Free Soul of the Wildcat by Devyn Quinn

“A whole new line of work.”
    Jesse rolled his eyes. “A tough one, too. Proving the cougar is no longer extinct in these mountains hasn’t been the most difficult obstacle. Keeping the secret that we are the cougars has proven a little more difficult.”
    She folded her arms across her body. “I guess that’s hard to do when outsiders know your secrets.”
    Jesse snorted. “Tell me about it. Trying to adapt to living in the wild is tough enough without having poachers on your tail, and I do mean that literally.” His expression turned tight and grim. “You have to remember, their people have been in these mountains a long time, too, and they’re part of the reason we were hunted to the point of extinction. Leaving our homeland was the only way to survive.”
    Feeling the chill behind his words, Dakoda rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “Now coming back is the only way to survive.”
    Jesse cast a look around the small cell before scrubbing both hands over his face. Sweat beaded his dark skin, giving it a shiny, sexy gleam. “I’m afraid we won’t be surviving long under these conditions.”
    Dakoda knew she didn’t look half as sexy. The moment humidity struck, her hair turned all frizzy and her skin all greasy.
    She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. Though the night outside was cool, the air inside the cramped cell was sultry. Her heavy uniform clung to her skin, perspiration patches pooling under her arms and breasts. “I’m sorry we weren’t more help, Jesse. Once the reports of cougar sightings were confirmed, we redoubled our efforts to catch poachers.”
    His hands dropped, dangling uselessly at his sides. “I know.” He exhaled, a long breath. “It’s frustrating, though. We’re all trying to adapt to a new world and there’s all these obstacles to jump. Sometimes I wish I’d never learned about our gift. I think I could have lived the rest of my life without knowing the truth.”
    Dakoda sensed the gnawing of desperate frustration behind his demeanor. The more she learned about the Tlvdatsi, the more she wanted to know. Even if his speculation had no grain of truth, he’d still given her something she’d never had before. Hope.
    Always a bastard child with no roots and no heritage, Dakoda had never really felt she belonged anywhere. She had no family who wanted to claim her, call her their own. All of a sudden, Jesse Clawfoot had revealed she might have a family, a legitimate heritage. The father she’d never known might have bestowed a most valuable gift on her—a gift she didn’t intend to let slip through her fingers.
    â€œI think everyone should know who they are, where they come from, Jesse.” She lifted a hand, pressing it against her chest. “When you don’t know those things it feels like little pieces of you are missing inside, like they’ve been sliced away. You know who you are, where you come from, and now you know where you’re going in life.” Her vision was blurring; her throat tightened, thickening her words. “Anyone who doesn’t know would envy that. I know I do.”
    Jesse stepped toward her, his face intent. “I can see the pain in your eyes. Not knowing your origins has hurt you deeply, Dakoda.” Warm hands cupped her face. “I want to help you find your way, help you find where you belong.”
    Feeling his touch against her needy skin, Dakoda felt oddly comforted. Though his hands were roughened from the hard work of trying to survive in the mountains, his caress was gentle.
    She opened her eyes. Her gaze searched his. “You’re not just saying that, are you? Please, don’t feel sorry for me because I’m a bastard.”
    Jesse shook his head, his lips just inches away from hers. “I have no reason to lie to you or to deceive you. I only know what my senses