Barbarian's Prize(29)
I feel the tension prickling at the back of my neck. “I’m good, but thank you, Hassen.”
“You must let me take care of you,” he insists. He gets up and moves toward me. “It is my duty as a strong male of the tribe.”
“Really, I’m fine,” I protest, mentally willing myself not to flinch away as he approaches. I keep smiling, but it’s getting difficult to remain cheerful. He’s persistent. All of them are.
As if my thoughts have summoned them, Vaza and Taushen arrive in the main cave. “I thought I heard Ti-fa-ni’s sweet voice,” Taushen calls. “May I feed you, beautiful human?”
I hear Aehako snort under his breath. I know they’re being ridiculous. They’re also pushy and I seem to freeze up whenever they start to insist.
“I am the elder,” Vaza protests. “It is my job to feed Tafnee.”
“I’ve already eaten, but I’m sure the rest of the cave would be glad for food,” I say.
They look at me as if I’ve grown another head.
“They do not want to mate the rest of the tribe,” Aehako murmurs. “A hunter feeds his mate first and foremost.”
“Yes but I don’t have a mate,” I say tightly. I force myself to stare at one of the root-cakes Kira’s grilling as if it’s the most fascinating thing on earth. There’s too many eyes on me at the moment.
“I think they noticed that,” Aehako teases. He jiggles the baby on his lap and then looks up at the hovering hunters. “There is no hunting today. The elders are moving back to the main cave and we will help them prepare their goods for travel. There is much dried meat to send back, as well, and furs. I will need strong bodies to help. The hunt can wait for tomorrow.”
“Then we shall spend the day around Tafnee,” Vaza declares. “It will be a good day.”
A good day for everyone but ’Tafnee’ it seems. I swallow back my sigh. So much for sneaking away with Salukh.
• • •
The day seems to last forever, and by the time I head for my cave that night, I feel as if I’ve been pecked to death by a horde of well-meaning suitors. Everywhere I turned, someone was there to offer to carry something, to fetch me something to eat, to get me a fur wrap in case I was cold. It’s enough to make a girl crazy. Even Asha, the grumpiest woman ever, is casting me sympathetic looks.
The moment I lie down, though, I can’t sleep. My mind is racing and I’m uneasy. The competition Josie has been making the men run around in has a negative side effect; they’re getting more proprietary of me. As I ate dinner, I was flanked by both Vaza and Taushen. Bek frowned every time another man talked to me, even Aehako. They’ve been giving me more room and the last week has been wonderful, but now I’m starting to worry what I’ve bought into.
I knew the competition was a bad idea all along, but I’ve been so low on options. My hands clench in my furs and I turn over repeatedly.
Josie mumbles in her furs, then slaps one of her furry pillows over her ear. “You’re driving me crazy, Tiff. Just go get your snuggle bunny already. I need to sleep.” She pulls the blankets higher over her head until she looks like nothing but a fur caterpillar.
I consider her words. I missed Salukh today, weirdly enough. He was around, but he was busy helping the others move their gear, lashing cords and packing sleds. And of course, my suitors were hanging all over me, so he didn’t venture too near. Every time I looked up, though, he was watching me with that intense gaze. As if he was allowing them to fawn over me but he would step in if things got out of hand.
As if I were his.
A delicious shiver moves through me at the thought. I sit up and peek over at Josie’s nest of blankets. She’s just a small lump in the darkness, her pallet set across the cave from mine. I could sneak Salukh in and he could hold me while I sleep. It’s a selfish thought, but…somehow I think he’d be fine with it.
I slide out of my blankets and pick up my fur cloak. My long, threadbare cotton sleep shirt is the only thing I have left from before, back on Earth. There are holes along the collar and the sleeves, patches in several places, and my panties are long gone, but I still wear the shirt to sleep in. Maybe it’s a bad idea because of old memories, but I can’t bring myself to part with it. It’s practically indecent now, but feels good against my skin. I wrap the cloak around my body and move to the mouth of the cave, peeking over the leather privacy screen that acts as a door.
The central community fire has burned low, and it’s quiet out in the main cavern. It’s late and Salukh has probably already gone to sleep. I should turn around and head back to my own furs and try to rest.