“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.”
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