Table Of ContentNighthawk hadn't meant to kiss the
pretty White Eyes photographer.
But when he touched her soft skin, inhaled her sweet
scent, saw her eyes widen in awareness, his need to taste her
mouth took over.
From the moment he'd met her, he'd lost the ability to
think rationally—a dangerous thing for an Apache warrior
who prided himself on always being clearheaded. But as
soon as Mariah Corbett entered his life, everything had
changed.
Though aware of the danger, Nighthawk couldn't make
himself stop. He wanted to kiss Mariah, and so he did, with
little forethought given to the consequences.
And when she recovered from her initial shock and
pressed against him with an urgency that took him by
surprise, concern about his loss of clear thinking faded.
His thoughts centered solely on the woman in his arms
and the desire spreading through him like wildfire.. . .
LEISURE BOOKS NEW YORK CITY
A LEISURE BOOK®
October 2000
Published by
Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
276 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10001
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that
this book is stolen property. It was reported as "unsold and
destroyed" to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher
has received any payment for this "stripped book."
Copyright © 2000 by Arlene S. Hodapp
"Chapter Eleven" of Lair of the Wolf Copyright © 2000 by
Madeline George
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means,
including photocopying, recording or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publish-
er, except where permitted by law.
ISBN 0-8439-4779-9
The name "Leisure Books" and the stylized "L" with design are
trademarks of Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
Printed in the United States of America.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Apache Lover begins a series of books featuring the proud
and courageous people called Apache, in particular the
Chiricahua Apache whose home territory was southeastern
Arizona. Through these books I hope you will come to
appreciate and respect the Apache life-way as much as I
have.
The culture of the nineteenth-century Apache was both
complex and fascinating. They were extremely generous to
others in their band and absolutely fearless when fighting
the enemy. Their religion was a mystical combination of
beliefs and ceremonies. Obtaining supernatural power,
receiving visions from the Spirits, and fear of ghosts and
witches all played a significant role in how they lived their
lives.
Join me now for the story of former Chiricahua Apache
warrior Ethan Nighthawk and Wild West photographer
Mariah Corbett, then watch for my next book in the series,
Apache Destiny, in October of 2001.
—Holly Harte
Chapter One
The mountains of southeast Arizona Territory, 1864
Tu Sika flinched, the storm intensifying with his
every stride. The Thunder People must be extremely
angry. He had never seen their arrows create such a
fiery display across the sky, never heard them shout
so loudly from their homes in the clouds. He spared
a quick glance over one shoulder, hoping to see his
friends Chino and Nacori. They hadn't been far apart,
trying to pick up the trail of a deer they'd been track-
ing, when the sudden thunderstorm blew across the
mountains. The brightness of a sunny midday had
abruptly changed to the deepest of nighttime shadows,
and somehow he and his friends had become sepa-
rated. Tu Sika could only hope the Great Spirit would
keep them safe.
Another shout from the Thunder People boomed
Holly Harte
off the rocks, making the earth shudder beneath Tu
Sika's feet. As the first splats of rain hit the rocks
around him, the wind picked up, whipping strands of
his hair across his face and pelting his bare back with
stinging grains of sand.
He had nearly reached the protection of a small
cave when the hair on his arms and nape stood up.
In the next moment, the area around him suddenly lit
up with the blinding flash of another lightning-arrow,
this one striking a nearby tree. His ears rang with
another resounding shout of thunder. His nostrils
filled with the scent of charred wood. The earth shook
violently, jerking his feet out from under him and
tossing him through the air as if he weighed no more
than a feather. He landed on his back with a grunt.
Dazed, he lay still, barely aware that the storm's fury
had already begun to recede.
A few minutes later, Tu Sika stirred. Blinking at
the glare of sunshine, he tested his limbs for injury,
then slowly got to his feet. A short distance away, he
found Chino and Nacori, who agreed to his sugges-
tion to end their hunting trip and return to camp.
His friends walked in silence beside him for a long
time, apparently as deep in thought as he.
Finally Tu Sika said, "One of the Thunder People's
arrows was so powerful, it threw me to the ground.
While I lay there, I had a dream. But it was not like
any dream I have ever had. I think it was a vision,
because the Spirits talked to me."
Chino and Nacori exchanged a look, then Chino
said, "The Spirits also spoke to us in a dream-vision."
Tu Sika stopped in midstride and turned to face his
