Free Lakota Honor by Kat Flannery Page A

a job. But you're too stupid to understand what will happen when they find out you're cursed."
    "I am not cursed," she shouted.
    "Yes, you are." He tossed her to the ground as he stood. "You're the very reason I've had to move all over this damn country. You're the reason we've been chased down by people you've healed." He pointed a finger at her and his voice rose. "You are why there is nothing left of what we once had."
    The words sliced through her and piece by piece he tore her down. Her soul begged for a kind word from him. Nothing but blame came from his lips. Blame, blame and more blame.
    He hated her.
    I will not cry. She blinked back the tears, and stood tall while he hurled insults at her.
    "I'm sorry."
    "Sorry?" He knelt down beside her and lifted her chin. "I love you, Nora." His eyes watered. "But some days I wish you were never born." With those words he left, shutting the door behind him.
    Nora's heart broke. The one person she'd ever relied on, ever cared for, ripped the heart from her chest. The pain was almost too much to take. She brought her knees up and hugged them to her. How could he be so cruel? How could he say he loved her but then say those words? She wiped at a tear. Over the years, Pa's disposition had faded from joyful and light to ugly and dark. He resented her for the life they had to lead. He accused her for the alcohol he consumed.
    She brought her forehead to her knees. When did he begin to hate me so much? She held out her hands. They had caused this—her gift. Maybe he was right. Maybe her hands were cursed after all. But how was she to stop helping those in need?
    She shook her head. If someone is hurt I need to help them. She thought of Joe. If she hadn't healed him, he'd have no thumb. If she hadn't helped Jess Chandler, she might've died. And what of the animals that she found shot, in traps or wounded? She couldn't walk away from them either.
    She couldn't do what Pa asked of her. She squeezed her hands together. She'd sacrificed her relationship with her father to save lives. Why couldn't he see the good she'd done? Instead, all he saw was a curse that had taken everything away from him.
    She blew out a ragged breath
    If she received nothing else from her ability to help those in need but to see their joy, then it was worth it to her. She couldn't change who she was, even though Pa would love nothing more. If she didn't use her gift at all and walked away from those in need, would he love her again? Would he take back the awful words he said? Acceptance weighed heavy upon her soul. Without saying the words, she knew the answer.
    Nora gathered the dishes and pushed the untouched food onto one plate to be saved in the icebox for tomorrow. Her stomach lurched. The thought of eating the tasteless meat tomorrow night was enough to make her sick.
    After she cleaned the kitchen, she heated water in the pot. A cup of tea would ease the tension in her neck and the headache she felt coming on. She took yesterday's leaves and dumped them into her cup.
    She went to the window. The kerosene lamps lit the street. There was no sign of father. She knew where he'd gone. The water boiled and she poured some into her cup. She stirred the leaves and took a sip. The hot minty taste wasn't as strong as when she first used the leaves a couple of days ago, but it did the trick. And she didn't have a choice, there was no more left.

 
    CHAPTER NINE
     
    He lay awake listening to the sounds of a night he knew would end badly. He leaned over and placed his hand on his younger brother's chest. Little Eagle's soft breaths feathered his skin. Good, he was still asleep. A crash echoed through the tiny cabin.
    He removed the thin blanket covering him and his brother. The straw-filled bed crunched under his weight as he shifted to roll off and touch his bare feet to the dirt floor. The fireplace on the far wall gave little light to the one room home, but he could still make out the table flipped on its side, two