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

He asked the others in the room who could shift to do so now.

Aleron and Raoul went to the front, where there was more room, and two other men Jewel hadn’t met joined them. Aleron shifted and spread his wings.

She heard someone whisper, “I saw him in the sky yesterday tangling with the black birds.” Shivers went down Jewel’s spine. He might have been killed.

Then Raoul got her attention as he changed into his silver wolf. One of the other men shifted into a slightly smaller wolf and the last one into a tiger. He growled, and many in the audience jumped then laughed.

Garth spoke, “We hope the three tribes can reunite and that we will be accepted with our differences. In this battle, our shape-shifters will be an asset.”

The audience stood as one, clapped, and yelled, “Yes.” The shifters changed and smiled back at the people accepting them.

It was a start. Jewel hoped the rest of the tribes agreed. But how would they react to her, a woman shifter? Familiar fear tightened her throat. She could be an asset, too, if only they’d accept her and let her help.

Mitch went to the front, and everyone else sat. “As I said, the net is up. It will protect us from anyone outside, but we must remember a certain number of our enemy have likely been caught inside our property. So be on your guard. We’re not sure what they’ll try next, especially the ones off the ranch. They won’t give up. Report any unusual occurrences. Garth and some of his men will be guarding at night in their animal forms. And our warriors will also have a unit out day and night. And the longer we can keep the enemy unaware of our shape-shifters, the better. Any further questions?”

Raoul and Aleron had returned to Jewel’s side. Raoul had his arm across the back of her chair, and Aleron had taken her hand. Their scent was stronger since they’d shifted, and waves of heat surrounded them. Her hunger for them increased no matter how she tried to control her emotions. It was tiring and wearing her down. The men knew what they were doing.

She sat forward and pulled her hand away from Aleron then frowned at each of them. The feelings they aroused were all mixed up with the secret hanging over her head, and her own uncertainty about marriage and having two husbands. It was a real change when she hadn’t even considered marrying one a short time ago. She needed more time to think and talk with her father.

“Leave me alone.”

“Never.”

The cat in her wanted to spring out and snarl at them. Maybe this would be a good time. Then all the leaders and warriors would know at once. But fear instilled in her at a young age held her back.

As soon as the meeting was finished, Jewel walked across the room and joined Sara, Rae, and the Priestess. She glanced back. Raoul and Aleron were surrounded by warriors shaking their hands and talking. She was proud of how her people had accepted them.

Sara gave her a hug. “You look tired and worried.”

“A little. Being forced to be around people so much is exhausting to me. I’m so used to my cabin in the woods, my painting, and the solitude.”

Elle, the Priestess, gave her a strange look. “Most women would hate such a solitary life.”

Jewel sensed Elle suspected there was more to her desire to be alone than her painting. She shrugged. “One of my peculiarities. We all have them.”

“I’d like to see your paintings. Do you have some with you?” Elle asked.

“Yes, at the cabin I’m using until I can return home. Come for tea this afternoon and I’ll show you.”

“But the two of you can’t go alone,” Sara said. “It’s too dangerous.” She spread her hands out to include herself and Rae. “Why don’t we all go?”

“Like Mitch and Daren or any of our husbands would let us upstairs without a warrior or two,” Rae said.

“No problem. I’ll escort you ladies,” Aleron said.

Jewel had caught his scent just before he spoke. She turned to face him. “I do not need constant protection.”

“You do, and as Rae said, all their husbands would say the same.”

“You are not my husband.”

“It’s only a matter of time, darlin’. We won’t take no for an answer. Let me know when you ladies want to go.” He bowed and gave them his killer smile. Jewel was annoyed and angry.

“Elle, you’d better get ready. We’re going to have another wedding soon,” Sara teased.

“Yes, we all resist, but inevitably we give in,” Rae added.

She winked at Jewel.

Jewel didn’t respond to their comments. She was afraid they might be right.

The morning was quiet. Most of the men stayed huddled in the conference room, discussing war plans, Jewel supposed. She’d brought her pencils and paper and spent the time doing quick sketches of Sara, Rae, and Elle.

“You’re very talented.” Elle leaned over Jewel’s shoulder as she worked on a sketch of Sara’s mother-in-law, Mrs. Stanton.

“Could you do a painting from that sketch?” Mrs. Stanton asked. “I’d love to surprise my husband with the painting for his birthday. It’s two months from now, and I haven’t been able to think of a thing he wants or needs. But he’d like your painting of me, I’m sure.”

“I have one more commissioned painting to finish. I’ll start on your request right afterward. But you might want a different setting. If so, I can do a new sketch.”

“Wonderful. We can discuss the size of the painting and price when you’re ready to start.”

The men returned, and Aleron told the others he was taking the women to Jewel’s cabin for a brief visit. Daren and Cad said they’d go along.

“We can’t take any chances. The enemy would have a lot of leverage if they got one of our women, and they know it. We were lucky to get Rae back,” Daren said.

Aleron and Jewel led the way to the trucks. Soon they were all on their way. Anxiety churned in Jewel’s stomach. She wasn’t used to showing her paintings to a group of people. She dealt with customers more on a one-to-one basis. And she was worried about Elle. She feared Elle suspected she was hiding something. The Priestess was especially receptive to emotional distress. She might have picked up on Jewel’s.

In minutes, they were at the cabin and inside. Jewel motioned them into the front bedroom. “The painting on the easel I just finished. The one leaning against the wall needs a little more done to it before I can send it to the person that requested it.” She showed them the picture the man had sent and asked her to paint.

Sara, Rae, Elle, and Mrs. Stanton walked around the pictures and studied them. Mrs. Stanton looked across at Jewel.

“You are extremely talented. How do you get your customers?”

Jewel explained how most of her business was by word of mouth and also through the Internet. “As you see by the signature, I don’t use my real name.”

She almost sighed with relief when they started to leave. She’d never been comfortable with lots of praise. Elle was the last out before Jewel. Elle stopped in the doorway.

“You will come and talk with me privately now. I’ll ask Aleron to drop us off. Pruet is home, and he can bring you back.”

Fear clutched at Jewel’s throat. She felt breathless. Elle put her hand on her arm.

“Relax. I believe it will be a relief to you to share with me what you’ve kept hidden.” She instructed Aleron to drop them off and explained about Pruet.

“I’ll stay and wait. The other ladies can ride in the other trucks.”

Elle held his gaze. “All right, but Jewel and I will speak privately, understood?”

“Yes, madam.” He led the way to the truck and opened the doors for them. Elle got in back.

Jewel’s emotions bounced around inside her like a basketball out of control, feelings of anger, fear, and a tiny bit of relief. She knew she couldn’t lie to her Priestess. At last, someone besides her father would share her secret knowledge with her.

At her house, Elle took them into the living room. Pruet came down the stairs to the left of the entrance to their home.

“Welcome.” Pruet put out his hand to Aleron after Elle’s introduction. “And it’s nice to see you, Jewel. You don’t visit the ranch often enough.”

“Pruet, dear, would you visit with Aleron? I need to talk with Jewel.”

“Certainly. I still have a few questions since our meeting this morning. Mainly I’m still curious.”

Jewel followed Elle into a large room with walls of bookcases. On some of the shelves were rolled scripts, and many of the books looked aged. The scent of violets floated in the air along with the soft sound of flute music. Two leather chairs sat beside the fireplace, and the windows let in sunshine and a large vista of prairie and the distant mountains.

“Please sit and make yourself comfortable. I keep hot water here, in an electric kettle, during the daytime. I’ll fix us a cup of one of Nanna’s specialties.”

“I think everyone on the ranch drinks Nanna’s teas,” Jewel said.

“We do. She is training one of her granddaughters on how to make them, and she says she’ll train her great-granddaughter as soon as she’s old enough. Her recipes must be passed on.” Elle put tea leaves and hot water in the teapot, then she came back to sit by Jewel while the leaves steeped.

“You prefer to be alone and left us shortly after your eighteenth birthday to settle in the woods of Oregon. You seldom come to the ranch, and when you do, your visits are short. Yet I know you love your family and especially your father and Payton. Somehow this picture doesn’t make sense to me.” She got up and went to check on their tea.

Jewel’s nerves were strung tight. If only her father was here. Her hands trembled when Elle placed the teacup in her grasp. She took a sip of the warm liquid. The tea tasted spicy and smelled of peaches.

“This is very good,” Jewel said. She sat her cup to the side.

“It’s to help relax you. I sense your fear. What you tell me will remain private unless it impacts the tribes, then I must share it with Mitch and Daren.”

“Not with Aleron or Raoul?”

“No, but I think you realize eventually you’ll have to tell them. If you decide to marry them, as they wish.”

She picked up her teacup again and gripped it with both hands. Jewel took a long swallow then looked at Elle.

“No one knows but my father. He trained me from early on to hide my differences for fear of how I’d be received. He lost my mother, and he didn’t want to lose me by my being expelled from the tribe.” Jewel gave a wry smile. “Although in a way he did lose me when I moved to Oregon.”

The teacup rattled in her hand. Elle leaned forward and set it on the table. She took hold of Jewel’s hands. Warmth flowed into the cold spaces in Jewel’s body.

“I sensed your unrest and that you carried a heavy burden. Let me share it.”

Jewel nodded and began to speak. She told Elle of her mother and her death and of Jewel’s first shape-shifting at an early age.

“Father found out mother was from the third tribe, and after she was pregnant he learned of her ability to shape-shift. All the tribes knew about the third tribe being separated from the other two but not why. Father suspected the shape-shifters were the reason.”

She shared how her father’s fears of her being found out became hers, too. “It became more difficult as I got older not to shape-shift. Sometimes it hurt to hold back, but I learned ways to lessen the temptation. Activity, running, sports, those type of things helped ease my discomfort, but more and more I separated myself from all but my closest friends.

“In high school, they thought I was standoffish. Payton was so smart he’d skipped a grade or two in school, so he was only two years behind me. He protected me from the bullies. Few wanted to tangle with him.”

Except the one time I needed him the most, and of course I didn’t let him know what was happening.

“You moved to Oregon so you could shape-shift?”

“Yes, in the woods at night. Never in the daytime for fear of a hunter spotting me.”

“Will you shift in front of me?”

“Aren’t you frightened I might hurt you? I’m a cheetah.”

“A beautiful animal. Let me see, please.”

Jewel hesitated then saw her animal and shifted. She growled with relief. She’d had no way to shift since arriving at the ranch. Her smooth muscles relaxed as she paced around.

Pruet rushed into the room, the door slamming against the wall. Jewel immediately shifted back.

“What the hell?”

Aleron stood behind him. Jewel shivered, wondering if he got there in time to see her cheetah.

“I’m fine, Pruet. You and Aleron can go back into the living room. I can handle this.”

“Are you sure?” Pruet frowned at Jewel.

“Absolutely. Now please leave us alone. You, too, Aleron.”

Pruet reluctantly shut the door. Elle smiled at Jewel, who was shaking. “Pruet and I are connected telepathically. I should have warned him of my suspicions. I’m sorry.”

“You suspected I was a shape-shifter?”

“Yes, I watched your face when the men shifted. Your face tells a lot if a person is watching. Be careful. The longing in your expression made me curious, and my thoughts wandered to how you isolate yourself and appeared to not have any of our usual gifts. Now.” She motioned to Jewel. “Do that again, please.”