He groaned. “Okay. I’ll check the tree.”
“How?”
“Just don’t freak out and scream, okay? I don’t want to draw attention.” He concentrated, and a shimmer began on his hands, then ran up his arms. Claws sprang from his fingertips, then black fur sprouted from his skin. His hands turned into paws and his arms shifted into the front legs of a panther.
Caitlyn gasped.
“Shh,” he warned her, then leaped onto the tree. His claws dug into the bark, and he climbed to the first set of branches. Some birds scattered, flying away.
He searched the tree while Caitlyn stood below, gawking at him. He jumped down, landing lightly on his feet while his arms returned to normal. “There’s nothing there.”
She didn’t answer. She was looking away from him with a worried expression.
“What’s wrong now?” he asked.
“I thought I heard something.” She pointed to a clump of bushes next to a big boulder. “Over there.”
“I’ll check it out. You do your business.” He ran toward the bushes, drawing a knife from his belt.
Nothing was there. He breathed deeply, but couldn’t make out the scent of an animal. It smelled more like roasted chicken and bananas, which meant the person who had hidden here had also attended the feast. Merda. Someone other than Caitlyn might have seen him partially shift.
He went ahead and relieved himself, then returned to Caitlyn.
She was refastening her khaki trousers. “All done.” She wedged her knife back into her belt.
“Me, too.”
“Did you find anything behind those bushes?”
“No.” He escorted her back to the campfire. He looked amongst the villagers but couldn’t tell if anyone was missing.
A few of the adults grabbed him and Caitlyn by the arms and gently directed them to sit on silk pillows in front of Ajay.
“What’s going on?” Carlos whispered.
“I don’t know.” Caitlyn tilted her head to listen as Ajay talked. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she grew pale.
Carlos glanced around but couldn’t see anything dangerous. Ajay was grinning, his eyes twinkling with mirth. Meanwhile, Caitlyn was sitting stiffly with her hands clutched together. Her knuckles were white with tension, though she was carefully keeping her face blank.
Then a group of Akha women whisked her off to a house.
He stood to follow, but some men grabbed him and insisted he and Tanit drink with them. It was some kind of liquor, strong enough to peel varnish off furniture.
With his head reeling, Carlos stumbled with the men as they escorted him to a house on stilts. Tanit struggled to climb the ladder, falling off twice before he managed to make it inside. Meanwhile, the men insisted Carlos put on a baggy pair of blue pants. Since he didn’t know how to argue with them, he complied. There was no matching shirt, just a pair of sandals.
“Interesting tattoo.” Tanit motioned to the inked panther around his neck, then hiccuped.
“Do you know what’s going on?” Carlos asked him.
“Celebration for you and—” Tanit collapsed on the floor.
“Great.” Carlos grabbed his knives and revolver as the village men escorted him out. They led him to another house and urged him to climb the ladder.
He entered a small room, dimly lit with a lantern in the far corner. Fragrant flowers were strewn all over the floor. The light gleamed off the silver headdress of a woman sitting on a pallet. He stiffened. Were the villagers offering him one of their women for the night?
He retreated a step. “I’m terribly sorry, but—”
“Carlos, it’s me.” Caitlyn pulled the headdress off and set it on the floor next to the pallet.
“Oh, thank God.” He set his weapons on the floor. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. They dunked me in a vat of cold water, then stuck me in this robe.”
“They made me change, too.” He glanced about the tiny house. The pallet was narrow. Too narrow. “Maybe I should bunk down with some of the village guys tonight.”
“They expect you to stay here.”
“It’s kinda small.”
“It’s…” She hugged her knees to her chest. “I’m afraid this is their equivalent of a honeymoon suite.”
He blinked. “Oh, I guess you told Ajay we were pretending to be married.”
“Yes.” She sighed. “That wily old buzzard. He told me that telling lies would come back to bite me in the butt.”
Carlos felt a chill skitter down his bare back. “What are you saying?”
She gave him a worried look. “I don’t know how to say this, but…Ajay married us.”
Chapter Twenty
C aitlyn winced at the shocked look on Carlos’s face. “Don’t worry about—”
“He what?” Carlos interrupted her.
“He…blessed our marriage, but—”
“Didn’t you tell him it was pretend?”
“Shh, not so loud.” She scurried to the opening and pulled the draperies shut that served as a door. “We’re supposed to be happily married.”
“We’re not supposed to be married at all. Why didn’t you stop him?”
“It would have blown our cover. I’m not supposed to understand their language.” She sighed. “That rascally Ajay knew I wouldn’t be able to stop him. He’s always been a tricky—”
“Wait.” Carlos held up a hand. “Caitlyn, there are times when you let your cover drop. You know, emergencies? This was one of them. You shouldn’t have let it happen.”
Ouch. “Marrying me is that awful?”
“You know I can’t marry you for real.”
She planted her hands on her hips. “Well, I guess it’s your lucky day, ’cause I don’t think it’s legally binding.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Oh yeah.” She glared at him. “I’m deliriously happy.”
He crossed his arms on his chest and scowled back.
She tried not to notice how his biceps bulged and how wide and strong his chest was. Or how warm and sexy his bare, tanned skin looked. The villagers had dressed them in matching outfits. His blue baggy pants were the same color as her blue silk robe. The tattoo around his neck drew her attention. The black and red panther seemed to be watching her. Prowling toward her.
He motioned to the wall behind her. “There’s a silver cross hanging there.”
“Some of the Akha tribes have converted to Christianity.” She glanced at the cross. “Beautiful workmanship, don’t you think?”
“Please don’t tell me Ajay is a priest.”
“I…don’t think so.” She didn’t want to admit that the tribe might see him as their spiritual leader.
Carlos watched her closely. “What exactly did he say?”
“You don’t want to know.” She pulled on some ropes that held the mosquito netting festooned above the pallet. The netting tumbled down, surrounding the white cotton pallet with a gauzy white film.
“I do,” he said quietly.
She slipped under the netting and settled on the pallet. “He said we were kindred souls set on the earth to love and protect each other.” She glanced at Carlos.
He was still by the entrance, his stance rigid and tense. “I will protect you. With my life.”
That was nice, but he’d left out the part about loving her. She hugged her knees to her chest. “He asked God to bless our union and prayed that we would have many children.”
When Carlos remained silent, she quickly added, “It doesn’t matter. There was no marriage license. The marriage would not be recognized in the States.”
Carlos’s eyes gleamed amber in the dark. “Ajay is the leader of his people, and the words were spoken out loud, calling upon God as a witness. Where I come from, that would be enough.”
Her heart lurched. Did Carlos actually consider them married? A few seconds of elation quickly morphed into wounded pride, for it was clear that he didn’t want to be her husband. Her most dreaded fear
crept back to crush her self-confidence. Not good enough.
Outside, someone started banging a drum. Then another joined in, and another. Villagers began chanting. She groaned and rested her forehead on her knees.
Carlos sat on the wood-planked floor. “What are they saying?”
“They’re…wishing you great prowess in the sack.”
He grunted.
The drums grew louder and the pace quickened. She sighed. It would have been great to make love to that urgent, pounding beat.
Carlos shifted uneasily on the floor. “How long are they going to do that?”
“I’m afraid they’ll keep it up until we…” Oh, what the heck. At this point a little more embarrassment hardly mattered. “I know what to do.”
“What?”
“Showtime.” She stretched out on the pallet and took a deep breath to mentally prepare herself.
“What are you doing?” Carlos scooted a little closer.
“Nothing to see here. Return to your homes,” she mimicked an officer at a crime scene.
Carlos snorted, but edged a bit closer to the netting.
She smoothed her hands down the blue silk robe she was wearing and moaned. She grazed her fingertips over the curves of her hips and up her rib cage to her breasts.
“Aah,” she gasped as she palmed her own breasts. She massaged them gently and groaned even louder.
She rolled onto her stomach and then onto her back once again. “Yes, yes!” She banged her fists on the pallet. “Oh Carlos!”
She heard a hissing sound as he drew in a sharp breath. She planted her feet on the pallet and squeezed her knees together. “Oh my God!” She panted loudly and rapidly. “Yes, yes!” She let out a long scream.
In the distance she heard the villagers cheer. She lifted her arms in the air. “A perfect ten. She scores!” With a wry grin, she turned to Carlos. “Okay, your turn.”
He stiffened. “You’re kidding.”
“It’s your honeymoon. Enjoy it.”
“Fine.” He let out a shout.
The villagers were quiet. Birds chirped in the distance.
Caitlyn snickered.
“They cheered for you,” he mumbled.
“That was a measly little shout,” she explained. “I’ve heard men get more excited than that over a pizza.”
He gritted his teeth. “They’re doubting my sexual prowess?”
She giggled. “I don’t think they have any doubts.”
“To hell with that.” He tilted his head back and let out a long, guttural roar, followed by some victorious hoots.
The villagers cheered.
“Wow. I’m impressed.” Not. She was starting to feel angry over being rejected once again. This was not her idea of a wedding night.
“I’m not good at faking an orgasm. I never had to before.” He gave her a pointed look. “Unlike some people.”
“Ooh, the cat has claws. Maybe I just never cared enough—” She stopped herself. This was getting too personal. And too damned frustrating.
“How long have you been faking it?” he asked quietly.
“Who said I was? I’ll have you know that I have an extremely high success rate, especially when I’m doing it with myself. Would you like to watch?”
He ignored her question. “Have you been with other men?”
“Of course. Legions. I set the world record three years in a row.”
He scoffed. “I don’t believe you.”
She shrugged. “I have been known to lie.”
“Have you ever been in love?”
I’m in love now, you moron. She gritted her teeth. “What do you care?”
He moved next to the netting. “Have you ever been in love?”
She groaned. “I love to experience new things. I love to travel, learn new languages and cultures, try new food and dances. But when it comes to my heart, that’s where I stop being adventurous.”
“Why? Are you afraid of being hurt?”
“I suppose. When I was young, I loved my sister more than anything, then I lost her. Then I loved Mr. Foofikins, and I lost him. I think that’s why I kept so many treasures. I didn’t have to worry about them leaving me.”
Carlos nodded. “I understand. I lost everyone I loved.”
You wouldn’t lose me. She wanted to tell him she loved him, but how could she? He would just reject her again.
“Who is Mr. Foofikins?” he asked.
“My cat. He was beautiful. Solid black with gold eyes. He had feline leukemia, so it was doomed from the start.” Tears crowded her eyes. “Sorta like our relationship.”
“I am sorry.”
There was a pause. Caitlyn blinked her eyes, determined not to cry.
“Have you had any lovers?” he asked quietly.
She sighed. “I don’t know if you could call him a lover. He claimed to love me, but…I never really…I didn’t love him. I think I was just lonely.”
“Is that when you learned to fake orgasms?”
She snorted. “You seem to be obsessed with that.”
“Your performance was…extraordinary.”
“Gee, thanks. I’ll have it put on my tombstone.”
“I can’t help but wonder how it compares to the real thing.”
She glanced at him. His features were blurred on the other side of the white gauze netting, but she could see his gleaming amber eyes focused on her. A wave of longing swept over her. She would never have to fake it with Carlos. Her heart would be fully engaged up to the moment he broke it.
“In fact,” he murmured, “I’m extremely curious to see how you react to the real thing.”
“Curiosity killed the cat,” she whispered.
“I’ll risk it.” He lifted the edge of the netting and slipped underneath to join her on the pallet.
Her skin tingled with anticipation, but her heart pounded with fear. “Carlos—”
“Shh.” He placed a hand on her cheek. “I’ve never wanted a woman as much as I want you.” He kissed her brow, then her nose.
Tears filled her eyes as she placed her hands on his face. She’d pursued him from the beginning, but she was not going to play the part of a pathetic, needy wimp. If she’d learned anything from all this, it was that she needed to be strong. “Carlos, if you’re not going to stay with me, then don’t do this.”
His eyes searched hers.
It was strange, but she’d never felt closer to him than now, when she was rejecting him.
He brushed her hair back from her brow. “I want to give you pleasure.”
“Why? Because I’ve had to fake it in the past? I won’t do this because you pity me.”
He sat back. “Catalina, I have many feelings for you, but never pity.”
She waited to see if he’d elaborate on all those feelings, but he remained quiet. A tear rolled down her cheek.
He bowed his head. “I have pity, but for myself, that I have found the most beautiful woman in the world, and I cannot have her.”
“Oh, Carlos.” She reached for him.
He lay down beside her as he gathered her into his arms. She nestled her face on his shoulder, and he smoothed away the tears on her cheek.
He was warm and sweet, and she knew she loved him with all her heart. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and let herself drift into sleep.
Carlos jerked awake when sunlight suddenly burst into their room. A village woman had pulled apart the draperies to let the morning sunshine in. She saw him and Caitlyn still on the pallet and quickly averted her eyes. Another woman placed a tray of food on the floor, then the two women hurried away.
He walked to the opening to look outside. A heavy mist hung low over the nearby mountains. He spotted his and Caitlyn’s backpacks at the base of the ladder, so he climbed down to fetch them.
Ajay approached him with another villager, both grinning at him.
“I am Arnush,” the villager introduced himself. “I know little English. Ajay like to wish you much happiness in your
marriage.”
Carlos gave Ajay a wry look. He considered questioning the man’s audacity at marrying him and Caitlyn, but he couldn’t. She’d felt so right in his arms all night. “You can tell your leader that I’m most grateful.”
Arnush passed on the message, then said, “Ajay like to see you in workshop after you eat.”
“Very well.” Carlos climbed back into the house. He changed into his own clothes, then awakened Caitlyn. His wife. His beautiful wife.
Once he’d recovered from the initial shock, he no longer felt angry with her. He was angry at himself because he didn’t know what to do. Part of him—an overwhelming part—wanted the marriage. He was in love with her. He ached for her. But there was still a small guilt-ridden part of him that reminded him he had to do what was right. He had to protect his species.
While she was dressing, he went to relieve himself. The village women had brought them a breakfast of guava, bananas, rice, and hot tea. After eating, they proceeded to the workshop.
Ajay and Arnush were there, drinking tea. Ajay smiled and said something to Caitlyn.
She responded, pressing her hands together and inclining her head.
Carlos mimicked her act, although he had no idea what was being said. “Arnush, would you mind finding our guide, Tanit?”
“Yes, I find him.” Arnush hurried from the shop.
Ajay motioned for them to sit on bamboo mats next to him. He spoke, then Caitlyn translated.
“He says I could be right in thinking our guide is not trustworthy.” Caitlyn’s brow furrowed with worry. “When we went into the jungle last night to relieve ourselves, Tanit also left the campfire. Ajay says he went in the same direction we did.”
Carlos winced. “Then Tanit might have seen me shift.”
Caitlyn nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
He recalled the way Tanit had eyed his tattoo. Caitlyn had warned him about Pat’s telephone conversation. If Tanit learned anything about a cat shifter, he was to call Pat so they could alert the Master, whoever that was.
“I find him,” Arnush announced as entered the shop with Tanit.
The guide gave them a sheepish smile. “I’m very sorry. I overslept. That drink last night knocked me out.”
“That’s all right.” Carlos motioned for Tanit to join them. “I want to ask Ajay if anyone in his tribe has seen panthers in the area.”
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