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She felt faint at what she saw. But she had no chance to do anything about it. Her father loomed suddenly tall and threatening before her as he stepped in the line of her vision.
“Get back to your bedroll,” he grumbled. “This ain’t none of your affair.”
“But, Father, you . . . have . . . the child in a cage, like some . . . predatory animal,” Kaylene said, stupefied that her father would do such a thing.
“You’d have found out soon enough, anyhow, so’s I see no choice but to tell you now,” John said coldly. “Kaylene, this child is going to be used as a sideshow. She’ll be the cause of us makin’ lots of money. So now get on back to the fire. Pretend you didn’t see nothin’ if it’s somethin’ you find hard to live with.”
Kaylene tore past her father and stared wide-eyed at Little Sparrow as the small child stood in the cage, gripping the bars, begging Kaylene with her wild eyes.
“It’ll be good for us, Kaylene,” John tried to reassure her. “I will say she’s been raised by a pack of wolves. I’ll say she can’t speak, read, or write, full proof of how she’s been raised.”
“I’m sure she was raised by loving parents,” Kaylene cried. “She can’t help it if she was born without the ability to hear or speak. Let her out, Father. Oh, God, set her free.”
John grabbed Kaylene by the shoulders and gave her a rough shake. “You shut up, do you hear?” he shouted. “With you gettin’ older has come a bolder tongue. Never forget who makes the decisions around here. Never forget the importance of me finding new ways to lure people to our carnival. If not, all those who work for us will have to cut down on their food rations.” He leaned down into her face. “I might even be forced to set your panther free, for Midnight eats almost as much as we humans.”
This shut Kaylene up. Her panther was her only true friend. The other women of the carnival had always been jealous of her because of how beautiful she was, and because her father owned the carnival. She had learned to find comfort in her pet.
She nodded and went back to the fire.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched her father until he was asleep. And although she knew that she must accept the fate of the small Indian child, she went and sneaked Little Sparrow extra food and blankets and talked slowly to her so that she could read her lips.
As Little Sparrow emitted a strange, forlorn cry from the depths of her throat, Kaylene’s insides grew cold. She knew now that she had to find a way to make her father understand just how wrong it was to treat the child in such a way.
But for now, afraid that her father may have been awakened by the child’s cry, Kaylene rushed back to her bedroll.
But she didn’t get the chance to climb inside.
A sudden commotion drew Kaylene back to her feet.
She stumbled backward and paled when she discovered the arrival of many Indian warriors on horseback, surrounding the campsite. The handsome, blue-eyed Indian of her midnight dreams was at the lead.
Fire Thunder moved away from the other warriors and drew a tight rein only a few feet from where Kaylene stood. Slowly he slid out of his saddle, a rifle clasped in his right hand.
So taken by him so suddenly being there, after having thought and dreamed of him so often, Kaylene was not frightened of Fire Thunder. Noble in his bearing, he was a tall, straight-backed man. He was great in physique, and surely as great in prowess, purpose, and in intelligence. His blue eyes were large and vivacious.
Seeing him made Kaylene’s heart thud strangely. Even her knees were somewhat weak.
Fire Thunder quickly recognized Kaylene. His gaze roamed over her. In the light of the fire, he saw the deep cleavage of her youthful breasts where the cotton nightgown gaped open. He saw her delicate, dewy white, pale skin, and glossy, waist-length deep black hair. As he remembered, she did have a fragile, doll-like appearance.
He couldn’t deny the heat that grew within his loins at being near her, so captivated by her sheer loveliness. His eyes locked with hers and again, as the other time when they had seen each other, he saw in their depths something that made him realize that she was as intrigued by him.
For certain there was no fear in her crisp, green eyes. Only a keen interest.
But a shrill cry came from somewhere behind Kaylene. Recognizing the efforts of his sister to speak made Fire Thunder’s heart leap.
He had not only found the woman of his midnight dreams—he had found his sister!
Chapter 4
Eyes full of starlight, moist over fire,
Full of young wonder, touch my desire!
—MAX EASTMAN
Fire Thunder’s whole insides turned into cold, icy shreds when he saw the moonlight reflecting upon his sister in the cage.
Then a fiery hate grabbed him at the pit of his stomach when a man stepped in front of the cage, blocking the way.
