By far the most capricious of the bunch, she turned sharply to Iolanthe, making her breast pop free from its barely-there binding. The For male reclining against her hips gazed at it in naked hunger. Addie hoped he’d wait to mount her until they were alone in the teepee, but alas, it wasn’t always the case.
Iolanthe lifted her head and looked at Addie from her large brown eyes, warm in color but winter-cold with their ever-present calculating glint.
“Really, Adelaide,” she chided softly. “Not enough?”
She stood up, almost six feet in height with lustrous dark hair.
Addie squared her unimpressive shoulders. “I brought the same amount as usual.”
Janna-Beatrix bristled. “Tell her she needs to work harder, Iolanthe! What are we feeding her for?”
But Iolanthe dropped the issue as she silently left the teepee, much to Janna-Beatrix’s obvious frustration.
The male at Janna-Beatrix’s side distracted her by saying something in his language. Addie understood only half of what he said, but the gist of it was sexual.
She quickly followed Iolanthe outside.
Hoban stood there with several other men going through the bounty of items won from the would-be traders. Wynn was resting with his back to the teepee, his shoulder wound packed with soft pads Addie had applied earlier.
Her professional nursing skills were highly regarded by the women, if not by For who didn’t believe in helping nature heal. To Iolanthe, Addie-the-nurse was far more precious than another female body for the For men to enjoy. It stalled Iolanthe’s hand from forcing her to join their harem, and Addie was pathetically grateful to all the gods of the Universe for granting her this one small mercy among the many punishments they decided to heap upon her.
“What is this?” Iolanthe asked Hoban.
“A thruster,” Hoban replied gazing covetously at the sharp knife-like tool balanced on his hand. “It is made from the Elkeks tusk. Do you know how hard it is to catch an Elkeks?”
“It isverydifficult,” Iolanthe purred.
“Only large tribes with many able-bodied warriors can afford to mount an Elkeks hunt,” Hoban spoke dreamily. “The meat is tender and will feed the tribe for months, the skins are soft and large, and Elkeks bones are strong as a rock and don’t chip. We are lucky to receive this gift.” His huge fist closed around the handle.
With her peripheral vision, Addie could see the bodies of two fallen traders in the distance with the spears lodged in them.
“It wasn’t a gift,” she said without thinking.
Hoban’s head rotated one-hundred and eighty degrees and he pinned her with his unblinking For stare. Her heart gave a sharp pang of fear. Looking at him from this close was like looking in the eyes of a large wild tiger. An angry wild tiger.
“Go away, Addie,” Iolanthe dismissed her sharply.
She fled without argument. It was cowardly, and she hated herself for backing down, but what would standing her ground bring her? This harsh life, the primitive conditions, and the large uncivilized males who fit in so beautifully with this rugged landscape had tested Addie’s strength and convictions many, many times in the last two years, and found her wanting. Every. Single. Time.
When she got back to the shack, Sathe was nowhere to be seen, but Anne was sitting there, huddled under one of Sathe’s half-finished fur ponchos.
“Hey.” Addie regarded Anne’s gaunt face and purplish half-moons under her eyes. “I left your drink in your teepee when I didn’t find you at Iolanthe’s. I was afraid Janna-Beatrix would chug it before you returned.”
“Thank you, Addie.” Anne’s smile was tremulous and weak.
Despite looking absolutely exhausted, she was a sight to behold with the fragile dusky beauty that made her a popular choice with the men, particularly Hoban.
“Are you okay?” Addie asked.
“Yeah… Yeah, I’m okay. I was upset by the fight,” Anne admitted quietly. “So sudden.”
“Yeah, it was, wasn’t it?”
“Do you think…” Anne licked her dry lips nervously. “Was it wrong of Hoban to hit out at them? I mean, why?”
Addie shrugged with pretend indifference, careful not to upset Anne with her concerns. “To get their stuff, of course.”
“They’ve never done anything so brazen before. There will be retributions.”
