Kai was in the garage of the condo where she was staying when a black Toyota Tundra pickup slowed and came to a halt at the curb. It was a perfect autumn day—barely above freezing at dawn, with a lacy coat of frost on the Douglas firs surrounding the two-story building. By now, at noon, the temperature was in the low fifties and the fragrant scent of newly fallen leaves filled the crisp Montana air. Kai had spread out a canvas tarp beneath her Harley and had been in the process of changing the oil on her mechanical steed when the truck arrived. A prickle of warning hit her, then her heart opened automatically. It was Jake Stands Alone Carter, she knew, thrilled with the knowledge. Mike Houston had called her earlier and said he’d be arriving today.
Kai forcibly shut down those warm feelings in her chest. Frowning, she replaced the plug in the engine so that she could pour fresh oil into it. Four days had gone by since her initial meeting with Mike Houston and she was slowly going crazy in this quiet little Rocky Mountain tourist town, which was a haven for hunters in the fall and trout fishermen during the summer season.
The midday sunlight lanced down through the firs that grew all around the condos, painted gray with dark red trim. The sky was a pale blue, cleansed from the snow and rain that had passed through two days earlier. Dressed in olive-colored, Rail Rider nylon pants, a pair of hardy brown leather Ecco boots and a white fisherman knit sweater to keep her warm against the chill, Kai was careful not to get grease all over her. Wiping her fingers on a nearby rag, she set her used oil aside. The breeze blew languidly, lifting a few tendrils along her right temple. Pushing them back with her wrist, Kai narrowed her gaze on the truck that had parked in front of her condo. Jake was here. Oh, Great Spirit, what was she going to do?
The windows of the truck were tinted and dark, so Kai couldn’t see his face. Compressing her lips, she waited, her heart beating in dread. How she wanted her ugly past to stay buried! Having to face Jake again was like having salt poured into the raw, unhealed wounds from her childhood. He reminded her of the past she wanted to forget. Oh, Kai thought about him often enough and warmly—but that was the past. He’d been her safe harbor growing up, his presence in her life crucial for her emotional survival at that time. But she didn’t necessarily want to admit that now. Jake had his own life and she wished the best for him—but that was it. Having him show up only brought memories of suffering, misery, pain and heartache.
The truck door opened.
Kai raised her head, her gaze riveted there. Heartbeat speeding, she tried to protect herself emotionally, but it was impossible.
A tall, lean figure emerged from the truck. Instantly, Kai froze. It was Jake Carter. As he turned to look at her, Kai felt a sharp pain stab through her heart, clear to her soul. Oh! How Jake had changed! He stood there looking across the yard at her, one hand on the door of the truck, an expression of yearning clearly written on his broad face.
Gone was the tall, skinny ten-year-old she’d known. He was half Anglo and half Eastern Cherokee through his medicine woman mother’s blood. His skin was golden, not quite as coppery as hers, but his black hair glinted with blue highlights. Kai studied him hungrily, looking for what was the same about him and what had changed. No longer gangly, he was at least six foot one and medium boned, built like a boxer in his prime. He wore a light green wool sweater with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and his wide, capable shoulders were thrown back with typical military grace. His gold-brown eyes had always reminded Kai of a cougar’s, for they were large, inquisitive and set far apart. More than anything, Kai remembered the compassion that had radiated from Jake’s eyes as a child. She had absorbed it hungrily like the emotionally starved child she’d been.
He’d been so sensitive and caring toward her. He had held her when she’d wept, rocking her with those thin arms that were now darkly haired and well-muscled. His face was broad, his cheekbones high, again shouting of his proud heritage. Maybe it was his full mouth, the corners turning slightly upward, that made Kai feel safer for just an instant. Jake had always been a jokester, making her laugh when she’d wanted to cry. He’d given her the gift of laughter, of fun. He’d loved to explore, and his hand had closed around hers often as they went off together on adventures into the woods and meadows.
The truck door shut, and Kai’s stomach clenched. Her heart was now pounding like a runaway train. What should she do? What should she say? She wanted to tell Jake a thousand things, among them thanks for just being there when she’d needed someone who loved her. Loved? Well, maybe that was the wrong word. They’d been kids. What did kids know about love?
Frowning, Kai slowly unwound from her position on the canvas tarp near her Harley. Jake’s gaze never left hers as he slowly walked around the front of his truck and headed toward her. She saw worry in his expression, his broad brow slightly furrowed, a strand of black hair dipping across it. Perhaps out of nervousness of his own, he reached up with his long, square fingers and pushed the errant strands back into place. He wore a pair of jeans that fit his body beautifully, his thighs long, hard and firm. It was clear to Kai that Jake worked out regularly. He wasn’t a muscle-bound man, just solid and in good shape. And he walked like the cougar she’d always imagined as his spirit guide, with a kind of boneless male grace that belied his innate power.
Kai felt a wave of euphoria at seeing him once more, but struggled to contain it. Fear mixed with joy in her as Jake halted six feet from her, on the pad of concrete where the Harley sat. She stood there, gripping the oil rag in her hand. His golden eyes were shadowed, and he was remembering their past, Kai was sure. Words tumbled forward and then jammed in her throat. She wasn’t the most sociable person in the world, and not one to stand on social etiquette. But though she wanted to greet him, she didn’t know what to say. It was one of the few times in her adult life she was left speechless.
“Osiyo. Hello, Kai…”
That softly spoken Cherokee word shattered something in her, and Kai closed her eyes momentarily, reeling from the whispered greeting. Even though Jake was only half Cherokee, she remembered that his mother had raised him to speak Cherokee, a beautiful, rhythmic language that touched her soul. Opening her eyes, she stared at him, vaguely aware of a pair of blue jays screaming at one another in a nearby fir.
“Osiyo…” she whispered.
Jake stood easily, a lopsided smile dawning on his face. “How long has it been?” He rested his hands on his hips as he gazed at her. How Kai had grown! No longer the skinny little girl too tall for her age, she had turned into a breathtakingly beautiful and statuesque woman. Jake wondered why he had never gotten in touch with Kai once she’d gone. Why hadn’t he tried harder? His father had taken them off the res weeks after Kai had left, and Jake had had no way to track her down. Great Spirit knew, he’d tried, but all his boyish efforts had met with heartbreaking failure. Jake had cried himself to sleep many nights after Kai had been ripped from his life. She’d been taken into protective custody by the state of North Carolina child care services after her parents’ tragic death in a car crash. He’d loved her with a boy’s fervor and he’d had a hard time adjusting to life without her fierce, passionate spirit at his side.
“You might as well know, Jake, I didn’t want you on this mission.”
He winced inwardly. Her voice was low and guarded. Kai’s gaze was narrowed, but he couldn’t help drowning in her incredible aqua eyes, which had always filled with warmth and gladness when she saw him. Even now he saw a glimmer of joy in them and it gave him hope. Maybe Kai really didn’t mean those words. Maybe she was just scared. He was scared, too.
Kai’s eyes had always had a haunted look, and they’d touched his soul. She was so different from all the other girls he’d gone through school with. He could never put his finger on why she was unique, she just was. And it made her special to him. Jake had always felt that she was a gift in his life—one he didn’t deserve, but somehow he’d gotten lucky. And there she’d been…in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, her tears wetting the T-shirt he wore as he rocked her and tried to comfort her.
Jake cleared his throat. “Yeah…Major Houston said you wanted to go alone on this mission.” Shifting his stance, he added, “I was briefed about it before I took the mission, Kai.”
She glanced at him defiantly, then looked down at the rag she gripped in her hand. “I suppose you got ordered on this mission?”
“My C.O. called me in. He said I was getting TDY, temporary duty, to a supersecret CIA agency for a special mission.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “I was briefed on the mission by Major Houston. It was my decision to accept.” He gave her a soft, searching look. “He gave me your address and told me to take the condo across the hall from where you’re staying. I’m glad to be working with you.”
Kai turned and tossed the rag down on the canvas sheet. “I’m being forced to take you along, Jake.”
“I can see that.” Her statement seared his heart. He tried to recover, but had a tough time doing so. When they were kids she had trusted him with her life. Now she didn’t seem to need him at all. What had happened in her life to turn her away from him like this? The question hovered on his lips and he struggled mightily to keep mute.
Kai heard the irony in Jake’s husky tone. Turning back, she scowled warningly at him. “I don’t need a partner on this mission.”
Nodding, Jake murmured, “Major Houston told me what happened to you in the Navy. I’m sorry, Kai. I really am. They’ve lost one of their best combat pilots.”
His words were gentle, soothing some of her ire. Going back to her Harley, she sat down on the tarp and opened up a can of oil. “Getting the crystal mask back, if that’s possible, is more important than me. Or you.”
He ambled over to the open garage and watched as Kai carefully poured fresh oil into the engine. Her face was set but beautiful. His ugly little duckling had grown into a lovely swan. In school, the other children had teased her mercilessly. As a child, her lips had seemed too large for her oval face. Though her body had been as thin and supple as a willow, she was big boned and had looked disproportionate as a result. Plus Kai had had legs that seemed to go on forever. Now she stood six foot tall and clearly had grown into a very shapely woman. Jake averted his eyes from the sweater she wore, and the lush curves of her breasts beneath.
“I guess we’ll have to call a truce of some kind, okay? I’ve been ordered to take this mission. I’m in the Army and can’t refuse it even if I wanted to. If I did that, they’d court-martial me and I’d be out of a career.” Jake smiled wryly as he watched her complete the oil change. Her fingers were long and lean, her nails blunt cut, he noted. Afterward, she took a clean cloth and gently wiped the metal down until it shone like silver. He liked the wolf painted on the side of the gas tank. The Wolf Clan was where chiefs and leaders came from. The Paint Clan was the one Kai had been born into, just as he had—the clan of the medicine people. Shaking his head a little, Jake smiled to himself. They’d both come from medicine families and neither had chosen to walk the old way. Both had created a life made from the fabric of the white man’s world, instead.
Why wouldn’t her heart settle down? Kai frowned and compressed her lips as she got done wiping down her Harley. Looking up, she locked gazes with Jake. She had heard the wry humor in his voice and it stirred long-ago memories. Memories she wanted to forget once and for all. “This is my mission, Jake. You’re just comin’ along for the ride, as far as I’m concerned. I’m the boss. You do what I ask, stay out of my way, and we’ll get along.”
“Major Houston said you were in charge. I don’t have a problem with that.” Jake saw surprise flare in her vivid blue eyes, and he curved his mouth ruefully. “What’s the matter? Don’t you think I can take directions from a woman? We were raised on a matriarchal reservation. I’ve always honored women and their strength.” I’ve always honored you.
Brows dipping, Kai got to her feet and rolled her Harley off the canvas. Putting down the kickstand with the toe of her boot, she turned to see Jake neatly folding up her canvas drop cloth. Why did he have to be so helpful? He walked over and handed it to her.
“Thanks,” she muttered, taking the tarp out of his hand and tucking it up on a wooden shelf along the garage wall. She punched a button and the garage door groaned and then began to slowly descend.
“Do you have time to sit down and talk to me about your vision? Major Houston suggested that we go over it in detail together. He felt it should come from you, not him.”
Nostrils flaring, Kai said, “Sure…come on in.” She opened the door that led to the hall of the two-story condo.
“I could use a cup of coffee. It’s been a long trip flying from Afghanistan and then driving from Fort Rucker, Alabama. You got some?” Jake followed her inside and shut the door. “I’ll make it.”
“Fine. I’ll show you where the stuff is. Follow me….”
Jake tried not to take Kai’s stiffness toward him personally. After all, fifteen years had passed, and a lot could happen in that time. As he followed her down the beige carpeted hall to a mauve-painted living room, he spied the kitchen to the right. The condo was decorated in Japanese style, the furniture black lacquered, the fabrics in muted colors. A tall, healthy-looking ficus tree graced one corner near a picture window framed with soft white curtains. He heard Cherokee music in the background and smiled. The singing was familiar. The corn dance, he surmised, as he followed her into the modern kitchen.
“Over there,” Kai said, pointing toward the counter. “Coffee’s in the fridge. Help yourself. I’m going to get changed and grab a shower. I stink.”
Turning, he saw her leave the kitchen and heard her footsteps on the carpeted stairs. Smiling to himself, he quickly found everything to make a good, strong cup of black coffee. Of course, he made enough in case Kai wanted some. Did she even drink coffee? Jake didn’t know. So many years had gone by. It felt like a lifetime in some ways. He wanted to ask her a million questions about her personal life, but realized it would do no good to pry. Kai had been like a willful wild horse when she was young, defying authority at every turn. He could see by the set of her clean jaw and the blaze of rebellion in her eyes that she wasn’t going to allow him entrance into her life as she had when she was a child. Something deep within him grieved at the realization.
“So, that’s the story,” Kai told him, sitting opposite him at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee between her hands. It was well past noon and she was hungry. Rising from the table, she went over to the refrigerator and pulled out some tuna and a loaf of bread.
Jake sat back, digesting what she’d told him about her vision quest dream. “That’s really something…. I remember my mom telling me about the crystal totems when I was a kid. I never saw any of them except for our Paint Clan one. Each totem was brought out for specific ceremonies for its clan at different times of the year.”
“Yeah,” Kai replied, pulling a knife from the drawer, “my mother told me about them, too. I thought it was just a fairy tale. I didn’t want to hear anything she had to say….”
He watched as she slapped together a tuna sandwich, and wondered if she would ask if he wanted one. Jake had decided to expect nothing of Kai, for to do so under the present circumstances would be pure folly. But his stomach growled.
“Hungry?”
“Yeah,” he said ruefully, sliding his hand across his flat stomach, “I guess I am.”
“It’s tuna.”
“That’s okay by me.”
“One or two sandwiches?”
“Two, please. Thanks.” He saw her glance briefly at him across her shoulder. Jake couldn’t get over how deliciously curved she was, and obviously in top physical form. She was eye candy, and he found himself secretly salivating. If Kai could read his mind, she’d deck him, no question. His reactions to her were no longer a little boy’s, but a man’s.
“You always did eat enough for two people,” she stated, setting out four more slices of whole wheat bread on the counter.
“I guess I’m still a growing boy….”
“Nice try. What are you now? Twenty-five years old?”
“Yeah. And you’re twenty-four.”
“Feelin’ like I’m goin’ on eighty, believe me.”
“You seem bothered by this vision. Your Gram said the Great Spirit had chosen you for this quest. Why are you upset about it?” Jake got up and moved to the cabinet, pulling out two white china plates. Kai placed the sandwiches on them and he took them to the table.
Snorting, Kai sat down and tossed him a paper napkin. “Because I’m the least qualified person to do this, don’t you agree? I was a hellion growing up. I defied authority, defied my drunken lout of a father, defied my mother’s wishes that I learn the medicine ways…. I refused to learn to be a medicine person. Why would I want to end up like her?” Kai took a bite out of her sandwich, studying Jake with an intense look.
Jake wiped his mouth on the napkin and balanced a sandwich in his other hand. “You had your reasons for being a rebel, Kai. We both know that. Besides—” he held her tumultuous gaze “—my mother taught me enough that maybe I can be of some help to you on this mission. Between us, we should be able to find that mask. I don’t think it’s any accident that we’re both from the Paint Clan. Who better to get the vision than you? Who better than us to find it? Seems right to me.”
Kai knew Jake’s mother was a well-respected medicine person. She was dead now, according to Grams. One thing Kai and Jake shared was that they had both walked away from their heritage. She was wondering if that decision was going to haunt them on this quest to locate the crystal mask. “Well, at least you got some training,” she muttered grudgingly. “And maybe it will come in handy. I don’t really know….” She was certain it would, but, out of stubborn pride, she didn’t want to admit that to Jake.
Why was she fighting him so hard? Every time he gave her that gentle smile, her heart melted all over again and warmth passed through her like an invisible caress. It was fear that kept her fighting. Fear of men like her father, or Thorval. She knew it wasn’t rational. But she also knew that just because she’d trusted Jake as a young boy didn’t mean she could trust him now. No, he’d have to prove himself all over again before she’d let down her guard.
Kai didn’t want to look too closely at the reasons for her distrust. She had too much rage toward Thorval. Jake was coming back into her life at a bad time.
“Well,” she growled, “I don’t know what’s going on. I guess I believe Grams, but I’m having a tough time accepting it all. I have absolutely no metaphysical training under my belt. All I get are dreams, and I possess a strong intuition. But that’s it. My mother was completely clairvoyant. She could see people’s auras, see the spirit guides around a person and talk to spirits who passed through our house. Next to her, I can’t even be considered a neophyte.”
“I understand,” Jake murmured. “I remember a lot of what my mother did, but my dad, as you know, didn’t want me learning about this stuff.” Jake’s father had been a military pilot who had only believed in what he saw in the physical realm. He was never happy about Jake’s spiritual training, or “hocus-pocus,” as he’d termed it. There had always been verbal fights between his parents over whether Jake should be taught his heritage or not. His mother had been adamant that he should experience his Cherokee culture, and she’d always won that argument with his dad.
“I feel like the blind leading the blind,” Kai grumped unhappily. She opened her hands, frustration in her tone. “I mean, I keep getting this same dream every night. I see Australia. I see a cave situated at the end of a canyon that reminds me of the Grand Canyon, only it’s a lot smaller. The canyon’s out in the middle of a red desert. I went to the Internet and finally found a place to start, I think, but I didn’t find any reference to the canyon or the cave. But the nearest landmark is Ayers Rock, which is sacred to the Aboriginal people. And then, in my nightly dreams, I keep seeing this old woman with milky-looking eyes, dark skin and curly gray hair calling to me.”
“Does she call you by name?”
“Yes, she does. And she keeps repeating ‘Kalduke.’”
“Did you find out if that’s a real word or not?” He grinned at her.
“Yeah, it’s an Aboriginal village about two days away from Ayers Rock, from what I can make out.”
“Sounds like what you’re dreaming can be verified by outer sources,” Jake said, “so that means you’re on the right track.”
“Humph, whatever the hell track that is.”
“Do you know this woman’s name? Where she lives?”
Shrugging, Kai finished her tuna sandwich, then wiped her fingers on her napkin. “I keep getting ‘Ooranye.’ And then I see these two shaggy camels out in the middle of the red desert. And I see a very small village. She’s standing there at the edge of it, waiting for me. I see her raising her hand and gesturing for me to come to her.” Staring at Jake, Kai said, “Damned if I know what this is all about.”
“It’s about the crystal mask, I bet,” Jake murmured. “Did Grams tell you anything else about the crystal totems?”
Kai shared with him what her grandmother had told her. “Do you know anything more about them? Did your mother instruct you about them? Did she tell you anything specific about the Paint Clan mask?”
“Not much. Mom said that each crystal totem was associated with the energy of that clan, as we discussed. It was like the heart of our clan and fed us energy. Each totem helps its clan to maintain balance and a peaceful state of harmony for all the people in it.” Jake rubbed his brow, trying to recall more. “I remember when I was nine and undergoing my passage ceremony from childhood to becoming an adult. That day the crystal mask was brought out of the leather pouch where it was kept. It was held over my head as I was given my new, adult name, Stands Alone, by the medicine man.”
Kai said, “So you’ve seen what it looks like?”
“Yes. But that was a long time ago, Kai. And I only saw it that one time.” He gave her a rueful look. “But I do remember that when the crystal mask was held over me and the medicine man was chanting in our language, I felt so light-headed and woozy from the energy pouring off it that I wobbled a little. My mom, who was standing next to me, grabbed my arm and made sure I stood there and didn’t fall.” He gave Kai an amused look. “That crystal mask is powerful, Kai. I’ll never forget the energy or what it did to me. It wasn’t bad. I felt really good—empowered and almost giddy afterward. Like someone had shot me full of adrenaline or something.”
Nodding, Kai muttered, “That’s helpful. I remember my mother saying something about the mask, trying to teach me about it, but I ran out the door. I didn’t want to have anything to do with it.”
“So much for rebellion.” Jake smiled briefly. He saw some of the tension thaw from Kai’s face. Taking the napkin, he pulled a pen from his pocket and drew a rough sketch of a human being on it. Turning it around, he said, “Maybe this will be helpful to you. If you’ve seen this before, stop me, okay?”
“Okay.” Kai looked down at what he was drawing.
“This is our energy system, from what I can recall. My mother taught me that there is a series of chakras or energy stations located in the first field out from our physical body. It’s called the etheric field, and it reaches three to six inches beyond our physical form, like a glove that fits tightly around our body. People who can see it say it’s light gray, and almost transparent. Embedded in this field are the energy stations, or what Hindu people refer to as chakras. Being vortices of energy, they’re circular and are often represented by a lotus or other flowers. Think of a fan or a propeller whirling around in the center of each.” Jake quickly drew seven circles on the human figure he’d sketched. “Now, each chakra is related to a different color. The color red pertains to the root chakra, located in the area of our tailbone.”
Studying the napkin, Kai hungrily absorbed what Jake showed her. Maybe he wasn’t going to be such a pain in the ass, after all. She needed this kind of information to try and put together what she was receiving in her dream state. Pointing at the circle at the bottom of the figure’s spine, she said, “Well, what does all this mean? How does the crystal Paint Clan mask fit?”
“I don’t know, Kai. I wish I did. I just know that the mask made me dizzy—” he tapped the head of the figure he’d drawn “—so that tells me it had something to do with my crown chakra. My dad, who was a fighter pilot, really tried to stop my mom from telling me this stuff. So she’d slip me the information when he wasn’t around.” He grinned. “She didn’t take no for an answer.”
“I’m glad she didn’t. She was much more of a fighter than my mother was.”
Jake gave her a tender look. “Under the circumstances, Kai, there was no way you could really live in that house with your father like he was. You had to run every chance you got in order to survive, and even then he still got his hands on you. And your mother…well, she took his beatings and I’m sorry about that…sorry about what he did to both of you….” Jake didn’t want to get into how much seeing Kai battered had torn him up. He’d been a child himself, unable to do anything but hold her after the fact.
Pain flashed through her heart. If Jake had mentioned her past in any other tone she’d have lashed out at him. Instead, she whispered, “Look, let’s just stick to what you know, okay? I feel like we’re two halves of something. Maybe…just maybe…with my dreams and your knowledge of our medicine ways, we’ll know what to do with this and where to go. Together, we make a circle. We’re complete….”
“I think we’ll make a good team, Kai,” Jake said sincerely. “So we’re heading for Australia, to Ayers Rock, to find this Aboriginal village?”
Kai lifted her chin and raised a brow. “That’s what I told Mike. They’re preparing our travel documents. But I’m really not sure, Jake. I’ve never put any stock in dreams before.”
Jake saw her fighting with herself, questioning the vision she’d received. “Isn’t it logical, with your dream? You’ve already checked it out on the Net. Let’s just use the dream as a starting point. We’ll use our wolf noses once we get there to snoop around, and hope the Great Spirit will give us another piece of information to follow. We have to have faith in this process. My mother always said being a medicine person was running a hundred percent on faith all the time. I’m now beginning to understand what she meant by that.” He wanted to reach out and touch Kai’s hand, but stopped himself. Seeing the uneasiness in her expression, her eyes fraught with questions, Jake sat quietly.
“I suppose you’re right. I feel like an utter fool, Jake. I’ve never had a dream download into me like this, in pieces or parts. What if I’m wrong?” She touched her forehead. “Or just plain crazy? I’m sure Major Houston isn’t going to be happy about spending all that money for nothing, if this turns out to be a wild-goose chase to Australia. There may be no Ooranye when we reach Kalduke….”
Jake murmured, “Instead of worrying, let’s use this time to try and put together what we know for Major Houston. He’s Indian. He understands how people get useful information through dreams. When we land at Yulara, near Ayers Rock, we might have a clue as to where to find this woman, and this place.”