VulcansWoman Read online

  She rested her head on the boulder and no sooner had she closed her eyes than something stirred in the bushes behind her, near her cave. She swallowed as her neck and spine stiffened in alarm.

  Boar and Dahlia?

  As she glanced over her shoulder hoping to find them, the noise stopped. Despite the firelight casting rays across a large area, the bushes remained in the shadows. Just then a rabbit jumped from the brush and hopped across the ground toward the relief shanty.

  She released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding and slumped against the boulder. She really needed to calm down. With her senses seemingly heightened lately, every little thing affected her.

  Smiling to herself, she closed her eyes and let the wonders of nature invade her thoughts. Nearly every day she discovered something new, whether it be a simple noise or an unusual object. Like little Birmon. Hopefully he hadn’t fallen into the lake. Surely, carnivore or not, Vulcan would’ve prevented him from drowning. Maybe Birmon found his way back to his nest and fell soundly asleep.

  Vulcan.

  Her tummy flipped yet again. “When I make love to you, I’m going to cherish your entire body with my mouth and my hands. I’ll leave not a part of you untouched.” What a sweet melody to her ears. How could she ever forget that?

  Why had she permitted him to kiss her without disclosing she’d been promised to another man? She had numerous opportunities to tell the truth. Why hadn’t she?

  “She’s over there,” she heard through the darkness, followed by heavy footsteps.

  Wisteria opened her eyes just as Sledge, her father and three additional clansmen surrounded her. A bone club was clutched in her dad’s hand and he appeared determined and anxious to use it.

  “Ask her,” Sledge shouted. “Not only has she deceived me, but she has deceived our clan.”

  “Is that true, Wisteria?” her dad roared, his face contorted and voice so loud it traveled above the treetops in a horrendous echo.

  She’d never witnessed such a horrible sound, which meant he’d already condemned her of something. “Is what true?”

  “Were you kissing a man not from this clan?”

  Her belly vaulted. How could she answer that? Whether she told the truth or lied, she faced trouble. She glanced at his club and fisted her hands on the ground while trying to skitter to her feet. “I’ve deceived no one.”

  “Who’s this tribesman Sledge speaks of?”

  She cringed in fear when her dad’s saliva spattered her cheeks. He was so mad he practically frothed at the mouth. “He’s a friend.” She turned toward Sledge and narrowed her eyes. “You were spying on me!”

  “You cannot be trusted,” he bellowed, the tone vibrating like thunder inside her chest. “You’ll be uniting with me in six days. I will make sure you’ve not been breached before I rut you.”

  Her father spun halfway around and pounded his fist into Sledge’s face, knocking him sideways. Sledge gained footing, catching himself before he fell. “What was that for?” he shouted, spitting blood on the ground at his own feet.

  It happened so quickly while Wisteria scrambled to her feet, she’d nearly missed it.

  “You’ll not speak of rutting my daughter in my presence.”

  Additional blood dribbled from Sledge’s nose and clung to the hair above his lip. He wiped it off with his hand then swiped his palm along the chest of his fur frock.

  “You disgust me,” Wisteria seethed.

  Her father stepped forward within inches of her body. She tilted her chin defiantly and tried inhaling a calming breath but every part of her trembled. She’d never been punished by her father. She’d never given him a reason to even raise a hand but she’d witnessed him beat Boar until her poor brother was bloody and barely breathing.

  “Who is this man?” her father demanded but before she could respond he grabbed a handful of her hair and tugged her head back so far she faced the sky. “Who?” he repeated, yanking her tresses.

  Wisteria slammed her teeth together to ward off the pain. Despite her fear, father or not, she’d not bow down to him. “A friend,” she fumed, blinking back tears. “And a man Sledge will never be.”

  Sledge lunged forward but stopped short of reaching over her dad’s shoulder to hit her. The anger glowering from his eyes contorted his expression into one of a madman.

  “What’s going on here?” Nodda hollered.

  From the corner of Wisteria’s eye she saw her mom running toward them with Ivy trotting closely at her side. When Nodda saw Wisteria trapped, she charged forward, grabbed the club and tossed it aside. “Let go of my baby,” she ordered, slapping Wisteria’s father’s arm repeatedly. “You’ve no reason to hurt her.”

  “She’s been caught kissing a male not from our clan,” he responded to his wife, despite his eyes boring into Wisteria’s.

  Nodda gasped. “Is that true, Wisteria?”

  Wisteria could lie to her father but not to her mom. Even if she tried, her mother would know and Wisteria couldn’t risk losing her trust. She gazed at the bright, round moon and slowly closed her eyes, dreading the fact she was about to disappoint the most important woman in her life. “Yes,” she whispered.

  Her dad released her with a growl and shoved her over the boulder. She fell to her knees, her hair splaying over her face. “Tie her to the trees. She’ll be whipped for her treachery.”

  “No, Daddy,” Ivy shouted, dropping beside Wisteria. She cradled Wisteria’s head to her breast. “Her sins are not worthy of a lashing.”

  “Shhh, Ivy,” Wisteria uttered. “You’ll endanger yourself.”

  “She deserves twenty stones. No more, no less,” Ivy said desperately. “That’s the punishment for deception.”

  Her dad kicked pebbles and loose dirt at Wisteria then turned and stomped off. “I choose the punishment,” he yelled over his shoulder. “Sledge, whip her.”

  “You cannot,” Nodda screamed, chasing Wisteria’s father, but for every step he’d taken she was forced to take two, causing her to lag behind.

  Sledge and another clansman tried separating Ivy from Wisteria but Ivy clung to Wisteria so desperately it was nearly impossible to pull them apart. Sledge punched Ivy in the side of the head. Her neck jerked and body slackened. He grabbed her beneath the arms and hauled her aside, leaving her in a heap on the ground.

  “You foul animal,” Wisteria shouted. She’d never wanted to hurt someone so badly in her entire life. She lunged at him, kicking his shins and gouging his face with her nails.

  Two clansmen charged forward to intervene but she refused to stop the assault on Sledge. His smirk indicated she wasn’t hurting him as he failed to deflect her fists. She needed revenge for her sister. Ivy had done no wrong. He had no reason to hit her.

  One man yanked Wisteria backward and the other punched her in the stomach, deflating her within seconds. The air blew from her lungs and she collapsed, holding her tummy. While fighting to breathe, the men hefted her by the arms and dragged her between the trees that were used for stoning. Someone stood at her back, holding her upright while her wrists were strapped by ropes and tied to the tree trunks. Her ankles were then bound and legs spread. The abrasive cords cut into her skin when the ropes were pulled tight and stretched outward to reach the trees.

  Finally she caught her breath and lifted her head. Sledge stood, smacking the leather whip against the ground. She cringed each time it snapped the dirt.

  Without warning he flung it across Wisteria’s bare tummy. Searing pain tore through her flesh. A scream lurched to her throat. She bit her lip to stifle it as tears filled her eyes but she couldn’t hold it in. Her legs buckled, shifting her weight to her arms as she wailed in pain. And while trying to keep her dignity by not begging him to stop, a whizzing sound sliced through the air.

  She held her breath but it was too late. The whip slashed across the center of her thighs. She screamed and her head lolled forward.

  “Leave her alone,” Ivy shouted.

 
; Just as Wisteria raised her chin, Ivy rose to her feet, stumbled across the yard and jumped on Sledge’s back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  The clansmen quickly pulled her loose. The instant they dragged her away the whip barreled across Wisteria’s tummy again. Her belly jerked and her chin dropped to her chest. She wanted to die. The pain. She couldn’t bear the pain. Warmth dribbled down her stomach and legs and she knew it was blood.

  “That’s enough! That’s enough,” Ivy yelled, drowning Wisteria’s cries. “I’ll kill you. You have to sleep sometime, you grotesque beast. I’ll kill you!”

  Then the sound of clapping horses’ hooves stampeded into the yard. Suddenly they halted, followed by dead silence. Not even a cricket chirped.

  No! No! For the sake of my soul!

  The Barbarians!

  Wisteria forced her head upright just as the clan women emerged from their stone houses. The men stepped from the slaughter shack and cautiously approached the fire pit, a few armed with spears. The women dashed from the caves, merged with their husbands and huddled near the fire.

  A tall man covered in fur pelts from his shoulders to the ground dismounted from a huge black horse and stepped forward, only his muscular arms showing. A large weapon was sheathed at his side and a bison skull covered his head, resting on his shoulders. Not even his eyes were visible through the headpiece sockets. He turned toward Wisteria, apparently studying her for a long moment before his arm shot sideways, his finger pointed at her body. “Free her!” he commanded, his voice a deep, thunderous echo.

  Abruptly he spun on Sledge. Her clan’s people gasped and stepped back. Sledge clenched the whip in his hand.

  Four men donned in similar furs, each wearing a boar skull to conceal their faces, jumped from their horses and quickly cut her loose. Her arms fell limp at her sides and her legs buckled. Someone caught her beneath the arms before she hit the ground.

  “What has she done to deserve this punishment?” the man asked, moving agilely toward Sledge as if stalking prey.

  “What’s it to you?” Sledge shouted. Despite the valiant front to hide his fear, Wisteria knew his insides shook. No one messed with the Barbarians, including Sledge.

  “If I find the reason sufficient, I just may kill her myself.”

  “No!” Ivy cried. “Please, she’s done nothing wrong.”

  He spun around, focusing on her. “Then why is she being whipped?”

  The men sat Wisteria on the ground with her back propped against a stoning tree. Through the pain-induced haze she spotted her sister cowering behind their brother Shale.

  “Speak,” the man shouted, his impatience evidently overrun by irritation.

  “Sh-sh-she,” Ivy stuttered, “kissed a tribesman not fr-from our clan. It was innocent. She swore sh-she’d never do it again.”

  The man stiffened and Ivy dropped to her knees and cried in her hands as if she’d just sentenced her sister to death. “I’m so sorry, Wisty,” she sobbed.

  “You’re not to blame,” Wisteria said but she wasn’t certain her voice rose above her own ears. Ivy had begged for Wisteria’s life and in truth she’d rather perish than unite with Sledge.

  Heavy footsteps echoed in the distance, slapping the ground as they drew near. Wisteria looked beyond her people and saw her father emerge from the back side of the fire. “What’s this?” he shouted. “Sledge, have you” He stopped abruptly, spotting the Barbarian tribe lined across the yard, outnumbering their clan by at least two men to one.

  With everyone’s attention focused on her dad, Sledge raised the whip and swung at the Barbarian. The man caught the tip in his hand in midair. He wound it around his palm and yanked. Sledge immediately released his end to prevent being pulled forward. He raised his arms and backed up, obviously realizing he’d made a grave mistake. “She’s not badly hurt,” he blurted.

  The Barbarian took a single step forward. “Not badly hurt? Her flesh is torn.”

  Wisteria leaned her head against the tree and rubbed her eyes, hoping to clear the haze. The Barbarians had no hearts. Why would they care what had happened to her?

  Sledge strode backward, halting when his heels grazed the rocks surrounding the fire pit. The Barbarian followed, which sent the clan people scurrying to the entrances of their caves.

  “She will unite with me in six days,” Sledge said, his voice now low and calm. “But I found her in the arms of an unrelated tribesman,” he added as if hoping the declaration would justify his actions.

  The Barbarian clutched the neckline of Sledge’s frock in his fists. A trail of gasps emerged from the clan when the man lifted Sledge straight into the air. His feet dangled above the ground as the Barbarian carried him to the tree opposite Wisteria and slammed him against the trunk.

  She cringed at the sound and squeezed her eyes closed. As much as she detested Sledge and wouldn’t deny she preferred him dead, she couldn’t watch.

  When silence reigned, she opened her eyes to witness the Barbarian releasing Sledge, letting him crumple to the ground. With the finesse of a cave lion, the man walked circles around the trees, eying both her and Sledge. Too terrified to look at his mask for fear of angering him further, she lowered her gaze to the ground.

  From the corner of her eye she watched him crouch low and lift Sledge’s head by a fistful of hair. She thought he might break Sledge’s neck or scalp him. Instead he backhanded Sledge so hard across the face, blood spurted from his nose. “I should gut you with my bare hands,” he growled.

  Wisteria’s gaze followed the man as he stood and turned, addressing his men. “Settle her on my mount,” he ordered.

  She gulped and panic shot through her chest. She suddenly wished she was still bound and being whipped because she feared it’d be less painful than what she’d endure in captivity. But she wasn’t going to cry or beg for her life. She no longer had a future with her clan. Sledge embedded in their minds that she’d deceived them and in a sense she had.

  “Please, don’t hurt my sister,” Ivy pleaded. “She’s the only one I have. I love her.”

  Ivy, don’t. Don’t humiliate yourself. He doesn’t care. The Barbarians probably killed their own just to quench their thirst by drinking the blood.

  As a man lifted Wisteria, burning pain tore through her belly and thighs. She winced right before she briefly passed out. When she regained consciousness she was being carried toward the large black horse. Her arms and feet bobbed and warm blood bubbled from her cuts. Would the Barbarians spare her clan or leave them in a bloodbath?

  The Barbarian’s deep, menacing voice crept into her near-unconscious state. “You’ve abused this woman, disregarding her safety. She could’ve been killed and none of you but this young girl spoke on her behalf. In my eyes, in my land, she’s now mine. If you abuse the young one who spoke up for her, I’ll be back to claim her too. If I come back, nothing of your clan will survive.”

  The little bit of strength she had drained and she succumbed to darkness just as she heard her mom yelling.

  Something tickled Wisteria’s nose. She sneezed. Her tummy slightly jerked, followed by a faint burn. The whipping.

  Her eyes popped open and she came face-to-face with a wall of fur. It swayed back and forth in rhythm to the clapping of horses’ hooves. She tried sitting straight but something tightened at her waist and she couldn’t move. Where was she? The last coherent thing she remembered was hearing her mom begging the Barbarian to set her free.

  The Barbarian! She shuddered and her gaze raced along her body. She lay crouched on his lap, her hands draped at her sides and her cheek resting flush against the hide covering his chest. She stiffened. A muffled heartbeat pummeled her ears but she didn’t know whether it was his or her own.

  Where were they headed? Even worse, what were his intentions? She tried relaxing to mislead him into believing she remained asleep but her body wouldn’t cooperate and her shoulders stiffened. She inhaled a shaky breath while gazing at the landscape. They were traveling just
outside the forest through an open meadow, a place unfamiliar to her. A line of treetops brushed across the moonlit sky, their dark branches swaying in the slight breeze. If not for the moon’s bright rays shimmering upon the ground, she and her captors would be encased in complete darkness.

  How far away was her home? If she escaped the Barbarians she’d return and beg her clan for forgiveness. She’d even apologize to Sledge and accept their union. She thought she’d rather die than spend her life under his pelts but in her current situation, desperation and fear changed her heart.

  Had the Barbarians murdered her clan? She tried to remember exactly what he’d said. Did he threaten them or promise to murder them?

  Again she stiffened.

  Her eyes bulged as visions of slaughter raced through her mind. Her people. Being bludgeoned to death by barbaric weapons.

  It was so vivid and real she squeaked to fight sobs rising in her throat.

  Then she snapped her eyes shut and stilled.

  Why would they take her and kill the others? Why not kill her too?

  If she had courage she’d ask about her clan’s fate. And hers. But she wasn’t that brave. It was probably best not to worsen a bad situation. They were known to burn people alive after having tortured them. She didn’t need to dwell on that until they tied her to the stake and lit the fire.

  She had only one option. Jump.

  Then run for her life.

  She closed her eyes and swallowed, then moaned, pretending sleep. Cautiously she spun onto her hip, facing away from the Barbarian. His grip loosened as if giving her room to maneuver and she used the split second to position her hands on his thigh.

  With her heart beating rapidly and pulse thumping, she gave herself a swift push off his lap. His hand shot outward and he tried gripping her as she slid down the horse’s bowed rib cage. Her feet hit the ground hard. Her knees buckled and she rolled. The horse whinnied and rose on its hind legs as the Barbarian yanked on its reins. Its front feet landed close to her head, nearly crushing her. Gruff voices shouted as the others halted their mounts. Through the commotion she sprang to her feet and ran for the forest. In there she could increase her chances for survival, unlike the meadow where she had no place to hide.