Once Upon a Caveman (9 page)

“No. 
My parents were killed when I was a baby.  I was raised by my grandparents and,
when they died, I was on my own.  The school psychologist suggested those
experiences made me untrusting and antisocial.”

If
that meant that she was a prickly, difficult little creature, then he would
have to agree.

She
arched a brow, like she was reading his mind, and ate some more fruit.  “Still,
I don’t think I’m the only one ranking low on the popularity polls.  I get the
vibe that you’re more Mary Ann and less Ginger, here on Gilligan’s Isle.”

He
pieced to together about three words of that statement, but it was enough.  “I
am the most reviled man in the Clan.”  He admitted.  “They call me Rhawn the
Accursed.”

“Catchy.” 
She didn’t seem overly terrified of his shameful admission.

Rhawn
took a deep breath.  “They hate me because I am stupid.”

“Oh,
obviously.”  She glanced back to the measurements for the han-d gly-der that
he’d worked out on the wall.  “So many cavemen understand how to calculate
fractions.”

Rhawn
kept talking, not wanting to dwell on his lack of intelligence.  “Also, I dream
of your world and its magical creations.  No one but the gods should ever look
upon Newyork’s perfection.”

“Perfection? 
You’ve clearly never dreamed about a Brooklyn cab, have you?”

He
ignored that.  “And then there are my eyes.”

Lucy
frowned.  “Your eyes?”  She repeated blankly.

Rhawn
nodded, confused by her confusion.  “They are brown.”

“Yeaaaahhhh.” 
She drew out the word, clearly still at a loss.

“No
one else has
ever
been born with brown eyes.”  Everybody knew this. 
“Eyes should be blue, gray, or green.  Brown eyes are surely a mark of
disfavor.”

“That’s
ridiculous.  Lots of people have brown eyes where I come from.”

That
drew him up short.  “They… do?”

“Yes.”
 Lucy gave him a slight smile, polishing off the rest of the
shanee
. 
“Trust me.  Your eyes are beautiful.”  She looked him up and down.  “In fact,
everything about you is very, very
not
disfavored.”

Rhawn
stared at her.  Nothing in his life prepared him to answer such a bizarre
statement.

Another
quake occurred before he could think of a response, the ground beneath them
trembling.  It was just a small rattle and it passed quickly.  Rhawn barely
noticed.  Everyone in the Clan had grown used to the minor shakings.

Lucy
hadn’t.

She
leapt up, nearly falling over as the island moved.  Rhawn quickly stood, catching
hold of her.  Her body fell into his arms and her hands grabbed onto his
shoulders.  She pressed against him, small and soft and… perfect.  She felt
perfect.  Like she was meant to fit against him.  Like he was meant to hold
her.

His
mate
.

For
one heartbeat, it seemed that Lucy felt it, too.  Her eyes flashed up to his
and then quickly away.  She gave her head a shake and shifted back from him. 
Balancing against the wall, she turned towards the cave entrance.  In the
distance, black smoke poured from the top of Uooloa.

“My
God.  It’s really going to erupt, isn’t it?”  She breathed.

For
a deity, she asked many questions that seemed obvious.

“Of
course.”  Rhawn moved closer in case he needed to steady her through any
aftershocks.  …And because he loved the scent of her skin.  Even if he hadn’t
known she was the Destroyer, he’d know she was magical from the way she
smelled.  It was divine.  “Very soon, Uooloa will sink this island.  Your
arrival will set it aflame.”

She
met his eyes again and his chest tightened in longing.  He would never get used
to the way she looked right at him.  The Destroyer was no doubt accustomed to
gazing at horrible things, but, for Rhawn, it was nothing short of a miracle to
have someone gaze into his hideous eyes and not cringe.

Rhawn
began to think thoughts he shouldn’t think.  Which wasn’t unusual, but rarely
had they been
this
stupid.

When
he began to ponder an important puzzle, it consumed his mind until he solved
it.  …And nothing was more important than Lucy.  She was meant to be his mate. 
He knew that she would not have Chosen him herself, but the law still gave him
the right to Choose
her
.  If she were a normal female, he could just challenge
the man she belonged to and win her for himself.

But,
who did you have to challenge to claim a goddess?

War-ren,
the Savior perhaps?

“Alright,
let’s focus on the real problem here.”  Lucy seemed to be trying to calm her
panic.  “I’m a pragmatic person.  I’m pretty sure all of this crazy shit is
really happening, so I’ll deal with it.  I
will
.  I don’t have a choice,
so I’m going to deal.  It
will
be dealt.  Alright?”

She
was only trying to convince herself, but Rhawn nodded anyway.  She clearly
wanted an answer.

“Good. 
So, I’m just going to stay calm and be practical and take it one crisis at a
time.”  She continued in a carefully steadied voice.  “Okay.  Now, of all my
present dilemmas, that volcano seems like the most pressing.  Actually, it’s
both
our dilemmas.  I’m never getting home to my tiny apartment and the cute little
dog I’ll someday adopt, if I’m a charcoal briquette.  Meanwhile, you’ve got a
scenic view of Mordor out your front door.”  She pointed to the mountain. 
“Oceanfront or not, it’s just some really lousy real estate, Rhawn.  We
both
need to get away from here.  You with me so far?”

Rhawn
wasn’t sure what answer she sought.  “The Savior must lead us to safety.”  He
reminded her.  “Only he can find the way.”

“If
you knew Warren you’d know that isn’t real likely.”  She scoffed.  “Even with a
GPS, a map, and guide dog, I wouldn’t trust that doofus to lead me down the
street.  You, on the other hand, I trust.”

His
heart flipped over.

“I
can’t explain dreams and I don’t even want to.  Maybe they’re real and maybe it’s
all a hallucination.  Right now, it doesn’t matter to me.”  Brilliant green eyes
met his.  “You --
real
you, right here-- protected me earlier, you speak
English, you know this place, and you’re the only one here sharp enough to skip
the chanting.  All
major
points for you.”

That
made him happy.  “Points are good?”  Rhawn liked rewards and he rarely received
them.  “And you’re just giving them to me?”

“What?” 
She shook her head.  “Whatever.  Pay attention, alright?  You’re a smart guy. 
That’s
what I care about.  It makes you my best hope for survival.  We need to work
together.”

He
shook his head, caught off guard by the idea.  Rhawn had never been called smart. 
Never been anyone’s “best hope.”  Never had anybody trust him.  Not ever.  No
one ever wanted his protection or to “work with” him.  Even if Lucy only
planned to fool him into committing vile acts of heresy, he was a little
intrigued by her flattery.  She could recruit far worthier men.  Still…

“I
can’t help you win the
Ardin
.”  No matter how perfect she seemed or what
“points” she offered, Rhawn wouldn’t assist with her malevolent plans.  He did
his best to live with honor.  While he wished for it to be a fair fight, he
couldn’t help her achieve victory and doom the world.  He couldn’t do that. 
Wouldn’t
do it.  Absolutely not.

…Probably.

Lucy’s
jaw tightened.  “Oh, you
are
helping me.”  She warned.  “You’ve seen me
naked, caveman.  You owe me.”

Rhawn
stifled a wince.  Dwelling on the perfect curves of her body didn’t exactly
inspire him to resist her evil influence.  “I won’t be a party to your
schemes.”  He muttered.  “I wish for you to
forsake
them and to…”

She
cut him off.  “Fuck that, Rhawn!  You’re helping.  You saved my life earlier,
so it would be pretty dumb of you to just waste all that effort.”

“I
told you I
am
dumb and I did nothing to save your life.”

Rhawn
tried to turn away from the impossible color of her eyes, but she wouldn’t let
him.  Just like in the dream, she moved her head to the side, keeping her gaze
locked on his.  It was as if she’d caught him in a snare.  Rhawn helplessly
stared back at her, his heart hammering.

“You
did
save my life.”  She insisted.  “You’re the reason I got off the ship
in time.  You told me the
Arden
would sink.”

“The
sinking
is
the
Ardin
.  It is the end of the world.”

She
looked baffled.  “Come again?”

How
could she not know a prophesy that she was a part of?  Rhawn was beginning to
feel as confounded as she seemed.  Perhaps he was not smart enough to converse
with a god.  Once again, he decided to go back to basics.

“During
the
Ardin
, the Savior will bring all the worthy to a new homeland.  The
Destroyer will sink the island with the eruption of Uooloa.”  He gestured towards
the volcano.

“I
don’t think an island
can
sink outside of a Hollywood effects studio.” 
She seemed uncertain, though.  “It could get blown apart, I guess.  Or maybe
geology just works differently in Ice Age dimensions.”  She shook her head.  “I
mean, how could we possibly know what kind of plate tectonics you guys have
going on around here?”

Rhawn
had no idea what she was talking about.  “This island will vanish into the
waves.”  He repeated firmly.  “This is all foretold in the myths.”

She
held up both palms.  “So, however it happens, this
Ardin
thing is your
doomsday and
Warren
is the Savior of it? 
That’s
what you’re
saying?”

“Yes.”

“Which
makes me…?”

“The
Destroyer.”  Rhawn needed to remember that.  “You will bring about our end.” 
He forced himself to move back from her.  “And I will not help you, not matter
how much I wish that…”  He trailed off and finally turned away, unable to look
at her beautiful face.  He couldn’t aid her in sinking the island, but Rhawn could
also never see this woman harmed.  Not for any reason.

So
what was he going to do?

Lucy
seemed more mystified than ever.  “I’m not going to destroy anything.”  She
said in a voice that sounded almost vulnerable.  “I just want to go home and I
think you can help me get there.  You and I are… connected somehow.  I can
sense it and so can you, Rhawn.  You told me so.”

He
shut his eyes.  She was right.  He did sense it.

Rhawn
still shook his head, his heart breaking.  “No matter what I feel, I cannot
help you win this battle.”  He whispered.  “If you succeed the world will end.” 
It might kill her too for all he knew.  He could never allow that.  “Warr-en is
our only hope.  You must join his cause.”

“Did
you
meet
Warren?!  You can’t
possibly
think that’s true.”

He
tried to believe in the legends, but the incredulity in her tone cut down to
all his secret doubts.  Rhawn always questioned when he should surrender to
faith.  It was why Notan was forever telling him he was stupid.  Smart men
understood without having explanations.  You didn’t need proof to
know
. 
The truth was evident to all worthy of seeing it.

“Everything
else the prophesy predicted has come to pass.”  Rhawn pointed out, refusing to
admit his failings.  “Why would the end be any different?”

“So
you want me to die?”

“
No
.” 
He roared and then quickly lowered his voice.  “You twist my words.”  The last
thing he wanted was this woman dead.  The thought of existing without her was
unimaginable.  Rhawn scraped a hand through his hair and tried to think of a
way out of this mess.  What he knew was right warred with his instincts to
protect her.

Lucy
was
his mate
.

Never
before had he been so sure of anything.  When he looked at her, everything felt
right.
  What did that mean?  Was this some sort of test that he was
failing?

…Or
was he
supposed
to keep her safe?

Maybe
this was why she’d been brought to him.  Maybe he could get her to see reason
and not doom the world.  Maybe he could tap into the good he saw inside of her
and dissuade her from this terrible plan.  He latched onto that desperate idea
like a drowning man with a
nutyh
.

“I’m
not twisting anything.”  Lucy retorted.  “And I’m not going to doom the world,
Rhawn.”  Every time she said his name, he felt a jolt in his stomach.  “Your
prophesy is wrong.  I’m not the Destroyer.  I’m
not
evil.”  She sounded
so convincing and so
sure
, as she leaned closer to him.  “This is very
simple.  Who do you want to back in this apocalypse: Me or the guy who flunked
so many classes, he could drive to eighth grade?”

Rhawn
had no idea what “drive” meant, but he understood the gist of that comment. 
Did he honestly believe that Warren could ever defeat this woman?  Against his
will, Rhawn’s gaze met hers again and he saw the resolve burning in her eyes. 
Vulnerability was replaced with boundless determination.  She would fight until
the end and she would triumph.  The Clan couldn’t stop her.  Warren couldn’t
either.