Once Upon a Caveman (21 page)

Damn
it, she’d
known
the tar pits would attract the dire wolves.

“What
the hell was
that?
”  Warren demanded.

Rhawn
was already moving.  He dropped Craig in a heap, focused on the new threat. 
“Lucy, do not move.”  He caught hold of her arm, dragging her behind him.  “Understand? 
Stay still
.”

Easier
said than done.

She
looked around desperately trying to spot the damn things.  It wasn’t hard.  Dire
wolves were bigger than modern wolves and modern wolves were already scary big,
so it was terrifyingly simple to see the monstrous beasts coming towards her.  There
were four of them, their gray fur matted and their teeth bared.

“Oh
shit.
”  She whispered and then they attacked.

Taffi
let out an ear-piercing shriek as the pack charged into the clearing.  “
Help!
” 
She grabbed onto Warren, violently shaking him like it might rattle loose some
heretofore unknown heroism.  “Werewolves!  There are
werewolves
here!  Do
something! 
Do something!
”

Warren
rallied himself and quickly did something.

…He
grabbed onto Lucy and shook her arm.  “Do something!”  He shouted.

Lucy
was too busy
not
moving
to respond to that idiocy.  All around
her, it was pure pandemonium.

The
pack was half-starved.  They weren’t backing away from an opportunity to eat,
even if it meant attacking humans.  Skoll, Tammoh, and some of the other men
clambered up into the closest palmy-pine tree, pulling others up behind them.  Craig
dragged himself into a sitting position, trying to figure out what was going
on.  Then he saw the wolves and started crying, again.  A few Clan members tried
to race back to camp, but that just drew the animals’ attention.

Lucy
cringed as the wolves gave chase.  One of them wrestled a Clan member to the
ground, its teeth flashing.  “Oh
God
.”

Rhawn’s
arms swept back, making sure she stayed behind him.  “They follow the
movement.”  He reiterated.  “It’s how they hunt.  Just like the long-tooths.  Do
not run and do
not
watch.”

She
nodded, burying her face in Rhawn’s back so she wouldn’t have to see the
blood.  Too bad she couldn’t block out the screams as easily.

“I’m
not running.”  Warren sounded like he was hyperventilating.  “You see how I’m
not running?  I learned from that tiger chasing me, ya know?  I’m just going to
do whatever you say and you’re going to get us out of this, right Rhawn?”

“Correct.” 
Rhawn turned his head, gauging the distance to the tree line.  “Now, we must
very
slowly
move towards the forest.  Whatever you do, don’t run or…”

Taffi
took off running.

“
Shit!
” 
Warren and Lucy chorused.

Rhawn
rolled his eyes in disgust.

The
prom queen tore off towards Skoll’s tree, waving her arms.  “Help, help, help,
help!
” 
She barreled right past Notan, inadvertently kicking his walking stick.  The
old man fell, his bad leg twisting under him.  The Clan let out a collective
gasp of horror as the biggest wolf moved in on him.

Anniah
screamed and tried to reach her father.

“Fuck!” 
Warren let go of Lucy and chased after her.  For once, he was the one to make
an interception on the field.  He grabbed Anniah as she rushed by.  “Stop!”  He
pulled her against him, trying to keep her still.  “You can’t do anything, damn
it!  Do you think he wants you dead, too?”

She
tried to push him away, sobbing out frantic words in the Clan’s language.

Lucy
had no clue what she was saying, but it didn’t much matter.  Warren was
actually right and Warren was
never
right.  But there was nothing the
girl could do except get herself eaten, too.  “Anniah listen to him!”  She
shouted.

Warren
held Anniah tightly, making soothing sounds to quiet her.  It was undoubtedly
the first time Warren had ever tried to help anyone.  And it worked.  Anniah collapsed
against him, sobbing.

Warren
look surprised for a beat, like he hadn’t expected her to need his comfort.  No
one had ever leaned on Warren for anything, because he was always so damn
useless.  This island had a way of giving you second chances, though.  Turning
you into who you were always supposed to be.  It was a place for do-overs.

Warren
lifted Anniah right off the ground, cradling her against his chest.  Amazingly,
she let him.  He looked overwhelmed and a little scared, but also pleased with
himself.  Like he’d done something he was proud of and he wasn’t used to the
feeling.  Anniah’s arms wrapped around his neck and --weirdly-- it actually
seemed like they… fit.

In
the tree, Skoll’s eyebrows slammed together in fury.

Rhawn
ignored the brewing love triangle.  “Lucy, stay here.”  He started forward,
like he might be about to somehow get Notan to safety.

Oh
hell
no.

Rhawn
was
not
going to die to protect that preachy octogenarian.  She was
going to have to stop this before he got himself killed being a hero.

Lucy
grabbed onto Rhawn’s arm, keeping him still.  With the other hand, she raised
Craig’s gun and fired it up in the air.  The report echoed across the island. 
Cavemen and wolves all jolted in unison turning towards her.  It was the
closest any of them had ever been to such a loud sound and it caught them all
off guard.

The
wolf stopped his attack on Notan, his eyes fixing on Lucy.  Leaving the old
man, he edged towards the new threat.

Okay…
this had maybe not been her best idea.

“Can
you kill the beast with that weapon?” Rhawn whispered fiercely.

Lucy
swallowed hard.  “I told you, I’m a
vegetarian
.  I’m not going to shoot
an animal, unless I have no other choice.”

He
flashed her an incredulous look over his shoulder.  “You have no other choice,
Lucy!”  He roared.

“Just
let me think!”

“Give
the weapon to me and
I
will do it!”

“Give
him the gun!”  Warren bellowed, shifting so his body was between the wolf and
Anniah.  “Give him the fucking gun!”

Lucy
disregarded that, her attention focused on the wolf.  Clearly, he was the pack
leader and he still wasn’t fully convinced he couldn’t take her in a fight.  She
needed to find a way to scare him off.  If she did, the others would leave,
too.

The
wolf’s ears went back and he snarled low in his throat, testing her.

Lucy
fired again, this time much closer to him.  She’d never fired a handgun before,
but she had played a hell of a lot of video games.  She knew how to aim.  The
bullet whizzed past his head and he stopped his advance.  His icy blue gaze locked
on Lucy.

She
stared back.  For a long beat of time, neither of them moved.  No one in the
glen even breathed, for fear of triggering another attack

…And
then the wolf backed away.

One
step.  Then two.  With a final snarl, he turned and finally loped off.  Frightened
by the gun, all the wolves followed their leader and disappeared back into the forest.

Lucy
released a breath that she wasn’t even aware she’d been holding.  “Jesus.”  Her
knees couldn’t support her, so she steadied herself on Rhawn’s shoulder. 
“Paleontology is so much more stressful outside of books.”

The
Clan was gaping at her with something like awe.  Even Warren looked impressed. 
The only ones not amazed at her awesomeness were Skoll and Taffi and who really
cared about them?  For once, Lucy felt pretty damn cool.  As soon as she
stopped being sick with panic, she might even exchange some high-fives.  Well,
first she’d have to teach cavemen
how
to high-five, but whatever.

Anniah
scrambled free of Warren and rushed over to hug Lucy in gratitude.  …Which was
awkward, considering she was topless and all.  See?  The exact sort of situation
where a high-five would work better.  Lucy gave her back a “you’re welcome”
sort of pat and nudged her back towards Warren.  Let him be useful for once.

Notan
got to his feet and began sputtering something to Rhawn, gesturing to Lucy with
an astonished expression on his face.  Lucy figured the rough translation was
probably something like, “Why did that evil bitch just save me?”

Rhawn
snapped something back at him and everyone gasped.  All eyes went to Lucy and
she could see their surprise.  Notan fell to his knees, praying up at the sky
again.  So did several others.  The big, ugly twin guys, Ugghot and Uyhot,
hugged each other, crying with something like gratitude.

Lucy’s
eyebrows soared.  Whatever the hell was going on, it was clearly a big deal.  She
would’ve asked Rhawn about it, but he didn’t seem like he wanted to share.  In
fact, he didn’t even pay attention to the Clan’s newest weirdness.  All his
focus was centered on her.

“Do
not
do that again.”  He commanded, spinning around to face her.

“Do
what? 
You
were the one being a maniac and trying to get yourself torn
apart by wolves!  If anyone should be pissed off, it should be me.”  What would
she do if anything happened to Rhawn?  This guy was her whole world.

Unfortunately,
Lucy’s “whole world” wasn’t listening to her perfectly logical complaints.  “You
should
not
have come back here to free the long-tooth.  You should
not
have antagonized a large, angry male.  You should
not
have left the
beach without telling me.  You should
not
have challenged a pack of
hungry animals.”  He seized hold of her arm, dragging her against his chest.  “You
should
not
put yourself in danger.  I cannot bear it, Lucy.  I cannot
bear it.”  Then his mouth was slamming down onto hers.

Lucy’s
toes curled inside her high-tops, her lips opening under his plundering kiss. 
Wow.
 
She might have showed this guy the basics, but he’d taken kissing to another
whole level of awesome.  Nobody could kiss like Rhawn.  It was like being
blasted with heat and urgency and desire.  Lucy couldn’t even think.  All she
could do was want him.

Rhawn
suddenly lifted his head, ignoring her sound of protest.  “And you will no
longer be a vegetarian.”  He decided.  “It is too fraught with risk.”

She
smiled at how damn cute he was.  “Thank you for protecting me from Craig and
the wolves.”  She said instead of telling him he was adorable.  He probably wouldn’t
appreciate it.  She reached up to touch his face.  “Ten points for you, caveman.”

For
once, winning points didn’t distract him.  Rhawn tilted his face to kiss the
inside of her palm.  “I will
always
protect you.  You are my mate.  It’s
my right and duty.”  He arched a brow.  “But I do not think you
needed
much assistance.  You are
so
powerful, Lucy.”

She
winced, still feeling guilty over the whole “goddess” lie.  “That wasn’t me
being powerful.  It was me having the only machine in the garden.”  She
gestured to the gun.

Rhawn
shook his head.  “The weapon was just a tool.  The bravery came from
you
. 
The heart and honor that you have. 
That
is the power.”

Lucy
stared up at him for a long moment, overwhelmed.  That was the nicest thing
anyone had ever said to her.  “I’m still thinking about Choosing you.”  She
blurted out a little frantically.  Examining her feelings would be a disaster. 
If she discovered what she
thought
she was going to discover, her whole
life was going to change.  Maybe it
had
already changed.

Shit.

What
the hell was she going to do?

Rhawn
arched a brow.  “Think faster.”  He said simply.

Notan
came limping over, his palm outstretched to Lucy.  He was talking a mile a
minute and making praying motions with his hands.  It immediately made her
nervous.  Now what was he up to?

“This
is new and unsettling.”  She looked up at Rhawn with a frown.  “Why’s Mr. Burns
being so friendly, all of a sudden?”

“Notan
is thanking you.”

“Why? 
I’m the Destroyer.  He probably thinks I commanded the wolves to attack in the
first place, using my evil Jedi mind tricks.”

Rhawn’s
mouth curved.  “He no longer believes you are the Destroyer.  I have told him
the truth.”

“The
truth?”  That didn’t sound good, considering how many lies she’d told lately.  “What
truth?

“That
you are the Savior, of course.”

She
makes a soft noise that has his teeth grinding together.  He has her pinned
beneath him, her hands stretched over her head and his mouth on her breasts. 
The woman tries to move wanting him to go faster, but he’s not releasing her
wrists.

Rhawn
lifts his head, as she tugs against his grip.  As usual, he doesn’t want her to
see his eyes and be repelled, but he can’t give her a chance to get away.  “Not
yet.”

She
doesn’t want to wait.  “Just hurry.  Please.”

He
slowly shakes his head.  “Again.”  He says and switches to the other breast.

Her
pupils dilate at the rough word and the feel of his lips on her skin.  The
pulse in her neck speeds up.  “Again.”  She agrees with a languid sigh.

Rhawn
and Lucy’s Dream- Four Years Ago

“She’s
not the Savior!”  Skoll shouted.

The
Clan was gathered back in the main cave, waiting to hear what Notan had to say
about the revelation of who Lucy truly was.  Most people accepted the idea with
visible relief.  If Lucy was the Savior, it meant that their belief system was
still intact.  It helped everyone to rationalize their actions in building the
ragan
and look to the future with ever-growing hope.

The
Savior had a plan to save them.

It
was just as the legends predicted.  Really, news that the Savior had actually
won the
Ardin
was a time for rejoicing.  Even Notan was jubilant.  In
fact, the only two people appalled by the idea were Skoll and Taffi.

Well…
and Lucy herself.

“He’s
right.  I’m not the Savior.”  She whispered fiercely.  “Rhawn, you need to tell
them I’m not the Savior, before this goes too far.”

He
shot her a confused look.  “But you
are
the Savior.”  It was astonishing
that he hadn’t known it from the first.  This woman wasn’t evil.  Wasn’t trying
to end the world.  Just the opposite.  She’d been sent to save them.  He saw it
all so clearly now.  “Lucy, you are the one we’ve been waiting for.”

“This
is ridiculous!”  Taffi threw up her hands.  “Shouldn’t we --like-- vote on who
gets to be Savior?  Because, I sure don’t vote for Lucy.  I vote for
me
.”

Rhawn
ignored that.  So did everyone else.

“Just
think about this for a second.”  Lucy persisted, her gaze on Rhawn.  “If I’m
the Savior, then that would make Warren the Destroyer, right?  Does that
dumbass seem like an evil genius to you?”  She waved a hand at the boy, who was
presently staring at Anniah with limpid eyes.

Rhawn
shrugged.  “No, he does not seem like a Destroyer… but he seems even
less
like a Savior.”  He hesitated.  “Besides, he is not the only one who could be
the Destroyer.”  His eyes went over to Craig and he switched back to the Clan’s
language.  “This god is dangerous.  He killed a long-tooth without cause and
tried to harm Lucy.  I believe the legends of the
Ardin
became confused
as the cycles past.  Lucy is the Savior, which means the Destroyer could be a
male.”

“It
is not Warr-en.”  Anniah put in swiftly.

Skoll
glowered over at her.  He was nearly as furious at Warren as he was with Lucy. 
“That spineless creature you are so taken with is not man enough to be the
Destroyer.”  He scoffed.  “We all know that, Anniah.”

“Warr-en
has greatness in him.”  Anniah shot back.  “I see it, because I am not as blind
as you.”

Warren
looked between them with a concerned frown, understanding his name and not much
else.  “What’s going on?”  He glanced over at Rhawn.  “Is that asshole
threatening her?”

“No. 
He’s telling her you are a weakling.”  Rhawn assured him distractedly and then
switched back to the Clan’s language.  “I do not think Warr-en is the Destroyer,
either.”  He said, returning to the point of this meeting.  He gestured at
Craig.  “
This one
is the true Destroyer.  He must be.”

Not
knowing what else to do with him, the Clan was holding Craig prisoner while they
debated his fate.  He scowled at Rhawn, bamboo sticks on either side of his
broken nose, keeping it straight.  “I don’t got a clue what you’re saying, but
I know it’s all bullshit.  Once I get out of here, I’ll make you sorry for this,
ya cave-douche.  I know people at home who will kick your ass if I front them a
couple grams of product.”

Rhawn
met his eyes.  “You will
never
leave this island.”  He told him quietly. 
“So that will be a very difficult deal to strike.”

Craig
glowered at him with pure hatred.

“The
Craig god must be the
Savior
.”  Skoll decided, pacing around in
agitation.  “That is why he tried to kill the Destroyer.  He was attempting to
strike Lucy down and win the
true
Ardin
.”

Rha+wn
rolled his eyes.  “You believe
that
man is the Savior of our people?” 
He waved a disparaging hand in Craig’s direction.  “I would not trust him to
lead us out of a cave, let alone across the Infinite Sea.”

There
was some chuckling throughout the Clan.  Even Notan smiled.

“Besides,
even if he
was
the Savior, the Craig god still lost the fight.”  Anniah
pointed out smugly.  “Rhawn made him cry.  We all saw it.  So Lucy would
still
have triumphed in the
Ardin
and she would
still
be in charge.”

Skoll
wasn’t giving up.  “
Rhawn
would have triumphed, not Lucy.”  He insisted.

“We
are the same.”  Rhawn said flatly.  “She is my mate.  Her battles are mine to
fight.  Even if they are against small men and their magical weapons.”

“Are
they talking about me?”  Craig demanded.  “It seems like they’re talking about
me.”

“They’re
not very impressed with your fighting skills.”  Taffi told him, her face intent
as she tried to piece together the Clan’s language.  “But they still think you
might be a god.”

“A
god?”  Craig sat up straighter.  “Really?”

“Oh,
they think everyone’s a god.”  Warren scoffed.  “Don’t let it go to your head.”

Taffi
laughed and it wasn’t a pleasant sound.  “What would Craig even be the god of? 
Jewelry thieves and dope fiends?”  She arched a brow.  “I’m pretty sure he
stole my high school ring and hocked it for weed.  Did I ever tell you guys
that?”

“Shut
up, Lucy!”  Craig snapped as if she was the one to accuse him.

Everyone
else ignored Taffi’s sniping.

Lucy
kept her attention on Rhawn, looking concerned and a little guilty.  “Rhawn,
sweetie, I really need to talk to you about this whole ‘goddess’ thing. 
There’s some stuff you need to know.”

He
nodded distractedly.  “Whatever you wish to say, I wish to hear. 
Later,
though.  When Skoll is not trying to undermine your position as Savior.”

“But
he’s right.  I’m
not
the Savior.”

“I
have
no doubt
that Lucy is the Savior.”  Anniah continued, passionately. 
“At first, we were mistaken as to her identity as a test of our faith, just as
my father said.”  That was indeed Notan’s new theory and the majority of the
Clan was convinced he was right.  “But when she saved my father’s life, I knew
we had proven ourselves to her.”

There
was much nodding and congratulatory smiles among the Clan.

“And
Lucy has made many positive changes, since she’s been here.”  Anniah was always
eager to talk about her idol’s accomplishments.  “She’s allowed women to Choose,
so we will not be stuck with cruel mates.  She’s gives us hope for a world
beyond this island and leads us in building the
ragan
.  She’s invented
the wonderful game of
Pictionary
.  She’s protected us from…”

Skoll
cut her off, in a rage that Anniah would stand against him.  “
She’s an evil
bitch!
”  He jabbed a finger Lucy.  “And she has no power to change the rules
of the Choosing.  I have Chosen you as my mate and you
will
submit.”

Rhawn’s
eyes narrowed.

“I
will never be with you, Skoll!”  Anniah shouted back.  “Lucy has given me
Warr-en and her word is the law now. 
He
is the one I Choose.”

They
both turned to look at Notan, like he might be the deciding factor.

The
elderly man hesitated.  His attachment to the old ways warred with his
eagerness to please Lucy.  In the end, it was most likely his desire to see his
daughter mated to a god that swayed his final decision, though.  What parent
wouldn’t want a deity for a son-in-law?  “It would be most unwise not to heed
the words of the Savior.”  He declared.  “If she believes Warr-en and Anniah
should be mated, who are we to question it?”

Anniah
smiled smugly.

Skoll
looked apoplectic.

“Wait.” 
Taffi held up her hands.  “Skoll, are you seriously trying to pick that skinny
little teenager over
me?
”  She glowered at Warren.  “Would you do
something about this please?”

“Do
something?”  He repeated blankly.

Unfortunately,
the two words were all it took to catch Skoll’s attention.  A new idea seemed
to pop into his head.  “I contest the mating of Anniah and Warr-en!”  He
thundered, raising a hand over his head.  “I will challenge him for her!”

Cheers
erupted.  The Clan was always eager to watch a fight.  Skoll strode to the
center of the cave ready for battle, while his friends pounded on his shoulders
in encouragement.

Warren
looked baffled as equally excited members of the Clan seized hold of him.  “Hang
on.  What’s happening?”  He squawked in alarm, trying to resist the waves of
arms pushing him forward.

“Oh
shit.”  Lucy whispered and glanced up at Rhawn.  “This is bad, isn’t it?”

“It
is bad.”

Anniah
bounded to her feet looking panicked.  “Stop!”

“Skoll
has challenged you for Anniah.”  Rhawn told Warren, unsure how to prevent the
unfolding disaster.

“He’s
what?
”

“He
wishes her for his mate.  I
told
you this.”

“Well,
he can’t do that!”  Warren protested.  “Lucy gave me to her.”

Lucy
pinched the bridge of her nose like she was developing a headache.

Rhawn
hesitated, debating their best course of action.  “It might be safest for you
to renounce your claim on her.”  He reluctantly suggested.

Since
Anniah didn’t want Skoll, they would have to come up with a way to stop him
from Choosing her, obviously.  But, there was no sense in allowing Warren to
die in the process.  Lucy had grudging affection for the boy.  Not to mention
Anniah’s inexplicable attachment to him.  It would upset both of them to watch Warren
get pounded into the cave floor and there was no
way
he’d ever defeat
Skoll in combat.

Warren
pointed at Skoll.  “This asshole thinks he’s going to --like--
marry
her
or something!  You want me to be okay with that?”

“I
want you to live.”  In theory anyway.  “Tell Skoll you will not seek to mate
with Anniah and maybe you will survive this.”

Anniah
grabbed hold of Warren’s arm, turning him to face her.  “You must not fight
Skoll.”  She cried, shaking her head.  “I could not bear to see you hurt,
Warr-en.  I will go with him.  Please.”

Warren
didn’t need a translation of that.  “No!”  He thundered.  “I’m not just handing
you over to that ‘roided up barbarian.  I’ve never belonged to anybody before
and I’m not giving that up!  Besides, you don’t even
like
him!  What the
fuck kind of man would I be if I let this happen?”

Rhawn
nodded, because the boy had a point.

Anniah
dissolved into sobs, seeing that he wouldn’t back down from the challenge.

“Warren,
that guy is twice your size and kills things on a daily basis.”  Lucy
interjected, visibly distressed.  “He’s going to peel your skin off and eat
it!”

“Rhawn,”
Anniah put in desperately, “do not let him do this!”

“Enough
with the mewling of women!”  Skoll cracked his neck, preparing for battle. 
“The challenge begins now!”

“You
back off!”  Lucy warned him and moved forward, trying to shield Warren.

Rhawn
sighed and moved in front of
her
.  This would end in blood and he was
going to ensure it wasn’t his mate’s.  “Skoll, think about what you plan to
do.”  He instructed in the Clan’s language.  “Warr-en is a god.  He will use
his powers against you and strike you down.”  Rhawn gave himself credit for
delivering that warning with a straight face.  He doubted it would work,
though.

Skoll
certainly wasn’t buying it.  “A
woman
beat him in combat!”  He scoffed,
waving at hand at Lucy.  “You think I fear a god that pathetic?”

“Let’s
all just take a breath here, okay?”  Lucy glanced back at Warren.  “Just sit
down.”  She hissed.  “You know you can’t possibly win this fight, so stop
acting crazy.”