by S. E. Smith
“My name is Ty Bearclaw,” he said, placing some fish on his plate.
“I know,” she replied shortly, pulling some of the fish free and quickly eating it.
“How? Oh, yeah. I wasn’t sure if you would remember or not. You were in a lot of pain when we met,” he said, sitting down and picking up a piece of the fish.
“I remember everything,” she retorted, glancing at him before looking away. “Why did you search for me? Are there others here? Did you tell others of your kind about me?”
He paused and stared at her before he placed the fish into his mouth and chewed it. This was not going to be as easy as he had hoped. He couldn’t blame her. If the roles had been reversed, he probably would have killed her. That thought made swallowing hard. He was suddenly no longer hungry. He lowered the plate in his hands and set it on the rock next to him.
“You were hurt. I thought you might need help,” he started to say.
“I don’t need your help,” she snapped, picking up more of the fish and eating it. “What about the other questions I asked. Are there others like you here?”
“No, not yet,” he admitted. “If I don’t return in a couple of days, there will be.”
She glanced at him and slowly chewed the food in her mouth before she swallowed. He waited to see her reaction. Except for the look of distrust, he was unsure of what she was thinking.
“Then you must return,” she said in a quiet voice. “You must tell them you found nothing and never return.”
“I can’t,” he snapped, standing and turning away from her. “I can’t.”
“Why?” She demanded.
“Because you are my mate,” he said, looking at the turbulent waters of the river. “If you remember everything, then you’ll remember what I told you in the pit. I said I would always protect you. That means you stay by my side.”
Ty turned when Ella didn’t respond. His gaze swept the empty area across the fire. The only thing that told him he didn’t imagine the whole encounter was the empty plate sitting on the large rock. He strode around the boulder and turned in a wide circle.
“Shit,” he grumbled, raising his hands to run them through his hair. She was gone - again.
“She is really, really good at disappearing,” he muttered with a shake of his head.
Chapter 7
“Where are you going?” Jayden whispered the next morning.
Ella adjusted the brace on her ankle before she tightened the lacing on her boot. She bent and picked up her lance when she was done and adjusted the small pack at her waist. She wanted to ignore her friend, but she knew Jayden could be as tenacious as Ella was herself when she wanted to know something.
Biting her lip, she glanced at Jayden before waving her hand for the other girl to follow her. Only when they were out of sight from the others did she turn and hold her finger to her lips. She waited and listened to the early morning sounds of the others beginning to rise.
“The beast from the pit is here,” she whispered.
“What?!” Jayden exclaimed loudly before she slapped her hand over her mouth. “What do you mean ‘the beast from the pit is here’? How? Why? We have to tell Mitchell! How do you know that he is here? How far…?”
Ella rolled her eyes and covered Jayden’s mouth with her hand. With a sharp shake of her head in warning, she slowly dropped her hand. Ella had been debating the same thing, and she hardly slept the night before. She had decided she needed to know more about the beast before she spoke to Mitchell. It might be their only chance to find out just what the world outside the mountains and the forests was like.
“I need you to listen to me,” Ella ordered in a barely audible voice. “This might be our only chance to find out information about the outside world. I saw him yesterday. He is a long way from the village, so we are not in danger.”
“How can you say that?” Jayden hissed with a wave of her hand. “They will kill us, Ella. They will gut us and eat us while we cry.”
Ella rolled her eyes and shook her head. “No, they won’t – at least, not this one, anyway,” she replied.
“How do you know? How can you be so sure?” Jayden demanded, placing her hands on her hips and glaring back at Ella.
“Because I talked with him,” Ella answered, her voice softening as she remembered his last words. “He… He shared his fish with me.”
“You ate with him?” Jayden asked in disbelief. “Are you crazy?”
Ella’s lips curved upward at the corner and her eyes danced with amusement. “Probably,” she admitted. “His name is Ty Bearclaw.”
“Oh, so now you are exchanging names, too,” Jayden snorted in disgust. “Just to warn you, if you invite him home as your new pet, I don’t think Mitchell or any of the others are going to be too happy with you.”
“I’m not going to invite him to the village,” Ella scowled. “Do you think I’m crazy?”
“Yes,” Jayden retorted, pointing a finger into Ella’s chest. “Yes, I do. You know his name, you talked to him, and you ate fish with an Other. Yes, I think that totally puts you in the completely nuts category.”
“Jayden,” Ella groaned, reaching up and grabbing her friend’s hand. “Please, don’t say anything,” she pleaded, staring with wide eyes at Jayden. “Pretty please.”
Jayden’s eyes softened and Ella could see the conflict in them turn to resignation. She knew that Jayden would keep her secret. Pulling her friend closer, she gave her a hug.
“Thank you,” Ella whispered in Jayden’s ear.
“Don’t thank me yet,” Jayden growled before she pulled back. “So help me, if he eats you, I’m going to make a coat out of him.”
“If he does, you have my permission to do it,” Ella laughed. “I’ll be back later this evening.”
“What am I supposed to tell Mitchell if he asks where you are?” Jayden grumbled, looking unhappily at Ella.
“Just tell him I’m exploring the area around the village,” Ella replied, taking a step back. “He knows I can’t stand being stuck in the village all day.”
“Promise me you’ll be careful,” Jayden whispered. “Kill him if you have to. This isn’t just about you, Ella, this is about the safety of the few of us who still remain.”
“Why do you think I’m doing this, Jayden?” Ella replied in a somber tone. “We’re dying. We just haven’t admitted it yet. There aren’t enough of us to continue.”
“I know, but…,” Jayden shook her head and looked up at the canopy of limbs above them, fighting for composure before she returned her gaze to Ella. “Just be careful. If I’m going to grow old, I want your sorry ass beside me, pushing me into the grave. You’re my bestie, Ella.”
“You’re mine, too, Jayden. I’ll be careful. If he tries anything, I’ll take care of him. I just need to know what we’re facing. We are running out of room to hide,” Ella said, drawing in a deep breath and turning away from her friend. “I’ll be back before dark.”
“You’d better be,” Jayden muttered.
Ella grinned and took off through the woods. It was still dark, but that had never stopped her before. She enjoyed living in the forest and found it peaceful.
It didn’t take her long to cover the distance to Ty’s camp. The sun was just peeking over the horizon when she stopped just inside the tree line. She studied the quiet camp for several minutes before a grin curved her lips and amusement changed the worry to laughter. The soft sounds of snoring told her that he was still in the tent.
Her gaze moved to the river and she decided that perhaps he would be more talkative if he was fed when he woke up. Jayden’s dad was always grumpy until her mom served breakfast. She remembered her own mom saying that men were always grouchy bears until they were fed.
Striding over to the river, she climbed up on one of the rocks near a shallow pool. Ten minutes later, she had a nice trout roasting over the fire that she resurrected from the bed of coals. She pulled out the small, wrapped package of dried fruits and nuts that sh
e brought and divided it between the two plates from the day before.
She looked up when she heard the sound of rustling in the tent. A moment later, Ty emerged. She chuckled softly when she saw him lift his head and sniff appreciatively at the air before he scratched his….
Ella glanced down, refocusing her attention on not burning their breakfast. She could feel the heat in her cheeks. The fiery color in them had nothing to do with the fire and everything to do with her wild imagination.
“You’re back! And you cooked breakfast?” Ty asked in surprise, staring down at where she knelt.
Ella glanced up and shrugged. “I want you to answer some questions. Food is good at loosening the tongue. Plus, if I feed you, you are less likely to want to eat me,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Ella didn’t miss the scowl that darkened his face at her last words. She cautiously rose to her feet and picked up her lance. She held it ready. There was always the possibility that she had underestimated him and he really was a beast who preferred humans to fish for breakfast.
“For the last time, I don’t want to eat you!” Ty snapped in irritation before he suddenly grinned at her. “Well, only in the most pleasurable ways. I need to get cleaned up. I’ll be back in a few. Save me some of that fish.”
Ella knew her mouth was hanging open when he turned and walked toward the river. Did he just flirt with her? And what in the hell did he mean he only wanted to eat her in the most pleasurable ways? How could getting eaten be fun?
Shaking her head, she knelt down next to the fire again and turned the fish once more. He was a very, very strange man. He was also nothing like what she had been expecting.
In the old stories handed down from parent to child, elders to the clan; the Others had attacked the humans en masse, slaughtering or enslaving them. They came at night, slicing the hearts out of the men and boys and eating them. The few surviving men and women had disappeared into the forests and mountains, seeking refuge by vanishing into the wilderness. The women that did not escape... A shudder ran through Ella. Those women had been brutally taken and used.
The elders told that on very, very rare occasions, a human woman would become pregnant with a child from one of the Others. One of two things would happen, and neither turned out well for the human mother. If the child was like the father, a beast, it would rip through the mother’s stomach, devouring her as it fought for life. If the child was like the mother, the Others would sacrifice baby to their Goddess, and the remains would be eaten to feed the beast locked inside.
Ella remembered asking her mother what had happened to the human women that had been captured and survived. Her mother’s haunting words and the deep sadness locked in her eyes had stayed with Ella all these years.
“Both the male and female beasts will use a human woman in ways you could never imagine, slowly sucking the life from her body while she screams. Death would be more merciful.”
“That smells delicious,” Ty said, walking toward the fire.
Ella jerked her gaze to the fish and nodded. She was lucky she hadn’t burnt it. She stood up, pulling the skewer holding the fish off the spit and placed it on the boulder next to her. With skill from a lifetime of hunting, she pulled her knife out, quickly cut it up and placed it on the plate next to the roasted pine nuts and fruit.
She turned and hesitantly held out the plate. Her fingers tightened on the knife in her left hand when he reached for it. He gave her one of the crooked grins that she was beginning to recognize and nodded his thanks before he moved to sit down on the rock he had used the previous night.
“Did you tell others about me?” Ella asked in a husky voice after they had eaten a few bites.
He looked up from his plate and frowned. “Yes, but they won’t say anything,” he promised.
Fear and dread flooded Ella. She stared down at her plate for several long seconds as she tried to think of how to phrase her next question. Perhaps it would be better just to kill him and drag his body far away from here.
“How many know?” She asked in a husky voice.
“Three. Only my sister and two trusted friends know about you, Ella,” he said. “Tracy, Van, and Peterson were helping me find you.”
“Oh,” she muttered, picking at the food on her plate. “I wish you had stayed away.” She held his gaze for a moment, neither speaking. “What is it like in the outside world?” She asked.
“The… You’ve never seen one of our cities, have you?” Ty asked, swallowing the food in his mouth.
Ella shook her head. “No. I have seen small buildings along the edge of the forest. I have also seen the large birds that leave trails in the sky, but that is all,” she replied in a quiet voice.
“Large birds… Planes, they are called planes,” Ty explained. “I have some pictures on my cell phone if you’d like to see them.”
“Cell phone?” Ella asked, confused.
“Hold on,” Ty muttered, placing his plate down next to him.
Ella watched as he rose and walked over to his tent. A few moments later, he emerged and returned to the fire. Her gaze narrowed on the small box in his hand. She watched his fingers fly over the surface before he held it out to her.
“Here. Just move your finger across the glass to change the picture,” Ty explained, demonstrating with his own finger.
Ella frowned, reaching for the box. She took it out of his hand and glanced down. Her eyes widened when she saw a picture of Ty with his arm around a smiling woman. Her stomach dropped before she saw the image of an older woman and man standing on either side of them. Her lips parted when she realized that they must be related. She blinked when the images suddenly disappeared.
“Where did it go?” She demanded, shaking the box and tapping it. “It is black. How do I make it come back?”
“Oh, hold on,” Ty muttered, stepping around the fire and coming to sit next to her. He grabbed her hand, holding it steady and pressed his finger to the first round circle. “If it happens again just press this letter four times.”
“This is your family?” She asked, staring at the images again.
“Yes, my dad, me, my sister Tracy, and my mom,” Ty replied, pointing to each one. “My dad and mom started the Research Center. I took over as chairman of the Center a couple of years ago when they decided to travel more. Tracy explores the world, looking for artifacts, among other things.”
“How do I see more?” Ella asked in a husky voice.
“Like this,” Ty murmured, carefully cupping her hand in his and extending his finger over hers before sliding it sideways. “This is where I live.”
Ella nodded, swallowing. It was so different from her little primitive platform. She slid her finger across to the next image, then the next, then the next. Massive buildings, strange carriages, and things that made her head spin. The Others had truly taken over the world. Despair consumed her. What chance did the few remaining humans have against this type of power?
“I have to go,” she suddenly whispered, shoving the box into his hands and rising.
“Wait! You just got here. Please… Stay just a little longer. I have questions, too,” Ty said, standing and towering over her.
“No,” Ella shook her head and twisted to step around him.
A low cry tore from her lips when her weakened ankle protested the movement. She stumbled and knocked her lance to the ground. The cry turned to a gasp when she felt her body being lifted from behind.
She grabbed wildly for the thick forearm wrapped around her waist. This was it. She had stupidly let her guard down and he would either kill her or try to enslave her. Fear choked her at the thought of being in the places that she had seen in the pictures. She struggled to loosen her hand so that she could grab her knife.
“Hey, careful,” Ty said in a gentle voice. “Let me take a look at your ankle.”
Ella froze, confused when he carefully lowered her to the boulder and knelt down in front of her. Her fingers wrapped around the handle of her k
nife, but she didn’t pull it free. Instead, she watched in confusion as he carefully removed the boot from her right foot.
“I wrapped it. The healer said it would take time to be strong again,” Ella whispered, watching as he carefully removed the cloth she had used to bind it. “It only hurts if I step wrong.”
“You should have been seen by a proper doctor and had physical therapy,” Ty growled, glancing up at her. “Without an X-ray, how can this healer of yours know whether or not the bone is knitting together properly?”
“I don’t know what an X-ray is, but Thomas is very skilled,” she replied, lowering her hands to grip the rock when he pushed up her pant leg. “What are you doing?” She asked with a hiss when she felt his cold fingers gently touching her ankle.
“I’m trying to see if you did any more damage to it,” Ty muttered under his breath. “Hell, it’s only been a couple of months since you broke it. You should probably still be in a cast.”
“I am fine,” Ella snapped in exasperation as a wave of heat washed through her at his touch.
Ty looked up at her and she swore she could have drowned in the dark, liquid, brown depths of his gaze. She blinked, shook her head, and scowled down at him.
“What’s wrong?” He asked.
“You are a very, very, very strange man,” Ella muttered.
Chapter 8
Ty gently wrapped Ella’s ankle again. He pulled the bandage tight enough to give her support, but not enough to cause her any discomfort. There was still a little swelling around it, but he hadn’t seen any discoloration or felt any obvious breaks.
Still, he would feel better if he could get her to a doctor. He had a doctor friend who he trusted. Ben Lyons had been his college roommate for the first six years of their friendship and they had remained close friends ever since. If he could get Ella back to his place, he could call Ben and ask him to come over.
His gaze moved to the knife that she was fingering again. He had felt her struggle to reach for it when he had picked her up. It was a good thing he hadn’t followed through on his first impulse to kiss her into submission. He’d probably be the one needing Ben’s attentions if he had.