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of people are hoping you ll bring it back.
Great. So whatever Aunt Charlotte had been smoking, Maggie had taken a few puffs
of it too.
Sounds nutty, I know. And that s just the tip of the iceberg.
Rachel was about to ask her about the Ac-taw and inner beasts when Burke and a
giant of a man joined them.
Maggie, time to gather the veggies. The giant nodded at Rachel, his dark brown
eyes tender as they fell on his wife, and Rachel placed him as a man she d seen in the
diner.
That s my husband, Joel, my own grizzly bear. Joel frowned at Maggie s laugh
and hauled her out of the kitchen. See you later, Rachel, she yelled over her shoulder,
leaving Rachel alone with Burke.
He studied her with very normal, though very handsome, whiskey-brown eyes.
Burke moved with grace, grabbing a mug and joining her at the table without taking his
eyes off of her. His stare made her nervous& and made her hot.
What?
You are the damnedest woman.
She didn t know how to take that.
You ve been hit with a street fight, a touchy-feely stranger in an alley, he said,
self-deprecatingly. Then there s your aunt s will, and the crazy shit I m sure she wrote
about, and not the least my brothers. I thought by now you d be running for the airport.
I would, but I need my car. She relaxed, flattered truth be told, that he seemed to
both like and respect her.
48 www.samhainpublishing.com
Rachel s Totem
He chuckled. I can see a lot of Charlotte in you. And that s a good thing, in case
you re wondering. He poured himself some coffee and drank it black, smiling at her
over the brim.
Burke, Rachel started, not wanting to lose this easy discourse between them but
needing to have it said. My aunt said some strange things in her letter.
I can imagine.
You said you d do your best to explain things to me. How about you start?
Ah, a tall order. He took another swallow and his hair swung down into his eyes.
Without thinking about it, she leaned forward and pushed it back, startling him and
herself.
Sorry.
I m not. I like you touching me. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When
he opened them again, he didn t look happy. I m going to tell you the truth. And you re
going to think I m one hundred percent certifiable. But do me a favor and listen until I m
done, okay? I can prove what I m going to tell you. Just hear me out.
Rachel nodded, her pulse racing.
Cougar Falls isn t like any town you ve ever been to, Rachel. The people who live
here were either born here or married into one of the founding families. I was born here
with my brothers, like my parents and their parents before them. We re Ac-taw.
She processed what he said, her eyes wide. Animal souls? You re a part of those
people the Salish first found? At his surprise, she explained, Gerald filled me in on the
Totem Festival on the drive over. That and a bit more.
Yeah. Truth is, most of the town is Ac-taw. And the totem is the real deal, passed
down for generations. Charlotte preserved it for us, and we protected her.
Rachel frowned. From what?
From those Shifters who would take it from us.
Shifters?
Humans can t find Cougar Falls. It s not on any map, and doesn t exist to
outsiders.
www.samhainpublishing.com 49
Marie Harte
For the moment ignoring humans, Rachel asked, Then why could I find it? I m
not Ac-taw.
Actually, you are. Charlotte was too, at least distantly. That s why she was so in
tune with the totem and the world around her. To many, she was a nutcase, he said
bluntly. But she was so much more than that. She was a spirit guide, a guardian of the
magic in the totem. And when she died, she took the knowledge of the totem with her.
The town needs it back. We need you, Rachel, to get it back for us.
Rachel shook her head. I have no idea what you re talking about. I mean, I read my
aunt s letter. I know she believed what you do. But I don t know anything about this
totem or how to get it back. It wasn t in the house or anywhere around the property that I
could see. And there was nothing about it in the box Gerald showed me.
The knowledge is within you. Burke touched his heart. Once you open yourself to
the beast within
About this beast. My aunt seems to think I can choose my inner beast, whatever
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Dobre pomysły nie mają przeszłości, mają tylko przyszłość. Robert Mallet
De minimis - o najmniejszych rzeczach.
Dobroć jest ważniejsza niż mądrość, a uznanie tej prawdy to pierwszy krok do mądrości. Theodore Isaac Rubin
Dobro to tylko to, co szlachetne, zło to tylko to, co haniebne.
Dla człowieka nie tylko świat otaczający jest zagadką; jest on nią sam dla siebie. I z obu tajemnic bardziej dręczącą wydaje się ta druga. Antoni Kępiński (1918-1972)
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