Commando Cowboys Entice Their Beauty [Wyoming Warriors 6] (9 page)

Mitch put his hand on her shoulder. “I think we’re all here and ready. Welcome, Carl.” He shook her father’s hand. “Let’s have a seat and find out what this is about.” He raised an eyebrow at her dad. “Although I suspect you know.”

Aleron and Raoul sat on either side of her around the large table. Mitch directed her father to sit across from her.

Jewel spread her hands. “I’m not sure where to start.”

Elle leaned forward and glanced her way. “Maybe I can help. I sensed something different about Jewel. I asked her to meet me at my house to talk privately. Jewel, by instruction from her father, has kept a secret about herself her whole life. Understandably, her father feared the reaction of others if they knew and wanted only to protect his daughter.” Elle smiled reassuringly at Jewel’s father. “I was the first person Jewel told about her secret. She is nervous about your reactions. Does that help, Jewel?”

Jewel took a deep breath. “Yes, thank you. Maybe I’d better stand. When my father met my mother, off the ranch, he did not know she was of the third tribe and one of the rare women shape-shifters.”

The men moved in their seats and stared at her and her father. Jewel continued. “They fell in love, married, and at some point she told my father. When I was born, she died in childbirth, probably because of incompatibilities in their blood or something. Dad brought me back to the ranch with him.

“We were alone the first time I shifted. From that point on, he instructed me to hide my true nature for fear of the reaction of our people. My great-grandmother had chosen to leave her tribe and take her daughter, my grandmother. We’re not sure of the reason. And so I have hidden what I am.” Jewel shape-shifted into her cheetah.

There was an audible gasp among the group. Suddenly, anger at having to hide herself so long brought out a large growl from her throat. Daren stood.

“May I come close?”

“Tell him yes,”
Jewel said to Aleron.

“She said yes.”

“I’m going to touch your fur and kneel in front of you.” Daren walked slowly to her and ran his hand across her body. “Your fur is soft, and the colors, similar to your hair, are beautiful.” He knelt beside her. Jewel gave a swift swing of her body and toppled him over, then she stood with her legs on either side of him and her head close to his.

Several warriors jumped up. Jewel growled at them.

“Stand down,” Daren ordered. “She won’t hurt me.”

Jewel showed her teeth then blinked and became her small cat sitting on Daren’s chest.

He laughed and lifted her into his hands. “Wow, you are something else.” When he stood, he cuddled her on his arm and rubbed her head. Raoul reached out for her, and Daren handed her over. Raoul sat her on the floor, and she shape-shifted to her human persona.

After the group quieted and Jewel had sat back in her chair, Mitch spoke. “You can help us in our fight.”

“I hope so. We don’t know what enemies are here inside the ranch borders. No one will notice another stray cat around.”

“How do other cats respond to you?” Being a veterinarian made Justin curious.

“They hiss. They don’t like me, but they respect me and don’t come near.”

“Daren, when you held her close did her eyes look normal?” Garth asked.

“Yes, they were her lilac eyes.”

“The enemy might notice,” Jack said.

Jewel shifted into her little cat and jumped onto the long table. She lowered her head, rolled her eyes, and looked up. Then she walked to the closest person, Lann.

“She changed them to cat’s eyes.” Lann smiled at Jewel. Everyone had to look, and then Jewel jumped down and shifted back.

“Can you see as good with your cat eyes?” Justin asked.

“Yes, what I do is to bring a thin sheath across that changes the appearance but doesn’t affect my sight, and my hearing is of course better when I shape-shift into either form.”

Lann spoke. “She can be our secret weapon, but for her safety, what occurred here today has to stay in this room.”

“I’d like Rae and Sara to know. They’ll wonder why I’m not staying with them more. And they’re my friends.”

Mitch took out his phone. “I’ll contact Phillip and have him ask Sara and Rae to come down here. We’ll tell them now.”

“How do you and Raoul feel about this?” Mitch looked across the table at the two men.

“We don’t like it because of the danger, but we agreed, because she insists and it will hopefully save lives.” Aleron squeezed Jewel’s hand.

“I understand,” Daren said. “Mitch and I would have the same reactions if it was Sara.”

Within a few minutes, Sara and Rae came in the room with puzzled expressions on their faces. Daren got a chair for Sara, and Cad gave his chair to Rae and pulled up another for himself.

Once more and she hoped for the last time for a while, Jewel told her friends what she’d told the others and then shape-shifted so they could see her two cats. When she shifted into the small kitten, Sara took her into her lap.

“If you weren’t my friend and a shape-shifter, I’d keep you for a pet for me and the children. Your beautiful hair color is mixed in with your fur with each change.”

Jewel jumped down and shifted. She sat back in her chair. Raoul turned to Sara. “She’s our pet. You can’t have her,” he teased.

“All kidding aside. We have to plan how to use her and keep her safe,” Mitch said.

“I have an idea.” Nick got up and faced the group. “I realize what I’m going to suggest invades the privacy of our people, but at this point I believe we have to use every resource we have. He glanced at Lang and then their wife, Cassie. “Cassie and Pruet can tap into others’ thoughts. Let’s have each one take a section of the ranch and have them walk or drive around to try and pick up any suspicious conversations or thoughts. Once we locate a particular area, Jewel can switch into her small cat and roam around. What do you think?”

Raoul stirred in his seat. Jewel knew he wasn’t happy with Nick’s plan. But no plan would suit him.

“I like the idea,” Jewel said. “If we’re in the right area and there are homes, someone might take me inside. People can’t resist kittens, especially if they look lost. And maybe our enemy has got another of our people to help them like the man who kidnapped Rae.”

“No,” Raoul said.

Jewel turned and frowned. “Yes.” She turned to Aleron. “Don’t you think it’s a good plan?”

“I can see the benefits. No plan that puts you in danger will ever suit us, but this might work. Then after you get the information, you can stay here with Sara and Rae while we take care of the rest.”

Like hell. I am not being left out at the end. But we’ll wait to fight that argument another day.
For now, she nodded at Aleron as though agreeing.

“Elle, you talk to Pruet. Have him take the north side. Nick, ask Cassie, and if she’s agreeable have her do the south side of the cabins and houses here in the general area,” Mitch said. “If they don’t pick up anything, we can send them farther out the next day.”

“What about me?” Jewel asked.

“Once they find the area, it’ll be your job to find the person or persons. But we will be watching you.” Mitch turned to Jewel’s father. “Have Payton come here this afternoon. You and I will tell him about his sister, and then we’ll have him watching from afar with his high-powered rifle.”

Mitch glanced at Aleron, Jewel, and Raoul. “If she gets into trouble, he’ll be told to shoot to kill.’

Jewel feared Payton would be mad and feel betrayed when he heard what she’d kept from him all these years. She didn’t want to lose the relationship they had.

“Does he have to be told now? Aren’t there other sharpshooters on the ranch?”

Daren shrugged. “He’ll find out eventually. It’s better if he’s not the last to know.”

“But I do have a suggestion,” Lann spoke up. “We have a sharpshooter that’s excellent. Perhaps our person might take his place.”

“No,” Mitch said. “He’s the best.”

Lann glanced at Garth. Garth spoke up. “Our person is, too. Let’s have a contest at the shooting range inside the gym. We’ll slip in late tonight and lock the doors so no one but our guys will be inside.”

“Good idea,” Daren said. “This should be interesting. We’ll invite the same group that’s here to be there. A good rivalry will entertain and bring us all more together.”

“At midnight, then,” Mitch said. “Meanwhile have Cassie and Pruet start working. And, Jewel, this gives you time to tell your brother yourself, after the contest.”

“Aleron,” Mitch spoke up just as Aleron had stood to leave.
“I want to remind you and your other shape-shifter birds not to fly over three thousand feet or you’ll hit the top of the invisible net. Be careful. See you all tonight.”

* * * *

“What the hell is going on?” Linda asked Nate when he walked into their bedroom at his parents’ house. “Why hasn’t the attack started?”

“I’m not sure what’s occurred. Our guys tried to fly inside the ranch property from our main hideout and hit an invisible wall.”

“How many of us are inside?”

“About four of the bird shifters and us. It was your idea to find a place off the ranch for most of our people to hide,” Nate said. He hated her, and yet he couldn’t pull his mind away from her spell long enough to disobey her orders. She sensed when he was getting stronger and zapped him again. It felt like a hard electrical shock, and for days he forgot who he really was.

“Are you questioning my orders?” Linda stood close, in his space.

“Mommy.” Nathaniel ran to his mother and held up his hand. “I hurt my finger.” Linda rearranged her expression and leaned down to kiss the redness.

“That will make it all well. Go play. Daddy and I have to talk.” Nathaniel ran out of the room.

If only he’d stayed on the ranch and married Rae.
My son would have a warm, loving mother
. But it was too late.

“You’re thinking of her again.” Linda grabbed his head between her hands, and the electricity sizzled in his brain. The pain brought him to his knees, but he didn’t yell out. She kept his mouth jammed shut.

Nate feared for his parents and his son. He struggled to fight her power. He had to let Mitch or someone know. But she clamped harder, and he passed out.

When he awoke, he was lying on their bed. Linda leaned over him. She was naked, and her lush breasts and slim body sent heat flowing in his veins.

“Your parents are getting suspicious. We’ll go out and join them in the kitchen, but first, we will enjoy ourselves in here with the door shut and locked. After we make love, they’ll see our glow and think we’re a happy couple. But the next time I get uneasy about them, they’re going to be tied and locked in a room.”

Her hand slid down over his shirt and unbuckled his jeans. She pushed his jeans and boxer shorts down where she could grip his cock. Swinging one leg over, she straddled him and sank down, taking his hard dick all the way inside her.

His body reacted mindlessly as she began to move and clench around his girth. He groaned and cupped her breasts in his hands.

But at some level, deep in his mind, he knew he hated her. Still he had this basic need to fuck her. He never thought of it as love, not once.

* * * *

Aleron dropped Jewel and Raoul off at her cabin. “I’m going to visit Cad and Garth. I’ll be back later.”

Jewel waved and walked to her front door. She glanced back and saw Raoul leaning in the window speaking to Aleron. She had to grin. Aleron obviously wanted to give her and Raoul time alone. Her feelings regarding having two husbands were still mixed. She’d see how things went between her and Raoul.

She wandered into her temporary painting room and studied the picture she needed to finish. Raoul came up behind her and took hold of her shoulders.

“You’re very good, excellent in fact.”

“After I finish this painting I’d like to paint your wolf. Then I’ll do Aleron’s golden eagle, or maybe I’ll do you both together.”

“We won’t have time to model with all that’s going on.”

“I have a camera.” She showed him. “I’ll take a picture and use it for most of the painting. I may need to see you for real a few times during the process.”

“Hmm, do we have to talk about paintings? I have a better idea.”

Jewel moved away from him. “I bet it doesn’t involve talking at all.”

“Not much,” he admitted and gave her a sexy smile that curled her toes.

She fled out of the room and to the kitchen. Her heart beat double-timed, but she still found herself a little wary of Raoul. Raoul followed and came to stand right behind her again. His breath brushed across her cheek.

“Do you want a bottle of water?” Jewel reached in the refrigerator and took out a bottle for her.

Raoul reached around and shut the fridge door. He enclosed her inside his arms, with his hands resting on the refrigerator door. “Why are you acting distant to me? I know you and Aleron got together today.”

“That doesn’t mean you can just jump in for your turn. I don’t feel I know you as well as Aleron. Come on.” She pulled on his arm. “We’ll go for a walk. We can get to know each other better.” She handed him a bottle.