Unquiet Slumber (5 page)

Seth whispered. “What is it?”

“Evening meal, brothers.” A big grin lit Gabriel’s face as a wild boar squealed and ran further into the woods. “The hunt is on and he’s mine!” Gabriel bellowed as he headed off into the trees in hot pursuit.

“Gabriel!” Nathaniel yelled. “You don’t get to have all of the fun. I’m right behind you.” Nathaniel leapt off of his horse and headed into the trees.

Gabriel retorted, “You can come but stay out of my way. I’m starved.”

As Nathaniel ran to catch-up, he yelled a challenge. “The one that kills the pig gets to be served by the other, so get ready to be my servant tonight. That pig is mine!”

As their voices faded into the distance, Marcus chuckled and said to Seth, “We’ll let them have their fun.” He pointed to a small clearing in the trees. “Let’s set-up camp over there.” Marcus smoothly dismounted from his horse and handed Seth his reins saying, “Go take care of the horses.”

Seth walked his and Marcus’ horses to the edge of the clearing, tying them to trees along a grassy section. He then went back after the other two horses, which were waiting patiently along the path. Seth was grateful that the well-trained battle stallions hadn’t followed their headstrong riders into the woods.

While their companions settled in, Gabriel and Nathaniel continued their pursuit of the boar, gradually herding it toward the side of a large rock protruding out of the hillside. Nathaniel sniffed the air and whispered, “Can you smell that scent in the air? What do you think it is? It can’t be coming from the pig.” The scent was wonderful and he breathed it in deeply, causing his body to shiver.

Gabriel also caught the scent, but it wasn’t affecting him as much as Nathaniel. He replied, “Hmmm, it smells heavenly, but right now I’m more concerned about my stomach.”

They continued their advance on the boar.

In a low voice Gabriel murmured, “There’s an arrow stuck in the boar’s right side.” He snuck a little closer. “The wound looks fresh. There must be a hunter close by.” He sniffed the air again, only detecting that unusual, but very pleasant, scent.

The boar was starting to stagger as the bleeding from the wound increased.

“He’s ours!” Nathaniel exclaimed in an emphasized whisper. “Let’s get him first. I’m starved.”

Gabriel waved Nathaniel to the left as he proceeded to the right. They had the boar cornered, but he wasn’t going to go without a fight. Nathaniel saw an opening and lunged, trying to grab the boar’s back legs, but it spun and slipped through his grasp. He cursed as he fell to the ground yelling, “This pig is slippery!”

Gabriel waved him back into position and readied his bow. He was just about to release, when something whished within inches of his right ear. It was so close to the side of his face that he felt a slight breeze. He watched in shock as the boar dropped dead with an arrow through the side of its head.

Gabriel whirled around, with his arrow still drawn, searching for the person that shot the arrow. The mystery was quickly solved when Tianna dropped out of a tree, squarely between the two men and her prey. By the time she straightened up, she already had an arrow drawn and was pointing it back and forth between the two hunters.

She glared directly at Nathaniel and said in a calm but determined voice, “You’re incorrect sir. The pig’s mine.” As their eyes met, she felt an odd sensation in her chest and her heart skipped a beat.

Nathaniel instantly dropped his weapons and exclaimed, “I love these woods. It rains women!”

Nathaniel examined the woman from head to toe and noted that she barely stood to the height of his shoulders, however, what she lacked in height, she made up in other ways. She was all female with ample curves in all of the right places. She took his breath away.

Tianna stood straight and proud in her home-made tree climbing clothes. The outfit was made out of thin deer hide that looked very soft and flexible. It consisted of a sleeveless shirt that stopped at the waist, long pants, and leather shoes that resembled slippers. She also wore fingerless gloves that ran up the length of her arms. The garment laced up the sides of her legs, along her torso, and up her arms. The leather laces held the material so tightly to her body that it seemed almost as a second skin. Just enough of her own skin peeked through the laces that it was obvious to any observer that the leather was all there was.

Between the scent in the air, Tianna’s attire, her brilliant blue eyes, and silver hair reflecting the light from the setting sun, Nathaniel was mesmerized. He had never reacted so strongly to a woman before, and his pulse sped.

Gabriel, however, held his arrow at the ready and pointed it directly at the woman’s head. He knew there was a hunter in the woods, and he was prepared and willing to fight for the kill. He never would have guessed the hunter would turn out to be a woman. Human women don’t hunt. He also solved the mystery of where the captivating scent was coming from; it was coming from the meat-stealing huntress standing in front of him. He took in a deep breath and his mind blurred for a second as her scent filled his senses. He wondered who and, more importantly, what she was.

Gabriel, trying to clear his head, began to argue with her. “You stole my kill. We had it pinned.”

Tianna snapped her attention and arrow back to Gabriel saying, “You only caught the pig because I slowed it down for you with my first arrow.”

Gabriel shot back, with a slight grin that he couldn’t hold back, “I’d have taken it down with one arrow.”

Without even twitching a muscle, Tianna retorted, “Ha! I’d like to see how well you’d shoot an arrow into a running pig while jumping between trees.” She scanned up and down his body, not moving her bow an inch. She chuckled. “You’re the size of a hut. Can you even climb a tree?”

He found that he liked arguing with this woman, and even more, liked the way that she talked to him. Most women had a hard time even looking at him, much less speaking to him. This tiny girl wasn’t just staring him straight in the eyes, she did it with absolutely no fear. “
No, not a girl. She’s all woman,
” Gabriel thought to himself.

Gabriel grumbled but couldn’t bring himself to frown at her. “I like to keep my feet on the ground, thank you. Just like a woman to do things the hard way.”

Gabriel’s grin only made Tianna more determined. This was her boar and she planned to keep it. “It’s my kill. Whose arrow do you see in it?”

A piercing whistle rang through the trees, breaking up the argument. Without taking his eyes from the huntress, Gabriel responded with a whistle of his own. Within moments there was movement in the trees and Marcus’ voice could be heard. “So, which of you gets to serve our evening meal?”

Both Marcus and Seth stepped through the trees, but they stopped dead in their tracks as they observed the scene.

Tianna still had her arrow at the ready and she wasn’t backing down, no matter how many men showed up. She again spoke calmly and with complete determination, “Okay gentleman. Just turn around, head back the direction you came from, and go find your own food. This pig is mine.” Her eyes were locked on Gabriel’s and her arms were still holding the bow perfectly steady.

After a moment’s silence, Marcus asked, “May I ask who you are and that you put your bow down? We mean you no harm.”

“I’ll put mine down once that mountain…” She nodded toward Gabriel. “…puts his down first.”

Marcus glared directly at Gabriel, who hadn’t taken his eyes off Tianna for a second. “Gabriel, put your bow down. It isn’t polite to point a weapon at a woman.”

Gabriel growled. Despite Tianna’s appeal, he wasn’t about to drop his weapon when an unknown enemy was pointing an arrow at his face. “I think not. She about took my ear off when she shot that pig.” He was getting a little angry.

Tianna laughed. “Ha! So you admit that I shot the pig, therefore he’s mine. And, if I had wanted to take your ear off, it would be gone.” She gave Gabriel a smirk. “This wouldn’t have been an issue at all if you had just left my prey alone.”

Gabriel whispered several words that should never be said in the presence of a woman and stood fast.

Marcus gave Gabriel a deep growl and said, “Put. Your. Bow. Down. Now.” His glare should’ve burned a hole through the side of Gabriel’s face.

Gabriel cursed again. Lowering his weapon went against all of his warrior instincts, but had vowed to honor Marcus’ leadership, so he started to lower his bow. Once it was about half way down, Tianna began to slowly lower hers.

Nathaniel, who had been admiring how the archery stance accentuated Tianna’s feminine charms, let out a mock cheer and said, “You see, Gabby Boy. This is why you sleep alone while I sleep in more pleasant surroundings.”

Marcus shot Nathaniel a silencing glare. Once everyone was quiet, he relaxed the tension that had been building up in his body and said, “That’s better.” He regarded the woman in front of him. “Now, may I know your name and what you’re doing in these woods?”

Tianna sighed deeply and rolled her shoulders, causing an effect that all four men noticed. Nathaniel took particular interest and murmured, “mmhmm.”

Tianna seemed unaware of their reactions, saying calmly, “I’m Tianna of Trille and I’m in the woods hunting down the wild boar that has been destroying the herb gardens in my village.”

Seth questioned, “Don’t you have men to do your hunting?”

That’s the question she knew these men were going to ask her and she responded scornfully. “So typical. Women should be at home, barefoot and pregnant. Right?” She caught Nathaniel’s lascivious look and then glared at the rest of the group. “Big tough men like you are supposed to do all the hard work.” Tianna got a disgusted look on her face. “You would fit in perfectly in my village.”

Marcus tried to keep the peace, saying in his most respectful tone, “Seth meant no disrespect, my lady.” He gave her a slight bow. “It’s just rare to find a woman who’s gifted with a weapon, as you so obviously are.”

Tianna blinked in surprise at the unexpected courtesy and Marcus took the opportunity to introduce the members of his quest. “We’re travelers from Haven. I’m Marcus.” He gave her another bow. He pointed at his companions as he said their names and each bowed as they were introduced. “Beside me is Seth, that ‘mountain’ in front of you is Gabriel, and the man to your other side is Nathaniel.”

Tianna nodded at each as they were presented. When her eyes met Nathaniel’s, unfamiliar warmth began to spread in her chest again. Although she found him attractive, there was something very different about him that called to her. She had to force herself to look back at Marcus.

After a brief pause, Marcus added, “My men and I have ridden far and haven’t had a decent meal in days. The boar you killed is quite large. Would you consider sharing it with us? We would be delighted to have you join us for the meal.” Marcus pointed at both Gabriel and Nathaniel. “These two louts would be happy to cook and serve you tonight, as you won their wager.”

Gabriel cursed again. Marcus’ eyes flashed and gave him another low, deep growl. Gabriel cleared his throat and apologized.

Nathaniel scanned Tianna’s body up and down one more time, not able to hide his interest. “I’d be happy to offer any services that this lovely creature would ask of me.” When Tianna glanced back at him, he gave her his most charming smile and a deep bow, never dropping his gaze from her eyes.

As before, Nathaniel’s eyes caused Tianna’s body to react. She was able to hide her reactions from any onlookers, but her lack of control over her body’s responses was unnerving. After she broke their intense gaze, she thought about Marcus’ offer. Although she didn’t know these men, for some reason that she couldn’t explain, she felt comfortable with them. It was as if she already knew them from somewhere else. She needed to find out more about them.

Tianna nodded and, without responding to Nathaniel statement, told Marcus, “There’s plenty for all. I’d be happy to share
my
kill with you.” She stared at Gabriel when she emphasized the word ‘my’. She couldn’t help but give the large man a smile. He smiled in return and gave her a slight bow.

Nathaniel straightened, looking puzzled at the ineffectiveness of his statements on this beguiling woman. Normally by now, his targets were swooning at his feet, but this woman stood firm.

Tianna added, “I’ve already been in the woods a few days, so I have a camp established. Why don’t you come join me instead?”

The men all shifted their attention to Marcus and waited for his answer. Marcus nodded. “That would be fine.”