Winter Prey

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Kymbria stifled the urge to follow her mother and shove the phone away from her ear, force her to continue their conversation. The impulse didn't feel like one of her near-explosive PTSD temper bouts. Instead, she regretted the interruption to what she felt might have been a breakthrough to whatever her mother was hiding. It had to be something impactful or important, given Niona's desperate desire to conceal it.

Caleb shoved aside the curtain on the kitchen window, checking the identity of their visitor at the door before he opened it. Evidently frustrated with the wait, Keoman flung the door back and pushed past Caleb, not even pausing to knock the snow from his heavy mukluks. The Midé strode into the living area. After a brief glance at Niona talking on the phone, he turned his attention to Kymbria.

"You've heard?" he asked.

"About Jane. Yes."

"Why are you still here?"

She didn't bother to answer that stupid question. Had he returned his phone calls, Keoman would know what had been happening. Appearing to read the disgust on her face, he pulled back, then glanced at Niona as she hung up the phone. Niona met his gaze for a brief instant only. The phone shrilled again, but Kymbria doubted that summons was what fostered the mixture of challenge and defiance on Niona's face before she turned her back on Keoman. Murmuring that the calls were from concerned friends, she again picked up the receiver.

"Len - " Kymbria began.

"Don't speak his name," Keoman ordered.

"Why, damn it?' she demanded, although she had been obeying the custom. "Adhering to the Old Ways isn't protecting our people!"

Anger flashed in the Midé's black eyes. "And you can say for certain that it's not protecting at least some of them?"

"It's hard to prove a negative."

Niona hung up the phone, which immediately rang again. Instead of answering it, she walked away. "It's people who know we're here, calling about Jane Tallbear. I'm not up to talking to them any more."

"Amber could be calling," Kymbria said as she rose to her feet.

Niona waved at the phone. "Then you answer."

Kymbria hesitated. Why were she and Niona at such odds? Instead of continuing to the phone, she stopped behind her mother's back and gently rubbed her palms up and down Niona's arms.

"Mom, let's not fight," she whispered in an attempt to keep their conversation private. Or maybe, low-key so their emotions didn't erupt again. "Do you want us to go into the bedroom so we can talk alone?"

Niona sniffled, and when she turned to face Kymbria, shaking her head in refusal, she was crying. Kymbria brushed a tear track down her mother's cheek.

"It won't help to talk about things privately, honey," Niona said. "Please come back to Duluth with me."

"Let me think about it," Kymbria promised. "In the meantime, I'm going to try to reach Amber."

As the phone shrilled into silence for an instant, but immediately rang again, she glanced around for Keoman. Though she hadn't noticed him leave the sofa, the Midé now stood in the kitchen, talking to Caleb. She started to demand the men share their discussion with her and Niona, then huffed a frustrated breath, grabbed the phone as soon as it quit ringing, and dialed.

"Hello!" Amber answered before the first ring died. "Please say this is Kymbria."

"It's me," Kymbria acknowledged.