon

  Warren look surprised for a beat, like he hadn’t expected her to need his comfort. No one had ever leaned on Warren for anything, because he was always so damn useless. This island had a way of giving you second chances, though. Turning you into who you were always supposed to be. It was a place for do-overs.

  Warren lifted Anniah right off the ground, cradling her against his chest. Amazingly, she let him. He looked overwhelmed and a little scared, but also pleased with himself. Like he’d done something he was proud of and he wasn’t used to the feeling. Anniah’s arms wrapped around his neck and --weirdly-- it actually seemed like they… fit.

  In the tree, Skoll’s eyebrows slammed together in fury.

  Rhawn ignored the brewing love triangle. “Lucy, stay here.” He started forward, like he might be about to somehow get Notan to safety.

  Oh hell no.

  Rhawn was not going to die to protect that preachy octogenarian. She was going to have to stop this before he got himself killed being a hero.

  Lucy grabbed onto Rhawn’s arm, keeping him still. With the other hand, she raised Craig’s gun and fired it up in the air. The report echoed across the island. Cavemen and wolves all jolted in unison turning towards her. It was the closest any of them had ever been to such a loud sound and it caught them all off guard.

  The wolf stopped his attack on Notan, his eyes fixing on Lucy. Leaving the old man, he edged towards the new threat.

  Okay… this had maybe not been her best idea.

  “Can you kill the beast with that weapon?” Rhawn whispered fiercely.

  Lucy swallowed hard. “I told you, I’m a vegetarian. I’m not going to shoot an animal, unless I have no other choice.”

  He flashed her an incredulous look over his shoulder. “You have no other choice, Lucy!” He roared.

  “Just let me think!”

  “Give the weapon to me and I will do it!”

  “Give him the gun!” Warren bellowed, shifting so his body was between the wolf and Anniah. “Give him the fucking gun!”

  Lucy disregarded that, her attention focused on the wolf. Clearly, he was the pack leader and he still wasn’t fully convinced he couldn’t take her in a fight. She needed to find a way to scare him off. If she did, the others would leave, too.

  The wolf’s ears went back and he snarled low in his throat, testing her.

  Lucy fired again, this time much closer to him. She’d never fired a handgun before, but she had played a hell of a lot of video games. She knew how to aim. The bullet whizzed past his head and he stopped his advance. His icy blue gaze locked on Lucy.

  She stared back. For a long beat of time, neither of them moved. No one in the glen even breathed, for fear of triggering another attack

  …And then the wolf backed away.

  One step. Then two. With a final snarl, he turned and finally loped off. Frightened by the gun, all the wolves followed their leader and disappeared back into the forest.

  Lucy released a breath that she wasn’t even aware she’d been holding. “Jesus.” Her knees couldn’t support her, so she steadied herself on Rhawn’s shoulder. “Paleontology is so much more stressful outside of books.”

  The Clan was gaping at her with something like awe. Even Warren looked impressed. The only ones not amazed at her awesomeness were Skoll and Taffi and who really cared about them? For once, Lucy felt pretty damn cool. As soon as she stopped being sick with panic, she might even exchange some high-fives. Well, first she’d have to teach cavemen how to high-five, but whatever.

  Anniah scrambled free of Warren and rushed over to hug Lucy in gratitude. …Which was awkward, considering she was topless and all. See? The exact sort of situation where a high-five would work better. Lucy gave her back a “you’re welcome” sort of pat and nudged her back towards Warren. Let him be useful for once.

  Notan got to his feet and began sputtering something to Rhawn, gesturing to Lucy with an astonished expression on his face. Lucy figured the rough translation was probably something like, “Why did that evil bitch just save me?”

  Rhawn snapped something back at him and everyone gasped. All eyes went to Lucy and she could see their surprise. Notan fell to his knees, praying up at the sky again. So did several others. The big, ugly twin guys, Ugghot and Uyhot, hugged each other, crying with something like gratitude.

  Lucy’s eyebrows soared. Whatever the hell was going on, it was clearly a big deal. She would’ve asked Rhawn about it, but he didn’t seem like he wanted to share. In fact, he didn’t even pay attention to the Clan’s newest weirdness. All his focus was centered on her.

  “Do not do that again.” He commanded, spinning around to face her.

  “Do what? You were the one being a maniac and trying to get yourself torn apart by wolves! If anyone should be pissed off, it should be me.” What would she do if anything happened to Rhawn? This guy was her whole world.

  Unfortunately, Lucy’s “whole world” wasn’t listening to her perfectly logical complaints. “You should not have come back here to free the long-tooth. You should not have antagonized a large, angry male. You should not have left the beach without telling me. You should not have challenged a pack of hungry animals.” He seized hold of her arm, dragging her against his chest. “You should not put yourself in danger. I cannot bear it, Lucy. I cannot bear it.” Then his mouth was slamming down onto hers.

  Lucy’s toes curled inside her high-tops, her lips opening under his plundering kiss. Wow. She might have showed this guy the basics, but he’d taken kissing to another whole level of awesome. Nobody could kiss like Rhawn. It was like being blasted with heat and urgency and desire. Lucy couldn’t even think. All she could do was want him.

  Rhawn suddenly lifted his head, ignoring her sound of protest. “And you will no longer be a vegetarian.” He decided. “It is too fraught with risk.”

  She smiled at how damn cute he was. “Thank you for protecting me from Craig and the wolves.” She said instead of telling him he was adorable. He probably wouldn’t appreciate it. She reached up to touch his face. “Ten points for you, caveman.”

  For once, winning points didn’t distract him. Rhawn tilted his face to kiss the inside of her palm. “I will always protect you. You are my mate. It’s my right and duty.” He arched a brow. “But I do not think you needed much assistance. You are so powerful, Lucy.”

  She winced, still feeling guilty over the whole “goddess” lie. “That wasn’t me being powerful. It was me having the only machine in the garden.” She gestured to the gun.

  Rhawn shook his head. “The weapon was just a tool. The bravery came from you. The heart and honor that you have. That is the power.”

  Lucy stared up at him for a long moment, overwhelmed. That was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her. “I’m still thinking about Choosing you.” She blurted out a little frantically. Examining her feelings would be a disaster. If she discovered what she thought she was going to discover, her whole life was going to change. Maybe it had already changed.

  Shit.

  What the hell was she going to do?

  Rhawn arched a brow. “Think faster.” He said simply.

  Notan came limping over, his palm outstretched to Lucy. He was talking a mile a minute and making praying motions with his hands. It immediately made her nervous. Now what was he up to?

  “This is new and unsettling.” She looked up at Rhawn with a frown. “Why’s Mr. Burns being so friendly, all of a sudden?”

  “Notan is thanking you.”

  “Why? I’m the Destroyer. He probably thinks I commanded the wolves to attack in the first place, using my evil Jedi mind tricks.”

  Rhawn’s mouth curved. “He no longer believes you are the Destroyer. I have told him the truth.”

  “The truth?” That didn’t sound good, considering how many lies she’d told lately. “What truth?

  “That you are the Savior, of course.”

  Chapter Twelve

  She makes a soft noise that has his teeth grinding
together. He has her pinned beneath him, her hands stretched over her head and his mouth on her breasts. The woman tries to move wanting him to go faster, but he’s not releasing her wrists.

  Rhawn lifts his head, as she tugs against his grip. As usual, he doesn’t want her to see his eyes and be repelled, but he can’t give her a chance to get away. “Not yet.”

  She doesn’t want to wait. “Just hurry. Please.”

  He slowly shakes his head. “Again.” He says and switches to the other breast.

  Her pupils dilate at the rough word and the feel of his lips on her skin. The pulse in her neck speeds up. “Again.” She agrees with a languid sigh.

  Rhawn and Lucy’s Dream- Four Years Ago

  “She’s not the Savior!” Skoll shouted.

  The Clan was gathered back in the main cave, waiting to hear what Notan had to say about the revelation of who Lucy truly was. Most people accepted the idea with visible relief. If Lucy was the Savior, it meant that their belief system was still intact. It helped everyone to rationalize their actions in building the ragan and look to the future with ever-growing hope.

  The Savior had a plan to save them.

  It was just as the legends predicted. Really, news that the Savior had actually won the Ardin was a time for rejoicing. Even Notan was jubilant. In fact, the only two people appalled by the idea were Skoll and Taffi.

  Well… and Lucy herself.

  “He’s right. I’m not the Savior.” She whispered fiercely. “Rhawn, you need to tell them I’m not the Savior, before this goes too far.”

  He shot her a confused look. “But you are the Savior.” It was astonishing that he hadn’t known it from the first. This woman wasn’t evil. Wasn’t trying to end the world. Just the opposite. She’d been sent to save them. He saw it all so clearly now. “Lucy, you are the one we’ve been waiting for.”

  “This is ridiculous!” Taffi threw up her hands. “Shouldn’t we --like-- vote on who gets to be Savior? Because, I sure don’t vote for Lucy. I vote for me.”

  Rhawn ignored that. So did everyone else.

  “Just think about this for a second.” Lucy persisted, her gaze on Rhawn. “If I’m the Savior, then that would make Warren the Destroyer, right? Does that dumbass seem like an evil genius to you?” She waved a hand at the boy, who was presently staring at Anniah with limpid eyes.

  Rhawn shrugged. “No, he does not seem like a Destroyer… but he seems even less like a Savior.” He hesitated. “Besides, he is not the only one who could be the Destroyer.” His eyes went over to Craig and he switched back to the Clan’s language. “This god is dangerous. He killed a long-tooth without cause and tried to harm Lucy. I believe the legends of the Ardin became confused as the cycles past. Lucy is the Savior, which means the Destroyer could be a male.”

  “It is not Warr-en.” Anniah put in swiftly.

  Skoll glowered over at her. He was nearly as furious at Warren as he was with Lucy. “That spineless creature you are so taken with is not man enough to be the Destroyer.” He scoffed. “We all know that, Anniah.”

  “Warr-en has greatness in him.” Anniah shot back. “I see it, because I am not as blind as you.”

  Warren looked between them with a concerned frown, understanding his name and not much else. “What’s going on?” He glanced over at Rhawn. “Is that asshole threatening her?”

  “No. He’s telling her you are a weakling.” Rhawn assured him distractedly and then switched back to the Clan’s language. “I do not think Warr-en is the Destroyer, either.” He said, returning to the point of this meeting. He gestured at Craig. “This one is the true Destroyer. He must be.”

  Not knowing what else to do with him, the Clan was holding Craig prisoner while they debated his fate. He scowled at Rhawn, bamboo sticks on either side of his broken nose, keeping it straight. “I don’t got a clue what you’re saying, but I know it’s all bullshit. Once I get out of here, I’ll make you sorry for this, ya cave-douche. I know people at home who will kick your ass if I front them a couple grams of product.”

  Rhawn met his eyes. “You will never leave this island.” He told him quietly. “So that will be a very difficult deal to strike.”

  Craig glowered at him with pure hatred.

  “The Craig god must be the Savior.” Skoll decided, pacing around in agitation. “That is why he tried to kill the Destroyer. He was attempting to strike Lucy down and win the true Ardin.”

  Rha+wn rolled his eyes. “You believe that man is the Savior of our people?” He waved a disparaging hand in Craig’s direction. “I would not trust him to lead us out of a cave, let alone across the Infinite Sea.”

  There was some chuckling throughout the Clan. Even Notan smiled.

  “Besides, even if he was the Savior, the Craig god still lost the fight.” Anniah pointed out smugly. “Rhawn made him cry. We all saw it. So Lucy would still have triumphed in the Ardin and she would still be in charge.”

  Skoll wasn’t giving up. “Rhawn would have triumphed, not Lucy.” He insisted.

  “We are the same.” Rhawn said flatly. “She is my mate. Her battles are mine to fight. Even if they are against small men and their magical weapons.”

  “Are they talking about me?” Craig demanded. “It seems like they’re talking about me.”

  “They’re not very impressed with your fighting skills.” Taffi told him, her face intent as she tried to piece together the Clan’s language. “But they still think you might be a god.”

  “A god?” Craig sat up straighter. “Really?”

  “Oh, they think everyone’s a god.” Warren scoffed. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

  Taffi laughed and it wasn’t a pleasant sound. “What would Craig even be the god of? Jewelry thieves and dope fiends?” She arched a brow. “I’m pretty sure he stole my high school ring and hocked it for weed. Did I ever tell you guys that?”

  “Shut up, Lucy!” Craig snapped as if she was the one to accuse him.

  Everyone else ignored Taffi’s sniping.

  Lucy kept her attention on Rhawn, looking concerned and a little guilty. “Rhawn, sweetie, I really need to talk to you about this whole ‘goddess’ thing. There’s some stuff you need to know.”

  He nodded distractedly. “Whatever you wish to say, I wish to hear. Later, though. When Skoll is not trying to undermine your position as Savior.”

  “But he’s right. I’m not the Savior.”

  “I have no doubt that Lucy is the Savior.” Anniah continued, passionately. “At first, we were mistaken as to her identity as a test of our faith, just as my father said.” That was indeed Notan’s new theory and the majority of the Clan was convinced he was right. “But when she saved my father’s life, I knew we had proven ourselves to her.”

  There was much nodding and congratulatory smiles among the Clan.

  “And Lucy has made many positive changes, since she’s been here.” Anniah was always eager to talk about her idol’s accomplishments. “She’s allowed women to Choose, so we will not be stuck with cruel mates. She’s gives us hope for a world beyond this island and leads us in building the ragan. She’s invented the wonderful game of Pictionary. She’s protected us from…”

  Skoll cut her off, in a rage that Anniah would stand against him. “She’s an evil bitch!” He jabbed a finger Lucy. “And she has no power to change the rules of the Choosing. I have Chosen you as my mate and you will submit.”

  Rhawn’s eyes narrowed.

  “I will never be with you, Skoll!” Anniah shouted back. “Lucy has given me Warr-en and her word is the law now. He is the one I Choose.”

  They both turned to look at Notan, like he might be the deciding factor.

  The elderly man hesitated. His attachment to the old ways warred with his eagerness to please Lucy. In the end, it was most likely his desire to see his daughter mated to a god that swayed his final decision, though. What parent wouldn’t want a deity for a son-in-law? “It would be most unwise not to heed the words of the Savior.” He decl
ared. “If she believes Warr-en and Anniah should be mated, who are we to question it?”

  Anniah smiled smugly.

  Skoll looked apoplectic.

  “Wait.” Taffi held up her hands. “Skoll, are you seriously trying to pick that skinny little teenager over me?” She glowered at Warren. “Would you do something about this please?”

  “Do something?” He repeated blankly.

  Unfortunately, the two words were all it took to catch Skoll’s attention. A new idea seemed to pop into his head. “I contest the mating of Anniah and Warr-en!” He thundered, raising a hand over his head. “I will challenge him for her!”

  Cheers erupted. The Clan was always eager to watch a fight. Skoll strode to the center of the cave ready for battle, while his friends pounded on his shoulders in encouragement.

  Warren looked baffled as equally excited members of the Clan seized hold of him. “Hang on. What’s happening?” He squawked in alarm, trying to resist the waves of arms pushing him forward.

  “Oh shit.” Lucy whispered and glanced up at Rhawn. “This is bad, isn’t it?”

  “It is bad.”

  Anniah bounded to her feet looking panicked. “Stop!”

  “Skoll has challenged you for Anniah.” Rhawn told Warren, unsure how to prevent the unfolding disaster.

  “He’s what?”

  “He wishes her for his mate. I told you this.”

  “Well, he can’t do that!” Warren protested. “Lucy gave me to her.”

  Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose like she was developing a headache.

  Rhawn hesitated, debating their best course of action. “It might be safest for you to renounce your claim on her.” He reluctantly suggested.

  Since Anniah didn’t want Skoll, they would have to come up with a way to stop him from Choosing her, obviously. But, there was no sense in allowing Warren to die in the process. Lucy had grudging affection for the boy. Not to mention Anniah’s inexplicable attachment to him. It would upset both of them to watch Warren get pounded into the cave floor and there was no way he’d ever defeat Skoll in combat.