Kiss Me, Curse Me - By Kate Shay Page 0,45
him. She felt too tired, too weak to say much else. “He made me like him.”
“What?” She moved her head up to see the profound sadness on his face.
“I am a Shaman too now. I am one with the wolf. I feel him in me—this evil. He stirs, he’s hungry. Even now when I look at you. I feel—”
“Shhhh. . .” she stopped him from saying it aloud. “I know. I felt it when we made love. I still love you. I always will. I don’t care about that.”
He squeezed her. “I’m worried. I don’t know what’ll happen.”
“I saw the wolf,” she said, her words sounding hollow. “I saw him in the forest. I saw him in my dreams. I’m scared.”
“Don’t be. He won’t have you. I’ll do whatever it takes. He won’t have anyone.”
“How can you stop him? He’s been here long before any of us. Your father said.”
“I don’t know. We’ll find my father first, come on.”
Discovering that the trail of blood led out to the woods and away from them, they searched the rooms of the Kanti’s cabin. Ahanu found dried fish in the strange, unsightly kitchen. He wouldn’t let Coreen enter the room; it was that unpleasant, disturbing. His father had been gutting many animals and drying out their parts. Ahanu took a bite of the salmon to make sure it was safe, and brought it to her. “Here, you need sustenance.”
A tired hunger had been eating at her. She could have just as easily passed out as chewed on anything, but she forced the swallows. “I don’t like fish.”
“Huh? How could you not like fish? Come on here, if we’re to be married, you’ll have to like fish.” He chuckled, finding an odd pair of pants made of some hemp fabric back in what he guessed was his father’s sleeping quarters. There was a pile of multicolored animal skins in the center of the room for a bed, and clothes were slung along one wall side. “I think this will go with your dress.” He held up the funny, misshapen pants.
Almost choking on the last bite, Coreen shook her head. “I can’t wear those. Look at them.”
“How about a tunic?” This piece was long and black made from simple cotton, slit with an odd shaped U at the top.
“Yeah, that. I’ll wear it. Can I take this lacy thing off? I need some water too. I need to clean up a bit.”
He smiled. “You look great in that dress . . . This tunic, it’s a major change. You sure? There’s water in that front room in a barrel. Don’t let the skulls bother you.”
“I’m getting used to them, believe me.” Coreen excused herself for a quick moment, coming back with an animal skin wrapped around her nakedness. She held the harlot’s dress out from her body. “Where did you get this dress anyway?”
Ahanu stammered at the sight of her sleek body, hidden just barely, but obviously proportioned in all the right spots. “Uh, Betty’s.”
She blushed, but smiled too. “Oh yeah . . . that’s right. I remember that woman flouncing. She’s very—”
“She helped you, took care of you. She’s okay for the most part. She sent me here too. I don’t know why. She will definitely have to answer for that. She knows my father, I guess. I’m not sure of their dealings.”
“She sent you here?”
“Yes. She’d said it was just an errand that she needed me to help her with. She tricked me. The potion in that package was what my father forced down my throat. She got it from somewhere, but I don’t know . . . He gave it to you as well. That’s why you are alive right now. It saved you.”
“Good thing,” said Coreen, slipping the black tunic over her head. It was loose-fitting all the way down to her calves and smelled of some herb that made her feel relaxed. “You said she took care of me. I at least have to thank her.”
“I got you out of that place. I should burn it to the ground.”
“Don’t do that, Ahanu. You could set the town on fire.”
“That’s it, that’s it!” He took Coreen’s hand and towed her outside to the porch. The skulls above swung in the late afternoon breeze, which had suddenly picked up strength. “We burn him. I know where he is.”
“Burn who?” came a voice from behind the tree line. It was a strong voice, an unfamiliar voice.
The two teens backed up into the darkened