Chapter Ten
Call of the Wolf
Jonathan had never told anyone about killing the Afghani boy. River’s attempt to ease his conscience only intensified the shame and guilt he wore like a second skin; until she kissed him.
They’d been making out for nearly an hour so he was already turned on. But a sudden, almost violent, surge of desire hit him like a tsunami, obliterating everything but her.
Jonathan had never wanted any woman as much as he wanted River. She stirred something primal deep inside his gut. His groan of pleasure sounded more like a growl. A weird desire to bite her neck startled Jonathan out of his lust induced trance. He broke the kiss then ran his fingers through her hair, sweeping it over her shoulder.
River closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side, exposing the honey gold skin of her throat. Was she reading his mind?
Jonathan tried to maintain a semblance of civility and kissed her jaw instead of biting her. But when he drank in her scent—clean and slightly spicy, like snow covered pine—his desire to taste her skin grew until it consumed him. His lips parted instinctively and pulled her skin against his teeth. She tasted even better than she smelled.
Jonathan had marked more than his fair share of girls in high school, leaving love bites that most of them wore like badges of honor.
Frankie had been disgusted by Jonathan’s behavior and referred to the evidence of his conquests as “the mark of the beast.”
Jonathan didn’t want to mark River’s skin with a hickey. He wanted to bite her. What was wrong with him? He wasn’t some freakin’ vampire.
River trembled in his arms.
He wove his fingers even deeper into her hair, holding her still as he sucked harder. But it wasn’t enough. He skimmed his lips down her throat to the tender skin where her shoulder joined her neck, parted his teeth, and bit her.
The rusty taste of her blood broke the spell. Jonathan pulled away and gasped when he saw the drops of blood beading twin crescents on River’s skin. He grabbed his shirt up off the floor and blotted her neck with it. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
Franklin was right. Jonathan was an animal. Only a despicable beast would bite someone.
He expected River to cry or slap him or scream at him. She didn’t.
She climbed onto her knees, placed one hand on his shoulder and fisted the hair on the back of his head with the other. She straddled his hips, pulled his head to the side and bit him back.
Pain lanced his neck, but he didn’t fight her. How could he, after what he’d just done?
She licked the bite, soothing the hurt, then grabbed his face with both hands and smashed her mouth against his.
Jonathan didn’t remember lying down, but they were definitely horizontal and River was definitely in charge. She was also topless. Either she wasn’t as inexperienced as she’d claimed or she was a damn fast learner. What the hell did they use for birth control?
That stray thought froze Jonathan mid-kiss, but when his mouth quit moving, River just kissed a trail down his neck.
She paused to lick the bite mark, then continued to work her way lower, to his bare chest.
“River, sweetheart…we need to slow down.” At least they both still had their pants on.
She responded to his request with a whimper.
Something primal inside Jonathan growled and demanded that he take River, right here, right now. He wanted to roll on top of her and…No! River is not ready for this.
Jonathan grasped one of River’s wandering hands and brought it to his face. He kissed her palm. “I mean it, River. We need to stop. Now.”
River rolled onto her back, exhaled loudly and stared at the ceiling.
Jonathan didn’t want her to think he wasn’t enjoying making out with her, or worse, rejecting her. He traced the upper edge of her tattoo with his finger. “What’s the significance of this?”
River covered his hand with hers and pressed it against the mark. She hesitated before answering. “The bow and arrow represents my grandfather, my mother’s father. The wolf is my father’s symbol. That’s why it’s in front of the bow and arrow.”
“Does everyone have them?” Jonathan propped himself up on his elbow. He’d noticed similar tattoos on Eli, Gabriel and Reuben.
“No.”
When she didn’t elaborate, Jonathan kissed her forehead. “It’s okay.”
River peeked at him from under her lashes. “Thank you for not mating with me.”
“I know the proper response is ‘you’re welcome’ but I’m just not feeling it.” Jonathan wiggled his eyebrows at her.
She covered her face with both hands and giggled.
Jonathan found her shirt on the floor and used superhuman self-control to hand it to her without sneaking another peek. He put his on as well. “What happens if you get pregnant?”
River’s eyes grew wide and filled with tears.
Jonathan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “What’s wrong?”
She sat up and started counting on her fingers. “Oh no. No. No. No! This can’t be happening.” Her voice increased in pitch and volume with each exclamation.
“What can’t be happening? What are you talking about?” He ran his hand through his hair then climbed out of bed and paced the length of the hut. He fisted his hand then opened it, splaying his fingers. If River went home and told Reuben that Jonathan had felt her up; how many fingers would he take? Or would he cut off his entire hand?
River squared her shoulders, but tears streamed down her face. “I won’t let them punish you. I’ll tell everyone the baby is Eli’s…”
Jonathan froze then blinked and shook his head. “What baby?”
“The baby we just conceived.” River buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
Jonathan knelt in front of her and tried to pry her hands loose, but they might as well have been super-glued to her face. He cupped the back of her head and pulled her cheek next to his. “Sweetheart, there’s no way you and I made a baby. It’s just not possible.”
River leaned back and slid her hands to her stomach. “You mean…you didn’t spill your seed?”
“What?” Understanding hit Jonathan like a slap across the face. “No! Of course not!”
He gripped her chin between his thumb and fingers and forced her to meet his gaze. “We did not do anything that could possibly get you pregnant. Even if I had…um…you know…”
“Spilled your seed?”
“What makes you think that would have gotten you pregnant? We’re both wearing leather pants. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
“It’s common knowledge, Jonathan.”
He wanted to laugh, but if she really believed she could get pregnant without actually having sex, it wasn’t funny. Not at all. No wonder she was afraid of kissing.
“River, sweetheart, you know how animals get pregnant, right?”
“Of course. I help Reuben control the horses when it’s time to breed them.”
“So, you realize that in order for it to work, the stallion has to—”
“I know how mating works. I’m not an idiot.” River sniffed and wiped her eyes with her fingertips. “I know the best way for people to conceive is by coupling. But I’m in the middle of my most fertile time. And outsiders are ten times more fertile than our men. If you spilled your seed on me, I could still get pregnant.”
Jonathan sat on the bed and draped his left arm over her shoulders. “River, that’s impossible. The only way for me to get you pregnant is for me to…um…spill my seed…inside you.”
She shook her head, tickling his neck with her hair. “A councilman’s daughter conceived a child with Eli and all they did was kiss.”
Jonathan smiled and rolled his eyes. “I can guarantee you they did a hell of a lot more than just kiss. Whoa. Hold on a minute. Eli has a kid?”
Jonathan had always suspected Eli was a pig, but this confirmed it. “What happened
to the girl and her baby?”
Jonathan was willing to bet Eli was not supporting them.
“I don’t know what happened to the girl. I don’t even know which councilman is her father, but he was able to keep the trial very private. I wouldn’t have known about it at all if I hadn’t overheard Reuben and Hannah talking about it."
“And the baby?"
The council auctioned him off to the highest bidder.”
“What! You can’t sell children!” Was there no end to the depravity of this society?
“The boy is a treasure to his adopted father. He’s also spoiled rotten.” River’s lips curled into an I-know-a-secret smile.
“What about his adopted mother?”
River’s smile disappeared. “She died.”
“I’m sorry.” Jonathan cocked his head to the side. Paul was adopted. Reuben was a single dad. It had to be more than a coincidence. “Is Paul Eli’s son?”
“Eli fathered him, but he’s Reuben's son.”
Jonathan was glad that Reuben had adopted Paul, but that didn’t change the fact that he’d been sold at auction, like a slave. What if the highest bidder had been a pedophile? Jonathan’s stomach churned.
It went against everything he believed in to learn of such evil and do nothing about it.
“What’d they do to Eli?”
“Nothing.” River scooted a little closer to Jonathan and nuzzled his neck. “The girl testified that Eli didn’t know she was betrothed to another when she kissed him.”
“They believed that?”
“All I know is that the council advised Eli to make better use of the whores and servants already available to him and to stay away from the daughters of councilmen until he was ready to choose his mates.”
“So, basically, he got away with it. Why am I not surprised?” Jonathan squinted his eyes shut. “Wait a minute. Did you say ‘mates’…as in…more than one?”
“Fertile men with good bloodlines are expected to take at least two mates.”
“So, this is a polygamist cult. Great.”
River leaned back and furrowed her brow. “You don’t know anything about our society or why we do the things we do. We are not a cult.”
“You keep saying that, but it doesn’t change the facts.”
River twisted sideways, angling her shoulders away from Jonathan.
When was he going to learn to keep his opinions to himself? The army had done a pretty good job of breaking Jonathan’s habit of blurting out whatever was on his mind, but he still slipped up.
“I’m sorry.” Jonathan stroked River’s hair. He didn’t know if it comforted her, but it definitely had a calming effect on him. “In the early days of my church, they practiced polygamy, too. They banned it over a hundred years ago, but some people still think the Mormon Church is a cult.”
River glanced over her shoulder and looked at Jonathan out of the corner of her eyes. She wasn’t exactly frowning at him, but she sure as hell wasn’t smiling. “Are you a Mormon?”
He nodded. “But…not a very good one.”
That got a smile out of her. It was only half a smile and she was fighting it, but Jonathan knew it wouldn’t take much to win her over completely. He grinned, flashing his dimples on purpose.
River bit her lower lip, but released it immediately instead of chewing on it like she normally did. She traced her lip with the tip of her finger. “Ow.”
“Sorry about that.” Jonathan smiled. “It’s from all the kissing.”
River licked her lips. “It was worth it.”
“Stop that, or I’m going to kiss you again.”
River’s eyes drifted closed as she leaned in.
Jonathan had already used up all his self-control. If things got heated up again, he didn’t think he’d be able to stop. Not if River wanted to keep going.
He gave her a quick peck on the nose so she wouldn’t think he was rejecting her then scooted back and formed a small barrier between them by tucking a foot under his knee. “If it’s okay for men to use servants and whores, and Aspen belonged to another man, why did Eli mess around with her?”
River sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “I think Eli enjoys playing games of seduction and since the whores can’t refuse him, there’s no challenge. The servant girls never turn him away, either.”
“What’s the difference between a servant and a whore?” Jonathan fought to keep his face neutral. He wanted River to keep talking. If she guessed how much this information disgusted him, she’d clam up.
“A whore can’t refuse to lie with any man, it doesn’t matter whether he’s an alpha, a ranch hand or a servant. She has no chance to earn or reclaim her citizenship. It’s a punishment. But a servant is considered a part of a family’s household and cannot be pursued without the permission of the head of the house.”
“What do you mean pursued?” Jonathan hoped it didn’t involve some sadistic, predatory game, although it wouldn’t surprise him if it did.
“A servant is not a whore, so she retains the rights to her own body. It’s against the law to take a servant girl by force. But most of them seem to enjoy mating as much as the men.” River quirked her mouth to the side and furrowed her brow. “It could be that they’re just hoping the men they seduce will like them so much they’ll claim them as a concubine and free them from servitude.”
The more Jonathan learned about New Eden, the more he despised it. It didn’t matter what you called them. Servants or whores—they were still sex slaves. And they needed rescuing. “Tell me more about this son of Ephraim legend.”
River got out of bed and pulled what looked like an old leather journal out of her pack. “Reuben loaned this to me, so be careful and don’t tear any of the pages.”
Jonathan glanced at the date on the top of the page. June 15, 1855. This must be one of Reuben’s ancestors’ journals. He felt guilty for handling it without wearing a white glove. Sweat broke out across Jonathan’s brow as he read the hand written passage River pointed to.
Ephraim’s mother knew of Zebulon’s jealousy. She tried to protect her son, but she was only human. Even if she were one of us, she wouldn’t have been able to defy Zebulon. So when Ephraim disappeared, she assumed that Zebulon had murdered him. Her grief multiplied my guilt.
“Wait. How old is Zebulon?”
“Don’t worry about that now. I’ll explain it later.”
Jonathan shrugged and returned to the journal.
I watched her suffer for two weeks until I couldn’t stand it anymore. Last night, I told her the truth. This morning, I heard her singing a new lullaby to her infant daughter. Even though the song is only the product of a broken mind, it has such a haunting melody. The words are almost prophetic. I can’t get them out of my head.
Ephraim’s Song (The Forbidden Lullaby)
Look to the East in your darkest hour
For a humble man to rise to power.
Heavy of heart and body broken,
He carries his grief in a crystal token.
When the white wolf answers the call of fate,
And merges with the son of Ephraim’s mate,
Let all good men know the time is nigh,
And with courage and honor, heed the battle cry.
Many shall suffer because of a few
‘Till Ephraim’s line once more is renewed.
The son of Ephraim unaware of his fate,
Must find and bind his one true mate.
Evil hearts shall tremble with fear
During the Great and Dreadful Year.
But courage and hope fills the righteous heart
When the son of Ephraim’s rein doth start.
Jonathan read the song again then handed the book to River. “That’s one weird lullaby.”
“Reuben said that it caught on, and soon all the women were singing it. Until Zebulon heard it and banned the song. Of course that only insured that it would be passed down through the generations.
; Jonathan lifted his hand to the medallion around his neck and turned it over.
River’s eyes widened until they were as large and round as the medallion. “What is that?”
He told her about the dove ceremony at Franklin’s funeral and how he’d had the feather encased in resin. “This is a constant reminder of Franklin’s death.”
“Ephraim’s mother must have been a seer…or a witch.”
“It’s just another coincidence.”
“How many coincidences will it take before you believe it’s true?”
The disappointment in River’s eyes pained Jonathan. “I don’t have to be a son of Ephraim. I’ll do whatever I can to free you and your people from Zebulon’s control.”
“Will you be my mate?”
“You want me to marry you?”
“We don’t marry, but it is a lifelong commitment.”
Jonathan’s mouth went dry. He’d been attracted to River from the first moment he saw her facing down a mountain lion with a primitive bow. He smiled at the memory then compared it to how Carrie had run away and locked him out of the car after he’d saved her from the wolf. River never would have done that.
It wasn’t just her courage that Jonathan admired. River spoke her mind, even if it wasn’t always pleasant, at least she was honest. She focused more on other people than herself. Just thinking about the apple she’d given him formed a lump in his throat.
Jonathan liked River. He liked her a lot. But did he love her?
The realization hit him all at once. Yeah, he did. He definitely did.
He took River’s hand in his and locked his gaze on her glowing eyes. They had the usual effect on him, but something even more powerful than lust scorched his veins, now—love. “I would be honored to be your mate.”
Purple light flared out from River’s eyes. She grabbed the front of Jonathan’s tunic and pulled him up onto his knees. “You’re mine.”
Whoa. “Are you trying to stake a claim or something?”
She traced the bite mark on Jonathan’s neck with her tongue. “I already have.”
Jonathan’s eyes rolled back in his head. Damn, that was hot. “So…why the freakout over thinking you were pregnant?”
“I haven’t merged with my spirit guide yet.” River tugged on Jonathan’s shirt, guiding him back onto the bed. “Pregnancy would prevent that from ever happening.”
He sat beside her, but refused to lie down. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
River smiled. “I know.”
“Are you going to tell me?” Jonathan had already figured out that it was some secret coming of age ritual. He just didn’t know the details.
She slid her hand under his shirt and ran her palm over his abs, distracting him. “Not yet. But soon, I think.”
Jonathan grabbed her wrist and pressed her hand over his racing heart—on top of his shirt. They were lying down again. How does that keep happening? “Does this becoming mates thing mean we get to have sex?”
“Definitely.” River slid her knee between Jonathan’s.
“When?” Please say now.
“After we merge with our spirit guides.”
“What?” Jonathan blinked, not believing he’d heard her correctly. “What do you mean ‘we’? I don’t have a spirit guide.”
“You will. Reuben and Gabriel are searching for him right now.”
“And how, exactly, am I supposed to merge?”
“You embrace your wolf, skin to fur, and subdue him.”
Jonathan pictured the huge wolf that had chased him and Carrie out of the mine. He rolled onto his side and propped his head on his elbow. “You’re talking metaphorically, right? You don’t expect me to wrestle an actual wolf. Do you?”
“How else would you merge with one?”
Jonathan’s blood ran cold as he thought of River facing off with a wolf. “You aren’t going to attempt it.”
“Of course I am.” River pushed Jonathan onto his back then laid her head on his chest. “It will be alright. I’ve already begun the bonding process with my wolf. That’s why my eyes glow.”
“And…Eli and Reuben?” Jonathan wound a strand of her hair around his index finger.
“They both merged with their wolves years ago.”
“If Eli managed it, I guess that proves it’s not all that dangerous. Do you use tame wolves?”
“Only cowards merge with tame wolves.” River moved her hand to the back of Jonathan’s head and pressed her forehead against his. He loved it when she did that. “And you, Jonathan McKnight, son of Ephraim, are no coward.”
River
Once Jonathan agreed to be her mate, River had to keep reminding him that they had to wait until after they’d merged—something she was having trouble remembering herself.
“Jonathan.” River wiggled out from under him. Again. “I think I better sleep in my own bed.”
“Don’t go.” Jonathan rolled onto his side then slid his arm around River’s waist. He spooned his body around hers then rubbed his chin against the top of River’s head—another dominant behavior. “I’ll behave.”
“That’s what you said last time.”
“How will I know when the merge thing is done? Is it a fight to the death? Do I have to kill the wolf?”
“Yes and…no.” River hated what merging would do to her wolf. Its spirit would live in River’s body, but it wouldn’t be the same. Even the gift of an extended lifespan was a poor substitute for freedom.
“That’s about as clear as the water in the mud pit. Care to elaborate?”
“You won’t believe me.”
“Try me.”
“Trust me.”
“River…” Jonathan growled her name.
River turned her head and exposed her neck instinctively. A flush of heat spread from her scalp to the base of her throat. Reuben was the only male that had ever triggered a submissive response in her. And Jonathan hadn’t even merged yet. It both thrilled and frightened her to know that she would be bound to the most powerful alpha in the pack.
“How am I supposed to know what to do if you don’t tell me?”
“Merging is instinctive.” River touched the bite mark on her neck. “I didn’t tell you to bite me, but you did it anyway. Merging will be the same.”
He kissed the mark on her neck. “I can’t believe I bit you.”
“We don’t normally exchange bites until after we merge and mate.” River kissed the mark she’d left on his neck. “But there’s nothing normal about this situation.”
“You can say that again.” Jonathan’s chest vibrated against River’s back as he chuckled. He sighed then grew quiet. His breath tickled her ear. “So, you aren’t going to give me any tips or hints or anything?”
“No.”
“You just expect me to jump in a cage with a wolf and hope my instincts kick in before it kills me?”
“Pretty much.” River snuggled closer. “And then we can mate.”
Jonathan groaned and gripped River’s hip. He held her in place as he pushed himself away from her body. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you’re right. We need to sleep in separate beds.”
River rolled over, kissed Jonathan soundly then climbed into her own bed. She was exhausted, but couldn’t sleep. It didn’t help that she’d left her tunic and pants on to make things easier for Jonathan.
She couldn’t stop thinking about him. Or the warm, wet feel of his tongue and the tugging sensation as he sucked the apple juice from her fingertips. Just thinking about it made her heart thump against her ribs. And when he’d actually bit her neck? Oh my almighty Alpha above, what a feeling!
River kicked off her blankets but couldn’t escape the heat. She cracked the window then held the neck of her tunic open, directing the cold night air between the fabric and her naked skin. She crawled back into bed and flopped onto her belly; but couldn’t get comfortable. She stared into the darkness until her eyes adjusted enough to reveal Jonat
han’s form. At first she couldn’t see any details, just his silhouette, an outline of his head and body, like a shadow cast on the wall. River lifted her hand and reached across the room as if she could touch him. She wanted to feel those soft curls slipping through her fingers again. She wanted to trace the straight line of his jaw and every feature of his face. The need to touch him was so intense it was painful.
Jonathan called her name then mumbled something incoherent.
River smiled when she realized he was dreaming about her.
He tucked his arms under his blankets and hunkered down until all River could see was his mop of curls.
How could Jonathan stand all those blankets? He had to be burning up. River raised the window another three inches then crossed the room to check on him.
His forehead was bone dry and cool under her palm. When she tried to remove the buffalo robe, Jonathan shivered and yanked it out of her hands. He buried himself even deeper, curling up into a ball. How could he possibly be cold when the hut was as hot as an oven?
The plaintive cry of a lone wolf sank a hook of desire behind River’s navel. The hut wasn’t hot. She was.
She hoped Reuben and Gabriel had found a wolf for Jonathan. Reuben had told her to wait for them in the hut, but she was too restless. Maybe she’d feel better if she were outside. She wouldn’t go far, just enough to figure out which direction her wolf was calling her from.
River dressed quietly to keep from waking Jonathan and slipped outside. The cold air didn’t cool her fever. It only burned hotter. Her wolf howled again. River dug her nails into the porch railing and fought the pull. She wouldn’t merge without Jonathan. Where was Reuben? And where was Jonathan’s wolf?
She ran as if in a dream. Long, blue shadows, like fingers, reached out from the forest, clawing their way across drifted snow. The pull grew stronger. River ran faster, even though her lungs burned.
When she finally found her wolf, the animal’s beauty stole the last of River’s breath. Its white fur sparkled in the moonlight as if it had been dusted with diamond powder. The wolf lifted her nose into the air and howled then trotted towards River.
“Hello my lovely. I’ve missed you.”
The wolf slowed to a walk, but didn’t stop.
River dropped to her knees and held her right hand out, fingers splayed.
The wolf stretched its neck and sniffed River’s hand then rubbed its downy muzzle against her cheek.
A tingling sensation ran down River’s spine then spread across her torso, down her arms and legs, into her fingers and toes. The sensation intensified until her entire body hummed with energy. It took every ounce of strength she had left to pull away. “No. Not yet. We have to wait for Ephraim’s son.”
Another wolf, a majestic, solid black male, stepped out of the forest, into the moonlight. He lifted his nose to the sky and howled. The white wolf joined him. Their song brought tears to River’s eyes.
The white wolf pressed her forehead against River’s chest and trembled.
River wanted to wait for Jonathan, but fate had other ideas. At least his wolf was near. She’d have to trust it to guide Jonathan through their merge. She should have known that the son of Ephraim’s merge would be mutual, too.
“Forgive my lack of faith.” River slid her hand over the white wolf’s back. She felt its fear as if it were her own. The wolf knew it was going to die. But she still gave herself to River.
Grief wrapped its thorny vines around River’s throat and squeezed. She didn’t want to trap the wolf’s spirit. But this was their destiny.
River wrapped her arms around the wolf’s chest, close to its head, and prepared for the coming ordeal.
The humming energy triggered a vibration deep inside River’s body. She felt as if she were falling apart—as if whatever held her intact were dissolving.
The wolf whined and trembled but did not try to escape.
“I’m so sorry.”
A sudden burst of pain lit up every nerve in River’s body. It seemed to begin and end in the exact same moment—like an explosion. It knocked the breath out of her and threw her to the ground.
Her first lungful of air delivered an overwhelming variety of scents—pine, snow, dirt, birds, smoke, man and wolf.
River rolled onto her side then scrambled to her feet. All four of them. Her body trembled. She was supposed to shift back to her human form as quickly as possible after merging, but there was too much adrenaline in her blood. The urge to run was almost as strong as the urge to merge had been.
She took a breath and marveled at the way her lungs expanded. Her muscles quivered with power as she flew across the snow covered ground. She howled her joy without slowing down.
An answering cry in the near distance raised her hackles.
River skidded to a stop, lifted her nose in the air and took another whiff. She recognized her own scent and her mate’s. But there was another wolf in their territory. A male. An involuntary growl rolled out of her throat when she recognized the wolf’s scent. Even though she’d never noticed it as a human, some part of her brain must have stored the information because she knew, without a doubt, that the third wolf was Eli.
Jonathan
The distant howl of a wolf disturbed Jonathan’s dream. He blinked and stared at the rough-hewn ceiling. It took him a moment to remember where he was. And who he was with. He smiled and rolled over.
River wasn’t in bed. And it was freezing in the hut. The grey light of early dawn poured through the partially open window. No wonder it was so cold.
“River?” Jonathan got up and looked outside. She wasn’t there. Maybe she’d heard the wolf’s howl and gotten up to go check on the horses. Or maybe she was out rounding up wolves for that merge thing. He hoped not. At least not before breakfast.
Jonathan threw his clothes on and shoved his feet in his boots. He hissed with pain as he strapped on his prosthesis. River had told him not to wear it until she had a chance to make pads for it, but he couldn’t hold his bow without it. And River never said he couldn’t shoot the damn wolf, only that he had to subdue it. An arrow through the heart would subdue anything.
The hair on the back of his neck stood on end when he noticed River’s bow under her bed. She never went anywhere without it. Something was wrong.
Jonathan strung his own bow, grabbed his quiver then ran to the stable. The horses were fine, but there was no sign of River. He cupped his hand around the side of his mouth and called her name. “River!”
The wolf howled again, but River did not answer. Jonathan threw Saucy’s hackamore on then led him outside and positioned his left rump against the barn. “I don’t have time to fool around. You’re going to let me mount from the right whether you like it or not.”
Saucy didn’t like it at all. Jonathan vaulted on successfully the first try, but Saucy paid him back by slamming Jonathan’s knee against the barn.
Jonathan rode back to the hut and found River’s tracks heading east. “What the hell is she up to?”
Jonathan had faith in River’s survival skills, but the fact that she’d run off, unarmed, on foot, without telling him, tied his stomach in knots. The howling wolves only made it worse. She’d made it clear last night that they needed to do this together. At least her tracks in the otherwise unbroken snow were easy to follow.
Blood roared behind his ears when he spotted her discarded coat lying on the snow. He slid off Saucy’s back and picked it up. Her shirt fluttered in the breeze a few yards ahead of him—her boots, socks and pants marked the trail like beacons. He gathered River’s clothes and stuck everything inside her coat, but he wouldn’t be able to hang on to everything on horseback. “Shit!”
Jonathan hadn’t given any thought as to how he was going to get back on Saucy without a fence to climb on or a wall to pin the stubborn animal against so he could mount from the right. It was at least ten degrees below zero. River wouldn’t last long without clothes.
“Okay, thin
k!”
Saucy turned his head toward Jonathan and blew puffs of steam out his nose, asking for a ration of feed. The horse knew that when Jonathan dismounted the ride was over and it was time to eat.
Jonathan patted his neck. “Sorry, no feed bags out here.”
For some reason Jonathan’s mind made the leap from feed bag to saddle blanket. He draped River’s coat over Saucy’s back.
Saucy twitched his hide as if trying to dislodge a fly, but that was his only reaction. Jonathan put River’s pants, shirt and vest on top of the coat, then decided it would work better to have the coat on top, holding everything in place. He tied her boots together, stuffed her socks inside then hung them over Saucy’s withers.
Even though he’d been warned not to, Jonathan wound a handful of Saucy’s mane around his prosthesis. If he missed or spooked the horse, he’d get trampled and dragged to death before he could untangle himself. He vaulted onto Saucy’s back from the left without a problem.
Jonathan double checked to be sure River’s clothes were secured under his butt, hung her boots around his own neck so they wouldn’t flop around on Saucy’s, then urged him into a mile-eating canter.
Jonathan called River’s name every five minutes, but the only answer he ever got was the howl of a wolf. When it got too close for comfort, Saucy crow hopped and tossed his head. Jonathan pulled his bow off his back, locked it into his prosthesis and reached for an arrow. He knew before he saw the whittled tip that he’d grabbed a practice arrow. The point was about as sharp as a crayon. But according to River, his bow was powerful enough to take down an elk. Of course she’d assumed he’d be using a hunting arrow with one of her razor sharp hand-knapped points to do it.
If he could get close enough, the practice arrow might pierce a wolf’s hide. More than likely it would only infuriate the beast. Jonathan pulled his quiver around to the front of his body to look for an arrow with a sharper point and found one of Gabriel’s hunting arrows. He put the shaft in his mouth and dug his heels into Saucy’s sides.
Another set of tracks flowed out of the forest and merged with River’s.
Jonathan slowed Saucy to a walk and leaned over to get a closer look. The prints were as big as his palm. He didn’t know if it was a mountain lion or a wolf, but it didn’t matter, with River unarmed and weak, both were deadly.
The thought of a wild animal tracking River sent Jonathan into a full-blown panic. He kicked Saucy’s flanks, urging him to go even faster. Not taking into consideration that the closer they got to the wolf, the less Saucy was going to like it.
Jonathan had his gaze focused on the ground so when Saucy put on the brakes, he had no time to react. He flipped as he flew over Saucy’s neck and landed on his back. The snow cushioned his fall, but it still knocked the wind out of him.
His bow was still attached to his prosthesis but miraculously unbroken. The feathered end of Gabriel’s arrow peeked out of a snowdrift ten feet to his right. Jonathan offered a brief prayer of thanks when he pulled it out and found the arrowhead in perfect condition. He found his quiver with three of his practice arrows. He didn’t waste time searching for the others. Or gathering up River’s scattered clothes. If he didn’t find her before the predator did; she wouldn’t need them.
He pressed the medallion containing Franklin’s feather against his heart as he stumbled forward. If you can hear me, Frankie, I need your help. Help me find River before it’s too late.
A low growl froze Jonathan mid-step. Wolf, not lion. The sound came from behind him. The animal must have realized it was being pursued and circled back around. Better me than River.
Jonathan nocked Gabriel’s arrow as he eased his body around. As soon as he caught a glimpse of the wolf in his peripheral vision, he recognized its black fur and white blaze on its forehead. It was the same wolf that’d chased him and Carrie out of the mine a lifetime ago.
The wolf’s eyes widened as if it recognized Jonathan. Maybe it did.
He didn’t want to kill the animal, but he couldn’t risk letting it get to River. He drew his bow and sighted down the arrow. The tip bounced with every beat of his heart. Calm down. He’d been hitting targets twice as far away as the wolf. I can do this. River’s life depends on it.
The wolf turned, exposing his flank. Jonathan released the arrow just as the wolf leapt over a fallen log.
A yelp of pain meant he’d hit it. The prolonged whine and din of a heavy body crashing through the undergrowth, meant it wasn’t an immediate kill shot. He had no idea if the wound was fatal. A quick inspection of the ground on the other side of the log revealed a bloody trail heading deeper into the forest, away from River’s tracks. But Jonathan didn’t trust the wolf, or his marksmanship. He prayed as he ran, even though he didn’t trust God either. What faith he had, died with Franklin.
Jonathan’s lungs burned. His legs trembled. The stitch in his side twisted his upper body to the right but he refused to stop. He ran until he couldn’t run any more. He fell face first in the snow, but was too exhausted to do anything other than roll onto his back. He felt as if every muscle in his body were cramping. Pain wracked his chest. Jonathan was young and strong, but maybe he’d pushed himself too hard. Healthy young men died of heart attacks all the time. I’m so sorry, River.
Something blew a musky puff of air into Jonathan’s face. He opened his eyes, the only part of his body he had the strength to move. A huge, black wolf was standing over him, looking at him with its head cocked to the side. At first, Jonathan thought it might have been the wolf he shot, but this beast was even larger and solid black, without a speck of white on him.
Jonathan should have been terrified, but he wasn’t. He was strangely drawn to the animal. He sat up. The wolf lowered his head and sniffed Jonathan’s chest.
Weird. Jonathan reached up and stroked the wolf’s shoulder before he could stop himself. Was this what River was talking about? She’d said that he’d know what to do instinctively, but this was crazy. He couldn’t believe this was a wild animal. Maybe it was one of the tame wolves that only cowards merged with.
The wolf bared its teeth and growled, as if it could read Jonathan’s mind and was offended that he’d thought him a ‘tame’ wolf.
Jonathan dug his fingers into the wolf’s coat. An electric charge ran up his arm into his chest. Every hair on his body stood on end. He’d felt something like this once before, during a lightning storm.
The wolf’s fur was all puffed out, too. He shook like a wet dog then licked Jonathan’s face. From the base of his jaw, across his cheek, all the way to his temple. Energy roared into Jonathan’s body. Is this what River was talking about. Was he merging with his spirit guide?
The wolf bunched the muscles of his haunches then leapt over Jonathan and loped away.
Jonathan felt energized and compelled to follow him, but River was still out there somewhere. The wolf could wait.
He’d been running for about half an hour when a new set of prints came in from the west and merged with River’s. But these prints gave Jonathan hope. Horse shoes.
A tendril of smoke curled above the trees. Jonathan followed River’s trail back into the forest. He heard Gabriel arguing with her before he saw either of them.
“If you don’t let me cure you—you’ll die.” Gabriel sounded more angry than concerned. Why was River refusing treatment?
“I want Jonathan to cure me.”
“Jonathan isn’t here. I am.”
The adrenaline fled Jonathan’s blood stream as soon as he heard River’s voice. He fell to his knees, too spent to do anything other than breathe.
“You haven’t merged yet.” River sounded as if she were crying.
“I don’t care.”
“Without your spirit guide, you’ll age and die before your first century.”
“And you’ll die within the hour.”
River was obviously still in danger. Jonathan struggled to his feet.
He stumbled into a sheltered clea
ring and found River and Gabriel sitting on a buffalo robe by a small fire. River was sitting on Gabriel’s lap tucked inside his coat.
“River?” Jonathan was so out of breath, his voice was barely audible to his own ears, but somehow, River heard him.
“Jonathan?” A smile of pure joy spread across her face as she jumped to her feet. She didn’t look like she was dying.
An inappropriate blast of jealously clawed its way out of Jonathan’s chest, into his throat.
River was alive and that’s all that mattered. So what if she’d been sitting on Gabriel’s lap, buck naked. At least the boy still had his pants on. He was probably just sharing body heat, to keep River from freezing to death. That’s probably what she was throwing such a fit about. She wanted Jonathan to warm her up, not Gabriel.
He opened his arms.
River flung her naked body against Jonathan’s chest.
He still had his bow attached to his prosthesis so he gave her a one-armed hug. “What’s going on? Why’d you leave?”
“I merged with my spirit guide!” She palmed his cheeks with fever hot hands and smashed her lips against his. That ruled out hypothermia. She was burning up.
He kissed her back, then pulled away and gazed into her glowing, purple eyes. He’d never seen them shine so brightly. Their brilliance put the moon to shame—and warmed his entire body, heart, mind and soul. “Are you sick?”
“I have merge fever.” She frowned as she peered into his eyes. “I smell your wolf, but you didn’t merge. Why not?”
“I don’t know.” It must not have worked after all. “What do you mean you can smell my wolf?”
Jonathan glanced at Gabriel and caught him brushing tears off his cheeks. He returned his gaze to River’s pulsing eyes. He’d never seen anything like it. “Did you guys hear the wolves howling?”
River laughed. “One of them was me.”
“One of them was tracking you. But I took care of it.”
River’s laughter died. The color drained from her face.
Gabriel looked as if he might throw up. “What do you mean you took care of it?”
“I shot it.”