Page 27 of Fall

***

The nextmorning, Rone left with a hunting party, so she had a temporary reprieve fromhim for two days.

At the end of the second day, the men returned in victory—having killedthe largest animal she’d ever seen on the planet. It was twice the size of thatwildebeest Rone had killed the previous month. It looked like a woollyrhinoceros.

Whatever it was, it was clear that the kill was a rare feat and a causefor great celebration.

They built a huge bonfire and feasted and laughed and blew on boneflutes. Some of them even got up and danced in front of the fire, which she’dnever seen any of the Kroo do before.

They celebrated well into the night. Lenna tried very hard to act normalwith Rone. She wasn’t angry with him anymore, but she still felt strange andunsettled about him—like he was a stranger she was going through life with.

She hadn’t felt that way about him before, so she tried to force herself backto normal, but it still seemed like she was just going through an act.

He appeared pleased that she ate and smiled and sat next to him, althoughevery once in a while she’d catch him peering at her face in the firelight,like he was trying to read her mind.

The festivities were wilder than any she’d ever witnessed from the tribebefore, and her eyes widened in shock when two of the young, unclaimed womentook off their clothes to dance. They were very young. They couldn’t have beenmore than sixteen years old.

She wasn’t at all happy about the fact that Rone was watching them.

All the men were watching them. No one seemed to think it was strange.But Lenna didn’t like it, so she got up on the pretense of relieving herself.

Mostly, she just wanted to get away for a few minutes. Hopefully, whenshe returned, the girls would have stopped dancing and put their clothes backon.

After all, it was cold tonight.

She waited several minutes, just on the outskirts of the firelight, andthen she returned to the circle of the tribe. When she reached them, she jerkedto a sudden stop, staring in astonishment at what was happening.

One of the young women—Sorel was her name, Tamen’s daughter, who used tocome on to him before he’d taken Lenna as a mate—was standing over Rone,stroking his hair, his face.

Rone. Lenna’s mate. That shameless girl was all over him.

She knew objectively that this happened. Unless a woman had already beenclaimed as a mate, she was allowed to show interest to any man she wanted—evenif the man was taken. After all, a man was allowed to move on to a new matewhenever he wanted.

Obviously, Sorel had decided she wanted Rone to move on, and she wasmaking her play for him right there in front of the tribe, beautiful and nubileand naked.

And Rone was looking up at Sorel, doing absolutely nothing.

Nothing.

Not pushing her away. Not removing her hands from his face.

Nothing.

Lenna burned with outrage, astonishment, and something akin to betrayal.

Rone was supposed to behermate.

Mara had been watching the proceedings with a frown on her face, and shewas the first one to notice Lenna’s return. She stiffened, looking between Roneand Lenna.

This evidently clued the rest of the tribe in because everyone lookedover toward Lenna.

She stood there frozen, staring at Rone, whose eyes had moved in herdirection. His back straightened up and his expression changed. He lookedalmost expectant.

She had no idea what she was supposed to do, but she couldn’t believethat Rone wasn’t pulling away from Sorel. Lenna was standing right there. Theleast he could do was feel shame for letting her touch him that way.

The swell of indignation and betrayal grew so intense in her chest, inher throat, that she couldn’t even breathe. She made a choked sound, trying toopen up her windpipe.

Rone still didn’t move, although something was transforming in hisexpression as she stood motionless. In a different situation, she would havethought it was disappointment, but that couldn’t be what she was seeing in himnow.

---