You have stolen my heart."
"No," she whispered rawly. "Don't say that, don't even think it. Can't you understand? I'll never love you back, Hunter." Her pulse started to slam. "I'm terrified of--"
He crossed her lips with a gentle finger, his eyes clouding with warmth. "Of lying with me? I am not blind, Blue Eyes. Your heart is laid upon the ground with memories. That will pass. You will come to me. You will want my hand upon you. It will be so. The Great Ones have spoken it."
She wrenched her face aside. "I'll lie with you because I promised and because I vowed to before God and a priest. But I'll never to, never." A sob caught in her throat. "Oh, God, what am I doing here? I don't want to hurt you, Hunter, truly I don't."
He lay down beside her and pulled her back into the crook of his arm, pressing her fair head to his shoulder. " Sh-hh, Blue Eyes. Do not weep. It will be well."
"How can it be? I'm trapped here. I can never leave. I've made promises I'm not sure I can keep. I'm frightened, Hunter, of you and your people--even of myself. How can all be well?"
"It will be well. My people will accept. You are one with them now, the wife of a warrior. In time, you will want to be beside me. Your fear will leave. You will see. Until then, this Comanche will wait, eh?"
"Wait?" she whispered. "You mean you won't--" She broke off and looked up at him. "You won't--force me?"
Hunter's throat tightened. "I make no promise for you. I wait now, yes? We will see where our moccasins fall."
To soothe her, he began telling her stories about his childhood, about his first bow, leaving out the part about shooting his father, about his first fight, about his first hunting trip. He had come to the tale of his vision quest when he felt her slender body relax against him and heard her breathing change. His voice trailed off. He stared upward into the darkness, filled with a yearning that couldn't be slaked. It would be a very long while before he followed his blue-eyes into the black depths of slumber. A very long while.
"No," she whispered rawly. "Don't say that, don't even think it. Can't you understand? I'll never love you back, Hunter." Her pulse started to slam. "I'm terrified of--"
He crossed her lips with a gentle finger, his eyes clouding with warmth. "Of lying with me? I am not blind, Blue Eyes. Your heart is laid upon the ground with memories. That will pass. You will come to me. You will want my hand upon you. It will be so. The Great Ones have spoken it."
She wrenched her face aside. "I'll lie with you because I promised and because I vowed to before God and a priest. But I'll never to, never." A sob caught in her throat. "Oh, God, what am I doing here? I don't want to hurt you, Hunter, truly I don't."
He lay down beside her and pulled her back into the crook of his arm, pressing her fair head to his shoulder. " Sh-hh, Blue Eyes. Do not weep. It will be well."
"How can it be? I'm trapped here. I can never leave. I've made promises I'm not sure I can keep. I'm frightened, Hunter, of you and your people--even of myself. How can all be well?"
"It will be well. My people will accept. You are one with them now, the wife of a warrior. In time, you will want to be beside me. Your fear will leave. You will see. Until then, this Comanche will wait, eh?"
"Wait?" she whispered. "You mean you won't--" She broke off and looked up at him. "You won't--force me?"
Hunter's throat tightened. "I make no promise for you. I wait now, yes? We will see where our moccasins fall."
To soothe her, he began telling her stories about his childhood, about his first bow, leaving out the part about shooting his father, about his first fight, about his first hunting trip. He had come to the tale of his vision quest when he felt her slender body relax against him and heard her breathing change. His voice trailed off. He stared upward into the darkness, filled with a yearning that couldn't be slaked. It would be a very long while before he followed his blue-eyes into the black depths of slumber. A very long while.
( Catherine Anderson )
[ Comanche Moon ]
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