Unquiet Slumber (6 page)

Tianna expertly flung her bow over her shoulder and unsheathed a knife strapped to her thigh. “Let me prep the pig here so the blood doesn’t attract other animals to our camp.” She walked over and started to field dress the animal.

The men watched in shock, never having seen any woman so comfortable with the realities of hunting. Gabriel was the first to speak. “Let me help you.” He called over to Seth and commanded, “Get over here Seth and help. You need the practice.” Turning back to Marcus he added, “Don’t worry. I’ll play nice.”

Marcus grunted and turned to Nathaniel. Given the look in the younger man’s eyes, he needed to get him away from Tianna. “Nathaniel, you come with me to help gather our horses and supplies.”

Nathaniel protested and was about to offer Tianna assistance with stripping something other than the carcass. Seeing the look in Marcus’ eyes, he decided to keep his thoughts to himself. He hated to leave Tianna’s side but started walking back to the clearing with Marcus pushing from behind.

When Gabriel approached and stood next to Tianna, she was hit by his scent. It reminded her of fresh leather, swimming in cool waters, and fiery strength. She inhaled deeply, a smile appearing on her face. She thought that maybe it was just a one-time occurrence but that theory was dashed when Seth moved to her other side. Seth‘s scent was fresh and clean, like the smell of grass in springtime or newly sprouted plants. His scent was also pleasant, except her body didn’t react to it as strongly as the tingling from Gabriel.

She had never noticed a scent in men before. Given her body’s lack of control, she was going to have to concentrate hard to remain focused.

With Gabriel, Seth, and Tianna all working together, they had the boar prepared in record time. Gabriel had to remind Seth at a few tricky points, however, he was quite impressed with Tianna’s knife skills. “Where did you learn to use a knife like that?” he asked.

Tianna shrugged her shoulders. “My father is the village butcher, and I helped in his shop since I was very young. It seems I have a talent for it.” She spun her knife over her knuckles, smiling.

Gabriel nodded in complete agreement. “Did he teach you how to hunt as well?”

“Actually no. The men in my village don’t believe a woman should hunt. When I was young, I stole a bow and some arrows from one of the local hunters and practiced on my own out in the woods. Without their knowledge, I followed them on hunts and watched from up in the trees and slowly learned.” She added, “To this day they don’t know that I can hunt and I’d like to keep it that way.” She glared at Gabriel.

Gabriel smiled. “They won’t hear it from me or Seth. I’ll make sure my other brothers follow our lead as well.”

Tianna thanked him. The three of them wrapped up the meat they had carved from the boar and began to head back to the clearing.

On the way back to the location where the horses were tied, Gabriel and Tianna compared their bows. Gabriel found himself sharing some of the tips he had learned over the years in bow design. He was a seasoned hunter and Tianna was always eager for knowledge, so she couldn’t help but listen intently, taking mental notes on everything he said.

Seth tried to listen to his mentor, except he kept losing mental focus when he saw Tianna’s brilliant blue eyes. Gradually he moved back until he was walking behind the two archers. That angle wasn’t much better. From his new position, he was staring at Tianna’s long, braided hair and curvy figure. As the late afternoon sun peeked through the trees, it caused her hair to glisten like it was covered in silvery diamonds. He caught himself reaching out to touch it to see if it felt as soft as it looked.

After a short walk they arrived in the clearing. They all mounted their horses, which Tianna noticed were some of the largest steeds she had ever seen. Her horse was still back at her camp so she planned to walk back. When Marcus reached down and offered his hand to let her ride with him, she hesitated only for a moment before deciding to trust this stranger.

Nathaniel watched, grumbling under his breath, “Smooth move, Marcus.”

As she reached for his hand, she said, “I’ll accept the ride, but let me sit in front so I can lead the way.” Marcus agreed and pulled her up onto the horse with so much ease it was as if Tianna weighed nothing.

Marcus’ senses were hit by her sweet, earthy scent, and he felt almost dizzy.

She also noticed his pleasing scent, which reminded her of new books and crisp evening breezes. Without even realizing it, she found that she had leaned back in the saddle against Marcus’ chest. She was drawn to the heat radiating from him and his naturally calming presence. Once she realized this, she quickly sat forward. She thought she heard a low chuckle from Marcus and decided to focus all of her attention on getting to her camp.

Tianna confidently led the way, and they arrived in just a few minutes. Gabriel pointed out to Seth that her choice of location for a camp was excellent. It was easily defensible and close to water. Once again he was pleasantly surprised by this unusual woman.

“Gentlemen, welcome to my camp. Make yourself at home.” Tianna pointed to a small make-shift paddock she had her horse in. “You can put your horses over there.”

Marcus helped her dismount and walked his horse over to the paddock. Everyone took their saddles off and unloaded their supplies.

“Okay boys,” Marcus announced to Gabriel and Nathaniel, “You get to cook tonight.” The cooks started a fire and began to cut up the meat, inevitably starting a competition over silly things like who could cut and chop faster.

Tianna noticed that all the men, especially Nathaniel, couldn’t seem to help glancing at her outfit, especially where her bare skin peeked through. She decided it would be best if she changed out of her hunting clothes. She had designed the clothes with functionality in mind and hadn’t planned on being seen in them by anyone. She also noticed that she had blood splattered all over herself.

Tianna announced, “Since I get the night off from cooking, I’m going to walk over to the river and get cleaned up.”

Without missing a beat, Nathaniel jumped up and offered to go with her to ‘keep her safe’ and assist in her bathing task.

Gabriel interrupted Nathaniel by punching him in the shoulder. “Although I apologize for Nathaniel’s, well, everything, he’s right. The sun has gone down now, and I don’t think you should go to the river alone.” For some reason, he found himself feeling very protective of her and wanted to keep her safe.

Tianna sighed. “I thank you for your concern but, since I was little, I’ve spent many nights in these woods alone. These trees are my family. Besides, I’m not going unprotected.” As she spoke she reached behind her head to move her hair out of the way, pulling something up and out.

To the shock of the entire group, she produced a thin knife that resembled a short sword. It hung about half-way down her back and was hidden in a sheath sewn into her shirt. It had been completely camouflaged by her long hair. “I never leave home without it,” she said with a huge grin, obviously pleased with the effect of her surprise.

Gabriel acknowledged her respectfully, saying, “Impressive.”

“Oooo. If I had known you liked something long and hard rubbing your back—”

Before the sentence could be finished, Marcus roared, “Nathaniel!”

Nathaniel glanced at Marcus and shrugged his shoulders. “Just wanted to offer.”

Tianna wasn’t sure how to take Nathaniel’s comments. She had to deal with unkind stares and veiled threats daily in her village, but she had no experience with flirtation. She asked no one in particular, “Is he always like this?”

Marcus, Gabriel, and Seth responded in unison like they were a practiced chorus, “Yes.”

Tianna chuckled, which eased the tension that had sprung up in the men. “Thanks for defending my honor, but I think I can handle Nathaniel.” She turned and stared directly into Nathaniel’s eyes, holding his gaze for a moment. She felt the now familiar warmth begin to roll through her body. With a little concentration, she pushed it aside and said, “Thank you for the offer, but I’ll have to graciously decline.”

This was driving Nathaniel crazy. Women never turned him down. Her scent was definitely human and he knew he should keep his distance, but his dragon had other plans and desperately wanted to be closer to her. Both he and his inner dragon were determined to find a way to attract this woman.

Tianna walked out of the camp saying, “I’ll be back shortly.” As she left, she heard a loud thud. She turned to see Nathaniel sitting on the ground with a lecturing Marcus standing over him. She smiled to herself, realizing that she felt very safe in her newfound campmates.

Gabriel didn’t like her leaving alone, but accepted it, so he continued to help prepare the meal. He turned to his fellow cook and said, “Give it up Nathaniel. I think you’ve finally met your match. It’ll take more than wielding your magic to win this one over.”

“I don’t give up that easily,” he said with a look of pure determination, brushing himself off and getting back to work.

“You don’t have to give up, but you will keep a civil tongue. We’re civilized folk, perhaps you should act like it.” Marcus was infuriated and ashamed of Nathaniel’s behavior.

The jingle of harnesses reminded them that the impressionable Seth was listening, and Nathaniel muttered an apology to Marcus.

While cooking, both he and Gabriel resembled prairie dogs, standing up periodically to look toward the river before crouching back to the fire. The river was just far enough away they couldn’t hear her, but they could see her shape in the moonlight.

After popping up yet again, Nathaniel exclaimed, “I missed it! She’s in the water.”

Gabriel stood up quickly also, but unlike the younger Draak he was actually making sure that she was still there and not in danger.

Marcus was disgusted. “Would the two of you leave Tianna in peace and focus on our meal, please?”

Nathaniel turned to Marcus and said, “Don’t tell me that you’re not curious about her.” He stared back toward the river. “I just want to find out if she’s hiding anything else in any other ‘interesting’ locations. I’d love to do a treasure hunt.” A devilish grin appeared on his face.

Everyone shook their heads in resignation and went back to work.

Tianna, while bathing in the river, pondered on the men she just met. She was confused because, unlike the men in her village, they didn’t fear her or stare at her. The one named Nathaniel said naughty things, but she didn’t mind. Although she had seen many men tease women in the village, this was first time it was ever directed at her. She knew it was inappropriate and part of her said that she needed to keep her distance, but another part liked this new feeling. For the first time a man found her interesting enough to tease and it made her almost giddy inside.

When she stopped to analyze what it was about Nathaniel that attracted her, it wasn’t his good looks surprisingly. There was something else about him that she couldn’t put a finger on, but it was definitely there. Given her body’s reaction, she knew she wasn’t prepared for someone so obviously experienced with women. She needed to keep a safe distance. She shrugged her shoulders, smiled, and concentrated on her bath.

Back at the camp, Seth returned from the paddock and asked, “Has anyone else noticed Tianna’s scent?”

They all responded together with a “Yes,” and grinned at the unison.

“I know what it reminds me of,” Seth said while everyone turned to look at him. “It reminds me of home.” There was a silent pause, and everyone’s gaze went blank as if they were reflecting on something.