The old man, though his words spoke of mild gratitude, his tone was firm and his face as cold as stone. Clearly, there was no love lost between these two peoples.
There was complete silence around the group for a few moments. Eventually, Tse made a hand gesture to the Navajo and moved to his beat up truck. The other dozen Navajo followed in his wake.
When all the others were crammed inside the truck which Tse and Ashkii had taken, Ashkii stepped close to Cat.
“Remember what you agreed to,” he told Cat in an undertone, “you let us know when you’re taking her to the Salt Lake.”
Cat nodded to him subtly. Ashkii gave another glare to Charlie who sneered back at him before climbing into the front seat of the truck beside his Father.
The Zuni men waited until the truck’s tail lights had begun to disappear from view before they let their guard down.
Once the truck lights were out of sight, the two creatures beside Cat’s grandfather and the younger man closed their eyes, sat back on their legs and transformed.
The brown cougar was a very young man, no older than Ashkii. The large tan cougar was a tall and very stately looking woman a few years older than Diana.
“Come,” Cat’s grandfather said to them, “it will be safer for all of us inside.”
Cat nodded and the men and woman turned to enter the building. Cat grasped her hand once again and looked at her with an attempt at a reassuring smile.
Diana could tell, from this look alone, that there was still a lot that he hadn’t told her. All the same, she returned his smile and interlaced her fingers with his.
They walked into the building together and Diana could hear Charlie following along in their wake.
They walked through the halls of a very sterile building, which, except for some lovely and very unique artwork on the wall, looked exactly the same as any office building she had ever worked in.
They moved past one large door, then another, then another. Diana was starting to wonder how long they would have to walk before they would go into the conference room or the safe room where, she was sure, they were being taken.
When they got towards the large black door with an exit sign above it, Diana became truly confused.
Were they not going to discuss anything? But then, why lead her through the building in the first place?
When they opened the exit door and Diana followed everyone inside, she found an answer to her unspoken question.
She stepped straight into a warm, fog filled room that caused the talisman around her neck to glow pleasantly against her chest.
Through the fog, she could see various older men chanting what sounded like songs or spells kneeling next to younger men or women with their eyes closed and their legs crossed.
“This is the training room,” Cat whispered to her as they passed two groups of old men, young men and couples on either side.
“So this is where you…” she began, then as if in answer, the young man on her right shrank from his stance and was replaced by a dark blue cougar, the likes of which she had never seen before.
“They have strange colors when they start out,” Cat said in explanation, “they won’t begin to blend with natural animals until they’re a little further along.”
Diana nodded to Cat though she kept her eyes on the dark blue cougar. It stared at her with large, green eyes as though it was trying to form some connection with her.
“Diana,” Cat said gently tugging on her hand, “we’re going in now.”
Diana tore her eyes away from the blue cougar and moved them back to the space in front of her. The man who had stood beside Cat in front, moved aside a leather flap which lead to a large, adobe brick room with a colorful rug in the middle and a round table in the center.
Cat’s grandfather entered first followed by the woman and the youngest man. Cat lead Diana under the flap and Diana thought she saw him exchange a charged glance with the older man who was still holding the flap for them. But it passed so quickly that, a moment later, Diana thought she had imagined it.
Charlie filed in after Cat and the older man who had lifted the curtain for them brought up the rear.
“So,” Grandfather began once everyone was seated behind the large, round table, “this is the Salt Mother?”
Though Cat’s grandfather looked straight at Diana, she could tell he was not speaking to her, but to Cat and Charlie.
“We believe so, yes,” Cat answered
The man next to Cat’s grandfather snorted derisively.
“You believe so?” He said in an almost mocking voice to Cat. “I would have thought you would be sure before you brought the girl here.”
“There wasn’t time, Father,” Cat said through clenched teeth to the man who, Diana now understood to be his father, “the rogue had already attacked her once. We had reason to believe that she would do so again.”
“And why did the rogue attack her?” Cat’s Father said insistently. “Was it, maybe, because you had already given her the pendant? You had already decided that she was the one?”
“How do you…?”
“You are not my only child, Cat,” his father said, “I’m lucky you have a sister who still speaks to me.”
“Amanda,” Cat muttered under his breath.
“You gave this girl that pendant. The ancient gift to the salt mother based on what? A feeling? An attraction you felt towards her?” Cat’s father continued, “Just because you want a girl with a pretty face to be the one that does not mean that she is…”
“Lonon,” Cat’s grandfather said firmly. Cat’s father, Lonon, stopped mid-sentence and turned to look at the old man, “you are passing judgement on the girl before you have heard any evidence. By doing this, you display a lack of faith in your son and his abilities. Let us hear their story before we make a judgement.”
“Father, you cannot…” Lonon began but, Cat’s grandfather held up one hand for silence. London, defeated, sank back in his chair.
“First,” the old man said gently turning to Diana, “what is your name, child?”
“Diana Grant,” she answered as confidently as she could.
“Diana,” the old man said kindly, “where is your family from? It’s all right if you don’t know exactly, we just need to know a general area.”
“Well,” she began, “I know my Mom’s grandparents were from Germany. They came over around 1919. Then my Dad’s great grandparents were Irish. They came over sometime in the 1800’s.”
“And there is no native blood in your family, that you know of?” he asked.
“No...I mean…not that I know of,” she said hesitantly. “As far as I know, most of my family didn’t show up in America until after the civil war so…”
“And we have also been told that you felt the talisman?” the old man asked.
“Yes,” Diana said immediately.
“And when did you feel it?” Cat’s grandfather asked.
Here, the younger man and younger woman edged forward in their seats looking at her expectantly. It was clear that the talisman, whatever it was, was a very important piece of the puzzle. Even Lonon, Cat’s father, who had looked casually dismissive before this now looked at her with greater interest.
“Well,” Diana began, keenly aware that all these strange eyes in the room were now fixed entirely on her, “it started when I was coming out of the office last night. It was slight at first, just sort of warm…”
She told them the whole story. About the talisman burning hotter and hotter against her skin until it burned bright as she finally spotted the large black leopard.
“And then...well...this tan cougar was there,” Dina continued, heads turned slightly towards Cat, “he attacked the black cougar and then...well...I blacked out.”
“May we see the scars?” Cat’s grandfather asked. Diana hesitated and looked to Cat. He gave her a reassuring nod and she reluctantly pulled down the sleeves of her shirt to reveal the bandaged claw markings on her shoulders.
The old man looked down the table and gestured for the woman on his right hand side to rise. She did and moved to Diana.
“My name is Tacia,” she said quietly to Diana, “I just need to look at these, is that all right?”
The woman gave Diana a gentle smile and Diana nodded.
Tacia lifted the bandages and Diana winced as she touched the still healing wounds beneath.
“These were made by a shifter,” Tacia concluded, “most likely a rogue.”
Diana wasn’t sure how Tacia was able to tell that from one glance at one wound on Diana’s right shoulder, but then again, a lot of things about this whole ordeal did not make sense to her.
“See?” Cat said, “that supports our theory.”
“What it supports,” Lonon shot back, “is that you are attached to this girl for some reason. It does not necessarily mean that she is…”
“But,” Cat’s grandfather cut in loudly above Lonon, “...it does give us some evidence that the claim may be true. We will not know until she takes the test.”
“Test?” Diana asked looking frantically to Cat. “What test? You didn’t say anything about…”
“Don’t worry, Miss Grant,” the old man said reassuringly, “the test will not harm you, whether you pass or fail. If you do fail, you will be sent on your way with our sincerest apologies.”
“And if I pass?” Diana asked.
A shadow fell across the old man’s face. The look made Diana think that it might be better to fail.
“If you pass, you will be trained,” he said finally.
“Don’t worry, Diana,” Cat said gently, putting his warm hand on hers once again. Her heart began to settle at his calming touch even as the talisman glowed with pleasure against her skin, “you don’t have to do anything. You just let it happen.”
Diana looked at him; caught his piercing eyes and saw a desperation there. It was as though he was pleading with her. Though, whether he wanted her to succeed or fail, she could not be sure. To tell the truth, she wasn’t even sure that this sad, desperate look had anything at all to do with the test.
There was an intimacy in his face that made her blush, yet soothed her at the same time. She didn’t know quite what to do with it, so she looked away.
“All right,” she said, “what do I have to do?”
Chapter Three
Cat’s grandfather stood from the table and opened a door on the right wall of the small adobe room to reveal an even smaller room.
“Lusio and I will accompany you inside,” Cat’s grandfather said indicating the young man who sat next to Tacia. He stood immediately and made his way towards the room.
“The rest of you will wait here until we are finished,” the old man said.
Diana felt her heart begin to pound at the thought of entering yet another mist filled room, this time, without Cat there to hold her hand. She looked quickly to Cat who put a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“It’s all right,” he said to her, “I’ll be right out here. It won’t take long.”
She looked into his eyes and felt her heart beat calm and soften. If Cat said there was no danger, she trusted him. Besides, had she not wanted to take control of her own destiny? Wouldn’t this test help her to do just that? So, with a nod to Cat, she stood from her chair, threw her shoulders back and walked straight into the room
When she stepped inside, she immediately began to sweat. The heat was so intense she could feel it seeping into her skin making it burn. This scorching heat was coupled with a thick, white mist that made the air inside almost tangible, as though you could reach out and touch it with no effort.
The air around her was so thick and hot, her head began to spin and she could feel her eyes fighting to stay open, her lungs forcing breath from her body.
Though she knew the other two men were in the room with her, the steam was so thick that she could not see them. That was why, when a hand reached out and grabbed her wrist in a firm hold, she jumped.
When the figure emerged from the fog as Cat’s grandfather, she gave a sigh of relief.
“Don’t be afraid, Diana,” he said to her as he led her to what looked like a stool in the middle of the room. She felt rather than saw the old man move behind her and gently push on her shoulders.
She slid down onto the stool.
“Now, Diana,” he said, “Lusio is going to change. Do not be alarmed when he does, he will not harm you.”
Diana heard, what she assumed to be the young man who had entered with them moving towards them.
“When he changes,” the old man said, “you will need to reach out and place your hand on his back. It will allow him to see what you are seeing.”
Diana nodded even though she knew that the two men in the room could, most likely, not see her.
“Now, Lusio,” the old man said to the younger on Diana’s right hand side. Diana looked and saw the boy kneel down and close his eyes. She bit her lip to keep from gasping when Lascio disappeared and left a brownish red cougar in its place.
“Reach out to him, Diana,” the old man said. With only slight hesitation, Diana reached out her hand and loosely grasped the short fur on the neck of the creature to her right.
“Now, close your eyes,” the old man said.
Diana did.
“Clear your mind,” the man behind her said, “focus only on the sound of my voice and the feel of the cougar.”
A moment passed as Diana pressed her eyes closed. Then, the man behind her began chanting in a language she could not hope to identify.
The chanting was soft, melodic, and hypnotic. She knew that this was supposed to help her clear her mind. She kept pressing her eyes closed and tried to focus on clearing her mind.
‘Don’t think of anything,’ she thought to herself, ‘just relax, don’t think about...’
But there were so many things she still didn’t know. She knew nothing about this test, she didn’t even know the name of the man behind her. She knew that he was Cat’s grandfather but, at the end of the day, how much did she really know about Cat?
She knew that she was doing all of this on his word. Could she trust him? Really? What if this was all some very complicated, elaborate joke?
The chanting got louder and the pressure increased on Diana’s shoulders nearly making her gasp as the stinging in her shoulders increased.
The chanting from behind her stopped.
“Diana,” Grandfather said, “You need to lose control of your thoughts. Release your mind. Think of nothing. Otherwise this will not work.”
Diana nodded but thought, somewhat bitterly, this was much easier said than done.
How could she possibly stop thinking about all the things she didn’t know? How could she possibly stop thinking about what was happening to her or why? Only an insane person would ask her to clear her mind completely after the two days she had just been through.
Finding a cougar in her apartment, almost being killed, and finding out her office was filled with shape shifters then kissing her boss…
Suddenly, when the thought of Cat flew through her mind, she registered the old man’s chanting once more. She let the sound flow through her as memories of Catahassa Yazzie filled her.
She remembered the way he had kissed her in that room, the way his lips had parted so softly then desperately over hers. The way she had pressed into him.
Then suddenly, perhaps it was the heat, perhaps it was chanting, perhaps it was everything that had happened in the past forty eight hours, but she saw a huge, pure white panther stalk towards her through the room’s heavy mist.
Moving as though she were in a dream, she stood from the stool and followed the cougar. She kept her hand outstretched and felt the reddish cougar at her side move with her.
They followed the white cougar through streams of thick mist. The temperature in the room seemed to drop so far that Diana suddenly felt a chill rush through her.
The white cougar marched on for what seemed
like hours, all the same, they never seemed to leave the room.
Diana knew, somewhere far, far in the back of her mind that this could not have been happening. Not really, but that didn’t seem to matter to Diana any longer.
All that mattered was that she follow this panther wherever it lead her.
It lead her eventually, to a large lake where a white sand played against her feet.
The cougar stopped directly in front of her and looked at her with bright green eyes.
Diana stared right back. She knew somehow instinctively not to come any closer.
The cougar turned from Diana back to the lake. As soon as she did, another form emerged from beneath the waves.
From beneath the almost impossibly glossy surface of the water, the figure of a tan mountain lion emerged.
Like the white cougar it stopped for a moment and stared directly at Diana. This new cougar’s eyes were dark and deep, almost jet black. She could not help but feel that there was something desperately familiar about them. They seemed to draw her in. They called to her in a way she had only felt once before.
The tan cougar walked slowly towards the white panther. Likewise, the white cougar moved towards the emerging figure. The two met at the water's edge.
They intertwined their necks in a kind of lover’s embrace. When they touched, the lake itself seemed to come alive. A bright, blinding light sprang up from the surface and shot into the heavens above.
It was so bright that, a small voice in the back of Diana’s mind told her to turn away from it for fear it would blind her all together. She tried to silence the voice but it grew louder and louder in the back of her mind.
‘Why are you standing here?’ it said, ‘you’ll go blind! Besides, you don’t have time! You have to know what’s going on. You have to know whether or not the rogue will find you!’
With this thought, the light went out completely as though it was a switch someone had turned off.
Now, she could not see the bright white panther or the tan cougar, she could not see the salt lake, she could not see the mist, nor could she see the hand held out in front of her. The world was pitch black.
BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE: The Unforgettable Southern Billionaires: The Complete Collection Boxed Set (Young Adult Rich Alpha Male Billionaire Romance) Page 27
