Mating Rituals

by Tina Gayle

  Hard worker? Yes.

  On the strong-willed side? Yes.

  Unfair or mean spirited? No.

  He’d never heard of her having any enemies. Most people liked and respected her. He’d researched her background before he set her up to be Stihl’s mate.

  His son had to be worried, because he rarely asked for help.

  Uneasy, Zarro wondered if this was some kind of game. Was Stihl trying to distract Zarro so he’d take the heat off about the mine? He considered the question. It didn’t play right. Wasn’t Stihl’s style.

  Tankton, yes.

  Stihl, no.

  Joha, maybe.

  The thought reminded Zarro, he hadn’t seen Tankton all evening. Not unusual for him to be out late, but it was becoming a habit. Also, he hadn’t talked to Joha in days. Nagging thoughts buzzed through his head. He waved his hand in the air to brush them away. While doing some investigative work, he might as well check into what his other two sons were doing too.

  He’d also find out a little more about who wanted to win the Trisar deal.

  He checked the time and decided to make a few calls. Sleep wouldn’t come his way for a long time, not with his mind racing for answers.

  * * * *

  Marohka woke to find Stihl on one side, a wall on the other. Pinned between the two, she had to climb over him to get out of bed.

  The loud snoring coming from Cyd’s corner helped cover the noise she made while gathering her stuff. She hoped to make it to Guilio’s shower before the old miner got up. She shut the door behind her, juggled her bag, and slid into her coat. The weather this morning was cold and gray, and clouds shrouded the mountains. If she weren’t mistaken, they’d receive rain by the day’s end. The biting wind hounded her footsteps on her way to the main structure. A few people stood near the corral. She wondered if the battle warrior for Zook’s ceremony had arrived.

  After she entered Guilio’s office, she walked into his lily. Few people knew about his shower, because he allowed no one to use it. But she didn’t give it a thought, having been granted permission years ago. With the hydro-pump on, she stepped under the steamy spray. A few itons later, a loud knock sounded on the door.

  “Whoever you are, you better get out here quick,” the voice yelled over the running water.

  She turned the knobs and slid the bath sheet off the hook by the door. “Guilio, I’ll be out in a moment.”

  Once dressed, she stepped out of the lily. Guilio sat behind his desk working the chew stick between his lips.

  “What’s up?”

  “Does Stihl know you’re here?” The old miner pointed to the seat on the other side of the desk.

  “No.” She sat down. “Does it matter?”

  “You gave him the slip, didn’t you?”

  She nodded. “So?”

  “Cyd asleep, too?”

  “Yes. They came to bed late.” She leaned back in her chair. “Why all the questions?”

  “Cyd said you found a snake in your bed.”

  “Yes, it’s happened before.” Tired of his grilling, she switched tactics. “How old is Meda?”

  He pulled the chew stick out of his mouth. “What does Meda have to do with this?”

  Marohka fired at him, demanding answers the same way he had. “Don’t you know your own daughter’s age?”

  “Sure I do.”

  “Right.” She drug out the word, then grinned. “Not much fun being on the receiving end of an inquisition, is it?”

  He pointed his stick at her. “Girly, you’re heading for trouble.”

  “Don’t I always?”

  Guilio leaned back in his chair, weighing his next words. “This man of yours, you like him?”

  “He’s all right.” She shrugged. “For a man.”

  “Are you working with him?”

  “You mean on his bid?”

  He nodded. “In his proposal, he has your company still working the mining.”

  She hadn’t known Stihl’s plans, but it’d help if Taunton Minerals didn’t lose their contract. “He’d have to buy us out otherwise.”

  “His buyout includes me keeping ten percent of the mine. The other offer won’t work that way. Straight cash.”

  “How are you going to handle your prior investors?”

  He raised a brow. “They’ll receive a percentage of the sale.”

  She shook her head. “If this deposit is as big as I predicted, an investor would come out ahead with a piece of the mine.”

  “Noted.” He smiled and peered at a report on his desk. “It also looks like the digging is back on track.”

  The door banged against the wall behind her, startled her. She swung around.

  “Fire!” a miner screamed and barged into the room. “One of the cabins is on fire. Sound the alarm.”

  “What?” She jumped to her feet.

  The man ran back out. One step behind him, smoke billowed into the air. The smell burned her throat. Across the complex, men rushed around with fire control canisters. None advanced close enough to douse the flames. Seeing her cabin in flames, she dashed forward in a sprint. Her heart matched the thud of her feet on the ground. The man who owned her heart lay inside that cabin.

  Men rushed around her, trying to douse the flames. She scurried closer, but two men scuffling, blocked her progress and hampered the men who fought the blaze.

  “Stihl, you can’t go back.”

  Cyd’s voice hit her senses at the same time as the scorching heat from the inferno. “Stihl,” she yelled, barely able to see anything through the thick smoke.

  The fire screamed louder, drowning out the voices around her. Knocking men out of her way, she fought her way forward. Smoke swirled. Her eyes, washed by her tears, blinded her to the horrors of the collapsing building. The deafening sound added with the cracks and pops as hungry flames sang through the air. Unable to see or hear anything above the roar of the fire, she struggled closer, and her instincts tingled with awareness of Stihl’s close proximity.

  She drove ahead and grabbed her target. The muscular bicep jerked free of her grasp. The man stepped closer to the fire. Unsure if the man in front of her was Stihl or someone else, she wrapped her arms around his waist. Her cheek cushioned against his back. She prayed the man would back off.

  Powerful fingers gripped her wrists and pried apart her hands. A huge form turned and captured her. He lifted her over his shoulder and carried her away from the flame, the heat, and Stihl.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Marohka lay quietly in the arms of her rescuer. He’d saved her from the heat of the fire, but he’d also kept her from getting to Stihl. She circled the man’s neck with her arms and buried her face in the hollow of his shoulder. Heart-wrenching sobs sprang from her soul. Smoke and tears burned her throat.

  “Marohka,” a raspy voice said in her ear.

  “I couldn’t save him,” she whispered, not lifting her head. Her mind struggled with her failure.

  “Who were you trying to save?” The gravelly voice grated on her grief.

  “That stubborn arrogant man, who was trying to save me,” she said dryly through parched lips.

  “Me?”

  She drew back and studied the black sooty face of the man holding her. “Why, you sorry fool, what were you thinking?”

  “I thought you were still in the cabin.”

  “Well, I wasn’t.” Touched that he’d go into a burning building to save her and thrilled he appeared safe, she wiped at the tears. She tightened her arms around his neck.

  Anger lit his dark brown eyes. “Where were you?”

  “I was in Guilio’s office. I just got through with my shower.” She wiggled for him to release her. His anxiety at not being able to protect her lanced her mind. She struggled against the emotion and glanced around. He stood in the middle of Guilio’s office.

  Stihl’s grip tightened. “Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving the cabin?”

  “You were asleep.”

  �
�Marohka, we’ve been through this before. I want to know where you are at all times.” His voice turned even rougher. “Understood?”

  She strained against him. “Stihl, don’t be silly. I shouldn’t have to report my every move to you.”

  “Yes, you do.” His grip tightened.

  “No, I don’t. Why are you so stubborn on this point?”

  “Because I am. Now promise me you’ll comply with my wishes.”

  “No.”

  “Marohka, you could be in danger.”

  “No, every time something has happened to me, it could’ve just as easily happened to you. You’re the one who got caught in the fire, not me.”

  “Marohka.” His arms like bands of iron wouldn’t let her go. “Now who’s being stubborn?”

  “You.” She shoved at his chest. “You want me to promise to report my every move, but will you do the same?”

  He paused and dropped her legs. She’d hoped her threat would make him back down. Her breast caressed his chest.

  “I will, if you will.”

  She refused to believe he’d comply. “You’ll let me know where you are every moment of the day?”

  “Why not?” He held her close. “Most of the time I’ll be with you, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”

  She shook her head. How could she make him see reason? “This isn’t a good idea. We need time to ourselves.”

  “I didn’t say we had to spend every moment together. I simply want to know where you are.” His hands slid along her back. “Why is that so bad?”

  With his arms around her and the weight of almost losing him still fresh in her mind, she didn’t feel his request was unfair. But—it meant one more step toward losing her independence. “How about we make this a short term agreement, like until we get back to Royal City? That way, it’s a more realistic goal.”

  His gaze revealed his displeasure at the compromise. “Is that the best I can get?”

  “For now,” she answered.

  “Then, I guess I’ll take it.” His lips covered hers. His teeth nipped at her lower lip, and his mouth slid over hers in a sensuous teasing kiss. “You promise?”

  He taunted her until she gave him her word.

  “I promise,” she gasped with a little hiccup.

  “Me too.” His mouth claimed hers and offered her body a different kind of promise.

  * * * *

  Marohka paced the length of her new cabin. Stihl hovered around her after the close call with the fire. She’d only managed to obtain a few itons by claiming she needed to change for Zook’s memorial. Now, she hoped to talk to her father and provide him with an update.

  A ring sounded in her ear, and she brushed her hair away from her face.

  “Hello,” Vin Taunton said.

  “Hey, Dad, I thought I’d let you know we’ve corrected the problem here at Trisar Mine. The numbers are increasing as we speak.”

  “That’s great news, Marohka.” His elevated tone expressed his pleasure. “It’ll increase the selling price of the company.”

  “What?” A blow hit her in the chest. She gasped. “But Dad, Taunton Minerals isn’t up for sale.”

  “Now, Marohka.” Her father paused. His words stumbled slowly out of his mouth. “With the losses we’ve incurred due to the Trisar deal, I’ve borrowed against the profit of other projects. Even if things improve, we won’t be in the black for years. You’re married now, and our best source of income is gone.”

  “But, Dad, I can still work. The company will be profitable again.” She struggled to come up with an argument.

  “No. Stihl is your main priority, and I lack the time. I’ve received an appointment from the council of elders.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Again, he spoke as if judging every word. “Marohka, you know I’ve been unhappy at my job for a long time. So, I applied for a position with the Lustralia Mining Commission.” His voice rang with pride. “The council of elders approved me for the head advisor.”

  She couldn’t believe her ears. “But, Dad, . . .”

  “Marohka,” he interrupted, “I never would’ve taken it if I didn’t know you’d be happy. But you have a new mate, and you’re starting a new life. It’s the perfect time to try a new job and get out of debt. This way, I can also spend more time with your mother.”

  “That’s great, Dad,” Marohka said in agreement. “But . . .”

  He rushed to reassure her. “Don’t worry. You’ll receive a portion of the sale. You and Stihl might even decide to buy a place right here by us.”

  “But, Daddy,” she tried again.

  “Look, Marohka, this is what I want. I’m not stuck running the company, and I can enjoy a new job.” His tone turned stern. “This is the way it has to be. You have to make a life with your mate and spend less time at work.”

  “I could do both.” She argued, “And you could still take the appointment.”

  “No, Stihl would never allow it.” Her father refused to budge on his decision. “He deserves your full attention.”

  “Wait, Dad, this isn’t fair.” She knotted her hands into fists. “I’ve worked hard to establish myself as a mineralogist. Our company is the leader in excavating qualtrilium. You can’t just sell.”

  “Now, Marohka, this’ll be the best thing for everyone.”

  Not for me, she wanted to scream, but her father didn’t give her a chance to speak.

  “After you think about it, you’ll see I’m right.” A buzzer rang through her ECD. “Look, I’ve got to go. Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything.”

  “Uh . . .”

  He rushed on. “You enjoy your new mate. Your mother and I love you. Bye.”

  A click sounded in her ear. A loud growl escaped through her clenched lips.

  Her desire to keep Taunton Minerals crumbled. Her father spent years in a job he’d detested. She loved it. He hated it. The company only showed a profit after she developed the skill to find qualtrilium.

  Now because of her bad advice about the Trisar Mine, the company would slip through her fingers.

  Knuckles hit the door.

  “Marohka, Zook’s memorial dance will be starting soon,” a voice rang through the closed door.

  Responsibility called, but for the first time in her life, she seriously considered not answering it.

  * * * *

  Everyone gathered reverently in the middle of the camp for Zook’s memorial. Feather-back tripod stools sat in a semicircle around a large piece of leather canvas. Stihl sat on one side of Marohka, his arm resting on the back of her chair. Cyd sat on her other side. A weepy sun peeked through the ominous gray clouds.

  In the time-honored tradition of the ancestors, the solemn warrior stood alone in front of the crowd. Dressed in leather pants, he wore chain mail over his chest. His arms adorned with drawings of his battles, the precious stones for his victories covered the headdress on his head. His silver swords rested on the ground at his sides.

  On each side of the dancer’s pants, red, yellow, and purple feathers fluttered in the breeze. The warrior swayed back and forth as if caught by a brisk current. The ornate costume danced with color.

  With one step, the warrior stretched his hands out to the world at large. Marohka recalled, this meant the birth of life. Each movement represented a stage or event in Zook’s life. A turn of his head, then his hands lifted to the sky, an awakening.

  The sun streamed down on the face of the warrior like a heavenly spotlight. The man turned first one way and then the other. At times, fluid as a quiet stream, then he’d rush around like caught in the rapid river of life. Searching, seeking, his journey led him to the swords in the middle of the tarp. The warrior tested the weight of each sword in his hand. He showed the wonder of the young man’s discovery.

  “Yeah!” the dancer suddenly yelled.

  Startled, Marohka jumped in reaction to the noise. Slashing, clashing, he fought the air around him. A war raged like a storm in the warrior, a boy lea
ving the safety of his father’s home. She knew the cry for freedom, had heard the same soaring tune crying from her own soul. With high kicks and leaping jumps, the dancer worked his way around the open area. He gave an artful display of each fighting technique.