Savage Betrayal Read Online Free Page B

floor. The circular fire pit in the center of her living area burned with a sooty fuel of some sort that gave off small puffs of smoke, causing a gentle haze that stung the eyes and suffocated the nose.
    Old fish bones, broken clamshells, discarded tools of antler and the twisted remains of a woven cedar basket, long since deceased, lay scattered across the floor, giving the place a well-lived-in appearance.
    Limpet smiled languidly at him. Fighting Wolf was amused that she thought she was irresistible to him; she was always giving him come-hither looks.
    The men of the village took great delight in telling each other tales of her ardent advances and novel approaches to lovemaking.
    The most famous of the stories told of the time when she and Sea Turtle, one of her favorite young lovers, decided to go line-fishing for salmon. Getting into a tippy old canoe, they paddled slowly towards the fishing grounds. As the day was hot, and they felt lazy, they only got as far as the middle of the bay in front of the village before they decided to set out their fishing lines. After waiting for a while and getting no bites, Limpet became amorous and began to seduce Sea Turtle right there in the old canoe.
    All went well until the lovers forgot they were sporting in a canoe, which is an unstable craft at the best of times.
    The energetic, lusty efforts of the two started rocking the canoe. Faster and faster it rocked. Soon a large crowd had gathered on shore. People were pointing and staring, chuckling amongst themselves at this latest exploit of Limpet’s.
    Suddenly, the rocking canoe lurched to one side. Sea Turtle was seen poised dramatically against the bottom of the canoe, Limpet’s arms and legs flailing madly around him, then the canoe slowly rolled over. The boat completely capsized, throwing the intrepid lovers into the cold water. They came up gasping and sputtering, sodden hair dripping over their eyes, blindly groping for the canoe, sure they were going to drown.
    The crowd on shore roared with delight. Ah yes, a good tale and one still talked about among the men…out of Limpet’s hearing, of course!
    Today, it seemed Limpet was outdoing herself in her sultry approach. Having lured him into her lair, she leaned back sensuously against the ratty fur-covered plank that doubled as a couch in the daytime and a bed at night. It was precariously hitched to the side of the building and wobbled a bit when she moved. Limpet had said she intended to get the bed repaired but so far had been unable to convince Sea Turtle to fix it.
    “I’ve been waiting for you all afternoon, Fighting Wolf,” she said with what she hoped was a delectable look. He merely smiled, waiting to see what she was up to.
    She leaned forward and began to undo the knot of his kutsack. A wicked smile curved her lips. After much fumbling and cursing under her breath, she finally got the knot undone, and lay back, propping herself against the wall. This was uncomfortable, so she slid down onto the furs, her eyes never leaving his.
    “Would you like to learn something new?” she asked. She wriggled her back invitingly into the bed.
    He leaned over her. “Like what?” he asked playfully.
    But she wasn’t listening. She suddenly grimaced and lay still, frozen. Hastily, she pushed him off as she fumbled about behind her. “I have it!” she cried, holding up a fishhook triumphantly.
    “This thing is sharp,” she complained, rubbing her shoulder blades awkwardly with one hand. “Damn that Sea Turtle! Can’t he be more careful where he puts his fishhooks?” She stared at the sharp pointed bone barb for a moment, but not one to let small things bother her, she tossed it casually to one side.
    Then as if nothing had happened, she pulled Fighting Wolf down on top of her again. “Now, where were we? Oh, yes. I was going to show you something new.” She puckered up her lips.
    Fighting Wolf reared his head back, staring at her. “How strange you look,” he