Read Online Hunted by Lindsay Buroker - Free Book Online Page A

I,
being ten or so, reckoned I was just the person.”
    Kali was quite positive Cedar had never
strung so many words together in a row. She was not sure she liked
the implied comparison, but she listened without interrupting,
curious where he would take the story.
    “I used some meat to trick him into a pen,”
Cedar went on, “and I trapped him there. I brought him food and
water every day and I spent hours talking to him and trying to get
him used to me. It seemed to be working. He didn’t growl so much,
and he wagged his tail when I showed up. Well, I wanted to pet him
powerful bad, so I slipped into his pen one day, gave him his food,
and tried to get close to him. He got real still and wary, but he
didn’t flinch away, so I thought everything was working like I’d
planned.”
    Kali had an inkling of how the story would
end, but she asked, “What happened?” anyway.
    “He bit me, jumped the fence of the pen, and
ran off. I never saw him again.”
    “Am I correct in guessing you’re comparing
this mangy, scrawny dog to me?” Though more amused than angry, she
had a feeling she should give him a hard time.
    “No, of course not.” Cedar cleared his
throat. “Maybe a little.” Another beat passed, and he switched his
answer to, “Yes.”
    “At least it was a handsome and smart dog,”
she muttered. “Under the mange.”
    “Very smart,” he said carefully.
    “So, this story means...you’re afraid I’d
bite you if you took me to the dancing hall?”
    “More afraid I’d bite you ,” he said.
“And then you’d run away.”
    “Oh.” Kali caught her bottom lip between her
teeth. She grew aware of her heartbeat, its rapid thumps against
her ribs. Her eyes were probably huge too. Like those of a startled
doe. She was glad for the darkness and that he was behind her so he
could not see her face. “I...know I can be a little...standoffish
at times.”
    He snorted.
    “Most times,” she admitted. “But nobody ever
beat me. No scars or anything. Well, except for that one scar from
the time I decided to make guncotton. Oh, and the first time I
tried to make those metal dogs and incorporate the flash gold,
well, that needed stitches from Doc. Marvin, but I’m not
bite-you-and-jump-the-fence damaged. Really.” She winced. She meant
the words, but at the same time she felt like she was trying to
convince herself.
    The fire had died down, and men snored. Up
and down the river, the sounds of croaking frogs competed with the
gurgling water.
    “It’s possible to scar someone without
touching them,” Cedar said quietly.
    “I guess.” Between Sebastian, her mother, and
her father, she had certainly been hurt often enough. It was hard
to dismantle her booby traps and let people get close. She was not
certain she could even have this conversation—admit this
vulnerability—with Cedar by the light of day.
    Cedar stirred. Since she had crawled under
the blanket with him, he had been careful to keep his distance, but
now he rested a hand on her waist. Her instincts reacted before her
mind, and she tensed. She rolled her eyes at herself and forced
herself to relax.
    “You all right?” he asked.
    “Just depressed. I am that dog.”
    He chuckled softly, his warm breath stirring
the hairs on the back of her neck. He started to retract the
embrace. Kali caught his hand to keep it there. She wrapped her
fingers about his calloused palm and she shifted onto her back,
turning her head toward his. Darkness hid his face, but, for what
she intended next, maybe that was easiest—safest. She wanted to
believe he desired a relationship with her, but nobody ever had
before, not without an ulterior motive, and it was hard to believe
someone like him would be the first.
    Stop analyzing this, came the thought from
the back of her mind. Do it before you lose your nerve.
    Cedar must have sensed her intent for he was
the one to lean close. She almost grinned when that beard stubble
rasped against her jaw, but then his lips