He laughed. "No, because men have needs and desires women couldn't understand."
Desire still a hot ember inside of her, she was tempted to set the record straight, but maybe it was best he didn't know how close she had come to giving in. How could men possibly have a greater desire or need than she had just felt? More likely it was motivation they lacked. After all, what did they have to lose?
He stood. "Let's get back to the others."
They shouldered the full canteens and, picking up their rifles, started back to the camp. As she trudged along behind him she considered her newfound desire. Was it so different from the way her father had felt? Could it grow strong enough to make her forget about those who depended on her? She caught her breath. What about the twins? Hadn't she already forgotten?
"Chauncey?"
He stopped and lifted a hand to silence her. He listened intently for a few minutes.
"I don't hear anything," she whispered.
"Neither do I, and we should." He whispered back.
He lifted his rifle, cocking it as quietly as he could, and she followed suit. They cautiously crept around the dune.
The campsite was empty.
Bordeaux kicked sand away from a suspicious mound and found an empty cartridge box. He sorted around through the sand and finally motioned for her to follow. They climbed the dune and kneeled close to the top. He squinted into the distance, scanning the entire horizon.
She watched his face. "What happened?"
"I'm not sure." His expression was grim. "They must have been attacked some time during the night. It's hard to tell exactly what happened, because the storm covered any tracks."
Her throat constricted. "So we're afoot?"
"It looks that way. I just hope they escaped."
She squinted into the distance. "If they did, they'll be looking for us."
He shook his head. "They may be too busy running."
"Pete will..."
"Pete will assume I can take care of you. He'll have to. He has no other choice." He covered her hand with his. "What ever happens, we're in this together. We'll have to depend on each other."
She swallowed a lump of fear. "What will we do?"
He frowned. "Less than a days' march north of here is a lava field. Going that way will put us further away from Ashley, but it will give us two advantages. They won't expect us to go that way, and we can move around in the lava field without leaving tracks." He scowled at their tracks, visible all the way back around the dune. "The environment will be more hostile, though."