Savage One: Born Wild Book Two

by Augustine, Donna

  We sat around, the guys talking about how they were going to repair this or that at the lodge. By the time a couple of flakes fell, I was happy to get into the tent alone. Nothing else to do, and being snowed on wasn’t high on my list.

  * * *

  An hour later and I was shivering. I grabbed my bag, pulling out the extra clothes I’d packed. I piled them on top of me for whatever warmth I could get from them.

  Ten minutes later, Callon climbed into the tent. He knelt in front of me and opened his jacket, as if he were going to undress.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, all too calmly, considering he was about to strip. I should’ve been screaming, not staring intently and waiting.

  “Your teeth hammering into each other while you’re shivering is hard to sleep through.”

  He left his jacket on as he unbuttoned his shirt until that was hanging open too. I waited to see if he’d go for his pants. He didn’t. He settled down on the ground beside me and tugged me into his chest, sharing the heat that effortlessly radiated from him.

  “Thanks.” I didn’t try to fight him or pull back. I was too stunned to do anything, because when he’d entered the tent, for a moment, I’d thought he’d come for an entirely different reason.

  I wasn’t stunned because I’d been scared. I was stunned because as I lay there now, the only thing I felt was disappointment.

  There’d been a time in my life when I’d never wanted to look upon another man, be near one, have them touch me. Now, I was swallowed up in disappointment so thick an ax wouldn’t have been able to chop through it.

  How had this happened? When had I started wanting him like that? And why? Why the fuck did I want Callon and how did I make it stop?

  Seven

  I woke up from the best sleep that anyone could have. It was as if I couldn’t have crammed one more second of sleep out of my body if I’d tried. Sleeping next to Callon was like having a fireplace beside you that cranked out heat and sprouted fangs. I sat up and stretched out my arms, muscles singing with the invigoration of being fully fueled. It was made that much better by Callon having already vacated the tent. I didn’t have to worry about stepping over his body while trying to ignore him at the same time.

  I made my way out of the tent, smiled at Koz, who was drinking coffee, and headed toward the sound of running water.

  “She’s on the move,” Koz said to someone unseen.

  The sun was shining, there were birds chirping, and my sleep tank was full. Today was going so well that I didn’t mind when Callon fell in behind me as I made my way to the stream.

  I dropped my bag at the edge of the water. “Giving you fair warning: I need to wash, and I’m not getting my shirt and jacket wet. Watch on if you must.” Watch on? What was with the words coming out of my mouth? Was I insane? I was keeping my back to him. It wasn’t as if I’d sent him an engraved invitation.

  I shed my jacket and shirt, and then peeked over my shoulder. His back was to me. I’d told him he could watch and he was looking the other way. I went back to my business, not annoyed that he had no interest. I definitely wasn’t annoyed. I refused to be annoyed. I didn’t need him to want me too. Nope. Whatever I felt last night was idiocy and shouldn’t be encouraged to take root.

  Callon cleared his throat. “When we get there, we need to tell them you’re with me.”

  “What do you mean tell them? I am with you.” I splashed water over my face then shivered with the cold.

  “He means ‘with’ as in a man-and-wife-type deal,” Zink said.

  I was grabbing my shirt as I heard a growl behind me.

  “I’m not looking at her,” Zink said under his breath.

  “You can fill those after she’s done,” Callon replied.

  Which was right now. My shirt was sticking to me, but I was dressed, putting on my jacket as I turned around. Zink was walking away with water canteens.

  “It’s fine. I’m done.” I pulled my jacket closer and started back to the camp. Callon stayed behind with Zink. Koz and Hess were pulling pieces of meat off a stick.

  They held it out to me, and I grabbed a chunk.

  “Why do I—”

  “Have to pretend you’re with Callon?” Hess said. “These people don’t believe in females traveling on their own. If they do find one alone, they consider them fair game.”

  Their hearing could be so irritating. Not just a mild chafing of the skin type, more like someone was pricking you with a pointy needle in the same spot for days.

  “Fair game? I don’t think so.” Let them try to game me and see what happened. It’d be a fair outcome, too.

  Koz dropped his head. “We need these people right now. We get information about who is passing through the area. We don’t comment on their beliefs.”

  Hess seemed to have lost interest in the conversation. His head was tilted in the direction of the stream when he started laughing. Koz chimed in almost instantly.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked.

  “Nothing,” Hess said.

  Koz shrugged.

  * * *

  The place didn’t have a wall so much as a ring of stakes, twenty feet high and all pointing outward. Obviously, they were meant to keep people out, but even more so, beasts. Did they think the creatures were so stupid as to impale themselves?

  I glanced at Callon as we approached. “I’m guessing they don’t know their allies very well?”

  “That would be a misstep on their part,” he replied, smiling as he looked ahead.

  A spot in the spiked wall swung open as we approached.

  “You need to pretend to be civil even if you don’t like them. Can you do that?” Callon asked.

  “Little late to ask, isn’t it?” I kept walking. I’d been stuck to Baryn’s side for years as visitors came and went. I knew how to fake it with the best of them. I’d seen hundreds of people fake it.

  There were buildings scattered about, a combination of salvaged structures from the Glory Years combined with newer constructions of all wood. A large brick building was in the center, anchoring the village.

  People were moving about in the late afternoon sun, slowing down to take a peek at us. First they’d look at Callon, then they’d shift their gazes to the other guys. Eventually, their eyes would settle on me and stay there. They didn’t know what I could do, but it didn’t matter. I looked different. My hair was unnaturally blond, as if some of the deaths I’d seen had worn off on me and bleached it to a ghostly color. I might’ve stared at me too. It was understandable, but there was one thing I hated almost as much as being trapped. It was being seen.

  I slowed my pace, using Callon’s large frame as a partial block from prying eyes. Zink stepped closer, crowding me in on the other side. I couldn’t imagine he was doing it to be nice. He probably wanted to make sure I went where I was supposed to.

  The stares switched gears as a huge beast of a man walked forward. He wore a long fur vest, but his arms were exposed. A black beard hung a foot long. Most of the visible skin on him was covered with black line tattoos, as if his entire body had been sketched upon, including his bald head.

  “Rex,” Callon said, reaching a hand out to him.

  “Callon,” Rex said, returning his greeting.

  There weren’t many men that matched Callon’s size, but Rex was eye to eye with him. The poor guy had the swagger of someone who thought he could best any man he met. He probably thought he had a shot at besting Callon, just like he thought the beasts would impale themselves on his wooden stakes.

  “You know my men,” Callon said. There were some more hellos and nods of acknowledgement.

  I kept as much distance as I could, trying to stay far enough away to keep from triggering a vision. That wasn’t going to be, as Callon turned around, wrapped his arm around my waist, and towed me forward into death-vision range.

  I braced myself for the man’s death, locking down my features and blanking out my expression.

  He was lying on the gro
und, an ax sticking out of his skull, blood seeping around it, his eyes dull, his mouth slack. His beard had gone partially grey.

  Not the worst death ever. It looked quick. And he appeared to have quite a few years ahead of him before death came calling.

  “This is my woman, Teddy,” Callon said.

  Rex looked me over but didn’t address me. He turned back to Callon. “She’s handsome. Let me know if you ever tire of her.”

  “I don’t see that happening.” Callon gave my waist a squeeze.

  Rex shrugged it off.

  I hated the guy. I hadn’t crawled through mud and escaped hell to be treated like cattle. Then again, I had survived hell. Did I really care if this man thought he was above me? Callon used him for information. Right now, we needed that more than I needed to kick him in the gut. Rex was probably doing me a favor. Speaking to him might’ve been painful.

  Callon tugged me backward. A hand on the back of my jacket pulled me the rest of the way until I was beside Koz. I gave him a narrowed eye, making it clear that I knew the Magician wasn’t the only reason Koz hadn’t wanted Tuesday to come.

  He smiled and threw his hands up.

  So much for shaming him. It was hard to continue trying when it had been a smart move on Koz’s part. Tuesday was worse at holding her tongue than anyone, and the affliction had only been getting worse now that she lived somewhere she felt safe.

  “We have another visitor here. Dax arrived just an hour earlier and will be joining us for dinner,” Rex said.

  “What a nice surprise,” Callon said.

  I’d heard that name in passing before, and more than once. The only surprise here was how good a liar Callon was.

  “My wife Zaza will show you to your rooms. I’ll let you get cleaned up before the feast tonight.” Rex waved his hand forward, and a woman who’d been lingering some ways behind stepped forward.

  “Thank you,” Callon said, nodding toward Rex.

  Zaza had sleek black hair that fell to her waist and soft almond eyes that looked kind. I liked her immediately, and it sucked that she’d die in childbirth, her skin pale enough to make me wonder if death was already creeping up on her. From the slight rounding of her belly, and the youth of her face in my vision, it wouldn’t be long before her time came.

  “Come this way,” she said. She smiled shyly, but my brain couldn’t stop transposing the agony from the vision over her happy expression. I’d have to warn her somehow before I left, if I could think of a way. Although was it something that could be avoided? Whatever medical technology they’d had during the Glory Years had almost completely disappeared.

  Zaza weaved us through some buildings and then pointed to two small cottages built of stone, which couldn’t have had more than a single room each.

  “Your men will stay in that one,” she said, pointing to her left.

  Hess, Zink, and Koz didn’t waste any time ditching us to go to their place.

  She moved forward to the next small house. “You and your woman can stay in this one.” She paused in front of me. “If you’ll permit me, I’ll lend you something to wear to dinner?”

  She was still smiling but made a point of looking at my legs, which were currently encased in my favorite leathers. They were a tad filthy, but I was planning on cleaning up before dinner. She didn’t think I’d show up dirty, did she? Or maybe that wasn’t the problem. I glanced around at the other women walking around and realized not a single one had pants on. Oh, this was just rich. I wasn’t allowed to wear pants to dinner.

  Callon “accidentally” bumped into me. I let out a sigh. Bigger problems. I had much bigger issues than what I wore to dinner.

  “I’d be grateful, thank you,” I said, my voice not sounding like my own as I mimicked the tones I’d heard so often when visitors would grovel to Baryn.

  “Of course.” She nodded and walked away.

  The second she was out of earshot, I turned to Callon. “Why didn’t you warn me?”

  “Would it have made a difference?”

  “No, but I like to know what I’m walking into. I spent my life not knowing what was going to come at me so when I can know, I want to know.”

  “Hate to break it to you, but you never know what’s coming at you. Doesn’t matter where or who you are. That’s life.”

  “But you did know this one, so in the future, if you know, tell me.”

  “Fine. In the future, I will tell you every minutia,” he said, but he’d stopped looking at me. His attention had shifted to across the way.

  A dark-haired man approached. He was a beast. Now that I’d lived with several, I’d never be fooled by one again. There was a smoothness to their movements, like they’d never fall or stumble. A depth to their stare, as if they saw so much more than the man walking beside them. Everything screamed predator. It was amazing they passed as human at all. No wonder I felt safer beside Callon.

  The man stopped in front of us, and I was proven correct. Couldn’t pick up a death vision on him.

  “Glad to see you, Dax.” Callon reached out and gave the man a half hug. That half hug was more than I’d seen him give anyone else, ever. I didn’t think he liked anyone enough to do that.

  “It’s been too long.” Dax’s eyes finally shifted to me but didn’t linger the way some did. I liked anyone who didn’t stare. That was a top quality in my book.

  “Teddy, this is Dax.”

  Dax gave me a slight smile and a nod, which I returned. That was it. He didn’t try to touch me or reach out his hand. I liked him even more.

  “Glad you got my message in time,” Callon said softly.

  “Glad you sent it. You’re doing me a favor. It might be our only shot.”

  Callon nodded. “How many you bring?”

  “Another ten a few miles south of here. If we can’t get this done with fifteen of us, we’re not getting it done. How’d you manage to get a meeting? He’s very elusive.”

  Callon was looking off to the side when he said, “We’ll talk more after dinner. We’ve got company coming, and I don’t trust anyone in this camp.”

  “If you did, you’d be an idiot.” Dax nodded in our direction before walking away.

  There was a large tub on wheels being dragged in our direction by a man, steaming water sloshing as it went. Two women followed behind it, both with hands full of clothing.

  The man nodded as he rolled the tub past us and into the building we were staying in.

  “I think that’s for you,” Callon said, as the women followed him, smiling at us as they passed.

  “What? Why are they bringing that? I don’t need it.” I followed them into the room, which had a large, opulent bed in the center covered in jewel-toned fabrics and fur pelts. On another day, I might’ve run over and leapt into the center of it. Today I didn’t care, because there were people here I feared were going to try to bathe me.

  The man who’d been pulling the tub left, and the women were laying things out on the bed. Without saying a word, they walked back to me and pulled my jacket off.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, trying to yank my arms away from them, but too late.

  “Helping you with your bath,” the older one said.

  “I don’t need help. I don’t need that, either,” I said, pointing to the tub. “I’ll go to the nearest stream.”

  “Women aren’t permitted to bathe at the stream. They might be seen.” The two women, both a bit matronly, ignored me as they tugged at the hem of my shirt.

  Callon had his bag slung over his shoulder. “I’m going to the stream. I’ll be back shortly.”

  I wanted to argue, but my shirt was about to get ripped from me, making it difficult.

  Eight

  I was sitting on the bed in a dress made of panels of leather, held together with cords on the sides. That wouldn’t have been so bad if there wasn’t enough slack that they gaped a palm wide from shoulder to ankle on each side. Every curve I had was on display. As it was, I was afraid to raise my ar
ms because of the sides of my breasts.

  I’d gladly taken the shoes. With leather all the way up and over my knee, at least my calves would be warm.

  When the door opened and Callon walked in, I had to force my chin up. I’d fought with him to treat me as an equal, and now I was trussed up like a stuffed chicken. The only thing that made it not as painful was that he seemed to be having a hard time looking at me. He probably wanted to laugh, and I didn’t blame him. If Tuesday was in this getup, I would’ve been howling until my stomach cramped.

  Callon, on the other hand, was still dressed in his sweater and leathers.

  “Why didn’t you get a ridiculous outfit? How come you can go like that and I have to dress like this? Do they not know it’s cold out there?”

  “This is what most of the men around here wear.” He dropped his bag on a table near the door and rifled through it like he was overdue for inventory and we didn’t have major issues afoot.

  The more he didn’t want to look at how bad my ensemble was, the more I wanted to show him. He was going to have to see sense here. There was a limit to getting along, and I’d reached mine. I would’ve put my clothes back on already, but they’d stolen them while I was bathing, with some bull about cleaning everything.

  “Do you see me?” I got up from the bed, standing so he’d have to look at me once he turned around.

  “They keep it warm in the main house, and it’s only dinner,” he said, still not looking at me.

  “So you think the spectacle they’re making of me is good?” I said. “I look ridiculous. I don’t look like a killer. I look like a doll or something.” I tracked him across the room. “Callon, look at me!”

  He turned, and I lifted my arms, showing him how I was falling out of the sides.

  He froze, taking me in from my shoulders all the way down to the boots.

  His eyes flared red. “Where are your clothes?”

  “They took them.” Good. He finally got it.