Twelfth Moon (22 page)

“No. Anyone he touches suffers from it and eventually dies, unless they draw it out with magic.”

“How awful.” She felt pity for Itsá, rather than the anger she should have been feeling. For some reason, the thought that he could touch no one, or be touched, was heartbreaking. Could that be part of the reason why the man was so dead inside? To go for so long without human contact of any kind would be a curse all by itself.

“Do not feel pity for him, Ndołkah.” Ba'cho’s tone was harsh. “He killed many of our people, some of whom were members of his own family, when he stole that which did not belong to him.”

“And you plan to use my sister to get to him.” Cadence’s anger rose to the surface. “How will she be able to help you and avoid being touched by him?” Jaelene had a pure and gentle soul. Just the thought of Jaelene suffering that kind of pain, perhaps even dying from it, was enough to make Cadence reconsider taking Ba'cho to her sister.

Ba'cho set his shoulders back, his features showing his sincerity. “You have my word as an Apache warrior. I will be there to protect her.”

Something shadowed Ba'cho’s eyes for a fleeting moment. It was there and gone so fast, Cadence couldn’t be sure. Was it doubt? It had better not be – at least for Jaelene’s sake. “According to the prophecy, she is the one to defeat him,” Ba'cho said.

“My dreams are visions. They are always true, if a bit clouded at times. I have been dreaming of your sister and her destiny for a long time.”

“How long?”

“Since we became trapped in your world.”

Good Lord.
For Ba'cho to have been dreaming of Jaelene from before she was even born was very powerful indeed. Cadence just hoped Jaelene was as gifted as Ba'cho believed her to be. “Then we should leave as soon as possible. But,” she said, her gaze hardening, “if she chooses not to go with you, you will have to go through me – as well as my other sister.”

Ba'cho looked ready to argue, but then nodded his head. “I will abide by her wishes.”

Cadence expelled a heavy sigh, the weakness in her limbs dragging her down. The clawing ache in her belly was getting worse. She felt as if she’d been thrown from a wild horse and yet the insistent urge to follow Jonah grew stronger. She sat up, holding the blanket to her chest. “We have to go…
now
,” she said, and then hissed in frustration as she fell back onto the pallet.

Ba'cho placed his hand on her bare shoulder, compassion and understanding showing in his black eyes. “It is almost dawn. I will ready our horses, and then we will be on our way. Rest for a while, Ndołkah.” He stood and left the teepee.

Cadence must have fallen asleep. Before she knew it, Sons-ee-ah-ray was there, gently nudging her, speaking in a soft voice. “It is time to go, Ndołkah. Come, I will help you dress.”

With Sons-ee-ah-ray’s help, Cadence was able to sit up and wash from the bowl of water provided by the Apache woman. When she was finished, Sons-ee-ah-ray held up the soft, doeskin dress, placing it over Cadence’s head so she could slip her arms into the sleeves and pull it down her body. The leggings and moccasins came next, which was a bit of a struggle in Cadence’s shaky condition. She leaned heavily against Sons-ee-ah-ray as they stood together in the teepee’s opening.

Outside, Ba'cho and his two brothers were already mounted on their horses, waiting for her. Grandmother was also there, looking deceptively old and frail, and yet she exuded an inner strength that was impressive.

When Grandmother began to speak, Ba'cho translated. “Grandmother says good journey, Ndołkah, and that she is honored to have met you. She knows you will do what you know in your heart is right, as will your golden sister.”

“I cannot speak for my sister,” Cadence said. “But I’ll do what I can to help.”

“That is all we ask,” Ba'cho said.

Since Cadence was too exhausted to ride on her own, two braves came forward and lifted her onto Ba'cho’s horse, settling her in front of him. His strong arms held her secure, keeping her from falling as he urged the horse into motion. She wished it were Jonah holding her and felt the crushing weight of despair descend upon her. It took her breath away, her chest aching with an unbearable sadness.

They headed out of the village, back the way they came when they’d first arrived. The people trailed along with them, smiling and waving and shouting. Ba'cho explained they were well wishes for a safe return.

The crowd was soon left behind as Ba'cho and Cadence, Nah-kah-yen, and Too-ah-yay-say made their way across the wide meadow, around the rocky cliffs, to eventually arrive at the hidden cave entrance.

By the time they were inside the cave, Cadence was trembling and burning with fever. “I have to get to Jonah,” she rasped. If she’d had the strength, she would have snarled. She would have fought Ba'cho to get away, the primal, gnawing desperation to find her mate overshadowing everything else. As it was, she was too sick, her stomach churning, her skin so hot it felt like she was on fire. She was losing control of her will. And she thought Twelfth Moon was bad. Her condition was so much further along than it should have been.

Ba'cho shifted her in his lap to get a better grip on the reins as they made their way slowly over the uneven, rocky ground. It was cool and dark inside the long tunnel, the sound of dripping water competing with the clatter of the horse’s hooves. “To answer your first question,” he said, “when you were bitten by the snake and Jonah sucked out the venom, he tasted your blood.”

“I remember my mother saying something about it, but she never really told me what would actually happen. Why would it affect me?”

“You and Jonah were already bonded. Because of that connection, your blood possessed the power to transform him into something else.”

Cadence could barely breathe. “Transform him into what?” she asked weakly.

“A panther, like you.”

“But that’s not possible!” she cried. “There’s never been a man-panther. Ever. Don’t tell me that no man has ever tasted a panther’s blood, if only by accident. And since it’s never happened before, why are you so sure it’s happened now?”

“My people have been around for hundreds of years. We have traveled all over the world. I have met your ancestors and learned much about them.”

Suddenly, Cadence cried out in pain, gripping the front of Ba'cho’s tunic. “You have to let me go,” she growled low. She was still in human form, but her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. She was able to see everything as though it were daylight. Her body wanted to turn into the panther, but she lacked the strength to complete the transformation.

Ba'cho halted, raising his arm to stop his brothers, who were bringing up the rear. “We don’t have time,” he said briskly. “We must get her home to her family. They will be able to take better care of her.”

He reached for the pouch hanging around his neck and withdrew a small, blue stone. Too-ah-yay-say manuevered his horse until he was beside them, placing his hand on Ba'cho’s shoulder. Nah-kah-yen did the same, his hand on Too-ah-yay-say’s shoulder.

“Hold on.” Ba'cho clutched the stone in his hand, his fingers closing tightly around it. As he chanted in his language, the stone began to glow, spraying blue light through the cracks in his fingers. He spoke softly in her ear. “Think about your home, Ndołkah.”

Almost as soon as Cadence brought an image of her home to mind, they were no longer in the cave, but in a lush forest, surrounded by trees. In the clearing beyond, she saw the old house she’d grown up in. She was home. Just like that. It should have taken a week of hard riding to get here. “How – how did you do that?”

“Magic,” Ba'cho whispered. He spoke low to Nah-kah-yen and Too-ah-yay-say in Apache, and then spurred his horse forward, leaving his brothers behind. “They will wait here, out of sight.”

Cadence understood. Three Apache braves showing up on her doorstep might cause a bit of a ruckus. She could count on her family to welcome them without prejudice, but the people that lived around these parts wouldn’t be as understanding. There were too many stories about the savagery of native Indians, most of them exaggerated, no doubt. No one seemed to think there was anything wrong with killing off entire villages of men, women, and children for the land, however.

As Ba'cho and Cadence approached the back of the house, the door was flung open. Jaelene and Kara ran down the shallow steps, hurrying toward them. Cadence’s eyes immediately filled with tears at the sight of her sisters. They both looked as well as could be expected.

“Cadence!” Kara cried, placing her hand on one of Cadence’s moccasin-covered ankles. It was as though Kara needed to touch her in order to believe Cadence was really there. “We knew you were here – or rather, Jaelene saw it.” Kara’s joyous expression turned to one of concern. “What’s happened?”

Jaelene stood quietly, looking up at them, her gaze moving from Cadence to Ba'cho. She calmly studied him. Even in Cadence’s miserable state, she didn’t miss the intensity with which Ba'cho stared at Jaelene. But then, most men looked at Jaelene that way. She was ethereal in her beauty, with golden-blond hair, vibrant blue eyes, a slender nose, and ripe mouth. Her skin was so pale, it was almost translucent. She was the tallest of the sisters, her body slender, but made more appealing by lush curves.

Cadence remembered Ba'cho telling her he’d dreamed of Jaelene and for the first time, wondered if helping his people was the only thing that motivated him as far as her sister was concerned.

Kara glowered at Ba'cho. “What have you done to her?”

Ba'cho’s gaze flicked from Jaelene to Kara. He looked at those snapping green-gold eyes. They were just like the ones in his dream.

Why did she think that so impossible?
Ba'cho wondered. He narrowed his eyes. Was it because he was not a white man? Did she consider him unworthy?

Ba'cho slid off his horse with impressive agility while never losing his hold of Cadence, and stalked toward the back door. “Show me where to take her,” he said over his shoulder.

“Don’t mind Kara,” Cadence said, as he carried her into the house. “She’s very protective.”

Ba'cho grunted in response.

With Cadence’s help, along with a few directions from Jaelene behind them, Ba'cho found her room and deposited her in her bed. Jaelene came forward and tucked the covers around Cadence. Her room wasn’t all that large, but her two sisters, combined with Ba'cho’s large presence, made it seem much smaller.

Kara pushed her way forward. “What happened? The last we heard from you, you were in some small town in Texas.”

Cadence took a fortifying breath. “After I wrote that letter, I had to move on. I ended up in Devil’s Spur, where I was staying with an old blind woman.”

“How did you end up mated, but more to the point – where is he?” Kara asked, folding her arms beneath her full bosom. She was small and slender everywhere else but there. And she also happened to be the most volatile of the three sisters. Her sweet, pixie-like features, with a few scattered freckles across her pert nose had fooled many who’d dared to cross her.

“A man from town murdered the old woman, but I was the one accused. They hanged me.”

“
What!
” Kara shrieked.

Cadence shared a look with Jaelene. She’d been mostly quiet since Cadence and Ba'cho had ridden into the back yard. Jaelene had to know why Ba'cho was here. He stood with his arms crossed, his gaze on Jaelene as she nodded, prompting Cadence to continue. “Jonah is the U.S. Marshal who’d been tracking me. He shot the rope before I could hang…well…completely. He saved my life.”