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When I was inside of Tukaba, takingand warm flesh, my entire focus was on the beautiful, red-haired woined it was her body beneath mine, except I knew she wouldn't lay there quietly the way a Caraican woined so at the dirt with her delicate fingers I would have had to use th to pin one such as her down, but I would enjoy her complete surrender

That thought alone had , so I i else to quell its rise to glory

Moira stuain, and I wanted to yell at her to watch where she was going Her face was tilted upward to a pair of howler ht above us, a s in the branches I only glanced up briefly, and then turned le floor

My gaze was keen--well trained--and in just a er three feet fro A bushht and, in two ht on it

My hands shot out, grabbing Moira by the shoulders and pulling her backward into ht as the bushmaster lifted its head toward us I forcefully shoved her behindto the path on her butt Father Gaul and Ramon looked at me as if I'd lost my mind, but they didn't see what I did

Certain death

The bush several inches off the ground Without a word to any of theh the air and alleviated the viper of its head, where it thudded softly onto the rotting leaves

Reaching out to a large, wet palm leaf, I wiped the serpent's blood frolare "You need to keep your eyes on the path, foolish chama de cabelos Next time, I let the serpent strike"

She looked up at reen eyes filled with fear and contrition Our gazes locked for adown the path Raround, and our little expedition continued

I reacted on instinct, saving her miserable life, and in turn, trapped ht, I should have let the snake strike, then I could have hauled her lifeless body back to the village and been done with this foolishness

We parted ith Father Gaul and Ramon e reached the Jutai Moira and I continued north via dugout canoe, while Father Gaul est to visit the Matica tribe, as a sworn enemy of the Caraicans There had been much bloodshed between our two clans

On the second night after we had ported off the Jutai, I al to return hoe where my friends and fale and contemplated what I would say to Paraila when I returned I could tell hied her uar or caiman With that story, I'd have to kill her and dispose of her body to get aith that, because knohat little I did about her, she would have just tracked e

Nothing I could come up with seemed to be feasible, but ultimately, I kneould never be able to look Paraila my father and teacher in the eye and tell him I wouldn't respect his wishes

Paraila begged ive this opportunity a chance, and I ultimately couldn't say no to the old man

But I didn't go doithout a fight

For two days after Moira's arrival, we fought

He threw everything at me, and when I still denied him, he threw more I pointed out that he was an old man, and that if I left, no one would take care of hio as soon as he died, but he was proving to be just as stubborn as I was

He even beca me a new side to the man I'd called my father for so many years Paraila told me that I truly wasn't welcome within the tribe That he had insisted I stay only when he knew I had no other options, but now that he knew I had a faer to reconnect, he told me that he didn't want me around anymore

That hurt so badly that I lurched out of his longhouse, kicking over a basket of cassava flour inthe need to pound away inside of her body to ease er, but she was nowhere to be found I thought briefly about dragging the goddess-like wo her to subh to know that would not be acceptable by her standards So with nodeep into the jungle to find so to kill

Paraila later apologized to me for his harsh words and, over a quiet dinner, made a last plea that finally caused me to surrender

"Cor'dairo," he had said, calling e "Why do you fight me on this? This is not the life I would wish upon you"