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Can she handle everything they are? True to her Hopi mother’s restless spirit, Terena Rothrock follows news stories all over the Southwest. Lately, though, her heart is calling her back to the rez. But not before she swings through Phoenix to see her cousin race his amazingly fast new horse. At the track, two powerful men watch the horse with suspicion in their eyes. Watch Terena with the drive to possess her oozing from every pore. When they seem to shift into stallions in her mind’s eye, shock—and arousal—flood her body. Far from home and their herd, Nokoni and Hah-Tee can’t afford to draw attention to themselves. Instant attraction to Terena complicates their already competitive relationship, but she’s their one connection to the man they suspect stole one of their mares. Overcome by instincts as ancient as time, the urge to mate rolls over them with the speed and ferocity of a desert storm. Yet even as Terena struggles to make sense of her desire for the swift, mysterious shifters, danger lurks. Someone is out to collect every last one of the horses born with wings on their feet—even if it means bullets must fly. Warning: Studs doing what studs do, hormones raging, and of course the whole complex threesome thing.

eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. Samhain Publishing, Ltd. 11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B Cincinnati OH 45249 Studs Copyright © 2012 by Vonna Harper ISBN: 978-1-60928Edited by Linda Ingmanson Cover by Angela Waters All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: March 2012 www.samhainpublishing.com

Studs Vonna Harper

Dedication

Horses have always fascinated me. I love their grace and speed, their beautiful bodies. When my mother announced she was buying a pinto mare for my sister and me, I was delighted. Then I realized standing shoulder to shoulder with a half-wild young horse wasn’t as easy as I’d anticipated. I hate to think what would have happened if a certain no-nonsense horse wrangler hadn’t taken us under his wings. Charlie Couch, wherever you are, thank you for your patience—and for not laughing.

Chapter One

“There they go!” The unnecessary announcement barely registered. Terena Rothrock’s entire being was locked on the ten horses at the starting gate, and she sensed their gathering muscles before they exploded. Just like that, the years she’d spent apart from horses fell away. She again became a teenager bent low over the straining neck of a galloping mare, stallion or gelding. The creatures’ strength and determination seeped into her, and she lived for the feel of powerful muscles in motion. Shaking off the past so she could concentrate on this moment, she shielded her eyes. Arizona spring heat seeped into her back, dust from the dirt track billowed into the stands, and splinters from the wooden bleacher threatened to stab her buttocks. No more than two seconds had passed since the starting gun assaulted her ears, but already one horse was pulling ahead of the field. The horse, a tall burgundy mare with white markings on her chest, ran as if she was floating. Yes, her muscles rippled, and her hoofs rhythmically attacked the ground, but Terena had no doubt she galloped because she loved speed, not because her rider was encouraging or forcing her to. Ah, yes, Terena reminded herself, the rider. As man and horse all but flew past, she turned her attention from the gorgeous young animal to the slim yet sturdy Hopi with long, glossy black hair flowing behind him. Her cousin rode as she once had, part and parcel with his mount. Ahote couldn’t have simply

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agreed to jockey the mare for a paycheck. He was sitting on some fourteen hundred pounds of animal because nothing made him feel more alive. And because this horse was incredible! Terena had picked up the racing schedule as soon as she’d arrived at the country fairgrounds, so knew there were three stallions in this race. They should be in the lead, not this two-year-old still-growing mare. The mare continued to float, her movements becoming more magical with every step. Terena half believed the mare was running on a cushion of air—a swift-moving current. The one-length lead became ten. Seconds later and only halfway into the race, the chestnut her cousin was astride led by more than fifteen lengths. It couldn’t be! No horse could run that fast. “Do you believe this, folks?” the announcer screamed, his voice mixing in with the excited audience’s yells. He said something else, but clapping and static ate up the words. It didn’t matter. Something unbelievable was happening this afternoon at a small-town racetrack in central Arizona. Like everyone else in the stands, Terena was on her feet, clapping. The cowboy boots she seldom had reason to wear drilled the wood plank under them. The bleachers creaked and complained. What did she care whether it collapsed? She’d breathe with the lightning-fast mare. They’d shared the same muscles, heart and lungs. “Run you beautiful thing! Run! Feel it, feel it, feel it!” Twenty lengths, then another five. Ahote and the wonderful flying beast under him surged around the turn and neared the finish line. “Explode!” Terena screamed, not caring that the mare couldn’t possibly have even more speed in her. But the mare did. With maybe a hundred feet between her and the end, she kicked into an impossible gear. All around Terena, the fans went crazy. Much as

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she ached to join in the screaming, she couldn’t, because her throat had closed down. Hot tears burned her eyes and then her cheeks. Decibel by decibel, things quieted until she could make out what people were saying. Everyone was still excited of course, their reactions ranging from good-natured disappointment because the horse they’d bet on had been blown away to disbelief. It didn’t matter that there was no speed gun or timer here; no one doubted that they’d just witnessed a miracle. Wiping away tears she wasn’t interested in examining, Terena looked around for a way to get out of the stands. Knowing Ahote—at least she’d known him when they were growing up—he’d be anxious to get away from the crowd and into the stables at the rear of the fairgrounds. “He won’t answer your questions. Don’t ask him to explain what just happened,” she’d tell anyone who tried to get more than words of one syllable out of him. At least he would talk to her, maybe. The people on either side of her showed no sign of leaving, which wasn’t surprising since there were still races to be run. Fortunately, the three middleaged women directly below her were, in their words, going to feed their faces, and shuffled toward the aisle. If she could step over and down without losing her balance, she could follow their escape route. Toward that end, she extended her left leg, her arms out. Darn it, this was going to be tricky. A prickling along and down her spine told her she was being watched. A little resentful—she was weary of explaining that her features represented both her Hopi and white heritage—she waited until she’d completed the maneuver and then looked around. Two men standing in the aisle watched Ahote guide his mount toward the exit area opposite the stadium. No, they weren’t just standing. Well over six feet tall with shoulders that would never fit in an airplane seat, jeans that clung to

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narrow hips, no bellies, and long black hair, they grabbed her full attention. Brought heat to her cheeks. She wasn’t the only one. Instead of concentrating on their quest for food, the three women who’d been sitting below her stared, practically openmouthed, at men who might be young enough to be their sons. Something about the men’s scrutiny of her cousin made her uneasy. She understood interest in the winning horse and her rider, but this was more, hostile maybe. Perhaps they’d somehow locked in to her thoughts, because as one, they turned toward her. Native American, she concluded as their obsidian eyes tracked her every move, or rather her lack of movement. The phrase deer caught in the headlights pretty much summed up how she felt, but instead of trying to figure how to cut and run from them, she wrapped their bold scrutiny around her. If this was their idea of a sexual come-on, what the hell. She was ready, primed, hungry. Not that it was going to happen, but she could dream about standing between them with no way out and their hands all over her. Getting naked. She was picturing herself sans a single piece of clothing, flanked by the two men who resembled professional football players, when the slightly taller one’s attention shifted from her to his companion. Just like that, the taller one’s expression changed from bold scrutiny to challenge. His jaw clenched, and his eyes narrowed. Throwing out his white-T-shirt-clad chest, he took a half step toward his companion. Arms at his sides and fingers curling into fists, the other man, who appeared to be a little younger, met the taller one head on. Watching them, she remembered the day last fall when she’d seen two mustang stallions fight for dominance. Would these men battle over her? Before she could do more than try to shrug off the insane thought, the shorter, younger man stepped back. The way his eyes narrowed told her he

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hated giving way, but for reasons known only to the two of them, that was the way of their relationship. “You mind? You’re blocking the way.” Startled, she looked over her shoulder at an elderly man with narrow shoulders and a massive belly standing a few feet away. “I’m sorry. Hold on.” Putting off the moment when she’d be eye to eye and maybe body to body with the two dark-skinned, black-haired strangers, she concentrated on her footing as she wove her way around several pairs of, thankfully, child-sized legs until she reached the aisle. Then, because she’d been fighting her own battles and watching her own back since she was sixteen, she lifted her head. The intriguing, compelling men were no longer where she’d last seen them. Instead, they were halfway down the stairs, with the one she thought of as the dominant member leading the way. Studying wide, cotton-encased backs instead of weathering their intense midnight eyes should have been easier on her nervous system and a certain region between her legs. It wasn’t. If anything, her awareness of herself as a sexual creature increased. She didn’t want to think about how she’d respond if they were any closer. Yes, definitely Native American but not Hopi or Navajo like the majority of Arizona’s indigenous people. Granted, most people wouldn’t note the difference between members of the various tribes, but thanks to her mother’s genetics, she wasn’t in that camp. Going by the ragged ends trailing nearly to their shoulder blades, she guessed they cut their own hair. Both wore cowboy boots and jeans— jeans that did things to their asses that made her mouth water—but she knew better than to assume they were cowboys or ranchers. Horse races brought out the wrangler in a lot of people. For all she knew they were—what? The man in the lead had already reached the bottom and the other a step away from joining him when the second paused, turned and looked at her. A fair

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measure of her career success came from her ability to read expressions, but she had no idea what he was thinking. He studied her, his deep-set eyes threatening to pull her into a place she’d never been. Would she want to go there? Maybe if she had the courage for whatever he had in mind or where that place was. But she might get burned, or worse. Then, not soon enough and long before she had any answers, the younger one dismissed her and joined his companion. They didn’t disappear into the crowd—they were too tall for that—but their long, strong legs would soon take them out of sight. She’d never see them again. Good, she told herself. Good. She’d come here to try to talk to Ahote because her aunt and uncle—his parents—had begged her to. She’d do her job. At least she’d give it her best shot. Then she’d… Good question. What would she do?

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Chapter Two

Ahote had already taken the saddle and bridle off the fleet-footed mare and was walking her around the gravel parking lot behind the bare-bones stables when a still sexually aware Terena spotted him. Instead of letting her understandably weary head droop, the young mare pranced. She paid no attention to Ahote and kept looking at the horizon as if that was where she wanted to be. Several other riders were cooling their mounts the same way, all giving her cousin his space while slipping disbelieving looks in his direction. Given the way the two big Native Americans had studied Ahote and his mount, she half expected to see them here. She wasn’t sure how she felt about their absence— maybe more disappointed than relieved. Watching Ahote, whose tension made her think of tightly strung barbed wire, she tried to find the boy who’d been her constant companion when they were growing up on the Hopi reservation. Ahote was six months older than her, but he’d been slower to discover the opposite sex. He’d been even more reluctant to sit in a classroom, and they’d been equally adventurous. More to the point, they’d shared the same restlessness that had taken them from the land of their ancestors. Maybe, she’d sometimes wondered, Ahote’s parents had sensed their son’s restlessness from birth, which was why they’d given him a name that meant Wanderer. As for why her own mother had drawn on the Hopi heritage she’d

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ultimately rejected when she named her only child for the earth, Terena would never know. Ahote was a full-blooded Hopi, while she was whatever the hell a half-breed was, but because they’d in essence grown up under the same roof, they’d seen their upbringing in the same way. Restrictive. Isolated. Out of touch with the big modern world. At least that’s what they’d loudly and frequently declared when, at sixteen, they’d known everything. She’d learned so much since then. Doubtless he had too. The question she hoped to start to answer today was whether they’d matured in the same way. If they hadn’t—well, she’d told Aunt Lenmana and Uncle Shuman she’d try. That was all she could do. Watching Ahote stroke the mare’s sweaty neck, she was assured of something important. He still loved horses as much as he had when they were growing up. Where had he found this amazing creature? The question nagging her, she headed toward her cousin. He gave her a distracted glance that said he didn’t recognize her and to back off. Then his dark gaze returned to her. “Oh, shit,” Ahote breathed. “It’s you.” “Yep,” she said and pushed back an imaginary cowboy hat. “It’s me all right. And to get it out of the way, holy shit.” Stepping around a staring Ahote, she stroked the mare’s neck. The burgundy animal’s aroma took her back to her childhood when she’d spent endless summer days on horseback keeping an eye on her uncle’s cattle. “Yeah.” Ahote smiled. “Holy shit.” Smiling had never come easy for Ahote. Seeing the way his grin transformed sober man to carefree child warmed her heart. Smiling back, she punched his arm. That done, she wrapped her arms around his middle and squeezed. Maybe

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she was wrong, but he seemed softer than before. Well, why not. They were both sneaking up on thirty. The mare didn’t acknowledge her, didn’t take her attention off the distance. “I saw the race,” she said as he gave her a one-armed hug. “I’ve never seen anything like it. No one here today has.” “Yeah, well.” Okay, she’d knocked him off balance with her sudden appearance. She couldn’t expect a detailed explanation. Just the same, she didn’t like what seemed like reluctance on his part. Clutching his free hand, she stepped back so she could study him. He was maybe three inches taller than her five foot five, about average for a Hopi but short for a Comanche. Comanche? Where had that come from? Even though she didn’t have the answer, she sensed it was important. “Are you going to make me ask?” Trying for a mock-stern look, she planted her hands on her hips. “Please don’t tell me you won her in a card game.” “I didn’t.” Watching Ahote, she went back in time to when he’d butted heads with his parents. Whenever the tension between the pair who expected their son to follow their old ways and a youth eager to explore the new became too much, Ahote would take off into the reservation. Sometimes she’d track him into the dry nothingness. When she caught up to him as she always did, he’d respond in monosyllables, only gradually opening up about what was in his heart. As a result, she’d learned to wait until her cousin was ready to talk. “Aren’t you going to ask what I’m doing here?” she prompted, hoping to get him started by taking a different approach. “Let me guess. You’re doing a piece on ex-cons looking for ways to support themselves and decided to start with me.”

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“Stop it!” She shook her head. “Even if I was writing something like that, which I’m not, I’d never trade on our relationship that way. You’re the closest thing I’ll ever have to a brother. That’s what I see, not someone who spent time in jail because he couldn’t stay away from a bottle.” “I’m not drinking.” But he’d done a lot of it. “I’m glad. Very glad. It’s easier to ride this amazing creature “—she indicated the mare—“when you’re sober.” He gave her a rueful look. “Hey, even you could stay on Red’s back.” “Even me? I’m a damn good horsewoman.” “Couldn’t prove it by me. Walk with me. She needs a little more cooling down.” Keeping pace with Ahote and Red felt almost as much like coming home as seeing her cousin had. She’d matched her stride to that of countless horses from the first time her uncle placed her on a horse until her damned restlessness had taken her away from the reservation. The faint thud-thud of Red’s hooves was music, same as the horsey smell and sound of a swishing tail. Red was still reliving running her heart out, as witnessed by the way she pranced and the frequent tosses of her head. Terena, who took pride in knowing the difference between the various horse breeds, was certain Red was no thoroughbred or quarter horse. Like her, Red was a hybrid, a mutt. Her richly colored hair was rough and thick, her muscles tightly bunched instead of racehorse-rangy. No one had shod her, and she had little interest in humans. “What is she?” Terena asked. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say she’s a mustang. She’s too big to be a wild range animal, but the rest of her—“ “She’s what she is. My folks sent you, didn’t they?” They were beyond the last of the horse trailers with nothing except rocks and dirt ahead of them. She faintly heard sounds that said another race was

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underway. Any other time she’d be eager to get back to the stands, excitement and energy, but she was where she needed to be. And sensing she was being watched. Wondering if Ahote had picked up on the same thing, she glanced over at him. He studied her with his head cocked slightly and dust in his unkempt hair. From all appearances, his entire attention was on her. “They want to hear from you,” she said and vowed to focus on what was important. Determined to hold back nothing, she added that his parents had called to ask if she could check up on him. All they knew was that last week he’d bragged to a Navajo woman who’d once been his lover that he was looking to make some serious money racing a horse he’d been working with. He’d asked her if she wanted to join him, but the woman had turned him down because her new husband would disapprove. “Your folks can’t haul you back to the res,” she unnecessarily pointed out. “Besides, even if they could, they know you won’t stay.” “Same as you. So you dropped whatever you were doing and came looking for me? I’ve seen your byline on a bunch of major articles, so I know you no longer have to pimp for assignments. You’ve hit the big time. ” Thinking to give herself a moment to gather her thoughts, she stepped in front of Red and stroked the mare’s forehead. Now that she was facing Red, she noticed that the white marking on her chest bore a striking resemblance to an eagle with outstretched wings. Suddenly unnerved, she struggled to remember what they’d been talking about. “I just finished an assignment, a pretty intense one with a lot of emotion coming from a lot of people,” she said. “I needed a break.”

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Ahote cocked his head as he’d once done when listening to the wilderness. “You sound as if you’re run down or done in. So you weren’t just looking to give me a lecture when you checked out the area’s race schedules?” “When has a lecture ever worked for either of us? Besides, as soon as I saw you ride, everything else went out the window. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around what I saw.” As if sensing she was being talked about, Red lowered her head. Terena stroked the animal’s neck. Yes, Red’s hair was too rough for any pampered racehorse and better suited for an animal that had spent its life in the elements. Not only that, the random bumps on Red’s body were scars. Most telling, Red remained alert as a wild mustang would. “Where did you get her?” His mouth firmly closed, Ahote ran his fingers through Red’s mane. A moment later, he rubbed his cheek against the side of Red’s neck and muttered something under his breath that made Red’s ears perk forward. Bit by bit, tension seeped out of Ahote. He looked younger than he had just minutes ago and almost as optimistic as he’d been back when the two of them were going to take on the world. “I’ve been on hundreds of horses,” he said softly. “Rode every nag anyone paid me to. There’s never been anything like her.” “She’s yours? You aren’t riding her for her owner?” “Hell, no.” He grabbed a fistful of mane. “It’s just Red and me. Has been ever since I got my hands on her.” Got your hands? “Why did you bring her here?” She indicated the small-town surroundings. “The winning purse can’t be that much.” “I have my reason. Look, Ter, it’s better if you don’t stick your nose into things, all right? Just let me enjoy this moment.” He took a deep breath. “I never

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knew I’d experience anything like this, ride a horse like Red. Everything I’ve gone through getting to this moment is worth it. I just…” If anyone needed something going his way, it was her cousin. All right, so most of the twists and turns in his road had been by his own doing, but at his core, he was a good person. “What happens next?” She hoped it was the right question. “I’m sure you want to get her into some big-money races.” “I do. I just—you look good.” Reaching out with a hand that smelled of horse, he brushed her straight, thick hair back from her temple. “Despite all those things I said about distancing myself from what the res stands for, I never did get rid of my Indian hair.” He shook his head, making the collar-length hair fly. “Neither did you.” Where Ahote’s hair made her think of looking into the middle of a cave at night, she had reddish highlights, thanks to the father she had no memory of. She didn’t try to fight her hair’s straight-as-a-board nature. One benefit of the thick mass was that every man she’d ever slept with—not that there’d been many— had wanted to play with it. That had always been a turn-on. Turned on? Yes, she’d been that, not long ago. It had to be recalling her response to the two maybe-football-playing Native American giants that again had her thinking she was being watched. Judged. Despite her rationale, however, she stepped back from Red and looked around. The other riders who’d been cooling their mounts were far enough away that they weren’t a factor in what she was experiencing. She was hardly the sexiest woman on the planet; no reason for someone to be ogling her. Her? Maybe she wasn’t the one under scrutiny. Maybe Ahote or Red was. Yes, Red. The fastest horse this state and maybe any other had ever seen. “What is it?” her cousin asked.

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“Nothing. Just…” “Don’t give me that. I might not have seen you for more than a year, but I can still read you. What is it?” “I’m not sure. I feel as if someone’s watching us. Hey, maybe that’s a good thing. There’s a rich benefactor looking to—“ “Damn! Damn.” “What?” Nostrils flaring, Ahote rubbed his dusty forehead. “Don’t ask, all right? Let’s get Red in her stall. Shit. I wish to hell I could leave now, but…” “But what?” “The past. Something that’s…” Her cousin’s skin was too dark for him to ever turn pale, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t tell he was on edge. What was going on? One moment he was on top of the world, thanks to Red’s speed, the next he looked sick to his stomach. Man and horse led the way back to the stables, with Ahote moving at a near trot while Red pranced and flung her head much as a wild horse would. They were nearly at their destination when Terena noticed her cousin had a knife at his waist. Under normal circumstances, the bead-decorated leather sheath and carved bone handle wouldn’t have caught her attention, because Ahote often carried one, but he’d just raced. Surely the rules didn’t allow for riders to carry weapons. The small enclosure Ahote led Red into had been inhabited by countless horses during countless races over the years, as witnessed by the sagging, gnawed-on boards and the jerry-rigged latch. Red didn’t want to step out of the sunlight, and it took Ahote pushing on her rump while Terena pulled on her halter to get her into the enclosure. Fortunately, once that was accomplished, Red discovered the hay and water Ahote must have put in there earlier. Watching

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Red eat while still keeping an eye on what she could see over the half door, Terena concluded Red had started life as a wild animal. Her cousin had warned her not to probe, but damn it, it was hard not to. Curiosity was, in part, why she’d become a photo journalist. “I’m surprised no one is trying to throw money at you right now,” she told Ahote as they stood outside Red’s stall. Tension still radiated out from him. “I’d think someone, or more than one someone, would want to buy her.” “They do.” “Oh. Are you thinking of selling her?” “You’ve lost weight.” There it was, the deliberate subject change again. Reluctantly turning her back on her cousin, she once more studied her surroundings. She’d felt isolated and vulnerable when they were behind the racing area. It shouldn’t be like that now, with the long line of stalls stretching out on either side. Maybe the sensation was a repeat of what she’d felt when she was interviewing people for her last article. She’d been an outsider that day, someone who didn’t belong and couldn’t possibly comprehend what the others had gone through when a wildfire tore through their rural residences, destroying not houses but homes. Not wanted. But what if today’s awareness had another source? “How come you’re so skinny?” Ahote pressed. “Something you have to do to keep your job? You know, the whole physical appearance thing?” “You don’t care about my weight, and neither do I. Cuz, you’re so tense I can taste it. You might hate me for this, but I’m going to ask anyway. How did you wind up with Red?” “Hell, you’re asking if I stole her.”

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The air snapped with electricity and tension, but this was no thunderstorm. Instead, the person she’d always believed knew her best was furious at her. “Yes,” she managed. “I am.” “I didn’t, damn it!” Pushing himself away from the wall, Ahote wrapped his right hand around his knife handle. “I have more right to this horse than anyone.” Studying him, she acknowledged that he hadn’t answered her question. She also knew he’d clam up even more if she pressed him further. “I don’t like arguing with you,” she admitted. “But Red’s one of a kind.” “Is she?” Ahote extended his left hand toward Terena but kept the other on his weapon. “Look, I’m hungry. Would you like to—“ A faint buzzing sound drew her attention to his right front pocket. Letting go of the knife, he freed a cell phone from his well-worn jeans. He squinted, trying to read what was displayed. “Shit. Damn it, I have to take this.” Turning his back on her, he strode away. “No, I don’t mind,” she said, even though he was no longer close enough to hear. “Go on, abandon me. Leave me full of questions. I’ll just keep Red company.” Before she could decide whether to go into the stall with the mare, a new I’m under scrutiny sensation took a bite out of her. Careful to keep her back against the stable so no one could get behind her, she took in her surroundings. Ahote was still putting distance between them, the phone now up to his ear. A few more strides and he’d be behind a large metal building marked Equipment, meaning he couldn’t see whatever happened to her. Not that anything would, darn it. In addition to the horse stalls, there was a huge event structure between here and the racing arena, a ten-foot high stack of

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hay bales under metal roofing, and a wooden corral with a couple of donkeys in it. The donkeys might be companions for high-strung horses. Red whinnied, the sharp sound echoing. Terena understood that tone. Red wasn’t just making conversation; she was agitated. Red leaned against the half door with her head out, staring to the left. Taking her cue from the horse, Terena did the same. There wasn’t anything out that way, just a few pieces of widely spaced rusted machinery surrounded by weeds and rocks. And two men walking toward her.

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Chapter Three

Backing up and rearing, Red whinnied again. The high scream-like sound seared Terena’s nerves. Despite her concern that the horse might hurt herself, Terena couldn’t keep her attention off the men. They were maybe a hundred feet away and walking with slow, measured steps, as if giving her time to comprehend what was happening. When she’d seen them earlier, they’d been closer but surrounded by race-goers. Now, nothing stood between her and them. They weren’t friends with each other. She sensed their complex relationship in the space they kept between them. Despite that, they walked in sync, the slightly shorter man lengthening his stride to match the other. What did their relationship matter? They were coming toward her, staring intently. Ahote was out of sight, more concerned with his damn conversation than her or his horse. He’d left her to— Sudden anger washed away the fear she didn’t want to acknowledge. This wasn’t the Wild West. A couple of cowpokes couldn’t march into town and take over. Take her. Red’s hooves tattooed the ground. “It’s all right. You’re all right,” she soothed without taking her attention off the stalking men. “I won’t let them hurt you.” Galvanized by her promise, she stepped fully into the sunlight and crossed her arms over her chest. The newcomers still walked in slow-motion with their

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arms by their sides, their body-hugging clothing revealing every move. Her throat dried, her nipples hardened and her core heated. Determined to get control over her misbehaving body, she pressed her forearms against her too-sensitive breasts and lifted her head so the breeze stroked her throat. She had a few seconds before they came so close their energy touched her. “What are you doing here?” she asked. Instead of answering, they continued to approach her, or was it stalking? To her disbelief, they pulled their T-shirts over their heads, revealing twin six packs. Still holding on to their tops, they started unbuttoning their jeans. “This isn’t funny.” She couldn’t speak above a whisper. “No,” the slightly older man said, “it isn’t. Be patient. You’ll soon understand.” She wanted to tell them she’d never ever understand what was happening, but that would have to wait because they’d stopped and were removing their socks and shoes. Next came their jeans, drawn down over non-existent bellies and muscled thighs. “You can’t—” she started. “We have to.” Instead of explaining, as if there’d ever be an explanation for this, the two made short work of their briefs. They were semi-erect. “Shit,” she whispered, then covered her face with her hands and turned her back to them. The faint popping sounds behind her made no sense, and their low gasps made her wonder if they were in pain. Any thoughts she might have had of fleeing died. When the sounds stopped, she forced herself to turn around. Where were the men? And where had the two magnificent stallions come from?

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It couldn’t be! The nearly identical four-legged animals didn’t exist! Couldn’t. The highly arched necks, hard-muscled chests, breeze-tossed manes and long, uplifted tails were her imagination. Despite the denial running through her, she continued to stare. They weren’t as tall as draft horses, but close. The similarity ended with height comparisons, because, unlike a Percheron or Clydesdale, these creatures were built for speed, not pulling power. Sunlight caressed the mostly black bodies and played up where black slid into copper on their bellies and flanks. Large, pure-white splotches splayed over their chests. Their ears pointed forward as if listening for any sound she might make. Red pranced while these two turned their gait into an art form, with highstriking front legs and unbelievably muscled hindquarters. Their nostrils flared; they held their heads high and proud. Long, thick erect penises jutted forward. “Oh shit. Oh shit.” The duo stopped, glanced at each other, reared in unison. She stared, uncomprehending, at prime horseflesh balanced on powerful back legs while their front legs stabbed the air. Their heads arched even tighter, making their necks bow and the tendons stand out. She waited for them to bellow like the aroused studs they were, but they remained silent. It was, she crazily concluded, as if they knew how to show themselves off to best advantage. If only she had her camera with her. If only this made sense. Overwhelmed, she hugged her waist for comfort. She closed her eyes. Maybe two seconds passed before she found the courage to open them again. The stallions were gone, the men back, their lack of expression unnerving as they redressed.

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“No.” She began rocking herself. Her mind snagged on the white markings on the horses’ chests. Should have paid closer attention to them. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, she was incapable of fully comprehending what she’d just experienced. Or imagined she’d experienced. That was it. She’d had a mind meltdown. Red still moved about but seemed a little less agitated. Maybe she’d locked in to Terena’s mind glitch, and that was what had upset her. Well, it wasn’t going to happen again. Realizing she was still hugging herself and rocking, Terena forced her hands to her sides. With each step they took, the approaching men made an even greater impact on her system. Comanche. Was that what they were? Damn it, why couldn’t she think? Besides, what did it matter what tribe, if any, they were members of? The day wasn’t that hot, mid-seventies with a nice breeze, but she was on fire. Praying she’d wake up from this crazy dream while reverently wishing she could stay deep inside it, she swallowed several times to work moisture back into her throat. The duo was no more than ten feet away. “What do you want?” she asked. And how did you morph into stallions, if you did? “Where is he?” the taller, slightly older man asked. Ahote! Get back here. “Who are you talking about?” There was no denying their body heat or the hit-her-over-the-head sensual impact. Time needed to slow down. Hell, it should stop so she stood a chance of taking in everything she was experiencing.

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“We saw you embrace him,” the apparently designated speaker said. “Who is he, your lover?” “No. Of course not.” The speaker’s tone revealed nothing of what he was thinking. Knowing they’d come looking for Ahote—and that they’d been watching her—knocked her even more off balance. But, as overwhelmed as she felt, she wasn’t about to put her cousin at risk if she could help it. “What do you want him for?” “That’s between him and us.” Her short nails dug into her palms, but she couldn’t think what to do about the discomfort. Behind her, the lightning-fast Red’s breath huffed in a way peculiar to mares in heat. Oh, shit, what if Red had seen them in stud form? “Wait a minute. If you’ve been watching us, you must have seen where Ahote went. Why are you talking to me?” The speaker’s mouth thinned, and he squinted, the gesture highlighting faint lines at the corners of his ebony eyes. God, but he had beautiful eyes, deep and full of layers she couldn’t comprehend. “You really have no idea why we chose to approach you?” he asked and pointedly looked down at himself. He had an erection, his hard-on straining his jeans. If she hadn’t been so unnerved and locked on to his features, she would have already noticed what was going on below his waist. When they’d morphed into stallions—what was she thinking!—the two had been ready for sex. Obviously, that hadn’t changed. Heated moisture pooled inside her. Some leaked out to dampen her panties. “Look, this is crazy,” she said, backing up a little. “I don’t know what the hell this is about, and unless you’re willing to spell it out to my satisfaction, I’m leaving.” “Not yet.”

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At the comment from the until now silent man, the speaker jerked his head in that direction. “It isn’t your turn,” the older, taller one snapped. “I told you—” “Look,” she interrupted. “I’m not interested in listening to the two of you argue.” I just want to know if you have any idea what I thought I saw a few minutes ago. “You can’t keep me here. One yell from me, and—” “You won’t.” At the two words, the indignation she’d been trying to feed evaporated and was replaced by another heat wave. Did the man with the faint crow’s-feet know how sensual his voice was? It came from the depths of his broad chest, the sounds seeping over and into her. “What’s your name?” she asked. “Nokoni. What’s yours?” Nokoni. Comanche? “Terena. And yours?” She nodded at the man who was playing reluctant second fiddle to Nokoni. Like Nokoni, his jeans bulged. “Hah-Tee.” She mouthed their names, repeatedly rolling her tongue over the syllables. As recently as yesterday, she’d felt a little lost and adrift. Now she had no doubt she’d never been more alive. “Well, Nokoni and Hah-Tee, I believe this is where I’m expected to say pleased to meet you, but we all know that isn’t true.” Isn’t it? “I came here to watch some horse races. Now that I’ve seen Red run”—she jerked her head, unnecessarily indicating the still-huffing mare—“anything else would be anticlimactic.” She winced at her word choice. “I’m leaving.” “No,” Hah-Tee bit out, “you aren’t.” Apprehension and arousal lanced through her, but she’d already taken one backward step and refused to take another. “We just had this conversation. I’m not interested in replaying it. You tried to intimidate me, and—”

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“Not intimidation,” Nokoni broke in. “He said you weren’t going to call for help.” How could they stop her from yelling, by some kind of mind-control? The idea would have been laughable if not for the shifting she’d seen, not that it had really taken place. Had it? The men were compelling, their physical presence off the chart. The photographer in her longed to play with lighting and expressions, to share their impact on her with the world. She shouldn’t care about their possibly adversarial relationship. She had enough to think about, trying to make sense of why she was reacting the way she was. Her career required her to ease in and out of countless people’s lives. For a few hours or days, strangers shared their stories with her. Then they went back to their worlds while she moved on to a new crisis or insight or human-interest. Occasionally, she stayed in one place long enough to connect with a man. During those rushed relationships and sexual encounters, she gathered bits and pieces of those men’s existences and made them hers. She laughed at their jokes, drank their drinks, rode in their cars, touched their bodies and let them touch hers. Then things ended, and she embraced a new assignment in a new place. That was what she had to remember. Looking up at the strongest, most arresting men she’d ever seen was this afternoon’s experience. It had no staying power. “What makes you think I’m willing to stand here?” she asked. “Because of this.” Whether Nokoni had deliberately lowered his voice to further capture her attention didn’t matter. How could it when his fingers were now trailing over the

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back of her hand? Mouth sagging, she looked down. His hand spoke of a life spent under the sun and standing against a storm. The dark, weathered flesh whispered of adventures and experiences she’d never comprehend. “You can’t just walk away.” His voice pulled her in. “Your body won’t let you.” No, that couldn’t be. She wouldn’t let it. Hating what she had to do, she slapped his hand away. Only when he lowered it to his side did she acknowledge that if he’d wanted to, he could have hauled her into the stall next to Red and ripped off her clothes. She’d stand naked or kneel before him while his fingers and palms claimed her inch by inch. Before he was done, she’d be begging him to fuck her. “Who is he to you?” Nokoni asked. “He?” Her mouth didn’t want to work. Nokoni handed her a faint smile, the first she’d seen from him. “The man who rode the mare in the race.” “My cousin.” She told him because she was too raw and unbalanced for anything except the truth. Nokoni nodded. Then he cupped the denim over his cock. He was simply repositioning his erection; no need for her to think he was about to expose himself. Which, of course, she didn’t want. “Your cousin had no right doing what he did.” Nokoni handed the words to her one slow sound at a time. “The mare isn’t his.” “What? Are you saying—you’re accusing him of stealing Red?” “She was free, living where she belonged.” He sounded tired, or was it sorrowful? “How do you know that?”

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Nokoni’s eyes glittered. His attention strayed to Red. “Ask him to explain.” So much for fantasizing that sex might come out of today, which was a crazy thought. Things had suddenly gotten even more serious. Just the same, she continued to feed off Red’s agitated state and two male hunks no woman alive could ignore. “I intend to,” she said. “But I’d also like to hear your side of things.” “Why?” Frowning, she widened her stance and again folded her arms. Much more staring up at Nokoni while those rich tones of his took little slices out of her and she might lose track of where she left off and he began. No! She didn’t dare let that happen. Too much was at stake. “Are you thinking of having him arrested?” she asked. “Arrested?” Ahote had been behind bars at least twice. He’d admitted that being locked up had nearly killed him. “It’s a logical question, right? If you’re accusing him of horse thievery, you must want justice. Unless…unless you can’t prove it.” The two men exchanged a glance she couldn’t comprehend. “That’s it, isn’t it? Your word against his. He raced the mare, not you.” “He has no right to her,” Nokoni said. “And he knows it.” Somewhere to her right, a horse whinnied. She wouldn’t have paid attention if the animal hadn’t sounded so close. Looking in that direction, she spotted a couple of teenage girls, each leading a horse, heading their way. The girls, looking fresh and new in their cowboy hats, shirts, jeans and boots, were dividing their attention between their horses and the two men. “I don’t know anything about this disagreement between you and my cousin,” she told Nokoni. “And I don’t understand why you’re trying to drag me into it.”

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Turning a little so the teens couldn’t see what he was doing, Nokoni again cupped himself. Terena fled.

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Chapter Four

“I didn’t know I was going to shift until I started taking off my clothes,” Hah-Tee said. “Did you?” “I’d been fighting the impulse since I first saw her,” Nokoni replied, when what he wanted was to walk off by himself. Even more, he longed to run until exertion pushed arousal out of his system. “Why didn’t you warn me? We could have been discovered.” Hah-Tee would never learn. Or, more to the point, Hah-Tee sensed when he was pushing but couldn’t stop himself. “I didn’t want you here,” Nokoni said. “Don’t forget that.” “But I am. Why didn’t she say anything about our shifting?” “Maybe she doesn’t believe her eyes.” Fortunately, that at least momentarily shut Hah-Tee up. Terena had headed back toward the racetrack, and he could no longer see her. In the past, as soon as he put distance between himself and a human female, his body stopped responding. Now his cock remained tight. He might still be learning about this aspect of being a man, but he had no doubt blood would continue to flood him for a while. The teenage girls had taken their horses to the far end of the stables. He occasionally caught their high-pitched voices but couldn’t see them. Even if he had, their young bodies wouldn’t speak to his cock as Terena had. After once more repositioning his cock in the uncomfortable and seldomworn clothes, he focused on the conversation he’d been having with the other

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stallion shifter. Seeing Hah-Tee’s aroused state made the hairs at the back of his neck stand up. Nokoni was herd stud. Any and all females belonged to him. At least they did when he was in horse form. But when he was a man… That was something he wasn’t ready to become. “I’ve never shifted and then back again so fast,” Hah-Tee said. “Have you?” Of course, Hah-Tee would ask. After all, Nokoni was at least three years older and more experienced. “No,” he admitted. Frowning, Hah-Tee turned his full attention on him. “Why did it happen?” The younger shifter was waiting for him to say it, giving him no choice. “The woman. Something about her touched us in a new way.” Hah-Tee opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Maybe he should have asked Terena what her last name was, but that would have made her even more unique, when he wanted to dismiss her. He’d come to this small town because his stallion senses had told him this was where he’d find the mare that had been ripped from his herd. Not only had he found her, he’d watched the audience’s disbelief over speed he took for granted. As a result, he finally understood why Ahote had thrown a rope over a wild animal that had been Nokoni’s responsibility. Regret and self-loathing tightened his heart. “I don’t like this place,” Hah-Tee said. “We don’t belong here.” “Neither does she.” He indicated the mare. “Once she didn’t, but she’s been tamed. Changed.” Wishing he could tear Hah-Tee’s words apart, he slowly approached the mare. No matter how much he willed her to acknowledge him, she backed until her rump struck the rear wall. White showed in her eyes, and her ears lay flat against her skull.

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“She doesn’t know who we are,” Hah-Tee muttered. I’m sorry. I should have been there. He was relieved to see the tension slowly go out of her. Instead of turning her attention to her feed, however, she extended her neck and gave an excited whinny-whistle. Her tail switched. He wasn’t surprised when she turned her back to them, pulled her tail to the side, spread her legs, and urinated. Sweet-smelling moisture dribbled from her vulva. “She might not know who we are,” he observed, “but she’s responding to what we represent.” “So did Terena.” Hah-Tee’s comment pulled his attention from the mare he knew would never again be part of his world. He’d smelled Terena’s arousal. He didn’t like knowing the other shifter had as well. “It means nothing.” He wasn’t sure which of them he was talking to. “She wanted to have sex with us. The way she reacted when you touched her hand—you should have taken advantage of that.” “How?” The time might come when he’d let Hah-Tee know his face gave away everything he was feeling and thinking. Right now, he guessed Hah-Tee was so confused he didn’t have the words for it. “Maybe you think we should have ripped her clothes off her.” He shook his head, in part to keep the image from digging too deeply into himself. “That’s what you want, for one of us to hold her down while the other fucks her.” “No.” “Are you sure?” he pressed, because, like it or not, it was his responsibility to assess Hah-Tee’s ability to conduct himself as a responsible human male. Not that he’d completed the journey himself, he allowed. He was still learning, the lessons complicated by the stallion blood racing through him.

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“It nearly happened once.” Hah-Tee stared at the ground. “I’d only shifted into human form a few times and barely knew what to do with my body. I was standing outside a—what do they call it—a grocery store when a woman walked up to me. She asked if I was lost. I told her no, even though I was. She placed her hand on my shoulder. I thought that meant she wanted this.” He closed his fingers around the bulge in his jeans. “I started to unzip myself.” “What did she do?” Hah-Tee frowned. “She told me to slow down. When I said I didn’t want to, she called me things I didn’t then know the meaning of. I told her to shut up. She slapped me. I grabbed her hand and twisted her arm behind her. She said if I did anything else, she’d scream.” He pressed a hand to his forehead. “I believed her.” “Did you stop?” “Of course. How long will it be before I understand what human females want? Not that I’m in a hurry, but eventually my time will come to stand where you are.” Life was easier when he didn’t allow himself to think about tomorrow and the days after that. Let Hah-Tee go on his own journey just as Nokoni had done. “Today, the future doesn’t matter,” Nokoni pointed out. “Only right now does. I agreed to let you accompany me because—” “I know. What do you want me to do?” “Find the thief, watch him. Don’t let him see you.” “Why not? He should know who and what we are so he’ll fear us.” “Hopefully that time will come. But first I want to know more about him.” “If that’s important to you, you follow him.” Hah-Tee took a step in the direction Terena had gone. “I have something I’d rather be doing.” He cupped his erection with both hands.

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The blood in Nokoni’s temple pulsed. The years as responsible herd stud had taught him how to handle the surges of energy that, in part, had kept him alive. Another time, he probably wouldn’t react so intensely to what was HahTee’s instinct speaking, but everything felt off balance today. Not only was he mourning the freedom the young mare had lost, but Terena had left something of herself on his skin and in his nostrils. Stepping in front of Hah-Tee, he bared his teeth. If there’d been others around, hopefully he would have thought to shake his fist as he’d seen angry humans do, but Hah-Tee understood that he was reacting as a stallion would. “I gave you an order. Obey.” Hah-Tee’s nostrils flared. “We’ve fought before,” Nokoni pointed out. “If I need to, I’ll fight you again. Like before, I’ll win.”

Once he’d been a new stallion, untested and unproven but with heat eating at him from the inside. No matter how many times the herd leader had bitten and struck him with his hooves, he’d kept coming back. Day by day and week by week, he’d grown stronger, until one morning he’d come across a mare in heat and mounted her. Even as his seed shot into her and their joined bodies shuddered, he knew he’d done something he had no right to. Unless he proved himself worthy. Following in Terena’s footsteps, Nokoni remembered every moment of the screaming, snorting battle between himself and the then herd stud. The tall, coalblack stallion had charged while Nokoni was approaching the spring where the herd had gone to drink. Instead of fleeing as he had in the past, Nokoni had stood his ground as the other male slammed into him. They’d risen onto their

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hind legs at the same time, but Nokoni’s forelegs had struck the first blow, and his teeth had laid open a gash on the stud’s neck. Something else had given Nokoni the advantage—he’d thought. Much as he hated being a shifter, his mind kept him alive. Someday, maybe soon, Hah-Tee would bruise his flesh and make him bleed. When that happened, Nokoni would have no choice but to embrace the other half of his nature. At least right now Hah-Tee was keeping an eye on the man who’d ridden Red, as Nokoni had ordered. Spending most of his time as a human male wouldn’t be that bad, he told himself as he walked. Not only would he sleep in a bed instead of out in the desert, he’d be cool in summer and warm in winter. And because it was the way of humans, he’d mate with one woman instead of every mare in the herd. Maybe he’d stop wondering why Hah-Tee and he were different from the other herd members, where the gift of speed had come from, and which colts would become shifters. Giving himself a mental shake, he took a deep breath. Her scent was getting stronger. Because more than a year ago he’d reluctantly given himself the task of learning everything he needed to know about the world he’d soon enter, he was able to identify the objects he was walking around as carnival rides. From the looks of things, the equipment was being dismantled. His eyes, ears and nose told him that the people responsible for taking them down weren’t here right now. Perhaps they’d taken a break to watch the races. That meant the area belonged to Terena and him. Like a lot of things in the human world, understanding why people did what they did was a work in progress for him. It was possible Terena cared about the workings of carnival rides, but perhaps she’d needed time by herself.

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Alone. Her lean yet womanly body gliding around the equipment, her full breasts straining against the ridiculous bras women insisted on wearing. Her inner thighs would brush together, perhaps stimulating the magical part of her. To the casual observer, she might appear to be deeply tanned, but because his human skin held the same hues, he knew she had Native American blood in her. Her cheekbones were high, her dark eyes almost as deep-set as his, while her midnight hair trailed halfway down her back. She’d braided two slender strands near her temples to, he guessed, keep her hair out of her eyes. If her body lay under his with his cock buried in her soft, wet channel, he’d brush glistening hair off her neck, gathering up her sweat as he did. Hands rammed in his back pockets, he tracked her. His cock fought the prison he’d reluctantly forced it into today. He might never understand clothing and not fucking simply because he wanted to, but he was trying. He had no choice. Teeth clenched as defense against the future he was still reluctantly accepting, he pulled Terena’s smell deep into him. He hadn’t had sex with many human females, not because they hadn’t offered themselves to him, but because he didn’t trust his self-control. Keeping distance between himself and a woman was easier than keeping his wits about him once he touched one. On its own, sex was good and right, tension followed by delicious release, but human females wanted to talk. They expected to hear certain words from him. Forget the half dozen or so females he’d had sex with before today. There was only this one now—and trying to dismiss her relationship with the man he wished he could kill. Suddenly, a sensation like hot water seared him from cheeks to feet. Stopping, he lifted his head and sniffed. He became, not a predator, but more than a man.

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Scenting a woman.

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Chapter Five

Ahote? Chiding herself for burying herself in the middle of dismantled carnival rides, Terena stopped and looked around. She’d dismissed the possibility of running into her cousin here because Ahote had been walking in the opposite direction when she’d last seen him. Most likely he’d returned to Red and expected Terena to be waiting for him. If he did, he might run into Nokoni and Hah-Tee. There could be a confrontation, a fight even. So be it. She could no longer protect him. Nokoni? Hah-Tee? Were those Comanche names? She could call Quana Soto and ask— Halfway through turning in a circle, she stopped and stared. Even before she sorted out the shadows, her nerve endings told her she was looking at a man some hundred feet away. And not just a man—Nokoni. He stood with his arms slightly out from his sides and more space than necessary between his muscled legs. His stance said he was ready for anything life might throw at him, while the bulge beneath his jeans spoke of one thing. Her body twanged in response. “What are you doing here?” Keeping her voice steady and cool took effort. “I don’t like being followed.” If he moved, it was so slight she missed it. In the silence of his body, she sensed his physical awareness of her as a woman, and yet there was more to his response than that. She could be wrong, but he didn’t appear to be entirely comfortable with his body, as if he was learning what it was about. Even with

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her eyes resolutely open, she saw the stallion he’d briefly become. It was as if man and animal were superimposed on each other, existing at the same time and yet strangers. The great black-and-copper stallion was larger, of course, but there was nothing weak or inferior about the man. Resigned and excited, she realized she’d stopped trying to deny what she’d seen. “What are you?” she managed. Then her voice failed her. He started to open his mouth, only to close it and shake his head. “I don’t know,” he whispered. “I don’t understand.” “Neither do I.” Mystery packed on mystery. She needed answers and explanations, yet sensed there wouldn’t be words for what was happening. Maybe if she could focus on more than Nokoni’s physical package, she could at least make a stab at comprehension. Help him understand. “I don’t have any idea what I’m looking at,” she admitted. She didn’t know what to do with her suddenly heavy arms. “You, ah, you changed form. I tried to tell myself I was hallucinating, but I wasn’t.” He took a step toward her, only a single, nonthreatening step, but that was enough to tear her mind apart. The sun had turned his hair into a shining stream that ended a little beyond his shoulders. She’d always loved her own thick, healthy hair, but his was more, somehow. As for the muscle, bone and skin beneath that too-tight white T-shirt—she’d never seen more perfect shoulders. Either that or none had ever made such an impact on her. She was turned on, beyond hot and bothered, flipped upside down and out of breath. It was the way his jeans painted his hips and thighs, the T-shirt

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disappearing beneath the waistband to draw her attention there, and what lay between his legs. Even with all that, more than the physical was at work. His boot crunched against gravel to warn her that he’d taken another step. Watching his thigh muscles gather in preparation for bringing him even closer, she acknowledged she still had time to run away and salvage what was left of her sanity. Or she could stay. “Are you looking for Ahote?” she asked, afraid of the silence between them. His frown made her wonder if he’d forgotten about her cousin. “Not now.” She should ask if he’d turned that chore over to Hah-Tee. “You saw Red run.” Damn it, she was babbling, using words to expend energy. “Have you ever seen anything like that?” “Yes.” Of course. You’re probably capable of the same thing. The fingers on her left hand threatened to cramp. She’d managed to stop clenching and unclenching her hands, but now they didn’t have enough to do. Of their own volition, they moved to her jeans’ waistband. “What do you mean, yes?” she asked. “I know horses. What Red accomplished today has never been done before. I’ll guarantee you that.” “You haven’t looked in the right place.” He’d started to frown before he finished speaking. Did that mean he regretted saying what he had? Oh God, he too had looped his thumbs over his waistband so his hands framed his too-deeply buried cock. She wanted him. Needed him. Might die if she couldn’t feel him inside her. What is this, she silently demanded as her sex juice again bathed her panties. Some spell only creatures like you are capable of? “Any minute,” he said, “someone’s going to come here.”

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“True.” He nodded. “But there’s time.” “For—” “You know. Don’t pretend you don’t.” She swallowed. “I do.” Instead of asking if she was saying what he thought and hoped she was, Nokoni lifted his head, turning it to the side as he did. All those years of being calm, collected and focused, and suddenly she was shaking like some virgin on prom night. Tomorrow was about reality. Hell, reality might return in minutes, but this was now. And now revolved around the hot energy snapping between them. Holding her breath, she listened intently. No nearby human voices or sounds reached her. Telling herself they were alone, she pulled her blouse out of her waistband. He did the same. Her fingers weakened, yet she managed to unfasten her jeans and tug down on the zipper. He followed suit. “Are you sure?” She indicated their surroundings. “Someone could—” “We’re the only ones here.” “You’re sure?” He jerked his head. “Trust my senses.” This wasn’t happening. She, a respected member of the press, believed in professionalism. Some crazy, primitive alter ego had shoved the real her aside and was doing these insane things. Maybe. Maybe not. All she knew was she didn’t really give a damn why she was tackling her blouse buttons. She trembled; she couldn’t help that. But she’d continue to do what the animal in her demanded. “Have you ever…” Her question trailed off. Ever didn’t belong in this place full of silenced amusement.

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Nokoni hauled his T-shirt over his head in a harsh movement. Dropping the garment to the ground as if he wanted nothing to do with it, he loosened his jeans’ hold on his waist. How could she put her mind to the rest of her blouse buttons now that he’d exposed his chest to her? Somewhere off in the world that didn’t matter, people started applauding. Standing on unsteady legs while looking at a chest sculpted by a master of the art, she remembered when that applause had been for Red. While Red ran, she’d felt utterly alive. For those few seconds, only hooves pounding on packed dirt and muscles speeding a sleek body along had mattered. Now she stared at Nokoni’s chest, shoulders, arms and waist as they helped guide her into another primitive experience. She was a woman, Nokoni a man. He was close to a foot taller than her, and she couldn’t put her mind to judging the difference between their weight. One thing she knew, she’d never stand a chance against his superior strength. Not that she wanted to try. Not when those beautifully carved muscles and the faint outline of his ribs and hip bones called to her. Her feet, ankles and calves tingled as if she’d been sleeping on them. Even with the sensation seeking to distract her, she easily destroyed the distance between Nokoni and her. His thumbs pulled down on his waistband, increasing her view of the V framing his cock. White cotton strained to keep him covered. Not long ago, her mouth had gone dry. Now, moisture flooded it. Moisture of another kind further soaked her panties and reached her jeans’ crotch. Christmas morning. A present to end all presents waiting for her to open it. The numbness in her feet and legs transferred to her hands, but that didn’t stop her either. Her need was too strong, her courage too tenuous.

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Taking hold of his wrists, she drew his hands away from his jeans. She didn’t concern herself with what he might do with his hands, barely reacted when he took over unbuttoning the blouse buttons she hadn’t yet dealt with. The chore behind him, he slid his fingers under her blouse and rested them against her waist. His calloused palms pressed on her hip bones. A whimper built low in her throat, but she fought to keep it there. Nokoni was more than a stranger, more than a man, and yet neither of those things mattered. Later, when the primal had been dealt with, she’d turn her reporter’s mind to gathering answers. But first, the essential. First, feeding off her heat and tasting his. Pins and needles continued to stab at her fingers as she closed them around his waistband and tugged his jeans down his hips. His simple briefs—no boxers for him—stood out in contrast against his dark flesh. Much as she needed to see what waited beneath them, she filled her lungs and rolled her knuckles over the hard bulge. They breathed in unison, their exhalations ragged and quick. Sweat bloomed on her forehead, cheeks and neck. He let go of her long enough to push his jeans down around his knees and then guided her hands to his briefs. She started to draw out the elastic in preparation for setting his cock free. “No,” he warned. “Wait.” Feeling as if she was trying to jam her feet against the brakes and gas pedal at the same time, she dug her nails into his briefs. Nokoni pushed her blouse back so it hung off her arms. Then he grabbed her bra and hauled it up over her breasts. Elastic pressed down on them and distorted their shape. Her dark, hard nipples jutted. Cupping her left breast, he lifted it as high as the bra allowed. She thought he might take it into his mouth,

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no easy chore considering the height difference. Instead, he slid his rough fingers down her breast and took hold of her nipple. He drew it toward him. Despite the erratic distraction, she increased her hold on his briefs and pulled out and down. The fabric hung up on his erection, compelling her to wrap a hand around his hard, heavy cock and draw it into the afternoon sunlight. He hadn’t been circumcised. True to his Native American blood, only a few dark hairs dusted his groin area. His chest was close to hairless. Leaning close, she ran her lips between his pectoral muscles. Her lips tingled, compelling her to lick them. Then, not giving herself time to think about what she was doing, she pressed her lips against his chest. He shivered. A low groan rumbled. The sound made her think of the cry she’d once heard a stud make as he was led to a mare he’d been chosen to service. Extending her tongue, she lapped, then nearly laughed when he shuddered and sucked in his belly. “Careful,” he muttered. “Why? Don’t you like this?” She spoke with her mouth inches from his chest. “Ah, shit. Shit.” Nokoni wasn’t some well-experienced lover; either that or it had been a long time since he’d last mated with— Mated? What was she thinking? This was sex, plain and simple. Maybe. Something scraped lightly along her hips. She tried to break free only to stop when she realized Nokoni was pulling her jeans down. As he’d done with his own garment, he left it around her knees. Private parts being exposed. A quickie. In and out. Good, she forcefully reassured herself as he spread his hands over her buttocks and drew her, off balance, toward him with his cock caught between

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them. A little blind lust briefly uniting strangers. Wham bam, thank you, and both parties on their way. Only that wasn’t how she did things. A burning sensation started in the small of her back. Much as she wanted to turn herself over to the hunger between her legs, as long as her back remained this deeply arched, she couldn’t. “Wait.” She planted her hands against his belly and shoved. His cock scraped her forearms, distracting her. He held her in place. “What?” “My back.” She tried to twist to the side. “It hurts.” At that, he guided her away so she could straighten, but kept her under his control by again closing his strong, broad fingers around her waist. His cockhead probed her belly. Another downward yank and her panties joined her jeans. For some reason, knowing what panties she’d put on this morning mattered, so she looked down at herself but couldn’t see around his long, reddened organ. To hell with undergarments. It wasn’t as if— Oh God, his hand between her legs! A moment ago, she’d been strong—at least she’d thought she was—but his hand pressing against her sex nearly destroyed her. Her knees threatened to melt, prompting her to send what little strength she retained there. Then his thumb slipped between her labia and kissed her clit, and she nearly died. There. His shoulders. Something to hold on to. Seeing little beyond a blur and her whole body dissolving, she clung to his strength while he repeatedly dipped into her. Again and again, he painted her pussy with the wet heat flowing out of her.

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Her breasts throbbed. Her throat threatened to dry up and close down. Someone needed to tell her if she was dying, because she couldn’t put her mind to something so unimportant. A man who maybe could become a stallion had drawn her into his sensual circle. He’d exposed vital parts of her but hadn’t bothered to strip her because— because they were only going to have sex. Maybe she’d swayed, because he wrapped his free arm around her waist. The other continued its intimate exploration, diving into her, retreating, invading once more. His rough finger stretched her channel, teasing, taunting, even, taking bites at her sanity. Past keeping the sharp cry inside, she winced as it slid past her throat. If she concentrated on what he was doing, which she wanted, she could feel his sandpapered fingertip skate along her sex. The moisture declaring that she was ready for him ran out of her, over him, even down the insides of her thighs. She became a river for him, for both of them. Her arms burned and trembled, but she didn’t dare slacken her hold on his neck if she didn’t want to collapse. Her calves protested every time she lifted herself onto her toes, yet she kept doing so. Nokoni, still a stranger, bent over her as if trying to cradle her. Protect her. Keep reality away. “I can’t continue,” he said. “I have to…” Of course. For however long they’d been awkwardly locked together, he’d given while she received. What red-blooded man wouldn’t want to have the tables turned? Shaking off a few of the cobwebs tangled through her, she looked around. The equipment offered no bed. They’d have to do this standing up. But he was tall, she short.

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“There.” She jerked her head at an upended ride seat. The top looked flat and sturdy enough for her to stand on. When he gave no indication he’d heard, she tried to move in that direction, but between her tangled jeans and his still-embedded finger, nothing happened. Then he slowly pulled out of her and wiped his hand on her breast. Warm air started to dry the moisture, leaving her feeling sticky and even more aroused. Grabbing his wrist, she brought his hand up to her mouth and repeatedly licked it. His breathing continued its quick cadence. Maybe there was enough animal in him that he’d take what he believed he deserved. Was she crazy? Crazy to want to have sex with a man she didn’t know, a potentially dangerous male? A stallion. Nokoni drew free of her only to wrap both hands around her waist. Lifting her, he took an awkward step toward the seat. She couldn’t help but smile at the thought of how they must look with their asses and privates exposed while their jeans hobbled them. Then he deposited her on the seat, and she again wrapped her arms around his neck, and nothing else mattered. He kept her in place via a powerful arm against her back. The other guided his cock between her legs. Sex. They were going to have sex. Here. Now. With the sun beating down on the tops of their heads. Her breath hissing, she widened her stance as much as she could and offered herself to him. His heated strength pressed against her. She took another hissing breath, offered herself to him even more. There. Nokoni’s cock finding her opening, sliding past her outer tissues. Going home. She felt herself open up to him. Then her body gave way even more as he slowly dove deeper. Every inch of her welcomed him. Some thought or caution

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nagged at her, only to fade. She was hungry and lonely. Needing something she’d never had. Not caring that allowing Nokoni to get this close might change her. Without warning, a fever claimed her and took her so far inside herself that nothing else mattered. She became selfish and needy as he thrust against her and opened her up. His cock touched every molecule of her sex channel until his gift became her world. When he drew back a little, she locked her knees in preparation. Nokoni hit her again, his balls slapping against her. Digging her nails into his neck, she arched her back. Her breasts throbbed from the pressure her bra caused. After forcing himself into her, he again withdrew and paused a fraction of a second. As she’d known he would, he hammered into and against her. A keening cry ripped out of her. She knew what fucking entailed. The damn self-absorbed man would thrust and thrust again, sweat and groan until he’d brought himself to the edge. Finally, past caring what the woman experienced, he’d spill into her. Fine. Let him. She was in her own world. Gathering steam, she offered herself up to him. Her interest narrowed. The cells that made her what she was slid apart and evaporated. Fist-like pressure ground into her belly. Too late! All restraint gone. The goal everything. Clinging to him, she fed off him. He’d dismissed what made him a civilized being and had become an animal, a simple, primitive creature. Loving the emerging beast, she dug her nails into him. Her legs strained. One. A single unit. Sealed belly to belly, sex to sex, thigh to thigh. Arms around each other and fire lapping.

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A groaning cry exploded from him. At first she didn’t care, was too deep inside her impending climax for anything except self-absorption. Then she realized he was leaving her. Pulling out. Pushing her back. His hot discharge gushed over her belly and ran into her pubic hair. She came.

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Chapter Six

“You didn’t use protection,” she said. “That’s why you withdrew at the end.” Instead of responding, Nokoni pushed his now flaccid cock back inside his briefs and pulled up his jeans. She wasn’t sure where he’d dropped his shirt, not that she was in any hurry to lose sight of his naked chest. After staring at her for a moment, he held out his hand, and she took hold of it while lowering herself to the ground. Letting go of him, she tugged her bra back into place. Her breasts felt too large for the C cups. Rational thinking was returning, at least enough that she’d been able to say what she had. She supposed she should be concerned with pulling her own jeans back in place, but the longer she left her belly and mons exposed, the more of his discharge would dry. She didn’t feel dirty or used, just confused. “Do you carry condoms?” she asked. He frowned. “Rubbers? No.” He stared at what little he could now see of her breasts. Not sure how she felt about that, she drew her blouse over her shoulders and started buttoning. “Why not? You believe that’s the woman’s job?” “I didn’t think,” he said after a pause. Nodding, she acknowledged that should have been her line. Darn it, she knew to be responsible and safe when it came to sex. Granted she didn’t carry condoms because she’d felt cheap and pathetic the one time she had, but she’d

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never had sex without first addressing protection. To her way of thinking, women who boasted they’d been too carried away by passion were either stupid or deluding themselves. Which, then, was she today? “You aren’t ovulating,” he told her. “What? How can you be sure?” She’d been about to tell him about her IUD. “I know.” Of course he did. A stallion was hard-wired to sense such things. Watching his retreating back, she waited for her inner voice to declare she didn’t know what she was talking about, but it remained silent. Nokoni was both a man and a stallion, as was Hah-Tee. She had to get used to it. No problem. Well, maybe a little, or a lot. Reaching down, he plucked his shirt off the ground. To keep from focusing too closely while he covered himself, she pulled her panties back in place, followed by her jeans. With his ejaculate feeling as if it had been lacquered on her, she should be crazy desperate for a shower. She was crazy, all right. Out of her mind. More distant clapping from the race stands brought her closer to reality. This man she’d just fucked would be leaving. She’d never see him again. Maybe. “What happens now?” she demanded. “What do you mean?” His eyes had taken on a shadowed appearance, maybe because he was trying to keep something from her—like vulnerability? Enough with the psychoanalyzing. You suck at it. “You got what you wanted from me.” Angry at herself, she held up her hand. “Forget I said that. I wanted sex as much as you did. I have no business playing the wronged-female role.” Her admission behind her, she worked at

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gathering more of her intellect around her. It might be easier if she’d fully wrapped her mind around the fact that she’d just had sex with a man who barely brushed the edges of her world. Who might have no understanding of her world. “I’m talking about my cousin,” she continued. Nokoni stood a good fifteen feet away, yet it wasn’t nearly enough. “You’re not done with him. I know you aren’t. You say he stole Red from you.” Or something like that. “Are you going to call the cops?” “No.” Had she already asked the question? Maybe she’d only thought it. Either way, his single word wasn’t nearly enough of an explanation. Except she wasn’t responsible for Ahote. In fact, going by today’s performance, pure recklessness described how she was handling her own life, which meant she was in no shape to handle someone else’s affairs. “That’s it, then?” she asked. “No reason for our paths to ever cross again.” “Is that what you want?” Nokoni was a master at holding his body motionless. Judging by what he wore, he cared little about his physical appearance. Despite his casual, inexpensive clothing, however, he mesmerized her. Climaxing hadn’t tamped that down. “I’m not sure what I want.” She ran her hands into her back pockets to hopefully keep them off him. “But I know my responsibility.” “Which is?” He couldn’t possibly care, was simply making conversation—or maybe seeing if she’d say something she shouldn’t about her cousin. “Going back to where I was raised and seeing my aunt and uncle.”

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The way he approached her reminded her of a cougar she’d once watched stalk a fawn. To her relief, the fawn’s mother had shown up in time to confront and run off the cougar. Today there was no one to rescue her. “Where were you raised, Terena?” His warm breath heated the top of her head. “Here.” Come on, think! “In Arizona. The northern part. On a reservation.” “Which one?” Alarmed by his terse question, she looked up at him. His eyes drew her in, encouraged her to cast off responsibility and simply be. At the same time, his suddenly ramrod-straight body warned her to back off. In the end, she pushed her hands even farther into her pockets and squared her shoulders. Lightning licked her from throat to crotch. “Hopi,” she said. “So.” His breath hissed. “That’s why.” “Why what?” His eyes narrowed. “You saw what else Hah-Tee and I am.” “You’re not making sense. Look, I’m not going to blame either of us for what happened because… Go back to your friend. I need—” “He isn’t my friend.” “Then what is he? Never mind. Go live your life, whatever it is.” Trying to calm herself, she paused. “I need to do the same.” Without you in it. “It isn’t that easy.”

The ache in Hah-Tee’s cock demanded attention. Damn it, if he hadn’t followed Nokoni, he wouldn’t have seen the other shifter and the woman who called herself Terena together. Angry, he silently acknowledged that watching

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the human-to-human sex act was exactly what he’d needed to see. After all, how else would he learn? Another painful wave in his groin had him unzipping the strange-feeling jeans and cupping himself. Even though he’d seen his human sex organ enough times that he should be used to it, the weight and length once more drew his attention there. He hadn’t yet made his peace with his human side, wasn’t sure he’d ever reach that point. Frustration, he acknowledged, was the worst of it. Determined to distract himself from the need for release, he again turned his attention to Nokoni and Terena. She was staring up at Nokoni. If he was right about the way she held herself, whatever Nokoni had said had upset her. Maybe she’d leave him and go in search of someone else. The possibility of being that person tightened his cock so he could barely stifle a groan. He wanted to fuck her, same as he wanted to mate with the mares Nokoni ruled. Would his time ever come? Yes, he angrily reassured himself. Eventually he’d take his place as herd stud. In the meantime, however, his life was ruled by frustration. Not entirely, he amended as Terena finger-combed her long hair. He’d come across no fewer than four receptive mares earlier this spring. Instinct, drive and strength had taken over, compelling him to mount them and bury his hardness in their dripping openings. Back then, the only thing he’d cared about was that he’d been able to mate without Nokoni running him off. Only later had he pondered whether any of those mares would bear his colts or fillies. The possibility of passing on his great speed and need to live in two worlds had changed something in him. From then on, he’d seen the mares as more than receptacles for his seed. They’d become the mothers of his future children.

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Terena’s voice cut through his thoughts and sent another wave of need through him. He strained to see Nokoni’s reaction. Whatever she’d said, Nokoni hadn’t wanted to hear it. What had they said to each other during sex? Her cries at the end told him she’d climaxed, which was yet something else he didn’t understand about women. From what he could tell, mares simply accepted their need to have a stallion plant his forelegs on their backs and fill their openings. If they felt something from the act, he hadn’t detected whatever that was, but then, he’d been preoccupied. Human females were different. At least they were from his limited experience. Granted, he’d had sex with one just woman, but as it had been with the mares, all he’d cared about was himself. Afterward, his partner—an older woman he’d picked up in a bar—had told him he had a hair trigger. He hadn’t asked what she was talking about, but judging by how quickly she’d gotten dressed and left, he’d guessed it hadn’t been a compliment. Would Terena want to have sex with him? Teach him things he’d eventually need to know? Sighing, he acknowledged he’d been pondering that since he’d first seen her. There was something about her, something different from the bar woman and the few others he’d tried to talk to. Terena had seen him as both horse and man, but that wasn’t the only reason he wanted to get close to her. Close. Not just so he could haul off her clothes and spread her legs, but something deeper. Something that touched his head. And his heart. Spinning on her heels, Terena started walking away from Nokoni. By turn, sunlight and shadows touched her. He envied Nokoni for what he and Terena had shared. More than that, he wanted the same for himself.

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But they came from different worlds, so it would never be.

Terena made her way to the shaded side of the office building just beyond the main parking lot. She looked around to ensure herself that no one was watching her, then asked herself why she was concerned with privacy. After all, Nokoni had known what direction she’d gone when she’d walked away from him. If he’d had more to tell her, he would have kept her by his side. Obviously, he’d been content to let her try to make sense of the last things he’d said. Pulling out her cell phone, she ran through her addresses until she found Quana’s number. She punched the green button before she could work up a reason not to. The Comanche horseman answered on the third ring. “Terena, that you?” “It’s me.” Hearing his voice took her back to the first time they’d had sex— and the other times. Darn, but they always got that right. “Is this a bad time?” “No. Just give me a—easy. Remember, horses are prey animals. They get their confidence from you, but you have to earn it. Good. Good. Now do it again.” Waiting for him to finish his conversation with whomever he was talking to, she recalled some of the things they’d talked about. Quana had all but been born on a horse. Maybe that was why he’d never had anything to do with the corporate world. In fact, he maintained that the only way he’d agree to teach greenhorns about horsemanship was as his own boss. That way he could tell folks to shove it if he wanted. She wondered if he’d been able to hold to that. After all, she’d once envisioned herself jet-setting around the world writing articles worthy of a Pulitzer Prize.

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“Hey, beautiful. What’s up? You miss me that much?” Quana sounded like he always did, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Maybe you decided to surprise me for my birthday. I hate to tell you, but I decided not to have one this year.” “Sign me up. I want to do the same thing.” Even with the reasons she’d made this call dragging at her, she couldn’t help but smile. Quana was good for her in many ways. “Will do. Seriously, are you coming to see me?” Was it her imagination or did he sound less carefree than a moment ago? “How can I? I don’t know where you are.” “Yeah, I guess you don’t. Hold on, Ter. Wait. Think before you dismount. You need to keep your weight as close as possible to the horse. Otherwise you’ll pull him off balance.” She waited while Quana guided whoever he was talking to through the proper dismount procedure. That done, Quana told the person she assumed was his client that he’d see him or her tomorrow morning. “Cops make interesting students,” Quana said in a stage whisper. “They have so much macho in them. Even if they’ve never been around horses and are intimidated by them, they don’t want to admit it.” “You’re working with a police officer?” “Not just one, an entire city force. The chief and commissioners want all their officers to be able to ride if necessary. Most of the cops are game. They just hate admitting they might be in over their heads. So, why did you call?” She leaned against the wall only to straighten. “I have a question.” “That’s all? There’s a lot between us.” There was and yet there wasn’t. Last year, she’d been intrigued by a plan to encourage people to buy wild mustangs and thus thin the too-big herd a bit. The

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plan called for turning some mustangs over to proven horse trainers. The trainers were given a month to gentle and train the horses, then participate in a competition. Not only did the competition give horsemen and women the opportunity to show off their skills, but people could bid on the former wild animals. Because the Bureau of Land Management managed the mustang herds, she’d asked them for names of trainers to interview and shadow. The moment she’d seen Quana, she knew she had her man. He was patient and calm around skittish and scared horses. He also personified many people’s idealized image of what a cowboy looked like. Bottom line, the full-blooded Comanche was ruggedly sexy. Photographs of him would sell the article. She’d tailed Quana while he worked with the short, muscular stallion he’d drawn and had taken countless pictures during the competition, which he and his horse had won. Quana and she had also become lovers. “You still there?” Quana asked. “Yes. Speaking of which, where are you?” All right, so she was stalling. “Citrus Heights.” “Where’s that?” “California, not far from Sacramento. Actually I’m at this high-class facility run by a former Olympic equestrian who has some contract with the police department to let them train here. Believe me, she threw some major money into the joint.” “She?” “It’s not like that. She’s in a long-term relationship with another woman. Besides, well, I’m seeing someone.” “Is it serious?” “Too soon to tell, but so far it feels good. She’s a cop.”

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“I’m happy for you. Happy and surprised.” “Are you? You and I had this understanding.” They did, but it wasn’t anything either of them could build a future on. Just the same, her heart ached at the thought of not having Quana around, so to speak, anymore. He’d always maintained he lived for the present and having enough cash to pay this month’s bills, particularly if working with horses paid the bills. Much as she admired his skill around the animals, and she did, it bothered her that he didn’t have an answer for what he’d do once age caught up with him. Now, maybe, the female cop would give him a reason to plan for the future. “How’d you get hired?” Quana chuckled. “Horse people are close-knit. Everyone knows what everyone else is doing. I let it be known that I wanted to live in California for a while, and the former Olympian got in touch with me. Right after I arrived, the police chief and I started talking, and one thing led to another. Where are you?” “Arizona.” “On the res? I thought you weren’t interested in going back there.” She had told Quana a lot, hadn’t she? “It’s complicated, but no, I’m not on the reservation, at least not yet. Do you remember me talking about my cousin Ahote?” “Yeah. About how messed up he was as a kid. Are you bailing him out?” She’d love to tell Quana about watching Ahote ride Red. But like Quana had just said, the major players in the horse world knew each other. Word of what Red had accomplished today would quickly spread. Besides, that wasn’t why she’d called.

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“I hope I don’t have to ever go bail him out again,” she admitted. “It took him a year to reimburse me the one time I did. Ah, I ran into a couple of men today.” “Two? That’s kinky.” I only had sex with one. Despite the need to get on with the conversation, the idea of getting it on with both Nokoni and Hah-Tee turned her more than a little hot. She’d fantasized about getting two sex partners for the effort of one, four limbs instead of just two encircling her, two cocks demanding attention and entrance. Fortunately, for the sake of her sanity, she’d never done more than entertain the possibility. “Get your mind out of the gutter,” she told Quana. “The reason I’m picking your brain—I’m pretty sure they’re Comanche. I thought you might know something about them.” “This matters why?” Darn, she hadn’t thought about Quana wanting details. “They might have some kind of business thing going with my cousin. He’s uptight. I figured the more I knew about them, the better.” “What are the men’s names?” Quana asked. “Nokoni and Hah-Tee.” Quana didn’t respond. She might be wrong, but was that the sound of him taking a deep breath? “What is it?” she demanded. “You’re saying they’re in Arizona?” “That means something to you?” Quana went silent on her again. She waited him out for maybe fifteen seconds. “Did I lose you? You still there?” “I’m here. You’re right, those are Comanche names.”

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Traditionally the Comanche had lived in Oklahoma, northwest Texas, parts of Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona. She shouldn’t be surprised to come across two tribe members not that far from Phoenix. “What were they doing?” Quana asked. She explained that she’d first noticed them during a race. “Ahote’s horse won it. Later, they came looking for him. I don’t know if they found him.” “What aren’t you telling me?” “What? Nothing.” “Bull.” “All right, they make me uneasy.” “That’s all?” Quana loved to tease her, but there was nothing light-hearted about his side of the conversation right now. Of course, she wasn’t doing any better. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “There are several things going on right now that I don’t understand.” “What kind of things?” Shape-shifting. How’s that for a start? “It’s complicated. Look, I appreciate you nailing down their tribe. That helps.” “Yeah? In what way?” She hadn’t paid attention to where she was standing. Now she noted dry weeds around the rocks that marked a gravel path leading from the office to a nondescript building. What patient soul had painstakingly laid the rocks out like that? “Maybe no way. You’re going to accuse me of stereotyping, but the Comanche were pretty good horsemen, right?” “The best. Where do you think I got my ability from?”

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Any other time, she would have come up with a light-hearted reply. “I shouldn’t say this, but maybe their heritage explains why they’re so interested in Red.” “Red?” “The horse Ahote was riding.” This time, she knew she could hear Quana suck in a breath. “Tell me about Red.” Before she could decide whether to do so, her cell phone chirped, letting her know she had a call coming in. What if it was Ahote? In trouble. “I have to go.” She hurried her words. “Look, I’ll call as soon—” “No, wait.” She disconnected.

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Chapter Seven

The call had been from Ahote, but he’d hung up after a single ring. She’d tried returning the call only to be advised to leave a message. Not bothering, she headed toward where she’d last seen her cousin. Between wondering where Nokoni and Hah-Tee were, puzzling over Quana’s suddenly cautious tone, and anger at her cousin for worrying her, she was in a far from fine state of mind. So much for the lethargy that traditionally consumed her after she’d climaxed. Maybe the next time. Not going to happen. A four-wheel-drive pickup with a California license plate hauling a single horse trailer was parked near the horse stalls. Because of how it was angled, she couldn’t tell whether a horse was in it. Ahote stood nearby with his hands fisted at his sides and his jaw clenched. Despite the distance between them, his tension attacked her. The sick feeling in the pit of her stomach kicked up another notch, prompting her to slow. Oblivious to her presence, Ahote stared at something at the rear of the trailer. Should she leave? Maybe her cousin didn’t want her to see what was happening, but what if that aborted call had been a cry for help? Wishing she was anywhere but here, she forced herself to keep walking. Ahote glanced her way, turned back to whatever he’d been studying, then fixed his gaze on her. Help me, he seemed to be saying, but maybe she was imagining it.

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A creaking sound drew her attention. Red emerged from the shadows. The speedy mare was being led by a man who looked more like a banker than someone who belonged around horses. A moment later, another man came into view. Judging by how the second one handled himself, she had no doubt he didn’t want to get too close to a horse’s hooves. The man leading Red walked backward and held the rope as if that was the last thing he wanted to do. “You aren’t going to help, are you?” the second man asked. Ahote shook his head. “What happens when we try to put her in the trailer?” “That’s for you to find out.” By now, Terena was so close she could hear everything that was being said. The two white-collar types stared at her. “Who’s that?” The one leading Red stopped, then jumped sideways when Red nearly bumped into him. Ahote stepped forward. “You leave her alone.” “I’ll tell you what. You get the nag in the trailer, and we’ll be out of here. Otherwise, things are going to get ugly.” No! she wanted to scream. Instead, she stood there feeling helpless. Red thrilled Ahote. The mare had brought him rare joy. She held the potential to make all his financial concerns go away. Why, then, was he letting these strangers leave with her? Much more to the point, what hold did they have over him? “Fuck you,” Ahote muttered. “You got what you wanted.” The man handling Red yanked on the rope. Obviously unaccustomed to being manhandled, Red tossed her head and set her hindquarters. When the man yanked again, Red started to back up. The way the whites of her eyes showed plainly said she was upset and approaching scared.

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Disgusted with everyone, her cousin included, Terena hurried over. “Let me.” She took hold of the taut rope. “What the hell—” “Don’t talk to her like that,” Ahote snapped. “Is this what you want?” she asked her cousin. “You’re good with these men taking Red?” Ahote sagged and shook his head. Help me, his expression repeated. “I don’t have a choice, Ter.” He called her that only when things were serious between them. It tore her apart to see him looking helpless and defeated, but comprehending why would have to wait until she’d been assured of Red’s safety. Hating what she was doing, she drew the rope out of the hands of the man with the dusty dress shoes, sharply creased slacks and tailored shirt. She took note of manicured nails. Her self-disgust faded to be replaced by loathing for the men who put her in mind of the bankers who’d just foreclosed on a family’s home. Holding tight to the emotion, she coaxed Red into the brand-new trailer. She wished she felt better about Red riding in style. After tying the rope so the mare could easily turn her head, she exited. “Where are you taking her?” she asked. “I don’t see where that’s any of your business.” “California? That’s what the license plate says.” “Lady, you need to stay out of this.” The man who’d been afraid of getting within ten feet of Red now looked as if he was in his element. He’d accomplished what he’d come here to do. She wondered when it would occur to him and his partner that the rear trailer door was still open.

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“Stay out of this?” Grabbing a tight hold on her emotions, she gave the man a sideways look. “I just accomplished something you’re incapable of. The way I look at it, that entitles me to an explanation.” She looked over at Ahote. Despite his dark coloring, he looked ashen and sick. “And since my cousin isn’t forthcoming, I’m asking you.” “Don’t. Ter, please, don’t.” I can’t help it. “Did you buy Red from him? How much did you pay?” “This wasn’t a money transaction.” Ahote had been right. This wasn’t something she should push, at least not now. Ahote’s hand hovered near his knife, and he’d started toward her. The idea of her cousin protecting her begged the question of what she needed protecting from. Reluctantly shifting her attention from Ahote to the strangers, she stared, disbelieving. Yet when the man who’d kept the greatest distance from Red pulled a pistol from the small of his back, the gesture fit with everything that had been going on. “Go!” Ahote insisted. “Get the hell out of here.” “We intend to. And for the record, that’s the most intelligent thing you’ve said since our relationship began. Too bad it took you so long to start thinking.” His eyes narrowing, Ahote positioned himself between her and the men. She’d seen his quick temper, so she knew he couldn’t always control it. Joining him, she closed her fingers around his wrist in a silent warning to keep his hand off his knife. “You know,” the challenger said, “I take it back about the broad having no business being here. You need a keeper.” “Damn you—”

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“Stop it!” she warned Ahote. Then she squared to face the man. He was lean to the point of being skinny, and yet there was the beginning of a belly behind his snug slacks. If he thought wearing pants so tight his penis stood out was a turn-on, he needed a basic lesson in the female psyche. “You say you have a right to Red, and my cousin isn’t calling the cops, so why don’t you get this over with? Go back to where you came from.” “We intend to.” Obviously Mr. Tightpants believed he’d issued the perfect rejoinder, because he headed for the truck’s driver’s side. He still had hold of his weapon, but it was down by his side. The other man started for the passenger’s side. “You forgot something,” she said. “What?” “Figure it out.” It took long enough to be funny, but finally the men spotted the open trailer ramp. As they lifted it and latched it, a thought struck her, prompting her to move to the side so she could read the license plate at the back of the pickup. She memorized it. As the duo again headed for their respective seats, she heard a low, deep voice behind her. The way heat licked at her spine, she didn’t need to look to know who was there, and yet she did. Nokoni stood in the shadow offered by the stables, and Hah-Tee was only a few feet away from her. It didn’t matter which man—or should she say shifter—had spoken or what he’d said. What did was the somber tone. Giving no indication he was aware of the shifters, Ahote lifted her fingers off his wrist. The truck engine growled to life. Soon after, the trailer shuddered and started rolling forward. Red whinnied. Tears burned Terena’s eyes. Much as she needed to believe Red was in safe hands, she couldn’t. Obviously, the two

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departing strangers weren’t going to ride her. Would they choose a jockey who understood a rare racehorse’s proud heart? How would Red be exploited? “Where did Red come from?” she demanded. “How did she get in your possession?” When Ahote didn’t answer, instead of pushing, her thoughts seeped back to Nokoni and Hah-Tee. She should draw her cousin’s attention to them, but if she did, he might never answer her. Maybe it was her imagination, but was the antagonism between Nokoni and Hah-Tee gone? Had the sight of Red being driven away united them? Did Hah-Tee know what had happened between her and Nokoni? “I found her,” Ahote muttered. “The hell you did. A horse that runs like that isn’t going to be wandering around unnoticed.” “Depends on where she is.” “Darn it, Ahote, I don’t want to play twenty questions. I have the right to the truth.” “Maybe.” “Don’t give me that.” “Don’t push.” Ahote had said all he wanted to or maybe could; she now had no doubt of that. Maybe he expected her to fill in the blanks, as if she could. Should she— Oh, shit! Why had it taken her so long to figure out the obvious? “Red was on the reservation, where only a few people knew about her, wasn’t she? Who did she belong to? If you stole her—” “She was wild.”

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Couldn’t be. The few reservation horses were considered necessary for the Hopi’s earth-centered way of life. No Hopi would let such an incredible creature stray. “I don’t believe you.” “Don’t say that! Ter, please don’t say that.” Aided by the shadows and their stillness, Nokoni and Hah-Tee would have no trouble hearing the conversation. They were far enough away that perhaps they couldn’t hear every word, and yet, considering what else they were capable of, she couldn’t be sure. “I don’t want to think you’re a thief,” she told Ahote, “but you’re not giving me much choice.” A sound between a growl and a sob escaped Ahote. Grabbing her shoulders, he held her at arm’s length. “Red was a mustang, part of the herd living on the res.” The majority of America’s wild mustangs were in Nevada on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. There weren’t any in Northern Arizona. Were there? Before today, she’d never suspected horse shape-shifters existed. “What herd?” she challenged. “I don’t know if you read it, but I did an article about a program involving mustangs. I did a damn lot of research, so don’t try to make me buy some lie you’ve dreamed up to get me off your back.” “They’re there, Terena.” Ahote all but growled the words. “If you’d been home lately, you’d know.” Hating the animosity between them, she broke eye contact. “I wish you’d told me.” “Why? So you could write another article? Alert BLM so they’d start shoving their weight around?” “That’s not—”

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“I know it isn’t.” He squeezed her shoulders. “Damn, I hate this.” “So do I.” All except for learning of the shifters’ existence and having sex. “Let it go,” Ahote muttered as he released her. “It’s none of your business.” Isn’t it?

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Chapter Eight

Despite Hah-Tee’s presence, Nokoni didn’t acknowledge the other shifter until Terena and Ahote separated. Their conversation didn’t concern him, only Terena’s reactions did. When he’d first come here, it had been with the sole purpose of learning the mare’s fate. However, meeting Terena changed a great deal. “We’ll never see the mare again,” Hah-Tee said. “If they hurt her—” “They won’t. You saw how fast she ran compared to the white men’s horses.” “Are white men’s mounts always that slow? Compared to the rest of the herd, our mare isn’t that swift.” Nokoni spun to face Hah-Tee. “She’s mine, not yours.” Only a few months ago, the other shifter would have backed away. Now he stood his ground. “Soon, much will change.” Not soon. Nokoni was far from ready to give up his role as leader, not that this was the time or place for them to revisit their long-running argument. When they walked as stallions, neither questioned their confrontational relationship, but standing as men complicated things. “We could have followed them,” Hah-Tee said. “And then what? The mare is no longer what she once was. She barely remembers being free.” He sighed. “I wish it was different.” “So do I, but—”

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“There’s nothing more we can do here,” he reluctantly told Hah-Tee. “It’s time for us to return to our land.” “At least you acknowledge my right to be on the same land as you. Never mind.” Hah-Tee rubbed his forehead. “I don’t want to argue with you today. The herd’s privacy and safety is at risk.” “Yes,” he reluctantly admitted. “They need my leadership.” He thought Hah-Tee might take issue with what he’d just said, but as HahTee continued to study him, he realized the younger man had something else on his mind. Terena had separated herself from her cousin. Much as he longed to study the way she moved, he didn’t dare lose himself in her gracefulness. “You don’t want to leave her, do you?” Hah-Tee said. “You’d rather stay here, with her.” “What I want doesn’t matter.” “I’ve never seen you like this.” “Like what?” “Caring about a woman. Nokoni, your experience with human females surpasses mine.” He studied the ground. “I sometimes shift when you do so I can study the way you handle yourself around humans. I’ve seen you fuck.” “I know.” Hah-Tee gave no sign of being embarrassed. “Women need more than mares do, I’m learning that. You take your time with them, touch them in places that make them smile and offer themselves to you. They want you to stay, but when you’ve gotten what you want from them, you walk away. Until today.” The other shifter was right. Things were different with Terena. “Why?”

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Instead of trying to come up with an answer, he continued to look where she’d been. The sex hadn’t been enough after all, but what more might he need from her, and was she capable of giving it to him? Would she even understand? Did he? Turning onto her side, Terena rubbed her cheek against her pillow. Fresh air drifted in the open window and lulled her back to sleep. She dreamed. Ocean waves lapped at her feet and sand slipped between her toes. Giggling, she walked until the waves reached her knees. The current dragged at her as if challenging her balance. Brave and reckless, she planted one foot after another in front of her. When the wonderfully warm water started stroking her thighs, she tried to judge whether the current was coming in or out. Maybe out. The way her legs were being pulled back and forth warned her she might fall, but she was a strong swimmer. She’d show the ocean who was boss. There wasn’t any sea she couldn’t master, by damn, same as she’d force any and all men to their knees. Yeah, right. A few more now careful steps and salt water slipped over her pussy. Looking down, she discovered she was naked. Laughing, she guided her hands over her belly and between her legs. Touch coupled with the tropical sea challenged her self-control, so she had to concentrate on slowing her breathing. She hadn’t quite accomplished the task when she cupped her hands, gathered up some water and tossed it over her breasts and hard, dark nipples. Seawater dribbled off them to rejoin the ocean. No longer laughing, she repeated the act until her entire front was wet. Then she started walking again. “Where are you going?”

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Frowning, she looked left and then right. Strange. She didn’t realize she’d gotten into waist-deep water. As the current’s strength shifted into a higher gear, she acknowledged her first taste of fear. “I asked a question. Where are you going?” “Swimming,” she told the unseen male voice. “In the ocean at night?” Night. Oh, yes, that was why the moon was up there. “It seemed like the thing to do.” She closed her hands around her breasts. “There’s no one else here.” “I am.” “Point taken. Who are you?” “Hah-Tee. And Nokoni.” She knew those names. More to the point, she knew the men who went with the names. What she didn’t understand was why she couldn’t see them. After all, the moon lit the beach in both directions and clear out to where maybe ocean liners chugged past. “Do you want to go swimming?” she asked. “Is that why you’re here?” “No.” “Then why?” There was that tone, the husky challenge reserved for sexy men. “You know.” “Tell me.” “That’s far enough,” the bodiless man said. “It’s time for you to turn around and start back.” “The hell it is.” She ran a hand between her legs while increasing her hold on one breast with the other. “Catch me. Make me.” Something brushed against the outside of her right thigh. Alarmed, she looked for a shark fin. Instead, long black hair emerged from the foaming current. “What are you doing hiding down there?” she asked. “It doesn’t matter.”

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True. It didn’t. Not only that, she didn’t care that all she could see was the now floating hair. Curious, she stroked the sleek strands with the hand that had been on her pussy. Masculine fingers slid between her legs, only to withdraw. “Wait. Don’t stop. Come back.” “You’re ready to see me?” “Oh, yes. Yes.” Slow and steady, the man emerged from the ocean. When he was done, he stood between her and where the ocean liners might be. Heat to rival the tropics spread out from him to envelop her. “You’re easy to turn on,” he told her. “You have no defenses against my presence.” “Are you making fun of me?” She had all she could do to keep her head up. At the same time, her fingers inched closer to her core. “I’m stating the obvious. What are you doing out here?” The stranger who really wasn’t one had been built from great forest timbers. What she could see of him reminded her of the straight grains in hardwood. No winter storm could uproot him. He’d survive the longest drought. “I don’t know. I was—I don’t know what I was doing when suddenly here I was. Isn’t this water glorious?” She ran her fingers over her mons where everything was hot. “I love floating.” “You aren’t floating. You won’t unless I want you to.” Ah, a masterful man to go with the hardwood body. She could go for that, was going for it. “What do you want from me?” “This.” The single word must have been a challenge, maybe a warning, yet he only stood there waiting for her to touch him. There was a relationship between them, some past connection. Maybe they were lovers. If so, why did his body seem so new to her? Wait. Hadn’t she been positive this was Nokoni? Or Hah-Tee? Or a combination of the two?

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She might have asked, except suddenly he closed his hands around her waist and lifted her up and out of the water. Curious and surprised, she waited to see what he intended to do. By the time she’d made sense of his purpose, he’d hoisted her over his shoulder. Her legs dangled over his chest, prompting her to press them against his naked, hot, wet body. Head dangling, she reached for his buttocks, only to end up lightly massaging the back of his thighs. Blood pooled in her forehead, making her dizzy, but it didn’t matter because this man, this stranger would take care of things. Not just things. He’d wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her in place—not that she was going anywhere—which left his other hand free. Unlike she, who was content to zero in on one part of his anatomy, he was interested in her ass, thighs, calves and, oh God, between her legs. His first stroke took him from the small of her back, between her ass cheeks, then along the insides of her thighs before zeroing in on what really counted. By then, primed by his journey, she had all she could do not to try to buck and twist off him. She didn’t want freedom, hardly that. But how could she remain still when every pulse point in her system screamed? Strength seeped out of her like a retreating tide. No longer able to command her hands, she let them drift down. Occasionally, her dangling arms brushed him here and there, every contact like touching a live electrical wire. Didn’t matter, couldn’t matter as long as he held her. Now that he was out of the water, where was he going? Images of his feet sinking into sand snapped through her, only to evaporate. His fingers. Oh, yes, that’s what she should be paying attention to, wanted to concentrate on. He was playing with her, briefly and occasionally finger-kissing her sex but keeping the kisses too light for her to feed deeply from them. “Damn you,” she muttered when he rolled his knuckle over the back of her knee. “What? You’re ticklish?” Lifting her head, she fought her way through another assault. “Who are you?”

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“Who do you need me to be?” Not want, need. “I don’t know,” she admitted and let her head hang again. Her captor-savior kept walking. “I don’t want to be doing this,” he said. “Doing what?” “Being with you. My mission—when I look at you, I forget it.” Confused by the somber tone, she tried to lift her head, but what did it matter? She couldn’t see his face. Salty water continued to leak off her and leave sticky tracks. Hauling her hands up, she licked salty fingers. Thinking to collect some of the seawater, she started to drag her fingers over his ass cheeks. “It won’t work,” he said. “What won’t work?” “Trying to distract me.” “Distract you from what?” “My mission.” “How about you spell it out for me. That way, we can work on it together.” “No. Don’t want to.” “Then what—“ “I want to have sex. So do you.” Moving with a speed that made her stomach roil, he leaned forward and deposited her on the ground. Warm, just-washed-smelling terrycloth brushed her back and buttocks. She’d have to thank whoever was responsible for making sure she wouldn’t have to lie on sand. He dropped beside her with his knees brushing her hips and his form between her and the moon. Whether she saw his erection or was imagining it didn’t matter. Not giving herself time to lose courage, she rolled toward him and lightly cupped the organ in both hands. “Nice.” Her own arousal compelled her to dig her heels into the oversized beach towel and press her thighs together. “I have to hand it to you, you have a remarkable ability to recover from the cold ocean.”

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“It wasn’t cold. Don’t you remember?” Barely. Her stomach had already settled; either that or her impatient pussy left her unable to think of anything but it. Cocks were simply cocks, right? There were subtle differences between them, but they were all the same basic model. Even so, she couldn’t imagine growing tired of running her fingertips over raised veins and satin flesh. Soon, ah, yes, soon, his cock would be where it belonged—in her. Impatient, she rested her thumb against his tip. Jerking upright, he captured her wrists but didn’t try to pull her off him. “I approve,” she whispered. “Of what?” “What makes you a man.” “I appreciate the compliment.” Chuckling, she rotated her wrists as much as possible without releasing him. “I want you to demonstrate your level of trust by letting go of me.” His thumbs lightly stroked the insides of her wrists. “Why would I want to do that?” Darn him. How did he expect her to answer such a complex question? “What’s wrong? Don’t you have any faith in me?” “Do you have faith in yourself?” “I’m trying.” Nodding, he released her wrists and placed his hands over his thighs. “I appreciate your honesty. All right, where were you?” Where indeed? Holding a hand against her mouth, she coated her fingers with her saliva. That done, she deposited the moisture on his balls and rolled them about. A rhythm set, she began exploring his cock from base to tip. This was more than playing with him, more even than working on her anticipation. These seconds spoke of a measure of faith on both their parts.

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“Yours might not be the model by which all other cocks will be judged.” She kept her tone light in contrast to the expectation gnawing on her. “But I have no complaints. Of course, my opinion might change once it’s inside me.” “What makes you think it hasn’t been?” Confused, she stroked his length. He wanted to relax, but she wasn’t about to let him. Otherwise, he might realize he was in control. He hadn’t touched more than her wrists. What was so fascinating about his thighs that he had to keep his hands on them? “I asked you a question,” he said. “Did you?” “You haven’t forgotten it. I know you haven’t.” Fine. She’d concentrate. Soon. Right after she’d seen how far she could push him. Smiling, she closed her hand as best she could around his balls while drawing his cock toward her. His breath snagged. “Ah, Terena, you’re not going to get away with this.” “You know who I am?” “Of course.” “Do I know you?” “Good question.”

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Chapter Nine

Lowering himself so far his heels had to be pressing against his buttocks, the man leaned toward her and claimed her space. As his hands stole over her forearms, her already erect nipples tightened into pulsing points. “Where did I come from?” His breath slithered over her breasts. “Out of the ocean, yes, but how did I get there and where was I before?” “I don’t know, damn it.” “Then I’ll tell you. From inside your mind.” “You—you’re saying I imagined you?” “In a way. Have you ever had a dream this vivid?” Oh, a dream. But she’d never had one with a complex conversation, a sense of smell or the wonder of touch. “Confused, are you?” he asked. “Yes.” “Let me see what I can do about that. First, do you feel safe?” Wasn’t that supposed to be her question? After all, she had hold of his most prized possession. “I want to.” “Honest answer. Terena, I need you to do something for me. It isn’t what I want, but right now, my needs don’t matter.” The more she considered what he’d just said, the more confused she became. Not only that, she was losing circulation in the arm under her, and the effort of staying on her side was distracting her from her hungering body. “Relax,” he said. “Let go and roll onto your back. Let me take over.”

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A million years ago, Aunt Lenmana had warned her not to let a man stomp through her world the way her mother had allowed too many times, but surely her aunt hadn’t been talking about moments like this. And even if she had, it was too late. On a sigh, Terena did as he said and positioned herself so she was looking up at his indistinct outline. Her hands ached with the loss. What was it he’d said? A question, something about maybe them already having had sex. Why couldn’t she think? “Your need brought me here,” he said, making her wonder if he’d read her mind. “Now let me thank you for it.” His breath left heated moisture on her already damp skin. Little as he’d said, should she feel so much heat on her throat, between her breasts and along her right shoulder? “Who am I, Terena? Real or imagined?” That wasn’t a voice. Rather, she sensed the words’ essence throughout her. Feeling even more alive than when she’d cradled his cock, she tried to place her arms around his neck. Shaking his head, he captured her forearms, crossed one wrist over the other, and placed them on her belly. He didn’t need to say a word for her to understand he expected her to leave them there. “Real,” she muttered. “You’re real.” “Are you sure?” “What do you want me to say?” “Maybe nothing.” Before she could decide whether to respond, a warm, damp mouth engulfed the breast closest to him. As he sucked her into him, the drawing, grinding sensation sped to her spine. She pressed her crossed hands against her belly in a crazed attempt to keep her arousal under control. The man she’d maybe brought into being tightened his mouth-hold and straightened, bringing her breast up with him. She loved the feel of her stretched-out flesh, loved the way her nipple pressed against his mouth. Perhaps most of all, she loved the loss of control over her world and body.

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Sand-dusted fingers slid over her pubic hair to ignite sparks through her mons. A flame sped to her clit, making her gasp. “No fair.” She pretended to be trying to lift her arms. “How do you expect me to answer your damn crazy questions if you—“ Not letting go of her breast, he mumbled something. Adding vibration to heat was all it took for her to arch her back. She couldn’t see much beyond a blur, but did she really want anything except sensation? When he fell silent, she tried to ease back onto the beach towel. No sooner had she convinced herself she’d succeeded when he opened his mouth a little so her breast started to slide out. Hating the impending loss, she leaned toward him. He backed off, catching her nipple between his teeth as he did. The change from soft mouth to something with the ability to injure forced her to try to ignore her sexual response. He ran his wet tongue over her nipple. Another spark nipped at her core, and she sucked in a breath through flared nostrils. His chuckle caused more delicious vibrations to attack her. Wanting more of everything, she slowly drew her upper body away from him. Sudden pressure on it flattened her free breast against her rib cage. Determining that his hand was responsible was the easy part. Trying to handle yet another layer of sensation was quite another, but maybe she didn’t care. Yes, that was it. Simply let go and let her body respond! A third, or was it a fourth, electrical spark burned her. Only this time, more than her pussy reacted. Growling and twisting did nothing to kill the heat. If anything, her movements fed the flames. Beyond caring whether he’d disapprove because her hands were no longer where he’d positioned them, she ran a hand between her legs. Hot moisture reinforced what she already knew. “Having fun, are you?” he asked. “I wouldn’t call it that. Look, you want me to determine whether we’ve had sex, right? There’s only one way for me to do that.”

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“Not yet.” “Not yet? Damn you.” The delicious attack on her nipple continued to sear a trail to her pussy. Desperate to feed her response, she stroked her wet core. Flames built. Another moan burst free. “What are you doing?” The sudden loss of his teeth and tongue on her breast that accompanied his question rendered her incapable of responding. Reaching up with her free hand, she wrapped her arm around his neck and tried to draw him down to her. Shaking his head, he easily pulled free. “My rules.” “What if I don’t like them?” “You will.” His damn low sensual voice was nearly more than she could handle. Between it, her cooling, drying breast, and the pulsing inside, she longed for the strength to attack this damn potent man and bring him down to her level. Yes! She’d wrestle him into submission, climb on top of him with her legs spread wide so his cock had no choice but to slip into her. Once she’d imprisoned him— “My way. My rules.” Even with everything she was trying to keep a lid on, she recognized a threat. Just then, he pulled her hand off her sex. Furious, she slapped his chest. It felt like striking a tree trunk. “I don’t think you want to do that,” he maybe warned, “because my guess is you’re going to like my way.” “That’s the problem. You want to call the shots.” “Because I know what I’m doing.” Weight against her mons drew her attention there. The more he rolled the heel of his hand over her there, the deeper the sensation. It took all her will to massage where she’d struck him, but hopefully he knew she was apologizing. When his fingers slipped between her legs, she patted his forearm in silent approval.

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“You’re right.” She bent her knees outward. “I do like.” He took his sweet time exploring her sensitive flesh. He wasn’t deliberately being cruel, she told herself. He simply wanted her to anticipate. But the way he ignored her pulsing nub while touching her everywhere else had her tossing her head in frustration and anticipation. She tried to keep her touch light and teasing as she ran her fingers up and down his forearm, but every time she put her mind to what she was doing, he pushed her ever closer to the edge. His forefinger—at least she thought that was what he was using— sunk a fraction of an inch into her. Then his finger went still. Confused, she did the same. “What’s the matter?” he asked. “You forgot what you’re doing?” “What was I doing?” “Maybe looking forward to crawling into bed and getting some sleep?” The notion of being able to fall asleep was so far off her radar she couldn’t wrap her mind around it. She tightened her hold on his arm and guided it more firmly between her legs. His finger dove a little deeper. Awoke more nerves. “There,” she whispered. “Like that.” He brushed one nipple and then the other. Blinking the world into focus, she shivered each time his hand descended on a breast. To say there was a rhythm to what he was doing was a lie. He teased one breast until it became so sensitive she squirmed in near discomfort. Just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, he abandoned it and lightly finger-kissed the other. Then he returned to the one he’d been assaulting. She breathed like a racehorse. When she’d been in the water, she’d loved the way the waves massaged her flesh. Her hopefully lover-to-be was doing the same things—and more. By turns, she all but levitated off the towel, only to sink back to earth. He was tearing her apart with nothing more than a masculine finger just inside her and his other hand taunting her breasts. “Who am I, Terena?”

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“I don’t care.” “You should.” Bending low, he ran his tongue between her breasts. Her legs trembled. “If—if you want me to concentrate, you’ll have to stop what you’re doing.” He licked again. “Is that what you want?” Frustrated and turned on, she lifted her butt off the ground. The finger at her sex slipped deeper. She might not know his name, but that didn’t mean she didn’t know what a man wanted. Turning the woman on was a necessary part of his having sex, nothing more. Fighting to ignore the tongue now bathing her breast, she arched even farther off the ground. When she could go no higher, she willed her sex to clamp on to him. She fought her straining thigh muscles. “Don’t leave me,” she begged. “What makes you think I will?” “I don’t know you. You’re a stranger.” “No, I’m not.” His words caressed her, and she settled back down. He stayed with her. “I don’t understand,” she admitted. “Neither do I.” At his note of uncertainty, she brushed his cheek. Then, somehow, her hand was on his throat and from there to his shoulder. When she reached his chest, he sighed and pressed his mouth against her breast. The finger inside her crawled deeper. “I want to trust you,” she admitted as her body threatened to fly apart. “You can. For now.” Now was good enough. She wouldn’t ask for more. Letting her arms sink to her sides, she willed relaxation throughout her. Gave herself up to him. Her lover, this man who expected too much from her, took her body and made it his. He didn’t stimulate her so much as teach her what her sex was capable of. It didn’t matter

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whether he touched her with his mouth or hand; it was all good. She’d floated before during foreplay but never like this. Never with every cell. Never mindless. She wasn’t just aroused, more like disconnected from everything except sensation. Awareness nibbled at her spine and heels, spun around her pussy and awakened her hair follicles. Wanting to thank him, she reached for him. One hand slid down his arm, but the other found purchase on his shoulder, and she held on. She breathed in his scent. His familiar scent. “I love the way you smell,” he said. “I was just thinking the same thing.” Had he been waiting for an invitation? It didn’t matter, because suddenly he was straddling her. Much as she mourned the loss of his touch, his cock dragging over her belly more than made up for it. Taking hold of him, she guided him toward her opening. His cock kissed her. Then suddenly he was gone. He rematerialized so soon she nearly believed she’d imagined the loss, but even as he filled her, she dug her fingers into his arms to keep him with her. This man whose name she didn’t know belonged to her tonight. He’d brought her so far. She wouldn’t let him go until he’d finished what he’d started. Until he’d given her answers. He drove deeper, opening her and straining her inner tissues. His balls pressed against her. She wrapped her legs around his buttocks and pushed her heels into him. He loomed over her, a massive presence. With her, damn it, no more disappearing act. “Now,” he said. “Now.” “Yes. Oh, shit, yes.” He didn’t just fuck her, he attacked. Muscles designed for a physical life pounded at her with every thrust. Her head spun, her skin burned, and she loved it. Loved him! Clung to him so he had to pull back and repeatedly assault her. She gave no quarter, refused to be passive. As far as she was concerned, she became part of him, holding on

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while fighting to close her sex muscles around the invasion. She’d grant him release, hell, yes. But not yet. Not until… Sweat ran between her breasts and coated the small of her back. His breathing reminded her of a thoroughbred at the end of a race, but hers was no better. They sounded like horses fucking, a mare in heat and a powerful, potent stud. Awareness slipped away, narrowing and focusing until only the mountain she desperately needed to climb remained. Selfish and eager, she lifted her ass off the ground and set herself so she’d be ready for his next thrust. His strength knocked her down again. Even more willful, she drew as far away from him as she could. Holding her breath, she drove forward and up, meeting him in the middle. His strength melted into her, and she fed off it. Everything fell apart. She saw the mountaintop but couldn’t reach it. Then she was there, sweating and crying out. Gripping him with everything in her while he emptied himself inside her. Her climax tossed her about, refused to end. Gulping in air, she gave herself up to the explosion. When she was done, when she had nothing left to give or receive, she let her mind go to his question about whether they’d had sex before. She didn’t know, damn it. Maybe. Maybe not. “What’s your name?” she asked when she could speak. “What do you need it to be?” Nokoni. Maybe Hah-Tee. Maybe both of them.

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Chapter Ten

Terena pulled over to the side of the street opposite the new motel and convention center near Tuba City. Instead of immediately studying it, however, she rested her head against the back of her seat. Darn it, she wasn’t going to relive last night’s erotic dream again! Time to put that insanity behind her. Insanity and arousal. She half expected Quana to call again as he’d done several times during her trip here. Because she didn’t talk on her cell while driving, she hadn’t listened to his three messages until she’d stopped for gas. Alerted by his concerned tone, she’d called him back. She was fine, she told him, had no intention of seeing Nokoni or Hah-Tee again, nothing for him to worry about. As she’d expected, he’d sounded skeptical—and still worried. “I need to talk to some people,” he’d said at the end. “Once I have, hopefully I’ll be able to tell you more than I have.” Instead of pushing as she’d wanted to, she’d simply told him she’d wait to hear from him. “Be careful,” he’d finished with. Of what, she’d wanted to demand, but if Quana had been able to tell her, he already would have. In other words, she had no idea what, if anything, she’d learn or when. Good thing, maybe; she had more than that on her mind, she reminded herself. Sitting up straight, she took in her surroundings.

Vonna Harper

Her aunt had sent her pictures of the three-story motel, but they hadn’t done it justice. If she had to describe it in twenty-five words or less, she’d say the structure, built on Hopi land, was a rough replication of an ancient village. Tradition Hopi houses had been built from stone, while the place was obviously modern construction. Just the same, the varied-level flat roofs, stone-fronted outside walls and natural colors took her back to her childhood. She couldn’t think of a better way to entice visitors to travel through the reservation. After taking several pictures, she drove across the street and parked. As she was dropping the key in what passed for her purse, she caught sight of the scrap of paper with the California license number she’d written down. She should probably throw it away, just not yet. Still holding her camera, she walked under the large overhang and through the front door. The open-concept lobby took her breath away. A stone fireplace dominated most of one wall, while large vertical support-type timbers drew her attention upward to several evocative Southwest paintings. A number of insets held Hopi baskets. The mostly brown-and-rust-colored furniture looked comfortable. Feeling dwarfed, she walked past the reception area and headed toward a photographic display that had been set up near the middle of the large space. Aunt Lenmana had told her she’d be here for a couple of days demonstrating dry-farming methods as part of an expo sponsored by an organization

committed

to

maintaining

ancient

Hopi

culture.

Seeing

photographs that had been taken more than a hundred years ago in a modern setting was a bit disconcerting, but she was pleased that people were wandering around looking at them. A familiar voice stopped her in mid-stride. Just like that, she became a child again, one who’d turned to her aunt for love and guidance because her mother

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hadn’t known how to fill that role. The voice came from behind a bank of photographs, and she walked around it. Aunt Lenmana was in Hopi dress, from her deep purple, long-sleeved top to a bright red ankle-length skirt. Terena recognized the beautiful turquoise-andsilver necklace that her aunt’s father had made. A wide leather belt was decorated with more turquoise, while silver bands covered both wrists. Her long, graying hair flowed over her shoulders. Seeing her aunt in her finery instead of the practical jeans she usually wore warmed Terena’s heart. No matter how far her job took her from where she’d been raised, this woman would always represent her roots. “Let’s say it’s a matter of agreeing to disagree,” her aunt told the sixtysomething couple facing her. “The Navajo are hardly the enemy they once were, but I’m not sure we’re ever going to be fully compatible neighbors.” “Why is that?” the woman asked. “The Navajo reservation surrounds ours. They have their ways; we have ours. Besides, disagreeing with the Navajo gives us something to do.” All three chuckled. Then the man asked if it was true that cameras weren’t allowed in the Hopi villages, and her aunt nodded. “Our kivas—and every village has several—are sacred. We use them for meditation, prayer and our ceremonies. Our most important spirit beings are kachinas. They don’t approve of outsiders stealing what they consider sacred images.” “What happens if an image is, ah, stolen via photography?” the woman asked. “I mean, I’m sure people have taken pictures when they aren’t supposed to.” Aunt Lenmana sighed. “All my life I’ve heard that the kachinas might get so angry they’ll withhold rain. There’s little enough of it here. Any less would be a real hardship.”

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“Do you believe in the spirit beings?” At the question, Terena froze. Her aunt had volunteered to share part of Hopi tradition with strangers. That didn’t mean she was open to ridicule. “The way I look at it,” her aunt said, “everyone needs roots and grounding. Mine is a result of what I learned from my grandparents, and they from theirs.” “Playing devil’s advocate,” the older woman said, “do you ever feel the need to defend your beliefs because they aren’t mainstream? I’m not criticizing, but you have to admit the Hopi religion is a minority one.” “Which is what makes it so special,” Terena said as she stepped forward. The look on Aunt Lenmana’s round, gently aging face nearly brought her to tears. Ignoring the couple, she enveloped the surrogate mother she loved with all her heart. Aunt Lenmana returned her hug with equal strength. “I take it you two are related,” the woman said. “We are,” Terena explained around the lump in her throat. “And to continue what you were discussing, I’m grateful to my aunt and uncle for everything I know about my heritage.” She saw no need to explain that her father was white. “What means the most to you?” Good question. Still holding on to her aunt, she pondered. “Maybe it’s my people’s relationship with the land. According to legend, the Hopis emerged from the underworld through a sipapu, which is an opening in the Grand Canyon. Once they were on the surface, they traveled north, south, east, and west.” Aunt Lenmana chuckled. “Well, that’s the short course.” “Hey, it’s my version.” She hugged her aunt again. “We live where we do because the Hopi mesas mark the center point of the cross formed by the four directional routes.”

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“Too bad it couldn’t have been a more hospitable area,” the man said. “It’s so dry and desolate here.” “I’ve thought that,” she admitted, “but the harsh environment requires us to adhere to the laws of the Supreme Creator in order to continue to survive.” The woman nodded. “You’re speaking in the present tense.” “Because,” Aunt Lenmana said, “the majority of the ten thousand Hopi who live on the reservation hold to tradition. That’s why I was recruited to demonstrate dry farming, particularly of corn, which is sacred to us.” “Fascinating,” the man said. “So your demonstrations start tonight?” As her aunt explained that they would run all weekend, Terena mentally replayed what she’d just told the couple about the laws of the Supreme Creator. She seldom mentioned that to those she considered outsiders. Strange that the words had come so easily today, almost as if someone other than she had been responsible. Impossible. Only she knew what was in her heart. Are you sure? Startled, she fought the impulse to look around to see who had spoken, because she knew she wouldn’t find anyone. Unless it was two men capable of changing form. Pushing the thought to the back of her mind, she struggled to concentrate on the conversation. The man asked what Aunt Lenmana would be doing once the expo was over. Clasping Terena’s hand, she smiled again. “Then, I kidnap my niece and take her home.”

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“Any chance I can make good on my threat?” her aunt asked a short while later. The two of them were at a table in a temporary eating area set up so people could sample traditional Hopi food. Because the public sampling wouldn’t begin until morning, only a few people were around. How would Nokoni and Hah-Tee react to this place? Would they compare it to what traditional Comanche ate? “What threat?” Terena placed some piki in her mouth and waited for the paper-thin bread made from blue corn and ash to dissolve. “To keep you around for a while?” “I don’t know.” She spoke with her mouth full. Maybe her aunt had guessed Terena was intent on getting the full corn flavor from the piki, because she didn’t press for an explanation. They’d positioned themselves so they could look at the swimming pool that had been built in the inner courtyard. A pool when water was at a premium seemed wasteful to Terena, but the motel had been designed to appeal to tourists. “I do want to spend a few days at the house,” she said. She swallowed the last of the piki. “Wonderful! Did you make it?” Would you believe me if I said yes? Truth is I didn’t have time. Several women from the Mustard Clan are responsible. I’m not sure what visitors will think when they hear they’re eating ash.” “Culinary ash.” She paused. “I saw Ahote yesterday.” As she’d feared, the older woman’s features sobered. “Tell me.” Careful not to lower her gaze, she detailed how she’d initially spotted her cousin during the race. “I’ve never seen anything like the mare he was riding. I know fast, but Red was off the charts. She blew the field away.” Her aunt’s features became even more serious. Confused by her reaction, Terena nevertheless described Ahote’s riding skill. “He was in charge the whole time. Red is high-strung and full of energy. She didn’t care about the other

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horses, but from what I could tell, she ran for the man on her back.” Terena wasn’t sure about that. Maybe Red ran the way she did because speed was deeply engrained in her. It wouldn’t be dark for a while, but the sun was behind the motel, and shadows had spread over the inner courtyard. Nearby, a couple of women spoke in Hopi, which added to the peaceful surroundings. Just the same, her memories of sex with Nokoni and Hah-Tee’s brooding presence seemed to fit. She couldn’t imagine telling her aunt about the two mysterious men, and yet she wanted to be honest and open. “Did Ahote say anything about when we’d see him again?” Alerted by the longing in her aunt’s voice, she reached across the small table and patted a leathered hand. “We didn’t have time for a decent conversation. Riding Red made him happier than I’ve seen him be since he was a boy. Then…” “Then what?” Berating herself for stumbling into something with no easy way out, she brought her aunt’s hand to her mouth and kissed it. Her aunt’s black eyes glistened. Hating what she was doing, she described the meeting between Ahote and the two city slickers who’d taken Red from him. At the same time, no matter how hard she tried to keep her mind on what, unfortunately, her aunt needed to hear, she couldn’t force away the memory of Nokoni’s and Hah-Tee’s expressions as they watched Red being driven away. “The city slickers didn’t buy Red?” her aunt pressed. “You’re sure no money changed hands?” Much as she wanted to protect her aunt, the older woman needed to know the truth. “Ahote has always had trouble managing money. The way they talked, I wondered if he owed them something.”

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“Or they had something on him, and he was trying to pay them off.” Shocked, she leaned forward. “You really think that’s possible?” “Ahote and drugs—you know how it is.” She did, unfortunately. “I thought he was clean, that the treatment he’d gotten—” “Honey, my father fought alcohol his whole life. My son has the same weakness.” Fighting tears, she again kissed Aunt Terena’s hand. “Life’s never easy, is it?” “No, it isn’t. And right now, it’s kicking you.” Of course her aunt would be able to read between the lines. “I’m trying to straighten a few things out in my mind, that’s all. Some career decisions to make. And I couldn’t think of a better way to do that than to spend time with you. I just wish I could have brought Ahote with me.” “So do I, but I can’t protect him from life. Only he can live it.” Aunt Lenmana had said the same thing about Terena’s mother, and as far as Terena knew, Kele was still trying to get her head on straight, or maybe she’d given up. Terena had worked hard to make sure she didn’t turn out like her mother, and yet here she was, rootless and confused. And wishing with everything in her that life was as simple as having sex with a tall, dark, mysterious stranger—who might also be a stallion. “You’re frowning.” “I’m thinking,” she sidestepped, “about Red.” The way her aunt cocked her head, Terena was pretty sure she hadn’t fooled her. “Oh?” “Ahote told me the mare came from here. From the reservation. I don’t see how that’s possible.”

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Aunt Lenmana looked around. The two elderly Hopi women had moved from the open-air food-preparation area to lounge chairs. Even though they too were in traditional garb, they looked as if they were sunbathers. Several young men Terena took to be motel employees were setting up more tables and chairs. “You don’t know, do you?” her aunt said. “What?” Keeping her voice low, Aunt Lenmana said that yes, Red could have been part of a small herd of mustangs grazing on Hopi land. “They’ve been here for going on three years. I don’t know how many there are. I keep hearing different numbers, probably no more than fifty.” “That isn’t a small herd.” “Compared to the thousands in Nevada, it is.” Realizing her aunt had educated herself about America’s wild horses surprised and pleased her. She had no intention of spelling out her sexual-andotherwise relationship with Quana, but at least her aunt and she shared the same basic knowledge. “Do you think the horses here were once in Nevada?” she asked. “I’m positive.” “How can you be sure?” Her aunt shook her head. “Your uncle knows more about this than I do because of his involvement in the council. A BLM official was here last month. He wanted someone to take him into the res so he could see the mustangs firsthand. Strangely enough, no one volunteered.” Sharing a laugh with her aunt felt good. “He went out on his own but didn’t say much about what he found, if anything. Then he left. Apparently, his agency had heard about the mustangs

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from tourists, darn it. The last I heard, the BLM had sent some official letter or something declaring the horses are their responsibility.” “Here? On Hopi land?” Her aunt chuckled again. “Exactly our position. A couple of weeks ago—I think that’s how long it’s been—to your uncle’s surprise, representatives from all eleven villages, even those that aren’t part of the Tribal Council, signed a document the Council’s attorney had drawn up.” “Let me guess. Pretty much it tells the federal agency to butt out.” “Correct. We Hopi fought too damn hard for Tutskwa to allow the feds to take over.” Tutskwa, sacred land. Land where some fifty wild horses, including stallions, now lived.

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Chapter Eleven

Was this it? Terena pondered as she walked around the motel’s perimeter. Somewhere in the middle of what she was learning about mustangs and shapeshifting men was her people’s heritage? Instead of interviewing any more people who’d lost everything and ripping her own heart in the process, she’d photograph wild horses against the backdrop of the awesome land of her birth. The cough and wheeze of passing vehicles coupled with the motel’s artificially lit exterior had her aching to be on the reservation with only the sound of the wind and birds. Her aunt had asked if she preferred to stay at the motel over the weekend or head for the family home at the outskirts of Moenkopi. She’d admitted she didn’t want to do any more driving today, which obviously had been what her aunt had wanted to hear. They’d agreed to have dinner together in about an hour. Instead of immediately renting a room, however, Terena went outside. Fortunately, no one was around to ask what she was up to. Truth was, she needed time and solitude if she hoped to figure herself out. A week ago, all she’d cared about was putting temporary distance between herself and her career, but that had changed. Amend that: two men had walked in and turned her thinking around. Damn it, she should have headed for the bar and a drink. That way, she wouldn’t have to think. “Terena.”

Vonna Harper

At the sound of her name, her blood all but caught fire. Beyond eager, she spun around. She’d recognized Nokoni’s voice, so should have been prepared for the sight of him, but he wasn’t alone. Seeing Hah-Tee standing close enough to the other man that their shoulders nearly touched left her without the ability to speak. Many years ago, she’d been on her way to Big Mountain when she’d spotted a cougar crouched behind boulders. Shock, apprehension and excitement had rolled over her, same as what she felt now. “What are you doing here?” She hated sounding stupid. Hah-Tee’s nostrils flared. “Seeing you.” Hah-Tee’s voice wasn’t higher pitched than Nokoni’s. Rather, it was quieter, as if his lungs were slightly smaller, maybe because he was still growing. If that was true, she’d love to see him in another year or so, when his muscles were even denser and his stance more self-confident, if that was possible. “You needed to see me? I thought…” She focused on Nokoni. “I thought you’d said everything you wanted to to me.” He rocked forward, then settled back on his heels, making her wonder if he both wanted and didn’t want to touch her. “I’m not done with you.” He acknowledged the other man with a glance. “We aren’t done with you.” There wasn’t anything out here to interest visitors, and as far as she could see, the motel employees had no reason to come either. Knowing it would probably be the three of them had her thinking about an escape route. At the same time, she wished she could wipe her sweaty palms against her thighs, but touching her thighs right now was dangerous. The longer the silence went on, the more electric it became. They could be testing her self-control, which meant she’d be wise to wait them out. She hadn’t seen them since yesterday, but if her memory was as keen as she believed it was where they were concerned, they were still wearing the same jeans and boots.

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Today Nokoni’s shirt was dark blue, while Hah-Tee’s was black. They looked slightly sinister—and even sexier. Yesterday, they’d put her in mind of professional athletes. Today, their takeno-prisoners stance made her think of bouncers or bodyguards. Fine. They could guard her body all they wanted. Nokoni shifted his weight, bringing him closer to Hah-Tee. As they separated, their outlines began to change. Somehow they managed to shake off their clothes. They became larger, more substantial. Awed, she wrapped her arms around her middle and widened her stance to keep from swaying. The change continued, human bodies disappearing within the emerging horses. At first, the two horses were indistinct, and she likened them to smoke or fog, but as the seconds ticked off, the forms became more and more substantial. Up close like this, their size intimidated the hell out of her, not that she had any intention of trying to flee. Instead, she’d look, just look, not try to make sense of what was happening. Yesterday she hadn’t been sure about the white marking on their chests, but now she plainly saw the outline of an eagle with outstretched wings that bled out to the creatures’ shoulders. She couldn’t say how long it took for the stallion bodies to swallow the male forms, less than half a minute, probably. Now she looked at a pair of powerful and potent stallions. Neither moved, thank goodness. Otherwise, she’d be even more overwhelmed. “I don’t know what to say,” she muttered. “Maybe, thank you for—for showing me what you’re capable of.” The stallion now standing where Hah-Tee had been turned toward the other. Two heads lifted. Necks arched. Two sets of nostrils flared. Nokoni snorted. Hah-Tee pawed the ground.

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“Don’t!” She started to step forward so she could position herself between them, only to come to her senses. If they reared and started pawing, they could rip her apart. “I don’t want to see you fight, damn it. That’s not what this is about.” Four beautiful black eyes zeroed in on her. She both loved having to look up at them and was intimidated by the creatures’ sheer power. Anyone who thought of horses only as prey animals didn’t know what they were talking about. If a horse needed to fight, his hooves could do the job. Not only that, she read courage and determination in every line of the pair’s bodies. Her heart hammered, and she didn’t remember her skin feeling this sensitive. “What do you want me to say?” she asked. “That you’ve impressed me? Well, you have.” “Are you afraid of us?” The voice in her head, if that was what it was, took her back to last night’s confusing and wildly exciting dream when her fantasy lover had communicated with her the same way. “No. Should I be?” “Maybe.” “All right. I’ll accept that.” She concentrated on relaxing her hold on her waist. Her system was becoming more alert by the moment. “What are you doing here?” “Following you.” All at once, her lips didn’t want to work, forcing her to concentrate on every syllable. “I told Nokoni I was going to the res. I didn’t say anything about first stopping here. How did—” “Your smell.”

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That can’t be, she wanted to throw at them. She’d been in her car, not scentmarking her trail like a predator claiming its territory. “Did, ah, did you travel as men or horses?” “Both.” “I don’t understand.” “Men are accepted where animals aren’t, but horses can run faster and longer.” “You galloped all the way here? What—do either of you drive?” “I do,” the horse who’d been Nokoni said. “I taught myself.” Much as she wanted to ask how he’d done that, even more important questions were piling up inside her. From what they’d said about galloping here, she guessed they didn’t have access to an automobile. If, as she suspected, they spent most of their time as horses, they probably didn’t have jobs. Maybe they didn’t call any place home. “What’s so important about me?” “You aren’t afraid.” “Maybe. I’m not sure.” Stalling, she let go of her middle and rammed her hands in her back pockets. Despite her hopefully casual stance, she was anything but. She still didn’t know what to say, so she gave in to the desire to study them in more detail. Perfect as their bodies were, something didn’t quite fit with what she knew about horses. The difference, she realized with a start, was in their eyes. Intelligence simmered as if longing to break free. “I might not be afraid,” she admitted, “but maybe that’s because getting some answers is more important. How—darn it, I don’t know how to ask—how can you be what you are?” “We don’t know.” “What? Are you saying you suddenly woke up one day with the ability to become human whenever the whim strikes you?”

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“It isn’t that simple.” “I didn’t think it was. I’m just, I don’t know. What are your earliest memories of? Were you colts or boys?” “Colts.” She nodded as if the single word explained a great deal, which it didn’t. “What about the identical markings on your chests?” “We don’t know what they represent.” Just like that, she had to fight the urge to wrap her arms around them and reassure them, but about what? She knew everything she cared to know about her background. Her upbringing contributed greatly to the woman she was now, but it was possible they didn’t have that base. If that was so, did they have any underpinnings? Not that she felt free to ask. “Can you change back whenever you want to?” “Some times are easier than others.” “What about now?” “Is that what you want? For us to become men?” “Maybe. I don’t always know which of you I’m talking to.” “It doesn’t matter.” Having her hands in her pockets increased her awareness of her breasts. Those human eyes in animal bodies continued to study her, making her even more aware of herself as a woman. If she dared give in to this crazy impulse, she’d unbutton her blouse and execute a slow striptease. She’d take a long time removing her bra, touching herself here and there as she did. Maybe she’d leave her bra in place while she dispensed with her jeans. Ah, yes, that was what she wanted to do, mess with their minds same as they were doing to hers. Of course, that would leave her hot and bothered, but it would be worth it.

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Wouldn’t it? His head low and extended toward her, the Nokoni-horse approached. She fought the impulse to back away. Much as she needed to know why he was doing this, she didn’t say anything. When he so close his heat bled over her, he placed his head against her chest and pressed so she nearly lost her balance. “What’s this about?” “Testing you.” Her suspicion that she knew what he was talking about was reinforced when he lowered his head until his nostrils were near her crotch. He inhaled. She shivered as his exhaled breath dampened her there. Something let down inside her to moisten her channel. Ready, she admitted. Just like that, she was ready for sex. He inhaled again, nickering as he did. Hah-Tee did the same. “Is that the kind of testing you’re talking about?” she demanded. Her pussy pulsed. “Not all.” “What else?” “We can’t say—yet.” “Fine. Whatever. I can’t stay here.” She wasn’t sure whether she was talking to them or herself. “My aunt’s expecting me.” “Forget her.” Knowing Hah-Tee was speaking helped her separate the two in her mind— that and having Nokoni so close he could easily knock her off her feet—or push her to the edge of a climax. “I can’t. I won’t.” She had no intention of explaining why her aunt was so important to her. After all, what did creatures raised in the wild by four-legged dams know about love?

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Nokoni backed up, taking his damp, warm, life-giving breath with him. A strong breeze attacked her pussy. Beyond caring who might see, she slid her hand between her legs and stroked herself. Nokoni continued his retreat until he’d joined Hah-Tee. She watched for a return of yesterday’s hostility, but they seemed oblivious to each other. Instead, their attention remained fixed on her. “What?” she demanded as her fingers continued to soothe and stimulate. “Damn it, this silent treatment is driving me crazy. All right, wet heat and a couple of studs is making me crazy. Either you tell me what you being here is about, or I’ll—” “What will you do, Terena?” Hearing a masculine voice instead of sensing the words unnerved her. By the time she’d calmed down enough to give the stallions her full attention, they’d begun to become men again. The process seemed to take less time than the shifting-into-horse thing had, but she might be wrong. Finally their contours settled into two-legged naked forms, all signs of the horses gone. “Amazing,” she said. “You do that so gracefully.” “What brought you here?” Nokoni asked. He seemed oblivious to his nudity. She wasn’t about to pick up their clothes and hand them to them. After forcing her hands off herself, she explained that she’d come to the motel because that was where her aunt was. Listening to herself, she wondered if she’d ever tell them about her conversation with Quana. “I don’t want you anywhere near her, understand?” Like she could make good on her threat. “She has enough to deal with without you—just leave her alone.” Looking confused, Nokoni frowned. “What does she have to deal with, Terena?”

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Nokoni had to stop using that tone around her. Otherwise, she might fall apart. She could try to deflect his question or… “She’s Ahote’s mother.” She threw out the explanation before she could change her mind. “She needed to know what her son has been up to.” “What did you tell her?” Hah-Tee asked. Trying to concentrate on the two unclothed men at the same time was nearly more than she could handle. Even resolutely keeping her attention on their faces didn’t help. “That I saw him race.” “What else?” “What—oh, you want to know if I told her about you two. For the record, I didn’t.” Hah-Tee tipped his head to the side. “Will you?” “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I did tell her about what happened to Red. My aunt and I came to the same conclusion, that Ahote owed the men money, and it probably had something to do with drugs. I—maybe you don’t care, but I tried to downplay my cousin’s reaction to losing Red, because I didn’t want to make things any rougher for my aunt.” Hah-Tee frowned. In contrast, Nokoni nodded, making her wonder if he understood how much she loved the older woman. She hoped so. “Are you saying she isn’t strong enough for the truth?” Hah-Tee asked. “She is, but if I can protect her, I will, because she’s done so much for me.” She glanced at Nokoni, then decided to take the plunge. “Did Nokoni tell you that he and I talked about—” “That wasn’t all you did.” Realizing Hah-Tee had seen her and Nokoni having sex made her cheeks flame. Then she reminded herself that as stallions they undoubtedly saw intercourse as a simple act, certainly nothing that should be carried out in

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private. “That isn’t the point.” She couldn’t deal with the complexity of their lives. “Then she doesn’t know Ahote stole Red from us.” “You’re saying—” “You know what we’re saying.” Unfortunately, she did. “I brought up the possibility of mustangs running wild on the res. She said a herd has been here for a few years, a migration from Nevada.” “That’s what people believe?” “What other explanation is there?” Saying that made her shake her head. “There’s a disagreement between the Hopi Council and the BLM over whose responsibility they are.” Determination burned in Nokoni’s dark eyes. “They’re mine.” “I’m not going to argue with you, because I don’t know what’s going on. People believe the horses simply wandered here, but was it a deliberate migration? You made a conscious decision to bring them to this land?” She could barely believe she’d asked the question. “Why? You aren’t Hopi when you’re in human form.” Hah-Tee’s nostrils flared. “Are you sure?” “I’m Hopi. I should know.” “Are you?” Nokoni asked. Sudden pain all but killed her awareness of the two sexy male bodies. “What are you saying?” “I saw you naked. Yes, Hopi blood runs through you, but there’s more to you than that.”

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“My father’s white, all right? There’s nothing I can do about it.” Shocked by what she’d just revealed, she pressed a hand to her forehead. She accepted being what some people called a half-breed, so why was she so upset now? His eyes filled with compassion, Nokoni held out his hand. Much as she wanted to accept his offering, and she did, she was too raw. He and Hah-Tee had her off balance and sexually charged when she needed to be level-headed and— and what? “I don’t appreciate you following me. Whatever it is you’re up to—whatever you are—leave me out of it.” “You don’t mean that.” “Yes I do.” I think. “Go be stallions again, or stay men. Your agenda has nothing to do with me. If you have a bone to pick with my cousin, I’m not going to get into the middle of it.” “We live on land your heart claims,” Nokoni said softly. “Our bodies speak the same language.” He’d handed her two truths when she couldn’t deal with either. As for whether her turmoil was a result of their bringing up her heritage or having them so close… “Go find another woman to mess with.” She ground out the words. “I’m done. I don’t care why or how you got here or what you intend to do next. It has nothing to do with me.” The way he stared at her, she half believed he could see into her heart. “You’re wrong.”

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Chapter Twelve

Instead of going directly to her aunt and uncle’s place at Moenkopi, after a quick breakfast with her distracted aunt, Terena headed southeast to the small, ancient village of Old Oraibi some thirty miles away. Fortunately, her aunt hadn’t questioned her agenda, because if she had, Terena’s answer probably wouldn’t have satisfied her. Truth was, she wasn’t sure why she wanted to go to what might be the oldest continuously occupied settlement in the United States. Maybe nostalgia. Oraibi residents didn’t encourage visitors, and photographs weren’t allowed, but her aunt and uncle had often brought her here to visit friends, so she didn’t feel like an outsider. Parking her car at the outskirts, she started down one of the few packedearth, unnamed streets. The houses’ hand-fashioned stone walls listed, making her wonder how the modern windows in some of them had been installed. Lines from weathered telephone poles trailed to each house. In deference to the scant rainfall, the roofs were flat or nearly so. The majority of houses had been built with common walls, some directly behind others on low hills. Generations of footwear had worn down the steps that led to sagging wooden doors. Judging by how her nerves were reacting, she had no doubt she was being watched. She hadn’t been here for years, so maybe the residents wouldn’t recognize her. Looking at her, would they see a Hopi or a white woman? Why had Nokoni’s comment about her mixed blood bothered her so much? Last night, she’d immediately become defensive, but after thinking about it

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during too many sleepless hours, she’d come up with the perfect rejoinder. Someone who split his time between being a stallion and a man had no business bringing up someone else’s heritage. Heritage. Stopping, she again pondered where Nokoni and Hah-Tee come from. What forces had made them what they were? And how did they feel about the life they’d been thrust into? Were they the only ones of their kind, or were their offspring shifters? Looking around again, she asked herself what the shifters would think of where she was. For all she knew, they’d seen Oraibi or some of the other villages. Imagining them standing beside her pulled her back to her surroundings. In contrast to the steeped-in-history housing, several vehicles were parked nearby. Some of them, mostly pickups, looked as if they’d been in the same spot for years. None were anything approaching new. Did any of the unseen residents want more than the lives they were living? Beyond the reservation, the world moved at a tremendous speed, but here, tradition ruled. After reminding herself that no one here needed her philosophizing about the pros and cons of living where electricity and running water were considered recent improvements, she headed toward the edge of the village and the view she knew lay beyond. Oraibi had been built on a bluff. Staring out at a world that hadn’t changed in thousands of years, she wondered if any of the mustangs were around. There was precious little for them to eat, but then vegetation was hardly lush in Nevada, and they thrived there. Surely the herd leader would make sure they stayed near water. As she understood it, a senior mare assumed responsibility for sustenance, while the stallion was in charge of protection. “Don’t take safety for granted,” she muttered.

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The question of whether she was speaking to Nokoni or Hah-Tee stopped her; then she reminded herself that it didn’t matter, because their lifestyle wasn’t her concern. She’d had sex with Nokoni and had contemplated what being with both of them might be like, but that was as far as it went. She’d come to Arizona for one thing and one thing only—to get her head back on straight. Whatever trouble Ahote had gotten himself into this time had complicated things, and the next time she saw him, she’d give him a piece of her mind. Something her uncle had shown her once when they were here pushed through her muddled thoughts. Grateful for the distraction, she turned left and, watching every step, headed down a footpath flanked by rocks and weeds. Her destination was one of several kivas Oraibi residents used for meditation, prayer and ceremonial preparation. She had no intention of entering the sacred underground kiva via the opening in the roof. She simply wanted to see if she could find it. The Hopi maintained an elaborate and crowded ceremonial calendar, so it was possible a holy man might be around. If that was the case, she’d apologize and leave. If not, maybe she’d meditate here for a few minutes. When she was growing up, her aunt and uncle had told her how the Spanish, Mexicans and several Christian religions had tried to force their beliefs on the Hopi. Her respect for the natives who’d refused to turn their backs on their ceremonies and spirit beings had grown. At first she’d seen kachinas as little more than colorful masked wooden dolls used during the various ceremonies. Now she understood their vital role in teaching respect and gratitude to children. She still had several kachinas but hadn’t taken them out of their wrapping in years. The moment she spotted the nondescript square hole in the ground, the reporter in her took careful note of her surroundings. If she decided to do so later, she could accurately describe Oraibi and the land around it so it would

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come to life even without pictures. Just the same, she couldn’t see herself doing that. After all, what was sacred to the Hopi should continue to belong to them alone. “I have a right to be here. I just want to make that clear.” From what she could tell, no one was around. Just the same, it wouldn’t hurt to clarify. “My mother is a member of the turtle clan. I respect my clan membership and would never do anything disrespectful around this kiva.” Silence answered her. Kneeling, she ran her fingers around the opening edge closest to her. Cool air from below slid over her hand. There was a ladder at the opposite side. “Is anyone down there?” No one answered, but she repeated her question. Rocking back on her heels, she again studied her surroundings. A few clumps of sage and some dry weeds served as proof that a few things could grow in the rocky ground. Hundreds of years ago, Oraibi residents had traveled more than thirty miles to the fertile Moenkopi Wash Canyon so they could tend their mostly cotton fields. Strange how things she’d taken for granted as a child now filled her with awe and respect. “Thank you, Maa’sau,” she whispered to the land’s guardian spirit. Her uncle had told her about it back when it had never occurred to her to question his, and therefore her, beliefs. “I haven’t been the kind of earth steward I ‘m sure you want me to be. Maybe that’s why I came back, so I can truly learn.” Maybe that’s why the shifters revealed themselves to me. Shaken by her unexpected thought, she scrambled to her feet and backed away from the kiva. The hand she’d placed near the opening was still cool, while the rest of her had become alive with the heat of discovery. All she knew was that when she’d reached a crossroad in her life a few weeks ago, she’d felt compelled to return to the land of her birth. Maa’sau’s land.

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A strong gust of wind blew up from the valley below. Grabbing hold of her hair, she retraced her steps until she was back on relatively level ground. Shielding her eyes, she again looked out at what she could see of the world. Once more she was struck by how unspoiled things were here. If she needed a safe place to live— Was that what the mustangs had needed and why they’d traveled so far? Her temples pulsed, prompting her to press her hands to the sides of her head. She felt like yelling, “Eureka, I think I’ve got it!” but there was no one to hear, and she didn’t want to disturb any spirits that happened to be in the area. She had to tell someone, but who? Her aunt and uncle had enough going on in their lives right now, to say nothing about their concern for their son. Besides, she’d first have to fill them in on everything—almost everything—she’d learned about Nokoni and Hah-Tee. Calling Quana was a possibility, but first she’d have to think through how much she should share with him. That left only two people—not that she could really call them humans. All right, so the herd had come to the Hopi reservation because they’d felt threatened where they’d been. That left several questions unanswered, mainly what had caused them to flee, and why had they chosen this harsh land. Did Nokoni and Hah-Tee know, and if they did, would they share their knowledge with her, and if they didn’t, could they search for the answers together? Another gust of wind flattened her blouse to her back and served as a reminder of the day’s growing warmth. She could look for some shade, not that there was much here, or return to her car, but neither of those options appealed, given her need to think things through more. Maybe if she revisited the kiva, it would all fall together. “Terena?”

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Looking in the direction the softly spoken word had come from, she spotted Hah-Tee. Her heart rate increased a little, but she wasn’t afraid. In truth, she wasn’t that surprised to see him. “What are you doing here?” she asked. “Are you all right?” Touched by his concern, she placed her hand over her heart. Before, she’d drawn comparisons between him and Nokoni, but now she saw him for who and what he was, a tall, imposing, rugged man with an angular face, football-player shoulders and densely muscled arms. Sweat plastered his gray T-shirt to his chest while the breeze fought to lift his damp hair off his face and neck. The gray shirt, faded jeans, and dusty boots made him blend into his surroundings, but the sense of unity went deeper. She longed to photograph him in various settings and lighting so she could study him whenever she needed to. “I think I’m all right,” she answered as honestly as possible. “I seem to have a lot on my mind today. It’s—where’s Nokoni?” “Where he belongs.” “With the herd?” His barely discernible nod made her wish she understood more about their relationship. “Do you wish it was you instead?” she asked. “Not today.” Certain she knew why he’d said that, she decided to change the subject. “It isn’t that hot, and yet you’re sweating. Have you been running?” “Most of the time.” “As a man or—” “Does it matter?” “It does to me. I’m surprised I didn’t see you earlier, but maybe I shouldn’t be. You do so much I don’t understand.”

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The shifter’s eyes darkened. He looked weary. “We don’t always understand ourselves.” Hah-Tee’s arms stood out a little, as if he was ready for action. Risking a downward glance, she noted his erection. Even as she tore her gaze off him, her body called out its need. “You do that to me,” he said. He pointed unselfconsciously at himself. “Is that why you followed me?” Once again he appeared tired. “In part.” A few moments ago, he’d stopped her in mid-question. She didn’t want to say anything that might make him close up or, even worse, compel him to leave. Now that she’d made her peace with his presence, she hated the thought of losing him. “Do you know what this place is?” she asked, hoping to distract him from his thoughts. When he didn’t respond, she hurried on. “There’s an incredible amount of history here, to say nothing of—were you watching when I got down on my knees?” “I thought you might be praying.” If he knew about prayer, he must have spent some time as a man; either that or he’d been born knowing some things. Even more confused, she started to slide her hands into her back pockets, only to clasp her hands together and rest them against her belly instead. If she wasn’t careful, they might stray lower, and he’d know how aroused she was, if he didn’t already. “Not praying,” she belatedly responded. “I was thinking about—did you notice the hole in the ground?” “The kiva opening. I know what it represents.” “Oh. That’s good. That way, I don’t have to—” “I know some things about your world but not enough.”

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“If there’s something I can answer, I’d be happy to,” she said, when what she needed was an explanation of how he’d come to be. “Right now, I’m not interested in talking.” “Aren’t you?” “I only know one way of saying this. I want us to have sex.” Flushed and excited, she blurted the only thing she could think to say. “Here?” He frowned. “Will the Hopi spirits disapprove?” “That’s not what I’m talking about,” she said, even though he’d made an important point. “People live in Oraibi. Besides, this is hardly the same as a motel room.” “You and Nokoni fucked in the open.” Yes, they had. “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation.” “Can’t you?” “You’re right. I shouldn’t be playing word games.” His gaze intensified as he held out his hand to her. “Come here.”

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Chapter Thirteen

Damn Hah-Tee’s compelling male voice! Just like that, Terena wanted him. Wanted him hard and strong, with limbs intertwined and body fluids exchanged. There’d be nothing tentative or civilized about their coupling. Instead, maybe she’d heave him onto the ground on his back and jump on top of him. Not bothering with anything except his jeans’ zipper, she’d expose him. She might take a few moments to tease him there, but maybe she’d simply yank her own jeans and panties down around her knees and impale herself on him. That’d hold him in place, all right. Unless he got to her first. “You know why I followed you, don’t you?” “I guess.” “Guess? I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings between us.” His gaze slid down her body to linger at her crotch. Suddenly heavy there, she fixed her attention on the bulge under his jeans. “No misunderstandings,” she told him even though she knew it was more complex than that. A wave of confidence rolled through her, accompanied by a recklessness she barely recognized. Feeling freer than she had in years, she ended the distance between them. He reached for her, but she pushed his hands away. When he didn’t protest, she yanked his shirt out of his waistband and hauled the cotton over his head. All right, so she wouldn’t have been able to carry off the act if he hadn’t leaned forward, but at least she’d started things.

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There he was, naked from the waist up, his gloriously rich hair catching her attention, his muscles outlined by his dark flesh and his flat belly waiting for her to press her lips against it. Her thigh and calf muscles felt as if they might melt, prompting her to lock her knees. Who had she become and why? Did it matter? “Your turn,” he said and ran his hand over his newly exposed chest. “Unless you want me to—” “What I want is for you to keep your hands off me.” He cocked his head to the side and gave her a look of such raw need that it nearly stripped away what little strength remained in her legs. “Why?” Because otherwise there might not be anything left of me. “I don’t think I owe you an explanation.” “Are you afraid of me?” On the verge of insisting it was hardly that, she reconsidered. In essence, Hah-Tee was a stranger. A mystery. She didn’t sleep around and had never put out for a man she didn’t believe she could trust. If she had the rest of her life to work on it, she probably would never fully understand Hah-Tee. “I don’t know.” She made fists to stop herself from running her nails over the chest of a man who couldn’t comprehend the meaning of a soft life. “I don’t want to be.” “I don’t want you to be either.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Terena, until last year, I only vaguely comprehended that there was more to my life than eating and waiting my turn to take over the herd. I was terrified the first time my body became what it is now.” “Nokoni wasn’t there to explain what was happening?” He shook his head. “I’d seen him change, but it had little meaning for me. Back then, we didn’t speak to each other.” “You’re right. How could you have?”

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“I could have given him my thoughts, if I’d had them.” “Oh.” Much as she wanted to take his hands and offer comfort, if that was what he needed, she stayed where she could look up at him. React to him. “What happened that first time?” “I ran for a long time, trying to get used to what I was now capable of becoming and what I’d lost. Finally, tired, I stopped and tried to make sense of where I was. That’s when I became a stallion again.” “That must have been a relief.” “It would have been better if I’d known I had some control over being stallion or human. I liked having hands and learning what they’re capable of, but I missed the speed I’d always taken for granted. Standing on two legs made me feel vulnerable.” “I guess it would. I never thought about that. Understanding human speech must have been confusing at first.” “Not as much as you’d think, because my intellect kept up. If it hadn’t been for my ability to comprehend… I’d prefer not to talk about that. I need to look forward, not back.” “All right.” She should ask him more about how he’d gotten here, needed to understand so many things, but he stood before her with the sun worshipping his flesh and his arousal proclaiming everything her body needed to know. For reasons that had probably made sense at the time, she’d put on a blouse today instead of one of the pull-over tops that made up the bulk of her wardrobe. Taking hold of the top button, she freed it. Even though she hadn’t seen any, the Hopi who lived at Oraibi might be watching. As she understood it, for the most part, the Hopi saw sex as part of the relationship between a man and a woman as it related to clan membership, not something hot and spontaneous. She’d think about that later.

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Hah-Tee pointed. “There.” Spotting the rock wall that marked the edge of the street closest to the slope leading to the kiva, she started toward it. Concentrating on where she was going distracted her from dealing with her blouse. When she reached the wall, she climbed over it and dropped onto the ground below. A moment later, Hah-Tee landed beside her. Studying his graceful move, she wondered if he was younger than her, not that it mattered. She again started in on her blouse buttons. “I don’t understand those things,” he said. “Spoken like a man who—who has never… I have to ask you something.” “Now?” “Nokoni has had sex with several women. I suppose I could wait and judge your performance but… Hell, how experienced are you?” When Hah-Tee looked down, she half expected him to kick the ground like a tongue-tied boy. Instead, after a moment, he lifted his head. “Not enough. Only one woman.” “Who?” she blurted, jealous. “I don’t know her name.” “A one-night stand, then?” He frowned. “Maybe. I’d gone to Tuba City to find some clothes. A woman—” “What you just said about clothes, what do you mean by find?” “What do you think?” “Are you saying you steal them?” “What else would you have me do?” I don’t know. “You met a woman there?” “We found each other.”

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His explanation was simple, but perhaps it said everything that needed to be said. “She showed you—” “My body knew what it needed to do. She approved.” Just looking at him left her with no doubt that he’d spoken the truth. A woman would have to be out of her mind not to want to have sex with this man. She certainly did. What she didn’t want was a one-night stand. Hints of how much warmer it was going to get rode in on the erratic wind that carried his scent. She went back to unbuttoning her blouse. She was working on the second one when Hah-Tee grabbed her top and hauled her against him. With her body sealed to his like this, his features blurred. His cock prodded her waist, and his heat stole over her. He was sex, pure and unbridled sex. Yes, a brain and heart went with the wilderness-carved body, but she didn’t care. Flames danced over her skin. Heat pressed against the sides of her neck and over her breasts. Even more pooled between her legs. A world away from wanting to keep her vulnerability from him, she slid her fingers over his hips before reaching around his waist and pressing her fingertips against his spine. She rocked forward. He spread his hands over her buttocks and held her there with his cock practically bruising her and words no longer needing to be said. Sliding her hands over his ass, she met him strength for strength. Her lips ached with loneliness, but she didn’t try to pull herself together enough to lift onto her toes and go in search of his mouth. Kisses were expressions of intimacy, while these moments were all about sex. Surrendering herself, she leaned into him. Her body knew only Hah-Tee’s presence, but her mind came alive with a thousand impressions. She’d had scant control over the circumstances that had brought them together and couldn’t fathom how he’d found her. Too deep into

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herself for questions, she drank in the smell of male warmth. There was something about his scent, size and strength, an indefinable substance, perhaps. Limbs trembling, she ground herself against him, but no matter how much her hips swayed, it wasn’t enough. She needed more than an embrace, more than her pelvis sealed to him and his arms locking her in place. If she could have, she would have crawled into his skin. They’d become one in ways that weren’t possible with sex alone, their separate selves coming together and lifting higher, going further. “I’m glad you’re here,” she admitted. “Just me? Not him?” For now. “Yes.” He rolled his knuckles over her spine, the pressure so strong she felt it all the way to her womb. A shudder forced her to cling to him for support. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Nothing. I just, I can’t think with you here like this.” “Do you want me to leave?” “No.” Instead of leaning back and looking at him to reinforce what she’d just said, she rested her cheek against his chest. Doing so made her dizzy, and she listened to his heartbeat. His deep, rapid breathing carried messages a more calculating woman might have used to her advantage, but her own heart pounded, and she could barely keep enough air in her lungs. When her shoulders started aching, she ordered her muscles not to release him but to relax. Bit by bit, a little of her desperation slid out of her. She still wanted him, but sex didn’t have to take place right now after all. She’d wait, touching and caressing all the while. Show him what tenderness from a woman was like. Connection.

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The thought had barely formed when her pussy clenched and moisture slickened her passage. A low animal-like sound rolled out of her. “What?” he asked. “I’m holding you too tight?” “No, no. I’m feeling overwhelmed.” “So am I. Terena, I don’t know what you want.” Again reminded of his limited experience as a man, she let instinct take over. Hopefully, by the time she was done, he’d have learned more about what his body was capable of. What about her? she asked herself. How would today change her? Pushing away from him, she sank to her knees, her hands gliding over the shifter’s thighs as she did. “What are you doing?” he demanded. “Just experience, please.” Fortunately, she hadn’t landed on rocks. That way, she was able to concentrate on blowing her breath against his jeans and hopefully reaching his erection. Groaning, he caught her hair in both hands. Even if he’d anchored her head in place, she would have found a way to continue, but his hold was only a wordless communication. Feeling as if she might float forever, she wrapped her arms around his legs and rubbed her cheek against what she could reach of his cock. When she increased the pressure on his cock, he groaned again, the sound rawer than the first. Driven by the rumble racing through her system, she turned her head so she could press her other cheek against him. His fingers jerked. “Do you want me to stop?” she asked. “No. I just didn’t…” “It’s all right.” She spoke so her breath again washed over the trapped mound.

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“Yes.” Taking his word as approval, she lightly raked her teeth over taut denim. Again and again, she ran her teeth along his contours. As long as his clothing was in place, she couldn’t hurt him, couldn’t touch him, really. But even with impatience making her jaw ache and her pussy tighten repeatedly, she fought the beast inside her. She wasn’t part animal like him, not yet. Despite the disjointed sounds of their breathing and the tension in her spine, a long and plaintive moan sped along her nerves. With as much of his cock in her mouth as the barrier of his jeans allowed, she acknowledged the increasing wind. If they had an audience of the creatures and birds that made their home here, so be it. Her mouth dried, and she reluctantly let go of the denim. After waiting out a case of nerves, she tackled his jeans’ button with fingers that had nearly forgotten how to work. That done, she pulled on the zipper. With each moment, Hah-Tee dominated more of her world. Nothing and no one else mattered. “Damn, damn.” He hissed. He surrendered his hold on her hair only to press his fingers against her scalp. Much as she needed to say the same, she didn’t trust herself to speak. Maybe she’d forgotten how to make human sounds. His jeans still caressed his narrow hips, but his cock now filled the gap she’d created. He wore plain white briefs, and dark male flesh pressed against the slit, prompting her to peel aside the cotton and free him. His uncircumcised cock burst free. Sucking in his breath, he started to rock away. She again clamped her hands around his buttocks. “Please stay,” she begged. “I wasn’t—”

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Thinking to stop him from talking, she ran her wet tongue over the mix of swollen veins and satin flesh. A shudder rocked him. Oblivious to his fingers pressing against her scalp, she bathed every exposed inch. Turning her head this way and that, she licked his length and breadth, pausing at the tip and lapping at the drops gathering there. Hopefully, the woman who’d shown him what fucking meant hadn’t done this, not that Terena would ask. She licked faster and faster. Her neck burned, and blood raced through the veins in her temples. They should have begun with a simple conversation followed by gentle touches, a simple hug, perhaps. From there, they’d move on to the touch of lips against lips, all civilized. Instead, here she was, crouched before a man she didn’t understand and had no claim to. Giving up trying to focus, she again rocked forward. At the same time, she gently closed her thumb and forefinger around his foreskin. His breathing again raged, and he went back to using her hair as reins. Drinking in a great draught of the smell of pre-sex, she laved his vein-corded length. Her tongue was no match for his steel, yet she reveled in the difference. “I never thought anything like this could…” he muttered, sounding drunk. Rhythm came from a place she’d never been. She became tireless and insatiable. Hands roaming his buttocks and knees by turn, she bathed what she longed to bury deep inside herself. Dizzy didn’t say the half of it, but even as her vision died and her nostrils flared, she fed off her own drunkenness. His essence was everywhere in her, her tongue satiated and yet still starving. She slurped and sucked, barely touched and plowed. Every time she did, her cheeks flamed and her belly clenched.

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He kept making raw sounds, swaying and jerking by turn. Her clothing abraded her skin, her bra grated against her now too-big breasts. No matter how many times she moved about, her clothing trapped her sex. Finally, the strain on her knees demanded attention. Her mouth still around his half-swallowed cock, she acknowledged the hard ground. For a moment, she held discomfort at bay while taking him deep and deeper yet. Her head felt as if it might explode, but she didn’t care. At the touch of flesh against the back of her throat, she blinked away tears. Then she started to gag. Reluctantly freeing him, she tried to lower her head so she could concentrate on breathing, but he wouldn’t let her. Her head immobilized by his hold on her hair, she stared at her flesh-colored world. “What?” she managed. “Any more of that and I’ll come.” A vision of him letting loose, not in her mouth but all over her blouse, pulled her back into reality. Using his legs for support, she planted her feet under her and stood, her knees creaking. “So you’ve never experienced that?” she asked. “No.” Hah-Tee might be a newcomer to human sex, but undoubtedly he’d had sex with mares and knew— No, he didn’t. Mares and stallions bred to continue the species, not for pleasure. “I wish I could be your teacher,” she admitted. She couldn’t muster up the courage to face him. “I can’t stay.” “I know.” He lightly touched her cheek. “Do you?” “What do you mean?” she asked.

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“I’m saying there’s a great deal we don’t understand about each other. We share the same space, but is it enough?”

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Chapter Fourteen

Hah-Tee waited for Terena to respond. When she didn’t, he said what he didn’t want to. “There might only be today. Only need.” Wadding her still partly buttoned blouse under her armpits, he pushed her bra up over her breasts. Seeing the results of his rash act, he ordered himself to keep a firm grip on the animal just beneath the surface. Her breasts were lovely, the areolas dark against pale cream. Half drowning in a swirl of emotion, he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her onto the retaining wall. Leaning forward, he closed his teeth around a hard nipple. With it gently but securely trapped, he tongued what intruded into his mouth. “Oh, shit, shit!” She started to place her arms behind her for support, only to surge forward and lock her hands around his shoulders. She trembled, but her grip was strong. He couldn’t bring anything into focus. His world became a swirl of quiet hues and a mind that refused to settle on anything. Fighting impatience, he reluctantly released her nub and then laid claim to the other one because touching her quieted the solitude he lived with. Taking hold of her thighs, he started to spread her legs. Silently cursing her jeans, he tried to convince himself to back off so he could get rid of the garment, but her taste had reached the back of his throat. Opening his mouth even more, he drew in her sweet, swollen flesh. Easy. She’s a woman, not an animal. Neither are you. “Shit, oh, shit.”

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Her nails dug into muscle, pressed against bone. A burning sensation lanced the fog surrounding him. “I can’t…think,” she whispered. By putting his full effort into it, he managed to relax his hold. His lips now slack around the breast, he lightly bathed her nipple, chuckling when she twisted and turned. Mares in heat allowed stallions to mount them. Moments later, they went back to eating. In exciting contrast, arousal transformed Terena. She needed not just a cock in her channel and seed reaching her womb, but his body, him. Eager to give her what had brought them together, he licked her breast’s underside, left and right, even along the top, much as she’d done to his cock. Not long ago, she’d sat frozen, but now hunger had her in constant motion. The scent of sweat touched his nostrils, but whether it came from her or him, he couldn’t say. He wanted her under him, naked and slick with her own sweat, her sex hot and wet. The woman who’d taken him for the first time had unsuccessfully tried to get him to slow down. Could he today? Unnerved, he lost his hold on Terena’s breast. “What?” She arched toward him. “Don’t—please, don’t stop.” Fighting his inner storm, he lightly raked his teeth over the breast he’d been ignoring. She mewled. The grinding sensation in his belly spread down, taking his mind with it. No longer touching her breast, he claimed her shoulders and pushed while she let go of him and braced her arms behind her. Taking hold of the jeans’ waistband, he dispensed with both the fastening and zipper in a single desperate move. When she lifted her buttocks off the wall, he tugged the denim down over her hips. Inch by quick inch, he exposed her thighs and knees while her head thrashed.

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Leaving her jeans clinging to her calves like rope bindings and her panties between her and the wall, he slid his hands behind her and tried to draw her close. “Not like that. My shoes first.” Hoping she wouldn’t say anything about his ineptness, he did as she commanded. After taking off her jeans, he laid them out on the wall next to her. She scooted onto the garment and then took off her panties. “That’s better,” she told him as her legs parted. It had been night when he’d had sex that first time. As a result, he hadn’t seen much of the woman he’d spilled himself into. The sight of Terena’s sweet, swollen flesh surrounded by fine hairs had him panting. He pressed his thumb against her crotch. Felt wet heat. Died a little. His vision blurred again. Running his thumb about, he stroked soft, hot, wet skin and briefly dipped into the magical place. Discovering a hardened nub, he pressed on it. She grasped his forearms. “Oh, my God!” “What?” he asked, alarmed. “You don’t know? Do it, do it again!” He did as she’d commanded, chuckling when she shivered and her muscles knotted. Whether he went after the special place with determination or a light touch made little difference. One moment, it was there waiting for him. The next, it disappeared. Claiming it became a game without rules, an instinctive dance. She gasped and jerked, tried to escape only to push herself against him. Giving up trying to capture the knot, he turned his attention to the rest of her sex. After coating his forefinger in her cream, he parted her and slid a finger into her cave. Imagined his cock there. Her breath snagged, then exploded. “You know me so well,” she muttered.

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He’d have to tell her how wrong she was, but not now. Biting down on a moan, he dove deeper. Her sex juices drenched his finger as her inner muscles closed around him. “Hah-Tee! You’re killing me.” “You don’t want—” “I want, I want!” Using one hand, he hauled his jeans down over his buttocks. As she inched closer, frustration slammed into him. How he needed to hear her scream. Fighting the beast inside him, he reached for her blouse and started working on the buttons. “No,” she said. “Not this time.” This time. “Why not?” “We might have an audience.” Instead of letting her know he didn’t care, he forced himself to nod. “This is crazy.” She seemed to be talking to herself. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Determined to distract her, he arched forward and sent his cock in search of her opening. She started to lean back even more to accommodate him, only to grip the back of his neck. “Sorry, I nearly lost my balance.” Her movement had trapped his cock against her belly, and after a moment, she eased away, holding on to his shoulder as she did. Taking hold of his cock, he tried to guide it into her, but the wall was too low. He started to crouch. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I don’t think—we could go to my car.” Having seen her vehicle, he knew he’d barely fit in it, let alone have room for sex. Her closeness felt like standing in sunlight with the breeze soft all around. Memories of what thrusting into a receptive mare felt like grabbed hold of him, but he didn’t want today to mirror those quick, unemotional moments. She’d

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pushed her own desires aside while taking him into her mouth. He hoped he could do the same to her, prayed for the necessary self-control. Dropping his gaze so hopefully she couldn’t see his battle, he put his hand in his mouth to dampen it, followed by depositing the liquid on her dark, puffy sex. “Oh God.” Her words were little more than a whimper. The earthy scent of an aroused woman penetrated him as he lowered himself to his knees. His half-dressed state barely mattered. “What are you doing?” She sounded scared and eager. “Don’t ask. Just feel.” Done with speaking, he placed his head between her legs. Whining, she splayed her legs outward. Tongue wet and extended, he touched. Flesh like satin, like silk, like magic, gave way. He pushed her sex lips one way and then the other, sometimes separating them so he could bathe her entrance, sometimes licking long and smooth. There was nothing human about what escaped her throat, and her cream was endless, challenging him to drink himself into a stupor. He pushed his tongue in. She jerked and might have wrenched free if he hadn’t increased his hold on her hips. Once he was sure of his control, he went after her again. Curling his tongue, he ran its tip over the top of her pussy. She tried to scoot closer, and her entire body shook. Wanting to please her as much as possible while keeping her off balance, he started to withdraw, only to extend his tongue to its full length. “Oh, oh, oh!” She had a beautiful voice, strong and rough at the same time. Maybe there wasn’t any sound she could keep locked inside her. Propelled by the thought, he swiped here and there, reaching until his jaws ached, only to back off and flatten his tongue so it touched every inch of her channel. He felt as if he was swimming inside her, taking her to the edge while risking the same himself. Thin, hot rivers

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of need carved their way through him to burn his muscles, but even then, he forced himself to focus on her. He could do this. Show her his human side. His jaw ached, forcing him to shut his eyes and concentrate with his tongue settled along her sex. Tiny shivers flickered through her, but he didn’t believe she was climaxing. She needed and deserved to explode, to believe she was dying and not care, to rip free of anything that might constitute civilized behavior. That way, she’d be more like him. Eyes open again but not seeing, he pulled out, drinking of her gifts as he did. Grabbing his hair, she tugged. “Not—not…” Ignoring what had no rational thought behind it, he again licked her from rear to front while she struggled to remain upright. Then he turned his head to the side and sucked what he could of her into his mouth. Gasping, she tried to break free. The effort caused her to lose her balance. He grabbed her around the waist and then went back to suckling. Whining, she started to spasm. He rode with her through her moaning, crying, screaming climax. Her body moved in relentless waves. Beneath that, he sensed her near collapse. She was his. He’d claimed her. Hadn’t he? Rocking forward, she wrapped her arms around his head. By the sounds she was making, he wondered if she was crying. “I didn’t expect, I didn’t know—you caught me off guard.” “Being caught off guard’s a good thing?” “This time, it was. Hah-Tee, please stand up.”

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Feeling shaky, he started to do as she’d asked. She cupped a hand around his cock and guided it toward her opening. Stopping with his knees bent and muscles straining, he waited while she slid onto him. He ran his hands under her buttocks and lifted her off the wall. Wrapping her arms and legs around him, she completed the union. Power surged through him, but before he could decide what to do with it, she thrust her pelvis at him. Her legs tightened. Increasing his hold on her buttocks, he pulled her hard against him. In his mind’s eye, his cock drove through her. “Yes! Fast!” she hissed. Fast he could do. Fast propelled him into a place that caused sweat to run down his back and chest. Her blouse stuck to his skin, and her breasts kissed him, only to retreat. Light as she was, he nevertheless knew he couldn’t hold her for long, but it didn’t matter. They found a rhythm, lost it, came at each other in the same moment. Then one or the other pulled back, and the balance was lost. His jeans roped his calves, preventing him from widening his stance. His cock was trapped deep inside the hot, sweating woman who’d turned her body over to him. She trusted him. For now. Offered him what he needed. For these moments. There was a storm inside him, something fierce that needed out. Her weight pressed against his thighs, and she threw her head back while gripping his neck. His arms trembled from the effort of keeping them together. Panting, he stopped thrusting so he could fill his burning lungs. “Shit, oh, shit.” Her voice distracted him, caught him off guard. Clamping her inner muscles around his cock, she pushed herself at him. Weakness rolled over him, forcing

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him to fight it. Strength swept his weakness aside. Knowing it wouldn’t last, he repeatedly pummeled her. He started to break apart, struggled to hold his release at bay, only to give up and dive into the delicious pain of release. Despite her less than steady fingers, Terena managed to refasten her blouse. By then, Hah-Tee had retrieved the shirt she’d pulled off him, but hadn’t put it back on. His unselfconscious stance helped her achieve the same state of mind. They’d had sex, and nothing she said or told herself would change that simple fact. “I’ve wanted to come here.” He looked around at the ancient houses above them. “Why haven’t you?” He sighed. “There’s only so much I can accomplish in the time I have as a man, and so much I want to learn.” “As a child, I took Oraibi and the other villages for granted.” She debated saying more. “Then I went away to college and discovered the world beyond the res. I insisted I wasn’t going to get trapped here.” “But you came back.” She nodded. “Some things piled up on me. I needed a break so I could reassess what I want out of life.” Nodding, he stepped close and ran his big, strong hand through her tangled hair. “Instead, you found us.” “Yes.” Her body still sang from the aftereffects of two climaxes, but she could handle his touch without it turning sexual. “And now I spend my time trying to figure you out. My issues are no longer the only things on my mind.”

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Hah-Tee withdrew his hand and ran it over his chest. He seemed to stand a little taller than a moment ago and was no longer looking at her. “What is it?” she asked. “Is someone here?” “No.” “You’re going to change, aren’t you?” “Yes.” “Do you want to?” He looked down at the ground, then back up at her. “I’m not sure.” “What do you mean?” He closed his eyes. “I didn’t know things would become so complicated.” “Neither did I.” Opening his eyes, he stared at her. She’d never seen that expression on him before. Was it vulnerability? “I needed what we did,” she admitted, hoping to draw him out. His gaze softened, relaxed a little. “I did too. More than you can understand.” He turned as if to leave. “Wait. Please answer something. Does it bother you that I had sex with Nokoni before you and I did?” He stared at the ground where ants crawled in and out of a hole. “I don’t know. A stallion has no emotions where a mare is concerned, but this is different.” He pressed his temple. “I’m different.” In short, he was still determining his place in the human world, just as she was trying to make a decision about what she wanted out of life. Thinking to tell Hah-Tee what she believed they had in common, she started to extend her hand to him, but his outline was becoming less distinct. “You’re leaving.” His fingers clenched. “Yes. I have no choice.”

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Don’t go, she wanted to yell. “Will you see Nokoni?” His nostrils flared. “Yes.” “Tell him—tell him—never mind.”

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Chapter Fifteen

When they were growing up, Yamka Kalemsa and Ahote had been best friends. They’d gone to Hopi High School together, followed by a year at Northland Pioneer College, where they’d excelled in wrestling but not academics. Now Yamka was involved in the reservation’s commercial beef cattle operation. He lived not far from Terena’s aunt and uncle but spent much of his time looking after the far-flung livestock. In the aftermath of what had happened last night, Terena had reached Yamka via cell phone, saying she needed to talk to him. He’d told her to come over as soon as she was ready the next morning. Pulling up in front of Yamka’s stick-built house, she spotted his youngest child playing with plastic trucks in the dirt. The preschooler responded to her wave but obviously found road-building more important than a visitor. The little boy knelt a few feet away from a dusty pickup with a loaded two-horse trailer hooked to it. Yamka, dressed in jeans, T-shirt and boots, opened the door before she could knock. They embraced. “I heard you driving up,” he said when they separated. “Look, instead of us standing here talking, I’d like to take you somewhere this morning. Show you something I think you need to see.” He jerked his head at the horse trailer. “I’ve already loaded a horse for you. You haven’t forgotten how to ride, have you?” “I hope not. What’s this about?” He studied her for a moment. “You’ll see. You haven’t been out on the res since you got back, right?”

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She cocked her head at him. “What’s this? You’ve been talking to my aunt and uncle?” “In part.” He started toward the truck. “We can talk while we’re getting out there.” “Getting where?” “Are you coming?” As a boy, Yamka had been so laid back she’d wondered if he’d ever do anything with his life. He was short and stocky with close-cropped hair and wore a shirt bearing the logo of a professional basketball team. Despite his nondescript appearance, he now struck her as a man who knew what he wanted from life. “I didn’t bring any water with me,” she said as she caught up with him. Stopping, he looked back at her. Winked. “I did. It’s already in the cab.” The wilderness stretched out in all directions, calling to her. “You’ve planned this out, haven’t you?” “I hope so.” His smile grew. “It’s good to see you.” Blinking back tears, she punched her old friend’s shoulder. “It’s good to see you too.” Still grinning, he pressed a hand to his belly. “More of me than there used to be. You don’t have much meat on you.” “Yeah, well.” She didn’t feel like explaining that, even though she made her living with words and photographs, her physical appearance counted. “I’m impressed,” she admitted after she’d climbed into the cab of a fourwheel-drive that had been blue before the nearly constant wind had thrown years of dirt and rocks at it. “Because I’ve accomplished something with my life?” “I didn’t mean—”

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“It’s all right. My folks felt the same way about whether I’d ever get my act together. I’m not sure what happened. It was a gradual thing, the realization that I only had one life to live and had better do something about it.” “And now you have a wife and family. How many children?” “Three and out.” Eyes glittering with love, he pointed at the preschooler. “That’s the last of the clan. You didn’t get married, did you? Given your skill with the written word, I’d hoped you’d do something with your life before you let yourself get tied down. I’m glad you did.” “Is that how you see marriage, being tied down?” she asked as they rolled forward with the trailer bucking behind them. Yamka stared out the front windshield. “Sometimes. But we all work with the hand we’re dealt or deal ourselves. Besides, I absolutely love being a father. So, what did you need to see me about?” Obviously, Yamka wasn’t ready to reveal why they were taking this trip. “My cousin, not that that should surprise you.” “It doesn’t. What has that fool been up to lately?” Debating whether she should say anything after all, she studied the truck’s dirty interior, but after what had happened last night, she didn’t believe she had a choice. She started by explaining how she’d run into Ahote last week. She followed that up with an explanation of the hostile exchange between Ahote and the two men who’d taken Red. As she’d done with her aunt and uncle, she didn’t mention Nokoni or Hah-Tee. “Red was fast, huh?” Yamka said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” Yamka sighed. “Damn.” “Damn what?” Instead of answering, he leaned forward and frowned. “Muffler’s shot.”

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“You don’t care about that right now. Neither do I.” “Not really. Terena, it pisses me off that Ahote is throwing his life away. So, you’re guessing his having to give up the horse might be connected to his drug and drinking issues?” “I could be wrong, but maybe not. All I know is Ahote didn’t want to talk to me about why he surrendered what would have been his meal ticket for a long time the way he did.” They’d put the small town behind them and were on the highway heading northwest. Uncle Shuman had told her that most of Yamka’s herd was at Black Mesa, which meant they’d soon be leaving pavement. Would she see any of the mustangs? “After what happened last night, I’m even more convinced.” “Go on.” She’d often wondered why Yamka and her cousin had been so close. Ahote approached life as if it had something against him, while Yamka was calm and accepting. Truth was, she’d thought herself in love with him back when they were adolescents. “My aunt and uncle got a call last night. I don’t know how the man got their number. The idea of him knowing where they live scares me.” Yamka shot a hard look her way. “Did he threaten them?” “It depends on how you interpret things. I heard almost everything that bastard said.” “Bastard, huh?” “Yes.” Her profanity didn’t embarrass her. Darn it, Yamka needed to know how she felt. “Whoever that man was, he kept insisting that Uncle Shuman put Ahote on the line. When my uncle repeated that he wasn’t here, the man blew up. The things he said—they don’t deserve that.” “Threats?”

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An outsider looking at Yamka might dismiss him as a slow-thinking and uneducated Indian. They wouldn’t look past his appearance to the intellect and compassion. “According to the caller, the next installment in whatever Ahote owes someone, or more than one someone, is due. He—” She propped her right elbow on the open windowsill. “He said the next payment must be identical to the one Ahote recently made.” Yamka briefly gave her his full attention, then concentrated on driving. “Damn.” What aren’t you telling me? “It has to be another horse, only not just any horse.” Her stomach wrenched. “I called Ahote last night and left a message. Told him in no uncertain terms to get in touch with me. My God, how did he get himself into that kind of trouble?” “I’m not sure we want to know. Your cousin doesn’t spend much time on the res these days, but when he does, he always comes to see me.” Shock had her clenching her fingers. “He’s asked you for money, hasn’t he?” “Yeah.” “Have you—” “I don’t have the kind of money he needs. What I do have goes to my family.” Sick at heart, she held her head in her hands. The truck hit a series of pot holes, and she straightened. “I’m sorry.” “You aren’t responsible for his stupidity and neither are his parents. For the record, I haven’t told them about those visits. Back to last night’s call. Did the man threaten Shuman or Lenmana?” “Not them, exactly, but they’re scared for Ahote, and maybe that’s worse.” They were off the paved road. Before long, they’d reach the flat, open area fed by several springs. For generations, Hopi and Navajo had each claimed some

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of this part of the Colorado Plateau. She wondered if Yamka’s cattle sometimes wandered onto Navajo land and if the Navajo objected. The more important question was whether the mustangs saw all of Black Mesa as their territory. Had Yamka seen the two stallions? “The caller wants another horse like Red,” Yamka said. “One from here.” Looking out at the great sweep of land, she wondered if her cousin might be out there right now, looking to capture another eagle-marked mustang. “I’m afraid so.” “What happens if he can’t pay the debt?” “I don’t know. Maybe—I don’t know.” Again looking out at the rugged but peaceful surroundings, she admitted she’d give anything to be on horseback with nothing more on her mind than trying to identify the different rock formations—and looking for the two shifters. At the thought, the sexual longing that had been part of her since she’d first seen Nokoni and Hah-Tee kicked up. Were they together right now? What would happen if she approached the two? Would—hell, would something happen? Flushed, she struggled to control her breathing. “Even though he didn’t come out and draw me a map,” she said, “Ahote gave me enough hints about where Red came from that I was able to put one and one together.” Telling Yamka that was easier than telling him about Nokoni and Hah-Tee. Yamka sighed. “Couldn’t pull the whole story out of him, could you?” “No,” she admitted. “Not that I needed to. No way is Red part of some established racing stable. My cousin couldn’t have gotten his hands on her if she was. My aunt told me about the mustang herd living here. Yamka, I can’t get Ahote to get in touch with me. He could be out here right now looking for…” “I hope to hell not.”

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She briefly closed her eyes against the pain in her temple. “When’s the last time you saw or heard from him?” “That’s why you wanted to talk to me, right?” “In part,” she admitted. “And maybe I’m hoping you’ll tell me not to be scared for people I love, him included.” “I wish I could.” “I appreciate that. Maybe…” Studying her old friend’s profile settled her a little. “I needed to talk to someone. You’re the first person who came to mind.” Because I can’t talk to Nokoni or Hah-Tee. He glanced at her again. “I’ll be as honest as I can. I expect the same from you.” What are you getting at? “I’m guessing you’ve seen the herd. After all, you’re out here all the time.” Yamka’s expression softened a little. “Yeah. They’re amazing creatures. Looking at them you’d think they were nothing more than a bunch of hardy mustangs in need of a good brushing. They like hanging out with the cattle. They especially like stealing hay.” “What about their speed?” Gripping the steering wheel with one hand, Yamka fixed his coal black eyes on her. “I’ve never seen anything like it. They can go from sleeping standing up to burning up the ground in a second.” She shivered. “They’re all fast?” “The young ones.” His knuckles turned white. “Just the young?” “That’s right. The older mares can’t keep up with their offspring.” “I’m trying… It’s as if there’s new blood in the herd, isn’t it?” “Exactly like that.”

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For a moment, she couldn’t speak. “Red had this unique mark on her chest. It looked—” “Like an eagle in flight. The young ones all have it.” “So do…” “What?” “Nothing.” Despite the chill running through her, she was tempted to tell Yamka about seeing identical markings on the shifters, but what if he didn’t know what they were capable of? How much could she trust him? “It makes no sense. No way can so many animals have identical markings.” Yamka went back to watching where he was going. “There are theories.” “What are you talking about?” “Our heritage.” “Yamka, I don’t—” “Let me explain. When the mustangs first started showing up, priests and elders from the various clans and villages began going on sacred pilgrimages, looking for answers.” “They have?” Again, she could barely speak. “You can’t be surprised. Certain old ways will never change. Their search has taken them to our sacred San Francisco Peaks and many of the tribe’s ruins in addition to clan and eagle shrines. Twice now the pilgrimages involved going from one end of the reservation boundary to the other.” “I had no idea.” “Because you were off living your life.” “I wish—were you part of them?” “Unfortunately, no. I couldn’t spare that much time away from the cattle.” “Have the priests and elders come to any conclusions?”

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“Possibilities. Nothing definitive. Consensus is that the Supreme Creator had a hand in bringing the wild horses here, but there’s considerable disagreement over why it’s happening now. Much as we’d like to accept the mustangs as a blessing from Him, it’s too complicated for a simple explanation.” “Yamka, this isn’t some mystical event. They came from Nevada.” Eyebrows lifted, he again studied her. “Did they?” What are you saying? “BLM officials certainly think so. My aunt told me the Hopi are contesting BLM’s stand that they’re responsible for them. That’s a pretty cut-and-dried modern issue, not something steeped in ancient beliefs.” “That’s not the point. Right now, neither of us cares who wins that argument, do we?” No, she admitted. Mind whirling, she pressed her hand to her temple and turned her attention back to their surroundings. This land had been in existence for billions of years. In the beginning, it hadn’t looked like it did now, which made the landscape even more awe-inspiring. The nearby Grand Canyon served as a glorious example of what nature—or God or the Supreme Creator, depending on what a person believed—was capable of. At the time the canyon was being formed, sedimentary rock layers had buckled and folded, resulting in the striking formations that brought color to the reservation and beyond. Geology explained nature’s forces but not the existence of a herd of world-class four-legged runners blessed or cursed with eagle outlines on their chests. “I don’t know what to say,” she admitted. “I never expected to find myself in the middle of anything like this.” “My guess is that’s not the only thing you didn’t expect to get involved in.” Alerted by his tone, she stared at him. “What are you talking about?” “Terena, you’ve been away from here long enough that it’s natural for your, let’s call them loyalties, to shift from Hopi to the world you’ve been living in.”

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“Go on.” “You aren’t taking offense?” “No, I’m not. Maybe because I came back.” He nodded but didn’t look at her. “And you went to Oraibi the other day.” She could hardly breathe. “What are you saying?” “You tell me.” “Tell you what? I thought—I didn’t know…” “You thought the two of you were alone? You weren’t.”

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Chapter Sixteen

It took the better part of an hour for them to reach where Yamka had intended to leave the truck and trailer. They’d said little beyond a discussion of what each would do once they were there. His plans called for heading north to check on several pregnant cows. Instead of accompanying him, he suggested she go east toward where he’d last seen the mustangs. Without him saying it, she knew this was why he’d wanted her to accompany him out here. Between trying to deal with what her old friend had dropped on her and realizing how far HahTee might have had to travel to get back to the herd after they’d had sex, she’d been incapable of filling the silence. Watching Yamka unload the two saddled horses, she touched her cheek where the wind caressed it. “About the mustangs,” he said. “If Ahote told you he has a right to them, he was wrong.” He didn’t tell me nearly enough. “I agree. No one owns them.” He handed her the reins for the pinto gelding. “The land does.” Yamka was a complex mix of traditional Hopi and modern businessman. She wasn’t about to question his belief. Besides, he was right. “I just wish it was that simple,” he added. “And that more people respected the land’s role. Last week, I had to run off three men on ATVs not far from here.” “Locals?” “No. I would have been even more pissed if they had been. What really got to me was their attitude. They—they were whites—tried to insist they had as

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much right to be here as I did. When I asked what they were doing, they said they wanted to see for themselves if the mustangs they’d heard about were as fast as the rumors—by trying to keep up with them.” Horrified, she could only stare. “They had apples and ropes with them, which told me they were lying.” “The men wanted to capture—” “They tried to deny it, but I called the tribal police and confiscated everything, told them to get the hell out of here.” “Yamka, they could have killed you.” He shook his head. “I didn’t think about that until after. Right then, the only thing that mattered was protecting the spirit horses.” “Spirit horses?” “You have a better name for them?” She absently rubbed her mount’s forehead. “No, I guess I don’t. Has that happened before, outsiders poking around, interested in the mustangs, I mean?” “As far as we Hopi know, it started this year.” Yamka touched her shoulder. “What really upsets me is word’s going to spread about the horse Ahote raced. What if I hadn’t spotted those two would-be rustlers?” “They might not have gotten away with it if…” “If what?” She’d been about to say Nokoni and Hah-Tee would protect the herd. “Despite everything Ahote has done, I still want to protect him. All the time we were growing up, we had each other’s backs. Now I want to wring his neck. At the same time, I remember how sick the drugs made him. He went to that treatment center last winter, got clean. I thought he’d stayed that way. Now I’m not sure.” She turned her attention to Yamka’s mare, holding her hand against

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the satiny mouth and letting the mare nibble on her palm. “We can’t let him get his hands on another mustang.” “No, we can’t.” “What a nightmare.” She leaned her head against the mare’s neck. “So much for thinking I was going to get some R and R coming back to the res.” “Are you sorry you did?” “No. I love this land.” “Besides, if you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have found out about the shifters.” Another wave of disbelief washed through her, followed by an unexpected sense of peace. “I don’t know what to say.” Yamka hugged her. “Nothing. Take off.” He indicated the pinto. “See what you can find. We’ll talk later.” As appealing as that was, she couldn’t leave things the way they were. “How do you feel about—do you simply accept the shifters’ existence?” “I wouldn’t call what I feel simple anything, but I’m grounded in this land. I guess I’d accept anything that happens here. They’re magnificent.” “How many have you seen?” “Two. They were near my cattle. They acted aggressive toward each other. I thought I might need to get between them and the cows. I was trying to do that when one—the slightly smaller one—became human.” Yamka’s awed tone reminded her of when she’d experienced the same thing. Instead of telling him that, she waited him out. “I was shaking so bad I nearly fell off my horse. The man—he was naked— started walking toward me. Call me crazy, but he looked like a kid seeing something for the first time and trying to make sense of it. The other stallion bumped him and knocked him to the ground. They stared at each other until the

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man became a stallion again. There was a lot of rearing with hooves flying. Finally, the smaller one ran off, followed by the other.” I’ve seen the same hostility between them, but it’s more complicated than that. “What a shock that must have been,” she said. Brows furrowing, he stared at her. “It would have been worse if I hadn’t suspected that might happen.” “What do you mean?” “A story’s been going around about those two. As far as I know, the first time a Hopi saw them was while some elders were finishing a pilgrimage at Woodruff Bluff about a year and a half ago. There weren’t any mares around, just the two studs. Thinking they might be gifts from the kachinas, the men were debating how to get close enough to cover them with sacred cornmeal when the horses became men.” Sighing, Yamka shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m saying this.” “I understand.” “Yes, I guess you do.” Taking hold of her hand, he placed it against his chest. “I spot mustangs among my cattle. You hand your body to one.” Two, she nearly said. Both. “You think—” “Go. We’ll talk later.”

“She’s here.” “I know.” Nokoni had been half asleep, watching a couple of distant buzzards, when his senses alerted him to a new presence. He’d spent the night keeping himself between several coyotes and the foals, so he’d been hoping to get some rest,

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which would call for getting Hah-Tee to take over guard duty, but he hadn’t yet approached the other shifter. When he’d first become aware of the potential danger, his concern was that a human enemy—maybe Ahote—was approaching. If that was the case, he’d have to decide between standing his ground or commanding the mustangs to flee. After a few seconds of concentration, however, alarm had turned into sexual excitement. She was here. He wasn’t sure how he felt knowing Hah-Tee was equally aware of Terena’s presence. Shaking himself, he trotted over to a rise and extended his neck, breathing deeply as he did. His cock hardened. The other shifter joined him but remained a respectful distance away. He reluctantly checked to see if Hah-Tee was aroused. He was. “I won’t leave,” Hah-Tee said. “I have as much right to her as you do.” “No, you don’t. “ “Ask her.” He didn’t want to, damn it. “Leave. Otherwise, I’ll run you off.” “I’ll only return. I have no choice.” Before he could ask Hah-Tee what he was talking about, Terena came into view. She rode the pinto as if she’d been born on horseback, and her ebony hair streamed down her back. Sitting tall in the saddle, she shielded the sun from her eyes with one hand while constantly looking around. “She’s beautiful.” “Yes, she is.” The words were out of him before he acknowledged he had no intention of chasing Hah-Tee off. Much as he hated admitting it, the younger shifter was right. The decision about which of them, if either, Terena wanted to see was hers to make. “What does she want?” Hah-Tee asked. “What brought her all the way out here?”

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“Maybe she’s looking for her cousin.” “I don’t want it to be that.” “Then what?” “The way it was between us, I hope it meant something to her.” Nokoni had known the other shifter and Terena had had sex. Her smell had clung to Hah-Tee long after Hah-Tee returned to the herd. However, instead of insisting the young shifter had no right doing what he had, Nokoni had gone off by himself. A mare in heat had approached him, but he’d been unable to concentrate on her. Thinking while in stallion form didn’t come easily, but one thing he knew was that Terena had a right to share her body with whomever she wanted. It should be him. He needed it to be him. “Do you hate me for what she and I did?” Hah-Tee asked. “I don’t know what I feel.” Turning toward him, Hah-Tee extended his head, then stopped. “Neither do I.” Hah-Tee had to deal with that on his own, something Nokoni wasn’t sure the younger shifter had enough human experience to handle. Fact was, Nokoni could tap into Terena’s emotions in ways Hah-Tee couldn’t. Yes, her emotions. The part of her that highlighted her as a human being and a woman. Her body challenged him in exciting ways, but now he realized her physical form was only part of why he’d been unable to shake off her impact. Hah-Tee snorted and shifted his hindquarters so his legs were farther apart. The smell of his arousal chased away the desert’s aromas. Damn it, he didn’t want Hah-Tee here! Today should be about Terena and him.

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Yamka’s pinto was one of the laziest horses she’d ever ridden, making Terena wonder if her old friend had deliberately chosen the safest mount he had. If that was the case, she’d set Yamka straight. At least that was a possibility, although, at the moment, she wasn’t sure she could conjure up enough indignation to give him a piece of her mind. Between the plodding pinto and the serene setting, she’d give anything to just exist. She’d been lonely a lot lately, not truly comfortable in her own skin, for lack of a better explanation. The sense of being off balance in the world had been why she’d told the news media she worked for that she was going to take some unpaid time off. She couldn’t say she was more in tune with her skin today, but it didn’t matter so much. That was it, she concluded as the pinto began a gradual climb up one of the countless rises. Getting laid twice recently had been exactly what she needed. Maybe not everything she needed, but a hell of a lot better than solitary nights with her sad collection of sex toys. Her back ached, serving as a reminder of how long it had been since she’d been on horseback. As she’d done more times than she wanted to admit, she straightened and rolled her head from side to side. She was out of shape, darn it, not that Nokoni and Hah-Tee had minded. Nokoni. Hah-Tee. Something closed around her spine. The sensation flowed over her pelvis and quickly reached her pussy. She tried to tell herself that having her legs apart for so long was responsible for what she was feeling, but the explanation didn’t hold. Darn it, she’d been riding more than an hour. If the shifters were out there, wouldn’t they have revealed themselves to her by now? Maybe they were watching her but had no intention of letting her know. Maybe Nokoni had run Hah-Tee off—or something had happened to them.

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No. It wasn’t that, because they had everything to do with this heightened awareness. The lightest touch on the reins was all it took to get the pinto to stop. After dismounting, she executed a series of deep knee bends. That done, she upended the canteen Yamka had given her and drank. She shouldn’t stay out here much longer if she wanted transportation back home, which she did. Home. She paid rent on a Phoenix apartment but spent so little time there, she didn’t know any of her neighbors. Each month she debated whether it made sense to continue paying rent, but she needed to keep her belongings somewhere, not that said possessions meant that much to her. Weary of so much self-directed thought, she debated scrambling up a steep slope. Hopefully she’d have a better view of her surroundings, but it looked like too much effort. In the end, she decided to leave the gelding ground-tied to a bush while she stretched her legs a bit before turning around. If the shifters approached her, so be it. And if not— Hoof prints in packed earth caught her attention. Thanks to her uncle, she’d learned a little about tracking, but even if she hadn’t, she would have known these marks had been left by unshod horses. Squinting, she looked in the direction the prints headed. Instead of following them, however, she remained where she was. “Are you here?” she asked. “Both of you?” She prepared herself to hear nothing. In truth, things would be easier if she didn’t. Just the same, she strained to hear anything beyond the wind and her heart. Things were so peaceful here. Why couldn’t she simply appreciate the day for what it was? Because her body wouldn’t let her.

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And because two horses were heading her way. Hand at her throat, she stared. The stallions walked with purpose, and yet there was nothing hurried about their approach. They were far enough apart from each other for the space to register. From what she could see, neither sported fresh wounds, which hopefully meant they hadn’t battled each other. Behind her, the pinto whinnied and stomped his feet. “Easy, easy,” she crooned without looking back at it. “They won’t hurt you.” “Are you sure?” Startled, she stroked her throat. “Nokoni, is that you?” “Yes.” “What are you saying?” “That you don’t know us well enough to promise what you just did.” “You’re right,” she admitted, her nerve endings snapping, “I don’t know you except in one way, but I want to.” “So do we.” Fearing the vulnerability that would come with opening herself up to them, she forced her arms down by her sides. Maybe the time would come when she didn’t think of the pair as incredible works of nature, but she didn’t see how that was possible. The sun highlighted each sleek muscle and every curve on the pair’s perfect bodies. In addition to his greater size, Nokoni was slightly darker than Hah-Tee, but what held her attention the most was their chests. The eagle markings, which were as white as new snow, covered most of their chests, with the wings spilling out to their shoulders. Both animals had deep chests. Their croups or rumps were so densely muscled she ached to press her hand against them and feel every movement. Most impressive were the strong, hard-as-stone hindquarters. Just looking at them left her with no doubt that these two could outrun or fight any other horse.

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“You like what you’re seeing?” “I’d have to be dead not to.” She wiped her sweating hands on her thighs. “Are you going to change?” “We’ll be naked.” Fresh sweat dampened her palms and other places. “Do you think I’d mind?” “I’m asking because I don’t know.” Nokoni sighed. “There are many things about humans I don’t understand.” “Maybe I can help.” “That’s why we’re here.” “Then change so we can…talk.” “Talk isn’t the only thing you want.” “You either.” Two upper lips rolled back in classic horse smiles. The stallion that was Nokoni began to shiver. The shuddering movement increased in tempo and strength. “Do it,” she managed. “Oh, yes, do it.” The potent body supported by long, graceful yet strong legs began to shrink. No, she amended, not shrink so much as fold in upon itself. It didn’t matter that she’d seen the transformation before. She was just as awed as the first time. Maybe more so because, as Nokoni had warned her, he wore nothing. The thick, black tail shrank and disappeared. Tucking his hindquarters under him, he reared. As he did, his front legs slipped away and were replaced by a strong man’s arms. A horse’s head gave way to the angular features that were already burned into her brain. There he was, Nokoni, his flesh painted by genetics and the sun. His broad, straight shoulders and solid chest echoed the strength in the animal he’d been.

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Taking her gaze lower, she noted sinewy hips and potent thighs. Positioned the way he was, she couldn’t see his buttocks, but his cock, yes, that was ready for her. She melted, becoming less, somehow. Not caring whether she’d survive, she continued to stare. Then Hah-Tee began the same transformation, and it took all she had in her not to cry out. The pinto tossed his head. White showed in his eyes. “What are you doing here?” Nokoni asked. “Looking for you?” This was her time, her pleasure, her fantasy and reality. Undoubtedly the greatest challenge she’d ever faced. “That’s not what I’m talking about.” Nokoni folded his arms across his chest, making his shoulder muscles flex and tighten as he did and shredding her mind. “He asked you a question.” Hah-Tee spoke for the first time. “What are you doing here?” “I don’t know what you want me to say.” Nokoni, who’d stared at Hah-Tee when the younger shifter asked his question, nodded. “I’m just learning what it means to be human and he”—he nodded at Hah-Tee—“knows even less. One thing I do know is that I’ll need a job so I can support myself, maybe a career. You don’t have anyone paying your bills, and yet you’ve been here for the better part of a week. What did you leave behind? What do you have to go back to?” I don’t know if I can. “It doesn’t matter,” she admitted. “I don’t know why, but I haven’t thought about everything you’ll have to go through as a newly minted human being.” Her attempt at a smile didn’t make it. “How do you earn a living?” “Didn’t I tell you? I’m a photojournalist.” Trying not to look at two dark and thick erections was almost more than her still-splintered mind could handle.

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“That sounds like two things.” “I guess it does, but it isn’t. In essence, I write articles and illustrate them with photographs I’ve taken.” “Where’s your camera?” “I didn’t bring it because I didn’t know I was coming out here.” “Hmm. What are you writing right now?” “Nothing.” The pair exchanged a glance. “Why not?” “I’m taking a break. I thought I’d made that clear.” “Why?” For all she knew, someone was watching this exchange via binoculars. If so, they’d see a woman with somewhat diluted Hopi features talking to two naked men who could be mistaken for weight lifters. What they couldn’t know was how hard answering Nokoni’s question was. “A number of reasons.” Suddenly restless, she retraced her steps to where she’d left the gelding. The animal lifted his head as she approached, only to let it drop. Obviously, shape-shifters didn’t hold his attention. After stroking his forehead, she turned back around. Not looking at the men for a few seconds hadn’t done enough to restore her equilibrium. The brief respite had only loosened something inside her. Something that was suddenly more important than staring at two naked bodies and taking things to the next physical level. “You want answers,” she said, “because you’re thinking this might help you, ah, make the transition to the other half of what you are.” Nokoni nodded. “That’s part of it. The other is because I care about you.” “So do I.” Hah-Tee’s words were clipped. He practically glared at Nokoni. “Thank you for saying that.” She hurried her words in an attempt to defuse the tension. “Everyone needs to know someone else is invested in them. I

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understand loneliness, in part because much of what I do takes me to people who are in crises. They feel isolated.” She paused while waiting for any indication that the men were listening to her and not just focused on their complex relationship. After a moment, they nodded. “I go where there have been tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes. Sometimes it’s something small, a parent losing a child or a husband whose wife has just died.” Memories piled inside her, forcing her to clasp her hands together. The shifters came closer but made no attempt to touch her. Right now that was what she needed if she was going to be able to continue. “Not everything I write about is about people in crises, thank goodness, or I would have quit a long time ago.” “You quit your job?” Nokoni asked. “No. I just… I’m taking a break.” Hah-Tee had contributed little since revealing himself. Studying him, she wondered if the conversation was beyond his ability to comprehend, that his journey to becoming a man had that much further to go—all except for the physical part. “I’m good at what I do. Damn good.” She ran her hand over the back of her neck. “I’ve won several awards, and many times the news service I work for calls me first when they want something covered. It can be a heady experience.” “Heady?” Hah-Tee asked. “An ego boost. I was proud of what I produced, and it made all the work worth it when others complimented me.” She didn’t really want to talk about herself; she wanted to touch. Experience. But the men needed what she could give them. “I can’t remember when I picked up my first camera. Losing myself in photography allowed me to forget some of the things that were going on in my

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life.” As childhood memories surfaced, she stared beyond Nokoni and Hah-Tee to the horizon behind them. She might be mistaken, but she thought she spotted several horses out there. “My aunt and uncle encouraged me to express myself in writing. The two skills, if that’s what they are, came together, and here I am.” Nokoni held out his big, dark hand. After a moment, she placed hers in it. Need tingled from the point of contact. Judging by his flaring nostrils, he felt the same thing. “You’re here,” he said, “not at work.” Hearing the question behind his words, she nodded. At the same time, concerned that Hah-Tee might not approve of the hand contact, she glanced at him. Hah-Tee was looking at the intertwined fingers, but she saw no anger in his expression. If anything, he was envious. And isolated.

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Chapter Seventeen

“Something I’ve learned about what I do,” Terena began, “is that a crisis brings people together. Neighbors who barely nodded at each other open their homes, pocketbooks and hearts. When most people lose everything, including the roofs over their heads, they learn that possessions mean nothing next to their loved ones. If family members are safe, that’s the important thing.” She paused to see if the men had grasped what she was saying. They both looked a little confused, not that she blamed them. After all, neither probably knew who their parents were. Most likely they couldn’t identify their siblings and saw their offspring as little more than responsibilities. Soon Nokoni would step into a world where the people in it were more important than the food in his belly, more essential than sex. “It’s been coming on for a while,” she continued. Her fingers were becoming numb from Nokoni’s strong grip, but she didn’t try to pull away. “The sense that I’m on the outside looking in. What truly hit me upside the head—” “You were hit in the head?” Hah-Tee asked. Stifling the urge to laugh, she chewed on her lower lip. “It’s an expression, one of many you’re going to have to try to make sense of. What it means is…” Darn it, she’d been about to say something about a light bulb going on. “Something happened that made me realize no matter how much I might empathize with people, I can’t truly feel what they are.” “What was it?” Nokoni asked.

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Pulling free, she massaged her tingling hand. “I was in eastern Oregon doing research for an article on how a new law intended to insure livestock safety was impacting ranchers. There’d hardly been any rain that winter, and residents of the small town were having to conserve water. Then a wildfire started, and—” “How did it start?” “Careless hikers. Damn stupid hikers, more like it. Because of the wind and dry conditions, the fire exploded.” Despite her growing agitation, she forced herself to continue. “People barely had time to jump in their vehicles and leave. Some managed to grab their pets but not all. Ten families lost their homes.” “How did they react?” Hah-Tee asked. “What do you think?” Nokoni demanded. “I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking. I need to understand these things.” “He does,” she said, determined to stop the argument before it became worse. “Some broke down and cried, while many just stood there, staring at what was left. I offered my sympathy, even hugged some of them, but they barely acknowledged me.” She opened her mouth to continue, only nothing came out. The shifters might not understand what she was going through. She felt disloyal talking about the people whose homes had burned. More to the personal point, she wished she could keep her own emotions under wraps, but maybe that was what they most needed to hear. “Except for a couple of reporters with the local newspaper, I was the first journalist on the scene. It didn’t matter to the victims that I was already there on another story; they saw—they saw me as someone who was trying to make money off their tragedy.” Hah-Tee frowned, while Nokoni slowly nodded.

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“It’s human nature,” she told Hah-Tee. “A protective mechanism, something to think about to take their minds off the nightmare. I tried to tell them that my interviewing them wasn’t so I could get a scoop, but in part, it was.” “What are you talking about?” Hah-Tee asked. Nokoni’s expression said he didn’t understand either. Knowing the shifters needed her to paint a clear picture of what it meant to be human made it easier to continue. “The public can’t get enough of human interest stories. Ask them to choose between a political debate and local arrest records, and they’ll choose the second nearly every time. We’re voyeurs, and the media feeds that insatiable need for the sensational.” She felt dirty admitting that. “I was on the ground floor of something people all over the country would want to read about, but in order for me to make the story compelling, I’d have to get ten families to bleed.” “Bleed?” She wanted to hug Hah-Tee. He had a man’s body, but beneath that, he was an innocent in many ways. “Not literally. But what sells are close-ups of a couple holding on to each other with the charred ruins of their home in the background.” She suddenly felt worn out. Done in. “I did what I get paid for, but it made me sick.” “I’m sorry.” Meeting Nokoni’s gaze, she couldn’t remember when two words had meant more. Suddenly, she wanted to tell him and Hah-Tee all about her dysfunctional parents and the holes even her aunt and uncle’s love hadn’t been able to fully fill. Instead, she went back in time so she could finish what she’d begun and they needed. “At the end of that first day, I returned to my motel room while those ten families gathered at a church where the doors had been opened so they’d have a place to live. Early the next morning, I went there because I wanted to get to

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people before the reporters who were flying in. That way, I’d have pictures of parents and children waking up with the aftermath of what they’d endured etched on their faces.” Nokoni’s arms went around her, and he pulled her against his sun-heated body. She wasn’t sure how he’d gotten so close. Standing next to him, Hah-Tee brushed her hair back from her face. “Right then, you didn’t like being a human, did you?” Hah-Tee asked. “No, I didn’t. I found—when I walked into the church, there was this little girl standing in the middle of all those cots. She was wobbly and kept falling on her diapered bottom. Everyone was laughing and crying, watching her learn how to walk.” Her throat constricted, making it nearly impossible for her to continue. “The families had lost everything. They didn’t know when or how they’d be able to change their clothes, but for a few minutes, the only thing that mattered was sharing one of life’s signature moments.” “You must have felt as if you were part of it,” Nokoni said. Distracted by the rumble in his chest and the press of his cock against her belly, she struggled to concentrate. “Yes and no. I wasn’t trying to crawl out of a cot. I didn’t have to wait my turn at the only bathroom or stand in line for the breakfast the church women had made. I, ah, I hadn’t read the little girl’s birth announcement. I’d be gone long before the rebuilding began.” Her aunt and uncle were expecting her to be back in time for dinner. Ahote might have picked up her voice message and be getting ready to answer—or deciding not to answer. Somewhere, she had no idea where, her parents were living their lives. And here she was. Surrounded by the seeming nothing that was her heritage. Even more, surrounded by two men beyond her comprehension.

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“That’s when I realized I needed to spend some time with the people who raised me,” she admitted. Tears clogged her voice, but she was beyond caring. “So, long story made even longer, you now know why I’m here.” Nokoni pushed her back just enough that she could look up into his eyes. A couple of years ago, she’d parachuted out of a military plane to add personal experience to an article she was working on. She’d expected to be terrified right before jumping into space. Instead, as she’d looked out and down, the clouds seduced her, whispered to her to let them embrace her. Nokoni’s eyes were doing the same thing. “Thank you,” she whispered and took his face in her hands. She looked over at Hah-Tee. “Thank you too.” “For what?” Hah-Tee asked. Laughter bubbled out of her. “I’m not sure. Maybe for not bothering with clothes.” Releasing her shoulders, Nokoni skimmed his hands down her arms and from there to her hips. Shivering, she let go of him with one hand and reached for Hah-Tee. The instant Hah-Tee’s fingers met hers, nothing else mattered. This moment was for the three of them. Maybe. “I have to ask something,” she said. “I hope it won’t ruin things, but—each of you knows about the other and me?” “About him finding you at Oraibi,” Nokoni said. “Yes.” “And about that first night at the fairgrounds when you and he had sex. I already told you that.” She detected no animosity in either voice; either that or she was hearing what she needed to. “I should ask how you feel about that, but would both of you be here if it was something you couldn’t handle?”

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“That’s between the two of us,” Nokoni said. “You have enough to think about.” Most of the time, she had dozens of things on her mind. Now, only one thing mattered—two men. Taking hold of her shoulders again, Nokoni pushed her back, which forced her to release Hah-Tee’s hand. Nokoni drew her shirt over her head. Despite the heat, goose bumps erupted. The older shifter started to push her bra strap down her arm. “No,” Hah-Tee said. Concerned that the peaceful moments had come to an end, she tried to concentrate on both of them. Hah-Tee positioned himself so his shoulder brushed Nokoni’s. Nokoni briefly held his ground and then stepped aside. The two exchanged a look she couldn’t comprehend. “The first time I saw you,” Hah-Tee said with his fingers looped through her bra straps, “only your body mattered. I didn’t care what kind of person you were. It didn’t matter what you thought of what Nokoni and I are, just that you weren’t running away.” “I couldn’t. There was something about you that… I’m sorry, I can’t explain.” Nokoni nodded. “Neither can we. Today simply is.” Yes, she agreed. That was what she wanted, the only thing. Leaning forward a little, she lifted the shoulder closest to Hah-Tee. Nodding, he pulled her bra strap as far down as it would go. After doing the same to the other, he spun her around so her back was to them. “I watched a woman undress.” Hah-Tee’s breath dampened her hair and made her scalp tingle. “She was at an older motel near the one where you met with your aunt. It had ground-floor windows that opened to the parking lot.

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When she went alone to her room after dark, I looked in through the small opening in the curtain.” Hah-Tee’s fingers settled around her bra fastening. Short, strong nails glided over her spine. “I couldn’t make myself leave.” He fumbled a bit but managed to free the hooks. Then he took hold of the sides so the cups pressed against her tender breasts. She loved being under the shifter’s control, could see only a little of her captor while Nokoni’s features couldn’t have been clearer. “You, ah, you shouldn’t have done what you did at the motel.” Darn it, she didn’t want to stumble over her words. “You could have been arrested.” “They’d have to catch me first.” Yes, they would. Without warning, the younger shifter looped a tree-like arm around her throat and drew her off balance toward him until the back of her head rested on his shoulder. Alarm niggled at her, only to die when he took hold of her bra between her breasts and drew it off her. She looked down as the air slid over her newly exposed breasts, but the arm around her throat was in the way. Nokoni stepped in front of her, invaded her space. Trapped between them, she wanted nothing else. “You let us inside your heart when you told us what reporting on that fire was like for you,” he said. “Now it’s time for us to show you how that affected us.” She thought he flicked a look at Hah-Tee, but maybe she’d only imagined it. She still couldn’t wrap her mind around the realization that both of them—that the three of them were going to—they were, weren’t they? Despite being dependent on Hah-Tee to keep from falling backward, she reached for the fastening on her jeans. Nokoni pushed her hand away.

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Overhead, a hawk sped in and out of view. The pinto chewed on the bush she’d tethered him to. Deliciously helpless, she gave up keeping everything in focus. Nokoni sucked on one breast, teased and kneaded the other until she couldn’t think for her pounding heart. Her heels dug into the ground. Sliding his free arm around her waist, Hah-Tee deftly freed her jeans. The zipper lightly raked her belly. She’d worn bikini panties today because, well, because they put her in touch with her sexuality, but a little extra bare skin was nothing compared to a man behind her and another in front. Blinking repeatedly, she managed to bring Nokoni back into focus. The big man had crouched cat-like in order to fasten his mouth around her breast, so he could lay claim to her. By putting all her concentration into it, she managed to take a double-fisted hold of his hair. Thick and coarse, it put her in mind of a horse’s mane. What he was doing to her breasts was all man, a male who knew what she needed. Was it instinct, his innate ability to climb inside her nerve endings? Maybe both men had the same ability, some gift from who or what had created them. Her jeans still clung to her buttocks, but with the zipper out of the way, HahTee had no trouble sliding his hand under the denim. His fingers kissed her belly and slipped beneath the poor excuse for underwear. Robbed of breath, she squirmed. The dangerous, delicious fingers inched closer to her core while Nokoni’s mouth abandoned one breast and claimed the other. “Oh God!” “Relax,” Hah-Tee whispered. “If you think I can, you don’t know anything about women.” His fingers drifted through her pubic hair. “I’m learning.” No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remain still. Hah-Tee wasn’t tickling her, more like awakening dormant nerves via fingers that knew her

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better than she did herself. Maybe she could fully concentrate on what was taking place between her legs if Nokoni’s attention hadn’t been centered on her breasts. Just when she was certain her legs would give out, desert air brushed the breast that had been in his mouth, alerting her to its unwanted freedom. A hot tingle in it had her arching her back. She’d give anything to have the big shifter claim her breast again, to somehow tongue both of them at the same time. If she died today, what a wonderful way to— “Listen to me, “Nokoni said. “You trust us, don’t you?” “Yes.” She hoped she wasn’t lying. “It’s me I’m not sure of.” “Is that good or bad?” “I don’t know.” “Maybe you will know by the time we’re finished with you.” Finished? “What are you going to do?” His rough fingers cupped her breasts and lifted them, sending yet another jolt through her. “What you need.” Oh, yes! “And that is?” she challenged. “This.” Hah-Tee continued to hold her against him via the arm over her chest. Maybe his strength should alarm her, but she was too deep into sensation for that. These remarkable men had sandwiched her between them, a masculine hand blanketing her mons while take-charge fingers inched toward her nipples. She swam in her captivity, drifted in electric heat. “You want both of us. At the same time,” Nokoni said. Oh, shit! The hold on her breasts tightened. Still trusting, she nevertheless looked deep into Nokoni’s eyes. “No matter what we look like right now,” he said, “you

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should never forget that we began life as animals. Instinct is still vital to our existence.” Hah-Tee’s now spread fingers lightly raked the insides of her thighs, prompting her to whimper and widen her stance. A rough, insistent finger touched her sex. Mewling, she tossed her head. “I, ah, I’m not a predator.” “No, you’re not.” Nokoni’s fingers slid even closer to her nipples. “But reading you requires the same skills.” What had happened to her muscles? They’d been there just seconds ago, but now, damn it, they’d deserted her. Maybe the men had stolen them just as they were robbing her of the ability to think. “You make me sound pretty simple,” she somehow managed to say. “Plug in a little instinct, and you have me pegged.” “Pegged?” “Figured out. Go on, tell me whatever you think you know about me. Just get it out.” Instead, the older shifter caught her nipples between his forefingers and thumbs and drew them away from her body. A delicious grinding sensation settled over her. In contrast, the pressure against her sex fractured her. “Open your legs.” Hah-Tee spoke with his mouth near her ear. “Let me in.” She tried to do as he’d requested—or was it a command?—but her jeans and panties made that impossible. Whimpering in disappointment, she again reached for the waistband. She’d started to haul the denim over her hips when masculine fingers closed around her wrist. Before the loss against her pussy registered, Hah-Tee pulled her hand away. “Help me,” Hah-Tee said.

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Thinking he was talking to her, she struggled to understand what he wanted. Then Nokoni released her breasts and hauled what remained of her clothing down around her ankles, and she understood that the two men were working together. But to what end? As if she didn’t know. The pressure around her collarbone let up, allowing her to straighten. The moment she’d accomplished the complex task, Hah-Tee snaked his arm around her waist and stepped into her space so their bodies were sealed together. His erection ground into her spine. Even more excited, she raked her nails over her hips. “No, no,” Nokoni softly warned. “Why not?” she challenged. “It’s my body. I have a right to—” “Because I want them here.” By the time she’d pulled her thoughts together enough to consider asking him what he had in mind, Nokoni had closed his fingers around her wrists and drawn her hands toward his cock. The instant her fingertips made contact with the silken flesh, she cupped her fingers around him. His ragged breath briefly distracted her from her out-of-control body. “Do you remember the day we met?” Nokoni asked. “I’ll never forget.” “Neither will we. The first time you looked at us, your attention went from one to the other and then back again. You kept doing that, trying to give us equal attention, trying to comprehend.” “What are you talking about?” “About what he and I learned from those moments,” Hah-Tee said.

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She waited for more, was certain there had to be further explanation. Instead, Hah-Tee wrapped both arms around her and lifted her off the ground. Long seconds later, the younger shifter set her back onto her feet but didn’t slacken his hold. She tried to look back at him only to lose her concentration because Nokoni’s hand—oh God, against her sex, trapping it. Claiming it. Somehow she managed to keep a hold on his cock. “He’s right,” Nokoni said. “We learned more about you than we think you realize.” Hah-Tee settled his arm against her breasts’ underside, lifting them so they now rested on his forearm. That was enough, all she needed to keep her turned on, but they weren’t done with her. Nokoni’s hand over her sex made that clear. “What did you learn?” she managed. “That you’re a woman without a man in her life. A highly sexed woman who doesn’t know how to get what she needs.” Nokoni’s explanation made no sense. Either that or she was in no shape to try to put the words together. It felt wonderful to hold on to Nokoni the way she was, almost as good as Hah-Tee’s claim on her. The world around them was so dry the breeze fairly crackled, and her skin cried out for moisture, but the two wouldn’t allow the sun to have its way with her. As long as they were here, she wouldn’t have to think about tomorrow or remember yesterday, could dismiss what the older shifter had said about the holes in her life. Closing her eyes, she drifted until her vivid dream of the other night resurfaced. She was one woman with two breasts, one mouth, a single cunt. Caught between two men.

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Chapter Eighteen

“You look at us,” Nokoni muttered, “and you see a single body.” “No. Believe me, I’m very aware of the differences between you.” “Mental and emotional differences, yes, but not our bodies.” Maybe she could argue the point but to what purpose? Let him do the talking. All she wanted was to focus on sensation, to let her body speak to her. Hah-Tee lightly finger-massaged her sides, while his larger, potent body continued its marriage with hers. It didn’t matter that eyes were still closed; she easily saw Nokoni standing a few inches away. He was looking down at her while hopefully feeling what a man felt when a woman claimed his cock. More to the point, he had mastery over her sex. Yes, he was simply cupping and cradling her there, but it could be so much more. Would soon emotionally shred her. “You understand what it’s like for stallions.” Nokoni’s voice seduced her. “There’s no sharing.” “Several times, he would have killed me if I hadn’t backed down,” Hah-Tee said. “I bide my time. I wait for him to lose his edge.” “Why are you telling me this?” she asked. “You know.” The older shifter was right; she indeed understood. “Because this is different. I’m not a mare.”

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No one spoke. The hands and bodies that had taken over everything stopped moving. Wanting more, she opened her eyes. Nokoni stared down at her with his coal-black eyes. The hand over her sex twitched. “Yes,” she admitted even though she didn’t trust her ability to speak. “I want both of you. I told myself that thinking this was crazy, that it would never happen, that the two of you wouldn’t be satisfied—” “Sharing you is better than having nothing.” Nokoni might not be ready or willing to relinquish his position as herd stud, but when that happened, she couldn’t imagine a better replacement than the shifter who’d just spoken. “I don’t know if I can be what you want,” she admitted. “You’ll try.” She nodded but couldn’t give voice to her complicated thoughts. Much more exposure and she’d have sunburned breasts—would wear them like badges. Hah-Tee eased away a little until the pressure of his cock against her back became a caress. Then he leaned into her again. Mind swirling, she cradled Nokoni’s cock with one hand and reached behind her, seeking to touch some part of the younger shifter. Her fingers found his naked hip. Under her touch, Hah-Tee’s flesh quivered. Feeling her strength, she lightly raked her nails over him there. “Careful.” His hold on her tightened, relaxed, tightened. Yes, she had to do that. She didn’t dare forget that beneath that perfect male body lay an animal, a stallion. “Arms at your sides.” Nokoni’s command stopped her. Made her obey. The part of her that had embraced her career wanted a say in what was going to happen this afternoon, but these weren’t men who lived by rules she understood.

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Loss of eye contact between her and Nokoni lasted only a moment, yet she knew he and Hah-Tee had exchanged another look. Her fingers curled in upon themselves and stayed that way, forcing her to acknowledge how hard relinquishing Hah-Tee’s cock had been. She both loved and hated feeling as if they owned her. Mostly loved. “You’re a beautiful woman,” Nokoni said. “Everything about you speaks of your Hopi blood.” I’m only half Hopi, a half-breed. “Thank you.” “You belong on this land. You need it, and it needs you.” She wasn’t sure what he meant about that last part, wanted to ask. But suddenly, he was no longer there. Terrified he’d somehow disappear, she willed herself not to cry out. Her vision cleared. He wasn’t gone, after all. He’d only lowered himself to his knees and was—oh God, his tongue was on her! Sounds she couldn’t remember ever uttering spilled from her. To hell with the command to keep her hands to herself, she had to touch something. Someone. Reaching out, she snagged Nokoni’s hair and pulled. A second later, her strength deserted her, so it was all she could do just to hold on. Her knees threatened to buckle. “What is it?” Hah-Tee asked. “Not what you want?” Nokoni’s magical tongue washed her here and there, briefly dipped into her opening, lapped at her clit. Catching her swollen flesh between his lips, he sucked while she raked her own thighs. Behind her, Hah-Tee rocked, his cock challenging her. His heat flowed over her back, teased her sides, somehow encircled her.

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No spa or sauna had touched every cell of her being like she was being touched at this moment. There was no making sense of which man was doing what, no separating things out, just them everywhere. Loving it. Losing herself. It shouldn’t be like this! Too much! A man’s mouth claiming and igniting her sex while another held her immobile. She should fight, should demand back her sanity. But she’d rather die than do that. Was this why her mother had chosen a man over her? Parental instinct couldn’t hold a candle to what a man was capable of? No! She wouldn’t think that, wouldn’t go there. Instead she’d—what? Nokoni wasn’t just focused on her sex. While she’d been caught in her thoughts, he’d flattened his thumbs against the join between legs and groin and had started kneading and massaging her there. All the while his magical, crazymaking tongue continued its claim on what made her a woman. When she wasn’t intent on trying to pull oxygen into her lungs, she caught bits and pieces of the sounds escaping her. Behind her, Hah-Tee’s harsh, rapid breaths drenched her hair. Nokoni’s spent air sent even more heat to her pussy. Good thing Hah-Tee had such a firm grip on her. Good thing Nokoni’s hands now bracketed her thighs. Otherwise she’d melt. Them! They deserved—given how much pleasure they were giving her, she should—ah, no. Can’t think. The shifters were everywhere. Sucking her into them so she no longer knew where one let off and the other began. Her breasts felt swollen to double their normal size. Her skin had never been this sensitive. Even the bottoms of her feet throbbed.

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Nokoni’s tongue rested at her entrance. Disoriented, she tried to push herself onto her toes, only to sink back down. Everything became quiet, reminding her of how the desert felt just before a wind blasted it. How she’d loved the sense of suspended energy. A slurping sound coupled with pressure from the rear to the front of her sex had her lifting her arms and digging her fingers into Hah-Tee’s forearms for support. Yet again Nokoni tongue-stroked her. On her toes again, she waited. Pressure at her opening sent her heart to pounding. Her calves trembled, forcing her to lower herself. Nokoni’s tongue entered her. Wet pressure invaded her walls as, moment by moment, his exploration deepened. His fingers traveled over her outer thighs and then behind her to cover her buttocks. Taking hold of her ass cheeks, he drew them apart. The world snapped, stopped, started again. She couldn’t say where she was or what she was doing, just that she’d somehow plunged into herself. Only her body mattered. The men who’d captured her between them—who were they? Lifting her head, she opened her mouth, but before she could give voice to sensation beyond comprehension, someone slapped a hand over her mouth, silencing her. She tried to bite. “Quiet.” What new kink was this? Had the shifters planned the details in advance and were moving from overloading her body to bondage? “You heard it?” Hah-Tee muttered. “Yeah.” This from Nokoni. “Where?” “Not sure.” Nothing mattered beyond loss. Her channel was empty and dripping, her calf and thigh muscles struggling to support her weight. More important, Hah-

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Tee was no longer behind her. Her spine ached, prompting her to press her hand against the small of her back. The pressure reached all the way to her belly, and the hunger in her sex fairly exploded. Hissing like an angry cat, she cupped herself. “I’m sorry,” Nokoni whispered. “This isn’t what we wanted.” Then finish. Nearly out of her vision stood the naked and potently aroused shifters. They walked away from her, heading up the slope to the west, seemingly unaware that they risked shredding their feet on the rocky ground. The way they crouched with their hands fisted alarmed her. Before she could decide whether she dared ask what they intended to do, Nokoni spun toward her, placed a finger over his lips, and shook his head. She could take the easy way out and wait for them to determine what, if anything, was out there, or she could join them. The sight of their perfect bodies leaving her answered her question. Yanking her jeans up over her hips and putting on her shirt, she hurried after them. Her unrestrained breasts bounced, and she couldn’t decide whether the slide of her panties’ crotch over her pussy was painful or exciting. She’d nearly caught up to them when she heard a faint, high whinny. A moment later, another horse answered. What didn’t make sense was that the deeper whinny was at a considerable distance from what had to be a foal. “What is it?” she whispered. “A foal got separated from its mother?” “No,” Nokoni said. “How can you be sure?” “It isn’t one of ours.” “Which isn’t?”

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Stopping, the shifters faced her. Despite her efforts, she couldn’t drag her gaze up from their still-erect cocks. “The colt is my son,” Nokoni said. “But that isn’t his mother.” “It’s a gelding,” Hah-Tee added. She’d never question their ability to identify individual horses. “A gelding? Wait. It can’t be a member of your herd.” “No, it can’t.” She was debating suggesting someone’s personal horse must have gotten away when the gelding let loose with another deep whinny. If anything, the shifters became even more alert and tense. “What?” she asked. Hah-Tee pointed. “The gelding is heading toward the colt.”

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Chapter Nineteen

It’s all right, Terena wanted to say. Let horses be horses. A glance at the shifters’ expressions and she knew better. Once again, she was reminded that no matter what form they assumed, at the core they were horses and, as such, more instinctive than she could ever be. How they could walk barefoot amazed her. She had all she could do to keep up with them as they hurried up the slope and then down the other side. The colt was obviously excited as witnessed by how often the youngster called out. Twice she heard a soft whinny so close to the little one that she suspected that must be his mother, perhaps answering the gelding. She couldn’t detect any differences between the sounds the adult horses were making, let alone determine whether the gelding was still approaching mother and son, but going by the shifters’ demeanor, it was. The men and she had reached the bottom of the first slope and were nearing the top of another when Nokoni and Hah-Tee stopped in mid-stride. She did the same, straining to hear. “Two,” Hah-Tee said after a short silence. “Two what?” “Shod horses.” Just like that, she understood what had alarmed the men. One horse might wander away from its owner but probably not two. Whatever was happening was deliberate, dictated by humans.

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Tense, she touched both shifters’ shoulders. Even with everything she had on her mind, the contact brought back images of what they’d been doing a few minutes ago. Was that behind them, and they’d never finish what they’d begun? “What are you going to do?” “Stop them.” By them, Nokoni undoubtedly meant whoever was on horseback. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret. The mare and colt might not be in danger.” “We can’t take the chance.” On the verge of accusing them of being alarmists, she remembered what had happened to Red. One moment, the swift, beautiful young mare had been living free among the rest of her herd. The next, someone, maybe Ahote, had captured her and changed her life. Taken her from the world she’d been born into. She squeezed Nokoni’s arm and then Hah-Tee’s. Her attempt to reach them barely earned her a glance. Their erections had died, proof that in many ways they were now stallions intent on protecting those dependent on them. “Whoever it is might be armed,” she said, no longer trying to shrink from dark possibilities. “We know.” Eyes widening, Nokoni cocked his head, but she heard nothing. “Do you want to say it, or will I have to?” he asked. Neither of us. Please, let’s don’t go there. Knowing that wasn’t possible, she gathered her courage and resolve around her. “It might be my cousin.” “And if it is?” Much as she wanted to slap away the big shifter’s question, she couldn’t. “Then chances are he’s here for one reason.” “Yes.” Fear for the man who’d once been her only playmate chilled her. “I don’t want to say this. God knows it’s the last thing I want, but if he’s here to capture

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another mustang, it’s because he’s desperate. He might do something; he…he’s a good shot.” “Yeah.” Hah-Tee looked down at his naked body. “And we’re easy targets.” “Only if they see us first.” They. That’s right, there were two men out there. “Let me talk to him,” she offered. “If he’ll listen to anyone, it’s me.” Both men frowned, but before either said anything, the colt let loose with a loud squeal. The sharp sound was followed by a rumbling nicker from the same direction. “Is the little one scared?” she asked. “His mother’s trying to calm him?” Hah-Tee shook his head. “Excited. And nosy. Mama is insisting he stay where he is, which is not what he wants to do.” “Like kids the world over.” She laughed, and for a moment the day was light and easy. Then two pairs of sober eyes bore down on her. Even before she’d left the reservation, she’d been standing on her own two feet and making her decisions. Today, however, she had no choice but to let the incredible shifters take the lead. “What are you going to do?” “First we learn. Then we act.” Again impressing her with their ability to communicate without words, she stood watching as the men turned from her and continued their climb. With each step, the muscles in their thighs and buttocks contracted. Swallowing, she started after them. If only the potential for danger didn’t exist. Nokoni stopped with one knee bent and his head turned back toward her. “No. You need to stay here.” And leave you? I can’t. “The hell I will. This—I mean, I might be able to talk sense into him.” “Unless he kills you.”

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Ahote would never do that. He loves me as much as I do him. Teeth clenched against the words that might no longer be the truth, she resolutely shook her head. “I can’t stay behind. Not knowing what’s happening will kill me.” Hah-Tee looked as if he had no idea what she was trying to say, while Nokoni gave a slow and reluctant nod. “This isn’t what I wanted to have happen today,” he said. She tried to smile. “Neither did I.” The colt snorted. Thoughts of anything bad happening to the little one had her taking another step. She’d nearly drawn abreast of the shifters when they took off at a trot. Not long ago, Nokoni had crouched before her with his mouth on her sex and her mind splintering. His stance then had had her drawing comparisons between him and a cougar. She now saw the same feline grace in the way he and Hah-Tee leaned over to keep as much of themselves as possible hidden from view. She tried to duplicate their movements, but her smaller and slighter body lacked their fluid quality. Maybe the difference lay in their muscle structure. More likely they’d never make a complete transition from stallion to man. Little in the way of vegetation grew at the top of the second hill, but fortunately there were enough boulders to provide them with something to hide behind. Nokoni and Hah-Tee each chose a separate boulder. She couldn’t decide who to join, so she positioned herself behind a third. Much as she wanted their energy to blend with hers, she had to do everything she could to avoid distracting them. Chiding herself for not wearing sunglasses, she strained to bring what lay beyond and below them into focus. The land, as she well knew, wasn’t as level as it first appeared. Instead of being completely flat, it randomly buckled and lifted.

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A person could practically be at a canyon’s edge before he or she knew it existed. Between that and the terrain’s varying colors and cloud-caused shadows, she knew better than to jump to conclusions about what she was looking at. To the left was a thin, worn trail that might be the work of hikers or mustangs, maybe both. A deceptively bare-looking area in the distance to the east was probably where a Hopi farmer had planted his corn. If she was closer, she’d be able to see the hardy, widely spaced plants that, thanks to deep root structure, survived despite the scant rainfall. Peaceful. Deceptively peaceful. As a child, she’d learned to let the land talk to her. Today, with the men who’d taken her body where it had never been standing nearby, she listened. Between the breeze and birds, it took her a while to sort out what was different. She had a pretty good idea where the noisy colt and its mother were, and it didn’t take her long to spot them near several bushes. She was tempted to pick up a rock and heave it at the pair to see how fast the little one with its unique marking could run, but not only couldn’t she throw that far, she didn’t want to risk startling them. “There.” Nokoni was still crouching, again making her envy the strength in his legs. Sunlight spilled over his dark, perfect body. When he pointed, she crawled around her boulder, hoping to see what had caught his attention. Two barely visible men on horseback were heading single-file toward the mare and colt. The length of maybe two football fields remained between the horsemen and their prey, if that’s what the mother-son pair represented. The sunlight she loved seeing on Nokoni glinted off metal on each saddle. “Rifles.” She could barely get the word out. “Yes.”

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Maybe it was her imagination that had her convinced Ahote was the lead rider. Her temple throbbing, she stood. “What are you doing?” Nokoni demanded. When she looked at the shifter, her mind briefly went blank while her body leaped to life. This man and the one who was both his rival and companion had touched her deeply, completely. She didn’t know where this relationship might go, acknowledged that the journey might never end. “Going after him.” “No!” “I’m the only one he’ll listen to,” she said. “You can’t be sure it’s your cousin.” Hah-Tee settled his gaze on her unrestrained breasts under her top. “One look at you, and—” “So I didn’t have time to grab my bra.” She squared her shoulders. “Maybe my boobs will distract them.” “The risk’s too great. You—” “No,” she interrupted Nokoni. “I won’t let you endanger your lives.” “That isn’t your decision to make.” “The hell it isn’t.” Too much time was passing. With every second, the armed men were closing in on a mustang mare and her foal. The mare could probably outrun the would-be attackers, but maybe the foal hadn’t yet discovered what its legs were capable of. “Damn it, if you two get yourselves killed, what’s going to happen to the herd?” To me? “She’s right,” Hah-Tee muttered. Nokoni had safeguarded the mustangs up until now, but that didn’t mean he knew how to survive today. Just the same, she waited for the older shifter to speak. Studying him as he did the same to the strangers below, she realized she’d never felt this close to another human being. What she was experiencing was far

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different from her childhood love for the couple who’d raised her. She’d thought she’d been in love several times, but compared to this, those emotions had been shallow and incomplete. This was total, a willingness to put Nokoni’s life ahead of her own. She didn’t have to look at Hah-Tee to know she felt the same about him. “Terena,” Nokoni said, “I know you already told us this, but I need to hear it again. You’re certain you’re safe around your cousin? He’d never harm you?” No one could ever be one hundred percent sure what went on inside another’s mind, but she didn’t waste time or energy explaining that. Tomorrow, if they had one, was soon enough to educate him about human complexities. “The Ahote I know will put my safety before his. He’d never raise a hand against me.” “But he might have changed?” “No,” she blurted, unwilling to acknowledge the possibility. “I saw him not that long ago. He’s still the same nonviolent person I grew up with.” “I hope you’re right. Unfortunately, we know nothing about his companion.” “What are you thinking?” Hah-Tee asked. Something passed between the shifters, another unspoken communication that didn’t include her and reminded her that they were connected in ways she’d never fully comprehend. “I need you to remain where they can’t see you,” Nokoni told Hah-Tee. “Terena and I will approach the newcomers. She’ll demand an explanation of what they’re doing. Their answers and reactions to seeing us will determine what happens next.” This wasn’t happening! Any moment she’d wake up—with the shifters blanketing her body.

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Picking up a palm-size rock, Hah-Tee cocked his arm so he looked like a pitcher about to release a fastball. “Like we are right now, these are our only weapons,” he pointed out unnecessarily. “Stones against bullets.” “I know.” Nokoni’s somber tone made it all too clear that he was well aware of how unequal the battle, if there was one, would be. “What if you changed?” she asked. “As stallions, you’d—” “If necessary, we will,” Nokoni said, “but we need to hear what the newcomers have to say, to talk to them as equals. Terena, this isn’t what we want for you. It isn’t your battle. We’ll understand if you leave.” “If I do, I’ll never be able to forgive myself. Nokoni, Hah-Tee, we’ve already talked too much.” Back straight, head back and magnificent body gleaming in the sunlight, Nokoni stepped from behind the boulder. Her heart racing but determined, she joined him. Silent, not looking back to see what Hah-Tee was doing, she headed toward the distant riders. Having the older shifter next to her kept her emotionally strong, and she stopped trying to convince herself that this moment wasn’t happening. Bottom line, she was committed to doing everything she could to prevent another mustang from suffering Red’s fate. This land was wild and unfenced, what the rare herd deserved. Yes, she silently repeated. Certain creatures should never be tamed. Not everything had to be brought under human control. No matter how vital it was to keep her attention on the horsemen, she couldn’t shake off the realization that she’d hit on something important. “They see us,” Nokoni said.

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Instead of dreading what might happen next, she acknowledged his words with a short nod. Mirroring Nokoni’s proud stance, she continued toward the riders. They’d pulled their mounts to a stop and stared at her and the shifter. One reached behind him for his rifle, but the other didn’t move. He was broadshouldered with a thick neck, short arms, long hair, and a nose that was dented at the top. Familiar.

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“Ahote,” Terena whispered. “I was right. It’s my cousin.” “I thought so.” She’d told Nokoni that Ahote cared deeply for her. It was time to prove herself right. And if she couldn’t—no, she wasn’t going to go there. “What the hell?” the rifle-holder exclaimed when Nokoni and she were close enough for a conversation. “What’s going on?” “Terena, damn it, what is this about?” Ahote jerked his head, indicating her disheveled appearance, but this was hardly the time to try to explain her lack of a bra or Nokoni’s nudity. “I’m the one who has a right to ask some questions,” she insisted. “What are you doing here?” This close to the horsemen, she easily concluded that the other man wasn’t Hopi. More important, two lassos were attached to each saddle. She pointed. “Never mind explaining, I know what these are for.” “Give the broad a gold star,” the man she didn’t recognize said. Thudding sounds to her right had everyone turning in that direction. The mare and colt raced away. “Shit!” the stranger exploded. “All that work—damn it, Ahote, who’s the chick?” Features grim, Ahote said nothing. “We’re cousins,” she explained. Much as she wanted to study Nokoni’s reaction to having a rifle pointed at him, she didn’t dare spend time on him. For

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some reason, her personal safety didn’t matter, but if something happened to the shifter… “Aren’t we, Ahote? Best friends growing up, telling each other everything, sharing secrets because we trusted each other?” “Don’t.” Despite Ahote’s harsh order, she thought she heard pain behind the word. “We deserve the truth.” She indicated Nokoni. “Him more than me.” “Why?” Ahote asked. “Because you were going after my son.” Shocked by what Nokoni had revealed, she struggled not to stare at him. Instead, she studied Ahote and his companion to see if they had any idea what they’d just been told. The armed man merely looked puzzled. In contrast, Ahote leaned forward and intently studied Nokoni. “Shit,” he muttered. “Ah, shit, it’s true.” “What’s true?” the other man demanded. “Damn it, Wood, just shut up.” Wood—what a strange name—glowered at Ahote in a way that made her believe he’d never heard Ahote talk like that. “The hell I’m going to,” Wood retorted. “What’s with that?” He pointed his rifle at Nokoni’s cock. “You some kind of back-to-nature—crap, I’ve got it.” Watching Wood’s nostrils flare and his eyes widen, she nearly laughed. The man might have believed he was prepared for anything that might happen out here, but doubtless he’d never thought he’d see what he was now. “Go on, say it.” Nokoni held out his arms. “What are you thinking?” “Thinking nothing. The two of you were getting it on, fucking, weren’t you? Where the hell did you leave your clothes, and how can you walk barefoot?”

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“It doesn’t matter.” Nokoni looked at the rifle aimed at him, but nothing in his expression indicated he was alarmed. Was it possible he didn’t fully comprehend what the weapon was capable of? “What does matter is that you have no right to my colt or his mother.” “You’re—look, you’re crazy; you have to be.” Wood extended the rifle toward Nokoni a few more inches. “You’re standing there buck naked without so much as a pocketknife to protect yourself with. I’ve come too damn far and spent too damn much time on this godforsaken land to walk away now, got it? One way or another, I’m finding myself a mustang I can handle.” “Go on.” She had to hand it to the shifter. Despite his limited experience as a man, he knew how to get information out of Wood. “You ever see how some of those mustangs run?” Wood frowned. “You say that colt is yours, but he’s part of a wild herd. He doesn’t belong to anyone.” Ahote snorted. “Damn it, Wood, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” “And you do? What, you’re siding with the buck-naked bastard who’s been humping your cousin? This your way of getting out of your promise, by trying to make me believe the mare and her foal have someone’s brand on them?” “What promise?” Terena demanded. “What’s he talking about, Ahote?” “Let’s call it a debt,” Wood supplied, while Ahote seemed to shrink in his saddle. “Your relative got himself so deep into something there’s only one way out, right?” How long had the four of them been standing here? Maybe the only thing that mattered was determining what it would take to get Wood to lower his weapon. Despite the danger the rifle represented, she still needed to learn the truth behind Ahote’s actions.

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“You’re having sex with him?” Ahote shot a look at Nokoni, who stood statue-like in the desert sun. “Yes,” Nokoni said, “she is.” Three simple words, almost nothing compared to what else was going on, and yet they awakened her. The truth was, they hadn’t been having sex in the way Ahote undoubtedly believed. Instead, she, Nokoni and Hah-Tee had been taking their relationship in a direction she’d never thought possible. If she hadn’t been at the center of that threesome, she wouldn’t be where she was right now. Under any other circumstances, she would have taken off looking for law enforcement and left all four men to do whatever it was men did when testosterone ruled them. Four men. Where was Hah-Tee, and what was he doing? “Terena,” Ahote said. “I need you to leave. Go home. I—I’ll get in touch with you as soon as I can.” “Unlike when I left that message asking you to call me?” She didn’t want to be angry at her cousin, but how could she help it when she felt as if she’d fallen into a river and was being swept toward a dangerous waterfall? “Sorry, cuz. No can do.” Deliberately ignoring Wood, she walked up to Ahote’s horse and placed her hand on the lassos. “Explain.” “Terena,” Nokoni warned. “Careful.” Alerted by the shifter’s tone, she sensed him taking a step in her direction. “Stop right there.” Wood sighted down his rifle at Nokoni. With maybe ten feet between her and Nokoni, she shouldn’t be able to sense what was going on inside him, but maybe the lack of clothes factored in—and maybe in the short amount of time she’d known him, they’d formed some kind of bond, an emotional union, certainly a physical connection.

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Nokoni stood on the edge between man and animal, predator and prey. He wanted to fight. Aggression was in his nature, part of what it meant to be a stallion. At the same time, instinct would warn him not to jeopardize his life this way because the herd needed him—as did the woman who’d entered his life. He was more than a mustang, greater than a man with little comprehension of the world. He was sex in its most basic form, and yet saying that wasn’t enough. Maybe it all boiled down to his body’s impact on hers, the raw and wild nature of their relationship. She felt the same way about Hah-Tee. “Do what he says,” she reluctantly told him, when she hated stripping Nokoni of his courage and fight. “Don’t throw your life away like this.” “Listen to your whore.” Wood laughed. “Take your naked ass back where you came from and finish giving it to her. By then, my friend and I’ll be gone, along with a couple of meal tickets.” “Is he right?” she threw at her cousin. “You won’t stop until you’ve captured more mustangs?” Nokoni’s intake of breath seared her nerves. How helpless he must feel, staring at a rifle barrel while every fiber of his being ached for action, but even if he dared charge Wood, could he justify injuring or killing the man? After all, the only thing Wood and Ahote had done was go riding on the reservation. The weapon represented security, nothing more. So far. “I don’t want to be doing this,” Ahote said. “But I don’t have a choice.” “We always have a choice, damn it!” Wishing she could shake her cousin, she lifted one of the lassos off the saddle and dropped it to the ground. She reached for the other. “I’m taking these. Go back where you came from.”

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Before she could grab the second rope, Ahote slapped her hand away. Her arm stung. “What’s that?” she demanded. Balling up her other fist, she struck her cousin’s thigh with all her strength. “Damn you, we aren’t kids fighting over a toy. This—” A deep grunt distracted her. Spinning toward the sound, she saw everything in slow motion. Nokoni had started toward her. That had prompted Wood to knee his mount forward and press the rifle barrel against Nokoni’s chest. The two men had glared at each other from the beginning, but that was nothing compared to the hostility now spiraling between them. Nokoni’s fisted hands, clenched jaw and inhaled breath again had her drawing comparisons between him and an animal about to attack. Fear for him all but blinded her. Pushing away from Ahote, she leaped at Wood. She wasn’t sure what she hoped to accomplish—whatever it took to get her hands on the rifle. Wood gripped the rifle with one hand and yanked on the reins with the other. The startled horse jumped back with its head flung high and his ears back. Rapid-fire thuds coming from where they’d left Hah-Tee snagged her attention. Hah-Tee, in stallion form, galloped toward them. Coal-black tail flying behind him and eagle symbol seemingly in flight, he charged. “No!” Wood screamed. A harsh grunt followed. Tearing her attention off the approaching stallion, she stared as Nokoni and Wood fought over the rifle. Maybe Wood had tried to aim at Hah-Tee and Nokoni was determined to stop him; maybe Nokoni had decided to take advantage of Wood’s distraction to wrestle the weapon from him. Nokoni would win! His strength was greater than Wood’s, his determination unwavering. Then Wood’s horse reared, breaking Nokoni’s grip on the barrel and forcing him back to avoid the flying hooves. Wood had let go of the reins while

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wrestling with Nokoni but was trying to grab them again. The rifle wavered, dipped. Crack! For a mini-second that seemed to last forever, Terena was positive no one moved. Even the rearing horse seemed suspended in midair, and Hah-Tee froze with all four hooves off the ground. Then Nokoni sank to his knees. Get up, get up! You lost your balance, that’s all! Blood began escaping from the long furrow along his right shoulder. Nokoni was already getting to his feet, but maybe he was in shock, because he wasn’t looking at anything. He seemed unaware of the rifle. Wood’s unnerved mount pounded the earth. A bellowing whinny tore through her. Much as she needed to convince herself that Nokoni wasn’t badly wounded, she faced Hah-Tee. The stallion had stopped with his front hooves digging into the ground and the whites of his eyes showing. Despite the stallion’s tightly muscled body, she sensed human emotions. Alarm. Fear. “What the hell? What the hell?” She’d like nothing more than to slap Wood into silence. Instead, she approached Nokoni. She’d asked for a leave from her job because she’d had all she could take of standing on the outside when people came together in a crisis. Now she was in the middle of one. This wasn’t something she could walk away from, an article and accompanying pictures to file with her employers. This would stay with her for the rest of her life. “Stop!”

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Thinking Wood was ordering her to stay away from Nokoni, she opened her mouth to tell him to go to hell, only to see that his damnable deadly rifle was now pointed at Hah-Tee. “What the hell are you doing?” Ahote demanded. “You can’t shoot him.” “The hell I can’t. Look at him. He’s going to tear me apart. The damn beast hates me.” Of course, he does. You could have killed his—his companion. Hah-Tee pawed the ground, making her wonder how much he understood of what Wood was saying. To her relief, even though his arm hung at his side, Nokoni looked steady on his feet. “Do it, Hah-Tee,” Nokoni said. “Kill the man.” “No!” Realization that Nokoni might be more animal than human right now silenced her. Hah-Tee repeatedly pawed the ground. “Bastard!” Wood spit out. “Damn killing bastard.” Great mustang muscles contracted. A harsh whinny sliced the air. Sunlight sparked off Wood’s rifle, followed by a sound like death. A bullet tore past HahTee and struck the rocks. The second bullet hit a boulder and ricocheted off it. The stallion reared. Desperate to stop Wood from firing again, Terena whirled toward Wood. Her foot rolled off a rock, causing her to stumble. She’d never felt more vulnerable, and yet it didn’t matter. Another bullet screamed. Hah-Tee’s answering whinny punctuated the deadly sound. Her hand clamping over her throat, she stared at the powerful stallion. Before she could think how she might help him, he shuddered, then reared again. Crack! “Damndamndamn!”

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If not for her burning throat, she wouldn’t have known she was responsible for the outburst. Everything happened at once, Nokoni heading toward Wood and his horse, the mount rearing and bucking, Ahote fighting his own terrified horse while holding tight to his rifle, Hah-Tee looking more like a stalking cougar than a stallion. Reaching down, she grabbed a rock. Then Wood slumped to the side and fell to the ground. His weapon clattered next to him. Blood stained his shirt. He didn’t move. “Oh God, oh God, oh God.” If she’d heard Ahote say that when she was a child, she would have rushed to him and comforted him. Now she stared at her cousin as he worked to calm his mount without losing his grip on the rifle that had been attached to his saddle just moments ago. He didn’t look at Wood. Oblivious to his wound, Nokoni dropped to his knees next to Wood. He used his good arm to turn the man onto his back and pressed his fingers to the side of his neck. “He’s dead.” “I didn’t mean—” Ahote blubbered. “Terena, you have to believe me. I didn’t want to kill him, but I was scared…” He stared at Hah-Tee. Just like that, it all fell together for her. Ahote had realized his partner, if that’s what Wood was, had been trying to kill Hah-Tee before the shifter could do the same to him. He’d done the only thing he could think of: he’d shot Wood. Sick and empty, she looked around but couldn’t think where she should go or what she should do. A man was dead, and her cousin had killed him. Nokoni had been wounded, and Hah-Tee had come close to losing his life. Nokoni started to stand, only to sink back down. “What’s wrong?” she demanded. “My God, we have to get you to a hospital.”

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“No.” Not looking at her, Nokoni got to his feet and approached Hah-Tee. Placing his good hand against the stallion’s white chest, he muttered something that might be in Comanche. Wishing she was anywhere but here, Terena stared as Hah-Tee again became a man. That done, he gently wiped blood off Nokoni’s arm. Ahote still held his rifle but looked as if he might drop it at any moment. This was her cousin, the closest thing she’d ever have to a sibling. He was in shock, scared and undoubtedly filled with a thousand conflicting thoughts. Instead of trying to draw them out of him, however, she focused on the shifters. “I’m so sorry,” she managed. “You don’t deserve any of this.” “Don’t we?” Nokoni demanded. “That’s what we don’t understand,” Hah-Tee added. “What compelled us to come to the reservation in the first place? Are we being punished for something?” Nokoni started to flex his shoulder. Wincing, he stopped. “Rifles. Bullets. Men willing to kill because they believe they have a right to get rich off a mustang’s speed.” He glared at the lasso she’d thrown to the ground. “Men who rob a horse of its freedom, who separate a colt from its mother.” “Not everyone is like that. There are a lot of good people, men like Yamka and my uncle, who only want to make a living from the land.” “Maybe there aren’t enough like them.”

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“What is this about?” she asked. Nokoni and Hah-Tee stood side by side, with Hah-Tee splitting his attention between Nokoni’s wound and her while Nokoni studied her, Wood and the unmoving Ahote. “Look, I understand your anger. I feel the same way.” “It’s more than that.” Nokoni again tried to shrug. “I can’t shift until this heals. I’m trapped in human form.” He was right. A horse needed four healthy legs. “There’s a health clinic in Moenkopi. When the tribal police arrive, we’ll have them take you there, either that or Yamka—” “Like this?” Nokoni ran his good hand down his chest and over his cock. “If necessary. Maybe…my cell phone—” She patted her back pocket. “It must have fallen out when…” If Hah-Tee was unwilling to again become a stallion and retrieve her belongings, she’d take her cousin’s horse or Wood’s. Once she had her cell phone, she’d call Yamka. He’d know what to do, how to contact the tribal police so they could begin their investigation into…what? Undoubtedly Nokoni and Hah-Tee would have to talk to law enforcement. Or would they? Maybe they’d have disappeared by then. “What are you going to do?” she asked around her inner turmoil. What are you going to do? The sun would soon set. When it did, summer’s harshness would leave the land. Everything would become soft and quiet, but maybe not safe for the mares and foals that depended on him. Right now, watching Navajo and Hopi tribal police load Wood’s body into the back of a pickup, Nokoni wondered whether anyone cared about Wood and if his death meant the mustangs were safe.

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“I have to leave,” Hah-Tee told him. “I know.” “What do you intend?” “To follow you.” Hah-Tee nodded but didn’t point out that Nokoni wouldn’t be able to keep up with him. At the moment, although he’d give anything to be with Terena, Hah-Tee and he were standing apart from the others. With everything Nokoni had to deal with, he didn’t trust himself around Terena. He couldn’t see her— which made things easier—and assumed she was with her cousin, who’d started talking to tribal police as soon as they’d showed up. Damn it, because of him she could have lost her life today. Cell phones were mysterious things—and easier to think about than Terena. Even with the pain in his arm gnawing at him, he recalled hearing her ask her cousin if he had a cell phone. When Ahote handed it to her, she phoned someone she called Yamka and told him what had happened. Long before the tribal police arrived, Yamka had shown up with the gelding she’d been riding earlier. Yamka, a solidly built Hopi with gentle eyes, had acknowledged Hah-Tee and him with a slow nod and even longer study that said he knew they were shifters. For reasons he didn’t comprehend, Nokoni trusted the weathered Native American. Reminding himself that Ahote had shot Wood to keep Wood from killing Hah-Tee, he wondered if Terena expected him to thank her cousin, but he couldn’t; he wouldn’t. If things had gone Ahote’s way, Nokoni’s young son would now be a helpless and terrified captive. “Are you all right?” Hah-Tee asked.

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Terena had used the water in her canteen to bathe his wound, and one of the tribal policemen—who, to his surprise, hadn’t said anything about Hah-Tee’s and his nudity—had bandaged it. “Stiff. Sore,” he admitted, glad to have something other than Terena to think about. “Wishing I could sleep in a bed.” “She’ll take you to hers if you ask.” Only a few days ago, Hah-Tee would have never said something like that. Fighting the impulse to embrace the other shifter, Nokoni shook his head. “Why not?” Hah-Tee pressed. “Is it because you don’t trust yourself around her?” No, he didn’t. He wasn’t sure he ever would. “Go,” he told the other shifter around the lump in his throat. “Find the herd.” “Come with me. Once I change, you can climb on my back and ride me.” He grasped the other shifter’s hand. “Thank you.” “Then you’ll—” “Hopefully I’ll never have to depend on you that way. I’ll follow you.” Hah-Tee reached out as if to touch Nokoni’s shoulder, then stopped. He nodded at the truck holding Wood’s body. “I’m not sure I’ll ever understand what it means to be human—or that I want to.” Neither do I. “Go. Wild dogs—” “Might try to bring down a foal, I know. Take care.” “I will. And I want you to do the same.” To his relief, Hah-Tee didn’t respond, because he wasn’t sure he could speak. Today, he needed a friend, and going by the expression in Hah-Tee’s eyes, the other shifter felt the same way. Nokoni remained where he was until the growing night enveloped the younger shifter. Not sure what he had in mind, Nokoni looked around to

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discover that Yamka was watching him. He nodded at the Hopi, who returned the gesture. Then Yamka indicated where Hah-Tee had been. “Do you trust him?” Yamka asked. “To do what?” The corner of Yamka’s mouth lifted. “He’s young. The young believe they know everything.” “Yes,” Nokoni agreed, “they do.” “They don’t want to listen to the voice of experience. They have to figure things out on their own. You and I know how it is because we were once like them.” Nokoni couldn’t help smiling. “Yes, we were.” A motor came to life. The official vehicle containing Wood started moving. Ahote, who was in the pickup bed next to the body, stared straight ahead. Determined to make Ahote acknowledge him, Nokoni started to hold up his hand. Pain clamped on to his shoulder. “Face yourself,” he called out to Ahote as the pickup rumbled past. A pale Ahote didn’t speak. The tribal officers had come in the same vehicle, which meant only Yamka, Terena and he remained. Yamka had brought his pickup and trailer. Two of the four horses had been loaded into the trailer, and the others were tied to it. When the dust kicked up by the departing vehicle settled, Terena walked over to where Yamka and he were standing. Her knotted hands rested on her belly, drawing his thoughts to that part of her. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t close enough for him to touch; her presence felt like an endless wind on his skin. What if he’d never met her? Would he sense that something was missing from his world?

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Too late. She’d become part of it, and now he didn’t know how to handle her impact on his emotions. Didn’t have the strength to face them. “I’ll let the two of you talk,” Yamka said. “Terena, when you’re ready to leave, I’ll be with the horses.” Wondering why he was doing this to both of them, Nokoni lightly rubbed his aching arm. She drew lines and circles in the dirt with her shoe. Hair like a waterfall at midnight shielded her features. He should leave, walk away, free himself from her body’s power. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t know what else to say.” “You didn’t shoot me.” “No, but someone I love was part of what happened. My cousin brought Wood here.” He grabbed her arm with his good hand. “After what happened, you still care for him?” She tried to pull free but stopped when he increased his grip. “Love doesn’t die that easily. Ahote and I go back a long way. There was a time when I desperately needed him.” “Needed him to what?” “Ahote and I never… Did you think he and I’d—” “I don’t know what it is to be human,” he said and let her go. Her head had come up when he grabbed her, and now he looked into her blazing eyes. “I can’t help that, damn it. And if you’re going to spend the rest of your life on two legs, you’d better learn the rules.” “I don’t want to.” He placed his hand over the bandage for emphasis. “If this is what men are capable of, I want nothing to do with them.” “Then head into the wilderness. Stay a stallion. You can do that, can’t you?”

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“Yes, but I’d quickly age.” When she didn’t say anything, he continued. “I’d lose more and more strength, speed and energy. I’d have no role within the herd. Become worthless.” “Oh God, I’m sorry.” She tried to touch him, but he stepped back before she could. His heart pounded. He didn’t trust anything about himself. “I mean it, Nokoni,” she went on after a long silence. “This isn’t the life I’d ever want for you. You don’t want it either, do you?” “No.” Their conversation was over, and he needed to leave, follow the younger shifter, try to find a place to spend the night. As for tomorrow… “So in time, you’d become an outcast among the mustangs?” “Not completely.” He had to work at getting the words out. “I can stay at the edge of the herd, but they’ll have no use for me.” Moaning, she raked her hands through her hair. Her gesture sent blood to his cock, and he ached to seal her body to his, bury himself in her and explode. Trust her enough to leave something of himself inside her. “Are you afraid?” she asked. I don’t know. “Of what?” “Leaving one existence and entering another. Forgetting everything you learned and did for the first part of your life and discovering what it is to be a man.” Yes. “Certain things I already know,” he said, so hopefully she wouldn’t realize how close she’d come to reaching him in that deep and vulnerable place. “Like this.” He lifted his erection. When she shifted her weight, there was a restlessness to the movement. “Why did we meet?” she whispered. “How did life become so damn complicated?”

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He released himself because he needed their last minutes to be about more than sex—wanting and not having. “All the time I was leading the herd here, I fought what I was doing. The first time I saw this land, I abandoned the others and ran until I couldn’t any more, until I had to turn around. If I’d been able to break free of the drive to leave Nevada, we would have never met.” “There wouldn’t be any mustangs here. My cousin wouldn’t have captured Red and—” “Red is my daughter. My first child.” Terena swayed. “Your… I should have known.” “How? I never said anything.” She pressed her fingers against her temple. His body again pulsed with a need that went beyond his cock’s demands, and that terrified him. No female should have such control over him. “It’s too much for me to absorb,” she said. Before he could decide whether to admit he felt the same way, she continued. “The only thing a stallion does is supply the sperm, but it’s different for you because you’re also human. You had to try to find out what happened to her after Ahote captured her.” “Because I love her.” “Yes.” She shook her head, then pressed her fingers to her forehead. “Of course you do.” Pain forged lines on her temple as she stared up at him. He could handle her discomfort. He’d hold up what she was feeling against his throbbing shoulder and demand she not look to him for sympathy. Then the setting sun caught the moisture in her eyes, and he desperately needed to get away from everything she represented. “Why are you crying?”

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“You don’t understand?” She swiped at her tears. “It was what you just said.” “What did I say?” Hugging her middle in a way that had become familiar, she rocked herself a little. “That you love your daughter.” “I feel the same way about all my children. I’d do anything to protect them.” Her nostrils flared, and her eyes reminded him of glowing embers. “Neither of my parents gave a damn about me.” She kicked at a dirt clog, breaking it apart. Watching as she worked to regain her balance, he wondered if she expected him to hug her, but that was the last thing he dared or wanted to do. She represented turmoil and a harsh reminder of what the human world held in store for him. “That’s right.” In contrast to her flaming cheeks, her voice was without emotion. “Neither my mother or father wanted me in their lives. I wouldn’t know my old man if he ran over me. He’s white, did I tell you that? You know what that makes me—a half-breed.” She barked a short laugh. “Kind of like you, someone with a foot in two worlds but not fully fitting into either one. Maybe that’s why you, Hah-Tee and I…” Her melancholy tone pulled him out of himself. “We didn’t finish what we’d begun.” “No, and I might spend the rest of my life regretting that. Wanting both of you.” Her arms dropped to her sides, and her fingers twitched. “What about your mother?” he asked, needing to change the subject. “Do you see her?” “Occasionally. Amend that—I rarely see her, and when I do, we don’t know what to say.”

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Leave. Find the herd. Spend the night surrounded by them. “Where is she?” “You really care? No, don’t answer that.” Her gaze drifted lower to settle on the erection that showed no sign of ending. “I want to tell you some things. What you do with them is up to you.” “All right.” The way she frowned, he wondered if she hadn’t expected him to say that. Why did human emotions and relationships have to be so complicated, and how would he ever fit into that world? “Do you need to sit down?” she asked. “Maybe you’re—” “Tell me.” Get it over. Looking everywhere but into his eyes, she did. Her mother, Kele, had been sixteen when she met a motorcycle rider driving through the reservation. According to Aunt Lenmana, her younger sister had always been the restless one. Kele hated living in what she called a crumbling stone disaster. She’d already run away several times before she met the drifter who became Terena’s father, but without money, she’d had to return. That changed when she climbed onto the back of the motorcycle. “My mother’s family didn’t know she was pregnant until she showed up on their doorstep. She didn’t say much about my father, but a few weeks after I was born, he came looking for her. He didn’t want to stay on the reservation—as a white, I’m sure he felt like an outsider.” “And your grandparents probably didn’t welcome him.” “No, they didn’t.” Grabbing a lock of hair, she started twisting it. “Long story short, Kele and Robert took off again, leaving me behind. My mother told her family it would just be until they’d found jobs and a place to live. But…” “Go on.”

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The twist became tighter. “Aunt Lenmana isn’t sure how many times Kele returned and left, returned and took off again. Sometimes she took me with her, most times not. Sometimes Kele was alone; sometimes the sperm donor accompanied her.” Calling her mother by her first name said a lot. A mare and foal needed to immediately bond if the foal stood a chance of surviving. It wasn’t the same for humans, but certainly Terena wished she’d had a mother. He wanted the same for her. “My parents split up for good about the time I turned five.” Terena’s tone was flat. “Kele stayed home a good six months after that. Then she met another man and again hit the road.” “I’m sorry.” Her head snapped up. She looked surprised to see him there. “Don’t be. After my grandparents got sick, my aunt and uncle took me in. I had something Kele didn’t—a family. There’s something else we don’t have in common—I love this land.” “But you left it.” “And now I’m back where, right now, everything’s a damn mess.” “Because of me,” he challenged. The woman was too complex and complicated, too dangerous. “That’s part of it.” To his surprise, she started stroking the fronts of her thighs. Her attention returned to his cock, and he smelled her arousal. “Don’t mind me,” she said. “That damnable body of yours—Hah-Tee’s too— does crazy things to me. But you need to leave.” “Yes.” “Go into the wilderness where you belong and—”

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“Do I?” He didn’t know where this rage came from, let alone how to stop it. “Do any of the mustangs?” Balling up his fist, he thumped his chest, only to clench his teeth against his protesting shoulder. “Damn it, Terena, Hah-Tee and I don’t know why we exist, so don’t expect us to understand what compelled us to come here.” Her eyes widened, narrowed, widened again. “You mentioned that before. You really don’t know…” He’d said too much. Revealed something even more personal than she just had. Tearing his gaze off the woman who’d turned him upside down, he spun on his heels. He felt Terena’s gaze on him and sensed her unspoken questions. Her pity, maybe. To hell with her and her incredible but dangerous body. Her human mind.

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Chapter Twenty-Two

The kiva wasn’t as cool as the motel where Terena and her aunt had gotten together, but after spending most of the day outdoors, Hah-Tee sighed in relief as he climbed down the wooden ladder. He didn’t need to look around to know Nokoni was already there. “How are they?” Nokoni asked. “Fine. You’re right. Why spend so much time looking for water when there’s enough near the cattle?” “No Hopi were around to chase you off?” Nokoni was simply curious; no reason to feel he was being criticized. “None. What’s that?” He indicated the horse-like figure near where Nokoni reclined on a mattress. “I’m not sure. I found it nearby this morning.” “Someone left it for us.” His stomach rumbled, prompting him to go over to a box with dried meat and fruits in it. “Same as this.” He indicated the box. “This was near the horse figure.” Reaching behind him, Nokoni picked up a book. “It has a lot of pictures and not many words.” They’d seen books before, mysterious things that obviously meant something to humans. Just thinking of everything that was part of the human world made his head ache. Nokoni turned pages, then dropped the book. “I wish I could read.” Hah-Tee didn’t. Eventually, that would be important but fortunately not for several years. The meat was salty, but the more he ate of it, the more he was

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becoming accustomed to the taste. Taking a handful of it and dried banana slices, he settled himself on the other sleeping-bag-covered mattress. In contrast to his nudity, Nokoni wore jeans. It had been winter when they’d discovered the kiva. Back then, they’d had nothing to wear when they shifted into men, so they’d appreciated being able to get out of the elements. Fearful of being trapped underground, they hadn’t stayed long in the then-empty space. Later, Nokoni told him he’d returned and taken a nap in the kiva. Not long after that, he’d followed Nokoni back here. When Nokoni shifted and climbed down the ladder, he’d done the same. To their surprise, they discovered that someone, or more than one someone, had been there. Whoever it was had left behind two single mattresses with sleeping bags on top of them. Even more puzzling was the pile of men’s clothing. Chewing, he relived the stormy afternoon when Nokoni ordered him to try on the clothes. For the first time in his life, something manmade had touched his body. He hadn’t known how to describe what the jeans felt like, but the flannel shirt and jacket were warm. Comfortable. “They’re trying to tell us something.” He indicated the book. “You mean it about wanting to read?” He readied himself for a retort. Instead, Nokoni flopped back onto the mattress and stared at the opening above them. “Did you mate today?” “No.” “No one was in heat?” He’d rather talk about the Hopi, who doubtlessly were responsible for providing them with food and supplies, but maybe they’d exhausted that subject. He chewed while debating how to say what he needed to. “Two mares would have accepted me,” he said, “including the one whose colt was nearly captured the other day.”

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“He isn’t just her colt; he’s my son.” My son. What would it feel like to be responsible for a life? “Yes,” he agreed. “Why didn’t you take her?” The first two days following Nokoni’s wounding, the older shifter had done little except sleep in here. He’d run a fever, and his wound had been inflamed. Hah-Tee had spent his limited human time pondering what, if anything, he could do to help Nokoni. When he’d spotted a couple of Hopi men on horseback not far from the kiva, he’d thought they intended to drop off food and water as they’d done in the past. Wanting to express his gratitude, he’d trotted to where they could see him. The pair had acknowledged him by pointing at something one of them held. Then they’d dropped it and ridden away. Inside a small bag, he’d found some individually wrapped pills and drawings showing a man with a bloody arm swallowing the pills one at a time. Less than a day after he’d taken the first one, Nokoni’s fever had broken. Standing, Hah-Tee paced from one end of the kiva to the other, only to return to his bed. “I want to fuck,” he admitted. “But do I dare?” “What do you mean?” Not long ago, he wouldn’t have given this a moment’s thought, but nearly a week of herd responsibility had opened his eyes to a certain reality. “It’s the land. There’s so little food and water here, maybe not enough for more than today’s herd.” Using both hands, Nokoni pushed himself to a sitting position. “Go on.” “I want colts and fillies, sons and daughters, but not if that means they’re in danger of starving.” Nokoni scrubbed a hand over his face. “You’re willing to fight your stallion nature?”

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“I don’t want to.” He fingered his cock. “But that’s better than watching my children die.” Leaning forward, Nokoni nodded. “You’re talking like a man, not a stallion.” Not long ago, hearing that would have angered him. He loved what he’d been born to, loved being a swift and powerful mustang. His muscles contracted and relaxed as if reminding him of his dual nature. “Yes,” he admitted. “I am.” “But is it what you want?” No! “It’s what has to be.” “I’ve been waiting to see if you’d come to that conclusion.” He met the other shifter’s gaze. “Is that why you stayed in here, so I’d understand what leadership is about?” “In part.” Smiling slightly, Nokoni thumped the bed. “Unfortunately, being wounded has given me too much time to think.” Laughter slipped past Hah-Tee’s lips. “Thinking is hard.” “But necessary. So you believe that unless the food and water supply increases, there shouldn’t be any more mustangs?” Hating having to agree, he nodded. That done, he picked up a piece of meat but didn’t eat. “How long have you been waiting for me to say that?” “Not long. I didn’t want to have this conversation, but hearing it from your lips—” “Life can’t be simple, can it? No matter how much we want to simply eat, fuck and run, it can’t be like that.” “No.” Standing, Nokoni positioned himself so he could see the sky. “You’ve become a man. You’ll soon be ready.”

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To take over as herd stud, Hah-Tee mentally finished. Pride filled him along with an acceptance of the weight on his shoulders. “Do you miss her?” he asked. “Wish things were different?” After a moment, Nokoni shook his head. “I’m a half-breed in a land I didn’t choose. I don’t know what she needs. Or what I do.” Nokoni had never admitted something so personal. How could he do anything less? “She wants both of us.” “Fucking isn’t enough.” His mouth dried, but whether from the meat or the pressure of thinking— and feeling—he wasn’t sure. Maybe he wouldn’t stay in here after all. He’d return to the herd where he’d listen to the never-ending wind and his hooves striking packed earth. He’d learn how to control the driving need to rear onto a mare’s back and drive his cock home. As long he moved as a stallion, he wouldn’t care about the woman called Terena. Suddenly Nokoni tensed. “Shod hooves, coming this way.”

There were times when summer’s heat made Terena desperate. She’d imagined herself trapped under the sun, unable to move. Accompanied by her uncle, Ahote and Yamka, as she had been a week before when she’d last seen the shifters, she shouldn’t be thinking such things, but no one was speaking, and that didn’t help. She hadn’t been to the old, unused kiva near the Awatovi ruins since childhood and might not have been able to find it on her own. Her uncle’s explanation that the elders had decided to turn it into a home for the shifters had surprised her, but instead of asking for details, she’d gone back to staring into space.

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At the thought of telling Nokoni and Hah-Tee what they deserved to know, goose bumps broke out all over her. Anticipation warred with the fear she’d been battling since early morning. She wanted to see them. At the same time, she wanted nothing more to do with the two who’d complicated her life to the core. She’d stand before Nokoni and beg him to put aside his anger long enough to listen. Maybe the information would change how he felt about what she represented; maybe it wouldn’t be enough. Nokoni had walked away from her last week, rejected her. Doubtless HahTee felt the same way. “You’re thinking too much,” Uncle Shuman said. “I see it in your eyes.” It had been winter and she’d been eighteen the last time she’d been to what had once been the easternmost Hopi village. Despite the cold, Ahote and she had ridden here because they needed something to do. She’d been impressed by the water—ice that time of year—that lay trapped in the cliff catchments. They’d tried to skate in their boots but had kept falling. Besides, the wind had dug clear through to their bones, and they’d changed their minds about trying to find what, if anything, remained of Awatovi. Ahote, who’d been riding behind her, caught up. “I saved his life. That has to mean something, doesn’t it?” “Ask him.” “Me? I thought you had my back.” “I do,” she said, then reconsidered. Was it possible to be so close to someone she couldn’t see their flaws? She didn’t think that was the case here. She certainly knew more than she wanted to about her cousin. Maybe she was trying to distance herself from him so she could concentrate on the shifters.

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The nights had been the worst, sleepless hours and a body in tatters. Needing both men with a ferocity she’d never believed possible. Silently begging them to forget everything that had happened and finish what they’d begun. One roll in the hay, two men and her, that’s all she’d ever ask for. Like hell. Muttering something she didn’t catch, Ahote started to pull back, only to point. “Dad, is that it?” At the question, her uncle swiveled in the saddle and stared at Ahote. “Yes, son, it is.” Her throat tightened. As soon as she had a handle on her emotions, she’d look where her cousin had indicated. Right now, however, she needed to savor what had been revealed in a few words. Ahote had a long way to go, fences to mend and judgment to face, but he was thinking like a son, and that meant the world to his father—and to her. Yamka, who’d been leading the group, reined in his horse. “Shifters, are you there?” he called out. The wind chased away the question. Terena waited for Yamka to repeat himself. Instead, her Hopi friend looped the reins around the saddle horn and dismounted. Lacking the courage to join him, she watched as he walked over to what she now recognized as the top of a wooden ladder. He crouched at what she assumed was the kiva’s edge. “Don’t be afraid,” Uncle Shuman told her. “That’s never been your way.” “Things change. I’ve changed.” Before her uncle could say anything, if that had been his intention, Yamka stood and took a couple of backward steps. Hah-Tee, wearing only jeans, climbed out, followed by Nokoni, who was dressed the same way. Nokoni’s unwrapped wound looked nearly healed. Both men took in the newcomers, then

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stared at her. No matter how many times she’d conjured up memories of what they looked like, mental images couldn’t compare to reality. They weren’t just sexy. Every inch of their perfect male bodies held her enthralled. A nod from either one and she’d surrender her body, heart and mind to them. Even if that destroyed her. “We’ve come,” Uncle Shuman told them as she struggled to pull free of their impact, “because there are things you need to know.” Nokoni nodded but didn’t take his attention off her. Maybe he knew what she was thinking and feeling. “Thank you for giving us this.” He pointed at the kiva opening. “And the food and water,” Hah-Tee added. “We’re grateful for it.” Yamka grunted. “We thought you would. Not much around here for a couple of men to eat. So, are you ready for this?”

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Chapter Twenty-Three

This kiva was slightly larger than most. The newest ones had been built using modern construction material, while this space showed its age. She easily imagined long-dead Hopi using knives and primitive tools to laboriously carve out the rock floor, walls and roof. The shifters sat on one bed while she, her uncle and Yamka were on the other. Ahote stood, leaning against a wall opposite Nokoni and Hah-Tee. The two—she kept thinking of them as stallions—hadn’t acknowledged her since the decision had been made to get out of the sun a few minutes ago. She didn’t dare study them long enough to try to guess what they were thinking. She’d had sex once with each of them and had dreamed of a ménage. Countless ménages. What a damn stupid fantasy that had been. Today was all about business. Once everything that needed to be said had been said, she’d return to her aunt and uncle’s house where she’d make necessary decisions about what to do with the rest of her life. Her safe and solitary life. “I’m not sure where to start,” Yamka said. “Maybe by letting you know that the Hopi have been aware of your existence for at least a couple of years. We didn’t know how to deal with the business of you shifting. That took a while to wrap our minds around.” “We understand,” Hah-Tee said. “I imagine you do. My father rode here yesterday. He’s responsible for the horse kachina and book.”

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Nokoni held up the handmade doll. “I don’t know how to read.” I’ll teach you. “That’s what I told my father, but he wanted you to have an idea of what could be ahead for you. The pictures—the book’s for beginning readers—pretty much tell the story.” Nokoni didn’t immediately answer. “Tell him thank you for me.” “I’m hoping you can do that, by coming to his place, and mine.” “You want—” Hah-Tee started. “Do you know what you’re saying?” Yamka nodded. “Yes, I do.” The ensuing silence crawled over Terena until she had to fight the desire to scramble up the ladder and run away, but she wouldn’t be able to face herself if she did. “Tell them, Ahote.” Ahote jerked upright. He looked over at his father, who nodded. “You don’t know anything about drugs, do you?” he asked the shifters. “About the hold they can get on a person, how they change who you are?” “That happened to you?” Nokoni asked. “Yeah. Almost from the beginning, I wanted to quit. I tried to, damn it.” He rubbed his arm, making her wonder if he was remembering needle marks. “Finally, I did, but by then I’d done some things I deeply regret. Things I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to atone for.” She’d heard this three days ago, but it remained new. As Ahote detailed what had happened when he was working for a racing stable, she felt as if she was there with him. To feed his addiction, he’d started stealing. He began with saddles and bridles, but they hadn’t brought in enough money. Increasingly desperate, he waited until he was certain no one was around and unlocked the

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drug cabinet in the main barn. He took everything from vitamins to antibiotics to cortisone. “I tried to be careful so people wouldn’t catch on that the drugs were missing. Then…” “Finish it,” his father ordered. Ahote had been around racehorses long enough to recognize the difference between a natural race and a chemically stimulated one. No one at the stable said anything when a horse suddenly cut impressive seconds from its normal speed. Whatever the horses were being injected with wasn’t in the cabinet with the regular drugs. Ahote had watched and listened. Finally, he’d caught a conversation between the stable owner’s son and the lead trainer about some juice. “I was scared to death, afraid someone would see me crawling in the back window of the trailer where the trainer was staying. I didn’t know what to look for or where, just that I figured they were using some new kind of opiate that couldn’t be detected.” “You were going to use this opiate?” Yamka asked. “No!” Ahote insisted. Then he shook his head. “After I found the vials behind some soda in the refrigerator, I figured I had to know something about it before I tried to sell it. It made me a little jumpy, that’s all. I didn’t take much.” “Did you get caught?” Hah-Tee asked. “I only took a little at a time, then stopped because the street price wasn’t worth the effort and risk, but it was too late.” Neither shifter spoke as Ahote finished his story. He’d gone through detox and was staying clean, no longer working for the racing stable, when the trainer and owner’s son confronted him. They said they had proof of what he’d done. Also, the druggies he’d sold the drugs to had agreed to testify against him.

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“I was clean and had a good job. All I wanted was to put all that behind me.” “They were going to blackmail you, right?” Yamka asked. “It was either do what they said or go back to jail.” She was proud of her cousin for finally coming clean. At the same time, she’d never understand or condone some of the decisions he’d made. The duo who’d broken into his place and threatened him didn’t want much. They’d heard about some lightning-fast young horses on the Hopi reservation. Ahote was Hopi. He could discreetly check out the rumors. If there was something to the stories, well, he would capture and train one. And if he didn’t— “Red nearly killed me,” he said. “She fought—damn, she fought. I would have never gotten close if it hadn’t been so windy that day. She didn’t hear me until it was too late.” Looking enraged, Nokoni started to stand. “If you hurt her—” “I didn’t! I swear. I tranquilized her so she wouldn’t hurt herself when I got her into a trailer. Apples turned out to be the magic key. She loves them. I didn’t try to ride her until I’d had her for a month. The first time she ran—it was like I’d been waiting for that moment all my life.” “Tell Nokoni and Hah-Tee why you didn’t fight to keep Red,” she said. Tears glittering, Ahote stared at his father. “They threatened to harm my family.” He wiped his eyes with his knuckle. “I did what I thought would end the nightmare, but it didn’t. They wanted another horse—a damn lot of them. I argued, I refused. But in the end, I agreed to come back, this time with Wood.” “Because those bastards were making good on their threats,” Uncle Shuman said. “That’s what those phone calls we got were about.” Wondering if Nokoni and Hah-Tee might be having trouble keeping up, she studied them. Maybe the day would come when seeing them wouldn’t jump-

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start her body, but not today. The way their intense black eyes returned her stare had a great deal to do with her reaction—that and reliving their sexual encounters. Sexual encounters! What an inadequate way of describing something with the power to tear her apart. “So Wood being dead doesn’t end it,” Nokoni said. “What are you getting at?” Yamka asked. “That the herd’s still in danger.” “Hopefully not.” She clenched her hands to stop herself from reaching for Nokoni. “Ahote told his story to the tribal police. I added what I knew. From what we understand, Ahote isn’t going to be charged with murder because he was trying to save my life and both of yours.” Hah-Tee frowned. “The police didn’t talk to us.” “No,” Uncle Shuman said. “They didn’t.” “Why not?” “We felt it was safer if you two were kept out of things. It’s one thing for tribal police to know the whole story, quite another to pass that on to state officials.” “What happens now?” Nokoni asked. Judging by his expression, he was frustrated with his limited understanding of the outside world. She admired him for wanting to learn as much as possible—for everything he’d done in life. To her surprise, Ahote supplied the answer. Things were still developing following several conversations he’d had with California law enforcement, but he had reason to believe justice might finally come to the men who’d been juicing racehorses.

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“I don’t care what happens to me as long as those two and whoever they’re working with are put behind bars. I’ll testify to seeing racehorses shot up with something that’s out of their system minutes after the race and thus practically undetectable.” “You think, given your record, they’ll listen to you?” Hearing Hah-Tee’s question, she realized Nokoni wasn’t the only shifter who was moving into the human world. “Yeah, I think they will. I have nothing to gain personally by telling them what I did. I’m not asking to cut a deal. Besides, a number of horses did perform better than they ever had. I’m supplying them with an explanation that means someone broke the law. Once certain people are behind bars, hopefully that kind of interest in the mustangs will end.” “What about Red?” Clasping a hand over her mouth, she studied Nokoni. He looked older and more tired than he had moments ago. “I’m trying to find that out,” she said, when the truth was Red’s whereabouts and safety had been part of her conversations with the Comanche Quana over the past few days. “Nokoni, Hah-Tee, I’ve learned some things you need—” “More?” Nokoni interrupted. “This isn’t enough?” “He’s right,” Uncle Shuman said. “If I was in their place, I’d feel overloaded. I think they need time to process what we told them.” She started to protest, only to change her mind. As far as she was concerned, what she needed to tell them was more important than Ahote’s confession, but what if they couldn’t handle it? She could wait, stall, end today with the hope that there might still be something between the three of them.

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“I agree.” Yamka, knees creaking, stood. “Nokoni, Hah-Tee, you’re welcome at any of the Hopi villages. When you come—no, we’ll get into that later.” “Get into what?” Nokoni demanded. He and Hah-Tee stood. “Your future.” “Future? We don’t understand today.” Someone say something! End this tension. But no one spoke, and when Ahote, her father and Yamka started up the ladder, she fell in line behind them. Before she put her foot on the lower rung, Nokoni touched her back. “That’s it? You have nothing else to say?” “You didn’t want to hear me.” Her back burned, and she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. “There’s more than words between us,” Hah-Tee said. “At least there was.” Was he taunting her? Maybe this was his way of mourning the loss of—of what? Damn it, she was on emotional overload. She’d go home and help her aunt with dinner. Ahote was staying there these days. Undoubtedly, he’d want to talk, but she’d tell him she wasn’t up to that right now. Tomorrow, maybe. Same as with Nokoni and Hah-Tee. She took hold of the ladder but couldn’t think how to lift her leg. It was so blessedly cool in here. Between that and the male energy radiating out from the shifters, no wonder she was torn. Don’t lie to yourself. Just thinking about facing her one-time lovers made her light-headed, but she did so because she couldn’t face herself otherwise. They stood side by side, without the tension she’d noted before. When she’d last seen them, every inch of their powerful bodies had been on display. Today, denim clung to their hips and hid what she longed to touch.

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“You’re right,” she told them. “There’s been more than words between us. Maybe that’ll never happen again, but right now, that’s not what matters. I learned something you deserve to know.” Nokoni jerked his head at the top of the kiva. “What about your companions?” “They’ve told you everything they wanted to.” “Not everything.” “No, not everything. If that’s what you’re hung up on—” Hah-Tee indicated Nokoni. “If he needs time before he takes on any more, I understand, but you’re tense and anxious. I need to know why.” Hah-Tee wasn’t at all the immature man she’d thought he was. Maybe realizing he’d almost lost the only other shifter had done that to him. “What about it, Nokoni? Do you have what it takes to hear me out?” Can I get through it?

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Chapter Twenty-Four

The shifters were back on the bed they’d shared earlier while she’d claimed the other. The walls, or something, threatened to close in on her, and she knew better than to try to deny Nokoni and Hah-Tee’s appeal. No matter how this turned out, at least she had these few precious minutes with them. When she’d told the others that she wasn’t going to leave yet, her uncle had asked if she was sure she knew what she was doing. Her answer was simple; she had no choice. She understood his concern. After all, he knew what she intended to say. So did Ahote and Yamka. “Do you remember,” she began, “that I phoned someone else not long after the shooting?” Their expressions told her this was the last thing they expected to hear. Maybe she could have done a better job of easing into the topic. “Quana is a Comanche, a friend who lives in California and works with horses. I’d initially called him right after I first met you.” “Why?” She couldn’t read Nokoni’s expression. Hopefully he was keeping himself open to whatever she said. “You didn’t know why you’re who you are, so I hoped he might have some answers.” “You told an outsider about us?” Unlike with Nokoni, she had no trouble determining what was going on inside Hah-Tee. Right now he believed she’d betrayed a confidence and maybe jeopardized their safety. “Not just any outsider—someone I trust. In response to

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my question, he said that, yes, your names are Comanche. Nokoni, your name means wanderer. Hah-Tee”—she took a hopefully calming breath—“yours translates as eagle.” “Eagle,” Hah-Tee muttered. “Like the symbols on our chests.” “Yes. I should have shared that as soon as he told me, but other things got in the way.” “Like our bodies’ demands.” It was much more complicated than that. Still, she nodded agreement with Nokoni’s far from simple explanation. “I wanted—I’ve never met anyone like the two of you. It goes beyond what you are physically.” She had to take a deep breath and stop studying them before she could continue. “I was trying to make some career decisions at the time. What I thought I needed was a break from human emotions, but I was wrong. Meeting you two, interacting with you, reminded me that I’m part of the world.” She was saying too much, muddying things with her emotions. Determined to get things back on track, she folded her legs, placed her elbows on her thighs and rested her chin in her palms. Thank goodness they had the patience to wait her out. “What you do with the information Quana gave me is up to you, but I don’t believe you’re going to reject it because—” Against her better judgment, she looked at each of them in turn. Just like that, hunger shook her. “Because maybe it’s the only explanation you’ll ever have for what you are and why you exist.” Worn out, she paused. Their compelling gazes were locked on her. Despite her resolve not to go there, she imagined three naked, sweating bodies locked together on a single mattress. “Earlier, I’d asked Quana to tell me everything he could about the connection between you and the Comanche.” Proud of herself for being able to

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speak, she swallowed and went on. “He said he couldn’t until he’d talked to the elders and gotten permission.” “You make it sound as if the whole tribe is involved in whatever this is.” Nokoni’s voice dropped, became deeper and even more seductive. Focus. Make this about giving them what they need. “I’m sure there are a lot of Comanche who have no idea what’s going on, but those who do…” “Don’t stop now.” “I’m sorry. Unlike most Native American tribes, traditional Comanche behavior wasn’t dictated by a belief in deities. They were individualists. There was a great deal of variety in what they believed about the world. In addition, every man and woman was secretive. They believed that whatever medicine or powers they might derive from a natural force would be dimmed or eliminated unless they kept things to themselves.” She again paused. As before, the duo waited for her to continue, making her wonder if they were immune to her. If only she was immune to them—but did she really want to be? “They saw the world as a place full of forces and powers, even spirits. If a warrior wanted strength and endurance, he studied the buffalo because they had those attributes.” Nokoni nodded. “Horses are known for their speed.” Grateful for his comprehension, she smiled. A little of the sexual tension that had her aching to touch them eased. “They prayed to eagles when they needed the strength and acute eyesight eagles are known for.” Hah-Tee rubbed his chest. “Strength and keen eyesight are good things to have.” “Yes, they are.” Looking at them continued to distract her from what she needed to say, but she couldn’t convince herself to study the ground. She hadn’t

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seen the shifters for over a week and had spent too much of that time remembering—so many things. “This is how Quana explained what happened several years ago, so I hope you—” “Several years?” Nokoni interrupted. “Before Hah-Tee and I came into being.” They were beginning to see the connection. “The Comanche don’t have a reservation. Their headquarters is at Lawton, Oklahoma, where about half of the recognized tribal members live. Quana’s grandparents have been there all their lives. The Comanche Nation organization does a lot to unite them. Several years ago, to celebrate seventy-five years of existence, they held an exposition.” “What does this have to do with us?” Nokoni had every right to ask. “A lot. If you walk away now, the questions about your existence might always be there.” He nodded but continued to look trapped. Maybe that would change if she embraced him, something she didn’t dare do. “Quana’s grandfather was one of the men who attended the exposition. I’m not sure how it started, maybe during one of the traditional ceremonies, but they got to talking about what their parents and grandparents had told them about their beliefs. The Comanche were once considered the plains’ finest horsemen. These old men with their aches and pains wondered what their lives would have been like if they’d embraced certain horse attributes. If they’d concentrated on speed, self-reliance and a strong survival instinct.” Eyes widening, Hah-Tee leaned forward. In contrast, Nokoni rocked back. His attention remained locked on her. “According to what Quana learned, the elders got together one night when there was a full moon. They talked about puha, which the Comanche once saw as

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a way of gaining medicine and tribal honor. Modern men held hands and prayed together, concentrating on horses.” “Why not eagles?” “Because horses once meant survival for the tribe.” Straightening, she started to rub her thighs, only to stop. Just the same, sexual energy floated around her. “I don’t understand what happened next, and if you two didn’t exist, I might laugh. The elders spent the night together, talking. I can’t help but wish—it’s the reporter in me—but I’d give anything to have been there.” “The ceremony—I don’t know what else to call it—went on until dawn. One member painted a picture of a Comanche war horse that had an eagle outline on its chest.” The shifters’ contemplative expressions added to her belief that she’d made the right decision in passing on what she’d learned. “Quana took a picture of the painting with his cell phone and sent it to me. Do you want to see it?” Hah-Tee said yes, while Nokoni only stared. Her hand trembling, she pulled the phone out of her pocket, located the telling shot and handed the phone to Hah-Tee. As she’d done, he stared intently at it for several seconds before passing it on to Nokoni. “A stallion,” the older shifter whispered. “Big and powerful with legs made for running.” “This could have been either of you.” Seconds ticked by. She sensed their heightened awareness in their quickened breathing and slow, long blinks. The longer she was in here with them, the more in tune with them she felt. They shared the same air, the same space, but her reaction went beyond that. Beyond sexual awareness, even.

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“There’s something else I learned,” she said when she couldn’t put it off any longer. Rubbing her thighs still wasn’t a good idea, and yet she needed to remind herself that she was separate from them. “Do we want to hear this?” Nokoni asked. “I can’t explain it.” “That’s not what he asked,” Hah-Tee pointed out. “He needs to know how to prepare himself for what you’re going to say.” “I can’t answer that for you. Please take what Quana told me for what it is— something I believe.” Instead of responding, Nokoni stood and walked over to the ladder. Don’t leave. “When the ceremony was over, everyone went home. They hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before, so they all went to bed. When they woke up…” Chiding herself for faltering, she got to her feet and joined Nokoni. She was careful not to touch him. “Each man had a vivid dream. They called each other and shared. The dreams—they were all the same.” “You believe this?” Hah-Tee questioned from his place on the ground. “Maybe Quana had been lied to,” Nokoni added. “People don’t share identical dreams, do they? It makes no sense. I—” “Hear me out,” she interrupted. Silence. Thick and alive. Stalling for time, she left the ladder and walked over to a wall someone had decorated with a crude figure resembling an old, stooped woman who appeared to be holding an ear of corn. Terena touched the figure. “Corn is life to the Hopi, while horses allowed the Comanche to rule the plains. Maybe that explains why those old men dreamed they rode wild horses that ran tirelessly for hours. The men were young again, carrying spears and dressed for battle.”

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“Describe the dream horses.” Facing Nokoni wasn’t easy, and her body gave a jolt as if she’d touched an electric fence. Throwing caution to the wind, she looked at Hah-Tee. Another sizzle hit. “Stallions. Mostly black with hints of red. White chests.” “Eagle markings on their chests,” Hah-Tee said. “Yes.” She waited out a thousand conflicting thoughts. “Quana is levelheaded, but I could tell what his grandfather told him shook him.” The way Nokoni stared at her, she thought he might question Quana’s honesty. Instead, he joined her and touched the Hopi figure. Something, maybe his nerve endings, brushed her flesh. “Do you think we could talk to the old men?” She swallowed. “I think so.” Splitting her attention between the two was making her dizzy, although the truth might be she didn’t have what it took to deal with so much male power. Praying she could get through the rest of what she needed to tell them, she wrapped her arms around her middle. Two dark pairs of eyes said they knew what she was doing. “Once the men realized they’d all had the same dream, they decided it was a sign, a force, for lack of a better term. Right then there was a lot of news about how the BLM was reassessing their mustang management policy.” She filled them in on growing concerns about the size of the wild horse population. Lines were being drawn about how to handle things, especially the exploding birth rate. One option was to euthanize surplus animals. “Once, many of those mustangs’ ancestors had belonged to the Comanche.” She tried but couldn’t relax her hold on her waist. “They felt a responsibility to them.”

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Her head started pounding. All these years of chasing after facts and taking pride in the accuracy of what she wrote, and here she was jumping into an abyss. One Nokoni and Hah-Tee needed to comprehend. “The old Comanche men went to Nevada. They drove into the wilderness and started following the mustangs on foot. The moon was again full when they rolled out their sleeping bags and slept under the stars. There was another joint dream, a different one.” “Sit down. You’re swaying.” Confused, she stared at Hah-Tee, who patted the mattress next to him. Before she could decide what to do, Nokoni took hold of her arm and guided her over to the other shifter. Hah-Tee was right; she was less than steady. With their help, she half sat and half collapsed. Nokoni joined them, his shoulder briefly brushing the one that wasn’t dangerously close to Hah-Tee. “Go on,” Nokoni encouraged. Despite the distraction, she concentrated on what Quana had told her. In the second dream, the Comanche had all seen a number of mustangs break off from the mass. They were led by a large, alert and cautious stallion. “That wasn’t really happening. Not back then. The Comanche came to the conclusion that their dream was a spirit-sign of what needed to take place. They couldn’t kidnap mustangs and truck them somewhere, but they could try to… Do you believe what I’m saying?” Instead of answering, Nokoni wrapped his fingers around her wrist and drew her arm toward him so the back of her hand rested on his naked chest. “Go on.” Looking up at him, she found the courage to continue.

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Chapter Twenty-Five

“Hundreds of years ago, Comanche braves united in battle. This thing with a governmental agency wasn’t a war, but something they considered precious was in danger. They, ah, they painted themselves the way Comanche warriors used to do, but instead of fighting the enemy—there really wasn’t one—they held hands and talked about the debt of gratitude they owe horses. The act of holding hands was a departure from traditional individualistic warrior behavior. Maybe that’s why…” Taking her other hand, Hah-Tee brought it to his mouth and kissed it. The gentle touch trickled through her. “Maybe that’s why they were able to create us,” Nokoni said at length. Her breath hissing in a long sigh, she leaned against his shoulder. “Yes.” “Prayer,” Hah-Tee added. “Something that was meaningful to those old men.” Maybe the shifters were aware of the united heat; perhaps they were too intent on putting the puzzle pieces together for anything else to penetrate. Despite her growing response, she struggled to focus on them. “As I understand it, when the elders acknowledged what their collective energy was capable of, they knew they had decisions to make. Their desire to grant at least some mustangs a life free of governmental constraints wouldn’t succeed on its own. The horses needed leadership.” “Me,” Nokoni said. “The first shifter.”

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“Yes, except back then, you were only a few years old and pure horse. Fast, intelligent, curious and embracing what it meant to be male. Do you remember being approached by a number of men? You could have run away, but you didn’t. Maybe you had some inkling that—I don’t know what I’m saying.” He shook his head. “My first memory is of walking day after day, taking as many mares and their foals as possible with me.” “Where did that compulsion come from?” Hah-Tee asked. “I wish I knew. The only explanation I have is the Comanche’s collective determination. As for the ability to shift and all that speed—some things defy explanation. Maybe we’ll never know.” Worn out, she tried to pull a hand free so she could press it to her forehead, but neither man relinquished their hold on her. Trapped between them. Desire racing over her skin in ever-increasing waves. “One question.” Hah-Tee’s sharp tone stopped her. “Is Nokoni my father?” “No.” Nokoni’s grip tightened. “How can you be sure?” “Because I brought it up with Quana. What he said was the men decided there had to be more than one shifter stallion. It couldn’t be another Nokoni’s age because they’d fight, but if they blessed—I don’t know what else to call it—a colt, that little one would eventually take over.” She sensed the shifters staring at each other over the top of her head. Mental and emotional exhaustion stole chunks of energy from her. Maybe it was better that way. Soon she’d be too tired to think about wanting sex. Sex? Now? She again tried to pull free. When they released her, she wasn’t sure that was what she wanted after all. Being sandwiched between them was the problem. Once she had back her own space, she could decide what she needed to do.

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Standing took effort. At the same time, she was proud of her accomplishment. The past week had been incredibly hard; no wonder everything took effort. Spinning on her heels, she faced them. “I’m going to leave now. When you want to talk again, I’ll be at my aunt and uncle’s place. Quana said he wants to talk to you, answer all the questions he can, get you in touch with the elders.” “You don’t want to do this,” Nokoni said. “What don’t I want to do?” “Leave.” A flush started in her belly and radiated out until no part of her remained untouched. She couldn’t think how to lift her head and never felt more exposed or vulnerable. The two big, shirtless men stood. It wasn’t happening, was only her crazy imagination, but their every move seemed to be in lock step. And their eyes— equal parts confidence and question. “No,” she heard herself say, “I don’t.” “Why not?” A challenging question designed to take the conversation in a jump-off-thecliff direction. Being around them increased her own confidence, but instead of telling them, she flattened one hand over Nokoni’s chest and then did the same to Hah-Tee. “I don’t remember your heartbeats being this strong. You don’t suppose…” Nokoni cocked his head. “What don’t you suppose?” Hoping to strike a light note, she cocked her head to the side. “That the Comanche have anything to do with this.” “I don’t think so,” Nokoni said. He hadn’t moved since she’d touched him, and yet she sensed a fine vibration in him.

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The three of them were standing in a place that had been created hundreds of years ago. In sharp contrast to the aged space, she felt newly born. She couldn’t and wouldn’t think beyond this moment, these seconds. “A stud doesn’t share,” Nokoni said. “He’ll run off any and all rivals.” “I know.” “But we’re more than herd leaders.” Unsure whether Hah-Tee was speaking to her or to his fellow shifter, she nodded. Nokoni slid his hand around the back of her neck. “And because we are, we need more.” “Tell me about those needs.” He began massaging the top of her spine, causing lightning bugs of sensation to run through her. “Listening isn’t enough. You desire both of us. What do you have to give, and what do you want from us?” She swallowed. “Please don’t put it all on me. I’ve never done anything like this. All I know is you’re both equally vital to me.” Lifting her hand off his chest, Hah-Tee brought it to his mouth and licked her palm. It took everything she had not to sway. “I want to believe that. After all, you didn’t have to talk to your Comanche friend. You didn’t owe us anything.” “How can you say that?” She shook her head. “If you think I could walk away from you, you’re—” “I turned my back on you,” Nokoni broke in. It hadn’t been exactly like that. “You could have lost your life that day and had a lot to deal with. I understood that.” “We were all under stress.” Hah-Tee was right. A cramp threatened to seize her arm, compelling her to let her fingers slide down his chest. His harsh intake of breath had her looping

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her fingers over his jeans’ waistband. Hah-Tee’s hold on her wrist increased. When Nokoni exhaled, his breath dampened and heated her throat. “You expect me… You think I can tell you what to do when you… Damn it, I don’t know what I’m trying to say.” “Then don’t speak,” Nokoni said. That she could do. One second after another ticked past as her focus remained locked on touch and pressure, promise and question. She couldn’t decide what to do with the fingers gripping Hah-Tee’s jeans, didn’t know what Nokoni wanted. Her legs were going numb. At the same time, her breasts—her untouched breasts—were unbelievably sensitive. “Now?” Hah-Tee asked. She tried to put her mind to whether he’d directed his question at her and what he was talking about. Instead, she drifted. Waited. Experienced. “Yes,” Nokoni said, “now.” They were talking to each other. No reason for her to get involved. Relieved, she barely noticed when Hah-Tee claimed her wrist. Surely, his intention was to direct her to where he wanted. When that happened, she’d willingly comply. Do whatever he needed. Instead, he pulled her hand off his jeans and placed it by her side. After running his tongue between her fingers, Nokoni did the same. They stepped back. “Listen to me.” Nokoni spoke from what seemed like a great distance. “We’re going to watch while you get rid of your clothes. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. We’re patient.” Them, patient? Not the stallion sides of their nature. “What are you trying to prove?” she asked.

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“You’ll understand in time,” Hah-Tee said. “Right now, do as you’ve been ordered.” Ordered? Hardly. Even before she started in on her blouse buttons, she knew she was one-hundred percent behind what they wanted of her. There was a world beyond the kiva, but it could and would exist without her. For now. Two pairs of eyes accustomed to watching for danger and threat bore into her while she tackled button after button. She swayed, pulled herself upright, swayed again. Drew her blouse over her shoulders and let it slide to the floor. Started in on her jeans’ fastening, stopped and leaned over to untie her tennis shoes. Done with that, she kicked off her shoes, followed by her socks. The shifters’ gazes intensified, darkened. Their erections strained their jeans and yet their arms remained by their sides as if arousal was of little concern to them. Of course. No wonder. They were watching their woman. “This isn’t about me having two men, is it?” Her ability to speak surprised her. “It’s you two claiming me.” “Does it matter?” Nokoni asked. No. Her fingers felt like clubs as she tackled the button and zipper, but as soon as she started drawing her jeans over her hips, feeling returned with such vengeance it took all she had not to cry out. She was on fire! Lit up. Ready to explode. Whimpering low in her throat, she stepped out of her jeans. She straightened, looked first at the small pile on the ground and then back into the shifters’ eyes. They were like bottomless caves, like holes in the earth extending to the center. Her breasts pressed against the damnable unwanted bra, and she wondered if she had the strength to shed her panties.

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Naked forever before her shifters. Waiting for them to take her apart and put her back together. Eventually. “Finish,” Nokoni commanded. I can’t. There isn’t enough of me left. Determined to make a lie of the admission she’d never share, she reached behind her and unfastened her bra. She tried to shake the garment off her swollen breasts and erect nipples, but sweat had stuck the fabric to her, forcing her to peel it off. There. Gone. Unwanted. Cupping her breasts, she lifted them, hoping to take the pressure off her chest wall. “Let them go.” This from Hah-Tee. After lightly stroking her aching nipples, she complied. Not touching herself was so hard, giving rise to the hope that the men were equally uncomfortable, but Hah-Tee gave no indication of what he was feeling when he rested his hands on her shoulders and drew her close. Releasing her, he ran his fingers under her breasts. Agonizing second after agonizing second slipped by while he slowly closed in on her nipples. “Not fair,” she moaned. Much as she needed to end the agony of waiting, she forced herself to hold her ground. “I didn’t come here to—” “What did you come here for?”

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Chapter Twenty-Six

Nokoni’s sharp tone ripped her attention from what Hah-Tee was doing. The older shifter stared down at her, his crossed arms warning her not to do anything to garner his disapproval. However, the bulge in his crotch was at odds with his stern question. “You know,” she started, “a week is a long time. Especially when I can’t stop thinking about you two.” Nokoni indicated Hah-Tee’s fingers on her nipples. “Did you think this was going to happen?” “I didn’t know.” The shifter’s slow nod was at odds with his stiff body. The longer he studied her, the more she needed to ask what he was thinking. Nights had been so hard, too much wanting and imagining, mentally playing out scenarios she feared would never become reality. “Hah-Tee and I didn’t talk about you,” he said. “It was easier if we didn’t.” “Was it?” Still claiming her nipples, Hah-Tee raked his teeth over the side of her neck. Stifling a squeal, she ran her nails down his sides in retaliation. Gasping, he stepped back, releasing her as he did. “So what you’re telling me is you figured you’d function just fine as long as you didn’t think about me?” she asked. Hah-Tee rubbed his sides where her nails had been. “That’s not what he said.”

Vonna Harper

They shared a glance, but she couldn’t tell what they were thinking, not that it mattered. No more stalling, no more standing on the brink. Now was for discovery—and dealing with the consequences of that discovery. Closing her fingers around the elastic waist of her panties, she lifted it away from her belly. “I wore red today. I only have one pair that color and seldom wear it, but when I do, I feel alive, more of a woman, a sexual creature.” “You wanted to be a sexual creature today?” Nodding, she dragged the nylon down over her hips. She couldn’t get enough air into her lungs, and her heart couldn’t have beat faster if she’d been running a marathon. Their eyes followed her every move. First Hah-Tee and then Nokoni unzipped. A dance of sorts. Everyone stripping, closing in on the moment when separate bodies joined. Her panties now barely covered her sex, prompting her to run her fingers into her pubic hair. “I thought about shaving.” Were those high-pitched words coming from her? “Here.” She cupped herself. “Some women do that, did you know that?” They stopped working to get out of their jeans, and their expressions clearly said they weren’t sure what she was talking about. “You’re wonderful. Both of you.” “Wonderful?” Hah-Tee asked. “Your innocence. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. You aren’t at all childlike.” Determined to prove her point, she ran her hands into the open V in their jeans and cupped two substantial erections. “Here’s proof.” As if they’d communicated without words, each shifter closed their strong fingers around one of her wrists. They made no attempt to pull her off them. “I’m, ah, I was talking about your naivety when it comes to some of what goes

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on in today’s world. For example, did you know that many, many men are circumcised?” They frowned. A heartbeat ago, she’d wanted to expand on what she was talking about. Now, with their weight, warmth and strength in her hands, she no longer did. “Later.” She breathed the word. Nokoni rubbed the vein on her inner wrist. “And now?” She swallowed, swallowed again. “Now we have sex?” Twin nods served as the answer she needed as she’d never needed anything else in life. She supposed she could have called the shots, directed the show, but the truth was, she wasn’t sure what was going to take place. After an electric yet comfortable silence, they let go of her and went back to dealing with their jeans. Much as she hated relinquishing their cocks, she needed to be done with the last of her clothes. She finished before they did, stood straight and shaking as Nokoni and then Hah-Tee kicked their jeans and briefs aside. Three naked bodies. Two men ready for sex. One woman with need drenching her sex and her head pulsing. In contrast to the rest of the reservation, there was no wind down here, only their heat sliding over her flesh. Nokoni extended his hand toward her and ran his knuckles over the base of her throat. “Beautiful,” he whispered as she leaned into the touch. “You’re exquisite.” Exquisite? “I don’t know what to say.” And if I try, I’ll wind up crying. Unexpected pressure on her left hip turned her toward Hah-Tee. Smiling, he lightly scratched her, reminding her of what she’d done to him. The kiva seemed to start spinning, slowly at first but faster and faster. She started to grab on to the shifters, only to forget what she was doing because Nokoni was working his

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fingers into her hair near the temple. Abandoning her side, Hah-Tee rimmed her navel with the tip of his forefinger. “My God.” She sucked in her belly. Nokoni’s hold on her hair tightened until she was forced to arch her neck a little. “Women like to be kissed,” Nokoni said in a tone usually reserved for teachers. “Mouth against mouth like this.” His lips brushed hers, the touch fleeing. Hah-Tee, who was still playing with her navel, shook his head. “Is it pleasurable?” “Some.” Nokoni again pressed his mouth to hers. “One of the women I had sex with said I had a lot to learn, but she didn’t explain.” “Interesting. So”—Hah-Tee joined Nokoni in front of her—“like this?” The younger shifter’s kisses lasted longer, went deeper, but there was no soul behind it. Parting her lips, she ran her tongue over his closed mouth. HahTee reared back. “What was that?” “A real kiss. One version anyway. You didn’t give me much of an opportunity.” Because Nokoni was no longer holding on to her hair, she saw them exchange yet another look. She wanted to laugh, to delight in their discovery, but if she did, maybe they’d lose something. Men’s egos, even shifters’, were fragile. “If you don’t mind”—she flattened her hand against Hah-Tee’s chest—“I’d like to give you a demonstration, so the next time—anyway, so you’ll know.” Hah-Tee’s expression contained equal parts anticipation and confusion. She wasn’t sure how Nokoni would react, but she needed to learn whether they were truly capable of sharing her.

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Warning herself to concentrate on Hah-Tee and not her own needs, she locked her arms around his neck. Lifting herself onto her toes, she pressed her naked body against his equally nude one. His arms dangled. “Start easy.” She brought her mouth so close to his she felt his sharply exhaled breath. “Ask permission, like this.” A feathery contact, no challenge, no question either. He stayed with her, met her touch for touch. The impact of his chest, belly and cock swam over her, and she increased her hold on his neck. She’d waited her entire life for a moment like this—seemed like it, anyway. Fighting tears of wonder, she pulled back. “A kiss can be a dance, a tease, a warm-up to something else, like sex.” Widening her stance, she pushed her pelvis against him. His breath hissed. A second later, he spread his hands over her buttocks and held her in place. Delighted with his response, she pressed her lips against his. She had no intention of punishing him, nothing like that. But passion demanded its own expression. He didn’t back away, met her strength for strength. She was the first to open her mouth, but he soon followed suit. Then things became more than a little vague. She tried to focus on introducing him to what a kiss could be, might have pulled it off if not for his body’s strength melting into hers, and needing his cock between her legs. In her. Head swirling and arms and legs tingling, she touched her tongue to his teeth. He let her in, welcomed her to explore his mouth. She touched, tasted, stroked. He made animal sounds, a cougar’s low growl, perhaps. Eager to tap in to that side of him, she rubbed her breasts against him. Gathering up her ass cheeks, he drew them apart.

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Half sick with wanting, she turned her head to the side, thinking to—what? Before she could speak, he spread his legs and pulled her into the space he’d made. Kissing could wait. This was now. Sensation. Breaking apart. “Do it.” Was Hah-Tee talking to her? She was still asking herself the question when something warm pressed into the space between her ass cheeks. For a wonderful moment, she thought it was Nokoni’s cock, but the invasion wasn’t broad enough. His finger. The tip briefly brushing her rear opening. “Oh God, God!” “What does that feel like, Terena?” Nokoni asked. “Like giving up ownership of your body?” The reminder that the older shifter had had some human sexual experience knocked her even more off balance. She might be able to control Hah-Tee’s actions—might. Nokoni was another story. A thrilling one. “You aren’t answering.” Nokoni’s fingers began a journey toward her pussy. “What do you feel when I do this?” Her knees again started to buckle, prompting her to tighten her hold on HahTee. He was her rock, a tree, the only thing between her and collapse. “I—don’t know.” “I think you do, Terena.” It wasn’t a question, no need for her to try to respond. The journey to her core continued. She mentally stepped back from herself and watched from a safe but lonely distance. She wasn’t that tall, a good eight inches shorter than the imposing shifters. She wasn’t skinny. No one would ever

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want her to walk a runway. Next to the men, however, she felt fragile. Helpless. Naked. Mostly naked. Trapped between two men who’d begun life as mustangs. Nokoni found her opening, claimed it. He further announced his discovery by placing his free hand at the back of her neck and holding her head immobile. Her world became a heated storm, a place overflowing with sensation. Thoughts started, only to evaporate. The assault on her pussy began, masculine fingers caressing her heated flesh. Hah-Tee wrapped his arms around her waist, increasing her sense of helplessness. Eager to turn herself over to them, she clung to Hah-Tee’s shoulders. She’d offered her core to the older shifter, her breasts and belly to his partner. What had she called what Nokoni was doing, an assault? Hardly. He’d invaded her, claimed ownership. More than that, he understood her. “This is just the beginning,” he said from behind her. “My way of warming you up.” He ran his finger into her, stopped and let her experience. Her pussy muscles clenched. Chuckling, he dove deeper. She vowed not to move, but her body turned on her. Besides, damn it, she loved what he was doing. He must have known what she was thinking because he started pumping her, retreating only to go deep again. He went slow now, his movements smooth and gentle and wonderful. “Hmm. Hmm.” “What is he doing?” Hah-Tee asked. “Describe what’s happening.” “You want—” Deeper. The wonderfully giving finger touching even deeper nerves and making her thigh muscles shake. Pushing her away from him, Hah-Tee held her in place by gripping her now dangling arms. “Tell me,” he said firmly, “what is he doing?”

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She’d become a limp and mindless doll, a woman without will or intellect. She couldn’t remember what, if anything, Nokoni did while Hah-Tee repositioned her, but he was there, touching her in the most intimate place. He’d stopped treating her to gentle foreplay. A new pace had been set, a gallop. He pistoned her, pumped in double time. How strange, how unbelievably exciting to have him work her from behind while she stared up at Hah-Tee. “I asked a question.” Hah-Tee’s expression turned even more serious. “I expect an answer.”

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Chapter Twenty-Seven

Damn it, she was being finger-fucked, nerves stretching to the breaking point, pussy firing on all cylinders. How could he expect… “All right, damn you.” She spoke in time to Nokoni’s attack. “I’m loving this! Is that what you wanted to hear?” “Not enough,” Nokoni said. Not knowing who to focus on, she shivered while Hah-Tee held her upright and Nokoni propelled her up a steep sunlit mountain. Nokoni released her neck and pressed his fist—at least that’s what she thought it was—against the small of her back. Her hot juices trickled over her pussy and down her inner thighs. Something had clamped around her lungs, making it impossible for her to get enough oxygen into them. “Oh, fire,” she got out. “Getting—oh, damn it—I’m getting what I need.” “Are we wearing you out?” Nokoni pulled out, only to shove his finger so deep inside she half believed she could taste it. “You won’t be good for anything else once you… What are you feeling?” Maybe she could have answered if Hah-Tee hadn’t flattened his hands on either side of her neck. He lightly stroked behind her ears, then down her throat. The touches were so gentle, loving, perhaps, in sharp contrast to what Nokoni was doing, the wonderful battering to her pussy. She almost never came from penetration, it simply wasn’t part of her makeup, but her clit was another story. What was happening right now was incredible, a miracle, all new, but not the trigger her body craved. Wondering if

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she dared tell them where she was most vulnerable, she took a deep breath. She’d just started to exhale when the telling ripple hit. It was nearly there, building in intensity and welcoming her into pleasure. “Coming. I’m coming!” After that, there were no words, just a long, low moan. She didn’t know what she was climbing, didn’t care. Only the delicious mountain mattered. Wave after hot climactic wave wrung her out. Finally it was over, leaving her wrecked. Nokoni wiped his sex-drenched finger on her flank. “You climaxed?” Why couldn’t she get her damn knees to lock, and why was she suddenly scared? “What does it feel like?” Hah-Tee asked. “Wait. Please. I can’t talk.” “Yes,” Nokoni said, “you can. Now, before you forget.” Like that would ever happen. “I can’t describe—it has to be like what a man experiences when he ejaculates.” Her sad attempt at an explanation distracted her from her spaghetti-like legs. Then Hah-Tee started rubbing her arms while Nokoni’s cock glided over her backside, and she knew she was going to collapse. With the last bit of her strength, she clutched at the younger shifter, using his body for support as she lowered herself to a kneeling position. Fortunately, there weren’t any rocks on the kiva floor, just packed earth. “Your turn,” she said once she’d recovered enough to have recaptured some of her brain. She wasn’t so sure about her body, not that she had any complaints about how weak and used she felt. Cupping a hand around Hah-Tee’s cock, she brought it within inches of her mouth. “Now I return the favor.” Hah-Tee’s eyes widened. “What about him?” He jerked his head at Nokoni. “Yes, what about me?”

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Taking their questions as a test of their still-developing relationship, she extended her other hand toward Nokoni. For a moment, he remained where he was, while fear that everything was going to fall apart assaulted her. Then, moving slow with his head held high like the herd leader he was, he let his shoulder touch Hah-Tee’s. Taking control of his cock was the easy part for her, right up until what she’d just done sank in. She’d wanted both shifters. Now she had them—at least their cocks—but did she have what it took to satisfy them? All she could do was try. Shake off her post-climax lethargy and turn her thoughts and actions to what they needed. And deserved. Opening wide, she placed her mouth over Hah-Tee’s cock while cradling Nokoni’s in a sweating palm. She sucked, laved, took the younger shifter deep, only to pull back a little so she wouldn’t gag. Caressing Nokoni’s length at the same time tested her ability to multi-task and blunted a little of her pleasure until she stopped thinking and simply felt. “Feels—so good.” She nodded to let Hah-Tee know she agreed. Then, not giving herself time to debate, she slowly backed away from him, leaving him damp with her saliva. Her lips gliding over his bulk brought her pussy back to life. It wouldn’t take much for her to climax again, but she’d vowed to make pleasuring the men her priority. Swiveling toward Nokoni, she brought his cock to her mouth. With her lips just touching his tip, she looked up at him, encouraged by how he arched toward her. Right now this man/horse who’d had so much responsibility thrust on him cared about nothing except self-pleasure, something only she could give him. He

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started to lift his arms from his side, but she didn’t wait to see what he had in mind. Instead, she opened her mouth. There. His head safely against her tongue and her lips closing around him, controlling him. Reminding herself of the rest of her vow, she curled her fingers over Hah-Tee’s still-damp erection. There. Both of them under her control. Maybe. This time she found a sort of rhythm, a sensual dance for three. She had to keep reminding herself to put their pleasure before hers, but it was easier than earlier. Nokoni’s expression gave up what he was feeling, stripped him in ways that went beyond nudity. He was eager and tense, full of anticipation and doubt, all human emotions. Smiling around the mouthful, she worked him, dove into his world as best she could and wrapped it around her. A part of her mentally broke off and went in search of Hah-Tee. Trust me, she told Hah-Tee with her fingers. Just trust me. Let me caress you, cradle, stimulate. What was it she’d thought earlier, something about a dance? That was what this was, a crazy off-kilter dance that called for her to welcome one cock after the other into her mouth. She sucked and deserted, turned left and then right, left again. Switched hands. The men touched her shoulders, arms and breasts, sometimes raking their nails over her flesh, other times barely brushing her. Losing herself in the act of giving pleasure was so incredibly easy, what she’d dreamed of doing from the moment she knew they existed. Her jaw muscles and fingers grew tired, but it didn’t matter because a song was growing inside her, one that became louder with every moment. Acknowledging that her body had found its own sensual rhythm brought her joy. It would do its thing, start climbing yet another mountain while she suckled and sucked, while she milked one man and then the other.

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She was mouth-fucking Hah-Tee when she sensed his impending explosion. Instead of pushing him beyond the brink, however, she let him go, thinking to draw out his anticipation. Groaning, he grabbed a double handful of her hair. She slid her tongue over Nokoni’s length, grasping Hah-Tee’s erection as she did. When she pressed her thumb against the younger shifter’s slit, their separate heat became as one. His breath hissing, Hah-Tee tried to jerk free. Her hold tightened, gave no quarter. One squeeze, two, a third. His hiss became a grunt and then a cry. His body shuddering, he climaxed. Come filled her palm and ran between her fingers. When he was done, she cradled him and listened to his slowing breaths. It’s all right, she wanted to tell him but couldn’t because her mouth was full. At length he pulled free. She started to shake her hand to get rid of his discharge, then stopped. Do it! Wondering whether she’d lost her mind and consequently them, she backed away from Nokoni. Cupping his balls, she lifted his sex. Eyes closed so she wouldn’t have to study what she was doing, she spread Hah-Tee’s cum over Nokoni’s cock. “What are you doing?” Nokoni asked. Opening her eyes, she noted that Hah-Tee seemed oblivious to what had just happened. “You don’t like?” she asked Nokoni. “I don’t know.” Fair enough. Leaning back a little while still holding on to Nokoni, she studied her handwork. The whitish cream was starting to dry in places, while one drop after another trickled to the floor. To hell with what the rule book said; she’d broken it anyway. Nothing to do but lick Hah-Tee’s come off Nokoni’s cock. The sweet taste ran down her throat, bypassed her stomach and spread

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through her arms and legs. Most settled in her pussy and breasts. Her breathing turned ragged. “I can take it all off, if you want,” she offered. She made a show of looking around. “You have towels in here? And water? I’d be happy to wash—” “Don’t.” There was another of Nokoni’s impossible-to-decipher tones. Fortunately, his eyes were easier to fathom, and they said he was single-minded, his thoughts centered around himself. His needs. She positioned his cock so it was in a direct line with her mouth. “How about I get you off.” “How about you do.” She’d started to slide her lips over him when she remembered the other player. Hah-Tee’s erection was nearly a thing of the past while his body was stone hard. His hands fisted at his sides. Confused, she winked at him. He winked back. Smiled. The smile held. “Go on,” he said. “I want to watch.” “Then how about if you relax?” “Maybe I don’t want to.” Nokoni was a big man, a stallion and a stud. He was all muscle and speed with a double dose of courage thrown in. There was no reason to be gentle with him; certainly, he wouldn’t expect it. But maybe even the herd leader needed softness in his life. She was still trying to decide what would bring him the most pleasure when she took his tip into her mouth. Silken flesh slid over her inner lips. Increasing her hold, she looked up at him. He met her stare, and yet his eyes had a not-quite-there look. Taking hold of his length with one hand, she gathered up his balls with the other. Rocking back a little, he widened his stance.

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Nokoni’s cock became her world, her existence. Granted, her mouth and hands were the only part of her body touching him, but she felt the impact everywhere. Need rolled through her, and she tightened her belly and buttocks. A current struck, sealing her existence to his. She worked him, her head bobbing, mind spinning, fingers playing. The faster she suckled and stroked, the less she cared about him. This was for her, her gift to herself, worshipping a shifter’s cock. Something warm covered her breasts. Disoriented, she struggled to comprehend. “Keep going,” Hah-Tee commanded. “Finish him off.” She wasn’t in charge after all; maybe she’d never been. Absorbing that bit of reality might take the rest of the day, but it could wait. Would have to wait, because Nokoni—oh, yes, Nokoni. Her priorities reset, she relaxed her jaw muscles and leaned toward the older shifter. His cock slid into the space she’d created, prompting her to close down, trapping and claiming him. The pressure on her breasts remained constant. Good. All right. She had Nokoni. Hah-Tee had her. Everything was as it should be. “There. Yeah, there.” The last word was nearly unintelligible. Nokoni had lost control. Given in to need. She tried to keep him in her mouth so she could experience at least some of what he was, but he planted his hands against the sides of her head and pushed her back. Come jetted from him and landed on the floor near her knees. Droplets found her, and she saw them as gifts, a precious part of him. She waited until he was done and then wiped him clean. Making sure he saw what she was doing, she licked her fingers. Sliding his hands under her breasts, Hah-Tee lifted them. “Proud of yourself, are you? Got us to do what you wanted?” “It’s what you want, isn’t it?” Please tell me it is.

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“Yes.” Nokoni sounded a little drunk. “It’s just—everything’s a bit crazy.” Crazy came close to describing how she felt. Then Hah-Tee lightly tapped her nipples, and she took another step into insanity. The shifters were done. All three of them had gotten what a ménage was supposed to be about. Today’s chapter was over, no reason for—for anything. “Stand up,” Nokoni said. “All right,” she muttered but didn’t move, because Hah-Tee wasn’t done with her breasts, and she didn’t want the afternoon to end. Didn’t want anything to end. No one spoke. No one moved. All except for the younger shifter’s fingers toying with her hard and hot nipples. She smelled come and sweat and earth. “Come on.” Nokoni held out his hands. “I’ll help.” Grateful, she let him haul her to her feet. The effort behind her, she tried to lift her head but couldn’t. The pins-and-needles feeling in her legs was distracting, but that was nothing compared to the emotional impact. They’d become a trio, a unit. More to the point, they’d all seen each other at their strongest and weakest. There might not be any secrets left, no vulnerability unrevealed. “What is it?” Nokoni asked. “You look… I don’t know.” “I’m not sure either.” She unselfconsciously fingered her breasts where HahTee’s hands had been seconds ago. “I’m feeling a little overwhelmed.” “So are we.” We. The single word made it possible for her to break free of self-absorption. No doubt about it, their eyes had taken on an increased depth. She searched for but didn’t find any hint of embarrassment or regret in their expression. “Uncharted territory,” she said. “All of us in the same boat.”

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Their puzzled expressions told her her phrases meant little to them. “Never mind. Maybe, I don’t know if we’ll continue, but—” Nokoni brushed hair back from her temple. “This is just the beginning.”

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Chapter Twenty-Eight

Terena lay on her back with her arms over her head. Hah-Tee held them in place. Moments ago, after seeing the shifters’ growing erections, she’d gotten onto the mattress. They’d had maybe a half hour to recover, time for her to fully absorb that, yes, things were just beginning between them. Her intent in getting on the mattress had been to offer herself to them and let them take it from there. Well, they had. She’d no sooner found a comfortable spot then they’d positioned themselves with Hah-Tee kneeling by her head while Nokoni did the same near her feet. Caught between them, she’d licked her lips in anticipation. Perhaps there’d been another of those silent communications between them; maybe each was simply doing what they wanted to her. “You won’t be moving this time.” Hah-Tee pressed down on her wrists. “You did what you wanted to earlier. Now it’s our turn.” She had no objection to that, none at all. In truth, imagining herself as their captive had her squirming in anticipation—or she would have if she’d been able to move her lower body. She couldn’t, because Nokoni had hoisted her legs into the air and rested them on his shoulders. “He’s right,” Nokoni said. “What is it they say, calling the shots? This time you aren’t doing that. We are.” Instead of admitting she hadn’t felt in control of anything, least of all her body, she waited.

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“Such an incredible place.” Nokoni slid his fingers from one end of her already aching pussy to the other. “Endlessly fascinating. Much as a woman’s body weakens a man, it does the same to her.” “Who, then, is the weaker?” Hah-Tee asked. “Good question.” Nokoni stroked her again, forcing her to press her buttocks against the mattress. “I’m not sure we’ll be able to answer that today.” “But we can try.” “Yes, we can.” She knew what was coming, no way she couldn’t anticipate. Unfortunately— or was it fortunately—she couldn’t do anything about it. “Her breasts intrigue me,” Hah-Tee said. Nokoni chuckled. “So I’ve noticed.” “The only time a mare’s have any size is when she’s nursing.” Shifting his hold so he controlled both of her wrists with a single hand, Hah-Tee touched his forefinger to her hairline and began a light journey over her nose, to her chin, along her throat. She arched her spine. “Women are quite different,” he continued. “I wonder if they like their breasts the way they are.” “Good question. Of course, they don’t have any choice in the matter.” “True. Something else I’ve been thinking about.” Hah-Tee flattened his hand over her chest and began kneading her there as he did. “Their sensitivity. Why do you suppose that is?” Nokoni massaged her thighs. “Maybe they’re less likely to injure themselves there if they’re always aware of their breasts.” “That’s possible.” Nokoni nodded. “But I’d rather think the awareness is tied to their sexuality, a way of increasing their pleasure.”

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Go on. Talk as if I’m not here. That way I can concentrate on what you’re doing to me, enjoy. “We need to educate ourselves about the depth of pleasure our woman is capable of,” Hah-Tee said. Our woman. The words sang through her, distracting her from the hand just above her breasts and the one trailing up and down her widely spread thighs. “As I see it,” Nokoni said, “this is our responsibility. So you’re mainly interested in her breasts?’ Smiling, Hah-Tee shook his head. “I can’t think of a part of her that doesn’t fascinate me.” “Maybe the bottom of her feet, between her toes.” Winking, Nokoni bent her knee and ran a finger between her toes. “Nothing particularly interesting here.” Stifling the need to squirm, she tried to think of something to say. Just then, Hah-Tee placed his hand over her right breast. The touch was so light, little more than a butterfly’s wing. Nevertheless, she shivered. “Ah, interesting,” he said. The corners of his mouth again lifted. “You know, I’m liking being human more than I thought I would.” Why was she on the verge of tears? Certainly he hadn’t meant anything serious by the comment, had he? Her mind spun, but she was aware that Nokoni had stopped playing with her foot and her leg was back on his shoulder—her sex within easy reach. The butterfly fluttered away. Now it felt as if her breast was being touched by a larger bird, maybe the tip of an eagle’s wing. A whining, muttering moan spilled out from between her tightly closed lips, and no matter how hard she tried to remain still, she couldn’t. Hah-Tee rubbed his palm over her breast, deserted it so he could do the same to the other. He kept the contact light and easy, except easy hardly

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described what she was feeling. The tingle spread out and down. She found scant relief in tossing her head. The animal sounds coming from her throat increased in volume. More tingling and heat, Hah-Tee’s hand working faster and faster while switching from one breast to the other. Nokoni’s fingers again glided up and down her thighs. It was all too much, nerve endings confused and flesh shortcircuiting. After caressing her legs while she feebly struggled to free herself, Nokoni suddenly stopped. The end to the burning sensation was both wonderful and horrible. Not sure what she was trying to do, she rolled her lower body from side to side. Her pussy was alive, flames licking everywhere. “Ah, ah, hah. Fucking good!” Shocked by her outburst, she clenched her teeth together. Her jaw started to ache. Nokoni wasn’t touching her right now, thank God. Kind and compassionate man that he was, he knew she needed time to recover. Why, then, wasn’t she thanking him? “You’re strong, Terena,” he told her. “Determined. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t have bothered to learn what you did about us. We’ll always be grateful to you for that.” “I don’t feel strong now.” “What do you feel?” Hah-Tee asked. Shrugging off his question would have been easy, the coward’s way. But not long ago, Nokoni had said this was the beginning between them. The words had stayed with her, growing and expanding. “In love,” she whispered. “With both of you.” Saying nothing, Nokoni slid away, lowering her legs to the mattress as he did. “The other night, before the medicine the Hopi left for me had done its work

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and I had a fever, I thought about what sharing you would be like. Who needed to do what.” “I’ve thought about the same thing,” Hah-Tee said and released her wrists. “Our woman has more than one opening capable of accepting a man’s sex.” “You’re the oldest. What part of her do you want—if she’s willing.” “I’m willing,” she managed around numb lips. Instead of answering, Nokoni took hold of her legs and slowly drew her toward him so one was on either side of his hips. She worked to be part of his plan, wanted to co-operate in every way she could, but a dream was coming true today. More than just a dream—she was walking into the future with them. Silence slipped into the kiva as Nokoni’s cock filled her. Pressing her heels into his back, she held him in place, loving her dual role as captive and captor. His eyes took on that faraway look she’d seen on him before. Then Hah-Tee filled her vision. Reaching out, she cradled his erection and brought it to her mouth. This was no dance—more like frenzy. Nokoni didn’t make love to her, he attacked and pummeled, prompting her to repeatedly close her inner muscles around him in joyous retaliation. Hah-Tee knelt beside her with one hand in her hair and the other between her breasts. Nokoni needed little from her beyond energy, heat and willingness, leaving her free to suckle and bathe. They’d broken her apart, separated her into two pieces. One part gave, the other took. It all met in the middle like a tornado, a hurricane. In her mind’s eye, she saw an eagle hovering overhead and its wings beating away the worst of the heat. But she wanted the heat, needed it! Fed off it. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t think. Felt.

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Then one of them, she didn’t know which, slid a finger between her and Nokoni. It kissed her clit, causing her to bleat around Hah-Tee’s cock. The touch returned, stronger this time and full of movement. Wild to capture the promise behind the contact, she reached out blindly and seized the man’s wrist, held on to it with all the strength in her. He knew what she wanted, what she needed! Made her clit quiver and beg. She came silently with her body quaking. And didn’t leave the kiva until the next day.

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Epilogue

Fall wouldn’t be here for another month, but the mornings carried a chill that encouraged Terena to snuggle under blankets, and she’d mentally prepared herself for the loss of long evenings outdoors. This morning had called for a jacket, which was now secured to her saddle. The mare under her shivered and pranced in anticipation of being allowed to run—again. “It’s all right, Lady.” She patted the solid neck. “You’ll get your chance.” “What do you think?” Quana asked as the Comanche joined her. “Can I get mustangs to accept humans or what? Go on, say it. I’m the best damn trainer this world’s ever seen.” Laughing, Terena rolled her eyes. “Biggest ego. You wouldn’t have made the progress you have with her if Nokoni and Hah-Tee hadn’t gotten through to her.” She again patted the young mare’s neck. “Don’t pay any attention to him,” she crooned. “His ego gets in the way of his brain.” Quana looked about to reply. Instead, he turned his attention to the horizon. Listening, she caught the sound of hooves rapidly striking earth. A moment later, five horses flew more than galloped into view. Lady reared. “It’s okay, girl. Don’t ever lose your wild spirit.” “She’s old enough to be bred,” Quana pointed out. Bred by Hah-Tee because she’s Nokoni’s daughter. “I know.” “How do you feel about that?” Instead of answering, she watched the horses approach, the shifters in the lead. The others represented Quana’s skilled horsemanship. Her cousin rode a

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young rangy black stallion with knowing eyes. Yamka was astride a chestnut mare, while her uncle had chosen a pinto. Their chest markings identified them as Nokoni’s offspring. None were older than three. Their Hopi riders leaned low over straining muscular bodies. “Incredible,” she breathed. “I don’t care how many times I see them run, it always gets to me.” “You aren’t the only one.” She knew what Quana was talking about. He’d just started working with the mustangs when people began asking about purchasing them. Not surprisingly, those in the racing world had been the most persistent. Fortunately, the Hopi Tribal Council had gone to Washington DC to present their concerns. To her and the shifters’ relief, a bill had been passed making it illegal for anyone other than those the Hopi approved of to own a reservation mustang. Eagles, as they were called, wouldn’t be allowed on traditional racing circuits. “Have enough pictures, do you?” Quana asked. Even though she’d taken hundreds, she snapped more shots. At the last moment, the riders drew on the reins, causing their mounts to skid to a halt inches from Quana and her. Instead of doing the same, the shifters thundered past. She followed them with her camera, hoping she’d captured powerful muscles and rapid-fire legs in action. They raced each other, maturity against youth, strength testing strength. If she pulled it off, which she knew she could, people who read the heavily illustrated book she was working on would understand. “Damn!” Quana exclaimed. “There’s nothing civilized about them. You sure you’re safe?” I don’t care. They make me feel alive. “Don’t worry about me.”

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Red danced and flung her head, prompting the Comanche to mutter calming words. Lady continued to watch where the stallions—one of them her father— had gone. “I’m delighted you were able to find her,” she said, indicating Red. “I’m so happy she’s where she belongs, not—” “Not being exploited. It wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t have the license number of the truck that took her from Ahote.” She hadn’t told the shifters anything until Quana arrived with Red last month. Tears had glistened in Nokoni’s eyes the moment he saw his daughter. Nothing to it, Quana had said when Nokoni asked for an explanation. Once he had the license number, he’d shown it to the law enforcement officers he’d been working with. They’d learned Red was being stabled by a man under investigation for a number of things, including drug dealing. The police had shown up one day, saying they were seizing Red as part of the investigation. The man, up to his ears in legal problems, hadn’t protested. A day later, Quana started showing Red that humans could be trusted. After watching the relationship between his daughter and Quana, Nokoni had asked the Comanche if he wanted to keep her. Quana indicated the trio they’d left behind. “Are you going back with me? Maybe you intend to wait for the shifters to stop trying to run each other into the ground and return to you.” “I’ll wait.” “That’s what I figured.” He pointed to the east, where the herd had been grazing earlier. “I wonder how many of those foals are going to grow up to be shifters?” Could Hah-Tee and Nokoni get her pregnant? She couldn’t bring her voice above a whisper. “I don’t know.”

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Reaching out, he rubbed behind Lady’s ear. The mare whinnied low. “I wonder when she’ll start shifting, or when the one Ahote’s riding will.” “Soon.” “I can hardly wait to see it. I’m still trying to understand how my father and the other Comanche elders did what they did.” “I don’t think they know.” He nodded. “Yeah. Some things—I’m not sure how you’re going to pull it off. The book has to be written, because interest in the mustangs is so high, but once people know some are shifters… You’re going to include that?” “I have to. There’s no way we can keep it secret.” “People are going to come here wanting to see. Protecting the shifters, hell, protecting the whole herd isn’t going to be easy.” “I know.” Even though she couldn’t see them, she sensed that Nokoni and Hah-Tee had stopped running and were coming back to her. It didn’t matter that the three of them had spent last night having sex in the kiva as they’d done many nights since that first time a month ago; she wanted them. Now. “I have to trust Nokoni and Hah-Tee. Defending the herd is built into them.” “You’re right. It is. So what do I tell your uncle and the others? Should we wait for you?” “No.” “That’s what I figured. Look, tell them I’m ready to go to the herd with them whenever they say. The sooner we get all the mustangs used to people—to Hopi—the sooner they’ll have that layer of protection.” “I will.” He winked. “And for the record, those are two lucky men. They couldn’t have hooked up with a better woman.”

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No, she thought as she waited for her shifters, she was the lucky one. Thanks to the book advance, she’d be able to build a house for the three of them to live in on the reservation. Because of his herd-leader duties, Hah-Tee wouldn’t be in it as much as Nokoni, who was starting to work with the Tribal Council on policy regarding the mustangs, but when he was— Oh God, there it was. Her body superheating at the thought of being with them. Loving them. Them sharing her. “Hurry!” she called out. Lady’s ears swiveled toward her. “Sorry, girl. I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to the shifters.” My lovers.

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About the Author

A fast-fingered writer of erotica, Vonna Harper loves penning stories set in remote locations where her characters can give into primitive impulse. Throw in a little capture and/or bondage and she’s a happy camper. Her website is www.vonnaharper.com. She’s also on Twitter and Facebook and loves connecting with readers.

Look for these titles by Vonna Harper

Now Available: Bloodhunter Predator Night Hunter Shifters’ Storm

She needs their courage—and their bodies. The feeling is mutual…

Shifters’ Storm

© 2011 Vonna Harper Law enforcement warnings be damned, nothing will stop Rane from returning to the Chinook Mountains to discover who murdered her mother, a fellow forest ranger. Except maybe the fact that her elk shifter lover, Songan, is in the middle of rut season. The delay is just long enough for a newcomer from the far north to enter the picture. A massive grizzly shifter with his own need—for Rane. His dark, brooding presence feeds dreams so erotic, she feels like she’s losing her mind. Yet keeping him at arm’s length isn’t an option. She needs his heightened senses, along with Songan’s, to follow the cold trail of her mother’s final hours. With winter closing in, the threesome heads for the mountains, where, in a cramped cabin, their mutual lust explodes. But the mountains can't shield them from deadly danger. Yet the intense heat can’t burn away the doubt pestering the back of her mind. That the gap between their ages is too large, even for the most determined leap of faith… Warning: Menage with complications. Shape shifting with complications. Outdoor sex, cabin sex, dream sex with ropes. Woman on a mission, and men with muscles upon muscles answering the call of the wild. Enjoy the following excerpt for Shifters’ Storm: He needed a haircut and hadn’t shaved for days. His thick, long, red-black hair had been combed by the wind. The way he stood with his legs spread and his arms out from his sides made her wonder if he felt as if the world was

tipping under him. She could only guess what changing felt like. He gave no indication he was aware of her as he took in the meadow with its slender, whitebarked aspens and the large pines surrounding them. Obviously he was reluctant to leave his animal half. Songan had an erection. She’d never seen a more potent cock, all dark prominent veins and thick foreskin ringing the base of his cockhead. Thinking about how she loved to slide the sleek foreskin about made her hands sweat. “Songan, it’s me, Rane.” “I know.” His eyes no longer had that faraway and unfocused look, but his unemotional tone told her he hadn’t completed the transformation. He’d once explained that he felt as if he belonged nowhere while morphing from human to animal or back again, and although he’d said nothing about being alarmed by the experience, she didn’t see how it could be otherwise. He didn’t want to be touched until he was fully in one body or the other. She’d waited long enough. She had to remind him of what they’d once had. Otherwise, he might never understand her need for him. Her legs had grown weak. Either that or knowing what she was asking of them had stripped strength from them. Whichever it was, she had to concentrate on walking. As a result, when she looked up at him, she was closer than she thought she’d be. Warmth flowed from his naked form to reach and caress her skin through her clothing. If the cool mountain air had made an impact on him, he gave no indication as he placed his broad, strong hands on her shoulders. She’d left her backpack and rifle behind. Except for the clothes she suddenly wanted nothing to do with, she and Songan were equals. Hopefully alone.

Will you help me? was what she’d believed would be the first thing to come out of her mouth once they stood face to face. But sex had always defined their relationship. It still did. “You’re back,” he said. “My mother—you can’t be surprised to see me.” “I’m sorry, Rane. Sorry about what happened to her and what’s happening to me right now.” Letting go of one shoulder, he cupped his cock. “This time of year, I can’t fight the elk in me. I wanted to be there for you, but—” “I know.” Strangely, staring at what she could see of his cock was easier on her nerves than looking into his eyes. All except needing to have it buried inside her. “Remember, I was here when you matured. The first fall when the rut hit you—” “I wanted to fuck your brains out.” “Not just want. You did.” Maybe he was no longer interested in going down memory lane. More likely sex held the upper hand as he pulled her against him. Her face mashed into his chest. Even as she turned her head so she could breathe, his cock grinding at her belly loosened and moistened her pussy. Clouds were starting to gather, a brisk wind pushing them and bringing a faint, distant scent of snow. Except for acknowledging the cool air, she paid little attention to the change. It would take a lot more than a breeze to kill the desire tearing at her. Songan’s hold let up a little. Freeing her arms, she wrapped them around his neck. No doubt about it, being in rut added bulk and muscle to his human form. As a wildlife biologist, she was familiar with the creatures that inhabited the Northwest forests. Songan was at his sexual peak. Depending on how well he

took care of himself and how many bull-to-bull battles he got into, he could stay like this for years. Be everything she wanted in a man. In a distracted way, she knew she had no business letting his body take control of hers, but she’d been fantasizing about this moment for too long, when she could be free of grief. Needed it too much. She’d gone looking for him because she wanted justice for her mother, but even that would have to wait. First and maybe always came feeding this awesome hunger. A low whimper escaped her as she stood on her toes, tilted her head and raked her teeth over the side of his neck. Grunting, he lifted her off her feet. Since moving away from Forestville, she’d engaged in rough sex with two men, but they hadn’t outweighed her by over a hundred pounds and weren’t more than a foot taller. They weren’t half animal. “What’s this?” Smiling slightly, he turned his head so she could see the red marks she’d left on him. “Some point you’re trying to make?” “Impulse. Craziness.” “Caused by what?” My mother’s murder. “It’s not like we’ve ever set any limits set on what happens between us. Let me down.” Smiling, he shook both his head and her. “Like you said, no limits or boundaries.” He’s in his prime, dangerously so. Don’t do something stupid. Despite her warning, however, she lightly pressed a knee to his groin. “Things haven’t changed with you. You still insist on being in control.” “Human nature.” Giving her a look she couldn’t fathom, he lowered her to the ground but kept his hands on her waist. Her fingers dragged over his neck. “You aren’t human, not all the way.”

“And you can’t handle it. That’s why you left.” “That wasn’t the only reason, and you know it. It was time for me to find out who I was. In part to break the addiction between us.” Any other woman would probably be too intimidated to say what she just had, but Songan brought out something strong and wild in her, something she didn’t understand or trust. “You also wanted more than any elk shifter can give,” he said. “Me being there all the time.” “Not now. That’s not what I—” “What then?” he demanded. “Damn it, Rane. I am what I am, just as you are.” “What are you saying?” Lightning hadn’t struck. Songan and Songan alone was responsible for what raged through her. “That I don’t live up to your expectations because I’m not a shifter?” “I’ve always accepted you. I just wish you felt the same way.” “It’s easier for you. You don’t have to deal with human emotions all the time.” The words weren’t out before she wished she could take them back. “Look, I’m sorry. This is hardly the time to—what brought you here?” She nodded in the direction of the dead elk. “Did you sense—maybe you heard shots.” “I don’t know.” Letting up on the pressure around her waist, he started stroking her there. Her nerves jumped. “Maybe you’re responsible.” He was talking about the powerful connection that had once existed between them, a connection she’d believed she had to sever if she was ever going to live her own life. These mountains had once been part of her world, but they no longer were. She had to remind herself of that, somehow. But later. When her body no longer cried out for him.

She’d intended to beg for his help in finding out who had murdered her mother, not beg him for sex. As early as this morning, she’d believed, or told herself she believed, that her need for justice would see her through seeing Songan but not wanting to fuck him. What a damnable liar she’d been.

Resisting two magical mischief makers definitely wasn’t in the job description.

Vanessa Unveiled © 2011 Jodi Redford

Vanessa Darby, a bounty hunter and tracker for the Veil Alliance League, figures things can’t get any crappier than her car breaking down on a deserted highway. Until the two dimension-hopping renegades she’s been assigned to capture lure her to their magical love nest in the woods and entangle her in a web of seduction. How the hell is she supposed to resist a pair of gorgeous male pookas who possess a wicked talent for bringing the sexy? Rand and Braeden have searched more than three centuries for their one true bond mate. Now that Vanessa’s been dropped into their arms, they have no intention of giving her up. Even if it means agreeing to her terms: If they can’t persuade her within forty-eight hours that the three of them belong together, they’ll give themselves over to the authorities. But convincing a woman who doesn’t believe in love, or the concept of forever, is no easy feat. Particularly with one doozy of a dirty secret from their past waiting to trip them up. Warning: Two hotter-than-should-be-legal pookas sexin’ it up with each other and the stubborn woman they love. One magical hotel in the woods that isn’t exactly what it seems. And a unicorn who will forever tarnish the image of the species. Enjoy the following excerpt for Vanessa Unveiled: Rand sensed the exact moment the emotional shift occurred within Vanessa. An achingly sweet note of longing sang from her soul, calling to him. He glanced at Braeden, his mate’s rapt stare verifying that he’d also received the summoning. Braeden jumped to his feet, but Rand shook his head in warning. It

was too soon. Beneath Vanessa’s soulful yearning, a dark specter of fear still lurked. He could detect it skulking in the shadows of her mind, guarding its treasure-trove of negativity. Until they discovered what fed that phantom its power, and destroyed it, they needed to handle Vanessa gently. “So how did you two meet, anyway?” He met Vanessa’s curious gaze. “At the annual fairy ball held in Titania’s honor.” Her eyes grew large. “The queen of the fairies? You’ve met her? What is she like?” “Very old and very crabby. But she throws a hell of a party.” Braeden began gathering the dishes and Rand quickly stood to offer a hand. Grunting, Braeden waved him off. “You owe me. Go on and finish telling Vanessa about how you fell in love with me at first sight.” It was Rand’s turn to grunt. “You have a bloody warped sense of history. The way I recall it, you fell in love with me at first sight. Ditched that big-breasted druid right on the dance floor and followed me into the powder room, where I distinctly remember you offered to unzip my trousers with your teeth.” “The druid!” Braeden dropped one of the pans into the sink with a clatter. “Damn, almost forgot about good ole Martina. Too bad she always smelled like a damp basement and talked to trees.” Rand gave Vanessa a dry look behind Braeden’s back. “And he wonders why I’m considered the charming one.” Vanessa’s smile was so beautiful, it took every ounce of willpower he possessed not to yank her off the stool and kiss the living daylights out of her. “Your love affair started in a bathroom? How oddly romantic.” “There was nothing romantic about it. Brae was merely a horny little bugger.”

Braeden tossed another pan into the sink. “Now who’s spreading lies?” He peered over his shoulder at Vanessa. “Back then, Rand’s skill at weaseling his way beneath any skirt was legendary. Clearly he was the hornier of the two of us.” “Debatable.” Vanessa cleared her throat with a pointed cough. “Judging from the way you both are now, perhaps you should just call it a draw.” Rand muzzled his laugh. “Very diplomatic of you.” She rested her chin on her upturned palm and eyed him. “I don’t know how to phrase this in a way that won’t sound incredibly nosy and blunt, but you both mentioned past female relationships. Does that mean…?” “We were each other’s first,” he answered in response to the unspoken curiosity in her gaze. “I’d had no interest or attraction to other males before Brae. Other than him, I still don’t. But when it comes to the calling of a bond mate, the heart doesn’t get caught up in the sticky nuances of gender. It simply wants the person destined to make it whole.” He locked her into his stare, knowing full well she’d see a reflection of the feelings he held inside his heart. She averted her gaze and he tried not to let the disappointment crush him. Thank the goddesses he’d never been one to back down from anything, because Vanessa Darby was the queen mother of all challenges. Apparently reading the sudden tension in the room, Braeden tossed a dishtowel in Rand’s direction. Taking the hint, he grabbed the cloth and joined Braeden at the sink. With the two of them working together, they cleaned up the dishes in record time, and with minimal complaints from Braeden regarding Rand’s drying abilities, no less. Rand pivoted back toward the island, fully expecting to find Vanessa snickering over their little bicker fest. Her stool was empty, her discarded clothes and boots nowhere to be seen.

Paranoia and dread kicked up his heart rate. Surely she wouldn’t attempt another unchaperoned stroll through the hotel. Not after what happened last time. Unless… Recalling the wall of doubt she’d erected when he’d spoken of bond mates, renewed panic crashed through him. “Shit.” “What?” Tuning out Braeden, Rand bolted from the kitchen. He was halfway to the elevator when he noticed Vanessa standing just beyond the entrance to the bedroom, her clothes and boots scattered near her feet. Relief instantly blanketed him. Changing course, he walked toward the archway. Vanessa remained so enthralled by whatever held her attention she didn’t even look up as he approached. Halting behind her, he peered over her shoulder at the object she was busy inspecting, his mouth tugging into a grin. “Reconsidering my earlier suggestion, sweetest?” Vanessa jerked and the double-ended dildo in her hand went flying. Her cheeks bright red, she glanced up at him. “I was trying to figure out if that’s a baton or…something else.” “What do you think?” She chuckled, her face still wearing its adorable tint of scarlet. “Um, that you and Braeden should provide me a demonstration?” “Naughty girl.” He nuzzled her hair, the soft note of jasmine filling his nose and firing his ever-persistent hunger for her to full blast. “Tempting as that might be, I have a counter suggestion.” “Such as?” The innocence in her tone clashed with the sinful curiosity flashing in her eyes. He slid his hands around her torso and cupped her breasts, his thumbs teasing her nipples. “Letting me fuck you.”

“Hmm, didn’t I already let you do that?” “No. I just sat there while you had your lusty way with me.” “Poor baby. Must have been a hardship enduring all of that.” “Hard doesn’t begin to cover it.” Rubbing his cock against the dip of her spine for emphasis, he tweaked her nipples gently, making her squirm and gasp. “So what do you say?” She turned in his arms and he lowered his head to steal a kiss. Before his mouth captured its quarry, she stood on tiptoe and licked the clan marks tattooed on his pectoral, catching him off-guard. An intense shiver ripped through him, nearly knocking him flat on his ass. She tossed him an impish grin. “I’ve wanted to do that since yesterday.” Braeden’s devilish chuckle sounded behind them. “Uh-oh. She’s discovered your weak spot. There’ll be no living with her now.” Vanessa’s eyes widened. “Weak spot? Do tell.” Rand groaned. “One more word out of you, Brae, and you’re a dead—” “The tats. They’re extremely sensitive to the touch,” Braeden explained, ignoring Rand’s growl of warning. “Drives him fucking crazy when you play with them. And I do mean crazy.” “Really?” Vanessa’s scrutiny returned to the symbols on his chest. Not trusting the gleam in her irises, he stepped back, knocking into Braeden. His traitorous lover bracketed his arms around his waist, keeping him pinned in place for Vanessa’s roving hands. Her fingertips skated over the tattoos, eliciting his helpless groan. Expression loaded with feminine triumph, she followed the swirling, metallic green curlicue design with her tongue. His head lolled back, the sensations skittering beneath his skin a mix of exquisite pleasure and pure torture. He didn’t know whether to beg her to stop or continue. Not that it mattered. Clearly she possessed her own agenda. She lapped away at him like a

mischievous kitten, her tormenting licks growing bolder thanks to Braeden’s notso-helpful encouragement. His breathing erratic, Rand locked his knees in an effort to keep from staggering to the floor in an embarrassing heap. “You both are going to pay dearly for this.” He jumped when Braeden sucked on his earlobe. All thoughts of retribution fled as Vanessa’s mouth descended. The tip of her wicked little tongue circled his areola, causing his nipple to harden. Along with other parts of him. As if his cock wasn’t already stiff enough to rudder a ship, it swelled, bumping into Vanessa’s belly. She wiggled against him—earning another of his groans—before she slid down his body, her mouth engulfing his cock in one swift stroke. Scalding pleasure washed over him. “Fuck.” Displaying no timidity, she worked him over, her tongue coasting along every ridge and vein of his shaft before she concentrated exclusively on the head. “Damn, she might even be better than me.” Braeden’s husky laugh floated past his ear. “Darlin’, don’t forget to show his balls some proper love. You’ll have him wrapped around your pinky.” Humming a response around his engorged flesh, she cupped his testicles and he quickly widened his stance to keep his knees from buckling. He directed a growl at Braeden. “Just wait till it’s your turn, and I’m the one plotting your torture.” An image sprang into his mind—Vanessa’s pussy gripping his shaft while she sucked Braeden’s cock. Lust bulleted through him. He wanted to make that fantasy a reality. Now.