Vulcan's Woman (4 page)

Apparently he decided to avoid answering her question as
well but that was okay. It was just a bunch of nervous chatter anyway. “I
needed to bathe but none of the women were available to accompany me,” she
lied, which she dreaded all the way to her toes. “And our men are forbidden to
escort anyone but their wives.” That was the truth.

He nodded once as if he understood but she could tell the
response disturbed him. “Are you familiar with the breed?” she repeated,
focusing her attention on Birmon.

“No. I’ve never seen one before. Ignore it, Wisteria, and it
may go away.”

Oh her name flowed from his lips like a subtle wave. Warmth,
more powerful than the sunshine, slithered through her blood. “I tried, but it
followed me here from the nest.”

“It must be fond of your scent,” he said, halting in the
water directly beside her. He reached down, gently grabbed her hand and helped
her to her feet. “As I am,” he added, his breath bathing her face.

She swallowed hard and had barely a second to lick her lips
before his mouth descended on hers in a kiss that weakened her knees. Her nose
brushed his cheek and she was blessed with his piney, calming scent. It flowed
through her senses, turning her insides warm and mushy. Her legs wobbled. He
wrapped an arm around her waist and yanked her close to his body. Close enough
that his hard manly parts dug into her tummy. Her momma explained a man’s organ
turned hard when preparing to penetrate a woman’s body but she never said
that
hard. And it appeared too long to enter a woman without causing pain.

As Vulcan spread her lips with his and slipped his tongue
into her mouth she whimpered and melded against him. She didn’t know what to
do, so she copied the slow, rhythmic motions of his tongue. Kissing was better
than she’d anticipated but she felt almost as naughty as when she’d rubbed
herself. But she wasn’t touching herself now and the same euphoric sensation
invaded her private area. Moisture oozed into her lower garment. The warmth
mixing with the cold, wet strip of leather added a new type of thrill and she
squeezed her thighs together to increase the effect.

Vulcan released her lips. As he rested his chin on the top
of her head his arms tightened around her waist and he tugged her closer to his
chest. “You don’t know how badly I’ve regretted not kissing you yesterday when
I had the chance.”

His confession added another new thrill to her reeling
emotions. “You have?” she asked. With her ear pressed against his muscular
breastbone, the echo of her voice vibrated inside his chest.

“Yes, among other things.” He stepped back and lifted her
face in his palms. His gaze wandered over her lips before taking a languid
stroll to her eyes. “But you’ve not yet accepted a man inside you. Am I right?”

Heat rose to her cheeks. She swallowed, fluttering her
eyelids closed, and nodded shyly.

“Look at me, Wisteria.”

Her lids twitched open and she peered into the most
compassionate, endearing eyes she’d ever witnessed on a man. It set him inside
a special place in her heart.

“Am I right?” he repeated.

“Yes.”

His thumb rolled her bottom lip. “I can force myself upon
you and take you against your will.”

She gulped. “I know.”

“As any man could.”

Again she nodded.

“It’s why you should never wander alone.”

“But this lake is a safe place. Neither the Mountain Slayers
nor the Flesh Eaters will come here for fear of the two-headed snake. And the
Barbarians―”

“Will do what?” He smiled and her belly did a nervous flip.

“They only come out at night,” she insisted.

“Do they now?”

“Yes.”

He rolled her lower lip a second time. “It takes just one
disobedient member to fall into your footsteps, Wisteria.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“Who am I?” He lowered his face and patted his lips against
hers but didn’t break eye contact as he kissed her in between each spoken word.
“From what tribe do I belong?”

“A…a—” She paused to catch her breath. “A peace-seeking
tribe much like mine.”

“Are you sure?”

It had to be. He was gentle and affectionate and he kissed
her as though she were a delicate flower. He’d said any man could take her
against her will but he hadn’t. He hadn’t even tried. That wasn’t the mannerism
of a brutal tribesman.

A faint but persistent squawk penetrated her ears. She
glanced at the lake’s edge where the little creature tapped its foot on the
water as if building courage to step in. She placed her fingers on Vulcan’s
huge arms and took a step away. She immediately regretted the absence of his
protective embrace but Birmon requested her attention at the moment. “Birmon,
go home. Your momma is going to worry. I don’t want to have to answer to her.”

“I’m sure you don’t,” Vulcan declared. “I bet she’s not as
innocent or forgiving as that little guy.”

“You think it’s a boy?”

“I don’t know. His spikes are blue, so I think it’s a safe
bet. Most birds with blue coloring are male.”

“What if he follows me home? What will I do with him?”

Vulcan stepped on shore but Birmon didn’t move. “Come,
Wisteria.” Vulcan held out his hand. The moment she stood beside him on dry
land, Birmon wobbled to her feet and lay down, pulling his wings over his head.

“Oh no. Now what?”

“I don’t know.” Vulcan chuckled. “What an affectionate
predator.”

Her eyes shot from the creature to Vulcan. “Where do you
think he came from?”

“Maybe they’re migrating to the warmth of our land from a
colder planet.”

She squeezed Vulcan’s hand. “I don’t know what that is.”

“This,” he lifted his arm and gestured at their
surroundings, “is a planet. There are many more in the sky.” He removed a few
strands of hair from her cheek and tucked them behind her ear, allowing his
fingers to linger longer than necessary, but she didn’t mind. Not at all.

Vulcan tilted her chin and studied her eyes before pulling
her against his body. She melded along his powerful chest. “I must go. I told
my sister I’d be right back. My brother and one of our women are missing and I
don’t want my sister to worry about me too. I’d rather…” she said through a
staggered breath but her words trailed off as he lowered his mouth to hers and
parted her lips.

Her lids instinctively threatened to close but she held them
open and gazed into his eyes as he skillfully toyed with her tongue. Once again
her knees weakened and he tightened his arm at her waist.

He broke the kiss and placed his lips beside her ear. “I
wish we had more time,” he said, his voice a husky whisper. “I want you,
Wisteria. I want to lay you down on my fur hides and make love to you until
moonlight fades to sunshine.”

“Make love?”
Until moonlight fades to sunshine?
That
was a very long time. Her mom and dad loved each other and kissed often. Was
that how they
made
love
?

“Ah Wisteria, you’re so innocent.” He palmed her cheeks.
“You really don’t know, do you?”

She shook her head while chewing the inside corner of her
mouth.

He smiled and his expression softened. “It’s when a man
penetrates a woman’s body.”

“We call it mating or rutting.”

“What a secluded world you live in.”

It was the only world she knew. The loss of eight children
had forced her mother to shelter her two remaining daughters.

“The words you use refer to the physical act of coming
together. With the right person it’s about feelings and expression,” he said,
running the back side of his hand along her cheek. “When I make love to you,
I’m going to cherish your entire body with my mouth and my hands. I’ll leave
not a part of you untouched. What we do together won’t be some cold act to
reproduce. No, I can sense it will be much, much more.”

When? Not if?
Her brows lifted as a subtle shudder
wiggled down her spine. “You’d not rut me?”

“No. Rutting is for boys or men who can’t control their
needs. You’re too delicate for that right now. Your first time should be with a
man who isn’t woman crazy or who lacks self-discipline. Do you understand?”

She nodded slightly.

Another smile flashed across his face. “One day I want to
show you how they vary.”

She could only wish that were true. But
one day
, and
soon, she’d be lying beneath Sledge while he rutted her like a beast. Knowing
now to what degree a man’s organ hardened, she feared just how painful it would
be.

I’ve been promised to him. It’s my duty.

The best thing for her was to never see Vulcan again. How
cruel he’d been to create such vivid images of
making love
, when she’d
probably only ever experience pain.

Yes, it was best to avoid him and pretend he’d never
existed. She’d accept her fate with Sledge. She already knew what to expect.
She’d withstand his rutting over Vulcan’s lovemaking because she obeyed the
decisions of her elders. She’d do her duty, the one her father had chosen for
her. By avoiding Vulcan she’d never truly know what she’d be missing anyway.

Damn you, Daddy. Damn you.

She placed her hand on Vulcan’s cheek. “I must go,” she
whispered then turned and walked away.

“Wisteria?”

Don’t look back. You mustn’t look back.

She trotted to the path then ran into the forest, leaving
behind the gentlest, most memorable,
nonexistent
man of her life.

Wisteria sat on the ground near the fire, resting against a
boulder while she gazed at the moon. It was the first time she’d relaxed since
she’d returned from the lake, having helped Momma all day and evening with
chores. Actually Wisteria completed most by herself because her mom had been
blinded by grief over Boar and Dahlia, and she couldn’t stay focused.

Sure enough, the pads of Wisteria’s fingers ached from
pressing the needle through the hides. She longed to work with her body jewels
again. She still had a few supplies left but not many. What she’d gathered at
the lake yesterday, she’d accidentally forgotten.

She needed to find a new place to collect stones. Even if
someone could accompany her to the lake she was never going back. She’d find
another place to bathe. If not she’d send her brothers to fetch buckets of
water. She couldn’t risk running into Vulcan.

Vulcan.

The
nonexistent
man she couldn’t forget.

Why couldn’t she get him out of her head?

He’d touched too many things at once, that’s why.
Her
mind. Heart. Emotions. It only required the sound of his voice or a subtle
glance into his eyes. Being swept so easily scared her but not as much as never
seeing him again. How was that possible?

She’d give her last breath to participate, just once, in his
demonstration of making love. Just once. She wasn’t asking much.

Her belly did a smooth flip.

She sighed and pulled her knees to her chest, forcing him
from her mind with help from the twinklers in the sky.

Other than the usual chorus of crickets, the camp was
peaceful. The women put their children to sleep, so the laughter and
high-pitched chatter had died.

Wisteria’s dad returned not long ago from his hunt, lugging
two dead deer and three rabbits on a wooden pull-along. The remaining clansmen
gathered in the slaughter shack to help gut the kill. Momma offered to help as
well and Ivy sat inside the shack where the lighting was better while she
carved animal drawings on ivory pallets. Periodically a masculine, guttural
laugh echoed through the darkness, reminding Wisteria she wasn’t alone.

She rested her head on the boulder and no sooner had she
closed her eyes than something stirred in the bushes behind her, near her cave.
She swallowed as her neck and spine stiffened in alarm.

Boar and Dahlia?

As she glanced over her shoulder hoping to find them, the
noise stopped. Despite the firelight casting rays across a large area, the
bushes remained in the shadows. Just then a rabbit jumped from the brush and
hopped across the ground toward the relief shanty.

She released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been
holding and slumped against the boulder. She really needed to calm down. With
her senses seemingly heightened lately, every little thing affected her.

Smiling to herself, she closed her eyes and let the wonders
of nature invade her thoughts. Nearly every day she discovered something new,
whether it be a simple noise or an unusual object. Like little Birmon.
Hopefully he hadn’t fallen into the lake. Surely, carnivore or not, Vulcan
would’ve prevented him from drowning. Maybe Birmon found his way back to his
nest and fell soundly asleep.

Vulcan.

Her tummy flipped yet again. “When I make love to you, I’m
going to cherish your entire body with my mouth and my hands. I’ll leave not a
part of you untouched.” What a sweet melody to her ears. How could she ever
forget that?

Why had she permitted him to kiss her without disclosing
she’d been promised to another man? She had numerous opportunities to tell the
truth. Why hadn’t she?

“She’s over there,” she heard through the darkness, followed
by heavy footsteps.

Wisteria opened her eyes just as Sledge, her father and
three additional clansmen surrounded her. A bone club was clutched in her dad’s
hand and he appeared determined and anxious to use it.

“Ask her,” Sledge shouted. “Not only has she deceived me,
but she has deceived our clan.”

“Is that true, Wisteria?” her dad roared, his face contorted
and voice so loud it traveled above the treetops in a horrendous echo.

She’d never witnessed such a horrible sound, which meant he’d
already condemned her of something. “Is what true?”

“Were you kissing a man not from this clan?”

Her belly vaulted. How could she answer that? Whether she
told the truth or lied, she faced trouble. She glanced at his club and fisted
her hands on the ground while trying to skitter to her feet. “I’ve deceived no
one.”

“Who’s this tribesman Sledge speaks of?”

She cringed in fear when her dad’s saliva spattered her
cheeks. He was so mad he practically frothed at the mouth. “He’s a friend.” She
turned toward Sledge and narrowed her eyes. “You were spying on me!”

“You cannot be trusted,” he bellowed, the tone vibrating
like thunder inside her chest. “You’ll be uniting with me in six days. I will
make sure you’ve not been breached before I rut you.”

Her father spun halfway around and pounded his fist into
Sledge’s face, knocking him sideways. Sledge gained footing, catching himself
before he fell. “What was that for?” he shouted, spitting blood on the ground
at his own feet.

It happened so quickly while Wisteria scrambled to her feet,
she’d nearly missed it.

“You’ll not speak of rutting my daughter in my presence.”

Additional blood dribbled from Sledge’s nose and clung to
the hair above his lip. He wiped it off with his hand then swiped his palm
along the chest of his fur frock.

“You disgust me,” Wisteria seethed.

Her father stepped forward within inches of her body. She
tilted her chin defiantly and tried inhaling a calming breath but every part of
her trembled. She’d never been punished by her father. She’d never given him a
reason to even raise a hand but she’d witnessed him beat Boar until her poor
brother was bloody and barely breathing.

“Who is this man?” her father demanded but before she could
respond he grabbed a handful of her hair and tugged her head back so far she
faced the sky. “Who?” he repeated, yanking her tresses.

Wisteria slammed her teeth together to ward off the pain.
Despite her fear, father or not, she’d not bow down to him. “A friend,” she
fumed, blinking back tears. “And a man Sledge will never be.”

Sledge lunged forward but stopped short of reaching over her
dad’s shoulder to hit her. The anger glowering from his eyes contorted his
expression into one of a madman.

“What’s going on here?” Nodda hollered.

From the corner of Wisteria’s eye she saw her mom running
toward them with Ivy trotting closely at her side. When Nodda saw Wisteria
trapped, she charged forward, grabbed the club and tossed it aside. “Let go of
my baby,” she ordered, slapping Wisteria’s father’s arm repeatedly. “You’ve no reason
to hurt her.”

“She’s been caught kissing a male not from our clan,” he
responded to his wife, despite his eyes boring into Wisteria’s.

Nodda gasped. “Is that true, Wisteria?”

Wisteria could lie to her father but not to her mom. Even if
she tried, her mother would know and Wisteria couldn’t risk losing her trust.
She gazed at the bright, round moon and slowly closed her eyes, dreading the
fact she was about to disappoint the most important woman in her life. “Yes,”
she whispered.

Her dad released her with a growl and shoved her over the
boulder. She fell to her knees, her hair splaying over her face. “Tie her to
the trees. She’ll be whipped for her treachery.”

“No, Daddy,” Ivy shouted, dropping beside Wisteria. She
cradled Wisteria’s head to her breast. “Her sins are not worthy of a lashing.”

“Shhh, Ivy,” Wisteria uttered. “You’ll endanger yourself.”

“She deserves twenty stones. No more, no less,” Ivy said
desperately. “That’s the punishment for deception.”

Her dad kicked pebbles and loose dirt at Wisteria then
turned and stomped off. “I choose the punishment,” he yelled over his shoulder.
“Sledge, whip her.”

“You cannot,” Nodda screamed, chasing Wisteria’s father, but
for every step he’d taken she was forced to take two, causing her to lag
behind.

Sledge and another clansman tried separating Ivy from
Wisteria but Ivy clung to Wisteria so desperately it was nearly impossible to
pull them apart. Sledge punched Ivy in the side of the head. Her neck jerked
and body slackened. He grabbed her beneath the arms and hauled her aside,
leaving her in a heap on the ground.

“You foul animal,” Wisteria shouted. She’d never wanted to
hurt someone so badly in her entire life. She lunged at him, kicking his shins
and gouging his face with her nails.

Two clansmen charged forward to intervene but she refused to
stop the assault on Sledge. His smirk indicated she wasn’t hurting him as he
failed to deflect her fists. She needed revenge for her sister. Ivy had done no
wrong. He had no reason to hit her.

One man yanked Wisteria backward and the other punched her
in the stomach, deflating her within seconds. The air blew from her lungs and
she collapsed, holding her tummy. While fighting to breathe, the men hefted her
by the arms and dragged her between the trees that were used for stoning.
Someone stood at her back, holding her upright while her wrists were strapped
by ropes and tied to the tree trunks. Her ankles were then bound and legs
spread. The abrasive cords cut into her skin when the ropes were pulled tight
and stretched outward to reach the trees.

Finally she caught her breath and lifted her head. Sledge
stood, smacking the leather whip against the ground. She cringed each time it
snapped the dirt.

Without warning he flung it across Wisteria’s bare tummy.
Searing pain tore through her flesh. A scream lurched to her throat. She bit
her lip to stifle it as tears filled her eyes but she couldn’t hold it in. Her
legs buckled, shifting her weight to her arms as she wailed in pain. And while
trying to keep her dignity by not begging him to stop, a whizzing sound sliced
through the air.

She held her breath but it was too late. The whip slashed
across the center of her thighs. She screamed and her head lolled forward.

“Leave her alone,” Ivy shouted.

Just as Wisteria raised her chin, Ivy rose to her feet,
stumbled across the yard and jumped on Sledge’s back, wrapping her arms around
his neck.

The clansmen quickly pulled her loose. The instant they
dragged her away the whip barreled across Wisteria’s tummy again. Her belly
jerked and her chin dropped to her chest. She wanted to die. The pain. She
couldn’t bear the pain. Warmth dribbled down her stomach and legs and she knew
it was blood.

“That’s enough! That’s enough,” Ivy yelled, drowning
Wisteria’s cries. “I’ll kill you. You have to sleep sometime, you grotesque
beast. I’ll kill you!”

Then the sound of clapping horses’ hooves stampeded into the
yard. Suddenly they halted, followed by dead silence. Not even a cricket
chirped.

No! No! For the sake of my soul!

The Barbarians!

Wisteria forced her head upright just as the clan women
emerged from their stone houses. The men stepped from the slaughter shack and
cautiously approached the fire pit, a few armed with spears. The women dashed
from the caves, merged with their husbands and huddled near the fire.

A tall man covered in fur pelts from his shoulders to the
ground dismounted from a huge black horse and stepped forward, only his
muscular arms showing. A large weapon was sheathed at his side and a bison
skull covered his head, resting on his shoulders. Not even his eyes were
visible through the headpiece sockets. He turned toward Wisteria, apparently
studying her for a long moment before his arm shot sideways, his finger pointed
at her body. “Free her!” he commanded, his voice a deep, thunderous echo.

Abruptly he spun on Sledge. Her clan’s people gasped and
stepped back. Sledge clenched the whip in his hand.

Four men donned in similar furs, each wearing a boar skull
to conceal their faces, jumped from their horses and quickly cut her loose. Her
arms fell limp at her sides and her legs buckled. Someone caught her beneath
the arms before she hit the ground.

“What has she done to deserve this punishment?” the man
asked, moving agilely toward Sledge as if stalking prey.

“What’s it to you?” Sledge shouted. Despite the valiant
front to hide his fear, Wisteria knew his insides shook. No one messed with the
Barbarians, including Sledge.

“If I find the reason sufficient, I just may kill her
myself.”

“No!” Ivy cried. “Please, she’s done nothing wrong.”

He spun around, focusing on her. “Then why is she being
whipped?”

The men sat Wisteria on the ground with her back propped
against a stoning tree. Through the pain-induced haze she spotted her sister
cowering behind their brother Shale.

“Speak,” the man shouted, his impatience evidently overrun
by irritation.

“Sh-sh-she,” Ivy stuttered, “kissed a tribesman not fr-from
our clan. It was innocent. She swore sh-she’d never do it again.”

The man stiffened and Ivy dropped to her knees and cried in
her hands as if she’d just sentenced her sister to death. “I’m so sorry,
Wisty,” she sobbed.

“You’re not to blame,” Wisteria said but she wasn’t certain
her voice rose above her own ears. Ivy had begged for Wisteria’s life and in
truth she’d rather perish than unite with Sledge.

Heavy footsteps echoed in the distance, slapping the ground
as they drew near. Wisteria looked beyond her people and saw her father emerge
from the back side of the fire. “What’s this?” he shouted. “Sledge, have you―”
He stopped abruptly, spotting the Barbarian tribe lined across the yard,
outnumbering their clan by at least two men to one.

With everyone’s attention focused on her dad, Sledge raised
the whip and swung at the Barbarian. The man caught the tip in his hand in
midair. He wound it around his palm and yanked. Sledge immediately released his
end to prevent being pulled forward. He raised his arms and backed up,
obviously realizing he’d made a grave mistake. “She’s not badly hurt,” he
blurted.