Though, the thought made his heart constrict painfully in his chest, he could not deny the possibility. He had to know for sure.
“Grandfather,” he said boldly, “I know where she is. I saw her at the salt lake. Let me gather a group of shifters and look for her.”
“Are you insane?” Amanda asked at nearly a shriek, “no Zuni tribal member is supposed to enter the salt lake for two months! If you go now, there’s no telling what will happen.”
“I already know what will happen if I don’t go!” Cat shot back at her, “Diana will die, we will lose our land and the tribe will die out.”
“You can’t know that, Cat,” she said stubbornly, “you don’t even know if this vision was real!”
“And you don’t know that it’s not!” Cat said, “We could lose nothing by searching for her there. But, we could lose everything if we don’t go.”
“Or, we could lose everything if you do!”
“We won’t…”
“Silence!”
Grandfather’s voice stopped Catahassa mid-sentence. He realized, for the first time, that Amanda had stood from her seat at the table and was glaring at her brother fiercely. Cat also found that his own hands had formed into fists so tight that his fingernails had begun to scratch at his palms.
He took two deep breaths, loosened his hands and looked apologetically at his grandfather.
Grandfather gave him a simple nod and motioned for both he and Amanda to sit back down in their respective seats.
“Catahassa,” Grandfather began, “you are not a priest, you are not a visionary. You are a warrior. We cannot trust your vision unless it has been thoroughly vetted by the tribal council.”
“Grandfather, I know…” Cat began.
“I know you think you had a vision,” Grandfather said, “perhaps you did. But, sending our men to the salt lake on little more than a whim would be disastrous for us. We do not know if the Salt Mother is there. And, by entering the sacred ground before the appointed time, we could anger the salt lake and lose everything we have worked towards.”
Catahassa felt like standing up and punching something. He felt like pounding his fists on the table, he felt like shaking his grandfather, his father, his sister all of them. Shaking them hard until they understood the danger Diana was in, the danger they were all in.
“I know the girl is special to you,” he heard his grandfather say gently, “as well she should be. She is your mate. You have been given the duty of protecting her.”
That was true. He, Cat, was the protector of the Salt Mother. That meant that they could not stop him from going to her aid.
“Grandfather,” he said, “if a group of us cannot go to the lake. I ask permission to go alone.”
“No.”
It was not grandfather but Cat’s Father who had spoken.
“It is much too dangerous for one man. Even a shifter. Father, you absolutely cannot let Cat go alone.”
To his surprise, Cat’s Father was not wearing his usual bitter glare or a dismissive smirk. His face was white. He looked back and forth between Cat and Grandfather as though he was truly concerned for his son. The son he had not spoken a civil word to in ten years.
“Your Father is right, Catahassa,” Grandfather said, “the rogue would, likely find and kill you if you were to venture out of the reservation alone now. You must stay here. We will wait for the tribal council.”
“But…”
“We will wait,” Grandfather said firmly.
Cat knew there was no use arguing now. He simply nodded and lowered his head. Though, he had no intention of waiting for anything.
“Now, I suggest you go back to your room, Catahassa, your sister may go with you,” Grandfather said, “you will be called when the time comes.”
Cat pursed his lips and stood from the table. He saw Amanda stand as well. He rushed out of the elder pueblo and could hear Amanda following along behind him.
“I still don’t know what you were thinking,” Amanda’s deep dark voice called after him as she rushed to keep up with his long stride. He did not turn back to her. He was too busy forming a plan in his mind. Grandfather was right about one thing. He could not go to the lake alone. He would need help.
“You know you can’t go to the salt lake,” she said, “you know there’s a rogue out there not to mention a load of Navajo shifters who would love to see you dead.”
When Amanda mentioned the Navajo, Cat stopped in his tracks. The Zuni could not enter the salt lake before the appointed time. But, the Navajo legend had no such provision. If he could get to the Navajo and convince them to help him find the salt mother...that would work. After all, the Salt Woman meant as much to the Navajo as she meant to the Zuni.
He turned around and headed to the front of the reservation where his car was still parked.
“Where are you going?” Amanda said rushing to follow him, “you heard grandfather, we’re supposed to stay in your pueblo.”
“I just need to drive around,” Cat lied, “get my mind off things.”
Amanda couldn’t come with him. It was too dangerous. Not to mention, she didn’t trust anyone who was not Zuni. She would antagonize the Navajo elders and, if she did that, there was no chance of them helping.
“Bullshit,” Amanda said grabbing his arm and forcing him to turn around and face her.
“You can’t lie to me Cat,” she said the sour expression returning to her face, “I know you’re going to the Salt Lake. I know you’re going after that girl.”
“Her name is Diana,” Cat snapped at her, “and if I don’t go after her, no one else will. Then, we might as well say goodbye to everything.”
“What if it’s a trap?” Amanda asked, “what if...someone...gave you that vision to lure you out there.”
“Then it’s a trap and I’ll fight my way out,” Cat insisted, “I’m a big boy, Amanda, I can take care of myself.”
“Sure you can,” Amanda said with a snort, “that’s why I had to come all the way out here to get you out of trouble.”
“And you came too late,” Cat said, “now, if you really want to help, you’ll come with me. If not, you can stay here. Either way, I’m going to find Diana.”
Amanda pursed her lips and looked at Catahassa for one moment. Cat, not wanting to waste time, turned away from her and began walking towards his car.
“Fine!” she called out to him rushing to keep up, “I’ll go. Someone has to keep an eye on you.”
Cat rolled his eyes at her as he opened the door to the car. Amanda, reluctantly, climbed into the passenger seat.
Cat took a slow breath and started off for Navajo territory. Praying, to whoever might be listening, that he was not too late.
Chapter Three
“I don’t see why we can’t just do it now.”
“Because, sweetheart, if we do it now, she’ll die. We need her alive if we want this to work.”
Diana’s head was spinning as her eyes blinked open. The first thing she saw was the brown rock of a canyon cave. She was lying on a simple cot beneath a tattered blanket in a warm, humid cave. Outside, she could hear voices arguing insistently.
“But, the Zuni will lose the salt lake,” the woman’s voice said, “that’s what we wanted, wasn’t it?”
“They’ll lose it slowly,” the male voice being Charlie’s said, “they’ll die out slowly. We need them to die all at once. She has to be trained, she has to be defiled for that to happen.”
“Does she?” the female voice asked. More than a hint of skepticism in her voice, “Does she really have to be defiled?”
Diana, through her still foggy memory, remembered. This was Sandra. The large black panther. The one Cat had called the rouge.
“Of course,” Charlie answered, “you think I don’t want to get this over with as soon as possible?”
“I don’t know,” Sandra answered, “I don’t know what you want. I do know that I haven’t liked the way you’ve looked at that girl since you
first saw her.”
“Honey, that was just an act,” Charlie said reassuringly, “you know that.”
Charlie had lied to her. That much was becoming clear. Cat was not the mole, Cat posed no danger to her, Charlie did. Diana clenched her eyes closed and cursed herself for being so stupid.
“How do I know that?” Sandra asked.
There was silence for several moments. It seemed like Charlie couldn’t come up with an answer to that.
“We should check on her,” Charlie said finally, “it’s been a few hours.”
Diana nearly gasped. She could hear Charlie’s footsteps coming to the cave. There was no way she could run from him. There was no way to escape Charlie and Sandra, she knew that. And, if they knew that she had heard what they were planning, they might very well kill her.
There was nothing else to do, Diana decided, she had to play along with them. Pretend she still believed everything Charlie told her.
Quickly, she closed her eyes again just as she heard Charlie make his way into the cave and walk next to her bed.
“Diana,” he called gently.
Diana opened her eyes slowly and pretended, as best she could, to look around her with confusion.
“Where am I? What’s happened?” she asked.
“You’re still at the Salt Lake,” Charlie said gently, “not right next to it but, close enough.”
“The black cougar…” she said blearily.
“You were wrong about the cougar, Diana,” Charlie told her, “we all were. She was trying to protect you from Cat the whole time. She didn’t want to attack you, she wanted to bring you here. Where you would be safe.”
Charlie sounded so genuine that, if Diana had not known that he was lying, she might have believed him. Still, Charlie had spent enough time with Diana to know how curious she was. He would expect her to ask questions. So, she did.
“How do you know that she didn’t want to attack me?” Diana asked.
“Because of the email I saw. The one Cat sent to Amanda,” Charlie said, “Yazzie properties represents Zuni land to the outside world. There’s an oil drilling company that’s been trying to get a contract to drill in the salt lake for years. Cat finally agreed to help them. The only thing standing in the way is the Zuni tribe and you.”
“Me?” I asked.
“When the Salt Mother bathes in the salt lake, the lake and all the lands surrounding it will belong to the Zuni,” Charlie said, “Cat can’t let that happen.”
“And, how does Sandra figure into this?” Diana asked.
“She found out before I did,” Charlie said gently, “she knows you still don’t trust her. She doesn’t blame you. That’s why she’s waiting outside.”
Diana instinctively looked to the mouth of the cave. She could see the shadow of a tall woman standing near the mouth.
“Her real name is Manaba,” Charlie said, “she’s Navajo. But, she realized early on that the Zuni had the true prophecy.”
“And you’re sure we can trust her?” Diana asked.
“I’m positive, Diana,” Charlie said eagerly taking her hands in his. He gave her that charming cocky smile. Despite that, Diana felt a chill crawl up her spine and she had an urge to pull her hands away. She forced herself to keep them where they were. Charlie was, very handsome, after all. If she rejected him so suddenly, he would suspect that she knew what he truly was.
“And, as you said before we got here,” Charlie continued, “I can’t train you on my own. Manaba is a priestess in the Navajo order. She can assist in your training where I can’t.”
“You need a priestess for my training?” Diana asked.
“A priest or a priestess,” Charlie said, “there are chants. Meditations, if you like. They have to be said by someone in tune with the spirits.”
Diana must not have been able to hide the skepticism in her face, no matter how hard she tried because Charlie increased the pressure on her hands.
“Diana, please,” he said, “you have to trust me.”
Once again, his expression and voice were so sincere, it was very hard not to take him at his word. She had to force herself to remember what he had heard Charlie and Sandra (now Manaba) talking about before they realized she was awake.
They had talked about killing her.
Charlie reached his hand to Diana’s cheek and stroked her skin with the back of his fingertips. Diana, against her better judgment, felt her heart leap at the touch. She looked into his light brown eyes and found it very difficult not to get pulled in.
Forcing herself to think, she closed her eyes and thought of Cat. She remembered the way Cat had looked at her the night before, the way he had touched her, the tender kiss he’d placed on her neck when he gave her the talisman…
The talisman! Her eyes flew open and she felt for the place on her chest. The talisman was not there.
“Where is my necklace?” Diana asked.
“I told you, Cat’s placed a curse on it. It’s not safe for you to wear it here,” Charlie said, “don’t worry. We’re keeping it safe until we can find a way to disconnect it from him.”
Diana’s heart began beating wildly, instinctively, she turned away from Charlie and began looking wildly around her.
Somehow, she felt vulnerable without the marble cougar pressed against her skin, she felt exposed…
“Diana,” Charlie said moving his hand to her cheek again and forcing her to look into his eyes, “do you trust me?”
She wanted to scream out that she did not trust him. That she never would. She wanted to demand that he take her back to the reservation; she wanted to run from the cave and find Cat on her own.
But, she knew, any of these ideas would be suicide. And, besides, the elders had said she would need to be trained. Apparently, Charlie realized that too. Training would take a long time. During that time, she could think of a plan. She could find a way to get back to Cat.
Until then, she would simply have to pretend.
“Yes,” she lied, “I trust you.”
Charlie’s charming smile returned with full force.
“Good,” Charlie said, “you should probably get some more rest. You’ve had a long few days.”
Diana couldn’t argue with that. She was still exhausted and, she didn’t think Charlie or the woman he was with would do anything to her while she slept. So, she nodded as she climbed back onto her cot. Charlie took her hand to help her up. Diana, once again, felt an unpleasant shiver run up her spine.
“When you wake up,” Charlie said, “we’ll begin your training.”
He helped Diana lay back on the small pillow at the top of her cot. As she lay down he remained looming over her and touched her cheek once more.
“Once your training’s finished,” Charlie said slowly, “we can be mated.”
Another horrible shiver ran down her entire body. She tried not to show her distress at his words. She must have masked her feelings well because Charlie smiled once again.
“I don’t know about you,” he whispered, leaning closer to her, “but, I’m looking forward to that.”
Diana tried her best not to recoil as Charlie leaned over and kissed her fiercely on the lips, forcing his tongue into her mouth. In spite of herself, Diana felt her body respond pleasantly to his touch. All the same she forced her hands and her mouth to remain still.
Responding to him, no matter how her body wanted her to, was not an option. Not with Cat still playing in the back of her mind.
He ended the kiss and smiled at her, not put off by her unresponsive manner. He gave her a cocky laugh as he backed away.
“Sweet dreams, Diana,” he said smirking. She forced herself to give him a small smile as he backed away towards the mouth of the cave.
Charlie’s almost mocking laughter still rang in her ears as she turned away from him and closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep.
Chapter Four
Just as Cat had expected, an army of Cougars met them as soon as they entered N
avajo territory. The gray mountain lion leading the pack, Cat recognized as the head elder, Tse, who had assisted them in getting Diana to the Zuni reservation.
He stopped the car and Amanda looked at him reluctantly.
“Are you sure about this?” she asked for what seemed like the hundredth time since their journey had started.
“Yes,” Catahassa answered her through clenched teeth, telling himself not to lose his temper. To do so now would certainly mean death for all of them.
“Maybe I should shift,” Amanda said, “for protection, just in case.”
“No,” Cat told her definitely, “that would be the worst thing you could do. We need to show them we’re not a threat. Stay as you are but wait here. I’ll go out and talk to them alone first.”
Amanda stared at him then opened her mouth as though to make another argument.
“Amanda, please!” Cat said, “You have to trust me.”
Amanda rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Finally, she nodded. Taking the smallest sign of acceptance he would get, Cat opened the driver side door and stepped out among the mountain lion army.
The creatures stalked closer to him, some were growling softly, all of their shoulders hunched, ready to attack. He held up his hands in a sign of surrender.
“I don’t mean any harm,” Catahassa called out to them, “I need to speak to Tse. It concerns the salt mother.”
The small, dark gray cougar to his right, which Cat recognized as Ashkii, growled out right and stalked towards him. It was clear he planned to attack. Cat backed away.
“Ashkii,” Cat heard Tse speak before he saw him, “if the Zuni has news of the Salt Mother we need to hear it. Stand down.”
The cougar who was Ashkii threw what looked suspiciously like a contemptuous look to his father. None the less, he backed away and joined the others in calmly surrounding Tse, who had now transformed into the human tribe elder.
“What do you have to say about the Salt Mother?” Tse asked. Though he had allowed Cat to stay unharmed, it was clear that he wanted Cat to deliver his message and leave the Navajo land as quickly as possible.
BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE: The Unforgettable Southern Billionaires: The Complete Collection Boxed Set (Young Adult Rich Alpha Male Billionaire Romance) Page 30