White Shadows Read Online Free PDF Page B

clutched her heart. “Something has happened.”
    Hawk Eyes put his arms around his wife. “She is most likely down at the river.”
    “No, she is not.” Seeing Eyes didn’t need anyone to check. Movement out on the prairie held her gaze. A horse rode toward them.
    Hawk Eyes nodded. “There is nothing to fear. She has returned.”
    Seeing Eyes shivered and shook her head. “No. Only the horse.” She wasn’t sure how she knew; she just did. Hugging herself, Seeing Eyes stared up into hills so dense with pines that they looked black. The Paha Sapa. The Black Hills. Her daughters were there. Somewhere. She clutched at her dress and twisted the softened hide with nervous fingers.
    Hawk Eyes gave a shout. Seeing Eyes was grateful that he didn’t wait for the horse to confirm what she knew in her heart.
    “I will find her. She probably fell asleep and something startled her horse into fleeing.”
    Meeting her husband’s worried gaze, Seeing Eyes prayed it was so. But they both knew the appearance of her visions meant that something was wrong. She watched her husband handpick a handful of warriors, including Hoka Luta.
    Watching the warriors ride out across the prairie, Seeing Eyes had never felt so helpless. Or alone.
    A small hand slipped inside hers. Glancing down, Seeing Eyes stared into the dark, worried eyes of her granddaughter. No words were needed between them. Their eyes said it all. Together, with fear in their hearts, they watched the group of warriors ride away.

Chapter Three
    Night Shadow curled his upper lip, disgusted about losing control of his captive. How could he have let her get loose? She’d spooked her horse and the animal wouldn’t stop until it reached home, alerting her father.
    Of all the possible scenarios that he’d taken into consideration, this hadn’t been one of them. Furious, he glared down at Winona. The moment he’d heard of the impending marriage, he’d spent the winter planning for this moment. And then he’d gone and tossed his perfect plan over his shoulder, ending up in a situation he’d lost control over.
    Still, Night Shadow couldn’t help but admire Winona’s quick and clearheaded thinking. She’d shown courage in defying him.
    She sent him a satisfied smirk, which only heated his fury. “You will die,” she repeated in English.
    Night Shadow reined in his emotions and forced the muscles on his face to go slack with indifference. He stroked the scar on his face…a daily reminder of all that he’d lost. The scars he carried, both inside and out, had come from his will to live. So did his deep-seated hatred and need for revenge. Soon he’d avenge the past and set his future free. If he died trying? It couldn’t be worse than living in a shell with no heart, no soul.
    “I have faced death before,’ he said in fluent English.
    Winona lifted a brow. “You speak the white man’s tongue.” Her lips twisted with scorn. “You have two faces but I see only the wasicun . Like the spirit of mica, the coyote, you are a coward. You take innocent women; there is no honor in your heart.”
    Her anger kept him from feeling guilty. Jenny was all that mattered. “I have no heart.” Night Shadow shoved Winona toward the tree where the other woman, Spotted Deer, watched with wide eyes. He knew little about her, and hadn’t even thought to include her in his plans. At least in this the stakes were raised in his favor.
    “Pray to your spirits that my demands are met, or it will be your life and that of your sister that are forsaken.”
    Winona swung her head around. “My sis—” She snapped her jaw tight. If this warrior learned that Spotted Deer was not her sister, not the daughter of Hawk Eyes, he might kill her here and now. She sent her friend a look of warning before tipping her chin at her captor.
    “Our father is a great chief, and Golden Eagle, our brother, will show no mercy to those who dare harm us. They will come for us, as will Hoka Luta.”
    Night Shadow