Heart of the Jaguar

by Katie Reus

  “What about you? If I’m dishing all my gory relationship history, you better give me something good.” She was visibly exhausted, but the smile she gave him took his breath away.

  Forcing his eyes back to the road, he started to respond when his phone rang. It was Owen.

  “Saved by the bell,” Cindy murmured, pulling a low chuckle from him.

  “Yeah?” he answered immediately.

  “You guys on your way here?” Owen’s voice was clipped.

  “Yeah.”

  “Does Cindy have any medical supplies with her?”

  “Yeah, why?” She’d wanted to pack a bag just in case. The doctor in her never seemed far from the surface.

  “Good. Daniel’s been shot so hurry.”

  Chapter 7

  Worry hummed through Elias at the news. “How is he?”

  “The kid’ll be fine if you guys get here soon. The bullet didn’t go all the way through, so Cindy needs to get it out and stop the bleeding. But it’s not silver.”

  “What happened?” Elias had spoken to Daniel only a couple of times, and the eighteen-year-old was a good kid. He’d opted to stay in Bear Mountain instead of go to college like most of his pack mates.

  “Hunter shot him in wolf form. Bastard was trespassing on our land. One of the wolves out with Daniel got the guy’s scent, but he got away.”

  “Do you think it has anything to do with what happened at Cindy’s?” Elias asked.

  “Doubt it. Daniel didn’t recognize the guy and he was in hunting gear. Whoever trashed her car and vandalized her home is likely a local, someone we know. That kind of thing has personal written all over it.”

  “Want me to let the sheriff know?” The humans might not know that there were shifters living among them, but they could still use the law to their benefit. If someone was trespassing on their land, he would be arrested and charged. While no one in town would ever trespass on their land, Own had told him that in the past couple months they’d had issues with outsiders hunting illegally in the area.

  “Nah, I already called. Told her some asshole was trespassing and shooting illegally. I’m sure the cops will get the guy. They usually do.”

  All the sheriff would have to do was go down to the local hotel or call up the owners of the surrounding bed-and-breakfasts, and it wouldn’t take long to figure out who was responsible. Especially since this wasn’t hunting season. “All right. We should be there in less than five. Meet at the main house?”

  “Yeah.”

  They disconnected and he glanced at Cindy, who was looking much more alert. “Did you catch all that?”

  She nodded. “Now I’m glad I decided to bring my medical bag.”

  They arrived 4½ minutes later. Cindy was out of his truck before he’d even put it in Park and racing up the drive to Owen and Gabriela’s two-story home. He was right behind her. The front door opened before they’d made it up the steps, and they followed a silent Owen into the kitchen, where a brown wolf with a couple of white patches was stretched out on the tile. There was a little blood on the tile around him and a patch of fur on his side was matted crimson, but Gabriela was holding a green towel against the area right above his hind flank.

  Elias could scent and hear other wolves elsewhere in the house, but Owen must have cleared the room.

  “Thank you,” Cindy murmured as she bent next to Gabriela and lifted the towel. Still wearing the same clothes she’d had on all day, she was rumpled and sexy as she got to work. She gently lifted the back half of the wolf’s body up. Probably to check for an exit wound. Even though they’d told her he didn’t have one, she would want to check herself. The young wolf whined as she shifted him, but he didn’t snap or growl. Which was damn good, because Elias was feeling edgy watching her work on an injured animal. Injured shifters could be unpredictable, but Cindy didn’t seem concerned at all.

  He rubbed the middle of his chest, not liking the foreign feeling of discomfort as he watched her. His inner wolf was almost unnaturally protective.

  “This isn’t bad at all,” she spoke again, almost to herself as she laid him back down. Then she looked up and locked her dark gaze on Owen’s. “I need an unopened bottle of water.”

  The Alpha nodded and grabbed one from the pantry as she opened her black bag and pulled out forceps and a scalpel. As Owen handed the bottle to her, she opened it and poured the water over the wound. Under normal circumstances, Elias knew she’d have had to sterilize and probably do a hell of a lot more than what she was now. But shifters healed remarkably fast and didn’t have to worry about minor infections.

  “I’m going to make a small incision then pull the bullet out. All I have is a topical anesthetic, and it probably won’t do much to help you when I make the cut. Do you want me to apply it anyway?” She ran a gentle hand over the wolf’s head.

  Daniel whined and shook his head.

  “Okay then. I’m going to do it now, so brace yourself.”

  Elias couldn’t help himself. He crossed the room and crouched down next to the wolf, watching him intently. Cindy gave him a surprised glance but turned her attention away from him as she began to work. Less than a minute later the bullet was removed and she was cleaning the wound.

  Elias could breathe again. The wolf hadn’t tried to bite or snap at her the entire time. Once she’d finished cleaning him, she rinsed and shaved the area and then put on clear Steri-Strips—he knew from experience that stitches would never work because shifters healed too damn fast. Elias and Owen then lifted the teenager.

  “He needs to rest for at least six hours, but he should be okay after that,” Cindy said as she began cleaning up the floor with Gabriela.

  Elias didn’t like to leave her out of his sight for even a moment, but he followed Owen’s lead as they carried Daniel into the living room.

  “We’ll put him in one of the upstairs bedrooms so I can keep an eye on him tonight,” Owen said. As Alpha it was his job to look out for his pack, especially in situations like this.

  “Cindy and I can stay too. She might want to check up on him.” Even though he wanted to be alone with her more than anything, he knew that his new pack needed him.

  Owen shook his head as they started up the stairs. “She’s had two bad scares and looks as if she’s about to pass out. Wolves will be in and out of here all night checking on Daniel and she won’t get any rest. Take her to your place.”

  Elias started to argue, but Owen just shook his head again, this time sharper. “That’s an order.”

  Elias nodded and bowed his head for a moment in submission. Owen was his Alpha and he’d always follow Owen’s command. And he had no problem doing so, especially if he was able to help Cindy get some damn rest. The dark shadows under her eyes were killing him, and all he wanted to do was take care of her.

  * * *

  Cindy let the water cascade over her body, thankful for the powerful jets of Elias’s shower. The past twenty-four hours had been intense, and she’d full on admitted her past to Elias, a man she was starting to care deeply for. He had such a calm presence, and even though he was alpha to the bone, he was totally relaxed with her and the demands of her profession.

  Well, he’d eyed poor Daniel as if he’d kill him if the injured wolf so much as moved wrong, but Cindy understood that. Sometimes the injured shifters snapped at her, but she knew how to handle her own kind. Though it had touched her that Elias had been concerned. She’d been looking out for herself for a long time, so it was nice to have someone else watching her back. Still, part of her worried that she was getting in way over her head.

  As she rinsed the last of the shampoo from her hair, she heard the bathroom door opening. Something told her that if he’d wanted to be quiet, Elias could have been. The wolf had some serious stealth.

  “How’re you doing in here?” His voice was full of concern.

  “Good...You want to join me?” She really should just go to bed after this. After the day she’d had, she was beat, but the thought
of getting wrapped up in Elias’s arms was too much to resist.

  She heard a soft growl, then the sound of him taking off his clothes. Seconds later the simple brown shower curtain was pulled back.

  His green eyes had turned so dark they almost looked black, and his expression was hungry. For her. “Are you sure?”

  No. She was still terrified that she was making a huge mistake; that trusting this wolf was going to get her heart broken. But her jaguar didn’t want to listen to any human reasoning. Instead of responding, she raked her gaze down the length of his toned, muscular body. He had a little soot on his forearms from helping to drag some of her ruined furniture outside before his pack mates got to her place. All his muscles were pulled taut, and forget about a six-pack—he’d jumped straight to an eight-pack. Reaching out, she raked her fingers down his stomach and then back up until she reached his chest. She rubbed the pads of her thumbs across his flat, brown nipples. A low, rumbling sound came from his chest, almost like a purr. “What do you think?”

  His head tilted to the side a fraction as he watched her with that hungry gaze. “I don’t even remember the question.”

  She burst out laughing and slid her arms around him, pulling him under the pulsing jets with her. His cock lay between them, an insistent reminder against her belly. She reached between them and grasped him, circling her hand around his thick length.

  Elias sucked in a breath. “We don’t...have...”

  She began slowly stroking him and he trailed off. Grinning against his chest, she scraped her teeth against the firm wall of muscle as she held his hard length in her hands. She began feathering kisses along his skin, savoring his taste.

  His big body shuddered with each stroke, making her feel incredibly powerful. The knowledge that she could bring this man to his knees was the biggest turn-on. As she started moving faster, he stilled her with a hand.

  She looked up at him with a questioning look.

  He swallowed hard. “I don’t want to come in your hands.”

  Fighting a grin, she stroked him again, a quick swipe of her hand from the base of his cock to his crown. His eyes narrowed so she did it again, teasing him.

  Even though she’d meant to challenge him, she was surprised when he grasped both her wrists lightning quick and tugged them over her head as he pinned her flat against the wall.

  All the air left her lungs in a whoosh as he pressed his body against hers. Instinctively she lifted one leg, wrapping it around him and digging her heel into his ass.

  “You like playing with fire,” he murmured.

  “You’d never hurt me.” She knew he’d never hurt her physically. That was a given. She was referring to emotionally. Despite her lingering doubts, some primal part of her had realized it by his response to what she’d thought would be a complete deal breaker for their relationship. Instead of pushing him away, she’d realized there could truly be something between them. And she wasn’t going to ignore the burgeoning feelings growing inside her. As it was, she’d barely been keeping them on lockdown, but now that she knew something real could develop between them she was going to see where things went. Hell, she was tired of living in fear of having a real relationship.

  “Never.” At that, he captured her mouth with his. Pushing past her lips, his tongue danced with hers in erotic little strokes that mimicked having sex.

  Her inner walls clenched as she remembered what it had felt like to have him pushing deep into her. Right now, he was apparently happy holding her captive against the wall and teasing her.

  She slowly, sensually ground against him. With her one leg wrapped around him, her body was open to him. Open and waiting. All he would have to do was shift just a little and he’d be inside her.

  He pulled back from her mouth only to blaze a trail of kisses along her jaw. “I love how impatient you get,” he murmured as he reached her ear and gently nipped her lobe.

  She rolled her hips against him and inhaled that pure male scent. Even as the water washed away the soot and other scents, there was something so earthy that was all Elias, and it intoxicated her. “Then do something about it.”

  The hand holding her wrists flexed once and she thought he might torture her longer, but he reached between them with his free hand and cupped her mound. He slid one, then two fingers in her and groaned. “You’re so wet.”

  She arched her back into his hold, clenching around him. “That’s what happens when you walk around naked,” she rasped out. Okay, it didn’t even take that. All she had to do was catch his male scent and her body flared to life. She wondered if she’d ever get used to it, but she had no doubt this was part of the mating call. Now that she’d let herself accept it, the knowledge was so settling, the truth something she couldn’t deny. Since she’d never thought she would experience it, she didn’t know what to feel. Stunned, elated...there were too many descriptions, and she could barely think.

  When he drew his fingers out, dragging them along her inner walls, her lower abdomen tightened and she clenched around nothing. She needed to be filled by him so badly she was practically shaking with the need.

  “So impatient,” he said as he smoothly buried himself in her, thrusting hard once.

  Hell yeah she was, and she’d never apologize for it. He filled her so completely it took a moment for her to adjust. She tried to drag in a deep breath but found it impossible. Her entire body was humming with the need to climax. A raw, pent-up energy thrummed through her with wild abandon, and she could actually feel her inner jaguar clawing at her, demanding that she take this man and mate with him. She wasn’t ready for the actual mating yet, but they could both find pleasure.

  When he pulled back, she thought he was withdrawing completely and she struggled against his hold on her wrists. He instantly let go, so she grasped his shoulders.

  Holding tight, she could barely catch her breath as he started thrusting into her. Burying his face against her neck, she felt his canines rake against her, but he didn’t break the skin. Her nipples tightened even harder at the thought of him doing so. The pain, the pleasure. A shudder rolled through her.

  Each time he slammed into her, she pushed closer and closer to climax. Her body was bowstring tight, and when he grabbed her from behind and squeezed her soft skin in a dominating grip, something inside her released.

  Her orgasm shattered through her, streaming to all her nerve endings like a pulsing wave. Normally she needed clitoral stimulation, but she’d been so primed for him he could have looked at her right and she would have come.

  He let out a growl, his canines coming dangerously close to piercing her skin as he came with her. When she thought he might actually do it, he pulled his head back and let out a shout as the full force of his orgasm surged through him.

  She wasn’t sure how much time passed. A minute. An hour. It felt like an eternity before she could finally release her legs from around him. The moment she did, she almost collapsed, but Elias held her up.

  “It’s time to get you into bed.” He gently wiped a washcloth between her legs before turning off the shower.

  Though he still had a few smudges of soot on his arms that hadn’t been completely washed off and he hadn’t gotten a real shower, she didn’t argue because she wanted him in bed with her. She wanted to curl up into that strong embrace and let him hold her through the night.

  When he wrapped her in a towel and dried her as if she was too fragile to do it herself, she let him. Her body felt like Jell-O and she wasn’t above letting someone help her. Especially someone as sexy and giving as Elias.

  “I’m totally falling for you,” she blurted out, then felt mortified and horribly exposed.

  They were still in his bathroom and he was kneeling at her feet as he dried her left leg. His head snapped up and his gaze was a mercurial storm of wicked, erotic promises. “The feeling is mutual.”

  His deep voice wrapped around her with such intensity, she couldn’t fight the elated shiver that rippled through her. A wild
mix of terror and adrenaline. Oh yeah, she wasn’t just falling. She’d already fallen. Head over heels.

  Chapter 8

  Elias opened his eyes at the sound of a harsh beeping. What the hell? Rolling over, he glanced at his alarm clock, but it was off. As he turned back toward Cindy, she was already sitting up and stretching her arms above her head. She let out a yawn then slightly shook her head, as if she was trying to wake herself up. With her naked back displayed for him, he couldn’t help but reach out and stroke his hand down her soft skin. “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice raspy with sleep.

  She looked over her shoulder at him, a private smile on her face, and his entire body tightened with immediate need. “I’m getting up—and don’t look at me like that or I’ll never get out of bed.”

  He frowned as her words registered. That’s when he realized she’d set the alarm on her cell phone and that was what had woken him. “It’s not even noon. You’ve barely slept at all and there’s no reason for us to get out of bed. For days.”

  Pressing her lips together as if she was fighting a smile, she jumped up and dodged away from him when he went to drag her back to bed. “Days?”

  “Yep.” He kicked the covers off completely, watching as she strode naked and unselfconsciously to one of the bags she’d brought. He could watch her all day.

  “I need to go to the office for a few hours. I had one of the nurses’ call in a temp because of everything going on, but I’ve never met him before, and I want to make sure my patients are in good hands.”

  There was no way he was letting her go to work. He sat up, an argument prepared, when she shook her head.

  “I’m not staying all day. There’s no way I’ll inadvertently risk my patients in case that maniac tries to hurt me at work, but I want to feel this doctor out and see what he’s like. Reading a file is not the same as talking to someone in person.” She didn’t look at him as she dug through her bag.

  “Your patients are important to you.” He wanted to be frustrated that she was insisting on leaving, but he admired her.