Barbarian's Prize(53)

I still, worried at my female’s reaction. “I did not do this to make you weep. I merely wanted to ensure that she would be well. That she could find it on her own. She moved swiftly and was heading in the correct direction. I am positive she will be fine.” I stroke her leg again. “Please do not cry.”

“I’m just happy.” She swipes at the tears falling from her eyes. “You’re so thoughtful. What would I do without you?”

“It does not matter, because it will not happen.”

Her smile becomes even brighter. Then she shivers and hugs her furs closer to her body. “Should we shut the doors and lock everything down? It’s getting colder by the minute.”

I get up, gently placing her foot back down on the floor. “I will do as you ask.”

She starts to get up. “I’ll help—“

“No,” I tell her, and put a firm hand on her shoulder. “You rest. I will close everything.”

“Then it’ll be just you and me,” she says, voice soft. There’s a gleam in her eyes.

And my cock gets hard again. For the first time in what feels like far too long, there will be no one but Tee-fah-nee and I.

I can hardly wait to go to sleep, my mind full of thoughts of caressing her naked body as she clings to me in the furs.

This storm might be the best thing that has ever happened to me.





Chapter Fifteen





JOSIE



Man, it is a friggin’ trek to make it to the tribal caves. I’m relieved when a familiar valley comes into sight. I’m also ready to collapse on my feet. My throat feels dry from sucking in cold lungfuls of air, and I’m sweaty from the constant jog I’ve kept up for hours. It is not easy to jog in snowshoes, but the rising wind and the snow flurries are reminders that there’s no time to spare. So jog I must.

By the time I make it to the cliffs and the yawning mouth of the main cave comes into view, I’m weaving on my feet. There’s someone digging at the base of one of the trees, no doubt for a not-potato. The person pauses at the sight of me, and then rushes forward when I trip over my own heavy feet and splat in the snow.

“Hello?” a voice calls out. “Who’s there?”

It’s Claire. She used to live with us in the South cave until she resonated to Ereven and moved back. I’d raise a hand and wave at her, but suddenly that feels like too much effort. I’m not surprised she doesn’t know it’s me – I’m so bundled up in furs that I probably look more like Chewbacca than Josie.

She runs up to my side and I sit up slowly. Her eyes widen at the sight of me. “Josie? What are you doing here?” She scans the horizon, looking for additional travelers. The wind tears at her cloak and she tugs it tighter against her body. “Where are the others?”

“It’s just me,” I pant. When she offers me a hand to get up, I take it and drag my tired body to my feet. “Big storm coming. We have to warn everyone.”

“Big storm?”

I nod. “We saw the weather on the screen at the old crashed ship. I’ll explain more inside.”



• • •





A short time later, I’m huddled near the main fire pit, swathed in warm, fresh furs. Georgie’s fussing over me, shoving a cup of hot herbal tea in my hand and getting me more sitting pillows, as if my butt can use more than one. Vektal and several of the hunters have set out to round up anyone out on the trails, and to gather some additional fire-making supplies before the blizzard sets in on us. Claire and the other human women are digging up a few more not-potatoes before they get covered by the snow, and Stacy’s watching the infants in her cave. Everyone’s busy.

“I can’t believe you’re here by yourself,” Georgie exclaims, taking my half-drank cup of tea and switching it out for a new one. Her fat, wriggling baby, Talie, is slung over her belly, attached to her by some sort of complicated long wrap that has been folded over and over her body again. She hands me a cake of not-potato and then settles in next to me. “I mean…walking all this distance by yourself? That’s crazy!”

“To be fair, it was only from the Elders’ ship to here. That’s really just a half a day.” I’m being modest, of course. I’m exhausted but I’m pretty proud of myself. Humans are considered pretty weak given that we can’t handle the elements, and we usually don’t go anywhere without an escort. Me traveling a distance alone ahead of an oncoming storm? I’m feeling downright heroic. I hum a few bars to Christina Aguilera’s Fighter, just because I can. And then a new thought occurs to me and I giggle. “Haeden’s totally going to shit himself when he hears about this, isn’t he?”