Dreams: Part One by Jayne Ann Krentz Read Free Book Online Page B

husband couldn’t totally overlook her opinion because she came from a very unusual clan. One in which the women were warriors. Not only that, but the females of the clan had learned how to control their reproductive cycles.“
    “Aha. In other words, she knew something about birth control and she refused to get pregnant. Good for her.“
    “Wait until you hear the end of the story before you start applauding.“
    Diana frowned at his back. “Is it going to have a happy ending?“
    “No, it’s not. Listen well, my sweet, and learn that female stubbornness doesn’t pay off in the long run.“
    “Spoken like a modern-day chauvinist warrior type,“ Diana muttered.
    Colby ignored her. “When several months of nightly effort on the part of our valiant warrior did not pay off, he finally realized his new bride was deliberately sabotaging his big plans to produce a mighty son and heir.“
    “And he was annoyed?“
    “To put it mildly. He tried the usual beatings and threats, and when that didn’t work, he decided the lady would come to her senses if she spent a little time alone in the cave behind the falls.“
    Diana’s eyes widened. “He chained her in that cave you told me about?“
    Colby nodded. “So the story goes.“ He leaped lightly down to another rocky ledge and had to dodge Specter who was bounding down the hillside ahead of him. “Out of my way, you dumb dog,“ Colby muttered through his teeth.
    Specter paid no attention.
    “Stop maligning my dog, and tell me the rest of the story,“ Diana demanded.
    Colby reached back to steady her. “Well, he stuck her in the cave and told her that she could come out only when she conceived.“
    “How awful.“
    “Every day just before sunset he came to her. He brought her food and made love to her and then he left her to face the darkness alone.“
    “You mean he raped her on a daily basis!“
    Colby’s eyebrows rose thoughtfully. “Yeah, that’s probably what it amounted to, because the lady still refused to allow herself to become pregnant. And after a time she even refused to eat the food he brought her. All the while she was plotting, trying to figure out a way to get rid of her unwanted husband. One evening she saw her chance.“
    Diana looked up. “A chance to escape?“
    “No,“ Colby said grimly. “A way to kill the warrior. She set a trap for him by pretending to surrender. He was so relieved to think he’d finally quelled her stubborn resistance that he apparently forgot just what kind of female he was dealing with. In his haste to get started on making a son, he got careless. Inexcusably careless, considering he was supposed to be a hotshot warrior.“
    “What happened?“
    “The lady got hold of his hunting knife and she used it on him just as he was, uh, reaching the grand finale.“
    “She stabbed him to death while he was forcing himself on her,“ Diana concluded in awed wonder. “What a woman…“
    “This story isn’t over yet,“ Colby warned. “I told you that it doesn’t have a happy ending.“
    “Finish it,“ Diana urged, anxious to hear the conclusion.
    “The warrior died at her feet, his blood running out of the cave entrance and mingling with the waterfall. With his last breath, he cursed the woman. Told her that her spirit would remain chained in the cave forever until a child was conceived and born there.“
    “Then he croaked, and she managed to get out of the cave?“ Diana demanded.
    “She was still chained, don’t forget. She had no way to get free after she’d killed the warrior. She died there, and the legend says her spirit is still trapped in the cave. After all, what are the odds that a baby is going to be created and born in Chained Lady Cave?“
    “Pretty poor, I imagine.“ Diana glanced back at the impenetrable veil of the falls, trying to envision a hidden cave behind the wall of rushing water. It made her uneasy even to imagine it. “So that’s the end of the story?“
    “More or less. But for