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in
the distance, or fires that indicated a house nearby. No barking
dogs or signs of any other domesticated animals.
    It had become colder since they started out.
She concentrated on putting one foot before the other, and not on
the discomfort of being chilled and thirsty beyond belief. She knew
Cormac was going to have to stop eventually, and she was determined
that it wasn’t going to be because of her.
    As the hours passed and they continued to
travel upwards, Toni felt her heart pounding from the grueling
pace. She gasped for breath because the higher altitude meant
thinner air. Cormac reached back and took her by the hand, giving
her a pull up the slope they were going. Thank God! When
they crested the first mountain, she saw the rising sun beyond.
Pausing because Cormac had, Toni took in the breathtaking view of
the landscape ahead of them, and that’s when she saw what she
believed was Horseshoe Mountain. It was obvious, two mountains side
by side, with a horseshoe shaped valley between them. Is that where
they live?
    A shrill scream drew her attention toward the
sky, where she saw a hawk soaring with a fish in its beak. She
watched its graceful movements for a moment, envying the freedom it
had. Soon another, probably its mate, joined it and they soared
away toward the mountain peaks. She watched until they disappeared
from view.
    Once the others caught up to them, Cormac
moved forward again. Horseshoe Mountain looked far away, and Toni
had to wonder if they weren’t going to stop until they reached it.
No one complained if they were tired or hungry, trudging along as
if they already hadn’t been walking for hours. The Oh-Mah seemed to
have an abundance of energy and perseverance, and their stamina was
amazing.
    Finally, daybreak arrived, and Toni was able
to make out her surroundings. They’d been traveling single file,
she supposed for safety reasons. She glanced down at the ground,
not surprised to see that there wasn’t a trail. She assumed that
Cormac had been leading them by instinct, and from the experience
of traveling back and forth over the years. Toni also assumed that
they must have good night vision. What else explained Cormac’s
ability to walk directly up to her in the pitch dark when she’d
been cowering against that tree?
    They came to a stream, and Toni was relieved
when Cormac finally stopped. He turned to her. “Drink.”
    She didn’t hesitate, dropping to her knees
and cupping her hands for a drink as the others were doing. The
cold, running water was so clear that Toni could see to the bottom,
and it tasted wonderful. Her long hair fell down the front of her
and dangled into the water, but Toni didn’t care. There was no
telling when they would stop again, and she was going to drink her
fill.
    “Too much.” Cormac wrapped his hand around
her upper arm and pulled Toni back to her feet.
    Their eyes met. She tried to ignore the
flutter of awareness in her belly, pulling the fur closer around
her. He was apparently amused at her effort to try to cover her
nudity. Her mouth turned up in response to his smile, it seemed the
most natural thing to do. He reached out and ran his thumb over her
bottom lip.
    The older man she’d seen talking to Cormac
back in the cave interrupted the moment by saying something. Cormac
glanced down at Toni’s feet and frowned. The next thing Toni knew
she was in his arms, and he was carrying her somewhere away from
the others. Toni took the opportunity to look Cormac over, now that
she was seeing him in the light of day for the first time. His
chiseled features showed signs that he’d been in a few fights. From
what she could see of his tanned, upper body it was also marred
with scars that did nothing to diminish the sexiness of his defined
muscles. Toni could understand why he was the Oh-Mah leader.
Overall, he was a strong alpha male, exuding danger and
confidence.
    Her gaze went to his sexy mouth, recalling
the wonderful things he had done to her, and how