Chapter Eleven
The fragmented shadows of pine, rock and village lengthened and deepened. Merging as one, they came together, a black cloak draping itself across the land, plunging the village into darkness.
To soften the gloom, glittering stars peered from the darkened sky. Tiny bright jewels danced and twinkled as if hung from invisible thread, while the moon rose to reign in royal splendor, adding its own soft glow to the land below.
Inside a cone-shaped dwelling, Sarah paced, fighting waves of exhaustion.
Her eyes fell to her meal, brought to her by Seeing Eyes, which sat untouched by the cold fire pit. One hand pressed into her stomach, trying to still the queasy waves roiling inside her. What was going to happen to her? Where was Golden Eagle?
Her pacing stopped abruptly as she stumbled and fell. Too tired to continue, she grabbed a pile of furs and laid them on the hard floor in front of the doorway. Digging through the silky softness, she found several rabbit skins sewn together. She caressed the silky softness and wrapped the fur around her shoulders to ward off the chill of the evening.
Lying on her belly, hidden by the shadows within, Sarah pulled a corner of the closed flap aside and peered out into the evening.
Her head cocked to one side as she listened to the comforting activity of night creatures stirring. Owls flew through tree tops, their screeches announcing to the world they were awake and hungry. Insects chirped from beneath bushes and leaves where they hid. And rustling sounds of small scurrying animals foraging for their dinner blended in perfect harmony, nature providing its inhabitants with a special blend of evening music.
Sarah picked out gentle crooning voices mingling with soft singing as mothers held and cuddled their little ones. Relaxing slightly, Sarah found comfort in a ritual that was as old as time itself. The language was different, but a mother’s love was the same worldwide.
Her eyes dropped wearily as she focused her attention on a fire growing larger near the center of the village. Colorful flames eagerly licked and surrounded the small mound of wood and dried brush, flames leaping high into the air with loud snaps and pops. Sparks soared toward the heavens, then slowly faded out, never to return to the earth below.
A handful of men sat around the fire, talking, laughing and greeting latecomers.
Searching the shadowy faces, Sarah tried to see if Golden Eagle was among them. Peering intently as the shadows were broken only by flickering flames, she groaned in frustration as she could not get a clear view before shadows once again fell.
The group of warriors fell silent as an imposing figure walked with great dignity toward the fire and lowered himself.
Sarah recognized the proud stance of Chief Hawk Eyes, and ducked behind the flap. She bravely peeked out again, her need to see what was going on overcoming her fear of discovery.
As she watched the authoritative chief take control, his hand raised for silence, she unwillingly closed her eyes and relived her first meeting with the forbidding chief.
Golden Eagle had led her into the tipi and after many minutes of being appraised, she’d been commanded to sit, Golden Eagle standing behind her.
She’d sensed at once that the chief was not happy with her presence in his village. Never had she felt so intimidated and scared in all her life. Her insides had trembled as glowering eyes examined her thoroughly. The chief’s expression as he looked down his hawkish nose had clearly stated that he found her presence distasteful and lacking. His nostrils had flared and his eyes had blazed amber fire.
The silence lengthened between them, but she forced herself not to squirm. Whether the anger was directed at her or Golden Eagle, she didn’t know and had no desire to find out.
Keeping her hands tightly clasped in her lap, her back ramrod stiff, Sarah returned his fierce glare. Blue striking off amber, she waited for what was to come. She would not cower before these people. Nor would she show fear and uncertainty to this arrogant man. If she kept nothing else throughout this ordeal, she would keep her pride.
For long moments, silence reigned as the two of them sat there, staring, each measuring the other’s worth. One intimidating, one putting up a brave front.
Sarah could not have known that the first hint of grudging respect was coming her way for her show of fearlessness. To show fear brought scorn. Bravery earned respect, even if one was an enemy.
So intense was the tension between them that when he spoke, his deep voice booming suddenly in the tense atmosphere, she was startled when he addressed her in halting English.
“My son tells me you are here of your own free will. Is this so?” the old chief demanded, almost daring her to agree that it was the truth.
Swallowing hard, Sarah prayed that her voice would not quaver. “Golden Eagle speaks the truth,” she admitted, her voice soft, slightly husky, in her nervousness.
“Why?” The question shot forth, echoing loud and sharp like the roar of a firearm.
Sarah wished she’d known what Golden Eagle had told his father. But she had no knowledge of the words exchanged between them. Deciding on honesty, she took a deep breath and blurted out, “Your son offered freedom and safety to my people if I came willingly.”
The older man raised bushy eyebrows. His eyes narrowed as he reviewed her words. “Ah, so you are not really here of your own free will. Maybe you were forced to come to save your people?” he mused aloud, a gleam appearing in the older man’s eyes. Fixing her with his piercing stare, he offered, “Would you leave now if I promised the same safety to you, with no revenge to your people?”
Sarah saw his expression change, and didn’t like the calculating stare directed at her. Now that she was being given a chance to regain her freedom, she wasn’t sure she wanted it. Where would she go? She couldn’t return home, and trying to travel on her own had proved disastrous.
Perhaps this was where she should be for the time being. Of course, the man standing behind her didn’t have anything to do with that decision, she tried to convince herself.
She forced herself to meet the chief’s anticipating gaze and confessed, “It is true that I wasn’t given much choice, but I was given one. It is due to my foolish actions that I find myself here. I was unwise to attempt traveling alone. I gave my word to Golden Eagle and my father taught me to honor my word. I am bound by honor to the promise I made to your son. Only he may release me from the bargain.”
Suddenly, she found herself very afraid of being told she must leave. While she did not trust Golden Eagle’s motives for wanting her with him, she knew he would never harm her.
Chief Hawk Eyes was not pleased by her refusal to take the freedom he’d slyly offered. With an arrogant lift of an eyebrow, he retaliated. “And if allowed to stay, are you willing to become a slave to my son?”
Sarah’s eyes narrowed as she inwardly fought against the thought of being a slave to anyone, but she remembered what Golden Eagle had said earlier.
Sarah also recalled Willy’s last attack, and knew it was better to be a slave to Golden Eagle than be under Willy’s dominance. So, she gave her nod of agreement.
Still, Hawk Eyes sought to change her mind. “We have no separate tipis for slaves. As you belong to my son, you shall share his tipi.”
She blushed, the chief’s warning veiled but crystal-clear. Unable to meet the chief’s mocking eyes, Sarah lowered her head. “I will do as Golden Eagle says and live where he tells me I must.”
“And what of your…guardian?” The persistent voice continued the grilling, stumbling over the new word. “Would you bargain mercy for him?”
Clasping her hands in front of her, Sarah declared, “I promised Golden Eagle I will not interfere in your people’s dealings with Willy. My guardian chose his path. If he is caught, he must pay the price of justice. Whether it is from your people or my people, justice will be done.”
Shortly after, she’d been dismissed and Golden Eagle had told her she would be informed later of the chief’s decision.
Sar
ah was still waiting for him to return to his tipi to tell her what had been decided. She pushed to the back of her mind her wild responses to Golden Eagle’s lovemaking.
She yawned. Her eyes watered from exhaustion, physical as well as mental. Her hand fell from the flap. The toll on her young body finally won. No longer able to hold her head up, she fell into an uneasy slumber.
Several hours later, Golden Eagle nearly stepped on the sleeping girl. Stepping carefully over her still form, he moved silently across the darkened tipi to fashion another bed of mats and furs.
Squatting, he carefully lifted Sarah, cradling her warm sleeping body close to his. Sarah nestled closer to the warmth of his chest.
Unwilling to relinquish her. Golden Eagle studied her peaceful features for a while. Finally, he lowered his lips and inhaled her sweet scent. She smelled of sunshine and wildflowers. He brushed a kiss across her brow and grinned, remembering his father’s decision.
He would allow Sarah to remain until his joining with Wild-Flower only because she had no other male relative, and by their customs, Golden Eagle was responsible for her. If she could not be returned to her home, his father expected him to find another home for her.
Golden Eagle knew the chief was hoping he’d tire of his white captive and would then be ready to settle with his new wife.
Only he knew how strong his desire for Sarah was. He wouldn’t tire of her, but he would not try to convince his father of that now. He wouldn’t allow himself to think of being parted from her.
Gently he set Sarah down, and covered her with a soft fur before sliding down to his own pallet. Sleep was a long time in coming. His thoughts kept returning to the girl sleeping so close he could hear her soft breathing, smell her special scent. Close, but not close enough.
Sarah lay writhing and gasping as the smirking toothless face loomed over her, coming closer and closer. She felt the bite of harsh fingers digging into her tender flesh. Willy had come for her, had found her. She fought to free herself, and heard his evil laugh.
With both hands captured and held tightly in one of his, she couldn’t stop the clawing fingers of his free hand as they tore at the bodice of her dress. Tears of frustration ran down the sides of her face, and Sarah tried desperately to scream for help. No sound came forth. She panicked and renewed her efforts to free herself.
She moaned as she could not get free from the hands that held her still, and her body went limp. Even caught up in her nightmare, she sensed a change, something different in the arms holding her so firmly.
The sneer on Willy’s face faded; the remembered stench of stale liquor and sweat were replaced by the clean scent of tangy pine and wood fires. There was no harsh laughter, jeering taunts and vile threats. Only concerned calling of her name, a soft caressing whisper that repeated itself over and over. Hands no longer clawed at her, but caressed her cheeks and held her tenderly.
Cautiously Sarah opened her eyes to the dark stillness. Frightened, she squinted. She could make out a shape leaning over her. She was ready to scream, until a shaft of moonlight slanted across the man above her. Golden Eagle. Not Willy. Sobbing softly, relieved it had only been a dream, Sarah allowed herself to be lifted and enfolded into strong safe arms.
That small act of kindness, of comfort, was all it took for her to give in to tears too long repressed. Sarah wept for the loss of her father and the security she’d known. She gave in to the resulting fear she’d been forced to live with, and all that had happened since Pa’s death. The dam broke loose and all the tears she’d held back flooded.
She cried for what was and what could not be. She cried until the well ran dry and there were no tears left to spill over onto pale cheeks or to run onto a bronzed chest.
Stroking and letting her tears soak his chest, Golden Eagle crooned softly, her display of vulnerability wrenching his heart. His lips moved as he vowed to protect her, to keep her safe.
Golden Eagle knew how brave she’d been, what she’d endured. He’d seen grown men cry over less than what Sarah had been through.
Whispering words of comfort, he tenderly caressed her face, stroked her furrowed brow and rubbed the back of her neck until he felt her sobs subside and her body calm.
Wiping the last of the tears, he turned her face toward his and looked into her wide eyes still brimmed with tears.
“You are safe, little one. It was just a dream. A bad dream. Hush now.”
Sarah heard the tenderness in his voice. She relaxed slightly as she reached up to clutch his strong shoulders and stammer, “It w-was s-so real. He f-found m-me. He w-will never leave m-me alone. P-please don’t let him find me,” she whimpered, the fear in her eyes real as they locked frantically on to Golden Eagle’s compassion-filled gaze.
Golden Eagle put a finger to her lips, stilling her quivering flesh. Drawing her tightly against his damp chest, he stroked her tousled head as he comforted her. “You are safe here, Sarah. Do not fear. I will not allow him to touch you, ever again.”
Standing, he carried the trembling girl to his mat and lowered her to the softness below. Without releasing her completely, he lay down beside her and pulled her back into the warm security of his arms.
“Hush, hush. Lie with me. Relax. Sleep now. I will keep you safe.” Golden Eagle’s soothing voice murmured like a gentle breeze against her ear.
Sarah allowed herself to be pulled against the warm safe haven his arms created. Slowly her racking sobs subsided and her breathing settled into a soft, even rhythm. Golden Eagle knew she had finally fallen back into an uneasy slumber. Only an occasional hiccup gave testimony to her flood of tears.
The warrior lay awake a long time, his body painfully aware of Sarah’s soft curves that molded themselves so perfectly against him.
Chapter Twelve
Conscious of sensuous sensations enveloping her, Sarah curled on her side, allowing silky softness to cradle her as she hovered somewhere between sleep and awareness. She floated on a bed of fluffy clouds, wisps of warmth touching, kissing, promising.
Waves of heat built along her sloping contours. Starting below one delicate ear, fire blazed a downward path to graze the sensitive flesh along the side of her breast, sunk deep into the valley of her waist before rising to crest a smooth hip and linger for long heated moments on a silky thigh.
Up. Down. Over. Under. The gentle teasing continued, creating ripples of heat that gathered in her center, luring her from her sleep.
She stretched lazily. The strange sensations stopped and Sarah felt an impending sense of loss as she relaxed and continued to drowse.
Faint puffs of warm air caressed the back of her neck. Sarah squirmed restlessly as feather-soft kisses traveled toward her ear.
Moaning softly, writhing as sparks of pleasure infiltrated her sleep-clouded mind, she lingered in that state of limbo between dreams and reality, not wanting to wake. The new sensations were delicious, incredible, and she wanted to savor them as long as she could. Unconsciously she moved toward the source of this new titillation, seeking more.
Golden Eagle lay on his side, his head resting on a propped elbow as Sarah molded her curves to his hollows. He smiled indulgently, her soft purrs of contentment music to his ears.
It was dark, morning still far off. Golden Eagle had found the need to touch Sarah far too strong to ignore or deny any longer.
Without stopping the movement of his land, Golden Eagle again lowered his head as he continued to caress with his warm breath, his moist lips. The tip of his tongue joined the assault, licking her, tasting her sweetness. Reaching her shell-pink ear, his tongue lightly darted in and around the smooth swirls.
She shuddered beneath him, soft sighs filling his ears. Opening his lips, he drew the soft fleshly lobe between his questing lips and suckled, nipped and tugged. His eyes closed as he planted small exquisite kisses along the line of her jaw, finding the pulsing rhythm in the hollow of her throat.
Sarah’s sighs grew louder, her breath came faster, threatening the
control Golden Eagle held over his throbbing body, over the desire running swift as an arrow through his veins. He traced the soft fullness of her lips with an exploring finger as he ordered, “Kechuwa, my darling, wake.”
Sarah’s pulse pounded madly and tremors of wild ecstasy rippled across her entire body. Her nerves were raw, sensitive to his every touch, his every command.
Lifting passion-heavy lids, Sarah stared, held captive by dark molten depths, desire reflecting, beckoning, igniting an intense longing that struck away all doubts she’d had.
“Shh, do not be afraid,” Golden Eagle’s voice, thick with need, implored. “I need to touch you. I can wait no longer. You have moved this warrior as no other woman has.” Tenderly he held her face between his hands and caressed her cheeks with the pads of shaky fingers.
Sarah was moved by his honesty. She understood his vulnerability, and gloried in his husky admission. He needed her. It was as simple as that. She felt strangely exhilarated as she placed her hands against his firm jaw. Her gaze strayed to his lips. Full and inviting. She wanted to feel again his moist lips against hers.
Sarah admitted to herself that she wanted him, wanted what this golden warrior could give her. She would not fight her attraction any longer, but decided to grab greedily at what he offered. In the past, she’d woven fantasy after fantasy around him. Now she needed reality. She needed her golden warrior.
Keeping her eyes riveted on his parted lips, his breath fanning hers, she whispered, “I’m not afraid. But I don’t know what to do, how to please a great warrior such as yourself.” Shyly she lifted her eyes to his and nervously moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue.
All restraint fled at her shyly spoken admission, and when her small pointed tongue disappeared, Golden Eagle needed to find it. A low groan escaping, his head lowered, lips flickering over hers. “Ah, sweet Sarah.”
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