Tykota's Woman(70)

She smiled. "You seem very adept with it, making me think you have done this many times before."

He tilted her chin, straightening her hair and replacing the snood. "Not like tonight, Makinna. Never like this."

"I know." And, somehow, she did.

He ducked his head so he could see her face in the pale moonlight filtering into the room. "You do know I will never do this with another woman?"

"I... do not know."

"I could never touch another woman after tonight. I would not even want to. You are all I will ever need or want."

"Don't make that promise, Tykota." Makinna laid her head against his shoulder, knowing that these were the last few moments they would ever have. "I won't hold you to it."

Something squeezed painfully at his heart, and a fierce sense of ownership surged inside him. She belonged to him now. "My love for you will never change, beloved." He turned her head so he could look into those blue, blue eyes. "Never doubt that."

Oh, why did it have to be this way? she cried inside, wishing she could hold on to this moment until the end of time.





It seemed like a lifetime ago that Tykota and Makinna had first entered the barn, and yet they could still hear the sound of music and laughter. The party was young yet. It was just that the two of them had changed.

Tykota was silent as he finished hooking Makinna's gown. He bent to kiss the back of her neck, then turned her to face him.

"You belong to me now."

She did not bother to deny it. "Yes. I will always belong to you."

He touched her face, his gaze soft as he looked at each feature. "My heart will never belong to another."

"I know."

His arms tightened around her, and he held her fiercely to him. "I do not want to spend one day that I cannot see your face. We must be together. I will need to leave my tribe."

She slipped out of his arms and away from him. What she had to do was going to take all her strength and courage. "I want you to do something for me."

He took a step toward her, but she held up a hand. "Promise."

"Anything."

"I want you to go back to your tribe."

"Why?"

"If you remain there, for one month, it will give us both time to think. We can consider our lives and what we want. If, at the end of that month, you still feel the same way about me, then we will talk about what we are going to do."

"I do not need a month. I know I want you more than I want my own life."

"I feel the same way. But you must do this. For me."

"Do not ask this of me!"

"But I do ask it of you."

He lifted her chin. "Do not send me away like this." His gaze softened, and he spoke in his own language. "Tutha mecata yethoa."

"What did you say?" She touched his face, her fingers sliding along his strong jaw.

"It translates to something like, If love is true, it will find a way."

She lay her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes to keep from crying. "I will not have you torn between love and duty. We must both be very sure of what we want. If we are meant to be together, one month is not so long when measured against a lifetime."

His dark gaze settled on her lips. "Even now, I want to take you back to the cot and make love to you."

Makinna stepped away from him, because his tone was so loving, and because she wanted the same thing. "You must go now, tonight."

Tykota took her arm and brought her to him. "If this is your wish, if this is some test I must pass before you will know how deeply I love you, I will do it."

"Perhaps it is a test. I'm not sure."

He dipped his head, and his mouth settled on hers, stirring her desire anew. "I will see you in one month. Then we shall never be parted again."

He turned to leave her, and she called out to him. "Tykota! Always remember that someone loves you-will always love you and wish you well."

Tykota paused and turned back to her. "That sounds very much like a final good-bye."

Makinna laughed, trying to sound lighthearted when her heart was breaking. "It is good-bye for now."

"You could come back to the valley with me, Makinna."

"No. You know I can't."

She gazed into his ebony eyes and saw what looked like tears. But how could that be? A man such as Tykota did not cry over a woman. Still, she saw that his throat was working, and he gazed upward, as if seeking control over his emotions.

"Makinna, why do I get the feeling that I am never going to see you again?"

She smiled and shook her head as tears spilled down her cheeks. "Until I touch you again, I will see you in my dreams."

He walked away from her, and she heard him mount his horse and ride away. She listened until she could no longer hear him.