Rachel's Totem

Cougar Falls - 1

by

Marie Harte

To Angie, a great editor who’s not as evil as her blog would tell you.

Chapter One

Cougar Falls, Montana

C-o-n-d-o-m. Worn in conjunction with sex. Take it into town, find a woman and use it, for God’s sake, or we’re not coming home.

Sincerely, Dean and Grady.

“Assholes.” Burke Chastell discreetly pocketed the small foil package in his pants and crumpled the note in his fist, dropping it on the table in front of him. Idiot brothers.

Grady must have written the note Burke had found folded and tucked into his shirt pocket. Dean could barely spell his own name, and “conjunction” was a three-syllable word.

So what if Burke had been a little testy lately? Since Charlotte Penny’s death, the entire town had been waiting on pins and needles for a reading of her will. But damned if her attorney would tell them anything. Gerald insisted they wait for Rachel Penny, Charlotte’s niece. A woman they’d never met, and who very likely wouldn’t be able to find Cougar Falls, in any case.

Glancing around at the small semi-crowded diner, Burke nodded at several of his neighbors, hoping Mac might choose today to leave the kitchen and wait on some tables.

Trying to focus on the menu he didn’t need, Burke groaned inwardly when he scented the cloyingly sweet smell of the woman who’d been harassing him for years.

“Burke, how nice to see you this morning.” Sarah Duncan interrupted his thoughts, and he quickly covered the ball of paper he’d crumpled on the table with a large hand.

God forbid Sarah get her hands on that nugget of gold. The woman was constantly in heat, and he had no urge to dip his wick where half the men in the county already had.

Sarah filled his cup with steaming coffee and waited for an acknowledgement, one hand resting on a curvy hip.

He grunted, and she shook her head. “Cat got your tongue?” She smirked, batting her eyes as if the cleverest girl in the world.

Why had he chosen the Fox’s Henhouse for breakfast today? He should have followed his instincts and driven the twenty miles into Whitefish instead of lingering in town.

“Funny, Sarah.” He sounded as if he’d just swallowed a bucket of gravel, but he had no inclination to play this morning. He needed to get a handle on Charlotte’s absent niece, on the Gray Wolves running amuck in Glacier, and to find that damned totem again before all hell broke loose.

Burke could feel the mystical totem’s loss as keenly as the others. In the air was a void where the totem’s strong spirit should have been protecting Cougar Falls. It was only a matter of time before the human populace took notice of the small town that

“didn’t exist”. Fuck. He had to find that totem.

“Come on, puma man. When you gonna give me a little lovin’?” Sarah did her best to engage him, bending down to show a generous cleavage as she stroked his forearm… without asking.

His hackles rose at the clear breach of etiquette. He might be a man, but he was a catamount as well, a feline Shifter protective of his space. Burke heard the chime of the door opening, but had his attention fixed on Sarah, in no mood for her games. “You couldn’t handle me even if you wanted to. Back off, and get me the damned special.

Now.” His growl alarmed the rest of the patrons in the diner, and he felt their stillness even as the rich aroma of fear wafted under his nose.

“Oh please. I guess even this far north the he-men are out in force.”

The belligerent voice had everyone in the room turning to stare at the newcomer in shock. A stranger. In the Fox’s Henhouse. In Cougar Falls.

“What? Is this a private restaurant, or can anyone order the ‘damned special’?” The stranger, a woman, glared down her nose at Burke, then turned a warm smile on Sarah.

“Is it okay if I sit anywhere?”

Sarah gaped dumbly until Burke nudged her. “Oh, um, yeah, sure. Have a seat wherever.” She beamed and fled behind the counter, her whispered exclamations audible to everyone but the stranger who sat as far away from Burke as possible, in a booth with a view of the mountains as well as the rest of the diner. He sniffed the air, trying to catch her scent, and found to his surprise…nothing.

Just like Charlotte Penny.

His blood heated at the thought that he might finally have found a lead on the missing totem, and he studied the woman, absorbing what he could. She looked nothing like Charlotte, but that didn’t rule her out as a relation. Charlotte had been a petite blonde, pretty in a soft, gentle way, and as wily as his grandfather.

This woman looked like an Amazon in comparison. Tall, stacked and ferocious as she glared his way before studying the menu. Her hair was a long blue-black, shiny and straight but curled at the ends over her shoulders. Thick black lashes framed light green eyes looking out from creamy, golden skin. Her nose was thin and turned up at the end, saved from being just short of cute by the sexy-as-hell mouth curled in contempt at the moment.

He couldn’t help lingering on her full breasts, their shape visible beneath the thin red T-shirt she wore. She obviously wasn’t from the area, judging by her clothing, inappropriate for Montana’s summer months. Even in July the sun refused to warm up beyond seventy degrees. Today’s sixty-five was no exception.

Burke glanced around him to note everyone giving him the look that said, Take care of her. And once again he questioned the notion of having a catamount in charge of the totem’s protection. The silver foxes were much better equipped to handle civilian authority and change. Both charming and sly, they’d been known to speak out of both sides of their mouths. Too bad his buddy Sheriff Ty Roderick presently had his hands full of the snotty wolf clan. Now if Burke could just keep Dean and Grady out of that mess waiting to blow up in their faces…

Sarah reappeared, breaking his concentration, and slammed a plate filled with food in front of him. She quickened her step to the stranger and began chit-chatting, fishing for information.

“Sorry it took me so long. That one there…” Sarah paused, nodding toward Burke,

“…can be a bear before his eggs.”

In the table next to him, Joel Buchanan snorted under his breath. “Bear, my ass. Cat has no sense of decorum.”

Burke shot him a dark look that Joel ignored before turning back to his wife.

“I know all about his type,” the stranger said, her lips fixing his attention.

Damn, but her annoyance was starting to turn him on. Granted, she was hot. But normally, animosity didn’t have him half-hard. The woman didn’t seem as affected. He could sense she felt anything but arousal. Anger burned through her pores.

“Ah, sure. He’s okay, really.” Sarah glanced back at him anxiously and he rolled his eyes. She turned back to the woman. “How about I bring you the special, and you can see why our customers are just so irritated to have it?”

The woman grinned and handed Sarah her menu. “Sure thing.”

“So what brings you to our little town? Cougar Falls is kind of off the map.”

An understatement. Cougar Falls was not only not on the map, but thanks to the totem on Charlotte’s—what used to be Chastell—property, only Shifters and humans with the ability to turn could find the place unless brought along by one of the townsfolk.

“My aunt used to live here.” A collective sigh whispered throughout the room.

“Charlotte Penny? Maybe you knew her.”

Sarah clucked and patted the woman on the hand. To Burke’s perverse satisfaction, the woman tensed and slid her hand under the table once Sarah let her go, as averse to pawing as he’d been. He grinned and tucked into his food, his ears perked.

“Sure. Everyone knows—I mean, knew Charlotte. In a town this small, no one’s a stranger.” Sarah wiped her hands on her apron. “I’m Sarah Duncan.”

“Rachel Penny.” They shook hands.

Rachel. Burke stared at her. It fit. A strong name for a strong woman. Now how to change the bad impression he’d unintentionally given and get the woman to sell him Charlotte’s property?

Rachel did her best to ignore the hot stare running over her from head to mid-belly—

what was visible before the table cut her off. Why hadn’t she ignored the mountain view and sat with her back to the jerk? She couldn’t help glancing up, only to see his eyes locked on her with an intensity that had her fuming…and glaring back out at the mountains as she tried to ignore the answering race of her pulse.

Why did every good-looking son of a bitch have to be such a creep? Her ex-husband had been an Adonis, and he’d not only cheated on her, but systematically wiped through their savings with his legal bullshit and games. Thanks to him, she’d finally settled her divorce with a whopping one thousand dollars to her name—and three months later less five hundred more—no house, no car, and what clients she’d managed to tear from their previous joint Internet business.

Sitting several booths down from her, the guy oozing sex appeal and a bad temper seemed worse than Jesse. For one thing, he was better looking with a better body. And that voice… Much as she felt annoyed, that irritation struggled against desire rising sharply out of nowhere. Tamping it down was harder than it should have been, but Rachel managed.

Mr. Bad Ass had sandy blond hair long enough to need a cut, giving him a bad-boy appeal. His eyes were a bright, whiskey brown, and his chiseled jaw and firm chin hinted at more than stubbornness—an attribute that never failed to attract Rachel. I’m such an idiot. I shouldn’t look at this guy. He’s not what I need right now. I mean, come on. His attitude needs an overhaul…as does his seeming inability to look anywhere but at my breasts.

“Anytime you’re through undressing me with your eyes,” she snapped.

Several grumbles sounded around her, one louder than the others, and she glanced around the diner to see a bear of a man choking on his laughter sitting with a pretty blonde.

Bad Ass simply grinned, and her hormones shot into overdrive, making her warring lust and rage into a tangible thing.

His grin faded and he cocked his head, studying her with a deep scrutiny that had her feeling like prey. Muttering a curse under his breath, he pushed away his half-eaten plate, threw a few bills on the table and stormed out of the diner.

The minute he left, her libido subsided, and Rachel waited for her breakfast in relative peace. The rest of the locals left her alone, though she could feel the weight of their curiosity in the stares that refused to leave her. Natural enough in a small town, she supposed.

Sarah brought her the special, a cup of coffee and her ticket, and apologized profusely for taking so long. Thankfully, the touchy woman left without another word, allowing Rachel to finally satisfy her hunger…and dwell on the circumstances surrounding her newfound fate.

A year ago she’d thought she’d finalized the divorce with Jesse, only to have him drag her through court as he tried to swindle what he could out of their holdings. They’d never been rich, but they’d been comfortable, and happy, or at least, she’d thought so.

Finding him screwing their accountant had proven her seriously wrong. And Linda wasn’t younger or prettier than Rachel, which made it worse. Apparently, the backstabber was better in bed, because her breathy cries had alerted Rachel that something was definitely “wrong” with their accounts.

The quickie divorce she’d expected turned brutal as Jesse became the ex from hell.

As if cheating on her weren’t bad enough, he tried stealing from her as well. Six months of negotiating and he’d still managed to rip the company name away and nearly ruin her in the process. For God’s sake, she’d brought him into their Internet web design company. Her baby from the get-go. Yet his fancy lawyer handed him the company’s name, more than half their assets he hadn’t already buried under false accounts, and her hard-earned reputation.

Rachel fervently hoped Linda gave him a disease, or better yet, an audit from the IRS.

Smiling into her eggs, which really were delicious, Rachel couldn’t help remembering her Aunt Charlotte’s raves over the diner’s full, sit-down breakfasts, which brought back the sad predicament landing Rachel in Cougar Falls again. The last time she’d visited she’d been all of six years old, and she could still remember crazy old Aunt Charlotte whispering of the magic underlying the town.

As Rachel looked around her, she saw nothing supernatural or mystical. Only a small town with a surprisingly handsome populace, but nothing more out of place than a packet of sugar mixed in with the Sweet’N Low.

Aunt Charlotte had been a hoot, in all of the dozen times Rachel had seen her throughout the years. Charlotte loved her life and had never seemed to care what others thought of her odd notions of what might exist beyond that which people might see. The only times her aunt had left Cougar Falls were to visit Rachel, her favorite and only niece.

First college, then her business had kept Rachel away. But despite their distance, the two managed to keep in touch via emails and phone calls, and Rachel had always felt a special affinity for the warm-hearted, open-minded woman.

Too bad I’ve finally come to see you, and you’re no longer here.

Rachel finished off her breakfast and slowly sipped her coffee. According to Gerald Winter, her aunt’s attorney, Charlotte had died peacefully in her sleep. She’d left her house and some property to Rachel, and a few other odds and ends that Gerald would read today in the will. Rachel, unfortunately or fortunately, depending upon her mood, had to be present to hear the legalities. She winced, recalling her last debacle with lawyers, the wounds still fresh.

Yet, it wasn’t as if she had any other place to go. Her parents were dead. She had no siblings and few friends outside the ones Jesse had managed to steal after the divorce.

Hell. The greater the distance between herself and her pitiful old life, the better. She’d spent the past nine months fighting, and the past three months licking her wounds.

Wasn’t it time to start over again? And with a clean slate this time.

Brooding over the optimistic idiot inside of her brewing with good tidings, Rachel gulped the last of her overly sweet coffee and glared at the packets in the center of the booth. Who ever heard of pink packets of sugar?

Grabbing her wallet out of her purse, she paid for her meal and left a tip for Sarah, then left the diner and its curious patrons behind. As she walked down the street toward her rental car, however, an altercation nearby forced her to stop.

Twenty feet down the alley to her right, Rachel saw the rude guy from the diner ducking punches from three overgrown bullies. Why she thought of the fight in those precise terms she didn’t know, but she had a definite sense that Bad Ass was the innocent party. The fact that the huge thugs crowding him looked like walking wolf-men made it easier to portray the rude guy as the good guy.

Good lord, but how hairy and huge did they grow them up here? Bad Ass was at least six-four, and the men trying to pin him to the wall between them were as big if not bigger. All three looked like linebackers for a pro team, and they sported long, thick hair, beards and mustaches like mountain men from hell. One of them turned to study her, and even in the daylight his eyes seemed to gleam with a preternatural shine.

Shit. That is too weird. And this is way beyond my ability to make right.

Before she could call for help, Bad Ass slugged two of the men with fists so fast they looked a blur, putting his assailants down for the count. The remaining thug lunged at him, only to find himself suddenly plastered against the brick wall. Somehow, Bad Ass had used the thug’s momentum against him, to his advantage. Throughout the fight, Rachel stood still, frozen by the animal-like grunts, brutal hits and sheer wildness frothing between the men. But when Bad Ass and then the other one started growling and… hissing…at each other, she took several steps back, thoroughly freaked out.

Had she not known better, she’d swear that thug was looking more and more wolf-like. And the cries coming from Bad Ass sounded feline, like a big cat howling a warning as his eyes narrowed, the color of his pupils reflecting an odd shine in the shadows of the alley.

A warm hand on her shoulder scared a mortifying squeak out of her, and Rachel spun around in a heartbeat. Seeing a badge, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Easy, miss. I’ll take care of this.” The lawman tipped his hat at her and quietly spoke into his walkie-talkie, radioing for help. He walked toward the brawlers with an easy gait. Like the men in the alley, the sheriff had a feral quality about him. Something in the slant of his brows, the sharpness of his gaze and the readiness in his face. He sported denims and a work shirt, his hat worn from wear, but no gun belt that she could see.

Shorter than the men fighting by a few inches but no less muscular, the sheriff stopped a few feet in front of them. He said nothing, merely tapped his foot. When they continued to ignore him, spitting and knocking into one another, he crossed his arms and murmured something under his breath, and the two opponents sprang apart as if dashed with cold water.

“Burke, take Ms. Penny to see Gerald. He’s waiting on you two. And Hart, you come with me.”

The hairy brute grumbled but followed the sheriff without question, glaring over his shoulder at Bad Ass—at Burke. Four more men appeared at the mouth of the alley and dragged the two unconscious thugs from the scene. Deputies, maybe, though the four looked more like locals than lawmen. They spent an inordinate amount of time studying her, to her discomfort. And the strange, almost hungry looks on their faces had her taking a step back, only to bump into Burke.

Burke ignored her, however, and glared at the men moving the bodies. They hurried out of the alley, leaving Rachel and Burke alone. Together.

Not sure how she felt about being summarily dismissed by the sheriff, Rachel stared at Burke, her expression guarded as she wondered why she’d been left with such a dangerous man.

Burke scowled at her as he straightened his appearance. For a fight in which he’d been outnumbered three to one, he looked surprisingly none the worse for wear. Running his hands through his hair, he tugged the loose strands out of his eyes and tucked the denim shirt he wore back into his jeans.

Unable to stop herself, Rachel watched his long fingers inching under the waistband of his pants and couldn’t help wondering if his skin felt warm even through a layer of clothes. A burst of longing, of animal need, rippled through her body and left as suddenly as it had come. She shivered, confused, praying Burke assumed it was from the cooling temperature.

Seeing her distress, he shook his head and grumbled under his breath. But to her astonishment, he shrugged out of his shirt, leaving him clad in a thin white tee and denims.

“Before you shatter all your pretty white teeth from chattering, put this on.” He didn’t give her a chance to refuse and enfolded her in the large garment. Oh crap, it smelled like him. And her libido, which had gone dormant in the diner except for one brief flare just moments ago, rose again with a vicious slap.

Having helped her into his shirt, Burke began to take his arms from around her when he suddenly froze, then stepped even closer. This near to him, Rachel couldn’t miss the rising bulge pressing against her belly, or fail to note the quickening in his breath as she stared at his broad chest.

“Shit. I just knew you were going to be trouble,” he rumbled before swooping down on her.

“What—”

He interrupted her with a soul-shattering kiss. Not gentle or tepid, Burke kissed like a man used to taking what he wanted. He devoured her, plain and simple. An explosion of scents and tastes, Burke was like a drug that stole through her body with the intent to possess. What started as hot grew to inferno proportions. His hard lips commanded, his tongue invaded and his body pressed her closer, until she was nearly riding the erection straining between them.

Without realizing she’d moved, she felt her back against a brick wall, Burke shoving his tongue down her throat at her garbled insistence. Lust took control of everything as the protestations and denials she should have spouted vanished under his onslaught.

A large hand palmed her breast, kneading the taut flesh before pinching her nipple.

She arched into his mouth and cried out, her moans muffled by his kiss. Groaning, Burke lifted her in his hands, his strength a thing of beauty. Positioning her legs around his waist, he settled himself at the junction between her thighs and began thrusting against her, fully clothed.

Rachel shouldn’t have felt much with panties and two pairs of jeans between them.

But her strangely over-sensitized body didn’t know the difference. The ridge of Burke’s cock through his pants might as well have been touching her clit, since the nub spasmed with his every pressing graze.

Grunts and need poured from him as he catered to her every unspoken desire. He dominated, accepting nothing less than her complete submission as he pounded into her against the wall, his skilled fingers gripping her ass as he tried to get closer.

Common sense tried to reassert itself. Her ex-husband. Burke’s like-minded arrogance. The fight she still didn’t understand… All of it refused to surface as a ripping climax tore through her like a tsunami.

Obliterating everything, her orgasm took her into another state altogether. Colors and scents seemed sharper, sounds louder, and the feel of Burke against her like perfection made real. Rachel stiffened, twisting her ankles around his back, her thighs like a vise.

Burke rasped and rained kisses down her neck, sucking hard at her throat as she panted, trying to catch her breath. His thrusts increased and he bit her neck hard enough to draw blood. The pleasure in the start of pain shot her into another orgasm, this one peculiarly forced, and oddly like an out-of-body experience.

“Fuck.” Burke snarled, shuddering against her as he came, jerking while his gasps of pleasure warmed her all over again. His scent drifted to her from his shirt, and hell, from Burke himself. Surprisingly sweet and definitely sexy, he made her think of caramel corn and hot, naked sex on a stick. A circus of delights brought to her by a man she’d only minutes ago wanted to slap in the face.

As she gradually returned to reality, Rachel blushed with embarrassment. What the hell had she been thinking to have sex with a stranger? A man who seemed very much like her ex-husband, at least at first glance. A familiar anger returned at thoughts of Jesse.

But as much as Rachel wanted to blast Burke for taking advantage of her, the blissful look on his face held her tongue. That and the truth—that they’d both been helplessly ruled by lust. A first in Rachel’s life, to be sure.

Burke finally released her hips and allowed her to slide down his body. His eyes flamed at the short contact between them, and Rachel gasped when her desire spiked again. This is so not normal.

“I, ah…” Burke trailed, seeming at a loss for words. But he didn’t step back to give her any room. His gaze roamed her face, coming to rest on her mouth. The awkwardness she anticipated disappeared, and he grinned and nipped at her lips. “You are the sexiest thing I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

Flushed at the compliment, she couldn’t help wondering if she’d just made the next notch on his bedpost. Would he rush around to tell his buddies that he’d just dry humped Charlotte’s niece in the middle of an alley? He was a man, after all. She’d been married to one who’d turned into Mr. Hyde. What did she really know about Burke?

For that matter, what did she really know about herself? Burke might be married.

The fact that she hadn’t even asked spoke volumes, and she suddenly paled, realizing she’d just acted no better than Lisa, her ex-accountant. Except at least Lisa had had the foresight to screw Jesse in her own office, behind a closed door, and not in an alley in a weird little town.

At Rachel’s distress, Burke’s smile faded. “It’s okay, Rachel. We’re two consenting adults. Both single.” He stared at her ringless finger with his brow raised in question.

Something within her released. At least she hadn’t climaxed with someone else’s husband. Burke was staring at her, waiting, and she nodded.

“Definitely single.”

“Good.” He exhaled heavily, running his hand through his hair in agitation. “Look, you don’t know me, yet, but I don’t fu—ah, I don’t normally fight and have sex in the alleyway before lunch.”

The absurdity of his statement surprised her into a dry laugh. “What, you wait until the afternoon to have sex? Or you don’t do it in an alley? Behind the restaurant more your style?”

That killer grin of his reappeared, a charming dimple winking at her from his left cheek. “We didn’t exactly get off on the right foot this morning, and I’m sorry about that.

But I’m not sorry about this.”

The worry she’d been feeling faded at his warm smile, and she took a moment to revel in her relaxed body. She felt wonderfully sated after being deprived for a year and a half, and she couldn’t help noticing the new and improved Burke… Burke who? Hell, she’d actually had sex with a guy without knowing his last name. Desperation at its finest.

She felt her cheeks flame. “Who exactly are you?”

Burke stared into her eyes for so long she thought he wouldn’t answer. But when he did, he sounded distracted. “Burke Chastell. My brothers and I own the Catamount Ranch a few miles outside of town.” He ran a finger over her cheek, making her traitorous body tremble. Leaning close, he shut his eyes and inhaled. “You smell like heaven. Hot and wet and addicting. And you have a body made for loving.” He rubbed his cheek against hers before pulling back, his smooth face incredibly erotic against her skin.

She blinked, stunned at the man waxing poetic. When he opened his eyes, however, her throat went dry. The pupils staring out at her were slitted— inhuman—and he shocked her anew when his body began to rumble.

“Dear God, your eyes… Are you purring?”

Chapter Two

Burke shook his head, alarmed that he’d lessened his guards to such a degree. He’d almost fucking turned in front of Rachel, in front of a stranger who had no idea of what he was.

But her scent… In the diner she’d smelled like nothing, which in and of itself was enough to draw a second look. But now he didn’t know what to think. He’d never taken a woman in public, and in a damned alley where anyone could have walked by and seen them. Burke wanted to blame his lack of control on the fight with the gray wolves, or even on his recent dry spell with the ladies. But the truth was, from the moment he’d seen Rachel Penny he’d wanted her. Her prickly exterior hid a well of untapped sensuality, and a spirit ready to know its inner beast.

And if she was anything like her aunt, then Rachel could assume any shape she wanted to if she found that damned totem before a Shifter could mark her. The thought of Rachel becoming wolf was unthinkable, especially now that he’d had a taste of her. She would make an incredible feline. But did he want to go so far as to mark her? To seal her fate as a cat Shifter and tie her to his family, if not as his mate, then as a member of his pride? And more, would she want him to?

But the real burning question…did Rachel know the truth about Cougar Falls and its special inhabitants? From the shock and fear in her eyes, he thought not. Had Charlotte confided anything about the town to her niece, Rachel wouldn’t be staring at him as if he had three heads. Which brought him back to the matter at hand.

Blinking rapidly and forcing his breathing to even, he stopped his change. Focusing, he took a step back, mentally grimacing at the unwanted inches between them.

“What’s wrong with my eyes?”

She stared at him. “They were…you looked…”

“Rachel? Are you all right?” he asked gently.

“I must be seriously losing it,” she mumbled, shaking her head. “I could have sworn you—ah, never mind. It’s been a long trip to Cougar Falls. And that fight earlier, and what followed after, shook me up.” She glanced behind him, refusing to meet his gaze.

“I’m sorry you had to see that, Rachel.” But he really wasn’t. What could he say?

I’m glad you went into heat around me. I had to fuck you or go insane, and I can’t wait to do it again, to feel that pussy squeezing my cock. I want you so much I’m hard again. Or maybe , Come on baby, say yes. Let’s go fuck like rabbits until I mark you, and then we can live out our days together as cats on the prowl. His eyes widened at the desirable, thoroughly unwise thought of mating with her, a woman he barely knew.

Even if she was the best fuck he’d ever had, Burke didn’t do strangers. And, his conscience added, you’ve never before experienced such urgent need. So why now? And why Rachel?

Something about her called to him on a primitive level. He wanted to claim her, to possess that untamable quality within her. To soothe the hurt and anger that even now thundered in her expressive gaze, needing an outlet.

“Rachel, you might not believe it, but I don’t normally do this.” He waved a hand between them.

“You just did ‘this’.”

“So did you,” he said quietly, trying not to sound accusing. “And though I don’t know you well, I can sense you’re not the type of woman who takes so quickly to a male.”

“No, I’m not.” Her cheeks turned a pretty rose-pink again. An Amazon who blushed.

Burke’s heart hammered, his instinct to hold onto Rachel and never let go almost frightening. “I can’t explain this.”

“Don’t try. Let’s just accept it for what it was.” If only he knew how to define their meeting of minds and, well, almost-bodies.

“Ah, sure.” She cleared her throat and hugged his shirt tighter around her body. “Oh, and thanks for the loan of your shirt.”

The angry woman from the diner had all but vanished, leaving a charmingly vulnerable woman in her wake. Talk about fan-fucking-tastic sex with benefits. Burke wanted her again, right now, skin to skin. But seeing the defensive way she stood, the shields in her moss-green eyes resurrecting, he sighed and stepped back a few paces.

He grimaced at the feel of wetness sticking to his cock and underwear. Good lord, he hadn’t come in his pants since high school with Missy Morgan behind the bleachers.

Immediately he had a vision of Rachel and those bleachers, and as his cock stirred, he quickly readjusted his thoughts, blurting the first thing that came to mind. “Ty told me to take you to Gerald, Charlotte’s lawyer.”

“Right.” Some of the pleasure leached from Rachel’s face. “Aunt Charlotte.”

Burke wanted to smack himself for being insensitive, but he was still tingling from coming so damned hard, and his new arousal was becoming painful. “I’m sorry for your loss, Rachel. I knew Charlotte as well as anyone around here, and I know she doted on you.”

Rachel blinked. “She talked about me?”

“Only all the time.” Burke took Rachel by the elbow and stiffly walked her toward Gerald’s office. “Said you were the spitting image of her brother. Got all the looks in the family.” He winked, and Rachel smiled prettily. “Also said you were stubborn as a mule.”

“That’s the truth.” She sounded sad, and he cursed himself for making her feel worse when his intention had been to make her feel better.

They reached Gerald’s building, and Burke knew he needed to prepare himself for whatever outlandish preparations Charlotte had made in her will. It was too good to be true that the woman would have simply willed him the property, the totem, and all that went with it.

Burke opened the door and followed Rachel into the converted post office. As steadfast as their odd little town, though in a new location, Winter and Sons had been servicing Cougar Falls since its official inception one hundred and fifty years ago. Gerald was the seventh Winter to head the law firm, and just as vigilant in serving justice as his father had been before he retired. Burke narrowed his gaze as Gerald walked out of his office and straight toward Rachel, a huge, predatory smile on his face.

A silver fox like the sheriff, Gerald did his best work soothing folks and maneuvering his way around the law. Women found him pleasing enough, and his profitable enterprise didn’t hurt him for companionship. In his mid-thirties and a fellow schoolmate growing up, Gerald, along with Ty and Joel, made for interesting companions when Burke’s brothers drove Burke crazy enough to leave the house.

And speaking of crazy… Burke glared at the sly lawyer cozying up to Rachel.

Fortunately for Gerald, Burke was in a forgiving mood. Instead of ripping his throat out for poaching on Burke’s territory—Gerald would clearly be able to scent Burke all over Rachel—Burke turned his roiling lust into fury, and kept it simmering just under the surface.

He growled under his breath, and Gerald swung wide eyes toward him, as if just noticing him. Wily bastard. Burke bared his sharpening canines and huffed audibly, shooting a small nod in Rachel’s direction before turning fully human again. Hearing him, she turned and raised a brow in question. Gerald, however, took the hint and subtly stepped closer to Burke and away from Rachel. The lawyer extended a hand and shook hers, then just as quickly let go.

“I’m so sorry for your loss, Rachel.”

His sincerity was clear, and Rachel tried to smile as her eyes welled with tears.

Catching her by the elbow, Burke led her after Gerald, who motioned for them to follow him into his office. His paralegal was nowhere to be found, and Burke wondered where she’d gone to.

Seeing the question in Burke’s eyes and his glance toward Julia’s empty desk outside, Gerald shrugged. “Had a family emergency, she said. She’ll be gone a week or more.”

“Nothing serious, I hope.” Burke liked Julia. A quiet fox, she kept to herself and always had a pleasant word for him. And even better, she’d shot his brother Grady down a dozen times or more.

“I’m not sure.” Gerald frowned and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Rachel. Not exactly polite to discuss other matters when you’re here for Charlotte’s will.”

“No, that’s okay. I’m in no rush.”

Well I am. Burke took a seat next to Rachel across from Gerald, who sat in a huge leather chair behind his desk. Let’s find that totem and get back to the important things in life. Like how I’m going to seduce Rachel before she turns all prickly again.

“It’s just that my assistant, Julia, is always a rock, always here and helping. And something came up with her family in Washington so she had to leave yesterday—”

“Gerald, can we please get on with this?” Burke sighed.

Gerald cleared his throat and smiled apologetically. “Right, well. Before we begin, is there anything I can get you, Rachel? A glass of water, a soda, or maybe some coffee?”

Rachel shook her head. “Thanks, but Burke’s right. Since we’re here, no sense putting it off any longer. You might as well tell me what Aunt Charlotte wanted done with her things.”

“Of course.”

Nice how the SOB completely ignored Burke, who could have used something to drink. In a steady drone, Gerald read through most of the generalities of the will. All of Charlotte’s personal possessions and money, investments and the like, went to Rachel.

“And as the only relative Charlotte truly cared about since your father passed away, you’ve inherited everything she considered dear to her. Including the house.”

Shit.

“The property, however…” Gerald paused, and Burke wanted to punch him for drawing this out. “The property is divided between you and the Chastells.” Gerald turned to Burke. “You’ve been wanting to buy from Charlotte forever. Well, Burke, now’s your chance. If Rachel decides to sell, everything on the property, to include the house and the material within it, becomes yours.” The totem, he meant but didn’t say. With the totem back in the hands of protectors who both understood and respected the ancient relic, peace would surely return to Cougar Falls. No more clan wars, and no more threats of strangers having a hold on something as valuable as the totem.

Rachel stared at Gerald, her gaze narrowing with suspicion as it lit on Burke. “Are you saying Mr. Chastell wants my aunt’s property? And that she steadily refused to sell it?”

Burke had a sudden ache in the pit of his belly, a feeling that often preceded something bad about to happen.

“That’s what I’m saying.” Gerald stacked his papers and squared them. “Charlotte’s property and the Chastells’ border one another. They’ve always been friendly, don’t get me wrong. But it’s no secret Burke and his brothers want to reclaim the land that their great-great grandfather gave to one of your relatives so many years ago.”

“I see.” She glared at Burke, and he stared back, confused.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she snapped. Turning back to Gerald, she pasted a sugary-sweet smile on her face. “So the house is mine, and the property is split how?”

“It’s a bit complicated. I’ll drive you out to the property so I can show you both.

Charlotte was very clear about this.” Gerald turned sharp eyes on Burke, as if willing him to listen.

Burke, however, didn’t understand what the hell had crawled up Rachel’s ass. He couldn’t deny her fury made him hot, but he didn’t understand what he’d done wrong.

Was she suddenly blaming him for their time together in the alley? It wasn’t as if he’d staged that fight with those knuckle-dragging wolf Shifters. And he sure as hell hadn’t planned to come in his jeans while dry-fucking her against a dirty brick wall.

“Burke, I said I’ll drive Rachel out to the property now. Perhaps you’d care to follow, so I only have to do this once?”

Burke nodded. “Fine, sure. Look, why don’t you go file your papers or something? I need a word with Rachel.”

“Yes, Mr. Winter. I’d like a word with Mr. Chastell as well.” Rachel’s glare could have cut steel.

Gerald glanced from Rachel to Burke and unsuccessfully masked a grin. “Fine. I’ll be waiting outside when you’re through.” Grabbing his papers and shoving them in his briefcase, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

The minute he left, Rachel stood ramrod straight and glared down her sexy little nose at Burke. “You arrogant asshole.”

“What’s your problem?” Burke honestly had no idea why she’d grown so upset.

“You thought screwing me would sway me into selling my aunt’s place to you?”

Burke scowled. “Now wait a minute, Rachel. I—”

She leaned down and poked him in the chest, hard, stirring his instincts to fight back.

Or perhaps, to turn their tussle into something more…intimate. “You wait a minute, Chastell. If you wanted to buy the place, all you had to do was ask. That scene in the alley was totally unnecessary. And not that good to boot.”

He launched himself out of his chair to glare down at her. “Not that good, Miss Penny? First of all, that ‘scene’ in the alley, as you put it, was not staged. Second, that was anything but a real fuck. We had all our clothes on, for Christ’s sake. And third.” He paused to close what little distance remained between them. Staring directly into her eyes, nose to nose, he growled his last words. “The orgasm we shared was more than good, it was explosive. Lie to yourself if you want to, but you came hard, like a shot.” He licked his lips, unable to help how turned on she made him in her anger. “And I can still smell your come creaming your panties. Hell, right now you want nothing more than a hard fuck right on Gerald’s desk, isn’t that right?”

Her pupils dilated with lust, and her scent filled the room. Pure, unadulterated sex.

“Fuck. You.”

“Sure thing, honey. You just name the time and place.”

He watched in amazement as her pupils began to elongate. He could smell the familiar scent of feline musk flooding the room and waited, his breath held, as Rachel amazingly began to turn.

Her hair began to rise as her body was covered in a field of static energy, and her teeth grew sharp as she hissed at him in anger. God, she made him burn. The mixture of mountain lion and woman was almost more than he could take. Glancing at Gerald’s desk, Burke figured he could have it cleared in one swipe of his arm. He’d bend her over the solid oak on her belly and yank those jeans and panties off her legs. Within seconds he’d lower his own clothes, just enough to spring his cock free before he’d shove it hard and deep into that honeyed, wet pussy.

Rachel’s hands fisted into paws as she raised one arm as if to strike.

Do it. Please, touch me and I swear I’ll mark you as one of mine in a heartbeat. The choice, even unknowingly made, had to be hers.

Gerald, damn his ass, chose that minute to knock at the door. “Hey, is everything all right in there?”

Son of a bitch. Burke knew Gerald could smell the passion raging in the room, the scent of a female in heat overpowering enough to easily reach the lawyer outside the office.

Rachel blinked, and that suddenly her shift vanished as if it had never been. She swayed and righted herself, still miffed enough not to want Burke’s touch. “Come near me again and I’ll geld you.” Sniffing, she turned on her heel and stalked out the door, nearly knocking over Gerald, who waited impatiently on the other side.

Gerald watched Rachel go with amusement, his lips quirked in an aggravating smirk.

“Not one word.” Burke stormed through the door, knocking Gerald into the wall as he passed, heading for the bathroom to finally clean up. “Not one fucking word.”

Rachel was so mad she wanted to cry. Frustrated anger that had no outlet, not to mention the absurd hurt, lingered in her battered heart. When would she learn? Jesse, apparently, hadn’t been enough of a fiasco to teach her abject lessons about the male of the species. Men weren’t loyal, they weren’t honest, and they certainly weren’t worth a single tear.

Wiping her cheeks with a rough jerk, she stalked outside to the only car in the lot and waited. Why couldn’t she have seen this earlier? Men like Burke Chastell had one thing on their minds and one thing only: screwing over women to get whatever they wanted.

Hadn’t she caught him verbally abusing that poor waitress this morning? And the entire diner had overheard Rachel state her name as Rachel Penny, not to mention her connection to Charlotte. Why then hadn’t he mentioned he wanted her land? That he and her aunt were neighbors, at least?

No. It was so much easier, and probably more fun, to fuck with Rachel’s body and mind. The dishonesty of it all made her want to puke. It was so…so Jesse all over again.

And then to stir her to horny madness in Gerald’s office? What was wrong with him?

Shit. What was wrong with her?

Because as much as she’d hated him at that moment, her body had been readying for his penetration. Her clit ached at his nearness, moisture pooling between her thighs as if he’d had his large hand rubbing her, prepping her for his thick, juicy cock. She’d felt an almost animal hunger and a hazy sense of desire, both foreign feelings that scared her and aroused her all over again.

She groaned, clenching the hair by her temples. She swore she could smell him, even here. That caramel, sticky-sweet scent drenched in sex that made her want to spread her thighs and beg for him. Beg? The only dumbass who should be begging is the jerk in that office. Creaming for him. Ha.

Lie, lie, lie, her inner self urged her. At least preserve your self-respect.

Inhaling deeply, Rachel strove to work her temper under control. She refused to surrender to her body’s foolish demands. Head over heart, mind over matter, and reason over orgasm should have been her steadfast mantra. Instead, she battled her desires as she waited for Burke the Jerk and Gerald to join her. But surprisingly, after just a few minutes, her raging need settled as if it had never been, making her more confused than ever.

When Gerald arrived a few moments later, he smiled and opened the passenger door of his Range Rover, waiting for her to enter. It felt strange to have a man behave like such a gentleman after Burke’s aggressiveness and her ex-husband’s perfidy.

Gerald, however, behaved with a gentle assertiveness she found comforting. He drove slowly through the town, commenting here and there on Cougar Falls’ history. And she breathed easily, relaxed around him. Though attractive and with that same, earthy scent all the men around this town seemed to possess, he didn’t make her crazed with lust. She had no urges to strip him naked or nuzzle his neck to inhale his scent. Thank God.

“And there’s Millie’s ice cream parlor.” Gerald pointed her toward an attractive little shop. “The woman’s nearing seventy-four and still opens the shop every morning and closes it every evening. That’s what I love about this place. The sense of pride in ownership and the family traditions.”

Rachel nodded, taken with the charming town. The brick-and-log buildings showed their age and their character, all of them carefully preserved and well tended. She didn’t see a speck of litter anywhere, just clusters of bright multicolored flowers in window boxes and barrels. As they neared the center of town, she saw groups of smiling and laughing couples with children dancing near what appeared to be an open park. In the park’s center stood a large white gazebo peopled with musicians and surrounded by food booths.

“The Totem Festival’s today. That’s what has all those people out here so early on a Saturday.”

“Totem Festival?”

Gerald smiled and kept his eyes on the paved road that gradually turned into a dirt road a mile outside of town. “A long time ago this used to be Salish land, though a lot of the history books show the Salish Indians farther west, thanks to our unscrupulous Uncle Sam.” He grimaced and continued. “Well, a few Salish ran into a mysterious, small group of people inhabiting the region we now live in.”

Rachel listened, curious and caught by Gerald’s rhythmic words. She had a feeling the story was important, but couldn’t have said why. When he’d mentioned the Totem Festival, her entire body tensed on alert. Like everything else that had happened to her since stepping foot in Cougar Falls, this made no sense either.

Instead of dwelling on it, she said to hell with worry and latched onto his story. “So the root of this festival isn’t the Salish, but the people they ran into.”

“Right, the Shifters.” Gerald flashed her a smile and turned down another dirt road, taking them deeper into the mountains. “The Salish called them Ac-taw, which in the Shifters’ language meant animal souls. According to legend, the Ac-taw could transform into the beasts that dwelt within their souls.”

“What, like werewolves and cat people?” Funny, she’d heard the same tales from Aunt Charlotte growing up. But her aunt had never given the Shifters a name. She’d just laughed and teased Rachel with fanciful stories.

“I guess you could call them that. But the Indians believed more in a transmutation of souls into living form. Not so much monsters as people who could live as either animal or human, a beautiful combination of both spirits in one flesh.” Gerald’s words took on a dreamy tone, and Rachel had to force herself to recall he was telling a story and not some personal history.

“So where does this totem come in?”

“The Ac-taw supposedly worshipped a living stalk of wood that brought good health, long life and protection to those under its spell. And that living stalk of wood is the totem we celebrate on festival days.”

“Days?”

“Four times a year the town celebrates the Totem Festival. It’s fun, a way of ushering in the seasons. We have a carnival of sorts, nothing weird. The kids have a blast, and it’s an excuse for the town’s citizens to get together and have a big party.

“The totem’s a beautiful antique, a large timber maybe twenty feet high and three feet wide. Animal carvings painted in rich, vibrant color decorate the thing. You can almost believe the legends about the Ac-taw having imbued the wood with their power. It feels incredibly alive. Once you’ve seen it, you’ll understand what I mean.”

“Wow. I’d like to see this thing. A magical totem pole and Shifters, huh? Cougar Falls has an entertaining history, I’ll give you that.”

Gerald grinned. “As do our inhabitants. You’ve met a few this morning, I gather.”

Apparently, news traveled fast in a town this size. She wasn’t surprised. “Yeah. I walked into the Fox’s Henhouse ready for a big plate of pancakes only to hear Burke Chastell growling at some woman to keep her hands off. God’s gift to women,” she muttered, realizing how much she’d liked Burke’s hands on her and wishing she didn’t.

“Well, don’t judge Burke too harshly concerning Sarah.” Gerald continued to maneuver through a cropping of woods, confusing Rachel with the many twists and turns onto expansive dirt roads that looked no better than well-worn trails. “Sarah Duncan is not what you’d call a one-man woman.”

“So it’s okay to treat her like crap because she likes men?” Gerald wasn’t looking so charming now.

“No, no.” He frowned at her before turning his attention back to the road. “Sarah’s a wonderful woman, though she’s not really selective about who she sleeps with. But that’s her business and no one else’s. My point is, she’s been all over Burke for years. No matter how many times, and nicely I might add, he’s said no, she just won’t leave him alone. And I don’t know if you noticed, but he doesn’t like to be touched.”

That she hadn’t noticed—at all. But maybe his reaction to Sarah had been justified, if what Gerald said was the truth. Which still didn’t excuse Burke from screwing around with her to get at Charlotte’s property.

“What about Burke? What’s his deal?” She clenched her jaw at Gerald’s knowing look. “I just want to know about my aunt’s neighbor, that’s all. She never mentioned him and I find that curious.”

“Did she tell you a lot about us, about the town I mean?”

“Not really.” The more Rachel thought about that, the more her aunt’s omission struck her. “She used to tell me stories about what you called Ac-taw, or Shifters.

Interesting fantasy, and it made our visits a lot of fun. I didn’t see her all that much, but we kept in touch through other means.”

Gerald nodded and pulled into a sudden grassy flatland surrounded by mountains and a stretch of valley. “She was a friendly woman. Charlotte never had a bad word to say about anyone, at least not to me. Now she liked things done her way, but she was extremely giving. She’d loan you the shoes off her feet if you needed them.” He cleared his throat and gave her a side glance. “Charlotte got on well with the Chastells, despite their contrary natures. And they loved your aunt. Burke and his brothers were always helping her with one thing or another.”

“Really?” To ingratiate themselves with the old woman so she’d sell them her property?

Gerald chuckled. “Such suspicion in those pretty eyes. Really, Rachel, Charlotte loved those ‘lost boys,’ as she liked to call them. Yes, Burke and his brothers want the land back that once belonged to them, but they never pressured Charlotte to sell. She told me that Burke had asked once, and only once. She said no, and he accepted her decision.

He still put new shingles on her roof when the old ones wore down. And Grady and Dean still mow her lawn and help with odds and ends when she needs, ah, needed it.”

“Grady and Dean?”

“Burke’s brothers. The Chastells are three confirmed bachelors living on a large spread out here. Catamount Ranch isn’t that big by ranch standards, a few hundred acres at most. And much of their land is hilly, being so near the mountains. But it’s pure and clear. And it’s theirs.”

Like this place is now mine. Rachel rolled down her window as they pulled onto a long drive. Over a small hill a two-story, cream-colored house came into view. Warmth settled in her belly, the possibility of a new beginning taking root. Any unpleasant feeling vanished as she caught sight of her new home.

And then Burke arrived in his pick-up, kicking up dust, and shattered her peace.

Chapter Three

Burke slammed the door to his truck and ignored Rachel, scanning the surrounding forest for the uninvited signs of life he’d sensed as soon as he’d stopped the truck and took a sniff. Someone was out there, but he couldn’t determine friend or foe. Too many other scents clouded the wind, though once again, Rachel’s wasn’t one of them. No womanly smell, no sexual need, nothing.

“Burke?”

“Why don’t you show Rachel the house, Gerald? I just remembered something I forgot to take care of the last time I was here.”

Gerald shot a sharp look at the woods directly beyond Burke and nodded, his nose twitching. “Good idea. Come on, Rachel. Let me show you the box Charlotte left for you.

It’s inside.”

Rachel glanced from Gerald to Burke and nodded. To Burke’s relief, she filed inside the house without a murmur of protest. His skin itching to make the change and investigate his source of unease, he walked quickly into the treeline a few hundred feet from the house and began shedding his clothing. In less than a minute, he’d stashed his clothes behind a massive boulder and shifted into his inner beast—a large mountain lion.

Breathing deep, he closed his eyes to focus, and headed west. A short distance from his starting point he saw an equally large catamount facing off against a trio of gray wolves. Didn’t those bastards ever travel anywhere solo?

“How long have they been here?” he sent his brother Grady.

“Too long.” Grady hissed, scratching at the ground in front of him. One of the wolves growled, but the bigger ones by his side held him back with a small sound. The wolves eyed both cats and slowly backed away, their eyes locked until a reasonable distance had been asserted. Then they turned tail and raced into the woods.

Grady made ready to follow when Burke planted himself firmly in his path. “No, not now. Rachel Penny, Charlotte’s niece, is with Gerald in the house.”

Eyes wide, Grady sniffed at Burke and smiled, dropping onto his belly with a grin.

“So that’s why I smell sex on you. You finally used the condom, eh?”

Burke swiped at his brother, swatting his flank with a sharp slap.

“What the hell was that for?” Grady glared and bared his teeth.

“Do I really need a reason? You’re a pain in the ass. How’s that?”

“Jerk.”

“Bastard.”

“Asshole.”

“Nice conversation. Mind if I join in?” Dean approached stealthily, his coat more cinnamon than his brothers’, who could have been twins in their beast form. His yellow eyes gleamed with humor. “So, Burke, you use that condom yet?”

Grady chuffed with mirth when Burke growled at his youngest brother.

“Not you, too. Look, Charlotte’s niece is at the house with Gerald, and I need to get back before I’m missed. Grady, take care of the security around here. I take it you two still haven’t found the totem?”

Dean twitched his ears in irritation. “Except for the wolves you two just chased off, there’s been nothing here since…Charlotte.” They all fell silent. “But the niece is finally here, hmm? What’s she like?”

“She’s a tough one, but I’m handling her.”

“Sure you are.” Grady’s eyes gleamed with amusement.

“Oh ho. So that’s the way of it. Was she any good?” Dean wanted to know.

Burke growled a warning before pouncing. He needed to get back to Rachel, but he’d about had it with his brothers’ insinuations and teasing. Time to remind them who was in charge.

Several minutes later, he released a cursing Dean and left an amused Grady to prowl the grounds. Loping back to his clothes, he hurriedly donned them and returned to the house just as Gerald and Rachel exited.

“Ah, Burke. There you are. We were just about to come find you.”

Ignoring the censure in Gerald’s tone, Burke nodded at Rachel. “You okay?”

Her eyes were red-rimmed and her cheeks pale. She nodded, however, and met his gaze. “It’s hard, but I’m managing. My aunt was a neat freak. So moving in should be a snap.”

Burke shot a surprised glance at Gerald, who shrugged behind Rachel. “You’re staying?”

Her lips thinned. “Yes. Is that going to be a problem?”

Thoughts about the totem slipped his mind as he realized Rachel staying gave him an opportunity to revisit their association from earlier this morning. He couldn’t help grinning as he stared at her from head to toe. “No problem at all. I’d be more than happy to help you settle in, Rachel.”

She blinked at his husky voice and took a step back in confusion. Good, he’d thrown her. Now how to lure her close again. He not only wanted to touch and taste every inch of her, but he wanted her away from this house for her own protection. And then there was that little matter of the totem’s whereabouts.

Rachel coughed into her hand, breaking the sudden silence. “I, ah, I think we need to continue, Gerald. You said you’d let us know how my aunt divided the property?”

Gerald nodded at Rachel and proceeded to explain Charlotte’s wishes.

Rachel gawked at Gerald, and Burke could only stare, not sure what to say. On the one hand, Charlotte’s decision made it easier for him to search for the totem. And on the other… He glanced at Rachel.

“You’re telling me Charlotte didn’t divide the property or set up any boundaries at all.” He waited for Gerald’s affirmation before continuing. “So basically, my brothers and I co-own the land with Rachel, but she retains sole ownership of the actual house?”

“Ah, not exactly.”

“Explain it then.” Burke didn’t like surprises, and Gerald’s ambiguity was pissing him off big time.

“Charlotte didn’t leave the land to all the Chastells. Just to you, Burke, and to Rachel.” Gerald dug into his briefcase and withdrew an official envelope. “This is for you, from Charlotte. And this one…” he paused to dig out another one, “…this one’s for you, Rachel. It’s supposed to explain everything. You are each to open the letters and hand them back to me when you’re done.” He produced a lighter. “Sorry, but she wanted me to burn the letters once you finished. Nothing says you can’t share the information you read with each other, however. I didn’t understand her wishes either, but per Charlotte, no one else reads your messages but you. And if you fail to abide by that minor instruction, the entire property goes to Monty GrayClaw or his descendants.”

“What?”

Gerald sighed. “Just read the damned letter and burn it, Burke. It’s easy enough to understand. Rachel, you okay with this?”

“Sure. I guess.” She gave Burke a wary look and turned her attention back to her envelope. Opening it, she read the letter, her frown growing as her eyes flew over the page.

Burke muttered under his breath about contrary females and did the same, thinking Charlotte’s grand, flowing script fit with the larger-than-life, autocratic woman who liked to boss him at every turn. Even in death she reached out to tell him what to do.

Dear Burke,

As the hotheaded leader of your pride, I expect nothing less than your very best in regards to my lovely niece, Rachel. You’ve been after my land for some time, and I know you only have the town’s best interests at heart. To that effect, I bequeath to you the care of the totem’s guardian and all that comes with her, with the exception of my house, which Rachel needs more than you can know. Of course, this is conditional on Rachel accepting you—truly accepting you.

She’s a Penny through and through, and needs a strong man by her side. It’s my deepest wish that you take her as a mate and as a wife, or if you refuse to see her coming as the gift it is, as at least a member of your pride. But make sure she fulfills her responsibilities to Cougar Falls. She was born to summon the totem. Stand by her as she learns what to do, and whatever you do, don’t desert her in her time of need. Be the strong male presence in her life I never had. And don’t even think of working around me on this. You’re not nearly as smart as you think you are. Help my niece and help yourself.

Lead her, Burke, show her the way. All or nothing. And you and the town will find a treasure to preserve the past.

Sincerely, a pain in the ass ’til the end,

Charlotte

Glancing at Gerald, Burke wondered what the hell to make of this. “You know what it says?”

Gerald nodded. “I’m the only one. You finished?” He reached for the letter, taking it from Burke’s limp hand. In seconds the lighter he held burned the letter to ash, and they both turned their attention to Rachel.

Scowling, she gripped the page tighter as she finished, then reread her missive. “This is nuts.” She stared at Gerald. “You actually encouraged my aunt with this nonsense?”

“It’s not nonsense.” Gerald nodded to the letter. “Read it again until you’re sure you won’t forget what’s written there. I’m not allowed to assist you any more than I already have. From now on, if you have questions, Burke’s here to guide you with regards to the actual property and what’s in it.”

Burke didn’t know how the hell he was going to guide Rachel in anything considering he had no idea how to “call” the damned totem, or how to make the thing work. When Charlotte’s health had begun to fail, the totem’s magic had wavered, then weakened. And when she’d died, the magic and the large relic had vanished. A twenty-foot tall hunk of wood just…gone.

Now Charlotte implied Rachel was here to take over where she’d left off, hell, maybe even to be his wife, if Charlotte had her way, and Gerald, that asshole, had known about this the whole time.

“We’ve been without protection for a week.” Burke took a threatening step in Gerald’s direction. “If you knew, you should have—”

“I’ve done as I’ve been told. Now it’s up to you and Rachel. Sink or swim, this town needs its defenses before the others step in. And I think you know who I’m talking about.” Gerald stared beyond Burke toward the woods.

Yeah, Gerald had smelled the wolves as well. The encroaching bastards. The gray wolves wanted the totem for themselves, not content with their large territory in Glacier National Park. The mangy canines wanted a better handhold on “civilization,” and the totem and Cougar Falls were a perfect breeding ground to start a new Order, one to rival the huge faction in Texas growing in leaps and bounds.

Rachel interrupted his chaotic thoughts. “Okay, I think I need some explanations, and I need them now.”

Gerald smiled, showing too many teeth. “And that’s my cue to leave.” He snatched the letter from Rachel, burned it and pocketed his lighter. Grabbing his briefcase, he swiftly said his goodbyes and left them standing together, alone at last.

Rachel blinked rapidly and shook her head. “This is like some bad dream. I inherited my aunt’s house with major strings attached. And what the hell is this totem, anyway?

Gerald told me about a twenty-foot totem pole, but that letter said something way different. I want answers, Burke.”

She planted her hands on her hips, her attitude both aggressive and scared. He wanted to know exactly what Charlotte had written, and why it made Rachel so nervous.

“Tell me what your aunt said.”

“First, you tell me about this totem pole and why the town has festivals dedicated to it. And why were you fighting with mountain men just after breakfast? And while you’re at it, why are most of the men I’ve seen in town so…”

“So what?”

“So animalistic? Not to mention loaded with testosterone and weirdly good-looking genes.” She stared at him almost accusingly.

His brows rose. So did that mean she thought he was handsome as well? Even as he preened he chastised himself. The totem, Burke. Remember the town.

With a sigh, he grabbed his keys out of his pants pocket and tossed them in his hand.

“You want the truth, is that it?” At her insistent nod, he exhaled heavily. “Fine. Maybe that’ll make everything clearer. But this is going to take a while. How about you and I grab some coffee at my place? I’ll behave, I promise.” He wanted to smile at the small frown of disappointment curling her lips, wondering if she realized it was there. “I’ll show you my neighboring land and introduce you to my idiot brothers if they’re home, and then we can figure out how to work with Charlotte’s last wishes so that we can both live with the results.”

She cocked her head, as if weighing his sincerity. Whatever she saw satisfied her, and the tension he hadn’t been aware of within him relaxed. “All right. Then you’ll take me back into town to get my car?”

“Whatever you want.” So long as I get you away from rogue wolves and away from here. Careful not to crowd her, as much as he wanted to, he waited while she carried her box back into the house and returned after locking the front door behind her. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that anyone who wanted in would find a way, if they hadn’t already. Hell, he and his brothers had already looked through the home and that box, but had found nothing of any consequence, much to their dismay.

Burke helped Rachel into his truck and closed the door after her. A strange enjoyment filled him at having her to himself again, and he drove the mile separating their properties slowly.

“So what do you do on your ranch?”

He glanced at her, appreciating the glint of sunlight striking her hair into a glossy blue-black. “We raise a small herd of cattle, mostly for food, as well as a large vegetable garden. Our family’s run the land for over two hundred years. We try to be self-sufficient, for the most part. But we generate much of our income from Chastell Tours, a fishing guide company Dean and Grady run. I operate the business end of it from the house.” He shrugged. “I’m not one for tourists and bigger towns. What about you?”

“Well, over a year ago I split from my business partner of three years. I’ve been involved in legal battles since.” Her lips turned down, and he saw bitterness in her gaze.

“A real waste of my life.” Her business partner sounded like way more than some platonic associate. “Luckily, I was always the gifted one in our partnership. I run a small business, a promotions firm that specializes in web development and management.”

He nodded. “So you can do that anywhere, so long as you can get on the Internet.”

No reason for her to leave Cougar Falls. His blood pounded at the thought.

“Yeah. Actually, this couldn’t have happened at a better time.”

He glanced at her and saw her flush.

“I didn’t mean that, at least, not the way it sounded. I loved Aunt Charlotte. Hell, I wish she was here right now and I was just visiting. But she’s gone, and I’m at loose ends. Aunt Charlotte would have said it was fate.”

Burke felt the ghostly whisper of destiny over the back of his neck. “You a big believer in fate?”

“No, actually.” She chuckled and leaned her head toward the window, the wind pushing through her dark hair like threading fingers. “I don’t like to think my future’s planned for me. I think we all make our own destinies.”

“Yeah, me too. But I’ve been told I have control issues.”

She turned to him and her grin lit her face, a beacon of warmth he wanted to bask in.

“Who told you that?”

“Grady and Dean. The two most irritating men you’ve ever met in your life.”

“But, Burke, if they’re anything like you, I can’t imagine them being anything less than perfectly charming.”

He laughed. “Very funny. But you’ll see soon enough.” He pulled into his driveway and drove the half mile to the house. A large rancher, the house had plenty of room for his pride—what used to consist of nearly twenty Shifter pairings and the occasional loner, now down to three unattached catamount males, a bear Shifter with attitude and his pretty wife. Years ago, the town suffered when the totem fell under the gray wolves’ hands for a spell. Huge clan wars resulted in getting the totem back, but at a price. Many in the pride died, and the rest eventually scattered. Though saddened, his parents had said it was for the best, as many in the pride had been considering leaving anyway. Catamounts, traditionally, were solitary creatures. Typically, outside of one’s immediate family, a male feline Shifter felt the urge to claim his own territory. And unlike the wolves, cats weren’t pack animals; they didn’t much like to share. Burke and his brothers, however, didn’t fit the mold. They liked living together, with each other and with Joel and his family. They had no plans to separate, whether they mated or not.

Thoughts of mating had him glancing at Rachel, and he wondered how she would like living alone in Charlotte’s house.

Rachel whistled, shifting his focus. “Holy crap, this place is huge. And so pretty.”

He felt a burst of pride and parked, trying to see his house as she might. Built in sections, the main log cabin was surrounded by flowers and a small stream behind the house. Through the years, they’d added on to the house as needed, making the additions seamless. Now, thirty-four hundred square feet of space gave his pride enough room to roam without stepping all over one another, and the extra cabins near the main house gave them even more space.

“Who lives in those?” Rachel pointed to two of the six cabins visible over the hill on which the property sat.

“Joel and his wife, Maggie, live in that one. You saw them this morning in the Fox’s Henhouse. Joel was the big guy sitting at the table next to mine, and Maggie was the cute blonde, his wife. She’s the one who keeps the flowers so nice, while Joel works around the ranch with me. He’s big into the garden.”

“He’s a farmer?”

“Of sorts. He loves to eat, and makes sure we have what we need to survive.”

“Interesting. You sound like one of those survivalists or something.”

Or something. Before he could comment further, they exited the truck and were met by Dean coming off the porch. Crap.

Dean’s eyes glowed with welcome, and he held out his hand with a wide grin. “Hey.

Ms. Penny?”

“Word sure travels fast,” she murmured to Burke before taking Dean’s hand. “Call me Rachel.” Dean brought her palm to his lips, and to his relief, Burke sensed no arousal wafting off the woman. But when Dean refused to let her hand go, his eyes glued to Rachel as if she were his, Burke saw red.

Possession rode him, brother or not, and he growled low in his throat, warning Dean away from what he considered his. Rachel swung to face him, her mouth open in surprise, and that quickly, the sweet scent of desire overrode the little gathering.

“Shit.” Dean sucked in a breath, his golden eyes glowing as he struggled not to shift, his eyes and hands caught in the change. But he didn’t move away from Rachel fast enough to suit Burke.

“Mine.” Burke inserted himself between her and his brother. Glaring down into Dean’s gaze, he forced his brother to break away and turn fully human. Dean growled his displeasure but did as Burke bade.

“Excuse me?” Rachel’s voice sounded too husky for his peace of mind.

And then Grady turned the corner and froze as the wind changed, bringing Rachel’s scent to him. “So sweet.” Grady rumbled and moved closer. “So rich.”

“So mine,” Burke said again, needing to stake his claim. Hell, he wanted to fuck Rachel right now, to more than mark her, but to mate with her, so that his brothers and every other damned male would see who she belonged to.

“Mine?” Rachel, unfortunately, didn’t seem to be on the same track. “We are talking about something else and not me, aren’t we?”

His brothers turned as one to stare at her, and Burke shifted on his feet, trying to will away his growing erection and regain a measure of control. “Yeah. My brothers are really into my truck, always trying to take what isn’t theirs and isn’t going to be,” he tried warning more subtly.

“I’m thinking he didn’t use it yet.” Dean meant the condom, and just thinking about putting it on for Rachel made Burke want to howl with lust.

“Nope. This should be good.” Grady grinned.

Rachel frowned. “You know, Burke, you’re right. They’re just as irritating as you said they’d be.”

Grady and Dean laughed and stepped back, breaking some of the tension. “I like her,” Grady admitted. “Stubborn, hot as hell, and she doesn’t seem to like Burke much.

Perfect.”

Rachel blushed, her features drawn in annoyance. Burke understood all too well how she felt. He loved his brothers, but they could be such a pain sometimes. He was only three years older than Grady and five more than Dean, but at times he felt almost ancient.

“I never said I didn’t like Burke. He’s been very…nice to me.” By her tone, he could tell she was remembering their encounter in the alley. And again his lust spiraled, his desire to mark her as feline growing almost impossible to resist.

His brothers stopped smiling as they caught the musk of intent wafting from him.

“Oh yeah,” Dean whispered, his eyes again blazing. “We haven’t marked a female in forever.”

Rachel blinked as if in a daze, staring from Dean to Grady and then to Burke with a familiar need. Her eyes narrowed and like before, her pupils elongated. Her skin shimmered with Shifter energy, and Burke felt the unspoken desire between them.

Unfortunately, it encompassed more than just him, but his brothers as well. He didn’t want to, but knowing he could right now fully mark Rachel with their help spurred his intent.

“Do you want this, Rachel?” he asked, knowing she had no idea of what he really meant. But his hormones didn’t seem to care. He had to mark her in the worst way. And sexual scenting from three ready cat Shifters would certainly do the trick.

“Rachel?” Grady growled, his teeth sharp and bright under the sun.

“Rachel?” Dean repeated, licking his lips. “Just say yes.”

She stared at them all, her eyes wide, her full lips parted, readying to respond. Burke scented arousal, confusion, and the first stirrings of feminine fear, bringing him fast to the point of no return. He could fight against arousal, but the smell of fear stirred his need to hunt. And taking Rachel was something he wanted more than his next breath.

The sound of a vehicle approached, tearing Rachel’s attention. Like a switch that had been thrown, the smell of her arousal abruptly disappeared, leaving three highly aroused Shifters nowhere to go but frustrationville.

Chapter Four

Rachel swayed as she stared at the familiar blonde coming toward her with a bright smile. Dizzy, she could only breathe deeply and blink to clear her blurred vision. Dean and Grady spun and left without another word, and their departure made her upset for some reason. She’d been wanting something…

But it was Burke who drew and held her attention from the blonde. His hair blew around his face despite the calm, and his amber eyes looked overly bright in such a harsh, masculine face. His mouth was taut, as if Burke strained against hunger. Enthralled by the sharp sight of him, her gaze wandered from his eyes to his long throat to his broad chest and farther down, finally resting on the large bulge tense against the front of his jeans.

Confusion filled her. Burke wanted her, of that she had no doubt. And the others…they’d been, what? Aroused and wanting her too? A woman his brothers had just met? They couldn’t possibly have intimated they’d desired her. That nonsense about marking? She tore her gaze from his erection and stared into his needy eyes. The look on Burke’s face just now. None of it made any sense.

He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her.

“Burke?”

He deliberately tightened his hold, as if to show her who was in charge. But before she could protest, he kissed her. Hard, possessive lips ravaged her mouth. He speared her with his tongue, the flavor of him knocking her for a loop. Had Burke not held her, she would surely have fallen. Her tongue met his and slipped into his mouth, pulling a hoarse groan from him. She felt his erection burning against her belly, and that spiral of heat that seemed to come and go whenever he neared flared again. God, she wanted so much to feel him inside of her.

She pressed against him, nearly climbing him to get closer, but as she moved her lips over his something scratched her mouth.

Burke froze and tore his mouth from hers. His eyes were that eerie golden color, the shape of his pupils resembling that of a cat. He stared at the bottom of her lip, which stung, and leaned down to kiss her, gently this time. He shuddered and ran his tongue over her lower lip before thrusting her as far from him as he could.

“Maggie, help Rachel to a cup of coffee, would you?” She loved his voice, so deep and rough, and so sexy she wanted to melt. Then the name “Maggie” registered. Who was he talking to? “I’ll be right back.”

Burke left in a blur, and once again Rachel felt reality slipping from her. When she could focus again, she found herself sitting in a chair in a masculine but homey kitchen.

A petite blonde, probably Maggie, was whistling and shuttling from cabinet to cabinet.

“Damn. Those guys never refill from the larder.”

“Larder?” Was that croak Rachel’s voice?

“Wait here, hon. I’ll be right back. Out of coffee, and of course nobody but me refills the damned jar.” She walked out of the kitchen before Rachel could say anything else, leaving Rachel alone with her thoughts since reading her aunt’s startling letter.

Impressions of Burke lingered, but she couldn’t make sense of the odd episode with him and his brothers. Since trying to recall details of that strange meeting gave her a headache, Rachel’s concentration shifted to the information her aunt had imparted in that letter, and Rachel wondered if she could even believe half of it.

According to Aunt Charlotte, Rachel was more needed in Cougar Falls than she knew. The task of watching over the precious totem all these people seemed so fixated on was a Penny tradition. For some odd reason, Charlotte believed only she, and people of her blood, could see and locate the totem as its true guardians. And if Rachel chose to believe that nonsense, then she had to also believe what her aunt said about her neighbors—that the Chastells were said protectors of this mystical totem.

Per Charlotte’s instructions, the best things for Rachel to do, in order of importance, were one: to be thankful for finally ridding herself of that leech Jesse Minton and celebrate with a good case of wild, passionate sex with a man like Burke Chastell; two: convince the same Burke Chastell to marry her, because a more perfect match couldn’t have been made in heaven; and three: find the totem with Burke, and quickly, so that the town didn’t fall apart in Charlotte’s absence. Follow your heart, Charlotte had written, emphasizing the “follow”.

As if that information weren’t startling enough, Charlotte also had several suggestions pertaining to the choosing of Rachel’s inner beast, whichever creature on the totem that appealed to her more than the others. Charlotte speculated that Rachel would probably choose the puma, but then again, the fox had always intrigued Charlotte, so who knew?

What the hell had her aunt been smoking up here? Had the letter been written in some kind of code? Rachel had wanted to better examine it, but good old Gerald hadn’t given her a chance. He’d torched the thing in seconds, leaving her with more questions than answers. Shifters, totems, and hot sex that wasn’t even sex, really, with a guy she’d just met and didn’t exactly like in an alleyway?

Okay, she could scratch the part about not liking Burke. Despite her mistrust, she couldn’t help her attraction to the man. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized their intimacy in the alley had been anything but staged. The passion that flared between them was too damned real, and she’d seen Burke’s confusion as well as his attraction on the three occasions the heat had risen between them.

Burke was actually kind of nice, in a sexy, totally masculine, tough-guy way. She liked the fact that he had responsibilities, that his brothers annoyed him and that her aunt apparently thought enough of him to recommend him for marriage. Not to mention he’d given her a mother of an orgasm through her freaking clothes. She could only imagine what he’d feel like without anything between them…

Flushing and shaking free of those thoughts, she tried to make sense of her aunt’s allusions to inner beasts and that totem. Which had her reexamining Burke’s glimpses of weirdness. In that alley he’d been wild, both with those hairy guys and with her. And just now… In her mind’s eye, she saw him and his brothers again, the three of them staring at her with catlike pupils and shimmery skin. Her breath caught. She really had seen that, hadn’t she? And if so, did that mean Charlotte was right about the rest of it? Could Rachel become one of them—whatever “them” meant?

“Found it.”

Maggie’s voice shocked Rachel into a sudden jerk that nearly threw her out of her chair.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I found the coffee.” The petite blonde prepared the pot and took two ceramic mugs from a cabinet, placing one in front of Rachel and the other in front of her seat across the table. “I’m Maggie Buchanan, Joel’s wife. We live here with Burke and his brothers, tending the ranch.”

“Yeah. Burke mentioned you.”

Maggie beamed. “He’s a wonderful man, isn’t he? A bit too high-handed at times, but the men around here tend to be real throw-backs, you know what I mean? It’s all that mountain air, I think.” She winked at Rachel. “But they sure do know how to kiss, don’t they?”

Rachel blushed, recalling the whopper Burke had planted on her right in front of Maggie. Rachel stared at the smaller woman, aware of the normalcy Maggie projected.

She seemed extremely nice and accepting, harmless really. Maybe she could shed some light on what was truly going on around here.

“How long have you lived here?”

“All my life.” Maggie grinned. “I love Cougar Falls. I met Joel seven years ago when he moved back into town. He stayed and we fell in love. We’re coming up on our fifth anniversary next month.”

“Congratulations.” Rachel paused, trying to find a way to frame her next question.

“So did you know my aunt too?”

“Sure did. Charlotte was a great friend, and a funny lady. She bossed your brothers something fierce.” Maggie chuckled. “I loved seeing them run ragged after a day with Charlotte. They’d bitch about it with Joel, but always with a grin. She treated them like family, and they’ve missed that. Their parents died years ago, back when Burke was just eighteen. He’s been raising his brothers and managing this place himself for a long time.”

Maggie rose when the coffee machine beeped and brought to the table a carafe, a container of milk and one of sugar. She gave Rachel a speculative look. “What about you?”

“Me?” Rachel busied herself by fixing her coffee.

“Do you have family to get back to? A husband and some kids, maybe?” Maggie stared at Rachel’s fingers wrapped around her mug.

“No. No husband, not anymore.” Her relief in saying that made her smile.

“A real jerk, huh?”

“You have no idea.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re rid of him then. Had a boyfriend a while back who wasn’t so nice to me.” Maggie’s voice softened. “Took me a while to see the light. That and Joel.”

Her face brightened. “I didn’t want to give Joel the time of day, but he wore me down.

And I’m glad he did. I’d do anything for that man.”

Rachel wondered what it would be like to have a man she could love as much as Maggie seemed to love Joel. Even with Jesse she’d been somewhat remote, walling off that part of herself he’d never quite reached. Sex with him had been great, but now she had to wonder, had she ever talked about him the way Maggie talked about Joel? Had she ever had that glow in her eyes thinking about her ex?

“So what do you think of the town so far?”

Rachel zeroed in on the question, pleased to turn away uncomfortable thoughts about her ex, as well as to take the opportunity to question Maggie about Cougar Falls. “It’s cute, but a little odd.”

“You think?” Was that humor behind Maggie’s bland words?

“What do you know about this totem pole everyone celebrates? My aunt seemed to think it held magical properties. And that she was responsible for it.”

“She was.”

Rachel stared, pleased but cautious at Maggie’s honesty. “In what way?”

“Look, Rachel, if I hadn’t been born and raised here, I wouldn’t believe half the things I’ve heard, let alone seen. Believe what you feel. Charlotte did. Suffice it to say your aunt was a well-respected and very important woman in this town. Her blood—your blood—runs as far back as the Salish who used to live here hundreds of years ago. And that totem is a symbol of everything Cougar Falls represents. Now that it’s missing, a lot of people are hoping you’ll bring it back.”

Great. So whatever Aunt Charlotte had been smoking, Maggie had taken a few puffs of it too.

“Sounds nutty, I know. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

Rachel was about to ask her about the Ac-taw and inner beasts when Burke and a giant of a man joined them.

“Maggie, time to gather the veggies.” The giant nodded at Rachel, his dark brown eyes tender as they fell on his wife, and Rachel placed him as a man she’d seen in the diner.

“That’s my husband, Joel, my own grizzly bear.” Joel frowned at Maggie’s laugh and hauled her out of the kitchen. “See you later, Rachel,” she yelled over her shoulder, leaving Rachel alone with Burke.

He studied her with very normal, though very handsome, whiskey-brown eyes.

Burke moved with grace, grabbing a mug and joining her at the table without taking his eyes off of her. His stare made her nervous…and made her hot.

“What?”

“You are the damnedest woman.”

She didn’t know how to take that.

“You’ve been hit with a street fight, a touchy-feely stranger in an alley,” he said, self-deprecatingly. “Then there’s your aunt’s will, and the crazy shit I’m sure she wrote about, and not the least my brothers. I thought by now you’d be running for the airport.”

“I would, but I need my car.” She relaxed, flattered truth be told, that he seemed to both like and respect her.

He chuckled. “I can see a lot of Charlotte in you. And that’s a good thing, in case you’re wondering.” He poured himself some coffee and drank it black, smiling at her over the brim.

“Burke,” Rachel started, not wanting to lose this easy discourse between them but needing to have it said. “My aunt said some strange things in her letter.”

“I can imagine.”

“You said you’d do your best to explain things to me. How about you start?”

“Ah, a tall order.” He took another swallow and his hair swung down into his eyes.

Without thinking about it, she leaned forward and pushed it back, startling him and herself.

“Sorry.”

“I’m not. I like you touching me.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he didn’t look happy. “I’m going to tell you the truth. And you’re going to think I’m one hundred percent certifiable. But do me a favor and listen until I’m done, okay? I can prove what I’m going to tell you. Just hear me out.”

Rachel nodded, her pulse racing.

“Cougar Falls isn’t like any town you’ve ever been to, Rachel. The people who live here were either born here or married into one of the founding families. I was born here with my brothers, like my parents and their parents before them. We’re Ac-taw.”

She processed what he said, her eyes wide. “Animal souls? You’re a part of those people the Salish first found?” At his surprise, she explained, “Gerald filled me in on the Totem Festival on the drive over. That and a bit more.”

“Yeah. Truth is, most of the town is Ac-taw. And the totem is the real deal, passed down for generations. Charlotte preserved it for us, and we protected her.”

Rachel frowned. “From what?”

“From those Shifters who would take it from us.”

“Shifters?”

“Humans can’t find Cougar Falls. It’s not on any map, and doesn’t ‘exist’ to outsiders.”

For the moment ignoring “humans,” Rachel asked, “Then why could I find it? I’m not Ac-taw.”

“Actually, you are. Charlotte was too, at least distantly. That’s why she was so in tune with the totem and the world around her. To many, she was a nutcase,” he said bluntly. “But she was so much more than that. She was a spirit guide, a guardian of the magic in the totem. And when she died, she took the knowledge of the totem with her.

The town needs it back. We need you, Rachel, to get it back for us.”

Rachel shook her head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I mean, I read my aunt’s letter. I know she believed what you do. But I don’t know anything about this totem or how to get it back. It wasn’t in the house or anywhere around the property that I could see. And there was nothing about it in the box Gerald showed me.”

“The knowledge is within you.” Burke touched his heart. “Once you open yourself to the beast within—”

“About this beast. My aunt seems to think I can choose my ‘inner beast,’ whatever the hell that is. Care to explain?”

Burke sighed. “Why don’t I show you instead?” He whistled and in moments, Dean and Grady appeared in the doorway. Though she hadn’t seen them pass the window, they must have been waiting nearby. “Grady? How about you do the honors? Show Rachel your animal soul.”

Grady’s eyes lit up with approval. “Don’t freak, Rachel. This is totally normal.” He began removing his clothes, much to her surprise and admitted appreciation. The Chastells were enough to make any woman’s heart race. A glance at Dean showed him leaning against the doorframe, his gaze glued to her. Burke sat beside her scowling, but said nothing more.

“Why would I freak, Grady?” She couldn’t believe he was actually stripping down to nothing but golden skin. God, Grady was just as big and almost as gorgeous as Burke.

“There’s a handsome man getting naked in front of me and his brothers. I keep thinking I should be giving you money or something. How about some music to add to the mood?”

Dean chuckled, and even Burke choked on a laugh.

She had mere moments to see Grady naked, however, because as soon as he shucked his underwear he went down on all fours, and she had to lean over the table to watch. He seemed to shimmer, his tanned flesh growing brighter and then softer as skin became fur, joints realigned and a tail formed. His eyes, as they stared at her, turned a brighter gold, the pupils slitted in what appeared to be a catlike face. It seemed to take forever, but in mere seconds Grady had disappeared, replaced by a mature male cougar.

Rachel forgot to breathe as she stared at a freaking cat person, one of her aunt’s favorite Shifters in the many tales she liked to share. Rachel didn’t know what to say, and could scarcely believe what she was seeing.

“He’s real,” Burke said softly. “Go ahead and touch him. He won’t bite.”

Rachel stood slowly and walked around the table to…Grady? His tail swooshed along the floor where he sat waiting, his eyes unblinking. She glanced again to Burke, afraid and excited and disbelieving all at once.

Burke pushed back his chair and crouched with her in front of Grady. He lifted her hand and placed it on Grady’s head. “Go ahead, honey. Feel him. It’s Grady in there.

We’re feline Shifters, catamounts. Better known as cougars or pumas.” He pressed his warm hand over hers, pushing her fingers along Grady’s soft coat.

“Oh my God.” She stared at their hands, then at Grady’s half-closed eyes. When he began to purr, her gaze shot back to Burke. “You did that. After…when we…at the alley.

You purred.”

“I did.” Burke caressed her hand before letting go. “I was very content.”

His sexy drawl gained her body’s immediate response, and Grady tensed under her hand. She immediately stilled, unnerved when Dean approached and stood behind her, boxing her in.

“You see, Rachel, it’s like this,” Burke began, licking his lips as he stared at her.

“You and Charlotte are a lot alike. Neither of you cast a scent. Or at least, you don’t unless you’re aroused. And at least three times since you’ve been here you’ve set me off like a rocket. You accused me of taking advantage of you in that alley to get Charlotte’s land. Honey, I hate to break it to you, but I’m helpless when you’re turned on.”

Grady nodded, an odd sight, seeing a big cat nod in agreement.

“We all are,” Dean added. “It’s been so long since we’ve had a female feline.”

Rachel swallowed around a dry throat. All this talk of turning her on was doing just that. Grady pushed his head under her hand, forcing her to stroke between his ears and under his chin.

“Cut it out.” Burke pushed his huge head away. “Quit rubbing all over her. She’s mi—” He broke off just as he glanced back at her. “Sorry. Grady can get a tad possessive.”

Behind her Dean snorted.

“What did you mean before when you talked about marking a female?” She wanted to know, as much as she didn’t want to know.

Dean answered. “Marking a female means you accept her as one of your own, as part of a pride or clan, a family unit. Shifters are born, not made. So marking is very, very rare. But every now and then, an Ac-taw like you comes around. A person who can choose her beast.”

“My inner beast,” Rachel said, remembering her aunt’s words.

“Yes. That inner beast is your animal soul calling out to you. That you can choose from any you encounter speaks to your power over the totem. That and the fact you project no scent. You’re a very powerful woman, Rachel. And we would be honored to mark you as ours.”

She couldn’t explain the rush she felt hearing that, but she still didn’t understand.

“As yours? What exactly does that mean?” Had they marked Maggie, too? But Maggie was married to Joel, so maybe it wasn’t a sexual thing.

Burke helped her to her feet and settled her back in her chair. She watched in awe as Grady stretched and changed back, then dressed again.

“A mark is a sign of belonging.” Dean sat next to her. “We—” he paused to motion to his brothers, “—are each marked as part of this pride, a group of Shifters led by catamounts. Joel and Maggie are marked as ours too, though they’re not cats. Marking isn’t the same as mating or joining.”

“Huh?”

Burke shook his head. “Dean, you’re making a muck of it. Let me explain.” He turned to Rachel. “A mark is a subtle scent other Shifters can smell. It lets everyone know who’s loyal to whom. Though in Cougar Falls, all the clans pretty much have an affinity to the town. Our pride is the most diverse, because we don’t care what breed of Shifter we accept.

“We mark by scent in a variety of ways. We marked Maggie and Joel over time, allowing small measures of our hormones to cover them. Completely painless and nonsexual, I promise you.”

“As if I’d make it with a bear,” Dean muttered.

“Bear?” Rachel’s mind felt sluggish. “But Maggie’s so small.”

“No. Maggie’s mostly human. Maggie has a touch of Ac-taw still in her that lets her see Cougar Falls when others can’t. Joel’s the bear.”

“Okay.” It was starting to make an odd kind of sense. Rachel stared at Grady, still trying to place him on the floor with whiskers and large teeth. He winked at her.

“Marking can be sexually done, but it doesn’t have to be. Joining is sex, pure and simple.” Burke stared hard at her and cleared his throat. “And then there’s mating.”

“As in Shifter marriage,” Grady explained. “It’s permanent and very spiritual. And the sex is to die for, or so I’ve heard.” His gaze wandered over her body suggestively, lingering on her breasts.

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest defensively, trying to protect her body from Grady, as well as her lust from growing out of control around the dangerous Chastells.

Burke apparently read her discomfort because he shoved a hard elbow into Grady’s gut.

Grady flashed long sharp teeth in what sounded like a hiss, but before they could distract her, Rachel pressed for more information.

“So you guys wanted to mark me? Why?”

Burke looked pained by the conversation but he answered her. “You haven’t chosen an animal soul yet, Rachel. And you’re so feline, it’s killing me. We would have you as one of us, to strengthen our clan.”

“And because you’re hot as hell,” Dean offered.

“Shut up, Dean.” Grady growled, rubbing his belly.

Rachel didn’t know what to think. “So, ah, there are other Shifter ‘clans,’ is that the right word?”

“Yeah. You met two of the silver fox clan today, Gerald and Ty, the sheriff. We have bears, catamounts—us—some eagle and raptor clans. And then there are the wolves.”

The way Burke said “wolves” she knew they weren’t particularly well liked. “I fought a few of them in the alley earlier. And there’ve been wolves prowling around your place looking for the totem the past two weeks.”

“What?” Those hairy thugs were wolves? Funny, she’d have thought they’d look more polished and graceful.

“Yeah. The gray wolves really want to start a breeding town here. To that end, they used to pressure Charlotte a lot when she first moved here. My parents held them off, then we did when we took over.” Burke looked uncomfortable but he maintained eye contact. “Rachel, we did want, and still do, the land back that Charlotte owned. It was in our family for years before one of our idiot relatives lost it in a bet. But we’d never do anything to force you to sell. We kind of liked Charlotte near us. And we take pride in the fact that we were her protectors.”

“Just like we’re now your protectors,” Grady added quietly.

She felt their stares and glanced at Burke helplessly. He wasn’t the bad guy she’d first thought. He was a bona fide myth walking on two legs, or was that four, who wanted to protect her. Good Lord. What should she do about that?

“I want to help.” And she did. She hadn’t seen much, but she trusted what she’d seen, and she listened to her instincts. They hadn’t failed her yet, and had she heeded them in the first place, she never would have married Jesse… Funny, but thoughts of him after what she’d seen didn’t matter much anymore.

“And we want to help you. What can we do, Rachel?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. My aunt didn’t tell me anything useful about the totem.”

“What did she say, exactly?” Burke asked.

Rachel flushed, distinctly remembering her aunt’s thoughts about what to do with Burke. “She told me to forget about my loser ex-husband, to find my inner beast, and …”

“And?” Burke’s gaze intensified.

“And to take my responsibility for the totem seriously.” As if she was going to tell him her aunt wanted them to marry after hot, wild sex. Embarrassing.

“Right.” Did Burke sound disappointed?

“What did she tell you?”

“To protect you and to help you in any way that I can.”

“So how do we do that?”

Grady held up a hand. “I think we should start with Rachel’s beast. You need to get in touch with yourself first. Charlotte was always preaching that to me.”

“Yeah. So.” Dean paused. “You want us to mark you now or later? Maybe some lunch first for strength?”

“Dean.” Burke rolled his eyes. “Give her some room to breathe, okay? Rachel, it’s a lot to digest. How about we go for a walk and I’ll show you around? You can see Charlotte’s, I mean, your house from on top of the hill near the eastern cabins.”

Rachel nodded and stood. “Some air would be nice.” Looking at Grady and Dean, she clearly read their disappointment. But honestly, she didn’t know what to think about what she’d been told. Marking? Mating? Ac-taw that were real? And why couldn’t she stop thinking about what Burke would look like when he shifted? About how hard his muscles would be under her palm before his skin turned to fur?

Burke couldn’t help a quiet sigh of regret that Rachel hadn’t taken Dean up on his offer to mark her. Though her scent was tamped, his arousal kept building the longer he was around her. She just kept getting prettier every time he looked at her.

She’d taken their news well, so far that he could tell. The only glitch on this morning was the knowledge she’d been married. He’d bet the ranch her ex was the business partner she’d spoken of with bitterness. Some asshole who didn’t appreciate a woman like Rachel didn’t deserve her.

They walked outside along the spring, the deep grasses, wild flowers and honeybees a symphony of nature that couldn’t compare to Rachel’s feminine beauty.

“So you were married huh?” Dumb, Burke. Real dumb.

She frowned but nodded. “Three years. He cheated on me, I left, and he tried to bilk me out of our joint business assets and every dollar I’d broken my back to earn.”

“What a dick.”

She blinked at him and smiled, a genuine grin that made his heart pound with desire.

“Truer words were never spoken.” They walked in silence a few moments before she said, “How about you? Ever married? Been heavily involved? It wasn’t Sarah Duncan was it?”

“Hell no.” Horrified at the thought, he caught her nasty chuckle. “Funny. No, it wasn’t Sarah. You blasted me for talking down to her, and maybe I deserved it. But that woman will not take no for an answer. She’s been bugging me for years.”

Rachel stared. “No kidding.”

He flushed, feeling stupid. “I like sex. It’s just that for me, it has to be with a person I care about.” So why did you take Rachel up against a wall? A woman you’d just met? He quickly hurried the topic. “I’ve never been married. Never found a woman I wanted to commit to. We Chastells marry for life. No infidelity, no divorce. Sounds corny, but we marry for love. Always have. And hopefully always will.”

“That sounds lovely.” Her voice was thick, and when he turned to her, he saw tears in her eyes. “I should have waited. Every instinct told me Jesse was wrong for me. Even Aunt Charlotte told me to forget about him. But I was lonely. My parents had just died and I felt so lost.”

He put an arm around her shoulders and they walked beside the stream. Being with her felt so right, as if he’d found the other half of himself long missing.

“I felt the same way when my parents died. Hell, they’d survived clan wars and a rash of poachers. Even land developers who made a real nuisance of themselves before I was born. And then they died in a stupid plane wreck.”

She squeezed his hand by her shoulder, and he squeezed back.

“I still miss the hell out of them,” he admitted. “Raising Grady and Dean through high school was a bitch, as I’m sure you can imagine.” He met her laughing gaze. “And the holidays are never the same. But I guess unlike you, I went in the other direction.

Instead of looking for someone, I kind of hid back here at the ranch. I mean, who wants to find love when it can leave you in an instant?”

As soon as he said it, he realized he spoke the truth…and that he sounded like a complete, emotional asswipe.

Embarrassed, he turned her attention to an eagle cresting in the distance. But her touch on his face startled him into turning back to her.

“Burke?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.” The kiss she gave him was nothing like anything he’d ever experienced.

Full of promise, tenderness and affection, it pulled him deeper into the quagmire of emotion he didn’t want to feel for this woman, yet was helpless to deny.

Chapter Five

Rachel swore as she sneezed again. Damn, Aunt Charlotte might have dusted the attic at least once every ten years.

For the past week and a half, Rachel had spent every morning with Burke trying to figure out how to find the totem and every evening sifting through more of Charlotte’s stuff. Moving in had been easy. Rachel had no furniture, just a bunch of clothes and toiletries she’d brought with her. She still rented a small storage facility back in Chicago full of books and odds and ends from her prior life.

As much as she regretted some things she’d done, Rachel didn’t regret a single minute spent in Cougar Falls. She absolutely loved the town. Though she’d returned her rental car to the airport and knew she needed to find her own transportation, she’d found it easier to ride into town with Burke when he stopped by, which was at least three times a day. She couldn’t help the jolt of lust, and what felt like growing affection, every time she saw him.

Thoughts of Jesse paled next to remembrances of Burke. Rachel could drown in Burke’s eyes, and never got tired of his broad, sexy grin. Much as she’d tried to forget it, she could still feel him pounding against her in that alleyway as if it had just happened.

And several times she’d felt on fire, as if she’d die if he didn’t make love to her.

Fortunately, she’d been in bed during those instances, and she’d taken care of the problem herself. She flushed, recalling how often she’d had to do that during her brief marriage. Another sign Jesse hadn’t been “The One”.

She had no doubt, however, that life with Burke would be nothing so tame. A man like Burke would want sex often, and he’d want it hot.

Shit. Again with the libido. She fanned her chest and then said to hell with it. She was alone and in her home. The sun had set. Who would see her up in her aunt’s windowless attic? Shrugging out of her oppressive shirt, she continued to clean the attic, looking for any sign of instruction pertaining to the totem.

During the past week, she’d learned more from Burke and his brothers, and Gerald as well. Though, as the lawyer had stated, he refused to answer any questions she had about the totem, he told her a lot about the town and its inhabitants. Gerald was a silver fox Shifter. A “wily bastard,” as Burke often pointed out, and a ladies’ man. Gerald had been a perfect gentleman with her, however. Maybe due to the hissing and rumbled warnings Burke sent the man anytime they ran into him.

Dean and Grady still voiced their worries that she’d choose another clan to bond with. And they made it plain they wanted her. Maybe it was a power thing with the totem. Yet the looks they gave her, the ones that spoke of carnal hungers they’d love to assuage, made her wonder just what kind of sexual practices the catamounts observed.

Burke seemed the possessive type, but she remembered the sexual vibes coming off of him and his brothers that day at his house. She shivered at the thought. Three men who looked like the Chastells and Rachel? Wow. She could just imagine taking them all on, and had used the inspiration to cool her jets a time or two.

The temperature rose and she shed her jeans. Though it had to be around fifty outside, the attic sweltered. Thoughts of sex with the Chastells didn’t help any either, and she told herself to flat-out stop it. Focus, Rachel. Sex is not one of your priorities right now. She couldn’t help her wicked conscience that added , But it should be.

Taking a deep breath, Rachel stood and crossed her arms over her chest, staring around her. “Okay, Aunt Charlotte, help me out here. How do I find your totem and take care of Cougar Falls?”

Several times during her visits into town she’d seen more of the hairy, unkempt wolf clan loitering around. They threatened with just their presence, and they always seemed to be near when she walked anywhere. Gerald had noticed just today and remarked on the fact. But she refused to say anything to Burke, afraid he’d stop taking her into town. And come on, not being able to sample any of Millie’s ice cream was just plain cruel.

She felt Burke’s urgency daily, and wanted to find the totem as much for the town as for him. According to Burke, the magic in the relic would keep the wolves away, and those “pesky humans”. How the heck a piece of old wood could hide an entire town from society she didn’t know. But she didn’t understand shifting either, and she’d seen it with her own two eyes.

Sighing, she looked behind several boxes, glad she’d batted down the cobwebs and dust balls earlier. Rachel found a box tucked behind an old mirror she hadn’t previously seen and dusted the grime off the top. The cardboard ripped as she opened it, and she stared inside at old pictures. Interesting stuff, but not now, not when she had a mission to fulfill. If only that damned totem would turn up. No one had seen it anywhere on Charlotte’s property. It had just vanished from its position in a shaded glen when Charlotte passed away. Very, very strange. And her aunt had ordered Burke to help Rachel find the thing.

Honestly, how could Burke guide her to find the missing totem when he had no idea where to look? No passwords, no maps, just Charlotte’s frustrating letter telling Rachel to

“trust yourself, look deep into your heart and follow your beast, for he’ll show you the way.”

So did that mean she had to choose an animal soul to find the blasted totem? Because it sure was looking that way. She’d taken Grady’s demonstration as truth and had peppered Burke, his brothers and Gerald for information about the clans. Bear, cougar, eagle, raptor, wolf and fox Shifters all lived together in Cougar Falls. The majority of the town seemed to consist of the fox and eagle clans, followed closely by the bears and raptors. Not so many wolves, though the few that Burke had pointed out looked nothing like their hairy brethren from Glacier Park.

She thought perhaps that was why Burke and his brothers wanted her, seeing as how few catamount Shifters there were. Burke said that many of the cats had died during clan wars, when the totem went missing a long time ago. The rest had left in the years since, striking out to claim their own territories. But Burke insisted he and his brothers had no plans to leave. Catamounts were loners, but the Chastells definitely weren’t, nor were the members in their pride. Though the Ac-taw held animal souls, they also lived as humans.

And they loved and laughed with one another, needing the close companionship their kind brought. Which was what made Cougar Falls such a remarkable place. Shifters of all clans were welcome, and they lived together to form a solid unit. Though Burke was a catamount, he protected the totem. Sheriff Tyler Roderick was a silver fox, as was Gerald, but the two worked so that the law would function. Joel was a bear, Millie a raptor, and yet they both served the town in different ways.

Rachel nodded to herself and shoved the box of pictures to the side. She needed to serve a purpose in this town too, and not just to contribute to the local economy. Her Internet had been connected yesterday, and her business was ready to roll as soon as she fixed the totem problem. Money wouldn’t be a concern for quite a while thanks to Aunt Charlotte’s generosity, and anything else she might need Burke had already offered to give her. He, Grady and Dean had done a thorough inspection on the house the day she’d moved in, fixing the hot water heater and the leaky faucet in the upstairs bathroom.

Burke had also insisted on a state of the art security system that he’d paid for himself, to her chagrin. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate it, but she didn’t want to feel beholden to him. She wanted them on equal footing when they… When they what?

She groaned at the sudden image of them entwined, naked, on her bed. Rachel just couldn’t stop fantasizing about having real sex with Burke, and she didn’t know what to think. Ever since that walk by the stream she’d softened toward him, having found a kindred spirit of sorts. She loved how he’d shared his feelings, then been totally embarrassed by doing so. It made him so human, so down-to-earth approachable for a man who looked as handsome as he did. And it also showed how completely different he was from Jesse.

Jesse would have taken Sarah Duncan up on her offer for sex in a heartbeat. Jesse would never have offered to fix Millie’s car or taken Rachel into town whenever she needed something with no strings attached. Burke wanted to find the totem, yes, but more, he seemed to like spending time with Rachel. They’d caught a movie, played spades with his cheating brothers, and watched the sun set last night, sitting together on a picnic blanket behind his house holding hands. And Burke always made sure either he, Grady or Dean were around to chase off the encroaching wolves near her property.

No, Jesse would never have lifted a finger to help her with anything that didn’t get him something in return. He wasn’t even half the man, or cat, she thought with a grin, that Burke was. Jesse was…

“A man I no longer need to think about with anything but pity.” She grinned at the notion, realizing she was finally over the jerk. It had taken nine months of wrangling, and three more months of sour grapes, but she felt free. At last.

Nearly skipping out of the attic and down the stairs toward the bedroom, she didn’t see the tall figure waiting for her in the landing and shrieked when strong arms closed around her.

“Shh, it’s okay, Rachel. It’s me, Burke.”

She sagged in his hold for a moment, her heart racing out of her chest. And then she squirmed to push him away, punching him in the chest. “What the hell are you doing in here? You scared me half to death!”

“Sorry, but you didn’t answer when I knocked. And I got…worried.” His low voice grew lower, his eyelids shuttered as he stared at her.

Rachel was suddenly aware she’d left her clothes in the attic, and now stood before Burke in a lacy pink bra and panties.

“Fuck me,” he groaned, breathing heavily. His eyes flashed and his fingers curled.

“Rachel, you’re killing me, you know that?”

Need, sure and true, suddenly filled her. And she wanted nothing more than to feel him inside of her. I’m free, she reminded herself. Free to do what feels good. And Burke feels like heaven whenever I’m near.

“Have wild and passionate sex,” Aunt Charlotte had written. Yeah, that sounded just right. “Burke, are you doing this to me?”

“Doing what?” His voice was thick as he took a step to close the distance between them.

“Making me hot. I burn,” she said, nearly panting. “I want you so much I can’t see straight.” He licked his lips, and she saw one large canine before he closed his mouth again. The sight stirred her, making her want more.

“I don’t know why, but you’re flashing in and out of heat. I felt it that day in the alley, and later at my house. Baby, if you don’t want this, tell me now. Because I’m about to seriously lose it if I’m not inside you in like the next thirty seconds.”

“But I’m all dirty.”

“Good, I like dirty.” Burke ripped his shirt off, heedless of the scattering buttons. He reached for his pants but Rachel stopped him. Burke froze, completely still.

God, how she’d dreamed of this. “No. Let me.” Rachel slowly popped open his jeans and slid the zipper over his thick erection. Her hands brushed his fly and he trembled, his eyes glowing and locked on her. The zipper seemed to go on forever, but when it stopped she caught her breath. Beneath his jeans Burke wore nothing, and she could see his shaft hard and flushed in a bed of dark hair.

Reaching inside, she couldn’t quite close her fist around his cock, and she groaned with him at the feel of their flesh touching.

“I want to come inside you, not in your damn hand,” Burke growled, completely feral. “Take me out, baby, now.”

She pushed his jeans down and he kicked out of his boots and pants and stripped off his socks. Completely nude, he looked like sex incarnate. A broad chest and ropy biceps, a ripped abdomen, hard muscle over sun-darkened skin, and that potent erection straining toward her. God, his thighs, his ass… Rachel drenched her panties just looking at him.

And then that scent wafted over her, that sweet, sexy smell of need and cat and Burke.

Stripping out of her bra and panties, she trembled as Burke’s gaze traced every movement, his attention keen, like a predator intent on prey. He rumbled deep in his chest, his purring loud and enticing as he stalked closer.

“I’m going to make you scream. I’m going to take you the way I should have that first time, hard and rough, and I’m going to come inside you. My seed bathing your womb.”

Oh shit, he was really turning her on. A small sense of preservation had her mumbling about a condom, but Burke cut her off, his scent drenching her with need.

Suddenly she couldn’t find it in her to care, hazy with desire. She muffled that inner voice screaming for caution, and gave way to the beast within her wanting to join with another, stronger partner.

His kiss ravaged her senses. “No condom, no birth control. We’re both clean. I want this with you. You’re mine, Rachel. Mine.” He snarled and braced her against the wall in the hallway, repeating their experience in the alley. But this time they were both naked, and the feel of his sleek chest against her breasts, of his cock brushing her moist curls, had her arching into him.

“Burke. I want you so much.”

“Yeah, hard and fast.” He panted and spread her thighs, holding her hips as he aligned with her wet sex. In one sharp thrust, he impaled her, the feel of his immense girth both painful and ecstatic.

“More,” she gasped before he sealed her mouth with his. His tongue shot between her lips as he began fucking her, taking her with force against the wall. His scent settled deep into her bones, the feel of him more than physical, but like a brand that had staked a permanent claim. Her nails lengthened and she scratched at his back as she took his pounding, reveling in his vigor. And still it wasn’t enough. She needed to feel him spurt inside of her, to smell his seed overtaking her womb.

“Burke,” she screamed, her voice pitched high, her cry not her own.

He grunted and continued to thrust, his cock huge, his hands prying her ass cheeks apart as he toyed with her rim and pushed a finger past it.

She stiffened as sensation overwhelmed her. His pubic bone brushed her clit. His shaft pushed her G-spot again and again while his finger pressured nerves inside her ass.

The steady friction of his chest against her aching nipples multiplied the eroticism of his mouth as his tongue stabbed her in time with his cock’s thrusts… She was so close, just within reach, and then he bit her neck, sucking hard as moisture trickled from the wound.

Rachel clung to him as she shattered, clenching him tight as her inner walls sucked his cock deep.

“Bite me,” he rasped as he continued to plunge, and lost in the haze of his making, she settled her mouth over the juncture between his shoulder and neck and bit as well.

Teeth that were suddenly as sharp as needles punctured his skin, but the taste of him drowned out everything but Burke. He howled as he stiffened, and she felt him spurting, felt his cock swelling within her as he flooded her with seed.

Heat filled her, the places where their skin touched inordinately sensitive as he held her tight, coming with great gasps.

When he finally relaxed, she was too sated to do more than rest in his arms and blink up at him.

“That was just the beginning.”

She smiled, startled though pleased and excited when her body stirred yet again.

“Burke.”

“Hmm?” He rotated his cock within her, and she groaned as his fading erection suddenly stiffened again.

“I think I’ve found my inner beast.”

Burke knew a sense of belonging he wanted to experience forever. Granted, he had family, acceptance and a duty to his town. But Rachel in his arms felt different. She made him feel…whole. The feline within her begged for release, and he knew their sex would only grow more passionate and more out of control, her heat attracting males far and wide since he’d opened the lid on her Ac-taw desires. Before, Rachel had been in and out of heat, unpredictable and hell on his needy cock. But now… now she was open and calling to him on a level he couldn’t refuse.

She’d taken him, bitten him, and he needed to claim her as part of his pride before any other Shifters wandered too close. She belonged to him, dammit, and he refused to share her with the wolves and foxes already sniffing around her. Hell, he didn’t want to share her with anyone, and he knew he had to.

“Dean, Grady,” he sent with a growl, the mental pathway difficult in his human form. “I need you here for the marking. Don’t bother dressing.” He felt their excitement purring deep in his mind.

His brothers had remained near, patrolling the grounds when Burke wasn’t around to do it. Tonight he’d taken longer at the ranch than he’d thought, and almost hadn’t made it out, so he’d sent Grady ahead of him to spell Dean, the three of them, plus Joel, working in shifts to see to Rachel’s protection.

“Rachel?” Burke rested his palms on her ass, the wall, more than him, holding her up. He was extremely aware of his come sliding down her legs and over his thighs. Her wet heat surrounded him, and he had to resist the urge to start pumping again. He sniffed and was surprised to find he’d done a decent job of starting the claiming. Hell, she smelled of him already, his marker lingering despite his intent to wait to mate with her.

Burke had known since that walk by the stream, but this joining reaffirmed it. He would take Rachel to mate. In his entire life, he’d never desired another with such intensity, never had such loving feelings for a woman the way he did for Rachel. His beast wanted her, the man wanted her, and he would move heaven and hell to have her.

But first he needed her to be feline, and to make her so as quickly as possible. As difficult as he expected it might be for him to accept it, he needed his brothers’ help.

“Burke, what’s wrong?”

He realized he’d missed half of what she’d said and gave her a wry grin. “I’m not thinking too clearly right now, you’ll have to forgive me.” She laughed, then groaned when he hitched her higher over his cock. “Rachel, I have to mark you. Tonight.”

She stared at him, not seeming angry, worried or scared as he’d anticipated. “Why?”

“Because I need to. I have to.” He frowned, knowing it was coming out all wrong.

But he didn’t know how to explain his urgency without admitting he meant to mate with her. Coming off her divorce, she’d explained she wasn’t too keen on men, and he hadn’t been offended, just relieved to know he’d done nothing more than growl at Sarah to piss her off. That Rachel had let him get this far gave him high hopes. But that didn’t mean he assumed she’d be easy to bring down. Rachel had a crafty edge to her, a perfect fit for a catamount, or a silver fox sniffing too close. Fucking Gerald. Jealousy rose again at the thought of how often she’d seen the fox.

What if she was starting to lean toward Gerald and his clan? But Burke couldn’t afford to move too quickly, not if he wanted all of her. He had to watch how much he admitted to needing her until he had her hooked on the taste of him, on the smell of him, so as not to scare her off.

“You have to?” She squeezed him inside her and he moaned, helpless to resist her approaching lips and devouring kiss.

When he could breathe again, he tried explaining what he intended with the marking when her eyes widened, her stare centered on a presence over his shoulders.

“Grady and Dean.” He sighed and withdrew from her body, still holding her in his arms. “We need to mark you, Rachel. You’re mine—ours. You know it and I know it.”

He couldn’t control his dominance as he pushed her to submit.

Her eyes flashed and his hunger rose. Passion flared in the green depths of her gaze, and her musk permeated the room. Feline excitement, a surge of pheromones telling them she was more than ready, if not yet willing. “You want me to have sex with your brothers?”

Burke hissed and his brothers took a step back, giving him space. “No, I don’t want you to fuck my brothers. I need you to do it. All three of us marking you together will ensure your beast is feline. And you’ll be one of ours to protect.” To love.

“Um, I know I was kind of wild, but I’ve never done threesomes or, ah, a foursome before.” She swallowed loudly, but her pupils dilated with lust.

“Much as I wish it could be this way all the time,” Grady rumbled, “I have a feeling big brother is only allowing us this one night.”

“You’re damned right.” Burke flashed his teeth in warning, and Rachel’s breathing increased.

“Oh.” She rubbed against him and it was all he could do not to fuck her against the wall again. Glancing at Dean, he noted the desire burning in his brother’s gaze. Grady, too, looked ready to pounce, his body hard, burning with need.

“Take her into the bedroom.” Burke forced himself to relinquish his hold on her, handing her into Grady’s waiting arms. But watching her squirm in his brother’s hold wasn’t as difficult as Burke had thought it might be. Instead, a peculiar calm descended over his raging excitement, and a primitive instinct to bring Rachel to all the Chastells before claiming her as his own consumed him. This would make her family, and cement the ties between his future mate and his brothers.

Burke quickly followed them into Rachel’s room, only to see her on her back in the middle of her bed. Her eyes were closed in bliss, her body arched, supplicant, as Grady and Dean laved her breasts with their mouths.

“So eager, hmm?” He surprised himself by chuckling, but soon lost his humor as his own needs rode him hard. Grady ran his hands over her body while he toyed with her breast, and his fingers unerringly sought and entered her pussy. Dean left her breast to kiss her mouth, and Rachel’s clever little hand wrapped around his brother’s dick, pumping and squeezing and turning Dean into a raging animal.

“Yes.” He thrust against her thigh, pushing more into her hand. “That’s it, baby.

Squeeze me harder. Oh yeah. More.”

Grady groaned, and Burke couldn’t help fisting his own cock as he watched his brothers fuck his mate. The marking musk permeated the room, all three of them desperate to cling to Rachel’s feminine wildness, to her ability to soothe and fight and love like a true Ac-taw.

“God, I want to come inside her.” Grady stared up at Burke through a slitted gaze, asking permission.

Burke’s beast raged, but his human half wanted to share her love, wanted his brothers to know the warmth he’d found. “Rachel?”

Dean broke from her mouth and Burke’s breath caught. Her eyes had fully changed, yet her body remained human. “Burke, help me. I’m so hot. I need, so badly.”

“Rachel, all this. It’s not too late to say no.” Dean and Grady stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. And maybe he had. “We’re going to come inside you, Rachel. All of us.

Everywhere.” His cock throbbed at thoughts of her ass, of sinking deep inside her flesh and possessing every ounce of her. “Your body is begging to be shown its inner beast.

You’re in heat but you’re not ovulating, so we aren’t going to procreate, but we need to thoroughly mark you. And the fastest, easiest way to do it is through our come.”

Rachel arched into Grady’s hand cupping her breast. “Oh, Burke, Grady.” She turned to face Dean, her body feverish and glistening with sweat under the dim light of her room. “Dean. I want you all so much. I can’t think. I’m empty, Burke. You left me too soon.”

Burke joined them on the bed, their weight easily filling the large, king-sized monstrosity Charlotte had left to Rachel. “Baby, you might not know it yet, but I’m never leaving you again.”

His brothers stared at him in shock, but he didn’t care. He was keeping Rachel, and he’d as good as declared himself. Grady’s mouth quirked and he exchanged a look with Dean.

“You know, bro, we’d better take full advantage of tonight. He’ll never let it happen again.”

Dean’s eyes shone in the darkness. “Oh yeah. I just hope tonight doesn’t ruin me for other women. She tastes so sweet.”

“So much power, and her clawing feline is like a drug.”

Burke settled between her thighs, inhaling his scent over hers. He shoved Grady’s fingers aside and licked her clit, sucking on the small bud. In a low voice, he murmured,

“Her pussy is addicting. Enjoy tonight, guys, because it won’t happen again. Not with my future mate.”

He didn’t think she’d caught what he’d said. By the look of her, Rachel was in another world, desire turning her into the creature she’d been born to be.

“What are we waiting for, then?” Grady asked, smiling through his elongated teeth.

“On your hands and knees, Rachel. We’ve got a surprise for you.”

Chapter Six

Rachel’s entire world centered around the heat between her legs. Her body felt like one giant mass of nerves, and every stroke of Grady and Dean’s raspy tongues was setting her ablaze. She squirmed against them, fighting because it made the scent in the room sweeter.

Large hands turned her onto her belly, propping her up on her hands and knees. And then a powerful fist grabbed her hair and jerked her head up, so that she stared at Burke’s domineering hold.

“We’re going to take you now, baby. Hard and fast, and slow and long. And we’re going to fill you with come. To mark you.”

She moaned, wanting them. Nothing existed but Burke and his brothers using her, taking her to places she’d never before been. She couldn’t stop looking at Burke even as she felt one of them mount her from behind, spreading her knees apart. He slapped her ass and thrust deep, and she shook with the force of his penetration.

“That’s it, Grady. Give it to her. She needs it, don’t you, baby?”

The want built, her pussy clenching and drawing Grady deeper.

“Fuck, yes,” Grady hissed, pumping as he clenched hard fingers into her hips.

“And now Dean.” Burke let her go and moved aside, and Rachel found herself staring at Dean’s large cock. Thinner than Burke’s, his shaft was just as long and beautiful. Slick with the precum beading at his tip, his rod was golden, like the rest of him, but flushed from desire. “Suck him off, Rachel. Swallow him, and then swallow me.”

She moaned and opened her mouth, accepting Dean as he pushed gently between her lips. Nothing registered but the salty, male taste of him. She wanted this so badly, to belong, to bring pleasure as she’d experienced with Burke. And knowing he watched made it all the more erotic.

Glancing to Dean’s left, she saw Burke on his knees pumping his cock with his hand, his face tight with arousal as he watched her getting fucked by his brothers.

Grady felt huge taking her from behind, and she surprised herself by not gagging when Dean shoved deeper into her mouth. The glorious feeling of possessing and being possessed intensified when a heavenly scent descended over them all, and she felt her chest vibrate as she worked Dean’s cock.

“Shit, she’s purring,” Dean moaned and thrust harder. “Oh fuck, Rachel. I’m going to come, baby.”

“I can’t last much longer,” Grady rasped.

Dean cursed and jetted into her mouth, and Rachel swallowed him, licking his shaft clean before tonguing a few drops of cum from his taut sack.

“God, that was good,” Dean sighed before being dragged back.

“Now me,” Burke demanded, and Rachel eagerly opened her mouth to accept him.

She took his thrusts easily, his tight hold on her hair turning her on even more. The thought of being wanted so much by three sexy men was such a turn on. Behind her, Grady had to be leaving bruises from his grip on her hips, but his cock kept bumping her pleasure spot and she came, pushing him into an orgasm as well.

“Christ,” he groaned and continued to come, even as she tightened around him.

“That’s it, baby. Take him inside you. That’s good, isn’t it? And it’ll be even better once you swallow my load as well. Then we’re going to get to the good part. And I’m going to fuck that pretty little ass of yours.” Burke’s speech grew thicker, his breath raspier as he described in detail what he planned.

She was still quivering from her climax with Grady when Grady pulled out and crawled next to her. He lay down on the bed, and Dean shoved inside her.

“Take him,” Burke ordered, groaning as he slid in and out of her lips. “You have the most fuckable mouth. And that stroke of your tongue…”

She fondled Burke’s balls with one hand and heard him curse. He seemed to get harder, if that were possible. Dean fucked her, reaching around to toy with her plump clit, the nub bursting with sensation. Though he’d already spent once, Dean quickly worked himself toward orgasm again, his cock hot and tight within her. Rachel glanced at Grady to see him jerking off as he watched, his beautiful body straining. When her eyes met his, he whispered her name and rose to his knees, sliding his dick over the middle of her back.

Burke began coming in her mouth, and Dean shot and yelled, his climax washing over him.

Burke slid another shot of come down her throat before easing out of her, and she closed her eyes, thoroughly spent. Dean remained inside her, his hands stroking her ass, and she felt warm jets of fluid hit her back as Grady came all over her. He rubbed it in, marking her, she supposed, her eyelids impossibly heavy.

“Let’s give her a rest.” Burke’s deep voice sounded thick with satisfaction. She opened her eyes to see him lying before her, like a sated cat after its bowl of cream. “Oh, don’t worry, Rachel. We’re not done yet. That was just round one.”

She groaned and the others laughed. Dean withdrew and eased her onto the bed, his warm hands rubbing her back, and pushing more moisture over her. She glanced over her shoulder to see him milking threads of semen from his cock to her back.

“Like lotion,” she murmured, exhausted.

“But it has what you need,” Grady said hoarsely next to her. “Our marking scent all over you. God, Rachel, I’m spent, but I want to fuck you all over again. You’re so damned sexy.”

Burke rumbled, and soon she heard low purring all around her. They sat beside her, over her, next to her, rubbing against her with human flesh and soon with golden fur. For what felt like forever she lay in a daze while they allowed their fur to press her soft skin.

Not sure how much time had passed when she roused to consciousness, she opened her eyes to find three cougars fixated on her body, their noses in the air as if scenting something she couldn’t.

Grady rumbled in a low bass. “Damn, you’re already marked.”

Rachel stared at him in awe, blinking wide awake. “Did I just hear that, or am I overtired and imagining things?”

“No, you heard it.” Dean sounded mournful. “We marked you.” He turned to Burke and rubbed his head against his brother’s shoulder. “Come on, Burke. It’s just one night.

That was way too tame for a proper marking, anyway.”

“Yeah, Burke. A whole night. That’s what we agreed on.” Grady stopped purring, waiting for Burke’s reaction.

“I don’t like it, but I understand it. Now you need to ask Rachel.”

Three sets of eyes turned to Rachel, and she swallowed loudly. “You want to do it again?” Again? Were they inhuman? Duh. Of course they were. A stirring in her womb stunned her into admitting that she was just as inhuman. Three men—three Shifters—and Rachel. Surely a fantastic night to remember. She glanced at Burke, and without understanding how, saw him soften though his expression didn’t change.

“It’s okay, baby. This is natural, and much as I dislike to call your attention to it, most female catamounts are polygynous.” Burke took human form again, his fur gracefully melting into flesh, his feline shape shifting smoothly into a man’s.

Grady followed, shifting back. “That means they like more than one dude for sex,”

he explained to Dean, who growled before shifting back as well.

He punched Grady in the chest. “I know that, asshole. I can’t spell worth a damn, I admit, but I’m not an idiot.”

Rachel chuckled and her heart swelled at the warmth, at the familial banter between brothers. And she felt ten feet tall at the tender look in Burke’s eyes.

“Well, Rachel? What will it be?”

“I think I love you.”

Burke and the others froze.

Realizing what she’d admitted, she quickly recovered. “All of you, I meant. You’re my family now, aren’t you?”

Dean and Grady beamed, but Burke’s satisfied smirk worried her. “Yeah, baby.

We’re your family now. But brothers we ain’t.”

Dean snickered before leaning down to kiss her. More hands touched her breasts, her clit, her ass… And then no one was laughing anymore as desire pitched anew.

The next day, Rachel woke to throbbing canines, a sore ass, and a tender vagina. But her mind was clear as a bell. She felt herself turn three shades of scarlet as last night came tumbling back in all its glory, and she covered her eyes with her forearm. Hell, but she’d taken three men to bed. Had even taken it in the ass, which hadn’t been nearly as pleasant as she’d heard it could be. Of course, when Dean had kissed her all better she hadn’t complained. And being the meat in a Burke and Grady sandwich had certainly whet her appetite.

“I’m a nympho.” How the hell did she get back on track with her life after having experienced wild animal—thank God not literally “animal”—sex?

“I hope so. I love chicks who can’t say no.” Burke stroked her belly, and she stared at him in shock, having thought herself alone. He leaned up on one elbow as he caressed her. “Grady and Dean had a tour to take care of this morning. Poor guys. You wore them out and then they had to haul ass into Whitefish by ten.” His grin was wide enough to make the big bad wolf cringe, and she excused herself for the poor analogy.

“Um, Burke? You’re okay with all this?”

Burke came off his elbow to blanket her with his body. “The question is, are you okay with it, my beautiful nympho?” He nipped at her earlobe, causing a shudder of need to pass through her.

“I’m, I…” She exhaled heavily and smelled Burke with vivid senses. The sweet smell that reminded her of sex on a stick now had several other faculties to it. She could taste his satisfaction, could smell the aroma of his pleasure as his hand crept to fondle her breasts.

“God, I had you all over the place last night and I still want you.” He inhaled the skin below her ear and began purring. “I can’t get enough of you, Rachel.”

She wanted to reject her over-amorous body but couldn’t. Burke, bless him, met her needs with a gentleness she would never have expected, and his soft petting after their blissful climax had her falling so deep in love that she had a hard time remembering why she’d sworn off men for a while.

“Rachel.” He pressed his lips to the top of her head. “I’m so glad you came to us.

You belong in Cougar Falls, with us.” With me, she swore she heard whispered in her mind. She could feel him smiling into her hair.

But what struck her the most about the past few days was how much she’d come to care for Burke. She wanted to belong to him—to his pride, she hastily amended . Oh hell.

If I can’t be honest with myself, who can I be honest with? I love him, and it scares me to death.

“Baby, you okay?”

Her nerves must have shown on her face, and she hurried to cover her exposure. She shot him a broad smile. “Okay? My body feels like rubber, my brain like Jell-O, and I finally have you all to myself. What could be better?”

He began purring—God, how she loved that—and she found herself joining the rumbling sound. That quickly, contentment settled, her fears fading to the back of her mind. The pounding of Burke’s heart increased in volume, and she instinctively sniffed, trying to understand his emotions.

“Oh, yeah.” He chuckled and stroked a hand over her hair. “You’re ready to shift, Rachel. By marking you we finally woke you up. What say we go outside and give you some space. The first change is going to be hard, but I’ll help you through it.” He rose, heedless of his nudity, and pulled her with him. “Dean and Grady are going to be pissed they missed this.”

She followed him blindly, her attention caught by the myriad scents pressing to be identified. Gerald’s fragrance lingered in the house, subtle underneath Grady’s, Dean’s and of course, Burke’s overpowering marker. Like a heady cologne, Burke’s scent made her want to rub her face and body all over him. Taking him into her, as if claiming him as her own.

Burke opened the back door and took her with him, and she had a moment’s hesitation at being naked on the back lawn.

“Don’t worry. I don’t sense anyone else around. It’s just you and me, two cats ready for a good time.” His wide, satisfied grin made her smile. “I am so fucking happy right now. You have no idea.”

His joy was contagious, and she leapt into his arms, hugging him close. “Maybe I do.”

Burke’s happiness deepened into something more, and his body hardened in excitement. “Damn. Sorry about that. With you, I can’t stop myself from wanting sex.”

Right. Sex. Nothing more. Not that love lingering in his gaze, or the pitter patter of loving anticipation fluttering in my belly. Just sex.

Rachel disengaged against her protesting glands and took a deep breath. “Okay. So show me how to shift. Or change, turn. Whatever it is that you do. Show me.”

“Don’t be nervous. Just do what I do. Follow with your eyes and your mind.”

She frowned, not quite understanding. But as Burke slowly shifted, she mimicked his movements. And then she began hearing soft commands in her mind that she accepted as well. Her skin itched and her bones ached. She moaned as unfamiliar stretching caused pain, and as her bones and muscles realigned, her moans turned into soft whines, feline cries for help.

Instead of Burke’s voice, however, she heard his thoughts in her mind and read impressions from his body language that spoke so plainly she couldn’t believe she’d never noticed how expressive a cat was before.

“Let it come. Embrace your inner beast. Easy, love. Just relax.”

He’d done that last night too. Called her “love”. Her attention diverted, she found it easier to do as he said and fell into the changes in her body with little resistance, accommodating the pain.

“Very, very nice.” Burke rubbed his head against hers, and the press against her whiskers made her want to sneeze. “Sorry. You’ll learn to recognize shifts in pressure and scents, so pay attention to those whiskers and that powerful nose. Open your mouth, baby.”

She did and managed a yawn of sorts that felt wider than anything she’d managed as a woman.

“Beautiful set of teeth.” He grinned, his eyes slanting and his lip curling slightly.

“Sarah will be so jealous. You can tear her up with one big bite if you want.”

“So does raptor taste like chicken?”

Burke chuffed, the feline equivalent of a laugh. “By all means, when you chew her up, let me know.”

“Maybe I will.” Having tasted and shared sex with Burke, Rachel felt more than possessive. Burke was hers now, and Sarah Duncan had better learn to keep her hands, talons, and whatnot off Rachel’s lover.

He pushed her with his head toward the bordering woodline near his property. “Let’s run for a bit and let you adapt to your new body.”

Minutes turned into an hour as Rachel ran on four paws, her tail a balancing guide as she played, racing in the woods with Burke. Overjoyed to be sharing this first with him, she shared with him everything she experienced.

“It’s like a rebirth, this feeling.” She meant the shift, but she realized much of what she felt she could attribute to Burke, to his genuine spirit and selfless devotion.

“It is. I remember the first time I shifted.” They settled around a small stream that widened into a watering hole. “I had just reached my thirteenth year. My voice was changing, my body was gangly and reed-thin. But my senses were on overload, you know?”

Did she.

“And when I shifted, it was as if I’d been given a special pair of glasses, like I could see so much of life that had until then been passing me by.”

“That’s nice. The perfect way to describe what I’m feeling. You know, Burke, you have these great moments of poetic clarity that just don’t seem like they should be coming from a six-four ranch hand.”

He laughed. “Yeah, my brothers like to give me a hard time for being so insightful.

Drives them nuts, me always being right.” He gave her a shrewd glance. “Nothing much throws you, though, does it? Not this shifting, the marking last night or even the knowledge that this town and the people inside of it are real.” He shook his head . “You’re amazing, Rachel. And I’m not the only one who thinks it. You might just have ruined my brothers for any other women after last night.”

The embarrassment she should have felt didn’t come. The beast within her acknowledged the marking she’d received as her due. “Oh?”

His eyes glinted and his scent rose to cover her. “Yeah. You were so damned sexy under us, taking us inside you. But mostly they sensed your giving heart, your willingness to help others. It’s that caring that gives you great power. That love that even your dickless ex couldn’t stomp all the way out of you. You’re Charlotte’s niece for sure. ”

She warmed all over, and her heart took another dip in his direction. “I just hope I can live up to her, and your, expectations.”

“You will, baby. Hell, you already have.” His gaze at that moment looked entirely human in a cat’s body. “Rachel, I have to tell you something. I—” He stopped and stared over her shoulder, his eyes narrowing. “Stay by my side unless I tell you to go back to the house. We’ve got company.”

As he said it, a foul odor assaulted her. Foreign canines intruding on her land. She growled low in her throat, wanting them gone. Spores of threat contaminated her peace, breaking this meaningful interlude with Burke, and her anger grew.

“Damn, Rachel, tone it down. That mean streak in you is a serious turn-on.”

Shocked that he could tease in the face of danger, she snorted in response but felt her fury subside a little. “You’re not helping my inner beast that wants to rip their throats out.”

“You’re right. I’m helping you control yourself. This isn’t the way I wanted to introduce you to your wild nature. But when threatened, your instincts prevail. Just remember, you’re catamount. These fucking dogs are nothing more than leftover hamburger.”

She smacked her lips and he chuckled .

“Don’t let them throw you. Stand strong, right next to me, and we’ll get rid of them.

Remember, this is your land. And the totem is yours as well.”

“Don’t you mean the town’s?”

“No. It’s yours to protect, just as it’s my job to protect you.” He stared into her eyes, the golden glow of his gaze sincere. “Nothing is more important to me than you, Rachel.

Nothing.”

Oh, God. Was he saying what he seemed to be saying? His body angled toward hers, keeping her both well guarded and well cared for. Under his tender gaze, she even felt loved, but couldn’t tell if that was a reflection of her feelings for him or not.

It was all too soon. So many life-altering changes…and yet, Rachel knew deep in her heart that she loved him. Her beast cried out to make him aware, to mark him as thoroughly as he’d marked her.

Burke’s eyes widened with shock. “Rachel, that scent. Are you…?”

He never finished his sentence, for at that moment, a half dozen wolves stepped in sight, their mouths wide with toothy grins, their gazes hard and hungry. Stopping a good twenty feet from both Rachel and Burke, they sniffed and began growling at Burke.

Before they could do more, another wolf, this one larger and more silver than the others, joined them by the small pool of water.

“Honored sister, we welcome you home,” the large one said. Cocking his head, he studied her. “I think, perhaps, my welcome is too late. You’ve been claimed by a catamount.” The wolf’s sigh was clear. Unlike the others, this one possessed an aura of dignity and carried himself like royalty. “But that’s of little consequence, really. I’m sorry to rush you, but you need to find our totem, now. There’s a hunting party coming this way, and I have no idea when they’re due to arrive. Could be today, could be tomorrow.”

“Like we can believe anything you lying dogs have to say.” Burke’s ears flattened and he hissed at the leader.

The wolves growled in response and stepped closer, until the leader barked at them to stop. Rachel caught a spicy scent from the lead wolf he seemed to be projecting intentionally. “Don’t be more of an ass than you already are, Burke. This isn’t about defending your mate, or about my idiot brethren trying to overtake Cougar Falls. This is about protecting the town from invading humans. I’m not lying. ”

Rachel took her eyes off the leader to watch Burke, and his sense of amazement washed over her like rain. “Monty? Holy shit. I thought you were dead. ”

The wolf shuffled on his paws. “It’s a long damned story. But not now. Time’s wasting. On our blood bond, I’m telling the truth.”

Burke shook his head, snarled once more at the wolves flanking Monty, and turned to Rachel. “Much as I wish it otherwise, he’s not lying. It’s go-time, Rachel. Now or never. ”

Chapter Seven

Confusion filled Rachel on so many levels she didn’t know where to begin. The wolf, Monty, was obviously a lost acquaintance of Burke’s. But his comments about invading humans, about her being Burke’s mate?

“Rachel.” Burke nudged her with his broad head. “We have to find it. Do what Charlotte wanted you to do. Find your inner beast.”

Hello, she already had. “I’m standing on four feet aren’t I? And don’t tell me you’ve forgotten last night already.” Glaring at Burke and Monty, who seemed to be grinning at them, she tried to concentrate. Aunt Charlotte had mentioned following her beast. Well, her inner beast had traipsed all over the damned woods after Burke and seen nothing resembling a twenty-foot tall totem pole.

“Monty, you can stay.” Burke nodded toward the surrounding wolves. “But the rest of them need to get the hell away. This is hard enough as it is. We don’t need the extra pressure.”

Monty gave a short bark and the others slunk back into the woods, leaving Rachel, Burke and Monty alone.

“Want to tell me why anyone would want to go hunting right here in our town?”

Burke asked Monty.

“It’s worse than that. A group of a dozen or so professional hunters is paying through the nose to bag some wolves, cougars and foxes promised them by a fucking traitor in the Gray Wolf clan. And we’re not talking run-of-the-mill sports nuts. We’re talking specialized killers with no qualms about murdering nonhumans.”

“Shit.”

“Exactly. The rogue made a deal with them to exterminate most of the Shifters a small faction of the Gray Wolf clan wants gone. With the totem lost, anyone can find this place. And once the town’s finally been cleared, I’m assuming that faction will turn on the expendable hunters and any of the wolves not agreeable to the situation. You know how much wolves hate hunters. Anyway, I volunteered to find and keep safe the new guardian. Once the totem’s in place and Rachel’s under wolf control, a new Order can begin for the pack.”

Rachel began to understand the danger they were all in, and she stepped instinctively closer to Burke, eased somewhat when their bodies touched.

Monty surprised her by shifting to human form. Tall and lean, he looked both haggard and incredibly strong. A handsome Shifter, he had dark hair threaded with silver and ice-blue eyes that promised honesty. He held his hands up in a sign of surrender.

“I’m not the threat here. Look, if I had wanted the rogue’s plan to work, I wouldn’t have warned you about it. You know me, Burke. I’m the same brother I was all those years ago, no matter what’s happened since. But I don’t want the gray wolves taking over Cougar Falls, and I really don’t want those damned humans tainting our town. You have to put the totem back in place.”

Burke shifted into human form suddenly, but put his hand on Rachel’s head, cautioning her to stay as she was. “Why should I believe you, Monty? You up and disappeared years ago. Not a word in all the time you’ve been gone.” Funny, but Burke sounded hurt under his gruff disbelief. “I thought you were dead, and now here you are when the town’s at its most vulnerable. How do I know this isn’t some ploy to put your hands on the totem and get me out of the way so you can try to control Rachel?”

“Please. I could have ordered the wolves to stay, or I could have ambushed you an hour ago when you watched her make her first change.” Monty huffed a breath and lowered his arms, crossing them over his chest, not a bit embarrassed about his nudity.

Then again, when a man looked like he did, what did he have to be ashamed about?

“Look away from him, right fucking now.”

Shoot. She must have unintentionally projected her appreciation to Burke. “I’m still a woman, Burke. You people really need to wear clothes, you know.”

Monty stared at them curiously, and she realized he didn’t understand them. “He can’t hear us?”

“Not when I use this particular pathway to talk to you. And don’t change the subject.” His hands were curled into fists, and she could smell his aggression.

“Burke, we don’t have—”

“Yeah, yeah, Monty. No time for this. I fucking get it. Rachel?”

She glanced away from Monty. “Look, I’m only human. Okay, so maybe I’m not.

He’s an attractive man. But he’s not you.” She stared into Burke’s eyes, the need to tell him the truth overwhelming. It was almost as if Aunt Charlotte were there whispering ghostly encouragement. And that was plain weird. But like Burke had said, it was go-time. The truth needed telling.

“I love you, Burke.”

The change that overcame him was instantaneous. He flowed into his cougar form and touched his forehead to hers, his scent overpowering.

“God, Rachel. I love you, too. I want to mate with you, I want to marry you. I want—”

“Hell, Burke. You’re both giving off some really strong scents. Do you have to do this right now?” Monty glared down at his rising erection. “Not all of us have a female to share in your happiness, you get my meaning?”

The human part of Rachel was embarrassed she’d forgotten about a naked Shifter standing so close. She kept her eyes glued to Burke, who now found his friend’s nudity amusing. Men.

Burke directed his thoughts back at Monty, and she followed his mental pathway.

“Sorry, Monty. Rachel, baby, we’re sure as hell going to get into this later. But right now I need you to tell us exactly what Charlotte said in her letter. And all of it this time. I know you’ve been holding back.”

Rachel growled. “So what if I’ve been holding back? What Aunt Charlotte proposed was nuts. Or at least, I thought it was crazy when I read the letter. She told me to stop dwelling on the past and have some wild and crazy sex with you.”

Burke’s shit-eating grin made Monty roll his eyes.

“And she wanted me to marry you, Burke, because she thought you were heaven-sent.”

“Smart woman. Always liked Charlotte.”

“She also told me to find the totem before the town had major issues.”

“But she didn’t tell you where or how to find it?” Monty asked.

“No. She said, and this is verbatim because it sounded odd to me, “Trust yourself, look deep into your heart and follow your beast, for he’ll show you the way.””

Burke and Monty exchanged a look .

“He’ll show you the way?” Burke sounded excited. “She’s not talking about your inner beast.”

“Seems to me like Burke’s your beast, Rachel, especially if you’re considering mating the pathetic feline.” Monty chuckled at Burke’s glare while Rachel stared at Burke in astonishment.

“She did tell you to follow your heart,” Burke added. “And I’m your heart, aren’t I, baby?” His gentle voice had her pulse pounding, and a throbbing started behind her eyes.

“Yes, you are. I love you.” She realized again, her heart opening as she looked into Burke’s beautiful golden eyes. She breathed heavily, as if she’d been running, and felt as if she might burst.

“Rachel? You okay?” Monty took a few steps closer but stopped when Burke swung his head toward him, hissing a warning. “Easy, Burke. I’m not poaching. Something’s a little off here.”

“Rachel? Honey, you’re starting to shift back. Are you all right?”

She couldn’t answer him. Immense energy vibrated along her spine, flowing down her limbs and into her brain as if she’d been plugged into something. She saw Burke’s eyes widen before blackness overtook her, yet she remained alert.

A rainbow of sensation, red anger, yellow happiness, blue calm and more, streamed through her consciousness. Tentacles of power pulled her into a vast embrace, making her feel at one with everything around her. Animal cries mingled with the flow of life through nature, water rushing through trees and grasses, wind rushing through the sky, on which raptors and eagles flew with wild abandon.

She could feel Monty’s surprise and growing pleasure, could sense Burke’s overwhelming love, lust and worry as he hovered protectively over her. The presence of other cats filtered, Grady and Dean in their animal forms rushing to her side. Time passed and more Ac-taw arrived. Wolves, foxes and bears, raptors and eagles. Animals gathering to celebrate life. Her inner beast stirred, and she felt her body completely return to its feline form.

“Rachel, wake up.” Burke nudged her with a large paw, and this time she opened her eyes. Directly before her, amidst a grouping of trees that had before been quite normal, stood a tall relic throbbing with power. The ancient carvings on the totem showed different animals blending one into the other, with the cougar reigning over all with wisdom and fierce devotion. Like Burke, she thought and smiled.

“You did it, Rachel.” Dean purred and rubbed against her neck. “You found it again.”

“Way to go, honey.” Grady shoved Dean out of the way and took over Dean’s affectionate petting.

From behind her new family, dozens of Shifters howled their approval, beaming at Rachel as if she’d saved them from a fate worse than death. Which, come to think of it, she had.

“Congratulations,” Monty sent her, having changed back into wolf form. He cocked his head at Burke, who blinked lazily and took a step back from Rachel. She waited with curiosity as Burke actually allowed Monty—a male not his brother—to sidle next to her and rub under her chin with his muzzle as if seeking acceptance.

“My bond brother,” Burke explained. “He’s one of us, even though he’s wolf. Kind of like Joel and Maggie, but a lot closer.”

And that was good enough for her. She returned the affection and saw Monty’s toothy grin.

“Now how about a celebration, Chastell style?” Burke roared to the crowd. “Come on over to my place and we’ll throw one hell of a party.” He turned to Grady and murmured something she couldn’t quite hear.

Everyone began making noise again, and Rachel let Burke lead her away back toward the house.

“Is it safe to leave it there in the woods?” she asked, referring to the totem.

“It’s as safe as you are. The power to conceal it or to make it appear is yours and yours alone. I don’t know what Charlotte was thinking not to have shown you all this years ago.”

They began running toward the house, Rachel following her heart, her beast, with contentment and still a small measure of worry. “But what if the rogue wolves try to steal it?”

Burke chuckled. “Are you kidding? The minute any of them try to touch the thing, it gives off a very ugly vibe. Like an electric shock. You and your protectors are the only ones allowed to touch it.”

“I still have a lot to learn about all this, don’t I?”

They reached her house and Burke shifted into human form, urging her to do the same. She did so easily, stunned at how simple the transformation was with Burke and the totem’s magic telling her what to do. The minute she changed, Burke swept her into his arms and into the house. He didn’t stop until they reached her bedroom, where he set her down in the middle of the bed.

Standing over her, he placed his hands on his hips and glared. “We don’t have a lot of time before we need to join the others. So let’s have the truth. You’d better not have been screwing with me out there, Rachel. You said you loved me.”

She smiled, a catlike grin full of lust and affection. “I’m not sure. Maybe you should remind me of how much I have to gain by loving you.”

Burke narrowed his gaze and pounced. She squealed with laughter and hugged him to her. “I love you, Burke. More than I ever thought I could possibly love anyone.”

He inhaled her scent at the crook of her neck and nipped lightly. Trailing his lips from his bite to her ear, he stirred a path of heat that soon build into a bonfire in her womb. “Good, because we’re mating, Rachel. And I’m never giving you up. No other women, no other men, not even my brothers,” he emphasized, squeezing her tight when she mock-groaned in protest. “Sharing you was really hard.”

He kissed her lips, drawing her breath deep into his mouth. “But loving you is so damned easy. I’ll have to thank Charlotte every day for the rest of my life for leaving her stuff to you.”

Rachel smiled against his lips. “So does that mean you’re no longer interested in my property?”

“Keep the house and this plot for our grandkids. The only property I want right now is between those luscious thighs.” Burke kissed his way down her body, lingering on her breasts as he sucked her nipples into hard peaks. His hands were everywhere, his mouth following suit. And then he had her legs spread wide, his mouth over the hottest part of her.

“I thought we had to join the others.”

“They can wait. Any last requests?” he murmured, his breath torture over her aroused and moist clit.

“Love me, Burke.” Her eyes welled with tears of joy. “Make me yours.”

His scent, thick and sexy, fell over her in a huge wave, until she could no longer differentiate him from her.

“Honey, you’ve been mine since you walked into that damned diner with a chip on your shoulder.” She was surprised to see his eyes glossy as well. “I love you, Rachel. All of you, forever…on just one condition.”

She stared at him, embracing the lust and love consuming her. “Condition?”

He sucked her clit hard, drawing the nub between two suddenly very sharp teeth. The pleasure pain was exquisite before he let go. “Yeah. On the condition that you never look at Monty naked again.”

She laughed before he resumed his carnal worship of her body. Groaning, she gave him his answer. “Anything for you, Burke. Anything.”

About the Author

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Content

Rachel's Totem
Cougar Falls - 1
by
Marie Harte

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

About the Author