Cynthia Carole [Cedarville] The Windigo (pdf)

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

combined power to hold me back. I struggled… I fought for hours. At last, I broke their hold and I
ran after them… ”
He covered his face with his hands. “Too late,” came his voice, low and brutal with
remembered grief. “The first village my father had led them to was my mother’s. My aunts. My
60
The Windigo
cousins. I came too late to save any of them. My brother…” He shook his head, and lifted his
hands. Tears welled in his eyes. They froze as they leaked and sparkled like diamonds.
“What did you do?” she whispered, her heart in her throat. What anguish he must have felt.
She couldn’t imagine. And yet, she had almost killed her beloved sister. Would she have then gone
on into Cedarville? She knew how powerfully the madness had gripped her.
He rested his head back against the filigree ice. “I hunted them down. I vowed to destroy all
three of them, before they could kill any more humans. I wasn’t quite successful. Two more villages
were wiped out, but eventually I…I stopped them. I had to murder my father and brother. I had no
choice.”
She buried her head against his chest and held him so tight she feared she might break him.
“I’m so sorry. So sorry, Peter! What a horrible story.”
“I’m sorry to tell it. I should have waited—”
“No. I’m glad you told me.” Though part of her wasn’t glad. Her imagination filled in the
details he left out. To have to kill his own brother! Tears blurred her eyes. “But what about the old
one?”
He sighed. “That took longer. We hunted each other for years…decades. At least during that
time he held off from his plans of genocide. Instead, I kept him busy. We tracked each other north
and played cat and mouse games all the way to the wastelands of the endless snow. At last, I caught
him after killing a herd of elk—he must have eaten ten. He was at his lowest ebb of power, belly
distended, a pool of blood around him on the ice. And he was tired. Tired of living, I think.”
The silence settled between them, and she let that stillness take away the last echo of his
terrible words. Then she shook herself like a dog shedding water and climbed to her feet. “Come
on,” she offered her hand. “Come swimming with me.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Swimming?”
She gave him a quick kiss on the mouth. “Please. Let’s not think anymore this morning.
Plenty of time for that later, and my head needs a break.”
He nodded, some of the shadows of grief leaving his expression.
“Last one in is a rotten egg!” She gave him another quick kiss before turning on her heel and
running. She heard him chase her, a laugh bursting from his surprised mouth.
Through the tunnel and out into the bright morning sunlight she raced, and then down the
stream bed, hopping over the rocks until she splashed into the pristine pool of glacier melt.
61
Cynthia Carole
After a few steps, the shelf of stone dropped away, and deep cobalt darkness opened up
beneath her feet. She turned in the water as Peter walked in after her, and when he reached the deep
rift, he dove with barely a ripple. The sun shone on the water with dancing gold reflections, and it
was hard to see where the rock, sky, and lake met and which was which. Arlene laughed in pure joy
and wonder. What an amazing day she was having—and to think, only hours before she had been
lost in despair.
He tugged on her foot and she startled. “Why you!” She dove after him, surprised at how
well she swam now. Her body cut through the cold water like a seal’s, and she chased the flickering
deep shadows, wild brown trout fleeing her pursuit of Peter.
They played in the water, diving and meeting up to kiss and fondle, until the sun had moved
in the sky and the shadows began to grow longer with the afternoon. At last, Peter pulled her to
shore, caught in his arms, and they lay together under the bright blast of sunlight that warmed the
rocks.
Peter lay beside her on his side, watching her with his eyes as dark and deep as the center of
the lake. One of his hands rested on her ribcage, her skin aware and tingling beneath the pads of his
tan fingers. She gazed into his eyes and smiled.
He leaned down and kissed her lightly, as soft as a butterfly. “When did I start needing you
so much?”
She ran her hand down his sloped cheek in answer.
His gaze traveled across her naked body, and he moved his head down to lick at her breast. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Tematy