Once Upon a Caveman (18 page)

“Maybe.” 
He’d agreed sarcastically.

She’d
laughed, enjoying his irritated tone.  “If I believed in fate, I’d even say
maybe
I was even supposed to wind up right here, right now, with you.”

Rhawn
adored this difficult woman.  “I
do
believe in fate, so I know that idea
is a
certainty
.”

“Well,
accident or design, it doesn’t much matter.  We’re partners in this mess, now.”

“We
have always been partners, Lucy.  From the minute I saw you.  You know that.”

“Maybe
I do.”  She’d smiled and looked out into the darkness.  “It’s you and me, Rhawn
the Accursed, sitting at the edge of the world.  …And getting ready to sail
right off the edge.”

In
a day’s time, the
ragan
would be ready, so her whimsical words might
prove true.  Rhawn consulted the building schedule that he’d painted on a flat
rock.  At this point, they were nearly ready to hunt the mammoths and stock up
on supplies so…

“We’re
out of wine.”  Warren announced sourly.

Rhawn
blinked, surprised out of his thoughts.  It seemed the Savior had finally left
his cave and found his way down to the beach.  Wonderful.  He scowled as the
god flopped down beside him.  “You’ve had enough of wine.”  Warren’s odor made
that abundantly clear.

“Hey,
Lucy hit me with a rock!”  The Savior complained, a hungover expression on his
face.  “I need liquor to medicate myself.  It’s not like I can go to Walgreens
and buy some aspirin.”  He settled on the log beside Rhawn like he planned to
stay for a while.  “Damn man, I think I give off --like-- a pheromone or
something that attracts the all the violent, psycho, broads to me.  My first
ex-wife broke my arm with a putter.  True story.”

Ever
since Warren had woken up from the
Ardin
, he’d been drinking and sulking
and staying away from everyone.  Rhawn had been pleased with that arrangement,
but now Warren seemed ready to talk.  That was the
last
thing Rhawn
wanted to do.

Just
seeing the man pissed him off.

“You
deserved to be hit with a rock.  I would have done worse to you, if Lucy had
given me a chance.”  Rhawn snapped.  “Do you remember what you said?”

“Kinda.” 
Warren admitted sulkily.  “She can’t hold any of that against me, though.  I
was shitfaced, ya know?”

“You
said you wished to Choose Lucy.”  Rhawn shot Warren a sideways looks.  “You
will not Choose Lucy.”

Should
Warren have any crazed ideas to the contrary, the challenge would resume and
the island would be down by one drunken god.  No great loss.  Rhawn sincerely
doubted anyone would even notice. …Except Anniah and Lucy, who seemed
inexplicably attached to the idiot.  Since their opinions meant the most to
him, he was trying to refrain from ripping out Warren’s throat.

It
took a
colossal
amount of effort.

“Yeah. 
I mean
no
.  I’m not hitting on the girl, okay?  Christ.”  Warren
scrubbed a palm over his eyes, trying to clear out the grit.  “I feel like I
got chewed up and spit out by one of her Wooly Rhinos, too.  Isn’t that
punishment enough?”

Rhawn
still didn’t recognize that animal’s name, but he wasn’t about to admit it. 
“Probably not enough for Lucy.”

“She’s
pretty peeved at me, huh?”

“Kinda.” 
Rhawn mocked.  He slanted the man another glare, disliking him for countless
reasons.  “You have lost the
Ardin
.”  He reported, in case Warren hadn’t
figured it out on his own.

“Whatever
that means.”

“It
means Lucy is in charge of the Clan now.”

Warren
snorted.  “Typical.  She’s always been the special one.”

Taffi
had said the same thing and Rhawn had to agree.  Lucy was
very
special. 
Destroyer or not, there was no one else like her in all the universe.

Warren
brooded for a beat.  “Lucy always knows what she’s doing.  Always figures out
the right moves.  I used to crib off all her tests when she wasn’t looking. 
Only way I passed half of my classes.”  He made a face.  “And even
then
she somehow screwed up the curve for me.”

Rhawn
saw nothing wrong with Lucy’s curves.

“I
wanted to ask her to the junior prom.”  Warren continued.  “She can sometimes
be pretty hot, when she’s not hitting me with stuff.”

Rhawn
really,
really
should have killed this asshole when he had the chance. 
“Lucy would never,
ever
Choose you.  She is so far above you, it’s a
wonder you can see her, at all.”

“Yeah,
that’s what my dad said.”  Warren lamented.

Rhawn
nodded.  The Savior’s father was clearly a wise man.

“I
went to him for advice about her and ya know what he did?  He
laughed
. 
Said, ‘That Meadowcroft girl is the brightest thing ever to come outta this
town, idiot.  She’s gonna leave here and change the world.  You think
you
really have a chance with her?’”  Warren turned to frown at Rhawn.  “A
real
dad would’ve helped me score with her, ya know?”  He pouted for a beat.  “He
wouldn’t get me a Camaro, either.  My parents sucked.”

Rhawn
was without sympathy.  “My parents were sacrificed in your name when I was a
boy.”  He had no memory of them, except that they’d liked to pray.  They’d
volunteered for the death ritual, secure in the knowledge that the Savior would
welcome them into his realm.

If
they’d met the Savior first, they might have reconsidered.

“Oh.” 
Warren muttered and then shrugged.  “Sorry about that.”

Rhawn
grunted.

Anniah
came bounding over, beaming to see Warren out of the cave.  She was still
wearing the beads that Lucy had given her.  In Rhawn’s opinion they had looked
much better on the Destroyer, but the girl at least appreciated the generous
gift.  There was nothing else like the green necklace in the world, so Anniah’s
treasure was the envy of the Clan.

“The
Savior has awakened?”  She asked in the Clan’s tongue.  Her blue eyes flicked
to Rhawn and then went back to staring at Warren with something like awe.  “He
looks better, yes?  Is he feeling alright?”

It
was perfectly obvious that god was conscious and not dying, so Rhawn didn’t
bother to reply to her questions.  Anniah herself was a sweet little thing. 
Unlike others in the Clan, she never ostracized Rhawn or treated him badly. 
The least he could do in return was warn her away from the mess of a man beside
him.

“The
Savior is weak, selfish, and stupid.”  He told her in their language.  “Do not
set your sights on him, Anniah.  He has nothing to offer you.”

She
held out some
yhannee
fruit for Warren, tenderly brushing back his hair to
check his head wound.  “I see greatness in him.”

Rhawn
scoffed at that lunacy.

“What’s
going on?”  Warren asked with his usual degree of understanding.  “Who’s this
chick…?” He glanced at Anniah and froze.  “
Wow
.”  He gaped up at her,
like he was seeing her for the first time.  Actually, he
was
seeing her
face
for the first time.  Usually, his eyes were fixed on Anniah’s uncovered breasts,
so it was no wonder he didn’t remember meeting her.  He blinked rapidly as he
suddenly noticed she was gorgeous.  “Holy shitburgers.”  He sat up straighter
on the log.  “Hey, who
is
this?”

“Anniah,
daughter of our chief.”

Anniah
smiled, recognizing her name, and inclined her head.

“Wow.” 
Warren repeated.  He swallowed and blindly took the fruit she offered him. 
“She’s like
really
pretty, ya know?”

“Yes.”
 Rhawn arched a brow.  “It is why Skoll wishes her to be his mate.”  The words
were a warning, but he doubted the other man even heard them.  Warren was
mesmerized.

“Right.” 
Warren cleared his throat, his gaze staying above Anniah’s neck.  That was
undoubtedly a bad sign.  The man had so far regarded all women as
interchangeable, but something about Anniah had captured his attention.  “I
remember her from when I was sleeping.  She was --like-- taking care of me or
something.  I thought I dreamed her up.  No one’s ever taken care of me, ya
know?”

Rhawn
was not surprised by that revelation, given the man’s dismal personality.  “Anniah
is the Clan’s healer.  It is her
job
to care for the sick.”

Warren
disregarded that.  “What was she saying about me just now?”

Rhawn
hesitated.  “Anniah believes she sees greatness in you.”  He explained, even
though he knew he was doing the woman no favors.

“Really?” 
Warren seemed puzzled by that idea.  “In
me?
”

Rhawn
shrugged, still at a loss to explain it himself.

“Well…” 
Warren floundered for a beat.  “Tell her thanks.  I guess.  I mean, do you
people say ‘thanks’?”  He waved a dismissive hand.  “No, never mind.  Say
something cool.  Maybe compliment her or… No.  Wait.  All guys probably
compliment her.  Shit.  Say…” he racked his brain, “
thanks
.  Yeah.  Say
thanks.”

Rhawn
rolled his eyes and glanced at Anniah.  “He thanks you for your kindness.  He
is also a total fool.  I believe you might just be better off with Skoll as a
mate.”

“But
I have Chosen
this
man.”  She retorted calmly, her eyes staying on
Warren.  “Fool or not, he is the one.  I knew it from the first.  Lucy said he
could be mine.”

“Lucy
says you may Choose, but Notan and Skoll will not agree.”

“They
do not have a say in the matter.  Lucy is the goddess and she has given Warr-en
to me.”

Warren
smiled up at her, smitten.  “What is she saying now?  I think she said my
name.  Is it something good?”

Rhawn
ignored him.  “Anniah, if you wish to forsake the Choosing laws, I will help
you stand against Skoll and find a true mate.  But, you can do far better than
this
idiot.”  He gestured to Warren.  “He is not worth the struggle he will cause
you. …And cause
me
, since Lucy will insist I help you win him.”

“I
have already won him.”  Anniah said smugly.  “He just doesn’t know it yet.” 
She headed off again, sending Warren a flirty smile over her shoulder. 
“Goodbye War-en.”  She sang out in passible English.  She must have been
practicing with Lucy, trying to learn how to communicate with the Savior.

See? 
Another really bad sign.

“Bye.” 
Warren called back dumbly.  “Jesus, that is the prettiest girl I ever saw.”  He
whispered.

That
was a terrible,
terrible
sign.

“And
I
do
remember her.”  Warren continued in a reverent tone.  “When I was
lying on the floor of that cave, my head cracked open like a melon, she was
definitely
the one who took care of me.  She’s like an angel.  My own pretty, topless
angel.”

Rhawn
dropped his head into his hands.  It was hopeless, just as he knew it would
be.  Fate and/or Lucy were joining Warren and Anniah together, no matter the
bloodshed that would result.  Damn it.

Why
did these things always happen to Rhawn?

Warren
spared Rhawn a quick glance, not even noticing his gloomy posture.  “Do you
think she likes me?  She touched my hair.  That’s some kind of girl-code for
liking a guy, right?”  He seemed thrilled over the possibility, his words
coming out too fast.  “Do you think I should ask her to dinner?”

“I
think she is too good for you.”  Rhawn told him flatly.

Warren
deflated.  His excitement vanished so quickly, it was like it had never been
there, at all.  His eyes flicked to Anniah’s back and then away.  “Yeah.”  He
said after a beat.  “I think she is, too.”  He tossed aside the piece of fruit
and gave a sad chuckle.  “She’d figure it out, too, if we went on a date or
something.  I mean, I sure don’t have any greatness in me.  We all know that.”

“This
is true.”  For some reason, Rhawn liked the man a tiny bit better for seeing
the obvious.  He raised his head and hesitated, searching for the right words. 
“Anniah is a compassionate girl.  Very generous.  Very smart.  She is very
drawn to you, for reasons that are beyond my understanding.”

“Totally
don’t understand it, either.”  Warren readily agreed.

“But,
if someone like Anniah sees greatness in you, then
perhaps
there is a
small amount hidden somewhere.”  Rhawn paused.  “Somewhere very,
very
deep.

“I
doubt it.”  Warren said with sigh.

So
did Rhawn, but he was simply trying to bolster the man’s spirits.  The gods
only knew why.  “Lucy says Anniah can have you, if she wants.”

Warren
squinted.  “Lucy
gave
me to that girl?  Can she do that?”

“She
is the Destroyer.  She can do whatever she wishes.”

“Oh.” 
Warren puzzled that over and began to look touched.  “Wow.  So… I have to do
whatever the pretty blonde says?  That is
awesome
.  It’s like a
Penthouse
letter, ya know?  Lucy’s a
really
good friend.”