the LEGEND of She-Cat

Chapter Twenty Eight

He watched a tongue of flame spring to life in her eyes as Brave Song stared at him, her jaw set, arms crossed. He knew he was being baited, for her answer was said only with the intent to provoke him. Too bad for her, because it had. Slowly lifting his hand, Duncan tipped his hat off, letting it fall. Fierce brown eyes followed it before moving back up to meet his. He grinned.

"Will the Great Coyote Spirit say that again? I do not think I heard her correctly."

A spike in her pulse made the delicate vein along her neck throb and Duncan saw it, a hot flush spreading like rivers of lava in his blood.

"I said," she told him slowly, as if speaking to a child. "I like Stands Bravely more than you."

"And why is that?" He took a step forward, watching as she gracefully slid a step back, still defiant, still proud.

"Stands Bravely does not wander about the country letting lesser men kill him, capture him, and shoot him. He does not need to rise from the dead, for he has the courage to stay alive in the first place."

Conner took another step forward, his body tensing, muscles primed for sudden action. She-Cat's eyes sharpened, taking on a calculating, measured look as her arms slowly spread from her sides.

"Are you calling me a coward?" He asked, lifting one brow at her.

"Yes." The barest hint of a smile kissed the corner of her mouth. "Do you want me to say it again?"

"Once is enough." With a growl, Duncan lunged at her, eagerly giving chase as Brave Song darted for the trees. Despite the obviously playful tone of the pursuit, neither made a sound as they chased through the dense wood and undergrowth.

Several times Duncan felt the hide of her doeskin brush across his fingertips but at the last instant, She-Cat managed to just slip away, leaping over a fallen trunk, or dodging around a tree. They ran higher up the slope, breaking through the tangled branches and thick brush to the bare rocks and green grass of the timberline. Duncan struggled against the restraints of the wrapping on his arm, feeling a sharp ache in the still mending bone. He could not run full out wearing it, and at this rate Brave Song was going to remain elusively out of his reach. Tearing the bindings with his left hand, Conner threw them aside.

She-Cat glanced back at that instant, her eyes widening as she realized what he'd done, and why. Whipping around, she headed for the jumbled rocks and crevasses above them, hoping to lose him in the maze of landslides and rough terrain. Then he was on her, his greater weight slamming into her back as they both hit the ground rolling. Her elbow lashed out, stopped abruptly in the iron grip of his hand. Ripping free, her clawed fingers went for his face, blocked by the hard, calloused skin of his hand, their fingers curling tight.

His grin was triumphant, but She-Cat wasn't ready to concede defeat. Throwing her weight forward, she drove Duncan to his back, her teeth bared in a wicked snarl. Twisting the hand he still held behind her back, Duncan jerked her against him, locking her writhing body in place as he caught her chin, holding tight. To the burning look in her brown eyes, he tenderly kissed her neck. In rebellion, she bucked in his hold, straining to get loose but his grip only tightened.

In her silent struggle, he put gentle, soft kisses along her neck, throat, and jaw, not seeming to mind her mute protests. In fact, if he was not mistaken, her movements against him began to feel distinctly provocative, rather than resentful. Testing that theory, fully aware he'd catch her talons if he was wrong, Duncan let her hand go, shifting them so she was on her back. Her hand shot up so fast he barely realized it had moved, but the sharp echo of the stinging slap rang in his ears.

Wincing, he grunted but didn't move, keeping her trapped beneath him. As if the slap had conveyed it all, Brave Song lay still, angry, every line her body taut with fury, eyes blazing.