Once Upon a Caveman (6 page)

Skoll’s
jaw ticked.  He looked over at Notan.  “We do not need Rhawn.  If we kill the
Destroyer now, all this will end.”

“Kill
the Destroyer?”  Notan scowled.  “We can’t.  She is all-powerful.  Only the
Savior can strike her down.”

“She
is smaller than we thought she’d be.  Weaker.  If we can stop this before he even
has
to slay her, wouldn’t that be better?  We can at least try to…”

“I
will speak to the woman.”  Rhawn interjected, before anyone started buying into
Skoll’s line of reasoning.  “Attempting to harm her will do nothing, except trigger
our destruction.  Gods may look weak, but it is all part of their ruse.”  He
glanced at Notan.  “You may hate me, but you know I do not wish to see the
island sink.  I will translate your speech and we will follow the rules of the
Ardin
. 
It is the only way we will survive.”

“Father,
let Rhawn try.”  Anniah urged.

The
old man wasn’t completely convinced, but he relented.  “Use my
exact
words.  It must be precise.”

“Of
course.”  Rhawn lied and switched to the language of the gods.  “Welcome.”  He
said shortly.  The leader had said a lot more, but that was close enough.

The
Savior and the Destroyer both stared at him.

“Holy
shit!  The big one can talk.”  The Savior blurted out and looked at the woman. 
“Did you know these Co-Mags could talk?”

The
Destroyer ignored him, still gazing at Rhawn.  “Who are you?”  She asked
quietly.

His
eyebrows drew together.  She didn’t know who he was?  How could she not know,
given their history?  It was… annoying.  Hurtful.  “I am Rhawn.  I told you
this, remember?”

“Oh,
I remember.”  She gave a high-pitched laugh that sounded close to tears.  “I just
wanted to double-check when I was --ya know-- conscious.”  She ran a hand
through her hair, looking on the verge of collapse.  “Jesus, I never should
have RSVPed for the stupid reunion. 
That’s
what started all this.  I’m
losing my mind, because I wouldn’t just walk away from the damn cruise ticket. 
What was I
thinking?
”

She
was a being of unimaginable power and cruelty, but Rhawn’s heart flipped over
as he saw her fighting back tears.  He moved as close as he could to the bars, instinctively
wanting to shield her.  By nature, he always wanted to protect, although no one
ever desired his help.  “It will be alright.”  He soothed.  “I promise you,
Lou-cee.”

The
Savior slanted him another glower and pulled the woman closer, blaming Rhawn
for her upset.  “Stay calm and let me handle this, alright, Luce?  I can talk
to people.  Even the primitive ones.”  He refocused on Rhawn and squinted in
deep concentration.  “Me.  Warr-en.”  He put a palm flat on his chest, speaking
veeeerrryyyy sllllooooowllllyyyy.  “Me
friend
.”  He gave an exaggerated
nod.

Rhawn
bit back a snarl.  Gods, had he really spent his life praying to this moron?  “I
understand your language.”  He said flatly.  “You can speak in a normal way.”

“Ask
him if he’s come to save us.”  Tammoh, one of the Clan’s best hunters, called.

“How
will he bring us to our new lands?”  Someone else demanded.  It sounded like
Ctindel’s mate, Jenda.

“When
will he fight the Destroyer?”  The final question came from Skoll and everyone
grew quiet again, waiting for an answer.

Rhawn’s
eyes flicked to the woman, again.  She was in no condition to fight.  Skoll was
right; they could probably kill her right now.  For whatever reason, she looked
to be in a state of shock.  Her body shivered so badly, he was surprised she
was still on her feet.

Obviously,
this was the perfect time for the Savior to strike her down.

Warr-en
could easily end the
Ardin
, right now.  It was the best strategy.  All
Rhawn had to do was point that out and this would all be over.  Everyone would
be safe.  His gaze met the Destroyer’s, again.  Her eyes were damp with tears
and confusion.  She looked up at him like she was lost.  Like she needed
protection and he was someone worthy to give it.

Rhawn’s
mind raced for a beat.  “We cannot have the battle, yet.”  He heard himself
tell the Clan, once again proving his mental weakness.  “The Savior tells me we
must first,” he hesitated.  Shit.  What would stall them?  “…have a feast.”

Notan’s
bushy gray eyebrows compressed.  “A feast?”

“Yes.” 
Rhawn raised his voice so everyone could hear and gave into his worst
impulses.  Siding with evil shouldn’t fill him with so much satisfaction, but
he could not allow Lucy to be harmed.  She didn’t seem capable of defending
herself, so he would do it for her.  “He is Warr-en, the Mighty!”  Rhawn
gestured towards Warren with an expansive hand.  “He has come to save us!”

Anniah,
Notan’s daughter, gave a happy cry, clapping her hands together.  As the Clan’s
healer, she was an intelligent woman.  Still, she gazed at Warren with the delight
and wonder of a child presented with a magic trick.  She wasn’t alone. 
Everyone was excited to have the Savior presented to them, at last.

It
made Rhawn’s plan easier.

“Warren
is gladdened by our welcome and by Notan’s great words.”  Notan preened at that
and Rhawn marveled at how simple this was.  He should try lying more often.  Perhaps
he had a talent for it.  “The god wishes to see us celebrate his arrival.  The
festivities will give him the strength he needs for his coming victory.”

This
time the whole Clan cheered.

The
Savior frowned in confusion as dozens of people rushed forward to genuflect at
him.  “What the hell…?”

“They
wish to honor you.”  Rhawn told him and saw the man grow more arrogant.

“They
do, huh?”  Warr-en smirked over at the woman.  “You hear that, Moose-y?  They
wish to honor
me
.”  He tugged on her sleeve when she didn’t respond. 
“Lucy, did you hear that?  Finally, I’m getting some recognition, ya know?”

She
batted him aside.

Rhawn
suppressed his pleased smirk.  “We have food and offerings for you, Warr-en. 
The Clan has long awaited your arrival.  You must go with them and rejoice.”

The
Savior forgot all about Lucy, as the Clan’s women surrounded him.  The god’s
eyes went to their uncovered breasts and stayed there.  “Offerings?”  He
repeated, looking intrigued by Rhawn’s words.  “Like a party?  For me?”

“For
you.”  Rhawn agreed.  “All we have is yours.  You are the Savior of our
people.”

“I
am?”

“Yes. 
Only you can lead us.”

“Really? 
Leading?  Me?”  The Savior didn’t seem so certain about that.  He was
very
interested in the half-naked women fawning at him, though.  “But right now,
we’re just having a party, right?”

“Correct.”

“Awesome.” 
The Savior smiled and wrapped an arm around Anniah without even seeing her face. 
“Well, let’s start with the honoring, then!”

Clan
lifted him up onto their shoulders, carrying him towards the caves, chanting
“Warr-en!  Warr-en!”

The
god waved at them with haughty condescension.

Rhawn
really was a fool.

He
would be doomed if he worked against the Savior.  He knew that.  The man was a
lack-wit, but he was the only hope for the world.  It was pointless to help the
Destroyer spread her evil.  He should be doing everything possible to help
the
Savior
win this battle.  At the moment, though, he found he didn’t care
about the fate of the world.  Lucy would live for another day.  That was all
that mattered.

Rhawn
looked over at the woman and saw that she was still in a daze.  “Lou-cee.”  He
called, trying to gain her attention.  He held a hand out to her through the
bars, wanting her to come closer.  “Lou-cee, you must listen to me…
stop!
” 
He bellowed the last word in the Clan’s language, not that it did any good.

Skoll
grabbed her by the arm, dragging her towards Rhawn’s cage.  He towered over
Lucy, his huge body dwarfing hers, as he hustled her forward.  Her feet
automatically tried to find traction, digging into the dirt.  Skoll was so
large, he simply lifted her up and carried her the rest of the way.

“You
son of a
tandar
.”  Rhawn gave the bars a furious shake.  “Get your hands
off
of her!”

“If
it was up to me, both of you would be tossed into the tar pits to die!”  Skoll
opened the cage door long enough to throw Lucy inside.

Rhawn
caught her before she could hit the dirt.  She was drenched to the skin, like
she had been in the sea.  His arms wrapped around Lucy, sheltering her from
Skoll and from the wind.  Still in a daze, her body instinctively curved into
his.

A
perfect fit.

Rhawn
closed his eyes for a beat, overwhelmed that he was holding her, at last.

“Do
what you want with her for now.”  Skoll sneered, seeing Rhawn’s awed
expression.  “Gods know, no other woman will have you in the light of day, so
you might as well take advantage of the situation.  Come morning, she’ll be
facing the
Ardin
, anyway.”

Rhawn
glared at Skoll.  “The end of the world is already upon us.  Why do you wish to
hasten your own demise?”

“I’m
not afraid of you, Accursed One.”  Skoll stepped inside the cage, trying to
intimidate him.  “You will be dead long before I am, now that the Savior is
here.  There is no way your bitch will be able to…”

Rhawn
slammed Skoll’s head into the cave wall.

The
other man gave a choked cry and then toppled over, splayed out on the dirt. 
Rhawn frowned.  He hadn’t
meant
to do that.  Not exactly.  He’d simply
taken one of his hands off Lucy, reached over, and grabbed Skoll by the neck. 
The next thing he knew, the man’s skull was ricocheting off the rock.

Why
did these things always happen to Rhawn?

He
made an irritated face.  Attacking Skoll was probably going to cause him no end
of trouble.  Not that he’d had much of a choice.  It took a lot to rouse Rhawn
to violence, but, once it started, he was damn good at it.  Every instinct in
his body told him to kill anyone who threatened this woman.  Really, Skoll was
lucky to get off so lightly.  He’d wake up.  Eventually.  That was more than he
deserved.  No one else in the Clan would see it that way, but it hardly
mattered.

Nothing
mattered but his mate.

Dismissing
the man from his thoughts, Rhawn focused on Lucy.

The
rest of the Clan seemed to have forgotten her existence in their revelry.  Even
the guard stationed outside of his cell had headed off with the Savior.  Meat
had been scarce for so long that a feast was an unheard of indulgence.  Since Notan
refused to consider Rhawn’s “unholy” source of food, everyone else in the Clan
was half-starved.  The festivities his lies just created would use the last of
their stores.  But, between the food and the Savior, they would be distracted
for hours.

Rhawn
weighed his options and then shrugged.  He was done being a prisoner.  “Lou-cee?” 
Her odd name tasted exotic on his tongue.  “Look at me.”  He tilted his head
down to meet her huge eyes.  “I am going to take you to my cave?  Do you think
you can walk?”

“Yeah.” 
But the word was so faint that he didn’t believe it.

“Are
you ill, goddess?”

“Maybe
I’m ill.”  She agreed vaguely.  “Maybe I’m really, really…”  Her legs gave way
and she didn’t seem to notice.

Rhawn
supported her weight, growing concerned at her stupor.  “Lucy?”

“Where
am I?”  She whispered and Rhawn knew she wasn’t talking to him.  “Where the
hell
am
I?”

“You
are here.”  It was the only thing he could think to say.  “You are with me.”  Rhawn
lifted her up against his chest and he could feel her body shaking.  For a
woman destined to change the world, she weighed nothing, at all.  “You know me,
Lucy.  Since I was little more than a boy, you’ve been in my dreams.  You say
you’ve dreamed of me, too.”

She
didn’t respond to that.  Instead, Lucy’s face turned into the curve of his
shoulder and she hung on like Rhawn was the only real thing in the universe.  He
rested his cheek in her hair, briefly closing his eyes.  Emotions flooded through
him, deep and real, carving out huge spaces inside of him.  Spaces that only
Lucy could fill.  Spaces that would collapse him into nothing if she ever tore
free and left him empty again.

The
Clan didn’t have a word for such feelings, but Lucy’s people did.

Love.

Rhawn
loved her.  He always had.  All his life he’d been waiting for this small girl
to arrive and now he’d finally been handed his future.  He didn’t know why or
how she was there, but he knew he could never let her go.

Lucy
was his mate.

“You
are safe.”  He whispered, breathing in the magical scent of her skin.  “I will
keep you safe.  Always. 
Vando
.”

She
silently shivered in his arms, not responding to the assurance.  She seemed so
vulnerable in this state.  Why didn’t a goddess protect herself better?  What
could scare a being of her power?