“I brought you some take-out.” I sat down slowly, never taking my eyes from his, watching for any hostile move toward Ethan in the bedroom. Instead, he handed me a bottle of iced tea, chopsticks and two Chinese food containers and sat in the opposite chair. “I hope you like beef with broccoli and eggrolls.“
“This is great, thanks.” I dug in, not realizing how famished I was, and extremely relieved to see that he’d calmed down. “Did you eat?” I asked hesitantly between bites as he sat across from me, then immediately wished I hadn’t. I really didn’t want to think about what or who Garrett ate.
I watched him watching me eat, all the time aware of his quiet magnetism, which seemed even stronger under the lights in the small kitchen than it had in the cabin’s darkened room. His amazing eyes invited me to take a plunge in their cool aquamarine depths, but he was a predator and I needed to keep my head on straight around him. I sighed between bites. It would be so easy to jump in head first.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem aware of my reaction. “I fed a short while ago.” He smiled, glancing in the direction of the bedroom, and then turned back to me, looking much more serious. “Jackie, one of you should have called me at 3:00. Robert and I are considering this— unplanned adventure—as part of your training. Following orders is lesson number one.”
“Is Rob alright?” My headache was getting worse again. The electric buzz in the air was louder and I could feel stinging pressure in my chest and stomach.
“You never have to worry about Rob. He convinced the delegation that this was a planned training exercise which would enhance both of your abilities and that you’d be brought to them when it ended. Of course that last part isn’t exactly true.” He beamed at me, obviously enjoying his friend's antics.
“Do you know if Carly has aspirin?“ I was rubbing my temples again; the pain in my head and stomach making it impossible to eat any more. Garrett took my hand and instantly the painful heat cooled and my headache disappeared. I glanced at our hands, then at Garrett, who was looking as excited as a kid with a new toy.
“I knew it.” He said eagerly. “You are extraordinary.”
“Why, because I have a headache—had a headache? Why did the headache and the buzzing stop when you touched me?" I heard Ethan snoring. "And why isn’t Ethan awake? Is he alright?”
“I wanted to speak to you alone first. He’ll wake up soon enough.”
“What did you mean by he’s not good enough for ‘a shifter with my abilities?”
He continued to hold my hand and I made no move to pull away. “Normally shifters mate with their own kind, leopards with leopards, lions with lions, although there are always exceptions. Ethan will find a lovely little cougar to mate and raise cubs with. But cheetah shifters are rare and can often develop unexpected talents. For instance I know you’re feeling the heat of the energy that runs through this area. Most shifters feel it during their change but never have a permanent connection to the ley lines. Cheetahs are unique in that way.
"This house happens to be positioned where two strong channels cross.” He removed his hand and the prickling static was back. “I use the lines often. I can help you if you'd like.“ His hand closed over mine once more, fingers twining, quieting the buzzing. “I’ll teach you how to do this for yourself so you won’t need me around.”
“I like having you around.” The words kind of popped out unexpectedly, making my face grow hot. I looked down at our hands twined together, resting comfortably on the table. They looked so natural.
He sighed, a very lonely sound, “Rob and I are close friends, but you'll find that I’m not well-liked by most shifters. However, If you’ll agree, I’d like to train you to protect yourself from the effects of the magic. I know that it’s painful for you right now and I’m afraid that aspirin won’t help.” His fingertips were moving gently over my hand, making my body feel warm and tingly.
Realizing the effect he was having on me, Garret stood and said, “I’m going out to have a look around to make sure no one has followed you.” He pulled a necklace with an amulet from his pocket and handed it to me. “Wear this for now and the pain will lessen. I’ll be back soon.” He was gone before I had a chance to ask him about the necklace.
I heard Ethan groan, so I went back to the bedroom to find that he was sitting up. “I must have been more tired than I thought.” he yawned.
I shoved the necklace in my pocket. “Hey sleepy, I was worried about you. Garrett was here and you didn’t even wake up.”
“Yeah I can smell him,” he said making a face. “You set your alarm? I didn’t hear it go off.”
“I forgot too. I woke up and Garrett was here saying he wanted to speak to me alone. I think he might have done something to make you sleep longer. Sometimes he’s a little scary.” But also really hot. I caught myself smiling, then snapped out of it. “He brought Chinese food.” I pointed toward the kitchen where another two containers sat on the counter.
“He’s dangerous.” Ethan stood, a little wobbly, and headed to the bathroom.” I’ll be back.”
I walked to the bookcase in the small living room and read through the titles. There was a copy of Jane Austen’s Emma, which I grabbed and settled down to read. She was my favorite matchmaker and I enjoyed her various misadventures. Keeping the necklace in my pocket had helped quite a bit with the pain, so I decided to ask Garrett about it later.
Ethan returned, looking more than annoyed. “I think Garrett definitely fed off of me. I feel shaky, I look pale and there’s no way I wouldn’t have gotten up when you did. My hearing is almost as sharp as yours and his stink alone has been known to wake me. I slept for three hours and still feel tired.”
“I was here with him the whole time. If he drank your blood, there'd be fang marks on your body.”
“I don’t need to bite a shifter to feed off of him,” a rich voice replied. I jumped in shock as I suddenly noticed Garrett in a chair at the table leaning back and looking almost smug. ”To feed from a human, which I never do by the way, I’d have to bite them and drink their blood, but to feed from a shifter, I can use magic to drain their energy with my mind simply by touching them. Because I’m fairly old, I only need to take a tiny amount. It's against my principles to harm anyone when I feed. I only kill my enemies, and then only when it’s absolutely necessary.
"I prefer to feed from shifters because their vibrant energy keeps my body temperature near human normal. Plus I’m able to tolerate the sunlight for longer periods: a win-win situation for a vampire."
“You bastard…” Ethan moved threateningly toward Garrett, his jaw clenching and his hands in fists.
Garrett moved so swiftly, I almost didn’t see it at all. He stood nose to nose with Ethan, his intense whisper sending prickling energy through my body, causing the hairs on my arms to rise. “You have no business touching her. A cheetah shifter is a rare treasure For your own safety, it would be best if you showed her the deference she deserves. Throw a blanket on the floor if you have to sleep.” The silver specs sparkling in his eyes were probably not a good sign.
Ethan responded with the same low intensity, not backing down although Garrett could probably break his neck in less than a second. “I understand that you're going to take over as our trainer and I'll respect you in that capacity. But outside of that, you should know that I'd never get out of line with Jackie and I’m pissed off that you think I might. She’s my partner and I won’t treat her differently than any other female I’d train with. It's up to her, not you, whether or not I sleep on the floor."
"I'm fine with sharing the bed, Ethan." I frowned at Garrett who continued to glower at Ethan, his azure eyes still sparkling with some silver. Frustrated, I walked between them and put both my hands on Garrett’s chest, giving him a nudge toward the door. The heated vibrations still flowing through me calmed completely the moment I touched him, When the tension in my shoulders relaxed, he looked down where my hands rested on his chest and the corners of his mouth twitched.
I was annoyed that I’d have to be the one to sort out all this testosterone driven tension. “Could I please speak to you outside, Garrett?” I asked sweetly. He nodded politely and I followed him out the door. I wasn’t planning on staying sweet for long. I sat on a small chair in the yard and he stood a few feet away, leaning against the low brick wall, his expression curious. The buzzing heat was slightly less persistent outside the house so I took a deep breath for courage and began.
“You have no business telling Ethan and me how to behave when we're not working with you as a trainer. I want to trust you, because Rob does, but feeding off of shifters with your magic or whatever it is, gives me the creeps. I don’t want you feeding off of either of us. Especially since it makes us weak and we happen to be hiding from the council right now. I won’t be able to work with you if you do it again.” I crossed my arms to emphasize my words, lifting my chin to indicate I meant business.
Moving closer with a graceful stride, he sat on the bench across from mine. “May I explain myself?" I nodded. "I have a small group of volunteer donors who help me out. In return, I provide them with a service.” I didn’t want to ask what that might be. "I don't force anyone.
“Tonight, I arrived at your cottage before I had a chance to feed. I was worried when you didn’t call me at 3:00 o’clock as you were instructed to by Rob. When I saw Ethan’s arm draped over you I admit, I overreacted." He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Try to understand—I feel very protective toward you, partly because of what happened two years ago. Now that you're both under my care, neither of you needs to be concerned about your safety. I'm on your side, and as predators go, I’m at the top of the food chain.” To prove his point his eyes turned silver blue, his fangs extended and the huskiness in his voice sent icy shivers racing down my spine. Memories of screaming men and washed up body parts flashed in my head. I didn’t want this vampire as an enemy, but I wouldn’t let him bully me either.
“Ethan didn’t do anything wrong.” I gave him my best stubborn look.
He looked amused again. “I’ll strike a bargain with you. I will never feed from Ethan or you again, unless you offer me your energy willingly. In return, you’ll work with me privately until you’re strong enough to block the magic properly, Then I’ll teach you how to tap in and use its power.”
“What is it exactly?”
“The ley lines are like rivers of magical power that flow all over the world crossing each other in uneven grids. We supes tend to settle near the highest concentrations.”
I felt nervous, afraid to look him in the eye, but I needed to ask, “Did you...? Did you really give me your blood when I was attacked by those two men?” He nodded.”I don’t really know what to say, except, thank you.” He smiled at me: his gorgeous eyes crinkling up at the corners as he stared at me with real warmth.
He stood and walked over to me, then reached down and pulled the necklace out of my side pocket, brushing my hip with his hand. He placed it over my head and fastened it. “I apologize for the scene I caused.” I felt his warm breath on my neck and I couldn’t stop my body from responding with a shiver. "I’m here to help in your training and I'm afraid I’ve started things off on the wrong foot. I’m usually an expert at controlling my emotions.”
He walked back to the bench and looked me over with an amused expression. “Both of you put aside your fear and got angry with me."
“That makes you happy?”
“Actually, yes. It means we'll be able to work together. Rest up. In two hours, I’ll be back to take you into the woods to work. But for now, I’ll be out here keeping an eye on things.” I stood up and he leaned toward me. “But Jacqueline,” he whispered into my ear before turning away, “If Ethan ever does do anything to hurt you, I'll destroy him.“ He was gone before I could turn around.
Ethan stood in the doorway eating his Chinese food from the carton. He snorted, muttering, “Same here, vamp,” then turned and walked into the house. I stared up at the crescent moon and groaned. I need this drama like a hole in the head!
I sat down again with a sigh and tried to puzzle out this ridiculous situation. Garrett is treating me like I belong to him, and Ethan is acting all macho around him. I think tonight I’m going to have to have a serious talk with these two. If I don’t straighten this mess out our training sessions are really going to suck. I stood up and stretched out my neck and shoulders, then walked back into the house fingering the strange amulet which smelled deliciously of vampire.
Chapter Fourteen
Two hours later, Garrett pulled up in a Black Saab Turbo, the engine purring like a satisfied feline shifter. Ethan opted for the back which put me in the front next to Garrett, and to be honest, I wasn't upset at all. We drove along a narrow twisting road into the mountains, none of us speaking. Garrett put on some music and started humming along with a few of the songs, so I stayed quiet, enjoying this peaceful time. I tried to keep my eyes on the road ahead, but I’d occasionally sneak a glance at his slender hands on the wheel or his sapphire eyes focused on the road. We both laughed when we heard Ethan snoring from the back seat and I was kind of surprised by the genuine warmth in his expression, just a young man enjoying a drive with a couple of friends.
Forty-five minutes later, we stopped at what appeared to be a summer camp, closed for the winter, in need of paint and general repair. A red SUV was parked ten yards away and two people got out when we did, a young man and woman.
The girl walked up to Garrett and kissed his cheek in greeting, the young man shaking his hand. Garrett turned to us and introduced them. “Jackie, Ethan, I’d like you to meet Sinc Blakefield and Kyle Daro. They’ll be training with you tonight.” We looked each other over as people meeting for the first time do and I recalled what the man on the island had said about these two being rogues like Ethan and me.
Kyle was very slim and around my height, with beautiful dark almond-shaped eyes under a shock of bleached platinum blonde hair. He smiled brilliantly and extended his hand. “Hey Jackie, Ethan. Great to finally meet you guys.” Tattoos covered his arms and his eyebrow was pierced with a steel stud, yet he looked as put together as any corporate CEO in his black jeans and graphic tee. I liked him instantly and shook his hand, as did Ethan.
Sinc also stuck out her hand but said nothing in greeting. She was more the “I’ll let you know later what I think of you” type. She was around 5’6”, curvy in ways that I wasn’t, with gorgeous blue eyes and thick dark hair pulled back in a pony tail. She wore nice sweatpants, a tight fitting purple v-neck tee and a rich kid attitude that I’d seen many times before. They both looked to be around eighteen.
“Let’s go inside and I’ll explain tonight’s plan.” Garrett led us to the locked six foot high chain link gate and proceeded to climb over it a blur of graceful motion. In seconds he was walking away from us on the other side. Ethan and Kyle started up together both making it over easily although not quite as gracefully or as quickly. Sinc and I followed next and I managed to rip my sweatpants at the knee as I swung over the top. Ethan grinned and Sinc and Kyle tried not to notice. I just sighed. Some talented shifter.
We followed Garrett into a large well-lit wooden building, probably the recreation or dining hall, and sat at a long table near the entrance. Ethan and I took chairs across from Kyle and Sinc, none of us looking very confident about what was coming next. Garrett stood at the head of the table looking us over thoughtfully, probably cataloging our abilities in his mind before we’d even begun.
“You’ll form two teams. The first will be given instructions to follow to accomplish a specific task, the second will stalk them in whatever form they wish, trying to gain as much information as possible without being caught by the first team. You will do what you can to prevent them from succeeding. You may defend yourself physically to stop the other team from accomplishing their goal. However, no serious injuries will be tolerated”. Garrett looked at each of us in turn, his mouth set in a grim line. “We’ll be swi
tching teams three times so you’ll all get a chance to work together. Each mission should take about forty minutes. I’ll be observing off and on. You won’t see me, or smell me,“ he glanced at Ethan, “but I’ll be around.”
Garrett paired me with Ethan and took us aside. “What happened back at the safe house can’t affect the way you approach this training exercise. I was wrong to do it and I apologize, Ethan. It won’t happen again. Are we ok?”
“Yes, Garrett, I’m letting it go—for now.” Ethan looked defiantly into Garrett’s eyes, but there was no real heat between them. In fact I thought I caught the corner of Garrett’s mouth twitching as he forced away a smile.
I was trembling from nerves and the hot buzz of the ley lines assaulting my chest. I’d had to leave the necklace in the car because I’d be shifting. Garrett took my hand to quiet the sensation. “It won’t affect you as strongly in cheetah form.” He turned back to Ethan. “Trust your gifts, both of you are strong and capable. You two are the stalkers in this round.”
He walked away to talk to the other team, giving Ethan and me a chance to discuss our strategy. “Ok let’s play to our strengths,” began Ethan. “Strategy, muscle and climbing are my department, speed, tracking and swimming are yours." We quickly went over all of our hand signals and then Garrett spoke up again.
“Stay on the campground property. You'll meet back here when you finish or I tell you to return. Kyle and Sinc, you have one minute’s head start.” They shifted into their animals rapidly, Kyle a gorgeous spotted leopard and Sinc a lovely snow leopard with those same striking blue eyes, and took off through the doorway. After Ethan and I changed into cougar and cheetah, I breathed in a deep lungful of air to catch their scents; Kyle's a sharp lemony fragrance and Sinc’s a minty lavender. I tracked them heading west, using my human intelligence and all of my acute senses in combination.
Rebirth (Rogues Shifter Series) Page 8
