Commando Cowboys Entice Their Beauty [Wyoming Warriors 6] (2 page)

“Good idea.” Sara handed her a rifle and then sat beside Rae. “Shall we hold both hands?”

“Yes.” Rae took her hands. They closed their eyes and sat perfectly still.

Jewel held the rifle ready. She wondered how the men were doing fighting the fire. Men could get hurt or burned dealing with a wildfire that large. Her heart had jumped a beat when she saw Raoul and Aleron. It was difficult to deny her attraction to them. She’d fought it ever since she’d met them. They hid something, too. She’d sensed it. Something that caused her to be wary and cautious. But still she had to admit she was worried about their safety.

When she brought her attention back to Sara and Rae, she noted their breathing was slow and deep, and they were still as statues. The room had suddenly gotten darker. Jewel tightened her grip on the rifle. Goosebumps rose on her arms. There was no one in the room but them. Yet she sensed the danger. Quickly, she lifted the rifle, aimed at the darkness in the left-hand corner, and shot.

Rae and Sara jumped and fell backward. The darkness was gone, leaving a smell of burnt fireworks.

“Thank you.” Sara’s voice sounded weak and breathless. She sat with her head in her hands.

“Are you all right?” Rae moved to Sara’s side.

“I will be in a moment.”

“I’m sorry I frightened you two,” Jewel said just as Phillip came storming into the room with his pistol drawn.

“What the hell happened in here?”

Jewel shrugged. “I shot at a shadow and scared Jewel and Rae. How did you hear the shot?”

Phillip pointed to the monitor on his belt. “This lets me hear any upstairs noise.”

“She saved us.”

“What?” Jewel was surprised by Sara’s comment. “How?”

Phillip took the rifle Jewel was waving around from her. “You might accidentally shoot me.”

Rae took Jewel’s hand and helped her up. “When we started meditating and opened ourselves, he or she was ready. I don’t know how they did it, but it was like a net thrown across us. We couldn’t move, and the voice kept trying to plant thoughts into our heads. My strength had weakened, and I feared we wouldn’t last much longer against them when you fired.”

“Immediately, we were freed and the darkness exploded and disappeared,” Sara added. “What did you shoot at?”

“I have no idea. The room got darker, especially in that corner.” Jewel pointed toward the spot where she had fired her rifle. “I didn’t realize you were in trouble. I thought you’d gone into deep meditation. I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Phillip said. “I’m not sure I’d have thought to shoot at the darkness.” He chuckled. “It must have scared whatever it was, pretty bad.”

* * * *

Mitch, Daren, and Garth, and Lann, leaders of the three tribes, rode at the head of the group. They stopped a good distance from the fire. Mitch watched as it roared and ate up any trees or shrubs in its path. Unless they managed to stop its progression, the tents and the main part of town would be gone.

Their foreman, Lang, and his men had already arrived with the ranch’s fire department. They pumped water onto the blaze. When Lang saw the others he rode over.

“It’s got a good head start on us. Thank goodness we put in the water pipes to run across most of the property, especially the areas closest to the main part of the ranch. But we need more help.”

“I contacted our fire captain. We had our own outfit in New Mexico because of our distance from town. He’s bringing the firefighters we brought with us. We left one unit behind,” Lann said.

Lang nodded and went back to join his men. They were busy digging ditches to try and stop the inferno’s advance.

Mitch turned to the other three. “Any other suggestions?”

“Aleron can shape-shift into his eagle. I’ll have him fly above the fire and report back what he sees,” Garth said.

“How does he report back?”

“He can send messages telepathically to any of us who are shape-shifters.”

“All right. I’d like to know just what we’re facing. I may call the fire station in town and ask them to send a unit to assist us.”

Garth motioned Aleron to them and gave him his instructions. The leaders watched as Aleron walked quickly behind a large bush. In seconds, he flew into the sky as a huge eagle. He soared upward and flew out of sight.

“That’s amazing,” Mitch said. “He’s larger than a regular eagle.”

“And he’s faster and has even better eyesight,” Garth added. “He’ll probably contact Raoul. They’re close, and he’s more receptive to Aleron’s messages.”

Raoul walked briskly in their direction. He came directly to Mitch and Garth. “Aleron says if the wind switches you’re going to lose a lot of pasture and cows. We need to send some workers behind to dig trenches, but there are about six men standing guard. He doesn’t think they’re yours.”

Mitch called Lang over. “Do we have men to the back of this burn?”

“No,” Lang said. “I thought we needed all of them here.”

“Let Aleron know they aren’t our men,” Mitch said to Raoul.

Raoul walked a short distance off from the group.
“They aren’t our men. What were you thinking about doing?”
He sent the message telepathically to Aleron.

“I’m going to buzz them fast and see what happens.”

“You should wait till some of us get closer in case you need help,”
Raoul cautioned.

“Too late. I’m going down.”

“Damn.”

“What is it?” Mitch asked. He’d walked closer to Raoul.

“Aleron is taking a risk. He’s dive buzzing them to see their reaction. If they change into those bird shifters that attacked Rae and almost killed her, he could get in trouble.” He shook his head.

Mitch flipped his phone open and punched in the code for Ethan. “Where are you?” he asked Ethan.

“I’ve been checking out the helicopter. I thought we might try dropping large barrels of water out the helo doors.”

“Good, you’re right where I want you. Take the helicopter up and head south. Hopefully, you’ll see a large eagle. He might need your help.”

“I’m on my way.”

* * * *

Aleron loved the feel of the wind whistling by his body. The men below were so intent on watching the fire they didn’t see him until the last minute. Aleron let out a loud shriek and raked his talons across the nearest man’s scalp. The man screamed and threw his arms up, but Aleron was already climbing high into the sky. Two of the men shot at him, but he was out of their range.

He slowed and floated on the air currents. Far below, he saw the men, but although they stared at the blue sky, he was but a dot to them. Aleron watched as two of the men shape-shifted into huge black birds. Their wingspan was incredible, but what they gained in size they lost in speed. Aleron focused on the other men. One was putting the injured man into a car, and then he drove off. Aleron studied the other two men’s features. Then the birds got closer. This was going to be fun.

He swept downward toward them and then cut to the right and soared out of their reach. It was like a game. They’d charge at him, and he’d slip away before they were able to touch him.

Then Aleron saw the last two had shape-shifted and were coming toward him.
“Come and get me,”
he shouted telepathically.

The largest of the four answered him.
“Have fun now. Your life is almost over.”
He charged headlong toward Aleron. Aleron took a tight left turn and then had to slide under another one. They were spreading out, but he knew what to do.

The four flew at him from different directions. He waited, almost not moving.
Closer, closer
. Aleron’s heart beat rapidly as exhilaration coursed through his body to his wings. They were so near he could see their human eyes.
Down
. He did a quick somersault and headed straight toward the ground.

The birds let out shrill, human-sounding screams as their bodies hit hard and their sharp beaks, poised to tear into Aleron, tore into each other instead. Aleron watched as they fell toward earth, desperately trying to fly out of their downward spiral. In their confusion and pain several shape-shifted back to their human form as they fell. At the last moment the largest bird regained his control and landed on the ground. The others fell to their deaths.

Aleron sent a telepathic message to Raoul.
“Tell Mitch there’s one bird shifter left alive and he shifted and is driving away. They can send the men to start digging that ditch.”

Aleron heard a helo. He glanced back and saw Ethan waving.

He flew under the copter’s blades. Ethan reached across and unlatched the door. With his eagle’s feet, Aleron managed to open the door, blink his eyes, and shape-shift. He fell into the seat beside Ethan.

“Thanks for the ride. I was getting tired.” Aleron grinned at Ethan and put on headphones.

“Man, I just hung back and watched. You are poetry in motion. How does it feel to really fly?” Ethan asked.

“Like the best orgasm ever.”

Ethan threw back his head and laughed. “I’d be flying up here in the blue every day.”

“When you discover you can shape-shift, at first you do exactly that. It’s an overwhelming experience. As you mature you realize having the ability is not only fun, it’s a big responsibility.”

“My ability to see extraordinarily well and calculate distance, speed, and such gives me exceptional skills in driving and flying planes or helicopters, but what I saw out there was incredible.” Ethan sat the helo down on the landing pad. “We’ll go in my truck to the fire line. But first you’d better grab that extra pair of jeans, shirt, and boots that I keep in the back of the helo. How does the clothing thing work? When you shape-shifted in the conference room and then back you were dressed.”

“We are clothed if we shape-shift back in the vicinity of where we shifted, otherwise we end up naked.” He crawled in the back and dressed. “Thanks for the clothes. They fit fairly well. The boots are a little snug, but I’m not complaining.”

They walked to Ethan’s truck. “While I drive, call Mitch for me and relay what happened.”

Aleron punched in Mitch’s number. “Hi, Mitch. We’ve landed. Yes, I’m fine. One of the guys got away, but he may get sick from one of the beaks hitting him. All right. I’ll relay the message to Ethan.” He snapped his cell shut. “Mitch said to go by the ranch house and check on everyone.”

Ethan took a left turn and headed that way. Phillip met them at the door.

“I was trying to decide whether to call anyone. I know all hands are needed at the fire.”

“What’s wrong?” Ethan asked as he and Aleron stepped inside.

Phillip told them about the altercation in the study. “They’re all three fine. Maybe shook up a bit, but thanks to Jewel shooting into the corner, they’re recovering.”

“Where are they now?” Aleron asked.

“Tessa came back upstairs and made tea. They’re in the kitchen helping her fix lunch for the group below. It’s something to take their minds off what occurred.”

Aleron remembered seeing the cook come out of the kitchen the evening they ate here. He took long strides in that direction. Phillip and Ethan followed.

When he went in the kitchen door all four women turned to look at him.
She is all right
. His heart slowed down a beat. Her hair, a mixture of blonde and gold with dashes of red and dark brown, glowed in the sunlight coming through the window. She wore old, faded jeans and a yellow T-shirt that said,
Don’t mess with me.
He had to grin, both in relief and at the words.

“Tell us exactly what happened,” Ethan said. “Mitch is going to have a dozen questions.”

“He doesn’t need to know,” Sara protested. “He’ll get way too overprotective.”

“Sara, I’m not a brave enough man to not tell him, because he will find out and then have my head.”

“Oh, all right. It really wasn’t too bad.”

But Aleron saw the paleness in all three faces and the hint of fear in their eyes. His eyes roamed up and down Jewel’s lovely body and his cock began to harden.

Jewel glanced at him. She’d felt his stare. The way her body responded to him made him more certain she was the one for him and Raoul. He walked to her and took her hand in his. She started to snatch it away, but he held tight.

“Sit. Tell me what you were shooting at in the corner of the study.”

“You’ll think I’m crazy.”

“No, I won’t.”

“He better not. You saved Sara and me from having our minds controlled.”

“What?” Ethan’s mouth fell open. He pulled out his cell and punched in Mitch’s number. “Mitch, you or Daren and maybe Garth or Cad better come home now. The ladies are fine but they had a problem earlier.” He shut his phone. Sara glowered at him. He threw his hands up. “At least one of each of your husbands will want to see for themselves that you’re all right.”

Rae stamped her foot. “They’ll get all worried and demand we stay below from now on.”

“They won’t be the only ones. Raoul and I intend to see Jewel stays safe, too.”