Soul of the Wildcat (19 page)

Pulling on her slacks and fumbling into her shirt, Dakoda realized that the other cat must have scented her female musk.

“Wait a minute,” she muttered, putting the pieces together. If the cougar was drawn by her scent, that must mean it was one of Jesse's tribe mates. They were fighting over her like a prize to be possessed, a trophy in a world where willing females were in very short supply. Jesse was trying to defend his claim on her. The other cougar was determined to take it. Between the two of them, they were trying to impress her with their male prowess.

Angered by the stupidity between two dumbass males, Dakoda swore under her breath and grabbed a good-sized flexible stick off the ground.
I'll give 'em each a piece of my mind
. Stick held out like a bat, she sped toward the massive cats. The sooner she broke them apart, the less damage would be done.

It vaguely occurred to her she should be afraid of two tangling cougars fighting for pride, passion, and a piece of her pussy. Fear wasn't on the agenda, though. She was pissed. In the animal world they might clash for the right to mate, but in the human world the female decided who the hell she was going to fuck.

At least this female did.

Wading into the fray, she whacked the nearest cat on one fleshy haunch. “Stop it!” she shouted, delivering a second and then a third smack. “I won't be fought over like a piece of meat.” Brandishing the stick like a mother after two naughty boys, she broke the two big cats apart. A few minutes later both sat side by side, as docile as kittens.

Dakoda stood with her hands on her hips, glaring down at both. “Shift,” she ordered. “I want to look at people faces and not cat ones.”

Both cougars disappeared, slipping back into human form. Two naked men sat in their place, not an unpleasant sight at all. Though she recognized her cougar, Dakoda had no idea who the young stranger might be. Shorter and stockier than Jesse, he wore his brown hair in a strange cut, shaved on both sides of his scalp with just a strip down the middle of his head. Though short on the top of his head, he'd allowed the hair hanging down the back of his head to grow back, braiding it into a long tail of sorts. A smattering of stubble covered his face, much too youthful to belong to a full-grown man. He looked to be nineteen, or maybe twenty, tops. With his intense brown eyes and sun-burnished skin he was still a sight to behold. The Tlvdatsi were proving to be a beautiful people.

Jesse's naked body gleamed with sweat and blood as he checked a vicious scratch on his forearm. “Damn, Robin, that fucking hurt,” he groused.

The other man shrugged. “Sorry, man. I was lost in the cat, you know?” He turned his unblinking gaze on Dakoda. “Ah, man, I knew I smelled a female.” His grin widened. “Nice body, too.”

Dakoda followed the line of his stare. Of course her shirt was open and her tits were hanging out. In her haste to dress, she hadn't bothered with underwear, doing her best to cover herself before the two immature idiots ripped each other apart. No wonder she'd been able to break up the fight so easily. She was giving the men quite a distraction.

Feeling heat creep in to her cheeks, she buttoned her shirt. “I just washed,” she mumbled with more than a little embarrassment. “Surely the smell isn't
that
strong.”

The newcomer smiled. “Oh, believe me. Once you get a whiff, there's no mistaking hot p—”

A low growl rolling past his lips, Jesse delivered a hard jab to his friend's rib cage. “Back off,” he said through a cold stretch of his lips. “She is taken.” There was no mistaking the possessive tone behind his warning.

Dakoda felt her heart give a particularly hard thump against her ribs. “I'm not taken,” she said quietly. “I make the decision of who I'm with or not.”

The stranger's eyes brightened. “Then there's always hope,” he quipped.

Jesse elbowed him again. “Right now she's with me, so fuck off, chump.”

The other man held his hands up in defeat. “Okay, okay, man. You don't have to rub it in. I get the message. You got her, you're hanging on. That's cool. All's fair.”

Dakoda sized up the opportunistic young man. “And just who are you, anyway?”

The young man scrambled to his feet. Fully exposed in every way, he appeared to be comfortable with his nudity. “Robin, ma'am,” he said, politely introducing himself. “Robin Huskey. I'm Jesse's cousin.”

“Twice removed,” Jesse grumbled, standing up. “Where did you come from, anyway?”

Robin shrugged. “Just out loping around the land.”

Jesse huffed and rolled his eyes. “In other words, you're avoiding work.”

Robin gave his cousin a light punch on the arm. “Actually, I'm not the only one, Jesse. Joseph's been looking for you for days now. He's pissed, too, man. We're not just supposed to run off without letting someone know.”

Jesse shot Dakoda a surreptitious look. “I had things on my mind,” he grumbled under his breath.

Dakoda knew exactly what he had on his mind. S-E-X. As much as he could get, and as often as he could get it. His verbal jabs at Robin were just as possessive as his blatant lovemaking had been earlier. He had mapped out his territory, and now he was defending it.

Typical male.

Dakoda broke into the argument. “Excuse me, guys. I'd like to finish getting dressed.” Reclaiming her discarded clothing, she headed behind a copse of trees to change. The last thing she wanted to do was show more skin. Having one horny cougar on her tail was bad enough, but dealing with two would be just a little too much. Despite her checkered past, she wasn't into threesomes.

Still, she had to be more than a little pleased when she remembered how Jesse had rushed into the fight, fangs bared and ready to tear up some ass. Had it been any other man, Dakoda probably would have been pissed off beyond reason or recovery. But it was Jesse, and she found there was something poignant in watching him back another man down in her defense.

Deep down, Jesse was a decent and honorable man. But at his core he was utterly dedicated to the survival of his people in these harsh mountains. Were the choice between saving the life of his cousin or hers, she had no doubt he'd choose Robin. Despite the intimacies they'd shared, she was still an outsider in his world.

She'd stumbled onto the secrets of the Tlvdatsi by accident. Even though Jesse claimed she carried the genes of such inside her own body, she still didn't feel any sort of a connection with the knowledge. It was sort of like being born with a certain skin color. Though she was aware of it, there wasn't really much she could do to change it.

Safely covered from head to toe, Dakoda stepped out from behind the trees. Her knees were still a little shaky from the incredible sex coupled with an equally incredible scare, but she'd supposed she'd survive.

She found the two men sitting by the fire, deep in discussion. Jesse welcomed her with a bright smile. “Everything okay?” he asked.

Dropping down beside him, she nodded. “Fine.”

Jesse's hand slid around her waist, his palm resting lightly against her back. He move wasn't very subtle, unmistakably sending the message they were very much a couple to anyone who had eyes and mind enough to connect the dots. He'd have been less obvious sending up smoke signals. “I was just telling Robin about our little adventure with the friendly neighborhood poachers,” he said, briefly filling her in on key points.

Robin agreed grimly. “This is some serious shit. Best to get back to camp and let Chief Joseph know.” His eyes flashed with anger, with the hot vigor of a young man ready to make war. “It's time their atrocities against our people were stopped once and for all.”

Dakoda's body automatically tightened, gathering tension. “Not to mention mine,” she reminded quietly. “That was my partner they gunned down.”

Robin skimmed the remnants of her uniform. “I'm sorry for the loss of your partner, but I am glad you were there to help my cousin.”

Pursing her lips, Dakoda glanced away. The meal she'd recently consumed all of a sudden felt like lead in her gut. She swallowed hard to keep the food down. “Thanks,” she choked, fighting to clear her throat. “We were just trying to do our job.” What else could she say at this point? She didn't even know where the poachers had buried Greg's body.

Looking from one to the other, Jesse's dark brows knitted with frustration. “We've all suffered enough.” He turned to Dakoda. “Robin tells me we're about a week from our settlement. It's going to be hard travel, but there will be two of us to take care of you, plus any more men we might meet on the way. Do you think you can handle it?”

Dakoda lifted her chin with determination. “The sooner we get going,” she said resolutely. “The sooner we'll reach home base.”

T
he sun was just beginning to disappear behind the mountains when Dakoda set her eyes on the Tlvdatsi settlement. The sight nearly took her breath away.

Her first impression was that she'd somehow glided through a rip in the fabric of time, stepping back at least two centuries into the past. The outpost looked like a couple of blocks had been lifted straight from some Hollywood set depicting life in the old West. A series of neatly constructed log cabins were set amid corrals and other pens for livestock. There were a multitude of horses, cows, goats, chickens, dogs and even a few fat, lazy barn cats. A nearby waterfall fed into a pond of clear, clean mountain water.

Dakoda's head swiveled, trying to take in every little detail as they walked toward the cabins. In choosing to break away from the established reservations and form their own settlement in the mountains, the Tlvdatsi presently lived much like their ancestors had, with few modern conveniences. Expansion into the twenty-first century was coming slowly, but surely.

A week's hard travel had taken its toll, both physically and emotionally. Her clothes were torn and filthy, little more than rags, and despite the fact that two men had been on the prowl for food, she'd lost at least ten pounds, maybe more, from the intense exertion of hiking through areas where trails didn't even exist. No wonder the men preferred to travel in their cougar forms. It was a hell of a lot easier for the big cats to slip through the tangle of brush than it was a human on two legs. She'd often found herself wishing she could slip off her human coil and morph into a leaner, faster body.

A small group of tribesmen began to gather around, curious about the newcomer in their midst. Both of her companions had chosen to stay in cougar form for the last leg of the journey, which meant Jesse had abandoned the clothes he'd borrowed. Dakoda had hung on to the clothing, though. She wasn't too proud to wear the extra layers on cold nights. Snuggled between two furry cougar bodies, she'd stayed quite warm and comfortable.

One of the men broke away from the group, walking out to meet them. As he approached, Jesse and Robin shifted back to human. By this time Dakoda was accustomed to seeing them walking around buck naked, without a hint of embarrassment. Once she'd gotten over the sexual connotations behind their nudity, she'd found herself quite comfortable with seeing them without so much as a stitch on.

The man walking toward her was a taller, broader version of Jesse. This, she recognized, must be his brother, Joseph Clawfoot, acting chief of the Tlvdatsi clan. As he met the group, the chief folded his arms across his chest like an angry parent about to scold an errant child. His face brewed a combination of anger and relief.

“Jesse, Robin,” he said tightly. “I see you have returned home, and brought a visitor.” He eyed Dakoda's ranger uniform, frowning severely as he recognized the implications. An outsider, an outsider representing the white man's law, had come onto their land. “You both know it is expressly forbidden to bring an outsider into camp without permission.”

“Aw, cut the Big Chief crap, Joe, and give us some slack. She already knows we can shift. And if you'll take your head out of your ass for a minute, you'll be able to tell for yourself she's one of us.” He paused, then added, “One of the very few females—which we were all told to welcome with open arms.”

Chief Joseph's face softened. “It is true we receive women with open arms.” He looked at Dakoda, addressing her for the first time. “You are welcome in our camp.”

Dakoda nodded, without offering her hand. “Thank you, Chief. I am honored to stand among your people.” Even though she was the law, she had no authority on these people's land. As a tribe recognized by the federal government, they had their own rules, regulations, and laws to abide by—and their own methods to back them up.

The chief's nostrils flared. “You do carry the scent of one of our own,” he said slowly. “Therefore I hope these two young men who accompany you have not unduly accosted or coerced you into doing something you didn't wish to do.” He pierced each young man with a stern look. “They have been warned about venturing off our land in pursuit of the fairer sex.”

Dakoda quickly shook her head, hastening to explain. “That's not quite what happened, Chief. My partner and I were in pursuit of poachers, when we discovered they had trapped a cougar.”

Hearing her explanation, Joseph's dark eyes began to brew thunderclouds. “The Barnett brothers,” he spat bitterly.

She nodded. “Yes. Unfortunately, in our attempt to take them into custody my partner, Gregory Zerbe, was gunned down by Waylon Barnett. I was myself taken hostage and locked in a cell with your brother, who subsequently revealed himself to be more than a cougar.” Her mouth quirked down as she imagined giving the same report to any of her superiors. Tell the truth and they'd look at her like she'd lost every marble in her head. She'd quickly be put on administrative leave and sent to a psych ward as soon as possible.

“That must have been quite a shock for you,” the chief said, watching her reaction closely.

Dakoda shook her head. “Not half as much as seeing my partner murdered in cold blood.” Mouth suddenly going dry, she shuddered. “I'll admit it was an incredible thing to witness, but once I got over the shock, I was damn grateful to have someone on my side. It was through our imprisonment that we learned the cougars are sold to private owners wishing to own, ah, unusual animals.”

Chief Joseph nodded. “We are aware of what the poachers are doing to our people,” he said quietly.

His admission hit her like a blast of icy water. “Then why haven't you gone to the authorities?” she asked, stunned.

The chief didn't look encouraged. “The laws outside this land have little meaning to us—or the men who hunt us. The white government doesn't care about preserving our heritage or our people. To them we're just interlopers taking good land away from the development of more vacation resorts. In a matter such as this, one so sacred to our very hearts, we fight for ourselves. And we welcome no outside interference.” He directed his gaze toward Jesse. “My brother is aware of the dangers that can befall us. And when he gets stupid and careless, he gets into trouble.”

Jesse's head dropped at the verbal thump. “It wasn't like I went out that day, asking to get caught.”

“Yet you went outside our boundaries, and you got yourself trapped,” Joseph reminded. “Though I know the call of the cougar in your heart, as a cat you have no defense against men walking on two legs and carrying guns. Our only answer is to arm ourselves as they have. If that means you must deny a part of your nature, then so be it. Finding a mate isn't worth your freedom, or your life.”

Jesse hitched a shoulder, mumbling something unintelligible beneath his breath. “Yeah, but you have your woman…”

Though his words were rushed and mumbled, Dakoda couldn't be exactly sure what he'd said. Though she had yet to see a female face among the crowd, it helped knowing there were women around somewhere. She wanted to talk to a Tlvdatsi female, ask a few questions, and explore a few concepts that had been brewing in the back of her mind for the last few days. Asking a man wouldn't work. She wanted to talk to another female, woman to woman.

Meanwhile, there was another matter she had to handle. As a ranger. Not as a woman or as one who'd recently uncovered her lost heritage, but as a member of law enforcement.

“You might not advocate taking a legal stand against these men, Chief,” she started to say. “But since they killed my partner, I'm afraid I'm going to have to go after them—with or without your sanction.”

The chief looked conflicted, but held firm in on the stance he'd taken. “You are within your rights to do so,” he answered tightly. “But you must find a way to do it without involving my people or bringing our secrets to the outside world. Moreover, you must also do it without betraying your own knowledge that you belong among us.”

Talk about the rock and the proverbial hard place. Between these two crushing forces, she'd be ground down to bonemeal.

In the interest of securing the cooperation she needed to get back into town and make contact with the authorities, Dakoda decided a path of diplomacy might yet be the best course to follow. There was no sense in alienating the Tlvdatsi with the uniform she wore. She would do better to rely on the common bond of bloodline.

I am one of them
, she reminded herself. It would also give her a chance to better understand and explore their world. Perhaps in understanding more about her heritage, she could better comprehend her own feelings, the impulses and desires that had driven her to flee close ties throughout her life.

Dakoda couldn't miss the tension in his stance. “I'll do my best to honor your request,” she said quietly, breaking the silence between them. “In the meantime, I would wonder if you have a cup of hot coffee. I could certainly use the caffeine, and it would give us a chance to talk.”

Chief Joseph's face broke into a wide grin. “Forgive me. I have been rude.” He held up an arm, indicating one of the nearby cabins. “My wife will be more than glad to loan you a change of clothes and get a meal into your belly.”

Jesse rubbed his hands together. “Anything Kathryn can whip up sounds good to me.”

The chief caught his brother's arm. “Getting dressed first would help. When you are decent, you can join us.” He eyed Robin. “As for you, your father wants you home, as soon as possible.”

Robin nodded. “Yes, sir.” He scurried off, shifting and disappearing into the shadows lengthening across the land.

Jesse glanced down at his naked body. “Hey, I may be nekkid, but I'm always decent.” Nevertheless, he trotted off toward one of the cabins.

Dakoda couldn't help watching as he walked away, admiring the grace in his casual gait, not to mention the delicious sight of his ass when viewed from behind. He had the cutest dimple on one cheek, one she'd been hankering to take a little bite out of.

She shivered, remembering how it had felt to have sex with him. They hadn't touched each other since Robin had joined them, agreeing it was unfair to be together when her scent was so strong. Jesse had explained how it could drive a man wild, until they were ready to fight, to kill, for the right to claim a female. Holding on to the human side when the cougar called was almost impossible for some.

Having agreed, Dakoda had to brutally suppress the memory of his hard frame pressed against hers. Five long days of hell, aching for his caress, for the penetration of his cock into her hungry sex. She almost hadn't been able to stand the tension, to the point of giving consideration to the idea of letting both men have their way with her. But although the idea appealed, she wasn't sure she was ready to take the step toward multiple partners. She knew it was common practice in a society where females were scarce, and to share her favors would be considered a gift to the men she chose.

Given the curious gazes following her and Joseph as she walked, she wouldn't lack for a choice in partners. To her surprise, many of the faces she glimpsed didn't look a bit Indian to her. Along with some white faces, she spotted a few blacks and Hispanics. Apparently the gene carried by the Tlvdatsi traveled through many races and colors. With her own light brown skin, she'd fit right in.

Chief Joseph couldn't fail to notice the look she gave his brother. Lifting a single brow, he bent close. “You've been intimate with him?” he asked in a level voice meant to be heard by no other ears except hers.

Dakota threw him a shocked glance. Oh, hell. She hoped she hadn't worn the expression of a starving mongrel drooling over a piece of forbidden steak. “Is it that obvious?”

Joseph's gaze was fixed on her, watching her closely. “I'm afraid so.”

“It's true we've been together,” Dakoda admitted slowly. “And I won't deny your brother has a certain attraction.”

Joseph's brow climbed higher. “But?” His voice was neither cold nor judgmental.

“But in the time we've been together, he's dropped a lot on me with regards to what it means to be a part of the Tlvdatsi clan. It's not enough to know who you are—what you are capable of—it's an entirely different way of life.”

“One you're not sure you're ready to embrace?” he asked.

With a sigh of relief, Dakoda dropped the pretenses. She had a feeling the chief expected her to speak her mind freely and without restraint or the worry of offense. “Exactly. I mean it's all so…”

“Strange?” he finished.

Dakoda had to smile. She couldn't help but like this straight-talking man who clearly had the best interest of his people in mind. Considering the many obstacles they faced, he was probably more than right to be cautious of outsiders—even an outsider who carried the thing these men were so desperate to obtain: A pussy.

As harsh as the judgment was, it was also a true one. The whole of the clan's survival depended on these men finding suitable women to join their lives. Otherwise the bloodlines that made shifting possible would die out. Were that to happen, their people's last ties with the old ways would also become extinct.