Aspen smiled shyly. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”
“Dad, enough already.” Dylan’s eyes drilled into his father’s.
Nothing could stop the smile on his dad’s face, though, and he chuckled. “Are you two coming too? Leeman said that we’re leaving soon.”
A group of clan members walked in front of them, and Aspen stepped back to let them through. “Yes, Uncle Leeman said that we could tag along.”
“Good. Demothi is rustling up some horses for us, so I’ll see you both later.” He ruffled Dylan’s hair and then walked away.
A lump rose up in Aspen’s throat as she watched Dylan’s father leave. Meeting both the girls’ and Dylan’s dads in one day reminded her of the father she would never have, and she wished she’d known him too. She envied Dylan and Ginny and Sandy. They were privileged to have spent so much time with their dads. The love they shared was clearly visible, and her eyes filled with tears. Life wasn’t always fair.
“Hey, are you okay?” Dylan trailed a finger across her cheek.
She blinked. “Yes, I’m fine, thanks. Let’s find Sandy.”
As she looked at the crowd, she saw Ray and his sister arriving on horseback.
As soon as Ruby caught sight of them, she maneuvered her horse in their direction. Ray waved wildly at Aspen and with a jerk on the horse’s reins, he followed behind Ruby.
“Looks like you’ve got company.”
Aspen glanced up at Dylan as he spoke. His eyes remained on Ray as he approached, and she wondered why Dylan wasn’t looking at Ruby.
“Hey, Dylan.” Ruby’s smile was as bright as her lips were red. Her green eyes lit up as she slipped from her horse and rushed toward him. With a happy sigh, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her cheek against his chest.
Aspen forced herself to breathe normally as a rush of jealousy swamped her, and she barely noticed Ray dismounting.
Ruby nestled closer and spoke again. “I’m so glad we caught you. Are you going with our party?”
A large group of riders chose that moment to enter the village and she pointed at them. The Fire Walkers formed part of the group, and Aspen saw Ginny waving at Ashley and Cole while Caden followed closely behind. For some reason, Caden was glaring at Dylan, and didn’t seem happy at all.
As soon as the riders dismounted their horses, the noise in the village escalated and before she could protest, Ray had scooped her up in a bear hug that left her breathless. He planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek.
“Howdy, little darling. You’re as pretty as a picture today.”
She blushed and peeked at Dylan. His lips were pressed together tightly, and he looked really upset.
Ray dragged her by the arm. “They say Demothi’s gettin’ more horses ready. I love to watch him. Come on.”
Running with Ray proved to be a mission as his legs were longer than hers, and she ended up being dragged behind him. She squealed in protest and glanced back. Ruby was still wrapped around Dylan, but he seemed to be more interested in watching Ray tugging Aspen along.
Luckily, Ray didn’t run for long and stopped in front of a huge bonfire. Heat from the flames warmed her cheeks and smoke stung her eyes.
“Look.” He pointed to the left where Demothi, the Power Walker’s magic man, chanted. A white robe covered his short frame, and moccasin boots peeked out from under his pants. Blue and red sparks flew from the long stick he held, and the flames hissed loudly each time he raised it. His eyes were closed, and the long braid of hair draped over his shoulder swayed from side to side with each step he took.
It took a while, but Aspen finally heard the words he was chanting.
“Sun ka wa kan hiyu, sun ka wa kan hiyu.”
Before she could move, Ray pulled her up against his chest and rested his chin on her head. “Do ya hear that?” he asked against her ear.
“I hear it, but I don’t understand what he’s saying.”
“He’s calling to the horse spirits and asking them to appear to us.”
Suddenly she was tugged out of Ray’s arms. She spun around to find Dylan hauling her away with firm hands.
“Get away from the fire!” he yelled at Ray. “The horses will be here any minute.”
Being pulled around like a rag doll was not her idea of fun, and Aspen stamped her foot in the sand. Just as she was about to shout at Dylan for being so rude, the ground shook and a deep rumble filled the air. Huge horses hurtled out of the flames and crashed to the ground next to her. Their whinnies and snorts sounded like thunder, and she grabbed her ears in vain to block out the noise. The white stallions barely missed her as they jumped out of the fire, and their tails whipped her arms and drops of saliva dotted her face.