her tanned coloring—then it hit him.
He recalled why Rainwater had sounded so familiar. Fala Rainwater had just become the new Guardian. News of her reign had just reached the pride’s council. They’d had a town meeting to announce it last week. So that’s where he’d heard the name. He’d never met the Guardian, but he’d heard rumors, one being that the bloodline of the Guardian came from female Patomani Indians, more particularly Rainwater women. Meikoda Rainwater, Fala’s grandmother, had been the prior Guardian. The Guardian was supposedly the most powerful shaman alive, defender of all goodness on earth. He cocked a skeptical brow at that myth. As faras he could tell, there was no goodness anywhere, and evil was winning hands down.
His thoughts strayed back to Nina Rainwater and her formidable relatives. If one of her relatives was the Guardian, what was Nina Rainwater? There were no myths or rumors regarding her powers, but he and Charles—and Kane suspected Ethan—had felt her influence. Had she been sent here to eradicate Ethan? That would surely complicate matters. And what about disposing of her? It might bring down the wrath of the Guardian as well as the Patomani council of shamans. Not if he steered them elsewhere and removed all evidence of her.
He wished he’d never seen Nina Rainwater. He couldn’t let her go now, because she knew too much. And she’d had the ability to track Ethan quite a distance. Even Kane’s heightened senses weren’t able to trace Ethan . He gave off no physical scent; his body burned it off. And the snow had covered his tracks. But he noticed that when Ethan had cloaked himself, she had been stumped, too. Maybe there was a limit to her powers. Another mystery about her that he didn’t like. Once he got the truth out of her, he’d have to take care that all evidence of her was cleaned out, and he’d have to dump her car far away from here. He’d driven it deeper into the woods, in a ravine, and covered it with leaves and branches. A temporary fix, but not for long.
Something bulged from the wallet’s zipper compartment. He opened it and found her business cards: Happy Face Inc., Pet Psychic When You Need One, Day or Night. It had her name, email address andtelephone number at the bottom. Perhaps her psychic powers had led her to Ethan. He hoped the Guardian hadn’t sent her here. Just how powerful was she? He could still feel the hypnotic pull of her charmed body.
He turned and threw the hideous purse and wallet into the fireplace. He poked it, jabbing it deep into the logs, then looked at Nina Rainwater. She was still as death, but the color had come back to her skin, and her body had stopped trembling. She looked petite and lost in the king-size bed. Her hair fanned out around her head on the pillow. Firelight danced blue highlights along the thick dark strands. Charles had tucked her beneath the covers to warm her. With all those layers of clothes on, it must not have taken long.
Kane grimaced, remembering how he couldn’t allow himself near her. Charles had put ice on the nasty knot that had formed above her brows, but it had still grown to the size of a quarter and turned purple. It looked like an all-seeing third eye, and he almost felt it staring at him.
He grew uncomfortable and poked the fire again, fighting the intoxicating force drawing him near her. He felt his beast growing aroused at her nearness, too. He quelled an overwhelming desire to crawl into bed and lay beside her, feel her skin against his, inhale her sweet breath again. He wanted to consume her and stop these insane cravings. He knew what a junkie must feel like, and he hated the vulnerability of it. He’d made a point of staying away from all women, human or seniph, since Daphne’s death, and he couldn’t allow Nina Rainwater to change that. No, her glamour had no power over himif he didn’t allow it. All it took was self-discipline. And he had that in spades. And once she
He recalled why Rainwater had sounded so familiar. Fala Rainwater had just become the new Guardian. News of her reign had just reached the pride’s council. They’d had a town meeting to announce it last week. So that’s where he’d heard the name. He’d never met the Guardian, but he’d heard rumors, one being that the bloodline of the Guardian came from female Patomani Indians, more particularly Rainwater women. Meikoda Rainwater, Fala’s grandmother, had been the prior Guardian. The Guardian was supposedly the most powerful shaman alive, defender of all goodness on earth. He cocked a skeptical brow at that myth. As faras he could tell, there was no goodness anywhere, and evil was winning hands down.
His thoughts strayed back to Nina Rainwater and her formidable relatives. If one of her relatives was the Guardian, what was Nina Rainwater? There were no myths or rumors regarding her powers, but he and Charles—and Kane suspected Ethan—had felt her influence. Had she been sent here to eradicate Ethan? That would surely complicate matters. And what about disposing of her? It might bring down the wrath of the Guardian as well as the Patomani council of shamans. Not if he steered them elsewhere and removed all evidence of her.
He wished he’d never seen Nina Rainwater. He couldn’t let her go now, because she knew too much. And she’d had the ability to track Ethan quite a distance. Even Kane’s heightened senses weren’t able to trace Ethan . He gave off no physical scent; his body burned it off. And the snow had covered his tracks. But he noticed that when Ethan had cloaked himself, she had been stumped, too. Maybe there was a limit to her powers. Another mystery about her that he didn’t like. Once he got the truth out of her, he’d have to take care that all evidence of her was cleaned out, and he’d have to dump her car far away from here. He’d driven it deeper into the woods, in a ravine, and covered it with leaves and branches. A temporary fix, but not for long.
Something bulged from the wallet’s zipper compartment. He opened it and found her business cards: Happy Face Inc., Pet Psychic When You Need One, Day or Night. It had her name, email address andtelephone number at the bottom. Perhaps her psychic powers had led her to Ethan. He hoped the Guardian hadn’t sent her here. Just how powerful was she? He could still feel the hypnotic pull of her charmed body.
He turned and threw the hideous purse and wallet into the fireplace. He poked it, jabbing it deep into the logs, then looked at Nina Rainwater. She was still as death, but the color had come back to her skin, and her body had stopped trembling. She looked petite and lost in the king-size bed. Her hair fanned out around her head on the pillow. Firelight danced blue highlights along the thick dark strands. Charles had tucked her beneath the covers to warm her. With all those layers of clothes on, it must not have taken long.
Kane grimaced, remembering how he couldn’t allow himself near her. Charles had put ice on the nasty knot that had formed above her brows, but it had still grown to the size of a quarter and turned purple. It looked like an all-seeing third eye, and he almost felt it staring at him.
He grew uncomfortable and poked the fire again, fighting the intoxicating force drawing him near her. He felt his beast growing aroused at her nearness, too. He quelled an overwhelming desire to crawl into bed and lay beside her, feel her skin against his, inhale her sweet breath again. He wanted to consume her and stop these insane cravings. He knew what a junkie must feel like, and he hated the vulnerability of it. He’d made a point of staying away from all women, human or seniph, since Daphne’s death, and he couldn’t allow Nina Rainwater to change that. No, her glamour had no power over himif he didn’t allow it. All it took was self-discipline. And he had that in spades. And once she
Similar Books
