High Noon - Casey Bond Page 0,3
speaking.”
“It’s Lakota,” I answered quietly, listening in on the brothers’ conversation.
“They speak English very well…” she whispered. “When they want to.”
“I’m afraid I’m to blame for that,” I answered with a grin.
“What are they saying?”
“Kohana didn’t see you land, but he heard me yelling. Hotah is lying for us. He’s telling Kohana you were coming to fetch me, but that you got caught in the valley when the buffalo began to stampede, and I ran to help you.”
“What does Kohana say to that?”
“He seems satisfied. He…” I listened for more information. “He wants to go back home. The buffalo are gone now, which means we will have to hunt another day.”
“He looks angry.”
“He is. Their people need the meat. In their tribe, a single buffalo could provide food for weeks. Not only that, they use the hides for clothing, shoes, and to cover their tipis. Once that is depleted, the bones are made into tools and needles.”
Eve watched the two closely. “I hate that he’s scolding him.”
“Hotah is used to it.”
“So that’s an excuse?”
“It’s how things work in their culture. Kohana is eldest now that their father is dead, and as such, speaks for their people.”
Her eyes flicked to me. “What happened to him?”
“He was shot when he approached a wagon heading west. He merely wanted to trade with the frontiersmen, but the men took one look at him and decided he was a threat. Kohana and Hotah were with him. They were just boys.”
“They managed to survive…” she finished quietly.
She knew what it was like to witness the senseless death of someone she loved. And to learn to live without them.
Eve
My mind spun to keep up. I still couldn’t believe Enoch caught me. I was in eighteen-sixty-eight, but where was I, exactly?
There was nothing around us but grass, boulders, and dusty paths carved in between. A few of the hills were sprinkled with trees, but that was it. No buildings. No structures at all. Just land and sky as far as the eye could see.
Titus and Abram were nowhere in sight. Who knew how far away they could be? I was about to ask Enoch if he’d seen them when his eyes found mine. They trailed down me, filled with an emotion I couldn’t exactly name, but knew by sight. It was an ichor of wonder, disbelief, and terror that what you were seeing might not really be there.
Enoch wore a white shirt that buttoned up the front, and tan pants made of a supple, light material. His boots were well-worn. He wasn’t armed, as far as I could tell – not that he needed to be. But I wondered how he had planned to take down the buffalo – using his strength, or Hotah with his rifle.
His hair was shorter than it was when I last left him, curling around his ears and at the nape of his neck. I loved the feel of it, absentmindedly running my fingers through his curls. He closed his eyes, softly inhaling and leaning into my touch. I kissed him gently, savoring the feel of his lips against mine.
“I missed you,” I told him.
“You missed me for a minute?” he teased with a smile.
“Yep.”
He grinned against my lips. “I missed you more. And for longer.”
“That doesn’t mean you win.”
He laughed. “Oh, I think it does.
The brothers’ arguing got louder, pulling my attention away. “Why does Kohana keep saying the word, ‘Kongee’?’”
Enoch stiffened and caught my hand as I was bringing it down, placing a tender kiss in my palm. “He’s talking about me.”
“Why doesn’t he call you by your name?”
Enoch rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand, taking a long breath before explaining, “The word ‘Kangi’ means crow. The Lakota believe there was a world and a people on the earth before this one, but that the people were wicked and the Great Spirit decided to end them. He sent rain to flood and cover the earth. Only the crow survived.”
A shiver slowly traveled up my spine. “They know what you are.”
He nodded.
“Did you tell them? I didn’t think anyone knew exactly what you were. In our time, we certainly didn’t. We assumed you were the same as the vampires you sired.”
“With the exception of you, I’ve never told anyone what we are. To my knowledge, neither has Terah or Asa. But somehow, Hotah’s mother knew. She is a healer for their people. She took one look at me and said the word ‘Kangi.’ They’ve called me that ever since.”
Kohana’s