Dakoda awoke in a strange bed.
Frowning, she lifted her head, looking around the small room. As the remnants of sleep filtered away, her vision adjusted, allowing her to see she was inside a cabin. Slivers of morning sunlight were beginning to creep in through the slats in the shutters covering two small windows.
Unlike Joe and Kathryn’s larger home, this one appeared to consist of no more than a single room. On one side there was a wood-burning stove and a small table and benches. Across the room was the living space, consisting of a small hearth, a rocking chair, and a small chest of drawers. The bed she occupied was shoved up against the wall in the last empty corner. A couple of hunting rifles, clothes, and a few other miscellaneous items were scattered around in no particular order. Only the owner knew what was what.
A wry smile crept across Dakoda’s lips. A bachelor’s pad.
The bachelor in question lay pressed against her, his rangy body relaxed in sleep. Sprawled on top of the covers, one hand rested across his abdomen. His broad chest rose and fell with gentle rhythm.
Gazing at Jesse’s lax features, Dakoda reached out to move a stray lock of hair away from his face. Long dark lashes any woman would kill to have fanned across his cheekbones. He was astonishingly handsome, and every time she looked at him her heart clenched.
Jesse stirred against her, muscles flexing all through his powerful body.
Dakoda smiled. She’d gotten used to waking up next to him. It felt familiar. Good. Her itchy feet, the urge to get up and go home after sex, seemed to have fled. For the first time she realized what it meant to be part of a couple. There was commitment, not just of bodies, but a meeting of minds and souls on a common level, joined toward a common cause. When they’d first met, the need to survive had joined them. After their escape, the need to stay alive had kept them together. Walking away was going to be a lot harder than she’d first imagined.
Oh, no, she realized suddenly. I’m in love with Jesse. It had just happened, as smoothly and naturally as her lungs drew oxygen. She’d spent most of her twenty-six years running away from emotional entanglements, and now here she was up to her ass, head over heels in love. In the space of a week, her entire life had been turned upside down. It didn’t even seem strange that she thought of these mountains as her home now.
They were. They always would be.
Leaning closer to him, Dakoda inhaled the air around him. His warm skin radiated musk, the scent of the sex they’d shared the night before. Sometime during the night he’d scooped her off the cold ground outside, carrying her to his bed. They’d had sex again, not fast or hurried, but the slow gentle sweet kind that was more about their two bodies being joined together in perfect harmony rather than seeking climax.
Dakoda’s gaze skimmed toward his flaccid penis. Nestled in a thick thatch of black curls, it waited for a female’s touch to awaken it. She was just about to slide down and give him a nice morning surprise when a loud banging on the door disturbed the morning’s silence.
“Hey, Jesse, you in there?” Robin Huskey’s voice called. “Get up, man.” More heavy knocks followed.
Jarred out of a sound sleep, Jesse sat up. He yawned and stretched, scratching a smooth patch of belly. “What the fuck do you want, man?” he called back, rolling over Dakoda and reaching toward a pile of clothes at the foot of the bed.
Dakoda’s mouth went dry as she caught a glimpse of his firm ass sliding into a tight pair of jeans. She could feel her clit twisting as she watched him slip a T-shirt over his head. Damn. Watching him get dressed was just as sexy as watching him shuck his clothes.
“Something’s happened, Jess. Something bad,” Robin answered. “Come on, open the door, man.”
“Shit.” Rubbing his hands across his face, Jesse headed to let the impatient man inside. Dakoda had just enough time to cover herself with the blanket before Robin Huskey blew into the room.
Wild-eyed, he looked around. “We’ve got trouble,” he breathed, panting as though he’d run a hard, long distance in a short amount of time. “Big fucking trouble, with a capital T.”
Finding a pair of socks in the mess of clothing, Jesse sat down on the bed to pull them on. His long black hair tumbled around his face when he bent over. “When don’t we have fucking trouble?” he muttered sourly.
Robin stiffened. “Ayunkini has been taken by the Barnett brothers,” he said, his words arriving in a rush.
Dakoda’s heart skidded to a halt in her chest. Icy dread congealed in her gut. “No,” she murmured, shocked by the news.
Jesse immediately jumped up, rage roaring to life. “Those rotten bastards,” he shouted, reaching across the table for his rifle. He swore viciously and stomped toward the door. “This means war.”
Robin caught his arm. “Slow down, Jess. It isn’t going to be that easy…” His gaze turned toward Dakoda. “They’ve threatened to kill him unless we turn over the ranger.”
Jesse’s grip tightened on his gun. “You’re kidding.”
Robin shook his head. “No, that’s their demand. They want Dakoda.”
Jesse’s face went grim. “That isn’t going to happen.”
Robin stared at him. “Joe wants to see you both, right away.”
Jesse set his rifle down and threw Dakoda a wide-eyed look. “Tell him we’ll be right over.”
Dakoda listened in disbelief as Robin described how Ayunkini had been taken hostage by the Barnett brothers. She felt as if she’d taken a hard blow to the gut as the young Indian described the ambush. Having trailed her and Jesse back onto reservation lands, they’d boldly snatched one of the most valued members of the tribe.
It had taken a second, and then a third telling for the story to sink in. It didn’t matter how many times she heard the story, though. The ending was the same.
The Barnett brothers wanted her back.
When she’d heard their demands, Dakoda had no hesitation. Not a single one. “You have to turn me over to them,” she told Chief Joseph.
Jesse looked at her like she’d lost every marble in her head. “You can’t be serious?”
Dakoda frowned. “Of course I am. Ayunkini is your shaman, your holy man.” Her grip tightened around the mug of strong hot coffee Kathryn had provided for the meeting. “They’ve made it clear they’ll kill him if they don’t get me.”
Chief Joseph broke in. “You two can argue it out all morning, but my say in the matter remains the same,” he said quietly. “Ayunkini is an old man, and close to death. He would not want us to sacrifice one of our young females just to save his life.”
“How can you say that?” Jesse demanded angrily. “It sounds like you’re willing to throw away his life for nothing.”
The chief sighed deeply. “I’m never willing to sacrifice any man’s life,” he said slowly. “But in this case we have to be logical. Ayunkini is an old man. Of the many things they can do to him, death is the least of his worries. Think of Dakoda, Jesse. You know the humiliations they put you both through. Would you have her suffer those again?”
Jesse slumped back in his chair, picking listlessly at the plate of food Kathryn had slid in front of him. Despite the delicious aroma of freshly made buttermilk pancakes, no one felt the least bit hungry. “You know I don’t want Dakoda in their hands again,” he finally said.
The Chief sipped his coffee. “They’re banking on us turning her over because she’s an outsider. No matter the many battles we’ve had with these men, the unwritten rule of these mountains is we allow no outsiders. That has always been the rule that kept us safe.”
“But we’re not safe,” Robin Huskey said quietly. “Because we’ve always been afraid of exposure, we’ve put up with having to stay confined to our own land. But you know that’s just not possible. We can’t find mates by prowling the same tract of land day after day. Our women come from the outside. Jesse got snared because he scented a female and went after her. It’s in our natures to do so, and you can’t fight nature.”
Jesse pushed his plate aside. “Robin’s right. It’s in our natures to roam, and we have to go off the reservation if we hope to find females. We know there’s danger, and we’re willing to accept it. But they’ve broken the rule, Joe. They’ve come onto our land and maliciously taken one of our people. Being hunted and caged like animals is no longer acceptable. We’ve got to fight back, and this time it’s more than an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth. This time we need to strike harder.” He reinforced his statement with a rippling snarl. “This time we need to kill.”
The inflection of icy fury in his tone caused Dakoda’s guts to tighten. She reached out, covering one of his hands with her own. “It doesn’t have to come down to murder,” she said. “There are other ways to deal with these men. Legal ways.”
Giving a snort of disgust, Jesse pulled his hand away. Simple words weren’t going to mollify him much longer. His frustration was swiftly coming to a boil, close to reaching a dangerous point. Young and hotheaded, he was apt to do something stupid, without considering the consequences. “The white man’s law doesn’t exist out here,” he snarled. “It never has.”
Kathryn looked at Jesse and frowned. “Dakoda’s an outsider,” she countered quietly. “And she’s dangerous to them because she can bring the law into this land. As they see it, we should consider her a danger, too.”
Jesse shot his sister-in-law a disgusted look. “She’s not a danger, Kathryn, she’s one of us. Just like you were, when Joe found you. Those men almost raped you.”
Kathryn’s eyes flashed. “That’s right, and it’s something I’ll never forget. And they attacked me because they could—because they don’t fear any rules in these mountains except the ones they make for themselves. It’s all well and fine for you boys to fight your stupid battles with these men, but why should you have to do it in secret when you have the law on your side?”
Chief Joseph’s eyes studied his wife with a too-perceptive gaze. “What are you saying, Kathryn?”
Kathryn Clawfoot turned on her husband. “I’m saying it’s time to let the outsiders in, Joe. We need to have the law—the real law—at work out here. Dakoda’s a ranger. She’s also about to be a member of this tribe, if she wants to become one. I can think of no better person to begin putting together our own fledgling police force, someone who can work with the authorities in town to help curb problems like the Barnett clan.” To emphasize her words, she put her hands on her hips and stomped one foot. “And until I get my way, there’ll be no sons or daughters out of this marriage. I’m not raising my children to be afraid and hide.”
By the look on his face, Chief Joseph had heard his wife’s arguments many times before. After a long pause, he finally nodded. “That makes sense.” Catching his mate’s hand, he pressed a kiss on her knuckles. “As usual, my good wife thinks with her head as well as her heart.”
Shyly tugging her hand away, Kathryn smiled. “I can’t claim all the credit. It’s something my good husband has been considering for a long while, too.”
The chief looked toward Dakoda. “Would this be something you’d be willing to do? Take a job with the reservation as one of our law enforcement officers? The pay wouldn’t be much to start, but we could provide the essentials.”
Jesse snorted. “We haven’t got anyone else. You’d be the first.”
Dakoda found herself imagining what it would be like if she were to agree to the chief’s proposal. She glanced toward Jesse, remembering how his body had felt pressed against hers. Though she’d had her share of lovers, she’d never had a man take her the way he did. Every time they’d made love, he was the aggressor, seemingly determined to claim her, to possess her, designating her as his mate in every sense of the word.
And he’d succeeded.
He’d burned his essence into her so thoroughly that her body seemed to vibrate every time he got within touching distance.
And, oh, heavens, she loved it.
She’d often imagined what it would be like to stay with him, join his life in these mountains. After last night’s magical experience of discovering the untamed power of the cougar roiling beneath her skin, she’d known there would be only one answer.
Yes.
Yes, she would give herself up not only to Jesse but also to the stunning, dizzying passion of the shift. She belonged to these mountains, wanted to become a part of them forever.
Now she could do so without guilt or hesitation. Chief Joseph had just offered her a way to serve her calling and her conscience equally. She could still do the work she loved, while serving the people she wanted to call family.
The Tlvdatsi had embraced her. Now she would return the honor, and give them what they wished.
Dakoda nodded her assent. “Yes,” she said. “Once I’m finished with the matters I need to pursue against the Barnetts in town, I will accept your offer. Thank you.” Apprehension prickled her skin. “And the first thing I intend to do is take those bastards down.”
Jesse shook his head in protest. “Don’t even think we’re going to give them what they want, Dakoda.”
Heart giving a compulsive thump, Dakoda felt her guts knot. “The way for us to get to these men is to give them what they think they want,” she pointed out. “That’s me.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Chief Joseph said tightly.
She insisted. “I can’t let you sacrifice your shaman when there may be a way to save him without having to do exactly as these men demand.” Her mind spun in frantic circles like a top set loose at high speed. There had to be a satisfactory solution to the mess she’d unwittingly placed these people in. There was no way she’d let an old man sacrifice his life to save hers.
That’s just not acceptable, on any level.
Piqued with interest, the chief’s brows rose. “And how do you propose we do that?”
Dakoda licked her lips as boldness crept through her mind on sneaky kitty feet. Cougar feet, in fact. She leaned closer to the table. Her challenging gaze met that of every onlooker. “They don’t know I can shift,” she pointed out. “Once Ayunkini is safe, all I would need is a moment to surprise them and break away. With you guys backing my tail, I just might make it.”