Desert of the Damned (24 page)

Looking toward the doorway, she sucked in air. The coyote stood just inside Jake’s bedroom.

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Her mind raced. How did he get in? Then Jake tossed back the blankets, flung himself out of bed and leapt on the coyote.

The animal vanished.

“Shit,” he whispered as he stood and ran outside.

“Jake!” Amy grabbed a blanket off the bed and raced after him, switching on the kitchen light as she went out the door. Outside on his deck, Jake stood with hands on his naked hips, his broad back gleaming in the light from the kitchen.

“You saw him?” she asked.

He cocked his head, looking at her, a wildness in his eyes. He nodded.

“Is he out there now?” she asked.

“I don’t see him. He’s gone.”

“He has appeared in my room before like that.”

Jake narrowed his eyes. “Before the dream?”

She nodded. “And he walked through the wall when I shouted at him,” she added.

He bowed his head, then at her. “Why didn’t you tell me the whole story before?”

“Because you said you’d never accepted the Indian culture and rituals your grandfather tried to teach you. I was afraid you’d think I was crazy.”

Jake covered his eyes with his hand and groaned. “I’ve rejected the teachings for a good reason. It has to do with why my father died and why my mother left.”

She put a hand on his shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it?”

He sighed and gave her a wry smile. “Later. Not at three in the morning.”

“Okay. But I’m sure the coyote and Dante are connected and I think we should talk to Bill.”

“Agreed.” He took her in his arms. “I’ll take care of the coyote.”

She didn’t know what he planned to do about the coyote and at the moment didn’t care. “I need to go home and feed Sienna.”

“Okay. I’ll go with you.” He opened the blanket and slipped it off her shoulders. It dropped onto the deck.

The lust-filled look in Jake’s eyes managed to ease any worry from her mind. Cool air whisked over her bare skin, making her nipples sensitive and taut. She shuddered as his hands squeezed her breasts and his fingers pinched her hardened peaks. The soft intake of her breath and the arch of her back seemed to encourage him to touch her harder and more intimately.

Lifting her breast with his palm, he took her nipple in his mouth and sucked gently, rolling his tongue around the tip. The rough stubble on his face rubbed against the soft skin of her breasts, sensitizing them even more. Amy dug her fingers into his shoulders and wondered how this man could make her so turned-on in a matter of minutes. A trickle of moisture slid down her thighs.

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Between her legs, his engorged penis was nudging her, teasing her. “Oh, Jake, that’s so incredible.”

His hand moved down to her pussy and he slipped a finger deep inside, sending her up on her toes. “Ah, yes.”

“Ah, Amy, you’re so wet.”

She gripped his cock and began stroking it. The heel of his hand rubbed vigorously against her swollen clit and the throbbing was about to send her over the edge.

She backed up and he pressed her into the sliding glass window while he massaged her breast and finger-fucked her.

He kissed her hard and she hooked an arm around his neck while she bucked her hips. “I’m going to come, Jake.”

“Go for it,” he said huskily against her mouth and continued the rhythm on her clit.

Then her climax exploded and she shouted as wave after wave of pleasure surged through her. He pulled her close.

“Jake, take me inside. Make love to me now.”

“Quite the little enchantress, isn’t she?” a voice said from below the deck. Dante’s voice.

Amy let out a yelp. Jake spun around, legs parted, arms slightly raised ready to fight. “Amy, get inside,” Jake ordered.

The corner of Dante’s mouth quirked. “Well, that’s impressive.” Tilting his head toward Jake’s penis.

“Get out of here,” Jake said between clenched teeth.

Amy stood at the open doorway, watching and listening, feeling like a coward.

Dante was her ex-boyfriend, shouldn’t she just tell him to leave?

“She’s mine,” Dante said. “I don’t need the others if I have her.”

Jake approached the edge of the deck, standing above Dante. “Get the hell out of here.”

“You can’t fight me. Neither can she.” The air around Dante seemed to become denser, blurring his image. Then the form of Coyote appeared and Dante vanished.

Amy clapped a hand to her mouth and stepped back. Jake didn’t move.

Coyote paced in front of the deck, making yipping noises. The sounds made Amy’s skin crawl. Then the image changed again and Coyote became Dante again.

“My powers are beyond your understanding,” Dante said with an arrogant smirk.

“Amy, come here,” he ordered.

Jake glared at him. “Stay inside, Amy.”

Sniffing the air like a wild animal, Dante glanced wildly from side to side and without a word, dashed into the darkness and disappeared.

“He’s gone,” Jake said.

“Thank God.”

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A shadow darted between trees, then appeared in Jake’s yard. Dante stood in front of Jake again, this time grasping a six-foot-long rattlesnake by the back of its head. The tail whipped back and forth, trying to coil around Dante’s arm. Its rattle sounded like grease sizzling in a hot skillet. “Pay attention,” Dante said as he stretched the snake on the ground. After several seconds, a stream of light rose up from the snake’s head and entered Dante’s mouth. A moment later, the snake lay motionless, apparently dead.

Dante tossed it aside. “I can do the same to humans.”

“Why?” Jake asked. “And why Amy?”

“Another world depends on it. Amy is one of those rare people who have an excess of white light. I don’t need to kill her.”

“But you’re draining her somehow.” Jake backed up toward the door.

“Yes.”

Looking over his shoulder, Jake whispered to Amy, “Bring the mountain lion skin to me. And whatever happens, don’t be afraid. I’ll explain when I get back. Please, please, don’t leave.”

Animal skin? “Wouldn’t you rather I bring you a pair of pants?”

An amused look crossed his face. He touched her cheek. “Not this time.”

“Send her out,” Dante ordered. “Others will die if I don’t have her.”

“Like killing small creatures?” Jake shook his head, mocking Dante. “You don’t know of my powers.”

Amy raced over to the chair and picked up the heavy mountain lion skin then brought it out to Jake. He lifted it from her arms. “What powers?” she asked. He’d told her he wasn’t a shaman. But did he know some of their secrets after all?

A worried look crossed his face. “I don’t have time to explain. Just trust me. It’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

He held the skin over his forearm and approached Dante. Remembering the stories about the sand painting, she glanced over at the painting above the fireplace. Did the sand painting have powers?

Amy wasn’t about to cower inside any longer. She strode outside and walked up to Jake. “It’s all right, Jake. I can fight him off. I have before.”

Dante laughed. “If she doesn’t come now, I’ll just take her later and maybe I’ll stop and visit a few friends on the way.”

Jake gave him a warning glare as he slipped the skin onto his back. He glanced back at Amy. “Amy, get inside now and close the door.”

Before she had a chance to argue, the mountain lion skin rippled violently then he dropped to the ground and seemed to disappear beneath the fur, like a magician’s magic trick. The skin took shape again into the lion form. A low growl startled Amy but she was too stunned to move. Then the animal leapt up onto the railing of the deck. He 132

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arched his back, muscles quivering as if getting ready to pounce. Amy clamped her hand over her mouth and stepped back.

“Holy shit,” Dante said as he changed into Coyote and tore into the desert with the mountain lion close behind.

At the window, Amy gasped and stood frozen. She wanted to scream but was unable to suck in enough air. The desert was silent, no sign of the two creatures. Only the sound of her racing pulse throbbed in her ears. My God. First Dante, now Jake.

What were they? A shiver of dread racked her body at the thought of Jake turning into an animal.

He said, “Stay, don’t be afraid.” His words played over and over in her mind. How could she stay and how could she not be afraid? Two inhuman creatures had just disappeared into the desert.

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Chapter Fifteen

Dante cursed himself for his overconfidence and stupidity as he waved his hand over the nebula stone and reformed into Coyote. The surroundings were a blur as he bolted, the mountain lion shifter close behind. Coyote bounded around thorn bushes, leapt over cacti and zigzagged around rock formations, trying to gain ground from his enemy.

Obviously the creature was not accustomed to his form or Coyote would’ve had his throat ripped out by now. And even as an immortal, if Coyote was killed by another shifter, he wasn’t sure if he would survive. This was something Gwyllain had never warned him about.

Could Jake be working for Gwyllain too? No, it didn’t make sense. Unless Jake wanted Amy’s life energy for his offering.

Damn it, but she was his.

Fatigued muscles slowed him down but fortunately he was nearing the saguaro cactus, the center of the portal.

As he got within a few yards of the portal’s boundary, he could hear the snarling mountain lion. The moment he was within the circle, he ducked around a large boulder and straightened upright into human form.

Just as the mountain lion bolted around the stone, hackles up, a low growl in his throat, Dante touched the nebula stone and vanished.

After several moments of a sensation of falling, his feet landed hard on the edge of the ocean cliffs of Anartia. This time the nebula stone remained around his neck and he wasn’t naked.

Below him, the sea was rough but clear, the sky cloudy but not as stormy.

Gwyllain’s other Drones must be doing their jobs. Frustration and anxiety radiated through him. He was running out of time and didn’t want to meet Gwyllain’s wrath if he didn’t make his quota. Glancing over his shoulder, he studied the temple. All quiet and he hoped it would stay that way. He didn’t want to see Gwyllain or the others. In a few moments, he would return. Moving far from the edge, he walked up the coast for a short distance, giving the mountain lion enough time to get discouraged and leave. This shifter was not of Anartia but he was a threat. Dante would get him away from Amy and knew what to do to destroy him or at least the means of his powers.

After several minutes, Dante reached for the nebula stone, grasping it firmly with eyes closed, then stepped off the edge of the cliff.

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Appearing again at the edge of the portal’s boundaries, Dante caught a shadow of movement in the distance. The mountain lion’s shape disappeared over a ridge, racing back to Jake’s home.

Dante knew what he had to do.

* * * * *

Amy paced the window, glancing outside, wondering when Jake would return, when the mountain lion would return. Covering her face with both hands, she closed her eyes for a moment and tried to think. Too much, this was too much.

How could she possibly be with Jake again after this? What was he? What was Dante? And what was she in the middle of?

He’d asked her to stay but she felt she could think better at home. She thought for a moment about their dinner and lovemaking just hours ago, like any new couple starting a relationship. Not like any new couple.

Her boyfriend wasn’t human. The crazy thing was, she felt he was trying to protect her. But being alone at Jake’s house was surreal and she was beginning to feel like a caged animal.

Home. She had to get home.

After she dressed quickly, she hopped into her car and drove into the pre-dawn toward her house.

When she got home, Sienna was mewing. Amy picked her up, fed her first with some formula then poured some water into a bowl and added a couple of teaspoons of food. Betty had been wonderful the past few days, taking care of her during the day and slowly weaning her off the formula.

Sienna lapped at the water and licked hungrily at the food. Now that the kitten was on solid food the Humane Society would take her. Someone would adopt her. A pang of guilt and regret reverberated through her. Could she give up Sienna now?

Leaving her kitten to finish her meal, Amy quickly showered and changed into jeans and a tee shirt. She returned to find Sienna sitting in the middle of the kitchen as if waiting for her. Amy felt a tug at her heart and sat on the floor, staring at the kitten.
You
don’t change into a human, do you?
As if Sienna heard her thoughts, she turned and padded across the tile and crawled into her lap.

Amy lost it. Tears came in racking sobs. Clutching the kitten in her arms, she vowed not to give her away even if she moved back to Florida.

After seeing Dante change into the coyote, how would she face him at work?

Telling anyone would only make her look crazy. What did he want with her?

The knock at the door made her cry out. She jumped up and started walking to the door, her pulse throbbing in her ears. She had locked the door, hadn’t she?

“Amy, it’s Jake. Please open up. Let’s talk.”

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She hesitated. “Tomorrow,” she said more with a question.

“No, I need to talk to you now. I have to explain this now.” The pleading tone stabbed at her heart. She wouldn’t get any sleep tonight anyway and she didn’t believe he would hurt her.

“Where’s Dante?”

“Gone. Disappeared. I’m afraid he may still come for you. Amy, open the door.”

She unbolted the door and opened it.

His expression was calm but his eyes were filled with worry, his posture tense.

“Come in,” she said barely above a whisper.