She squeaked and grabbed at the covers. It hadn’t been a dream. She’d actually gone into the future! Trembling she yanked the covers over her head as if doing so would whisk her back to her own time. This couldn’t be happening.
She never saw the humorous looks Ragtow and Jack exchanged. When the total silence finally got to her, she peeked over the edge of the blanket to see both of them watching her with smiles on their faces.
“What does thou find so funny?” She glared at them both, which had both men struggling not to laugh.
“We’re not laughing at you, we swear. Your reaction just surprised us.” Jack watched her with mirth in his eyes. She couldn’t help it. His attitude was infectious and she was soon smiling along with him. She never even stopped to wonder at why she felt so at ease with these two strange men.
“Better?” Ragtow’s question was soft, as his hands gently untangled her death grip on the edge of the blanket. “I assure you that you’ll love this visitor. She’s waited a long time to see you.”
Nibbling on her lip, she tried to decide. The air filled with tension and Ragtow’s breath hissed out of his chest before Jack swore softly and rubbed his finger over her lower lip to free it from between her teeth.
“Enough, ma tranqilite. You are tempting two very hungry men. We don’t want to rush this and you’re making it difficult to resist.”
A tickle of desire settled in her stomach as she looked from man to man. The memories of her dream were tormenting her now. She wanted more than anything to be wrapped up in a world where it was just her and the two men sitting on either side of her.
A knock broke the spell and her gaze jerked to the door. Jack kept his eyes on her before bidding the person to enter.
“Come on in.”
The last thing Onatah expected to see enter the room was the tall slender woman wearing the same blue jeans as Ragtow and a flannel shirt tucked into the waistband. If it weren’t for her beautiful chocolate eyes and slender beaded chocker around her neck, Onatah would’ve never recognized her much loved and mourned older sister.
“Orenda?”
“Hiya, baby sister. I see you made it. I’ve missed you.” The lilting quality was still present in her sister’s voice but the words she spoke made very little sense to Onatah.
“What are thou doing here? Thou died in the river. Am I dead?”
Orenda smiled and stopped next to the bed. “No. You crossed over just as did I. I foresaw your eventual joining with Pajackok and Ragtow just before I came over to this time. They need you. Their people need you too.”
Ignoring the part about the men needing her, Onatah focused on the confirmation her sister had just given her. “So it’s true. I’m no longer in 1816. Am I even in the same area as before? Or did I land across the ocean in the land of the white man?”
Jack answered for Orenda. “You’re in a small cabin outside the town of Gananoque. You’re in Canada, Onatah. From what Orenda has told me, we’re simply on the other side of the river from where your village used to stand.”
Tears filled her eyes. “Then it’s true-the fire destroyed everything?”
“According to the history books, yes. The Americans burned down many villages and drove many Native Americans from their homes. The Iroquois nation is no longer as mighty as it once was.” Ragtow took her hand in his. “So if you went back it would be to 276
a burned out village with many of your clan already dead. We’d have to find another village and another clan to accept us.”
She stared up at him. “Us?”
“Yes.” Ragtow pressed the back of her hand against his mouth. A gasp escaped her before she could stop it. The certainty in his eyes astonished her. “Where you go, ma puissance, so do we. So whatever choice you decide we will follow.”
“You don’t have to make your decision now, sister. You have until the full moon fades to decide if you and your mates stay in this time or go back home. Before you decided give this time a chance. There are plenty of opportunities here for a healer of your magnitude. Jack works at the hospital and the free clinic. He helps those who can’t afford the most basic of health care. Ragtow works at the production plant in Research and Development and makes unbelievable instruments to help the healers of this time.”
Tears filled Onatah’s eyes. “And you? What does thou do during this time?”
“I work at a casino.”
Onatah tried the word out on her tongue. “A casino? What is…a casino?”
“It’s a place where men and women alike come and wager money on cards and other games of chance.”
“Thou does this wagering?”
Orenda shook her head and sat down next to her sister. “No, I don’t wager. I watch to make sure no one cheats.”
Staring at her sister, what she’d said had made sense. Before she’d died…no
‘time traveled to the future’… Orenda had settled many disputes between the warriors and their own chieftain. The chief himself had come to her for her prophecies. If her 277
sister could make a spot for herself in this new time, who was to say she couldn’t? With her family gone and everything familiar gone, what was waiting for her in the past? Her head hurt and she leaned back trying to clear her mind.
“Don’t think so hard about it. You have three days before the full moon fades from the northern sky. If you wish to return home wait by the river where Jack and Ragtow brought you ashore, then the path for you to return home will appear.” Orenda placed her hand over Onatah’s and gave it a squeeze of reassurance. “Now it’s time for me to go. I have my shift starting in less than an hour and I’d better get a move on before my boss decides to write me up for being late again. I love you baby sister. I’ll be back to visit before the full moon fades. Take this time to get to know your mates.” She leaned in and pressed a kiss against Onatah’s forehead before slipping back out of the room.
She was slightly dazed as her gaze focused on the hot stares coming from the men who were destined to be her mates. She shivered when her body reacted to their obvious desires. When Jack moved, she held up a hand.
“Wait! Please wait.”
He stilled even though her protest did little to dampen the desire she saw in his gaze.
“What is it, Onatah? Are you scared now that your sister has left? We won’t hurt you. We held you between us throughout the night and you remained in your untried state despite our desire.” His voice was hoarse with his deepening desire as he reached for his braids and began to loosen his hair.
Unable to help herself she sat mesmerized as he finished loosening his hair.
When his hands reached for the buttons on his shirt, she adverted her eyes to only be ensnared by Ragtow’s matter of fact removal of his clothes. The soft tunic covering his wide chest was now gone and his hands were smoothly unfastening his breaches.
Licking her lips, she jerked her eyes away from the tempting sight. How was she supposed to resist when no matter which way she turned they were tantalizing her senses and stroking her own need higher?
“Don’t hide from us, ma puissance. ” The need in Ragtow’s voice had her swallowing and looking her eyes on his face. His desire was plain to see and she felt a curious melting in her core when he stood and shucked his breeches. It took all of her willpower to not let her gaze fall to his sex. Even as badly as she wanted to see if her dream was correct, she didn’t trust herself not to beg for his hard length in her mouth as she had in the dream. She was virginal but did not feel like it. Only loose women thought such daring exciting thoughts.
The shift of weight on the bed next to her had her turning to see Jack stretched out on his side next to her. He was quite naked and didn’t seem to be the least bit self-conscious of the fact. Gripping the edge of the blanket in her fingers, she tried to focus on anything other than her need. Each breath she took brought their intoxicating scent deeper into her lungs.