“You talk in your sleep, you know?” he said. “Where are you from? What’s your dog’s name? We haven’t seen any dogs since the reservation. Where are you headed? Are there any…”
Jesus. Fuck. My mouth hung open in several failed attempts to interrupt. I couldn’t get a word in.
“…the mountains. Why the hell did you throw yourself into the fire? For the love of the Great Mystery, what were you thinking? I—”
“Badger, give it a rest.”
I turned to mark the new voice. His features and mannerisms weren’t unlike Badger. They could have been twins. Only the stranger seemed older.
“Hey. I’m Naalnish. Don’t mind my brother. We told him to watch over you, not talk you to death.”
No shit. “He’s fine.”
He whacked Badger on the back of his head. “Get out of here. Let her eat in peace.” He slid a bowl before me and Badger grumbled his way out.
“Naalnish you said?”
He smiled. “A Navajo name.”
“You’re Navajo?”
He shook his head. “We’re Lakota. From North Dakota. Our father was Navajo.”
He guessed my next question. “We left the Dakotas after the outbreak. The bugs like our semi-arid climate and chased us out.”
“Only three of you?”
“Four actually. Lone Eagle left this morning to retrieve your things. There were dozens of us at first. The journey has been long.”
“I’m sorry.”
His smile was warm. “Eat.” He nodded to the bowl. “It’s pemmican. The fat and protein will help you heal.” With that, he left.
Besides a variety of berries and chewy meat, most of the concoction was unrecognizable. But it filled my belly and boosted my energy. I slurped up the last bite, strapped on the knives, I ventured out in search of Darwin.
I found the men near a fresh-running stream. Naalnish waved when he saw me and laughed at Darwin when he pounced a trout in the shallow water. Akicita and Badger met me half way.
The elder prodded my face. “It heals. The energy flows strongly through you.”
“What energy—”
“Come on,” Badger grabbed my hand. “We have a million questions.”
Akicita rested his skeletal fingers over ours, freezing Badger’s forward motion. “No questions, Badger. We’ll talk about the weather or the abundance of rabbit in this region. Or that incredible dog of yours.”
I smiled and followed them to the river.
We were gathered around the stone hearth when Lone Eagle returned with my gear. He appeared from the footpath and his eyes greeted mine.
For a moment, he stood there, staring at me. I stared right back. He wasn’t what I expected. Not a clone of Naalnish and Badger. His bronze skin and strong facial features hinted Native American blood, but his stunning eyes and short wavy russet hair suggested another heritage. He was exquisite.
I swallowed against a reflex of guilt. Gawking at another man felt like cheating. Still, I couldn’t look away.
His thumb tapped the limb of his bow, the string sawing back and forth on his muscled thigh. And his eyes…something swirled in their coppery depths, as if he was seeing me. Inside me. Then his mouth dipped in a frown. His mouth was distracting. I swallowed again.
Silence rippled through the camp as he approached. The air seemed to follow him.
“I moved the Humvee further into the mountains. It’s still miles away.” Despite his stolid tone, a few words were traced with a southern drawl.
“How did you—”
“I’m a tracker. Where do you want your things?”
Ah. No doubt I left a screaming spoor in my chase with Annie. “I’ll take them. I’m not sure where I’m staying.”
His brows gathered. Contempt? Or was it curiosity? Before I decided, he marched toward the lean-to’s with my things.
Badger joined me. “Don’t worry about him. He’s kind of a loner. Hasn’t been with us long this time. Found us after the outbreak. His mother was one of us.”
Without replying, I took off after my things and the peculiar man who conveyed them.
I found him settling my supplies in the last shelter at the far end of camp. None of my weaponry made the trip, not that I expected it considering their attitude toward guns. I said to his back, “Lone Eagle, is it?”
When he turned, I melted a little. The man was as hot as the Appalachian sun.
“My mother called me Lone Eagle. It’s Jesse actually. Jesse Beckett.”
“Okay, Jesse. Thank you for collecting my gear.”
His body tensed and his eyes glowed. “The arsenal you are transporting…you don’t even know what you’re about. I’m surprised you haven’t blown off any limbs. And where did you get an AA-12? You realize if you actually saw real combat, that shotgun would be taken from you and used against you.”
Heat rushed to my face. “Would you offer me the same judgment if I sported a dick? Fuck you.”
He winced. Then stepped around me, leaving me fuming through a vehement grinding of teeth.
I paced in front of the shelter. Who the hell did he think he was? I pressed my hands to my cheeks to cool the blaze there. My lungs labored to suck in air. If I actually saw real combat? I wanted to box his ears. And shove my boot up his ass. I turned on my heels to go after him.