She was in prehistoric France.
She had travelled back in time.
10.
The caveman slowly managed to spark the sticks and their flickers caught on the dry grass he had collected and stored in a small circle made of stones. His hands were big and dirty, caked in mud but ultimately looking soft and well cared for. He had clearly spent the majority of his life outside, but he had the knowledge to make it work for him, and in that moment, Tamara couldn’t help but be in awe of him. He had clearly thrived in an inhospitable environment, and he knew how to take care of himself and of those around him.
She barely dared speak. He was concentrating, still twizzling the sticks against each other and blowing on the smoldering bits of dried grass as they slowly caught light. She didn’t want to interrupt or alarm him, but she couldn’t just sit there in silence.
“The run…” she whispered finally, “Why danger?”
He looked up at her with a serious expression and their eyes locked on each other’s.
“Dangerous men,” he said sternly. “They come at night.”
A shiver of panic ran down Tamara’s spine. She dreaded to think of what barbarity happened out here on the icy plains. She swallowed and looked down at the ground as she pulled the animal skins tighter around her and shivered. The entrance to the cave was ahead of them and she could still see the hills out ahead of her. In some of the other caves, flickers of fire light were starting to show. They were not alone.
“Who is out there? In the caves?” she asked.
The man looked at her and smiled.
“More like me, and others who are not so…” He had finally got the fire to catch and he leaned back against the cave wall.
It was small and cramped in there, but for this reason, it was cozy and warm. It didn’t take long for the feeling to come back to Tamara’s frozen hands and feet, and she felt, for a moment, as if she may be able to relax. But she still had so many questions and didn’t know yet if she could even trust him.
“Do you have a name?” she asked him, but he looked at her with confusion.
She reached down and pointed to her chest.
“I’m Tamara,” she said. “You?” She pointed to his chest, but he didn’t respond.
She could tell that he understood her, but it was more that he was weighing up the situation. Surely for him, a woman in strange dress, with a fully formed language must be alarming, however, he was taking it all in his stride.
“Gor,” he said finally and thumped his chest with his fist.
Tamara couldn’t help but smile. It was such a simple name for such an incredible man, and yet, it fit him perfectly. It was strong and punchy, it was wild and new to her. She loved it.
“Gor,” she smiled. And then, so did he.
Out in the wilderness of the icy terrain, she could hear howling and she shuffled backwards, pressing herself back against the wall and started to shiver. She was frightened, but she was trying to hold it together.
“Safe,” he said with a nod. “Gor strong.”
Tamara smiled.
She could see that, and she had felt it with the way he had effortlessly lifted her up over his shoulder and ran with her across the tundra.
“Who are the men?” she asked.
“Not like me,” he said. “Before man…” He scratched his head as if he was trying to find the right word, but Tamara knew exactly what he meant…
Neanderthals.
She reached down and pinched the skin on her arm. Surely she had to be dreaming. How could all of this be happening to her?
She watched as he knelt up and made his way to the hole that was the entrance to the cave. He had several large boulders on the outside and he began to drag them into the space to block up the hole. He was building them a door; he was keeping out the cold and the threats.
Tamara breathed in deeply and let herself recover her thoughts. Carla was to be seen and she hadn’t come in the cave with her, so it was likely that she was the only person from the present day in this position. She scratched her head and tried to make sense of it all, but none of it did. She had somehow travelled through time. She had ignited something in that cave back in southwest France, and she had been transported back to the prehistoric age.
“Sleep,” Gor said to her as he turned back and faced her. The hole that was the entrance to the cave was now entirely blocked up and for the first time since she had found herself in this incredibly bizarre situation, she felt safe.
“But…” she stammered.
“Gor watch,” he said sternly and he passed her another animal skin.
Tamara nodded in agreement and pulled the skins up around her and lay down on her side. Her body and mind were both weary, but she didn’t think she would be able to sleep in the middle of a cave with a man she didn’t know, and one who was completely different to her in so many ways. What if he was a brute? What if he clubbed her over the head whilst she was sleeping?
As she thought of those terrible possibilities, she suddenly felt a warm, gentle set of fingers stroking her hair. She opened her eyes and turned her head to see Gor sitting right beside her, running his hand through her long dark hair as if he was both fascinated and perplexed by it.
She was sure then that she didn’t have anything to worry about where Gor was concerned. He may have been a giant, but he was a gentle one, and he was clearly going to protect her for now.
11.
She woke to the sound of howling winds battering the outside of the cave. It was still dark, but the fire burned quietly and gently in front of her. Gor was standing with his spear right by the boulders at the entry way, and she could tell immediately that he was on high alert.
She didn’t dare speak. He had his eyes pressed up to the small, natural gaps in the rocks and was watching the outside world. She could tell it was night, she didn’t know exactly what he could see, but whatever it was, she could tell that he was guarding her from it.
She didn’t want to disturb him, but she couldn’t not move. As she adjusted her position, he turned and looked down at her, and she could see the softness in his face that came out from his beautiful eyes.
“What is it?” she whispered, but he shook his head.
The howling began again, but this time it was closer, and Tamara slammed her hand down across her mouth to stop a scream from escaping. Gor looked down at her with concerned eyes, but she knew she couldn’t make a sound, and she nodded and held up her hand to show him that she understood.
He had the spear grasped tightly within his fist and he was ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. There was a part of Tamara that wished she could be looking out of the gaps with him, to see what was out there, but she also knew that if she could see, she may never sleep again.
After what seemed like an eternity, the howling finally stopped and Gor lowered his spear. He turned to her and smiled in the half-light before he moved forward and lay some more sticks on top of the fire to catch light.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For protecting me.”
Gor nodded and smiled.
“What was out there?” she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
“Man and wolves,” he said. “Angry men… hungry men… Looking for blood.”
Her heart began to pound.
“They have moved on,” he said. “They don’t know how many are here in this village.”
And then Tamara understood… When she had been brought to the caves by Gor, she had been aware of many sets of eyes watching her. But for hunters passing through, they would have no clue of how many men from this group of caves could set upon them should they try and attack any one of the caves. There could be hundreds for all they knew. This made Tamara smile. Even all these thousands of years ago, people were making plans and trying to con one another. She thought back to her life at college and had to smile to herself again. If only her peers and professors could see her now, experiencing all of what they had studied first hand.
Gor came closer and sat down right beside her so that their legs were touching. She wondered how many cold nights he had spent in this cave alone, and she thought of herself and of how she had, too, been cold and lonely back in her dorm room. Two completely different circumstances, and yet, the cause and effect were still the same.
Neither she nor Gor had anyone to look after them, or anyone to love. Tamara felt the tears welling up behind her eyes. She wanted to feel love. She had known for so long that she had been ready again, and yet, she had shunned and run away from it whenever it had presented itself.
She felt a tear roll down her cheek and she silently cursed herself and her decisions. If she had had a boyfriend, she never would have come to France for the summer, and she never would have been alone in a field and sucked into a vortex that had taken her back to the prehistoric era. But then again, if she had had a boyfriend, she wouldn’t have been experiencing all of this incredible journey. And she had to admit that she was a big believer in fate.
Gor wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled an animal skin across them both. It was still the dead of night and it was getting colder by the second.
“No more fire,” he said sadly.
Tamara scanned the ground around them and realized he had burned all of the dry grass and twigs. Once the fire was out, they would only have each other’s body heat to keep them warm.
She looked up at him and smiled. For all he was a brutish caveman, he really did have a gentle side, and he was certainly pleasant to cuddle up with. His huge muscular frame was cocooning her and she fit into the nook under his arm perfectly. He smelled of fire and smoke, cut grass and sweat. His skin was rippled and although it was caked in mud, she could feel its softness. It had been protected from the harsh cold and nourished by the layers of clay.
“When the sun rises, we talk,” he said.
And Tamara nodded. She wanted to know all there was to know about him and this place, but now that they were huddled together, all she could think about was allowing him to be her protector, and keep her warm throughout the night.
She drifted off to sleep with her head on his chest and the warmth from his body flowing into hers. It had been a long time since a man had taken hold of her and shown her what it felt like to be loved, but in that cave on that cold night, she felt it was real. And she never wanted it to end.
12.
Gor’s warm body clung to her all night, and together, underneath the animal skins, they both slept soundly. Tamara awoke with a start not long after dawn, but Gor was still fast asleep, his chest rising and falling with each heavy breath. She turned her eyes to look at him. After being in such a deep sleep herself, she was initially confused as to where on earth she was, but it quickly came flooding back to her.
It had all been real.
She was in a cave with a prehistoric man.
She reached out and touched him, just to be sure… and her hand met with taught muscles and wiry hair. She let her fingers dance over his chest and before long, she felt him stirring. Gor opened his bright eyes slowly and stared directly into hers. She couldn’t help but study him, she wanted to commit him to memory. She had to make sure that none of this was lost. She reached up and put her palm flat against his cheek. Gor watched her silently, he didn’t move or make a sound. She could see that underneath all of the hair and mud that was stuck to his skin, he was incredibly handsome.
“Water?” she asked, as she trailed her fingers down his cheek. “Let me clean and cut this for you…”
Gor smiled and nodded.
He rolled the boulders away from the cave entrance and headed out into the morning sun. Even though the temperatures were low, the sun was high and the sky was clear. Tamara sat in the doorway of the cave and looked out across the tundra and back over to the hill in which the cave was positioned, and at the other small holes in the hill side that appeared to be coming to life. Wisps of smoke trailed out daintily into the air and were caught by the breeze. She was sure that she could hear chatting in a language she didn’t much understand. Some words were familiar, whereas others were completely new to her. As the sunlight flooded into the cave, she looked up and studied all of the paintings and depictions that Gor had made on the walls and ceiling. There were birds and bulls, swirls and circles, what appeared to be men and then some smaller people with distorted features who looked angry and frightening. She thought back to what Gor had said the night before about the men that roamed the lands under a cloak of darkness. They were hunters, but they were not just looking for animal meat. Anything would do for them, including people… Including her…
She shuddered.
“I have to get out of here,” she whispered to herself and she felt the panic ripple through her.
The previous night, she had been so exhausted she had barely had the chance to consider the real gravity of her situation, but now, in the clear light of day, she knew that she had to find her way back to the present day. She had to get back to Carla, back to modern day France, and then back to her life at college, where she was going to excel and carry on to have a magnificent future. She swallowed and wiped away a tear.
“Water,” Gor said suddenly, and it broke her thoughts and made her jump. She had been so absorbed in her own dilemma she had barely even noticed him.
He came inside and sat down next to her. She was trying her best not to cry, but she couldn’t help the tears that flowed down her cheeks.
Gor stopped and looked at her. He looked both fascinated and sad to see her in such a state, but he couldn’t find the words to offer any comfort.
“I’m sorry,” she sniffed. “I just… I can’t…”
He reached out and took hold of her hand and squeezed it tight. Surely he must know that she didn’t belong there… Surely he could sense the advancement and the difference in her.
She wiped her eyes and tried to smile.
“I’m sorry,” she said again. “Let’s warm this water and I’ll do as I said.”
Gor lifted the pot of water high above the fire and watched her as it warmed. The silence between them now was almost too much to bear, and Tamara knew she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from speaking for too much longer.
“Gor,” she said when it finally got the better of her. “The place where you found me… Has anyone else like me ever been here before?”
He seemed to drink in her words and he mulled them over.
“A man, like you,” he said finally. “A long time ago… he came and he died.”
Tamara had been hopeful for a moment, thinking that someone must know of a way back, but it wasn’t looking good.
“What happened?”
Gor turned the warming pot in his hands and then he set it down beside the fire.
“He had these like you,” he said as he pointed to her clothes. “And he was clean and shaven… He was angry and upset… He said he didn’t belong here. But he was loud, very loud… too loud… And the hunters came and took him. They killed him.”
Tamara shivered.
“How long ago?” she asked warily. But Gor simply shrugged and sighed.
“Many, many moons,” he said finally. “I can’t remember.”
So someone had been back to this time before, and had no doubt come via the caves near Lascaux. If it had happened more than once, then surely it would happen again… And if it went one way, then it must also go the other.
He pushed the pot of warmed water towards her and Tamara picked up one of the animal skins and dipped it in. As she kneeled up and moved closer to him, she felt the tension between them heighten. He was anticipating her touch, and he was ready…
She ran the water all down his face, clearing the cracked clay and revealing his soft, tanned skin beneath. She smiled with each stroke, as she saw his handsome features shining through with his bright eyes. When she had cleaned him from head to toe, she motioned for him to dip as much of his hair as he could into the water pot and then she massaged it for him, and dr
agged out the knots of clay and mud. He sat back and leaned against the wall, looking like a completely different person. The feral prehistoric man now looked like something out of a Hollywood film. He was tanned and toned, muscular, rugged and sexy, leaning back against the cave wall with his animal skin loin cloth covering his modesty.
Tamara felt herself begin to blush. She was aware of how his eyes were fixated on her, and she was sure she could see a stiff bulge forming between his legs, but she had to be demure. She had to resist him.
“Gor,” she whispered, trying to think of a way to deter the inevitable. “Can we go outside?”
He grunted and took hold of her arm then tilted her face up to meet his. He was full of want and desire, and his power was frightening. Maybe now would be the time she saw his brutish nature come to the foreground, but instead of scaring her, it was turning her on. He breathed heavily as he pulled her closer, and as their skin touched, she felt the electricity bouncing between them. His breath was hot on her cheek and he looked deep into her eyes.
“Tam-ar-ra…” he said with a wicked smile. “My woman.”
She felt a knot of pleasure forming inside of her… desperate to be untangled.
“I wait for woman for long time…” he said gruffly and pulled her closer to him still.
He pressed against her and she felt the sharp poke of his desire. All it had taken was her to touch him and she had driven him into a wild frenzy. He was stirring something in her too, and even though she knew she should really resist, she was finding it impossible.
He lifted her up in his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. He was so strong, it was effortless, and as he pushed her back against the cave wall and pressed his manhood against her, Tamara couldn’t help but moan with ecstasy. She wanted to feel him inside of her, she wanted to have him so badly, but how could she? Would it be wrong?
She was sure that something couldn’t be wrong if it felt as good as Gor did when he held her. His hands were under her buttocks, gripping her tightly and pushing her back against the paintings on the walls. She bit her lip and looked into his eyes as he grunted again and thrust against her. As his manhood pressed against her underwear, she trembled. There was no way she could deny herself this. It was too erotic… too forbidden… too perfect.
SCAR (LOST CREEK SHIFTERS NOVELLAS Book 2) Page 19