Falcon's Captive. Vonna Harper
to Ekew and fight for what had always been theirs. Either that or he’d say it was time to join the Ekewoko women, children, and elders near the sea where they’d fled after the Outsiders invaded.
But if he commanded them to remain here…
Even as he divided his attention between where his feet were going and the distance where danger might lurk, Nakos found himself not dreading but embracing snow and ice. No longer would he and the others concern themselves with trying to capture a maybe worthless Wilding to satisfy their shaman’s and lord’s demands. Instead, everything would be about survival. He would pit his skills against the elements. Maybe Wilding spirits and gods were determined to destroy those who, like him, didn’t belong.
Who was still stalked by nightmares he refused to acknowledge.
He was pondering the wisdom of asking Ohanko if his friend ever had the same thoughts when movement overhead caught his attention. He’d seen eagles, hawks, and other birds of prey, of course, but this creature was different from them. Swifter.
When he first noticed it, the bird had been to his right and so high above that it seemed part of the heavens. A heartbeat later it became a brown and white blur diving toward another, larger bird. By the time Nakos’s heart beat again, the smaller bird had struck the larger one in midair, causing countless feathers to fly about. An agonized shriek cut through him. He blinked. The larger bird was plummeting toward the ground. An instant later, the killer caught it and slowed its descent. The two reached the ground, then disappeared.
“Did you see that?” Nakos asked. “Nothing, not even an arrow, travels that swiftly.”
Ohanko didn’t respond, prompting Nakos to glance behind him. The man he considered his brother was staring in the direction the shriek had come from. Color had drained from Ohanko’s face, and his fingers were clenched.
Nakos’s own nails bit into his palms. Had they just seen a Wilding spirit?
2
Her muscles, tendons, and heart working as one, Jola raced over rocks sharp enough to shred skin. Her lungs repeatedly collected and expelled air, but even when she couldn’t pull in enough oxygen to fuel her system, she couldn’t convince herself to slow down. Cool wind abraded her cheeks, arms, breasts, and belly, and for these moments, she wanted nothing else.
Movement. Flying—when she could. Running otherwise.
Her world was awash with colors that resonated in her soul. She loved the wind and the endless browns, greens, grays, whites, even hints of black. Most of all she loved the vast horizon with her birthplace, Raptor’s Craig, in the distance. She longed to return to it and surround herself with memories, but she’d spent last night there and hadn’t found the peace she longed for.
Her body and heart wanted one thing: movement. That’s why she was here today, that and the need to study the newcomers as she’d done back before she’d chosen her mate and then again two days ago. While in mourning, she hadn’t concerned herself with the newcomers, but when hunger had pulled her away from grief and sent her in search of prey, she’d spotted them.
Hatred had consumed her then. It still did.
As soon as she stopped running, the sweat coating her flesh would start to chill, and she’d be forced to go in search of the sleeveless hide dress she’d thrown off when too-familiar energy first lent strength to her legs. It was better to keep running, to move instead of think. To fight tears.
After pushing her long, black hair off her neck, she turned and set her sights on the great lake. Fortunately, the intruders had set up their camp on the bank opposite from Raptor’s Craig. Otherwise, she would have been forced to acknowledge Raci’s killers when grief had been all consuming.
A handful of the invaders was out hunting this morning. Keeping her eye on five men was easier than trying to keep track of the twenty-some who’d laid claim to the far lakeshore.
Or was it? Her Falcon senses had always worked in the past, but she was no longer sure of anything.
Angry at herself because she’d vowed to let go of what she couldn’t change, she stopped and rose onto her toes. Her hands went to her breasts and she tightly cupped them as their jiggling quieted. Full breasts while in human form were as much a curse as a gift. Raci had been fascinated by them. Embracing them, her mate would whisper that they belonged to him as much as they did to her. And she’d believed him. Would still believe—if Raci hadn’t been murdered.
Swamped by tears, she lowered her head and closed her eyes, sucking in oxygen. But even as she concentrated on cooling her lungs, she knew only one thing would blunt the pain: running. And when she’d returned to Raptor’s Craig, which was the only place the change from human to raptor and back took place, flying.
“I miss you so much,” she muttered as if Raci were beside her. “Yes, I must come to grips with your death and walk into my future. You wouldn’t want me to drown in sorrow. But you should be alive. Those newcomers—killers—had no right. If I knew whose arrow pierced your heart, I’d tear him apart!”
She should release herself, but touching her breasts felt so good. Better than loneliness. Not as exciting as Raci’s hands had been and yet—
“Death stole you before the final bonding,” she muttered, careful to keep her voice low. “That’s what hurts so much: knowing I’m not carrying your offspring! That and knowing these creatures are responsible.”
Barely able to stifle a cry, she pinched and then massaged her nipples into hard nubs, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t make herself believe that Raci was holding her. Afraid that memories of finding Raci’s cold Falcon body with an arrow through his heart would overwhelm her once more, she started running again. Her lungs, long accustomed to her need for extreme exertion, immediately expanded. Her heart pumped strong and steady.
Yes! This was life. Freedom. Leaving behind thoughts of revenge.
Her young, naked body made love to the air and she imagined the precious land of her birth watching her legs churn. Finding a well-worn path to run on, she fantasized that a deer was running beside her. They’d share the same heat and speed, the same confidence in their bodies. But unlike the doe or buck, she didn’t have to rely on her legs to stay alive. Instead of fleeing danger, she became a predator and attacked.
That’s what she wanted: images of beak and talons ripping into flesh, the newcomers screaming in pain and fear while she cried out her vengeance.
Hatred rolled through her only to be replaced by yet another emotion. No matter how long or hard she ran, she wouldn’t be able to expel this sensation, and after a moment, she slipped deep into her mind and spun out what her imagination and need had spawned.
Whether they’d been in Falcon or human form, sex with Raci had been fierce and quick. They’d been so hungry for each other that they’d fairly clawed at one another. If they’d had more time together, more than a few couplings, hot starvation might have settled into something quiet that would have allowed them to savor long hours together. Instead of pushing her breasts and cunt at him and demanding he spear her, she would have taken his cock in her hands while he ran his fingers over her wet entrance. They would have gone slowly and carefully, judging each other’s responses so they’d know when to slow down even more or even, briefly, leave each other alone.
They’d play games.
Taking her cue from how the simple falcons her kind shared the sky with mated, she’d tell Raci to lay claim to her body. Even though female raptors are larger than males, she’d demand he control her as a falcon brings down its prey. I want to pretend to fight you, she’d tell him. To pit my strength against yours so you can teach me that you’re stronger. I want you to take me, fiercely and masterfully. Teach me to respect you.
How, he’d ask. By forcing you?
Yes! That’s what I want. No longer feeling as if I’m in control of my world but having you take charge. Force a climax from me. Even keep it from me until I beg, or