Heart's Sentinel

by PJ Schnyder

  Mack stepped up to Adam's side. “Not that I like that human, but you didn’t have to scare the piss out of him.”

  Still riding the edge of his temper, Adam glared at Mac.

  For the second time in the evening, the Enforcer held up his hands. “Easy, Adam. Easy. I’m saying you might want to go a little lighter on any other ex-boyfriends who come looking for her. She must have left the city in a hurry, and a real friend might come.”

  “She doesn’t need friends like him.” Adam bit the words out.

  “Not like him.” Mack agreed, nodding in the direction of Devo's flight. “But maybe she could use a friend or two she didn’t know she’d need. A real friend would be good for her right now.”

  “The pride is what she needs right now.”

  “Adam.” Mac’s voice held neutral, not posing a challenge. He spoke as an equal. Mack had been there when Adam had chased away his childhood friend so long ago, in the aftermath of the real rage he kept locked away. Mack knew Adam’s history. “Mackenzie needs anyone who can help her, especially if her stalker is giving away her location. There’s a reason for it.”

  Adam’s cat quieted a fraction as his temper cooled. He couldn’t stay angry with a pride brother, especially when Mack spoke the truth.

  “I’ll talk to Marcus, we’ll step up the patrols.” The Enforcer spoke with assurance, “Any more…friends from her past show up and we’ll detain them. One of the others might have a little better idea of what the panther’s strategy is.” He paused, and then Mack scratched his chin as he considered another thought. “I haven’t seen you like this since back then. You’re always in control of your beast. There’s no need to be edgy, Cat, she’s safe back at the bonfire. There’s no place in the territory safer tonight.”

  Adam grunted. Suddenly, his cat needed to be gone, needed to find the sound of a specific voice and smell her fresh, honey and cinnamon scent.

  And then Mack gave Adam a truth that stuck in his gut. “She’s not a child. She’s obviously got males in her history. I won't be surprised if ex-boyfriends start coming out of the bushes. She's the kind of person who leaves a hole behind when she's missing from a person's life.”

  “You met her for one hour in a class full of people.” Adam scowled, unwilling to think on it.

  Mack snorted. “The girl lights up a room when she smiles. It doesn't take an hour to figure out people would miss her in their lives. She can decide who she will see.”

  Sullenly, Adam pointed out his only defense. “She didn’t want to see the male, Devo.”

  Mack grinned. “Lucky, that. You gonna react the same way about a male she does want to see?”

  Adam turned on his heel and stalked back into the forest without answering. Mack’s chuckle followed him into the trees.

  Adam had to see her, had to know she remained safe even though he’d left her in the most secure place possible. He could have called one of the Sentinels on duty at the bonfire, but he had to confirm with his own senses.

  Stripping down, he shifted.

  Energy crackled across the lines of his body as fur flowed over skin. He fell forward onto hands curling into paws and his legs realigned to support his stance. In the few minutes it took him, it was like stretching a little too far, enough so his joints ached, and then euphoric once it finished.

  He grabbed his clothing in his mouth and ran on silent paws through the night towards the bonfire, towards Mackenzie.

  Night birds and small animals froze as he passed them by. Powerful muscles worked under sleek fur, taking him down the trail, the forest falling silent at his coming and returning to life in the wake of his passing. He wasn’t just one of the shapeshifter predators in the territory, but one of the strongest, the deadliest. Tonight however, he didn’t hunt to fill his belly. His human mind wouldn’t admit he hunted at all.

  As he neared, he could hear the laughter of children interspersed with playful growls. Adam’s logical side took back control from the cat, and he shifted back to human form, dressing before approaching. From inside the tree line, he could see Mackenzie. Firelight played across her laughing face, sparkling eyes free of shadows for a short time.

  Liam held her hand as the two of them danced with a circle of children. Adam’s focus sharpened as he studied the linked hands. The juvenile definitely had interest in Mackenzie, but her scent held no arousal and no interest as far as Adam could tell from a distance. Having fun with Liam and the children as they all danced in a ring, she showed no sign of the chemistry indicating a mutual interest.

  Not that Liam wasn’t trying. A moment in the game came when all of the children fell down like leaves shaken from a tree. As Mackenzie fell, laughing, Liam managed to break her fall and get his arms around her at the same time.

  Smart boy, a part of Adam’s mind thought, but his cat growled. He wasn’t sure what he would have done if Mackenzie hadn’t immediately gotten to her feet and disengaged from Liam’s arms, still laughing to ease the space she’d put between them.

  Adam shook his head as his inner beast clawed at his insides. Too confusing, this swinging back and forth between hot and chill, he couldn’t keep it simple. His rational side wanted Mackenzie to interact with the lighter interests of the juveniles, their relationships closer to human dating. They would allow Mackenzie to ease into the sensuality, an inherent part of her new nature.

  The cat inside of Adam felt differently. A low growl finally escaped as he watched Liam tug her away from the group of playing children. Nearby, a couple of other juveniles jumped and turned to regard Adam nervously once they spotted him in the tree line.

  “Come on.” Liam coaxed with a gentle tug on Mackenzie's hand. “The kids are fine. They’ll tire you out completely if you let ‘em.”

  “But they’re so cute.” Mackenzie couldn't stop smiling, her chest filled with bubbling giggles and the warmth of innocent play. She turned to wave at the children as they called her to come rejoin the games.

  “They’ll be here later.” Liam reassured her. “I wanted to show you some constellations.”

  A small form detached itself from another group of children and shot across the clearing. As the child launched towards Mackenzie, he shifted in mid-leap, landing against her chest. Too startled to do anything but bring her arms up around the furry bundle, she stumbled back a few steps and stared down at the jaguar kitten in her arms.

  Time stopped. It was her first time seeing a shift since Van had partially transformed to tear into her flesh.

  But the tiny face looking up at her wasn’t anything dark. No hint of madness, no twist of insanity lurked in those bright golden eyes full of mischief while a warm, rough tongue licked at her jaw. Soft paws reached up to gently bat her cheek, claws carefully retracted. The fur in her hands soft and fluffy and warm, she sensed nothing sharp about this bundle of innocent love.

  “No fair,” said a new voice. “Why does a kid like Sho get to be so comfy?”

  She looked up in time to see Liam scowl. Another boy walked towards them confidently, giving her an easy smile full of charm and promises, inviting her to smile back.

  “Yo, Cal.” Liam greeted the new boy with a lift of his chin. He stepped closer to Mackenzie and slipped a hand around her waist. Her hands still full of kitten, Mackenzie didn’t know what to do, but she didn’t miss the preemptive possessive gesture.

  “Hey, Liam.” Cal returned the greeting easily, his eyes on Mackenzie. “We were admiring your new friend. She’s taking classes with Adam over at Jake’s school. I hear she’s a natural, really good at picking up the moves.”

  Deciding she didn’t want to play male games, she introduced herself. “I’m Mackenzie, but my friends back home call me Mac. Nice to meet you.”

  She directed the last to the kitten in her arm. He purred in response and gave her another lick on the jaw. He hadn’t been in the group she and Liam had been playing with and must have decided to wait for her attention after the game.

  “I’m jealous.” Lia
m looked down at her and the kitten, leaning in a little too close.

  “Tough.” She stuck her tongue out at him. He could flirt, but she’d played these games for years. Apparently, some things crossed the species barriers between shapeshifters and humans. Even though Liam and his friend could cut a swath through their share of females, to Mackenzie, the kitten held the greater charm. She’d flirt a bit for fun, but Liam wasn’t going to get anywhere interesting.

  As nice as Liam had been all evening, nice only proved him a sweet boy. Nothing about him awakened the kind of smoldering heat she’d experienced with Adam at the guest house.

  “So, are you done playing with the kits? You could come hang with a couple of us for a while, maybe dance with me?” Cal made the invitation to Mackenzie. Liam growled at the implication. Even little Sho gave a tiny rumble.

  Mackenzie smiled, easing the tension by leaning against Liam’s shoulder briefly. “I only promised one dance.”

  Liam smiled and relaxed toward her.

  And then she added a little more. “And we had our dance just now with the kits, so I think I’m done dancing for the night.”

  The kitten in her arms batted playfully at her ear. She laughed and bit the kitten’s ear gently in retaliation. It seemed the thing to do.

  Suddenly musk filled the air from both the older boys. Grimacing, Mackenzie gently lowered the kitten to the ground and sent him back to the other children with a little nudge.

  Looking at Liam directly, she spoke in a very quiet voice. “Enough with the testosterone. I’m not interested.”

  Caught in her gaze, Liam swallowed and then rallied with a shaky grin. “Still want to take a walk?”

  Incorrigible, but she couldn’t help the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. He gave her an idea of what Adam might have been like younger, more carefree. She didn’t want to lead him on, but he definitely turned on the charm and she couldn’t call him a quitter.

  Not to be beaten, Cal tossed in his own bid. “I’ll go with you guys. If you’re looking at stars, I scored higher in astronomy than Liam did.”

  “Is it true?” She studied Liam with an upraised brow.

  He flushed red. “I scored higher in math and biology.”

  “I’ll go with the both of you for a short walk.” She raised her eyebrows and met each eye to eye, so there would be no misunderstanding. “Then we come back and you can introduce me to more friends.”

  Both boys seemed caught between happiness for the chance and disappointed at how clearly she was making the statement ‘friends’.

  Mackenzie chuckled but stepped away from Liam, walking between the two of them as they led her out of the clearing. It would be okay if she didn’t end up alone with either of them. They could be blocks to each other. Besides, one or two of the pride Sentinels would be within hearing range.

  “We’re not going far, are we?” She eyed the darkening forest, shadows growing deeper as they ventured away from the light of the bonfire. The dark still gave her pause.

  “Nah.” Liam had regained his balance. Apparently, he planned to make the best of it. “Just far enough so the light from the bonfire doesn’t keep us from seeing the stars.”

  As they walked, Mackenzie let the two boys verbally spar with each other. She nodded and made noises here and there at the appropriate time as she considered the kitten. Little Sho’s shift from boy to kitten had caught her by surprise. She should have been frightened, or would have thought so.

  Mackenzie prodded at the incident like a sore tooth, trying to figure out if it really hurt. It didn’t. How could she be afraid of such a sweet kitten? No. The shift didn’t trigger the terror she expected, so much as how it came to be. The shift as a natural thing she could accept, and then there was the Change used as a tool to impose will on the unwilling.

  Something indefinable settled inside her, like a missing piece of the shattered parts of her fitting into place, bringing her a little closer to healed for a precious moment.

  Liam’s voice, rough and aggressive, brought Mackenzie back from the quiet place. “I asked her first.”

  “I didn’t notice you staking a claim,” Cal retorted with a dismissive wave of his hand.

  The two had walked a touch faster than Mackenzie, pulling ahead of her. They stopped, toe to toe, the challenge obvious.

  She shrank inward as she took in the confrontation. She hadn’t meant to let the boys fight for her attention. Remorse ate at her. She'd thought she'd made herself clear.

  “Stop it.” She stepped up to them. “Just friends, remember?”

  But the aggression level had risen past the chance of listening.

  More words shot back and forth, angry and loud, punctuated by growls. Someone pushed, and a hard shove in return, and then the boys did something human boys would never do.

  They shifted, fully.

  Snarls erupted in the air as the two nearly-grown jaguars lunged at each other. Mackenzie stumbled back and fell to her knees as her voice froze in her throat. They were big, bigger than any animals she’d ever seen. These weren't cute, fuzzy cubs.

  Liam and Cal circled each other and clashed, striking out with powerful forelegs. Their lithe, feline bodies twisted as they maneuvered for a grip with jaws full of wicked teeth. Their tails whipped around, stinging the air as they faced off against each other.

  They lunged, blurs of gold and black. Growls filled the air and tufts of fur flew. Even with claws retracted, a hit did damage. Cal limped, favoring a hind leg. Snarling, his return hit landed, catching Liam in the shoulder. The two jaguars closed on each other, grappling.

  Fear spread in a bitter tang across her tongue and worse, it was all her fault.

  She remembered the scent of testosterone, the violence. Van had told her she had called to him, it was why he had come to her. Her longing had invited him. And he had ripped her, torn her flesh. He had bitten so deeply, she’d felt his teeth grind across her bone.

  “Stop.” A voice snapped out, so aggressive, she almost didn’t recognize it as Adam’s. The power of his one word rolled across all three of them. Relief came and left quickly as she watched Adam stalk past, putting himself between the boys and her.

  The jaguars pulled back in the face of his dominance, but Adam’s hands shot out and grabbed each of them by the scruff as if they were cubs. Both close to full sized, yet Adam lifted them off the ground almost effortlessly.

  “Use your noses.” Adam raged, truly angry, his voice distorted by the almost continuous rumble of his growl. “No female should ever suffer fear from your actions.”

  Ashamed, she knew it was her anguish hanging in the air like an echo of the violence that had taken place.

  She trembled, unable to shake the flashback taking hold of her until Adam’s voice had jerked her back into the present.

  He gave an angry coughing roar, unique to jaguars. Both juveniles shuddered and she flinched hard. Fury radiated from Adam in waves.

  Scrambling to her feet, she tried to step closer. “Stop, Adam, please.”

  “Strength isn’t for showing off,” Adam ignored her, his hard tone accenting the words with a rough shake to each of the juveniles in his hands. “It’s for protecting.”

  She sobbed. She couldn't stand to see them punished. “It’s my fault.”

  “No.” But he let the two juveniles down to the ground. They sank low on their bellies at his feet, their heads turned to bare their necks in submission.

  “Yes.” She held stubbornly to the truth. “I was the adult here. Don’t you see? Look at them.”

  “Don’t take responsibility for this, Mackenzie.” He strangled his words with the effort not to growl. Both juveniles looked at her with alarm as his attention turned to her. He strode forward, closing the distance between them and gripped her arms tightly.

  “Don’t? They were rough housing, right?” Mackenzie struggled to get her thoughts in line. “Competing because of me. I've seen this enough to know it for what it is. I should have been able
to nip this before it got out of hand.”

  “You were afraid.” He shook her a little, his fingertips digging into her upper arms enough to drive his point home but not hurting.

  “My problem, not their fault,” she insisted as her fear soured and filled her with shame, for having been afraid, and because Liam and Cal would suffer for it. And shame, because despite the situation, she could only see the shape of Adam’s lips, only feel the heat of his body so close to hers.

  His eyes dilated, filled with an awareness of her, fingers tightening on her arms. For a moment, she thought he might pull her to him again, wrap her in his strength and give her the kiss she’d been daydreaming about since he’d left her at the bonfire.

  Instead he shook her. “They should know better.”

  “Do you? Do you know better?” His scent surrounded her, the rich scent of coffee filled her senses, only with a sensuous touch to it…like dark chocolate. She raised her head to look up at him, letting her body relax into his grip. She could feel her own cat stretch in a long slow motion inside her, in response to his proximity. The tips of her breasts brushed the hard planes of his chest and heat flared between them even through the layers of clothing. She let her lips part in invitation as she said it again. “Do you know better?”

  Adam’s eyes turned fully cat and he growled, jerking her out to arm's length.

  Frustration filled her, quickly burned away by the heat of anger and she asked him more questions. “They should know better? Better than what? Should they know I’m broken? Did you warn them?”

  Silence. Anger still rolled off him, hot enough to supercharge the air around them.

  Mackenzie embraced her own little flame, fanned it a little higher. “Don’t blame them for my malfunction, Adam.” He opened his mouth to say something, but she’d built momentum. “They behaved normally, didn’t they? Rough housing and competing for a girl’s attention?”

  Twisting her face into a grimace, she hated herself for letting things get out of control. She threw off his hands, stumbling back a few steps, balling her own into fists as she felt her claws pierce her fingertips. Her cat yowled inside her head.