Authors: Marie Harte
Beast
snorted once and took off in a fierce gallop, giving Hinto the brief respite of
freedom, for all that it would last.
***
“Don’t
know why you seem so surprised over a simple cookie.”
Thais
stared at the woman in shock. “What is this flavor? I have never before tasted
its like.”
Dozie
smirked. “Well, well. Guess you don’t know everything, do ya?”
Too
enthralled to take umbrage with Dozie’s attitude, Thais reached for another
cookie on her plate.
“Yeah,
I make the best molasses cookies west of the damned Divide, see if I don’t.”
Thais
nodded, willing to agree to anything if she could find a way to snag yet one
more treat. “Delicious. Even better than the honey cakes we ate at home.”
“So
you’re really from the Amazon, eh?”
Though
she hadn’t expected Hinto to keep totally silent about her origins, she hadn’t
thought he’d go so far as to share her history with everyone on the ranch.
“Don’t
go blamin’ the boy. I know things.”
“That’s
right. Dan said you did.”
“Never
wrong. Sometimes I see the past, sometimes the future.” Dozie put down the bowl
she’d been stirring and gave Thais a strange look. “You really love my boy,
don’t you?”
Squirming
inside at the thought of discussing her awkward feelings with the harsh woman,
Thais didn’t answer.
“Don’t
have to answer, I can see it. Still, it’s not right.”
“What’s
not right?” That she loved a man? That she had the nerve to care for someone
not of her tribe, or that she poached in Dozie’s domain?
“The
future, it’s cloudy…” Dozie’s brown eyes darkened to black, her pupils all but
disappearing as she concentrated on Thais. “Oh hell. Sorry, darlin’.”
Dozie
sad alarmed her more than Dozie at her most obnoxious.
“What?”
“I
don’t know everything, though it seems like I do. I see spots in time. Some
from yesteryear, some from tomorrow, like I told you. That woman you’re lookin’
for, she did some bad things, didn’t she?”
“Yes.”
“But
it wasn’t so much what she did as who she let do it. Aaron Bartel, he said his
name is, ‘cept that’s not his name.”
“No?”
No wonder she’d had such a hard time finding Aaron Bartel in the Territories. “Do
you know his name?”
The
darkness in Dozie’s gaze drew her deeper. “Nah, can’t see that. But I see
others like you, huntin’ and trackin’. The boy’s a good tracker, you know?”
“I
know. What else do you see?”
Dozie
blinked and her eyes returned to normal. “I saw enough. Plenty to last a
lifetime or two,” she muttered and turned back to her cast iron oven. “This
trip you’re takin’ to find McKenzie. You’ll find the woman there.”
“At
the ranch?”
“Yeah.
This Pilar. She once stole your mother’s spear, but your ma found it and beat
the shit outta her, right?”
Thais
stared in astonishment. “Yes.”
“And
your ma. She had a flower tattooed on her cheek like Pilar, right? But your
ma’s was more blue than purple, on account of your Goddess picking her to be
lead guardian. Right?”
“Yes,”
Thais whispered, wondering how Dozie could know such things. She’d never told
Hinto about the color of her mother’s flower, or what it meant.
“Ah,
yeah. Thais, here’s the thing you gotta know.” Dozie’s expression grew into one
Thais couldn’t read. “On this new journey o’ yours, the one tied to Hinto’s, you’re
gonna die.”
Thais
froze. Much as she wanted to credit Dozie’s warning to fanciful imaginings or
wishful thinking, the woman appeared regretful. And from what she knew of
Dozie, “regret” didn’t factor into the woman’s vocabulary. On top of the news
came a panicky thought.
“Will
Hinto die? Will something bad happen to him if he comes with me?” Her worry for
him outweighed any fear for herself.
Dozie
looked away, stirring the batter in her bowl with quick, agitated strokes. “No,
he’ll be fine, or right as he can be when it happens.”
“I
should go alone, then.”
“No,
no,” Dozie yelled and made eye contact once more. She appeared genuinely upset.
“Uh, no. He goes with you. It’s predestination, or some such as Dan’s always
sayin’. You take the boy and the others with you when you go. Mind me, now. Keep
Hinto and Wolf close. Don’t ask me stupid questions,
just listen
. Do
what you have to do, and events’ll unfold as they oughtta.”
Dozie
didn’t seem too put out about Thais’s impending death, but Thais had more questions
needing answered. “But Wolf’s not going.” At Dozie’s glare, she threw up her
hands. “Fine. I’ll keep Hinto and Wolf close.” Wolf had pledged to remain home
with Mahpee to watch over their father while Hinto saw to this mission of his
own making.
“Now
eat that last cookie you been itching to lay a finger on. I figure you earned
it, comin’ all the way out here to Shine with my boy and all.”
Thais
munched, her belly full, her mind oddly at peace. Hinto would survive this
confrontation. The possibility of his demise had worried her. “Thanks, Dozie.”
The
woman flushed and tripped all over herself to make Thais forget they’d ever had
the conversation.
But
as the day dragged on, Thais couldn’t help thinking about it.
Dozie’s never
wrong,
Dan had said. The woman knew about Pilar, that Bartel wasn’t who he
said he was. That Thais was going to die.
Strangely
enough, her regret mostly centered around the time with Hinto she’d never have.
She would miss her sisters, of course, but their paths had changed so much in
the years they’d been away from a home she no longer considered hers. Yara and
Isadora would return, try to build a life for themselves among the ruins of the
once great Amazons. With Yara’s help, they might just restore the tribe to the
greatness it once was.
Luiza’s
heart had filled with hate since the day the Territory men had come. A true
hunter, she lived for nothing so great as the kill. Despite Chow Yen’s
teachings and her sisters’ pleas for justice, not revenge, Luiza would not be
swayed. It tore Isadora apart to see her twin so angry all the time. But Thais
understood better than the others. Like Luiza, she had felt a calling to defend
the tribe. To have failed left a hole in her heart, one now filled with
affection, and even love, for a man.
Hinto
Dakota, a male who fought like an Amazon, had a warrior’s pride, honor, and
strength. One who did what was right because his integrity demanded he do so. Hinto
had no reason to seek out the McKenzies, but he’d do it to protect other
innocent lives.
And
, she told herself,
because Butch dared harm me. He’s
doing it to protect me.
After
spending the day doing much thinking, Thais had come to a heart-shattering
conclusion. She was in love with Hinto. The truth, however, didn’t set her
free, because she had little time to show him. Tonight would be the start of
something special. Something she would remember for the rest of her life—however
long or short that might be.
Chapter Eighteen
Later
that night, Hinto seemed withdrawn, burdened with his own problems Thais desperately
wanted to ease. As they said good-night to everyone and neared the stairs, she
took his hand and led him toward the front door.
“Thais?”
“I
would like to show you something.”
He
sighed. “All right. But then I need some sleep. This has been a really shitty
day.”
She
didn’t ask questions. The time would come for talk, but not now. They donned
their jackets and walked hand in hand away from the house.
“Where
are we going?” He frowned.
“Come.”
She tugged him forward along the path to where they eventually had a view of
the river, where she’d earlier laid out a blanket, an overlarge fur, and some
snacks, compliments of Dozie. The gruff woman’s turnabout in attitude toward
Thais had confounded the family, but Thais recognized guilt when she saw it. She’d
been living with the same emotion for years.
“What’s
this?” In the full moonlight overhead, Hinto’s expression glowed with surprise.
“This
is for us.”
He
blinked at the blanket and back at her. “Huh?”
Ignoring
the cold, and the fact that anyone who ventured away from the main house would
see them if they followed the familiar path, she dropped her jacket and unwound
her hair from its braid.
Hinto’s
eyes grew wider as he watched. She saw his breath pool in mist around his
mouth, his excitement noticeable. “Is this what I think it is?”
She
unbuttoned her vest and shirt and tugged off her boots and pants. Beneath the
shirt, she wore no binding to constrict her breasts. They felt heavy under his
stare, her nipples stiff not just with cold, but from arousal.
“Fuck
me,” he whispered, his gaze fastened to the juncture of her thighs.
“I
intend to.”
He
whipped his eyes to hers, speechless.
She
chuckled. “The great Hinto Dakota, scary bounty hunter, stunned by a mere
woman.”
“Nothing
mere about you, honey,” he said thickly.
When
he made a move to approach, she stopped him. “No, let me.”
Clad
only in her shirt, she surprisingly felt little of the cold. Too excited at
what she had planned, she thought.
Thais
unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it aside. Then she helped rid him of his boots
and jeans, and eventually her shirt, until they stood naked, chest to chest.
“You’re
beautiful,” he said in a hoarse voice. He cupped her breast, his callused hand
so warm. “So goddamn fine.”
Thais
didn’t speak. She pulled on his neck and leaned forward to kiss him. By turns
gentle then more demanding, she took charge of this seduction, pleased when he
let her.
Groaning
into her mouth, Hinto rubbed his very aroused body against hers, burning her
from the inside out.
She
reached down and took him in her fist, pleasuring him the way he’d taught her. The
only man to make her feel so good, and he rarely asked for anything in return.
The
beauty of the moment, of them standing under the Goddess’s watchful eye, enrapt
in love, brought tears to her eyes.
“I
want to make love to you, Hinto,” she whispered as she trailed her mouth down
his jaw to his throat. As he often did to her, she nipped him there, making a
mark. She sucked hard, pleased by his indrawn breath and the hardness with
which he gripped her waist.
“Oh
yeah.”
“Let
me love you.”
His
eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth, as if to question her choice of words. But
Thais continued to kiss him all over, moving down his body. One by one, she
took his nipples in her mouth, enthralled with the tight nubs, so similar yet
different from her own. Caressing the clear plane of his chest and downward,
kissing each cord of muscle in his abdomen, she brought out the hungry male
wanting completion.
“Thais,
honey, you’re killing me,” he rasped as he ran his fingers through her hair.
She
moved lower and settled on her knees. The ground was cold, even through the
blanket. But the heavy shaft in front of her radiated heat. Telltale fluid
beaded at his slit, and she took the precious seed into her mouth as she sucked
the head of his cock with loving attention.
He
clenched her hair tight, but not so tight as to hurt. “Yes, fuck, yes,” he
hissed as she laved him with her tongue.
The
taste of his maleness fascinated her. He tasted clean, a word she never would
have previously associated with a male. So strong, so powerful, his shaft
throbbed as she paid him attention. With her hands, she stroked his inner
thighs and cupped his firm sac, no longer soft, but hardened as he readied to
spill.
Thais
didn’t want him to come too soon. Not when she’d been waiting for this very
moment. She knew how much it meant to Hinto. And though she knew she wouldn’t
be able to give him a child to love, that she thought enough of him to allow it
would have to be enough. She refused to ruin this memory by telling him of her
impending death. He had enough to worry about with his father.
When
Thais pulled away, he groaned his disappointment.
“No,
I have something better for you,” she said as she stood.
“What
could be better than that?” he whispered and kissed her with all the pent up
passion inside him.
He
left her breathless, her knees quaking. “Lay down on the blanket,” she managed.
Hinto
grumbled but did as she ordered. His disappointment made her smile.
She
stood over him, allowing him to see what he did to her.
“You’re
so wet for me. Only for me,” he growled.