Falcon’s Captive Read Free Page B

were so experienced with the female body they’d turn a proud, independent woman into something else?
    An icy sensation sliced through her, prompting her to release her breasts and start running again. The lake was in the middle of a long, broad valley that made sneaking up on anything around or in it nearly impossible, so she could see far ahead of where her legs were taking her. If any newcomers were on this part of the great body of water, she’d spot him long before he knew of her presence.
    She’d attack, claw, and gouge.
    A glance at her fingers put an end to the fantasy that she might have been gifted with talons instead of nails today. Too bad. She would loved to be able to pit her spirit-given skills against men who believed their size and weapons gave them the right to rob others of their freedom.
    And turn them into sex slaves.
    Sex slaves?
    She should have asked her chief to explain what he meant when he’d told everyone what he’d overheard a couple of the newcomers say the other night. The two had been out hunting and, instead of returning to camp, they’d lit a small fire and sat there talking about life at Ekew where they’d come from. Not only had Chief Cheyah learned that the newcomers called themselves “Ekewoko,” he’d been privy to a couple of sex-hungry men’s longing for the life they’d once enjoyed at Ekew. Foremost among what they regretted losing was what they’d called their sex slaves. From what Chief Cheyah had gathered, such slaves’ only value came from their use as fuck partners.
    Much as the term disgusted her, it also fascinated her. Like the attraction of a fiercely burning log, lightning, or molten lava breaking through the earth’s crust, she was both afraid of and intrigued by possibilities. Touching any of those things might kill her, but what if contact catapulted her into another level? She might discover that she had the power to extinguish the fire, thus saving whatever was burning from becoming ash. Being hit by lightning might grant her access to the heavens, while embracing lava could lead to a journey deep within the earth.
    But what about being a slave to sex? Would she be in a state of constant arousal, chasing after men in hopes of being satisfied and using her newfound knowledge of the male animal to give him the greatest pleasures of his life? What about her own enjoyment? Would it outstrip what she and Raci had enjoyed?
    Maybe, maybe not. She didn’t dare forget that she’d still be a slave, which meant whatever happened to her wouldn’t be of her choosing.
    Slave. No matter that she tried to run from it, the word rode on her shoulders as she raced toward the lake. Many seasons ago a group of travelers had entered Falcon Land. They’d ridden on the backs of animals she’d never seen before that were larger and sturdier than deer or antelope. A few of the travelers had sat in strange wheeled structures being pulled by other animals. At first she and the other Falcon youth had been fascinated by the strange animals and had discussed at length how they might get their hands on such wondrous creatures, but they’d been forced to admit that the strangers weren’t about to drop their guard when they obviously considered the animals highly valuable. Someday, she and her companions had wistfully mused, they’d find where the creatures lived and obtain some of their own. Unfortunately, no one had any idea what skills were needed to keep the creatures from running off.
    Strange animals aside, the most intriguing part of watching the travelers was observing how they’d treated what she’d then believed were prisoners but now understood had been their slaves. At that point, she’d never seen one human treat another as if he was a beast of burden. Because she and her companions had gone out without their parents’ permission, they hadn’t said anything about their discovery. But Chief Cheyah, who’d done a great deal of traveling in his early years and knew