Never Surrender (21 page)

If Mai wanted to be with Taima, she might go to great
lengths to get her own way. Kate touched her chest where the necklace rested.
Perhaps even this pouch supposedly contained items over which Mai had cast
mystical spells. Kate laughed. She had nothing to worry about. She didn’t
believe in such nonsense and would wear the leather pouch just to prove that
fact to herself.

Kelee’s small hand touched her shoulder. “I don’t like
that woman. Even when she took me fishing with her father while you were away,
she stared at me all the time with her dark eyes. They scared me.”

Kate wrapped her arms around Kelee to comfort him as
much as herself. “I think she scares a lot of people.” She tousled his hair.
“Let’s gather more wood and sit by the fire.”

The afternoon sun warmed Kate as she waited for
Taima’s return. Kelee poked a stick among the glowing, orange embers, and Kate
realized he could now be considered her son if she were truly Taima’s wife. He
would grow into a brave warrior someday, well trained by his father.

She hoped to be around to watch him grow into manhood.
A feeling of loneliness shrouded Kate like a heavy mist, causing a warm tear to
slide down her cheek. The beat of her heart, the emptiness inside her, echoed.
She didn’t want to be here forever, but she didn’t want to leave Kelee and
Taima either. Not after she and Taima had struggled to such progress in their
relationship. Taima would come to love her as she now loved him, though Kate
didn’t know how long it would take him to admit as much.

Swirling the emerald ring on her finger, the stones
sparkled in the sun as she watched. Taima had liked her ring. Next time they
were alone, she’d use a leather strip to tie it around his neck to keep with
him. It would be a part of her. Perhaps that would help bring them closer.

Kate wiped away the tear before Kelee noticed, for he
would ask more questions than she wanted to deal with at the moment. On the
other side of the lake, a cow moose with her offspring drank from the
shoreline. The wildlife here roamed so freely. Unlike the few animals she
remembered seeing from her own time.

* * * * *

Thankful he’d saved the woman who sat before him on
his horse, Taima rode into camp. Burned lean-tos smoldered; a cloud of smoke
lingered in the air. Two of his young braves lay dead, surrounded by their
sobbing families.

An old woman approached Taima to help the young woman
from his horse, then walked away comforting one another.

Dismounting, a shrill scream drew his attention.
Dichali, Mai’s father, lay sprawled upon the ground, the top of his head split
open by a tomahawk. Mai frantically tried to wake him, her fingers clutching
the leather of his bloodied shirt.

Taima strode toward Mai, sorry he’d lost another
member of their foraging group, but she was the last person he wanted to deal
with right now. Mai turned toward him as he approached, then quickly flung
herself at him and cried onto his chest. With the reins of his horse in one
hand, Taima reluctantly soothed her by running the other down her back.

“What will I do now?” she sobbed in Shoshone. “How
will I go on alone?”

“You will manage, Mai. At one time, you took care of
your father, now there are many of our people here who will welcome your help.
They, too, will need you.”

After a moment, she stopped crying and looked up at
him. Mai stared into his eyes, but he quickly averted his gaze to watch a tear
rolling down her cheek. He knew better than to risk looking into the eyes of a
skin walker, if in fact, she truly was. The risk wasn’t worth the possibility.

She gently ran a finger down the side of his cheek.
“But it is you I need, Taima. I have for a long time. And I’ve seen the way you
watch me when you think I’m not looking.”

Disgusted by her comments, Taima rolled his eyes and
concentrated on the clouds. He refused to allow her into his soul by looking
into her eyes.

“I’ve needed you for a long time, but though you watch
me, you’ve ignored me since last year when father and I joined your people.
Why?”

Taima clenched his jaw. Although he owed her no
explanation, he said, “As chief and provider, my time is taken up by more
important things.”

The circles Mai traced at the hollow of his throat
didn’t entice him, if that’s what she’d intended. He concentrated on the sky.
More clouds moved in, indicating a sudden down pour of rain approached. Taima
remembered Kate and Kelee awaited his return.

His leather shirt tightened as Mai’s fingers clutched
the front. “Father was one of your elders. You owe it to him to offer comfort
to his family. Is that too much to ask?” She tugged on his shirt when he didn’t
respond. “What does that white woman have that I don’t?”

Grasping her hands, Taima pulled them from his shirt.
“Whatever you need regarding food and shelter, I will provide. Beyond that, I
cannot help you,” he stated, staring into her dark eyes for just a brief
moment.

Taima turned and walked away, observing other mourners
who cried over their losses. His fingers tightened into fists. The Utes would
pay dearly for what they had done here today.

“I will have you, Taima,” Mai called after him, he
refused to stop. “Your white woman will pay.”

Those parting words froze his heart and halted his
steps. He spun around, only to find Mai gone. She’d disappeared more quickly
than a deer spotting the hunter. Scanning the area, Mai was nowhere to be seen.

Taima met the gazes of his people. Frightened
expressions covered the faces of those close enough to hear the words that
still echoed through his brain. The threat in Mai’s words created visions of
disaster where Kate was concerned. He needed to return to Kate and Kelee at the
lake.

Swinging himself onto his horse, Taima sped from the
encampment and rode like the wind toward Kate. He prayed she would be safe from
the Ute’s attack. They’d finally come to know each other better in the past few
days and losing her now would be more than he could bear.

Taima held his bow tightly in one hand while his other
grasped the mane of his horse. He gripped the powerful animal beneath him with
his thighs as the horse raced through the green, sage-filled valley toward the
lake. Thoughts of Kate and Kelee stayed foremost in his mind, but allowing
himself to care too much for Kate could prove to be a mistake. If danger had
come to them while he protected his people, Taima vowed he would never love
again.
Did love always bring heartache and sadness?
He’d had his fill of
both.

He turned the horse right and headed for the slight
ridge overlooking the lake and valley. Halting the animal, Taima held his
breath, quickly scanning the water’s edge for Kate and Kelee.

A sudden release of tension flooded Taima, for there,
sitting beside a fire in the late afternoon sun was the woman who’d come to
occupy his every thought, chatting calmly with his son. Taima’s heart soared
when Kate stood and looked in his direction. She didn’t wave, only met his
gaze, joining the two of them across the distance. He thanked the Great Spirit
for sending her to him. Not many warriors were blessed twice in one lifetime
with a good woman to love.

Taima nudged his horse down the ridge, all the while
keeping his gaze locked with Kate’s. As he approached, the expression in her
green eyes told him she was glad for his return. Her parted lips drew his
attention.

Though reluctant to pull his gaze from her face, Kelee
demanded his attention. The boy ran to him with raised hands, and Taima reached
an arm down, pulling Kelee onto the horse in front of him.

Wiggling around, excitement lighting his eyes, Kelee
asked, “Did you kill the Utes, Noshi?”

“No, Nechan, I killed no one, and the village is
safe.” Taima looked at Kate as he rode closer. Her eyebrows drew together as
she watched him. “We must return to my people. They need our help to gather
what belongings were not burned,” he said to her.

Taima dismounted, making sure Kelee stayed on the
horse, then turned toward Kate. She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck,
and he held her close.

“I didn’t know if you’d return for us or not. I could
not bear the thought of losing you,” she said.

Closing his eyes, he pressed his cheek against her
silky hair and inhaled the soft scent of sagebrush she used. He couldn’t resist
threading his fingers into her hair, while his other arm encircled her waist.

Kate’s warm lips touched his neck, and her tongue made
slow circles which sent his emotions surging. He was now positive he loved her,
but wasn’t sure when to tell her. Gently, he cupped the back of her head and
brought her mouth to his. His tongue slipped past her lips to sweep the
sensitive skin inside. Taima tightened his embrace around Kate, never wanting
to let go, but knew his body reacted too strongly to her nearness to hold her
much longer.

Deepening the kiss, his thumb caressed her jaw, then
the soft skin beneath her chin. His heart raced with the knowledge of how much
he actually loved her.

Withdrawing from the kiss, he looked upon her face.
“Neither could I bear losing you.”

Kate’s hand momentarily rested over her heart and
suddenly, her eyes took on an unusually dark, seductive glow, startling Taima.

“You will never lose me. I’ve waited too long to have
you,” she said, slowly running a finger down the side of his neck.

Her words surprised him and Mai’s earlier words
flooded his mind like a broken dam of cold water. Taima searched Kate’s
darkened eyes, then released her and stepped away. It was as though she were
another person. Something nagged at his brain, sending out warning signals, yet
he didn’t understand why. Moving away another step, he said, “We need to return
to my people. Aiyana may need your help.”

Before leaving, Taima stepped to the fire and doused
it with dirt. He glanced at Kate. It had to be only a coincidence that she
spoke the same words Mai had spoken back at their village. Taima wondered if
Mai could actually make good on her promise that Kate would be the one to pay.
In order for a skin walker to take over another soul, he thought they had to be
present and Mai wasn’t here with them, so it couldn’t possibly occur.

Or could it?

Taima sighed and shook his head at his own absurd
assumptions. Kate’s words just happened to be the same as Mai’s, but then he
remembered Kate had run her finger down his neck...just as Mai had.

He straightened up, kicking more dirt onto the fire.
An eerie tingle crept up his spine. Through narrowed eyes, he slowly scanned
the surrounding tree line, then searched the towering rocky mountain across the
lake. Two big horned sheep grazed there, sunning themselves.

There was no sign of Mai.

Yet Taima could feel her presence so strongly.
Returning his gaze to the edge of the tree line, he walked toward Kate and
Kelee, where Kate sat atop her horse.

“Taima, is there a chance the Ute will return?”

Mounting his horse, he relaxed when he saw Kate’s eyes
were again a bright green rather than ominous black. “There is always that
chance. We need to hurry. My people need our help,” he replied, turning his
horse and spurring it on, making sure Kate rode beside him and Kelee.

* * * * *

Taima’s heavy heart thudded in the center of his chest
as he rode into camp. He glanced around at the work his people had already
accomplished. Desperation spurred him on. The Ute attack had nearly destroyed
the small encampment of lean-tos and taken the lives of many friends. He wished
he could remove the pain from the faces of his people.

Those who cried and mourned over the bodies of their
loved ones were affected more than those whose homes and belongings had been
burned. Their obvious despair saddened him. They could always look to him for
support and he would be there.

Taima slid from his horse, lifted Kelee down, then
moved to aid Kate. Her face paled and her brow furrowed as she looked around at
the devastation. He grasped her waist and helped her to the ground.

“I had no idea so much damage could be done. Show me
where I’ll be of most help,” Kate said.

Taima released her and took the reins of both horses.
“Let’s find Aiyana. She’ll be glad to see you and glad of your offer to help,”
Taima replied, moving forward.

“Noshi, I want to help rebuild the lean-tos. I can
carry the small tree trunks.”

He smiled at his son. “I’m sure they will appreciate
your offer. There is much work for all of us to do.”

Aiyana glanced up as he approached. Black smudges
covered her face and hands. Wounded people lay on the ground before Aiyana’s
lean-to; a skin of water heated over her fire.

Kate rushed forward and knelt beside Aiyana. “What can
I do to help?” she asked, glancing at those around the fire.

“There is much to do. Their wounds need to be
cleansed.”

Taima watched Kate with pride. She was willing to help
his people even though they feared her. Compassion filled her face while she
helped comfort a warrior with a gapping thigh injury.

Ahanu appeared from behind the lean-to, his face just
as dirty as Aiyana’s face.

He approached Taima and asked, “Were Kate and Kelee
safe when you returned to them?”

Taima pointed in Kate’s direction. “Yes, she’s helping
Aiyana now.”

“Something is wrong. I can see it in your face.”

He looked at Ahanu, still troubled over Kate. “After I
returned to Kate, her eye color had changed, which disturbed me. The color
turned almost black when she spoke, but then changed to their normal green.”
Taima glanced in Kate’s direction. She busied herself with the wounded, rinsing
a small piece of deer hide in the water that heated in a skin of buffalo
stomach stretched between four sticks around the fire. “Before I left Mai to
return to Kate, Mai tried to get me to stay with her and forget Kate, saying
she’d loved me since she and her father joined us. She put her arms around me,
then ran a finger down my neck.” Taima met Ahanu’s gaze. “Kate did exactly the
same thing before we returned here...that is when her eyes turned dark.”

Ahanu’s eyes widened. “Mai left here this morning a
little after the three of you did, then returned after the Ute attack, just
before you came back from chasing the Ute who took Lomasi. We thanked the Great
Spirit you were able to bring her back.”

“Could Mai have been at the lake while we were there?”

“It is possible. I didn’t know where she went. But her
father was killed while she was gone.”

“Noshi! Noshi, come. Quick. We need you both to help
with the big logs for the lean-tos.”

* * * * *

Squinting in the late afternoon sun, Taima returned to
Ahanu’s lean-to with him, tired and dirty. The heat of the day would have been
too much had he worn a shirt and leggings today. Kate and Aiyana finished with
the last of the wounded, and the man’s family helped him home.

Dark eyes met Taima’s when he glanced at Kate and an
evil sense of foreboding crept through him, as though someone secretly watched
him. He looked around, then again met Kate’s dark gaze. She smiled as she
walked toward him, her hand moving up to rest over her heart.

Kate’s lips parted; her eyes dark and sensuous. “You
have worked hard today. I think you need the tender touch of a woman’s hands.”

Shocked at her sudden boldness, Taima gently grasped
her hands from his chest before they reached his shoulders. This type of
behavior wasn’t Kate’s way; she normally behaved more reserved.

“I’d rather we wait until we bathe, wife.” He glanced
at each lean-to, searching for Mai. The same eerie feeling had stolen over him
earlier in the day when Kate watched him. “If you’re finished here, we can go
to the river,” he said, still holding onto her wrists, looking around for any
sign of Mai.

Kate pulled her wrists closer so the backs of his
fingers brushed against her breasts. The warmth on his fingers startled him.

Watching her mouth, her tongue slowly moistened her
lips. “I would love nothing better than to go to the river with you. It’ll be a
pleasure to bathe you.”

Smoldering dark eyes met his. He jerked his hands from
her arms and stepped back. “Well...if you’re finished . . .”

How could Kate’s beautiful green eyes take on such a
dark, evil appearance? And her boldness...it astounded him. This was not the
Kate he knew.

She stared back, then whispered, “You know you want
me. You’ve wanted me since I joined your group.” Her hand again touched her
chest. “I can please you like no woman has. Forget about her...and come to me.”

Mesmerized, yet confused by her words, he narrowed his
eyes and asked, “Forget about whom?”

She stepped closer, pressing her body against his.
“Forget about your wife. Think only of me.”

Taima couldn’t look away from her dark, pleading eyes
and grasped her upper arms. “Kate...listen to me.”

She closed her eyes and massaged her temples. Wavering
on her feet, she clung to his forearms for support, snapping open her eyes. Had
he released her arms, her knees would likely have collapsed.

“Now what have I done? Why are you yelling at me? I’ve
helped Aiyana like you wanted.”

“You don’t remember anything you just said to me?”

Kate shook her head, and Taima’s stomach knotted. The
blank expression on her face told him more than words. He again looked around
for Mai. Somehow, she was responsible for Kate’s bold actions. This he was sure
of.

“Who are you looking for,” she asked.

Taima turned back to Kate; her eyebrows drew together.
“No one of importance.”

Gently embracing her, he tried to figure a way to
release Kate from this nightmare. He would have to make sure she was never
around Mai; nor anywhere the two could make lengthy eye contact.

He caressed her hair, then drew back to look at her.
“Are you ready to go to the river?”

“I can’t wait to wash.”

Kate raked her fingers through her hair, the green
stones of her gold ring sparkling in the late afternoon sun. He took her hand
to admire the ring more closely, struck by its brilliance. “This is as
beautiful as your eyes.”

“Thank you, Taima.”

The sound of his name coming from her lips melted his heart.
He never wanted to be parted from her.

“There is something I would like you to do.”

“You name it...and it is done,” he said.

“I would like you to have my ring, to wear around your
neck. Then I will always be with you.”

“You are sure of this? Your parents gave this to you.”

“I want you to wear it,” she said, pulling the ring
from her finger.

“We could use one of the leather strips from my arm if
you would untie one.”

He offered his arm and she untied the leather, then
laced one end through the ring. Reaching up, she slipped the leather strip
around his neck and tied it secure. The ring rested at the hollow of his throat
when he touched it.