Rachel's Totem (7 page)

“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?”

47

“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.

48

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.”

49

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.

50

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.”

51

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.”

52

“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.”

53

“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?”