Qaletaqa Read Free Page B

friend Talon showed
me what you went through the past few days.”
    “Oh, you mean the cougar?” Claire asked.
“That makes sense, I guess.”
    I smiled. Why had I ever doubted her? “You
know about Talon?”
    “Sure, Cole told me about him and how he
helped you guys when you were looking for Daniel. I didn’t realize
he had stayed with you, though.” Claire glanced around
unafraid.
    “Talon has been with me ever since the Matwau
attacked Daniel. Did Cole tell you about that too?”
    Claire nodded with a deep frown. “He told me
everything,” she said. Her body softened as she leaned against my
chest. “I’m sorry you had to go through all of that, Uriah. I guess
I’m not the only one who has been struggling lately. I’m sorry I
slapped you. Forgive me?”
    I wrapped my arms around her body and kissed
the top of her head. “There’s nothing to forgive. I deserved
it.”
    Claire looked up with a smile. “Is Talon
still here? I want to meet the one who’s been taking care of my
Uriah for me.”
    Before I could even relay the question to
him, Talon stepped out from behind a clump of bushes and walked
slowly up to Claire. Her eyes widened with surprise, but she did a
good job of hiding her fear at facing the large cat. As children we
had grown up being taught about the dangerous animals we shared the
desert with, snakes, coyotes, wolves, and cougars. Claire showed
her strength by approaching Talon and gently stroking his tawny
fur.
    “She is very brave,” Talon said. Like the
stream of images he had showed me before, his words were not actual
words, but pictures I could use to interpret his thoughts. I could
answer him in the same manner. It had been less than a week since
first experiencing his unique brand of communication, but the skill
had developed rapidly and I no longer had to take the time to
interpret. His messages flowed into my mind as simple words.
    “She is amazing,” I said to him. Claire
continued to stroke Talon’s fur, and I took the moment to ask him
about his earlier display. “How did you do that? How did you see
her thoughts? I thought you could only do that with me and
shaman.”
    “So did I,” Talon said. “Through your
thoughts, I heard the phone call and decided to stay out of the way
and let you have your reunion with Claire. When she appeared, I
instantly felt a connection with her, not as I have with you, but
closer to what I had with Kaya or Quaile. When she began thinking
of what she had gone through during your absence, the power of it
flooded my mind. I did not mean to relay those images to you. Her
emotions were so strong that I projected her thoughts without
realizing what I was doing. I apologize.”
    “No, I’m glad you did. I needed to know what
I put her through so I could truly ask her to forgive me. I was a
fool for leaving her.”
    Talon nodded, satisfied with his
confession.
    “He’s beautiful,” Claire said.
    She didn’t seem to have heard any part of my
conversation with Talon, just as Kaya and Quaile, both shamans,
could not. It made me wonder about Claire’s future role in our Tewa
Indian tribe.
    Claire stood and faced me. “Well, where are
we heading?”
    My first reaction was to tell her that we
were not going anywhere, that she should turn right back around and
go home, but her firm stance and my earlier promise forced me to
bite my tongue, literally. I clamped down on the soft issue until
my protective instinct died down and I could speak to Claire
rationally. “To be honest, I don’t really know. I’m following the
link. I can feel her through the Twin Soul bond.”
    Claire blanched at the mention of the bond.
She was afraid and so was I. “Where is the bond leading you?” she
asked.
    “North. Since I left San Juan I’ve been
pulled almost directly north.”
    “Is she okay?”
    The concern in Claire’s voice was sincere.
This mystery woman was the only thing standing in the way of Claire
and I finally getting to enjoy our happily ever