Once Upon a Caveman (7 page)

Not
sure how to help her, Rhawn headed out of the cell.  He stepped over Skoll’s
unconscious form as he left, slamming the bamboo gate closed behind him.  He
would not waste another moment on that asshole when he had finally his woman in
his arms.  Rhawn might be an idiot, but he wasn’t
that
big an idiot.

“Lou-cee?” 
He carried her back to his cave and set her down on the thick pelts of his bed. 
“Are you in need of something?”  He crouched before her, trying not to remember
how amazing she’d looked there in his dreams.

Naked… 
Warm…  Smiling…

Kissing.

Damn
it, he was remembering.

He
wasn’t sure how to care for a woman.  Nobody had ever entrusted him with one
before.  They seemed delicate.  He decided to go with the most obvious need and
quickly got to his feet again.  “Have some water.”  He grabbed a shell cup and
pressed it into her hand.  She frowned like she had no idea what to do with it. 
“Drink.”  He prompted and nudged it towards her mouth.

Still
in a fog, she obediently sipped the water.

“Good.” 
It was wrong of him to enjoy her presence so much.  The woman was troubled and evil
and a goddess…  But, she was also so beautiful that he had to force himself not
to stare.  She was in his cave, sitting on his bed, and he wanted to keep her
there.  Luckily, she didn’t seem eager to leave.  She didn’t seem aware of her
surrounding, at all.

Shivers
continued to course through her body, as she huddled against the wall.  Maybe
she was cold.  The cave seemed downright balmy to him, but she was very small
and wet.  He wasn’t sure if gods contracted illnesses, but he wasn’t taking any
chances.  Rhawn set about making a fire to warm her.  When even that didn’t
stop her dazed shaking, he frowned and started removing her damp clothes.

“Have
you been in the sea?”  He asked her, trying to figure out why she’d do such a foolhardy
thing.  “That is a very unwise pastime. 
Jigons
lurk below the surface
of the water.  You must be more careful.”

The
woman didn’t seem to hear him.  She sat still as he peeled off her strange
garments, lost in her own thoughts.  Tears were running down her cheeks and
breaking his heart.

“It
will be alright.”  He soothed.  “It will all be alright, goddess.  I promise
you.”

If
it wasn’t for the dreams, Rhawn wasn’t sure he could’ve figured out how to
unbuckle and clasp all the different fastenings of her clothing.  Even knowing
how they worked, it was a challenge.  Rhawn had always been good with his
hands, though.  He released a shuddering breath as he uncovered her smooth body. 
It was impossible not to stare, so he didn’t even try.  The woman was his mate,
after all.  He could look at her all he wished.  And
oh
how he wished to
look.  He’d waited forever to find her.  Now that she was here --gods!-- it was
hard to even think in the face of such perfection.  He wanted to lay her back
and…

No.

Shit.

He
shook his head to clear it and wrapped her in his heaviest furs.  Having a woman
meant caring for her.  Lucy seemed completely lost.  This was not the time to
think of anything beyond her need for security.  He carefully bundled her up
and touched her hair.  “You are safe here with me.”  He murmured.  “Fear not.”

Time
passed.

He
waited for the woman to say something.  And waited.  And waited.

Finally,
just to keep his mind off her flawless (and naked) body, Rhawn began preparing
dinner.  He assumed even a god needed food.  When he set the wooden bowl of
meat stew in front of her, though, she ignored it.  Luminous green eyes looked
sightlessly at the wall.  At all the paintings of her world.  She seemed
mesmerized.

“Lou-cee,
you must eat.”  He prompted after a while.

They’d
been sitting in silence for so long that he didn’t expect her to answer…  And
she didn’t.  She didn’t even look his way.  Rhawn sighed and took a bite of his
own meal.  This was pointless.  How was someone forsaken supposed to comfort a
goddess?  Why would she even
want
to talk to him, when she…?

“It’s
pronounced Lucy.”  She whispered, interrupting his thoughts.  “One word.”

Heartened,
Rhawn tried to say it the way she did.  “Loose-y.  Louchee.”  Gods, their language
was difficult sometimes.  “
Loooocy
.”

“Close
enough.”  She finally glanced his way and said the last thing he expected. 
“Are you going to get in trouble for hitting the blond guy and escaping that
cell?”

Yes.

“No.” 
He lied.  “It will be fine.”

She
didn’t believe him.  “I’m sorry.  I kind of lost it for a minute there.  I didn’t
mean to drag you into this mess.”

“Skoll
brought it upon himself.  I will not let anyone harm you.”

“Thank
you.”  She whispered.

Rhawn
shrugged the matter aside.  She did not need to thank him for taking care of
her.  It was his right and duty.  “Eat.  You will feel better.”

Lucy
let out a shaky breath and reached over to pick up the bowl of meat.  “What is
this?”  She gave it a tentative sniff, then quickly reared back.  “Jesus.”

“It’s
the last bits of the last mammoth we hunted.”

She
gave a semi-hysterical laugh.  “Well, that explains the smell.”  She set the
stew aside and covered her face with her hands.  “Okay, forget the acting calm
shit.  The meltdown’s happening.  I can’t stop it, because I can’t deal with
this.  I can’t!  How am I supposed to deal with this?”

She
was upset over the
Ardin
.  She knew she would lose.

Rhawn
hesitated, weighing his options.  All of them seemed bad.  “The Savior seems
fond of you.”  He finally told her, because it was best way to keep her alive. 
Maybe she could still change her ways.  Maybe there was still time.  “If you
give up your cruel plans and join him, I do not think he will harm you.”

Rhawn
might try to harm the Savior if the man tried to take the “joining” too far,
though.  Gods, he really detested that man.

“The
who?”

“Warr-en. 
The Savior.”

“
Warren?
 
A savior?  Are you kidding me?  That putz couldn’t save a CPR dummy.”

Rhawn
wasn’t sure what that meant, but it sounded like blasphemy.

The
woman didn’t seem to fear divine retribution.  Whatever emotion existed between
unfocused agitation and a wild sense purpose, she was clearly feeling it. 
“Look, I don’t understand what’s happening and I’m thinking you do.  So tell
me. 
Now
.  How did I get here?”

“I
do not know.”  The mysteries of the gods were far beyond his understanding.

She
curved her arms around her body, like she was trying to hold herself still.  He
could hear her teeth chattering.  Rhawn automatically reached out to touch her
shoulder in comfort, but she shied away.

Of
course she did.

He
sighed and dropped his hand.

“Who
are you?”  She asked again.

“I
am Rhawn.”  For no reason he could imagine, he began to worry that he was
intimidating her.  The woman was a goddess who could probably kill him in ten
thousand magical ways.  Aside from that, any other male in the Clan would
want
their women intimidated and compliant to his every demand.

That
was not what Rhawn wanted, though.  He wanted Lucy to want him back.

To
welcome his touch.

He
crouched down again so he was at eyelevel with her and made his voice tender. 
Obviously, she hadn’t understood him before, so he repeated the words more
slowly.  “You know me, Lou-cee.”  He repeated quietly.  “I dreamed of you. 
Many times.  You dreamed of me, yes?”

She
bit her lip.  “Yes.”  She whispered.

“What
did you dream?”

Her
eyes flashed away, her cheeks coloring.  “I don’t remember all of them.”  She
muttered and he knew she’d dreamed the same things he had.

“
I
remember all of them.”  He said quietly.  “I remember everything.  I
remember the very first night I saw you.  You were very young and in a strange
red costume…”

“God,
why does
everything
always go back to the fucking prom dress?”

Those
words meant nothing to him, so he kept going.  “I remember how amazed I was to
see you and how much I wanted you.”  And it was not a fraction of how much he
wanted her now.  “I remember knowing you were meant to be mine.”

“I
remember your hands going places that I didn’t let my prom date touch.”  She
said sourly.

Rhawn’s
mouth curved.  “I remember that also.”  He agreed.

“This
is crazy, you know that?” She swiped a hand under her nose.

“Yes.”

She
glowered at him, not satisfied with that calm reply.  “You’re really real?  You’re
sure?
  You’re really a real caveman?”

She
often called him that.  He could piece together it meant a man who lived in a
cave.  Therefore, it was true of him.  “Yes.”  He agreed simply.

“That’s
all you have to say?  Just ‘yes!’  Really? 
Really?
”

“Yes.” 
He couldn’t think of anything to tell her except the simple truth.

Her
eyes narrowed at him.  “Fine.  Well, how the hell is it possible that I dreamed
of you, then?  Explain it to me.”

“You
didn’t dream of me.  I dreamed of
you
.  I dream of your world every
night.”  He gestured to the art on the wall.

She
didn’t even glance at it.  Her eyes stayed on him, as if she was afraid to look
away.  “My
world?
”  She swallowed.  “Which is different from
this
world?”

He
nodded.

“That’s
what I was afraid of.  Unless maybe you’re just confused or…”  She shook her
head, still looking stunned.  “Alright.  Let’s start simple:  Do you know the
name of this island?”

“No’wanta-hoan.” 
How would that translate into her words?  “Mother of the Clan.”  That was
close, although not exact.  There was subtler meaning of this land being a
first stop on a greater journey that was being lost in her language.

“Do
you know
where
the island is?”

He
had no clue how to respond to that question, so he just pointed down.  The
island was beneath their feet.  For now, anyway.  Very soon, it would sink into
the Infinite Sea.

“No. 
I mean where is it in relation to
other
islands.”

Rhawn
squinted in confusion.  “There are no other islands.”

“There
must be.”  She wiped her eyes and gestured towards the ocean.  “What else is
out there?”

“Nothing.”

“
Nothing?
”

“There
is nothing but water.  That is why we’ve awaited the Savior.”  Rhawn wasn’t
sure why she didn’t know all this already.  “He will lead us to a new home.”

The
Destroyer watched him for a long moment, as if waiting for him to change
reality.  “Hang on… You think
Warren
is going to take you to the
Promised Land?  Wow!  And I thought
I
was screwed.”  She ran a hand
through her hair, not noticing the way his eyes followed the move.  Thick black
strands fell around her shoulders and it was the closest he would ever get to
true magic.  “Trust me on this, okay?  Warren is not going to ‘lead you’
anywhere you want to go.”

Deep
down Rhawn suspected she was right.  Still, loyalty to his people had him
straightening to his full height.  He always tried to be a good member of the
Clan, even when all his instincts told him it was pointless.

“You
say that because you know he will triumph.”  He decided, crossing his arms over
his chest.  “You say it to make me doubt the truth.”

“I
say that because I know Warren’s an idiot.”  Lucy corrected.  “His GPA started
with a zero.  But, whatever.”  She flicked the Savior aside like he was nothing
but a
movaha
fly.  “If you want to listen the Messiah of Used Cars
instead of me,
fine
.  I’ll just leave here on my own.”  She looked out
the opening of the cave, towards the jungle.  “There’s gotta be
something
on this island.”

“Wolves.”

She
turned back to frown at him.  “Wolves?”

“Wolves
are on this island.”  He did not want her to go, so it seemed wise to list all
the hazardous obstacles she might encounter.  “Also long-tooths,
tandar
,
mammoths, and
boga
.  You saw me when I was sick from a
boga
bite,
remember?  It is not pleasant.  Few rodents are.  It would be very dangerous to
leave.”

She
stared at him.  “You really have mammoths here?”  She finally whispered.  “I
know you said that crap about the gooey stew, but you have like…
real
mammoths? 
The kind of mammoths that have been extinct for
ten thousand years?
 
That
kind of mammoths?”