The Vow (Black Arrowhead #1) - Dannika Dark Page 0,59

No matter. Checking messages could wait.

When I put the phone back, my fingers curled around the chain to my turquoise turtle pendant. I studied the intricate silver filigree framing every stone. As I headed back outside, gifts were sitting on top of a folded quilt. I left the pendant necklace on the blanket, then hurried to the cabin by the tree line. I didn’t think Hope would mind, and it seemed like the appropriate thing to do.

Once inside the cabin, I closed the door and took a gander at my surroundings. I’d half expected it to be a dusty old shed full of spiders, but I was pleasantly surprised. Granted, it was small, no bigger than fifteen feet long and twelve feet wide. But it had all the essentials. The fireplace was made of stone, and a painting of a woman and child standing in a meadow hung over the mantle. Just to the right of the hearth was a tiny bathroom with a standing shower. A person could comfortably live here—eat at the table to the right, sit in the rocking chair by the door and have a beer, and retire at night in the small bed against the left wall. It had a brown-and-turquoise blanket that was clearly handmade. The cabin didn’t have a kitchenette or even a closet, but it was cozy, welcoming, and beautifully decorated.

I stepped on the rug. Wow. Not a speck of dirt anywhere—not even in the fireplace, which probably hadn’t been used since last winter. It wasn’t as upscale as the heat house my former pack had built, but the cozy and rustic atmosphere made it feel like a retreat.

I set my purse on the table and looked down at the chopped wood piled by the fireplace. Since the cabin didn’t have electricity, I gathered up candles and put them in the hearth. Maybe later on, I can sit in the rocking chair and…

Wait a second. What am I thinking? I need to get back home. This isn’t a vacation, and what if my stay lasts for weeks? I gripped the rocker and stared vacantly at the fireplace. With everyone gone tonight, I would have a chance to escape. But I wasn’t sure if that was the smart thing to do. I wasn’t the enemy in the eyes of the Shifters outside their property, so surely they would let me pass. Still, I had a seed of doubt. Aside from that, I didn’t want to be the catalyst for war because a few local yokels got the wrong idea. Maybe I didn’t understand the Iwa tribe’s perspective, but most of them seemed like good people who loved one another. Clearly they had a few hotheads, but Shikoba hadn’t exactly shackled me to the cabin against my will.

The room felt like a sauna, so I turned the latch and opened the casement windows that overlooked the backyard. A cool breeze fluttered in and aired out the room. After stripping out of Lakota’s clothes, I took a long shower. It had barely any water pressure, but at least I didn’t smell like a creek anymore. I dried off, wrapped the towel around me, and tucked it in at the top. Just as I entered the main room, a knock sounded at the door.

I rushed out to greet Lakota. “It’s about time. I thought—”

My words were cut off by the jarring sight of Shikoba in black face paint. What looked like bright-red tears were trailing down his face from each eye, and he was wearing an elaborate headdress of white feathers with black tips.

I stepped back to let him in.

He shook his head. “It’s almost dusk, so we must go.”

I nodded.

Shikoba reached around and revealed a large basket. “There’s bread and dried meat.”

I accepted the basket with reluctance. They had enough to worry about and shouldn’t have gone to the trouble. “Thank you.”

He waved his finger. “Not me. This is from Lena, the mother of Koi. What you did for her was thoughtful.” He tapped his hand against his chest where a pendant would be. “She wants to make peace with you.”

I grimaced. “Does she blame me for his death?”

Shikoba clasped his hands. “We come from the old ways. Some of us have been around since before the white man came, when we were still fighting human tribes. We have seen many changes, but uninvited visitors have always made us uneasy, and for good reason. She does not want to anger the spirits by burying her