Roman let loose, too, thrusting into me with a fury. “Olivia! My love!”
He let out a long moan as his orgasm crested.
I continued pulsing around him, shooting through the sky like an exploding star. My body shivered with pleasure as this glorious orgasm claimed me. I felt exalted. Cherished. Desired. Had I known it would have felt so wonderful to marry him, I would have done it long ago.
When I came down from my pleasure, I collapsed on top of him.
He made lazy sweeps up and down my body with his hands. “Olivia, my heart, my love, my wife. I will always be loyal to you. I will protect you with my life.”
“And I will protect you, as well,” I said, closing my eyes.
“I mean it with all my heart. I will always love you, Olivia Alexander.”
Contentment should have filled my heart at his words. But instead of drifting to sleep, my mind was assaulted by a horrible dark sensation.
Something awful was coming our way.
Olivia
Trouble was indeed chasing us, tracking us with relentless fury. The entire tribe kept up a steady, persistent trek to escape the Kiowa for the next two months. Our scouts reported continued sightings of the enemy tribe whenever we’d set up camp in a new location, so we kept moving. It was getting old and tiresome, especially as my belly grew with the baby.
Yet, as January began, a bitter cold descended on the plains, drawing our unceasing “pick up and move to a new location” progress to a halt.
“You see the bright spots on either side of the sun?” Earth Bear said to me as we stopped to drink water from a spring.
I squinted into the sky. “Sort of. I see a couple of solar flare spots.”
Earth Bear nodded sagely. “Those are fires the sun has made to warm its ears. Severe cold is coming.”
I tugged my thick fur robe around me as if to ward off the chill.
“And the clouds are coming from the north, bringing a blizzard.” He crouched before the spring, filled his hand with the icy water, and slurped it into his mouth. “Also, I’ve noted woodpeckers sharing nests and trees. Not good. The harshest of weather will soon be here.”
“Is this information passed down through the generations?” I crouched by his side and slurped my own handful of ice-cold spring water.
“We are great observers of everything,” Earth Bear said. “Cold is a spirit that deserves our respect and attention. We shall listen to what it has to say.” He paused, then a rueful smile formed on his face. “The young people don’t always pay attention, especially when courting another. Nothing will stop them from spending time with the person they’re attracted to. Many youths have sneaked off for a quick tryst and found themselves trapped in a blizzard—they learn, hopefully not with their lives.”
He let out a big sigh. “One of my friends, when I was much younger, did just that—he and his love interest sneaked from their respective teepees for a tryst. Our elders had warned us of an impending storm.” A faraway look appeared in his brown eyes. “We never found them. The snow came so hard and fast that we had to retreat. When we could finally emerge, it was too late.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I said, pausing in my quest for water.
“Thank you.” Another sigh left Earth Bear’s lungs before he turned to give us his full attention. “My father and I have been conferring. With an impending blizzard, Grey Feather advised that we will settle at the top of that cliff where we can see but not necessarily be seen. That’s where we’re headed.”
He pointed to a high ledge directly ahead. Then, he turned to look behind him at the other tribal members who were waiting their turn to hydrate.
“A-ho!” he yelled in his native tongue. “Drink your fill. Then, we head up there.”
We all busied ourselves at the campsite, high on an outcropping overlooking the plains, readying for the winter storm. Roman and I had already prepared our teepee, lining it with several layers of thick bison furs.
I loved sharing a bed with Roman again. And, although I missed nightly conversations with Emily, she’d been invited into Leaping Deer’s teepee. Emily kept the older woman company and learned all she could about Leaping Deer’s extensive knowledge of healing.
Roman and I set off to gather fuel for the fire. Anything that could burn—horse dung, pinecones, old pine needles, and small branches—was used to heat a pit of rocks each night. The hot stones helped stave off the cold.
As Roman and I brought an armload of firewood back to the camp, Marcellious and Emily stood near Leaping Deer’s teepee, laughing and flirting.
“Can you believe those two?” Roman said, pausing at our door before ducking to enter.
I followed him and dropped our bundles in our designated fuel pile.
