Chapter 7

Nearly three days later White Swan still couldn’t get the images of a sweaty, muscular Black Wolf out of her mind. It had gotten so bad that she had actually caught herself daydreaming about him several times over those few days already. Needless to say, those images from the fight that she had watched him participate in were beginning to drive her to distraction. No matter what, they had been stored away in her mind and she couldn’t get them out no matter what she had tried.

Even now, as she walked through the village on her way to pick some vegetables from the garden to use for the evening meal, she couldn’t stop thinking about the way he had moved so fluidly. He had been acting like the predator he was named for. Silent, beautiful and so agile as to be deadly.

With a disgruntled sigh, she shifted her basket to her other shoulder and shook her head to clear it of the distracting thoughts. As she pushed several strands of hair behind her ear, her eyes caught sight of the man who was the cause of all of her distractions.

She couldn’t help but smile as she saw Black Wolf standing in the distance while he talked to Mouse Daydreams, until she took in the way they were standing kind of close to each another. Her smile faded as she watched Mouse Daydreams glance up at Black Wolf with a look similar to that of a frightened deer.

White Swan knew that look.

It was the look Mouse Daydreams always wore when she was trying to convince someone to be on her side or when she was trying to lure someone in by pretending to be helpless. A look that often made whoever was on the receiving end of it hasten to rescue the poor, hapless victim that she appeared to be.

And judging from the looks of him, Black Wolf was falling for it completely. The hook had been baited well and he had bit like any gullible fish would. White Swan watched as he leaned closer to Mouse Daydreams and gently placed a hand on her arm. He then began to run his hand up and down her arm as if he were trying to soothe her or comfort her.

Mouse Daydreams lowered her head and looked up at him through her eyelashes as he spoke to her in what White Swan was sure was a hushed voice. When he seemed to pause, Mouse Daydreams looked up to give him her usual pout which only made White Swan suddenly resist the urge to be sick. As she continued to watch, Black Wolf continued to talk to Mouse Daydreams until White Swan could feel her face starting to heat up with anger.

What was wrong with her? They were just talking, that was all. That was all!

After all, White Swan knew how much of a great guy Black Wolf was to almost everyone in the village. She knew lots of people liked to ask him for advice the way they would ask his father. Both men were often sought out by their peers whenever someone needed a neutral ear.

Even though Bright Wolf was the chief of the tribe, he was still a very good listener and tended to give sound advice when needed. That was also part of the reason why Bright Wolf was a great negotiator with other tribes and the white men.

These days, anyone could see that Black Wolf was clearly following in his father’s footsteps.

At least that was what she kept trying to tell herself until she saw Mouse Daydreams give him another pout before she turned and made a show of stalking off. White Swan gaped as Black Wolf went after her, gently caught her arm, then turned her around to face him.

When Mouse Daydreams wouldn’t look up at him after he’d placed his hands on her arms and spoke to her, he cupped her cheeks and lifted her head until their eyes met. White Swan saw red the moment she noticed how his thumb seemed to be stroking Mouse Daydreams’ cheek.

The nerve of him!

The final straw was the dreamy look that spread over Mouse Daydreams’ face as she slowly nodded right before Black Wolf tugged her into a hug. White Swan could see the thrilled smile Mouse Daydreams wore as Black Wolf continued to hug her.

Oh, the nerve of her!

Unable to stand there and take it anymore, White Swan whirled around and stalked off angrily. Her thoughts in turmoil, she wasn’t aware of the fact that Black Wolf had let go of Mouse Daydreams only to catch sight of her retreating back. Still, he couldn’t leave Mouse Daydreams side just yet, even though White Swan continued to make her way away from them.

Furious with herself and at Black Wolf for reasons she refused to acknowledge, she hastily decided picking vegetables could wait. Instead, she decided to head for the bathing river to take a cold bath, hoping it would help her get rid of the feelings she was hesitant to admit to having.

Yes, a cold bath was exactly what she needed to calm herself down with.

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Black Wolf stopped to look around the area once more. He had finally been able to leave Mouse Daydreams several moments ago, after he had made sure that she would be okay. Now he was using his tracking skills to see if he could locate where White Swan had gone since he had lost sight of her earlier.

He wanted to talk to her, but his manners had dictated that he deal with Mouse Daydreams first before he went to find White Swan. So, he had made sure Mouse Daydreams understood that he wasn’t going to talk to anyone about what they had discussed. She had refused to let him go until she had made him promise not to utter a word about any of it to anyone.

He didn’t like it, but it was what she wanted so he would respect her wishes. Still, he had done his best to change her mind before he finally conceded that it was a moot point convincing her otherwise.

Once he had reached that point, he simply asked her to take care of herself and let her know that she could come talk to him whenever she needed to. After that, they had quickly said their goodbyes, then he went off in the direction he had last seen White Swan go.

However, too much time had gone by, putting too much distance between him and wherever it was that White Swan had gone to. Now he was hoping that the freshly pressed grass he was currently surveying were her footprints and not someone else’s. The tracker in him would be embarrassed if he ended up following the wrong trail. He knew he would never live it down if it was discovered that he had failed in tracking someone.

Straightening up, he set off in the direction of the trees where the footprints seemed to lead to, wondering why White Swan would go into the woods. That thought was quickly followed by one of worry.

Although he knew White Swan was capable of taking care of herself, a maiden alone in the woods was not always a good thing. As he made his way along the path that the footprints took between the trees, he silently prayed that she was okay, but hoped she would be alone when he finally found her.

It wasn’t long before he heard the soft murmur of a nearby river. However, just as he approached it, he realized exactly which river it was. Looking around for some sign of life, he spotted a pile of clothes near a huge boulder that jutted out slightly over the river. Without leaving the cover of the surrounding trees, Black Wolf quickly scanned the river until he saw the back of a woman’s head in the water.

He knew it was White Swan from the way the sunlight sparkled in her mahogany tresses, making several strands of it appear lighter than the rest. Most of her hair had been piled on top of her head which was held there by a clip made of bone. She was mostly submerged beneath the water all the way up to just beneath her shoulders, yet he could see enough to know she wore absolutely nothing at all.

Unable to resist the sight, Black Wolf stayed right where he was without making a sound to startle her. He knew it was wrong to be spying on a maiden when she was bathing, but this was White Swan whom he was seriously beginning to believe was a beguiling spirit in disguise.

This wasn’t the first time he had watched her from afar. Of course, all the other times she had been fully clothed, but she had still been completely captivating to him all the same. Even so, he had always managed to watch her without her or anyone else ever knowing it.

Just like all the other times, he admired the way she moved so effortlessly. Even in the river, as the water swirled around her shoulders, she seemed to move with a grace and dignity that was rare in other maidens her age.

It was in that moment that he felt that the name she had been given in the tribe was just perfect for her. She was as graceful as the delicate bird she had been named for. To him, White Swan was so graceful that even the light-footed Mouse Daydreams seemed a bit awkward in comparison to her.

Moving slightly to his right, he silently positioned himself at an angle so that he could see her profile more clearly. Once he was sure he wouldn’t be seen, he continued to watch White Swan as she moved her arms beneath the water as if she were swimming in place.

Eventually, she tilted her head to the left and lifted a cupped hand above her head, making Black Wolf’s mouth go dry as he watched her pour some sparkling water down the side of her neck. Some of the water trickled down her back until it met with the river once more. Black Wolf couldn’t help but lick his lips as he envisioned what the rest of the water that had taken the frontal route would look like as it made its way down to the river.

As White Swan closed her eyes and tilted her head back for a few moments, Black Wolf let his eyes trail over the exposed lines of her neck, throat, and face while he continued to watch her. Waiting for her to make her next move, his eyes greedily drank in the way her neck arched so beautifully, making him imagine her doing that while he sat before her. When she lifted her head up and opened her eyes, Black Wolf held his breath as he watched her move towards the boulder where her clothes were.

He knew he should go now. He knew he really shouldn’t have been there at all, but he wanted to talk to White Swan. And since he wasn’t sure he would be able to catch her again before they both got caught up in their duties, he refused to leave until he could talk to her. So when she appeared to be getting out of the water, he averted his eyes to wait for a few moments hoping she would be out and clothed by the time he looked up again.

With his heart in his throat, Black Wolf slowly looked up towards the boulder prepared to shut his eyes if he had to. Luckily for him, White Swan was already out of the water, partially hidden by the boulder as she walked towards her clothes. Then again, his mouth went dry a second time as he caught sight of the bare legs visible from beneath the edge of the boulder.

Before he knew what he was doing, his eyes traveled from her bare ankles, to her calves then up to the area around mid-thigh which meant the rest of her body was hidden from his view by the boulder. Suddenly the leather pants he had chosen to wear that day became too constricting, making him wish that he could just run and dive under that cold water in order to relieve some of the discomfort he was now feeling.

In the next moment, White Swan bent down to retrieve her dress which allowed Black Wolf to catch a glimpse of the rest of her curves. It caught him off guard so much that he ended up emitting a soft moan at the sight of all of that luscious exposed skin.

Unfortunately, he was loud enough to make White Swan quickly straighten up, pull on her dress, then look warily towards the trees.

“Who’s there?” she asked in Quedeyona.

Black Wolf knew he couldn’t just remain silent since White Swan was too astute for that. So, taking a deep breath to calm himself, he slowly walked out into the clearing. At first White Swan appeared startled until she realized that it was just him. Smiling as she placed a hand over her chest, she breathed in relief.

“Oh, it’s you Jake,” she spoke in English. Then she gave him a puzzled look. “What are you doing here?”

He continued to walk out into the clearing with his gaze locked to hers. “I wanted to talk to you.”

White Swan tilted her head slightly at the husky tone of Black Wolf’s voice. “Talk to me?”

He took another step towards her. “Yes. I saw you earlier, but I couldn’t get away.”

“Oh,” she replied as she took a step of her own towards him. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“I wanted to…” he stalled as he moved even closer to her.

His eyes took in the water droplets that still clung to her neck and skin that wasn’t covered by her dress.

White Swan couldn’t help but feel breathless at the way Black Wolf was looking at her. A look so full of hunger that he made her feel as if he were the predator and she was his prey. Even as they stared at each other, they began to move closer together. So close that White Swan could almost feel Black Wolf’s breath on her skin.

“Jake?” she whispered.

Black Wolf blinked as if he had been somewhere else, far away. As his eyes rose to meet hers again, she continued. “What is it?”

Black Wolf stared into her green-flecked, brown eyes for a few heartbeats before he lifted a hand to her cheek. His fingers trailed over her soft skin, brushing away the few drops of water that were still lingering there.

White Swan didn’t move a muscle as she felt the feather-light touch of his work-roughened hand against her skin. Mesmerized by the way his darkening eyes followed the path of his own fingers, she could hardly breathe for fear of breaking the spell he was creating between them.

His fingers continued to move down her neck, then swept across her shoulder before trailing back to the junction where her shoulder met her neck. Suddenly his gaze returned to hers at the same time she could feel his fingers wrap around the back of her neck.

Her breath caught as she realized his face was leaning closer to hers, then just before his lips met hers, she closed her eyes in anticipation. She could hear her heartbeat thudding in her ears even as it beat hard against her chest while his lips just barely grazed over hers.

Black Wolf paused after brushing his lips over hers, waiting for her to push him away. When she didn’t, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers more fully. Amazed when she still didn’t pull back, he lifted both hands to cup her cheeks, deepening the kiss even more.

White Swan knew she should pull back, but she had been dreaming of this for quite a while even though she would have never admitted it. Now that she knew Black Wolf had been having the same thoughts as her, she wasn’t about to stop it when it felt so good and so right.

As his fingers lost themselves in her hair, White Swan leaned against him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. His tongue was now sliding against her slightly parted lips, making her tremble with need. She parted her lips even more to touch the tip of his tongue with her own, giving Black Wolf the invitation he needed to slide his tongue fully into her mouth.

Black Wolf didn’t think he had ever tasted anything as sweet as White Swan’s mouth as he felt his body responding to the way her tongue slid against his teasing one. He loved the way she felt in his arms, so soft and warm. And he loved the way she smelled, like fresh water and wildflowers.

White Swan let her hands move over Black Wolf’s shoulders, then down his jerkin-covered chest where she suddenly discovered that he felt even better than he had looked that day she had watched him spar. Melting at the way he seemed to tenderly hold her and the way his muscles moved beneath her questing hands, she could only wish there wasn’t a leather jerkin between her hands and his skin.

Black Wolf was fast becoming drunk on the taste of her honeyed mouth and on the way her small hands felt rubbing against his chest. Enjoying the way she was making him feel, he couldn’t help but want more.

More of her taste and more of her touch.

His lips left hers to trail hot kisses from the corner of her mouth, then down along her jaw. White Swan tilted her head back, allowing him access to her silken skin which Black Wolf greedily continued to taste to his liking.

White Swan’s breath was becoming short and fast as Black Wolf’s lips continued to wreak havoc on her skin. As his lips continued to make their way along her jaw, she could feel herself becoming weak in the knees. Needing something to hold on to, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders again.

Black Wolf kissed her neck, then trailed his tongue along her pulse as his hands moved down her back. White Swan gripped him even closer to her body as Black Wolf began to move one hand between them, intending to tilt her head back even more. As he moved his hand, it brushed against the side of her breast, making her moan softly.

That moan was enough to break through Black Wolf’s haze, making him realize just what they’d been doing. He jerked his head up and looked down at White Swan, taking in her full, swollen red lips and her shuttered eyes. She looked thoroughly ravished and it was all his fault.

White Swan felt the sudden absence of warmth which made her open her eyes to give Black Wolf a puzzled look. He had stepped back a couple feet from her, staring at her as if he suddenly realized she was right there in front of him even though he still had his hands on her arms.

Wondering what was wrong, she lifted a hand to his cheek. “Jake?”

Black Wolf quickly let her go and backed away looking stunned. He couldn’t believe he had allowed himself to be that aggressive with White Swan. He couldn’t believe he had allowed himself to take advantage of her like that. A maiden like her deserved to be treated a whole lot better than he had just treated her.

Ashamed at the way he had just mauled her, he uttered a quick “Forgive me, Bells” before turning and disappearing into the surrounding trees.

White Swan stood there in shock as she watched Black Wolf disappear. For a split second she wondered what had just happened until she realized too late that he was leaving. She began to run after him, calling his name as she did. However, she only ran a few feet before she knew it was useless to keep running after him. Black Wolf was a much better runner than she could ever hope to be, plus she knew that he knew the land a lot better than she ever could.

With a sigh, she went back to the river to gather up the rest of her belongings before making her way back to the village alone.