Rhani (Dragons of Kratak Book 3)

by Ruth Anne Scott

  Ari waved his hand. “What difference does it make? Let’s just play the game.”

  “I have an idea.” Taig picked up the stick. He picked up a rock from the ground and notched the end of the stick. “There. Whoever this mark points to is the person you kiss.”

  “What if one of the boys throws it and it points to another boy?” Reina asked. “Or what if it points to your brother or your cousin?”

  “Then we’ll throw again,” Taig replied.

  No one said anything. They looked around at each other, and more than one of them shifted back and forth in their seats.

  “So what about it?” Ari took a step toward Reina. “I get first kiss.”

  Reina held up her hands. “That was just a demonstration. We haven’t even decided yet if we’re going to play.”

  Taig scanned the faces surrounding him. “Does everybody want to play?”

  Chapter 4

  Ari hefted the stick in his hand. “Let’s get started.”

  Taig snatched it out of his hand. “Not so fast. You had your toss. Now it’s my turn.”

  “That was just a demonstration.” Ari tried to grab it back. “I didn’t get a kiss out of it.” They tugged the stick back and forth.

  Tara leaned forward and snatched the stick away from both of them. “How can you idiots be so rude? One of our guests should have the first toss.”

  She started to hand the stick across the fire to the Ursidrean boys when Taig guffawed with laughter. “Look at her. She’s dying for a kiss.”

  At the last minute, she moved the stick away from the Ursidreans and handed it to Reina instead. Reina weighed the stick in her hand and examined it. She swept the group with a triumphant smile. Then she tossed the stick in the air. It landed on one end and bounced once before it lay still. Its notched end pointed toward Taig.

  Ari frowned. “That toss was no good. Toss again.”

  Taig jumped to his feet. “No, no. It was a good toss.”

  Aeifa laughed. “It’s pointing at Taig. Give him a kiss, Reina.”

  “You don’t have to do this, Reina,” Tara began.

  Ari rounded on her. “You’re the one who gave her the stick. If she didn’t want to play, she wouldn’t have tossed.”

  Aeifa took Tara’s hand. “Sit down. It’s all right. She wants to play, so let her play.”

  Tara looked around the circle with wild eyes. Allen smiled at her, and Taman watched the game with quiet confidence. The game didn’t disturb them at all. Even Reina stood poised and ready to kiss Taig. So why did it disturb Tara so much? She’d played Point with other young Lycaon in the village. Getting kissed by some local boy or kissing one of them in an empty hut meant nothing. So why did it mean something now—and what did it mean? Why did the idea of kissing Allen, or him kissing her, give her a squirrelly feeling in her guts?

  Reina took a step forward to meet Taig. She didn’t hesitate. She smiled up at him. Her tiny form took up twice the space in the cave it had a moment before. The others stared at her in amazement.

  She approached Taig. Her head didn’t even reach up to his chin. He gazed down at her in stunned surprise. He barely recognized her. Tara barely recognized her. Where was the tame little Felsite princess they took from the village that afternoon?

  Reina glanced down at Taig’s lips. Then she pushed herself up on tiptoe and planted a quick, innocent kiss on his lips. Her mouth parted from his with a smack. Then she stepped back to her place.

  Aeifa burst out laughing. “There you go, Taig.”

  The rest of the group laughed along with her. It was the perfect ice-breaker. Ari put out his hand for the stick, but Allen darted forward and grabbed it before he could get it. “I’m next.”

  Tara blushed and kept her eyes on the fire while he got up and took a wide stance. He flipped the stick into the air, and the others held their breath. Tara stole a peek at it and found the white tip pointed straight at her.

  Her heart skipped a beat, and her head shot up. She found Allen’s eyes fixed on her face, and she couldn’t break her gaze away. He regarded her with a confident curiosity.

  “No fair,” Ari muttered. “He did that on purpose.”

  “Of course he did,” Aeifa replied. “What did you expect when you suggested the game? Anybody you can flip the stick to point at the person they want it to point at.”

  Allen waited. Tara squirmed. “Well?”

  He took a step toward her, and his broad back blocked out the fire. He loomed over her with his face in the dark. She couldn’t read his expression. Her breath caught in her throat. Why did a simple kiss bother her so much? It meant nothing in the end. He would go back to Ursidrean territory in a few days, and she would probably never see him again.

  He leaned over, and without warning, he swept her up in his arms. One arm cradled her shoulders, while the other hand pressed against the small of her back. He pressed her against him, and his warmth enveloped her. The heat of the fire radiated through her clothes from his skin, and she almost lost her balance.

  His mouth closed over her lips, and a delicious perfume rushed to her head. She closed her eyes and sagged into him. He supported her weight, and his lips collapsed against her mouth. Her mouth opened, and his tongue slipped inside. Her body stiffened against him, but she didn’t pull away.

  Aeifa’s laugh brought them apart. Allen peered down into her eyes, but she couldn’t see him in the dark. He drew back. His saliva burned on her lips.

  He returned to his place across the fire, but Tara couldn’t read his expression. She stole a glance around the circle. Taman took the stick from his brother. “My turn.”

  Tara didn’t see where the stick landed. She couldn’t take her eyes off Allen. The rest of the group faded into the cave walls until Taman stepped in front of Allen and blocked her view. Then she looked and saw the stick pointing at Aeifa.

  Aeifa laughed again, but something in Taman’s eyes cut her laugh short. He took another step to the edge of the fire. Aeifa tossed her head and got to her feet. “All right, Mr. Romantic. You want to kiss me? Come on and kiss me, then.”

  She walked right up to him. Before he had a chance to move, she grabbed him and planted her lips on his mouth. He closed his eyes and folded his arms around her back, but she tore herself out of his grasp. With a laugh, she hurried back to her place.

  Taman stared at her in surprise. Then he shrugged and sauntered back to his place. Everyone looked around at everyone else. “Who’s next?”

  No one moved. Taig picked up the stick. “It’s your turn, Tara.”

  She glanced at the stick, but she didn’t take it. “I don’t want to play anymore.”

  “She’s scared,” Ari teased.

  Aeifa laughed again. “She is.”

  Taig waved the stick at her. “Come on, Tara. Make it land so it’s pointing at Allen again.”

  Tara shook her head and fixed her eyes on the fire. “I’m not playing.”

  “You have to play,” Aeifa told her. “If you don’t play, Ari’s experiment will be a failure.”

  Ari roared with laughter, but none of the others moved.

  “Who cares about his stupid experiment?” Tara shot back.

  Taig held the stick out again. “Come on, Tara. You know you want to.”

  “Of course she wants to,” Aeifa chimed in. “She just doesn’t want us to see how much she wants to kiss Allen again.”

  “Shut up, Aeifa,” Tara grumbled.

  “She’s scared,” Ari repeated.

  Tara snatched the stick from her brother. “I am not scared.”

  Without looking, she tossed the stick on the floor. Aeifa gasped, and Taig chuckled low in his voice. “What did I tell you?”

  Tara looked down and her heart nearly stopped when she saw the stick pointing at Allen. Her eyes snapped up to his face, but he didn’t laugh. He didn’t even smile. He only matched her stare with his intent gaze. He waited, across the fire, for her to make the first move.

  “Go on, Tara
,” Taig urged.

  Loathing for her own brother and cousins burned in her heart, but she couldn’t move or speak. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from Allen’s face.

  Aeifa muttered again, “She’s scared.”

  Tara took a step forward on wooden legs. Somehow, she got across the circle and stood in front of Allen. The fire lit up his face, and his eyes gleamed in the dark. He rose to his feet to meet her, but he made no move toward her. If anything happened here, it had to come from her alone. He wouldn’t help her. He’s kissed her once. Now it was her turn. His face rose above her eyes.

  Her mind raced in search of a way out of this, but she couldn’t think. She thought she might jump up and give him a quick kiss on the cheek, like Reina did with Taig, and then run back to her place. But when she got close to him, he wrapped his arms around her again and pulled her toward him. He dodged his head to one side and locked his lips on her mouth.

  The same intoxicating sensation flooded her mind and exploded through her body. Instead of pulling away, she melted against him the way she did before. She couldn’t control her thoughts or emotions. Her friends stood watching in silence behind her. The kiss went on and on. Allen’s lips explored hers, and delicious warmth spread over her face. Their tongues intertwined, separated, and intertwined again.

  Allen broke away first. Tara stared up at him in shock. Her eyes searched his face, but her mind pitched and tossed in turmoil. He blinked, and the spell was broken.

  She found her way back to her place and sank down on the ground. Her mind went numb. She couldn’t think or pay attention to the game anymore.

  Aeifa took the stick with an indignant snort and tossed it. It pointed toward Ari. He stretched out his arms to her in mock appeal, and she kicked him in the back of the leg.

  “Toss again, Aeifa,” Taig urged her.

  Aeifa threw the stick at him. “Tara’s right. This game is stupid. I’m not playing anymore.”

  Taig turned to Ari. “She doesn’t want to risk kissing Taman again.”

  Ari laughed and took the stick. “My turn.”

  He didn’t toss it into the air, but threw it straight down onto the ground. It didn’t bounce, but landed exactly where he threw it, with the white tip pointed squarely at Reina. He laughed, but when Reina stood up and faced him, his laugh died on his lips. No one could laugh when she looked at him like that.

  Ari didn’t move. Reina stepped up to him first. His eyes widened when he looked down into her face. He caught his breath, and the blood rushed to his cheeks.

  Reina raised her head to fix him with a hard stare. Then she took the last step to stand in front of him. Ari barely breathed. Reina moved closer and closer to him until her breath brushed his skin. Her lips touched his with the weight of a butterfly.

  Ari’s breath rushed out through his nostrils, and his eyes closed. His lips collapsed against hers, and he rocked on his feet. Reina slipped one hand behind his neck and pulled him down hard onto her mouth. Her lips devoured his. His mouth opened, and her tongue darted between his lips. He groaned, and his hands found their way to her hips.

  Reina rose on her tiptoes and pressed her breasts against his chest. She flexed her hips and touched his pelvis with her body. A shudder ran through him, but he didn’t open his eyes. He relaxed into her kiss. He fell completely under her spell.

  Not a breath sounded in the cave. The others stared at them, but Reina didn’t back off. She kissed him stronger and harder. She laid her other hand on the flat of his back and pulled him against her. Tara opened her mouth. She had to stop this before....what? What would happen? The way they were going, she wouldn’t have been surprised if they tumbled to the ground in a carnal embrace. But what if they did? They were fully mature. Reina’s father might not approve, but no one could argue she hadn’t done it willingly.

  At the height of their passion, Reina released him. Her lips trailed off his, and she ran her fingernails through his hair one last time. He stood before her with his eyes closed in stupefied wonder. Reina gave him one innocent kiss on the forehead and walked back to her place like nothing ever happened.

  Ari’s eyes fluttered open. He stared at Reina. Then he stared at the stick. Then he sank down on the ground next to his sister.

  No one moved. No one picked up the stick again. No one said a word.

  Chapter 5

  The morning sun sparkled on the raindrops dripping from the trees. Ari squinted up at the sky. “What did I tell you? Clear blue. We’ll be back in the village in a few hours.”

  Aeifa darted forward. “Come on, Tara. Let’s run it.” She disappeared from view between the trees.

  Tara fell in at Reina’s side, but they didn’t talk on the way back. Even Taig and the Ursidrean boys walked together in subdued silence back to the village. Reina walked slower and slower until the smoke of a fire drifted over the tops of the trees. Then she stopped in her tracks with a heavy sigh.

  “What’s wrong?” Tara asked. “After last night’s fiasco, I thought you’d be grateful to get back to your parents.”

  “I am.” Reina took one last look around. “It’s just that I’ll probably never have another day like yesterday. My father never lets me out of his sight.”

  Tara’s eyes popped open. “I thought you didn’t like yesterday. You didn’t go swimming, and after the way the boys behaved last night, I wouldn’t blame you for leaving.”

  Reina shook her head. “I didn’t go swimming. I didn’t jump from the cliff. There are so many things I didn’t do yesterday that I wanted so much to do.”

  Tara turned away. “If you don’t tell your father about kissing Taig and then Ari, too, he might let you go out with us again. Then you’ll be able to.”

  “I’ll be able to,” Reina replied, “until we go home. Then I’ll never do those things again.”

  Tara couldn’t answer that, so she started walking again. The group turned a corner and found Aeifa standing in the path. She didn’t acknowledge them when they greeted her, but stared through the trees. Tara followed her gaze.

  The same view of the village met her eyes, with the huts scattered through the clearing. Smoke rose out of the roof holes, and a few outdoor fires smoldered in the brightening sunshine, but no people sat or walked around the houses.

  Tara frowned. “What’s going on?”

  An eerie silence answered her. No voices or babies crying or tools chopping wood interrupted the stillness. Allen came to her side. “Where is everyone?”

  Tara started forward, and the others followed. They clustered close around her in a tight bunch. No one wanted to stray too far into that empty space. Tara stopped in the center of the village and looked around again. Not a single person was anywhere in sight. Tools lay next to unfinished work. Pots simmered in the dying embers of fires with no people tending them.

  Ari stuck his head into one of the huts. “Grandmother! I’m hungry. When’s breakfast?”

  They listened to the deafening silence. He strolled back to the group, and Aeifa kicked him.

  He bounced away. “What’s the matter?”

  She glared at him, but dared not break the silence.

  Taig looked into another hut. Then Aeifa check two more. “There’s no one here.”

  Allen surveyed the village. “Wherever they are, they can’t be far away. Everything’s exactly the way we left it.”

  “Everyone?” Taig asked. “Why would they all leave at once?”

  “Maybe something threatened them,” Taman replied. “Maybe they had to move quickly.”

  Ari and Aeifa walked down to the end of the village. “Here are all their tracks leading down to the river.”

  Tara examined the tracks. “These tracks were made this morning, I’d say less than an hour ago. Wherever they went, they didn’t leave in the rain. The tracks are too crisp and fresh.”

  “But look.” Ari pointed to the ground. “Look how many tracks there are. The whole village left at once, in one large crowd. What would make them do that?
”

  “Take a look at this.” Tara touched the ridges of a track farther along. “This is one of Faruk’s tracks.”

  “How can you tell?” Allen asked.

  “Do you see this?” Tara touched a sharp point on the edge of the track. “You can see how he rolls on the outside of his foot. All Ursidreans do.” She smiled at him. “You do it, too.”

  “That doesn’t explain how you know it’s Father’s track,” he countered. “It could be anybody’s.”

  “Faruk is the only full blooded Ursidrean here,” she pointed out. “Your mother Emily is human, and you two were with us last night. Faruk is the only person who could have made this track.”

  “Here are Mother and Marissa’s tracks,” Taig told her. “They walk differently from other Lycaon, and you can see Father and Caleb’s tracks right next to them.”

  “So why would they all leave the village at once?” Tara asked. “They walked, slowly and calmly. They weren’t in any hurry, or they would have run.”

  “Maybe they walked to keep pace with the guests,” Ari suggested.

  Taig shook his head. “If anything threatened the village, Caleb would have taken the majority of the people and run for the hills. He would have left Father and Mother to bring your parents and Renier and Carmen after them. He wouldn’t run the risk of anyone dallying behind.”

  Tara scanned the village just one more time. She couldn’t force her mind to comprehend that everyone was gone—just like that. Her skin crawled. “Let’s get out of here.”

  No one argued. They filed back down the path without a word the way they came. They didn’t stop until they passed beyond sight of the village.

  By some unspoken agreement, they formed a circle and faced each other. They glanced from one to the other. Reina broke the silence. “What are we going to do?”

  Ari shrugged. “We know enough to survive in the woods indefinitely. We should stay here and wait. They’re bound to come back sooner or later.”

  Taman chopped at the air with his hand. “I’m not staying here. I’m going to find them. We can’t stay here.”

  “We can stay here as long as we want,” Aeifa countered. “We have enough food and water and shelter here to last for years. What are you going to do? Are you going to walk back to Ursidrean territory by yourselves?”