The Last Sundancer by Karah Quinney Page B

though she could not understand his words, he accepted the skewered scorpions from Kaichen with a nod.  “Tell her that she is safe now.”
    Antuk spoke to Kaichen and waited patiently until Kaichen relayed the words to the woman in her own language.
    Amara nodded as she thanked Kaichen for his help.  She knew to watch out for scorpions and other dangers but she had been distracted by grief which weighed upon her every footstep.
    Kaichen knew that he must reach his mother and their people before the first harvest came to an end.  He did not wish to consider the dire consequences should he fail.  His mother’s message delive red by Cohtzen had been clear, their village was in danger and Kaichen was all that stood between them and annihilation.
    Without another word , Kaichen lifted Amara onto the back of his horse.  Her body was stiff in his arms and she trembled slightly.  He felt a moment’s sorrow over her fear.
    Amara watched Kaichen’s eyes darken with resolve.  He was a study of hard lines and rippling muscle though his body was lean.
    The hard plains of his face showed no hint of softness, even his lips and chin appeared to be chiseled from stone.  His nose had a broad ridge and his eyebrows were naturally winged though his face remai ned remote and expressionless.
    Would he ever come to love her as the wife of his heart?  The silent question took her by surprise.
    Antuk threw a smile over his shoulder as if he heard her unspoken thoughts and Amara looked away.  She knew that she was only as safe as those that offered her their protection, with Kaichen she was safe.
    While Amara had remained at her mother’s side she had been safe.  The people of her village often complimented her face and form, though she did not seek such words of praise.  She had come into her time as a woman over the past season of cold and  her mother would have found a suitable mate for her over the next few moons.  There was no one that Amara favored yet she knew that she would have followed her mother’s direction on the matter.
    A strong hunter would bring meat to their dwelling and her mother would also be well taken care of by such a man.  Amara was thankful for all that her mother had done to see to her wellbeing.
    They had very little to call their own, but her mother had done all that she could to make certain that they had a place to sleep and enough food to sustain them.   The other villagers shared what they could, though it was very little.
    Amara bit her lip as she thought of her life up until now.  She had not complained.  Her mother would have taken another mate if she could have, but the men of her village were either too old to consider taking on a woman and her child or they were already joined.
    “I have never seen such a wide open space before, does the world continue on without end?” Antuk stopped his donkey and shouted his words to Kaichen.
    Amara could not help but turn around and stare at the grinning man.  She had never seen anyone as large in size as this man.
    Yet, somehow Kaichen seemed even taller and stronger.  He appeared immovable.  Amara saw no softness in Kaichen and she thought to herself that she had never known a man that fascinated her more.
    His si lence called to her and his resolve beckoned her to his side.  Who was this man that had taken her as his lifemate and why did he affect her so?
    Amara did not know what to make of Kaichen’s silence.  She clenched the horse’s mane within her grasp as tension stole through her body.
    Kaichen glance d up at her for a long moment and Amara was held in thrall as he held her gaze.  The moment seemed endless and for a time she felt as if she was seared by more than the heat of the sun.
    A shiver coursed down her spine.  Power.  She recognized the touch and taste of it, but by what measure had it been given to this man?  She lowered her gaze until she n o longer saw Kaichen or Antuk.
    She saw only her clenched fists as they gripped