by JF Holland
Maya nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard someone enter the bedroom and come towards the wardrobe. She didn't know how long she'd been sat there, but obviously it had been a while as it was even darker in here now. Her legs were cramped and her neck was stiff from where it had been bent forward as she'd had her forehead pressed to her knees.
"God damn it Maya, where the hell are you?" she blinked as the panel was suddenly moved and she came face to face with Jaden's… dick. She blinked again, rubbing at her eyes and looked again, nope it was still there, directly in her line of sight, she hissed.
"Oh for fuck sake, cover up your junk. I've had a shit evening all things considered and I really don't need to be looking at your dick right now." She heard him sigh and the tired sound drew her eyes away from his rapidly growing appendage. Shaking her head to dislodge the image as she slowly trailed her eyes up his body, frowning as she saw he was wearing a t-shirt but no pants as he leaned on the rail. He'd pushed her clothes to one side as he looked down at her. She watched his brow pucker, before he began to crouch in front of her, concern now marring his handsome features. He had beautiful amber eyes, thick dark brows and a slightly crooked nose over a sensual mouth, which was presently pinched. She rolled her eyes because as he spread his knees to crouch down there it was again, right in her face. Honestly, it was waving around like a spare arm, begging for attention. Like the geeky kid at the back of the class that always knew the answer. Sheesh, she so didn't need this right now, she really didn't.
"Hey, you okay?" that soft query really got her attention, she looked away from his spare part - that currently had her attention, to his face, and found he was still frowning. Then he leaned forward and put one hand under her knees and the other under her shoulders and pulled her out of the confined space and into his arms. He then lifted her as if she weighed nothing as he scooted backwards, sitting on the end of her bed and placing her on his lap. So not comfortable, not with the extra head poking her in the arse, but she was too tired to worry at the moment. Sighing she tried to ignore the needy little - okay well not so little, bastard as she dropped her head on his chest. Snuggling in, she took comfort from his steady heartbeat thumping away under her ear. Her eyes closed, as exhaustion tried to drag her under, but then the image of her mother's lifeless, bloodstained and torn body lit up behind her eyelids, and they popped open again. Her breath hitched and her heart rate increased in her agitation.
"Shit, I'm sorry." Jaden said, rubbing his chin on top of her head as he used a hand to rub her back.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realise I was broadcasting." Maya told him quietly and sniffled once, then turned her head and ran her runny nose down his t-shirt.
"Did you just wipe your nose on me?" he asked, amusement thick in his voice.
"I certainly did cat boy. You have to have some uses," she sniffed disdainfully, and he threw his head back and laughed, she really did amuse him no end. Even after he'd seen the terrible scene in her head that she'd been witness to, he couldn't help himself. She didn't seem to have a filter, whatever she was thinking just came straight out. He liked that, there was no pretence or artifice with her, what you saw was what you got and god that was so refreshing.
"I suppose you have your moments too," she whispered on a yawn as he ran his hand up her back again and kissed the top of her head before standing. "Whoa, just put me down, I'll just sleep now, I'm so tired."
"You can't sleep here tonight, I can't make the window secure enough for you to stay here. The quick fix should be enough to deter any would be burglars, but not the shifters. They may try again later on, well if Binks and Sam don't find them." He heard her sigh
"Bollocks, okay I'll go sign in to the hotel in town."
"No need, I'm renting next door, you can stay there with me." She snorted.
"Not happening, I don't know you from Adam and you've already admitted to wanting in my pants."
"Yeah, but at the moment your pants themselves are more appealing than what's in them, my arse is cold," he grumbled. Maya burst out laughing, making herself hiccup.
"Where are your pants, anyway?"
"Disappeared in the shift. If you'd have just stopped arguing with me and put out I wouldn't have had them on when I shifted, then I wouldn't be stood here with my junk swaying in the wind."
"Sheesh, sorry I wouldn't roll over and give it up for the cause. Put me down Tiddles, I'll have a look what I have, I'm sure I have some spare sweats here somewhere." He looked down at her suspiciously as he slowly lowered her feet to the carpeted floor, then his mouth twisted as she turned away.
"Pink? That really isn't my colour, so don't bother. Either grey or black or I'll walk next door bollocko, I am not wearing pink." She snorted as she rummaged in a drawer then handed him a pair of black sweat pants, and turned away with a blush as he stepped into them and rearranged himself in front before pulling his t-shirt over. When she turned back, she had to bite back a laugh as they fit him like Lycra. They stopped half way up his calves but it was better than keep getting and eyeful every time his t-shirt rose slightly.
"Come on," he said holding out his hand, giving his fingers a wiggle as he waited for her to comply.
"I'm capable of taking myself to a hotel."
"You are coming next door with me."
"No, I'm not."
"I'm not arguing with you," he said then just scooped her up off the floor and threw her over his shoulder as he headed out of her bedroom. He stopped near the door as he spotted something sticking out from under her bed. Going back in he bent to retrieve the floppy bedraggled rabbit teddy and tucked it in his pocket. Maya bounced on his shoulder as he jogged down the stairs, her stomach complaining about the abuse. He pulled her keys off the hook beside the door and then locked up behind them, before walking next door with her. Wrapping a hand over the back of her thighs as he opened his door, he kicked it closed behind them, sliding the bolt home before heading into the front room.
"But you said Bink's and Sam went looking for the shifters, how will they know how to find me?"
"They'll just follow your scent." Maya wrinkled her nose at that, then frowned as she realised they too must be shifters. Why hadn't she picked up on that?
"We're not all psycho's or rogues you know. Some of us go through life minding our own business and only fighting in defence. We don't all get a kick out of hurting people, you are judging us all - including yourself, on the actions of a few. That isn't fare Maya." She opened and then closed her mouth as she sat there on the black leather chair he'd dropped her on. He moved to the front window and shoved the curtain to one side so he could see up and down the street outside.
Maya had never thought about it before, she obviously knew there were shifters I mean her psycho, murdering father was one. She'd just never associated it with others, including herself and did that mean her mother was also a shifter?
"Not necessarily. From what I remember, my father said the female doesn't have to be a shifter to be our mate. Although if the binding ceremony is carried out followed by the bonding, she should then be able to shift." She looked at him and he sighed running a hand around his neck then walked towards her, dropping into the seat opposite.
"I'll be honest here, Maya, I don't know an awful lot about our kind. I've been on my own since I was 15-years old when my family were murdered." She gasped her eyes jumping to his face.
"Yeah the dream, those were my memories you've been seeing not yours. Not a nightmare, well, yes it was a nightmare for me at the time, but in the literal sense."
"Your brother was just a baby, oh god Jaden, I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault, and it was a long time ago." He shrugged and she frowned looking at him, her eyes roaming over his face and fit body.
"You can't be more than about 30-years old at the most?" and he snorted.
"We're immortal Maya, once we hit our peak we stay that way. I'm now over 200-years old, so that memory was nearly 190-years ago." He explained quietly, watchin
g her eyes grow round, and her head begin to shake from side to side in disbelief. "Trust me, I've seen a lot of changes and not all for the good. While technology may be convenient, it now also poses a threat to our kind, too many cameras and phones around that can capture evidence. Most think it's a conspiracy theory or a hoax if they see a picture, but others are more open to the possibility. They can be the dangerous ones, they ask questions and put us at risk by trying to hunt and trap us. They always want answers of how we came to be?" his mouth pursed at the thought.
"Have you been hunted then?" Maya asked, trying to get her head around everything he was telling her, her mind changing track as more questions began to surface. "If we are immortal, then how come my mum and my aunt Sophia were older? Aunt Sophia died a couple of years ago an old lady?"
"I don't have all the answers, maybe we should question Binks and Sam." Maya opened her mouth to ask another question when there was a knock on Jaden's door. He held up a hand and moved to the curtains, flicking them to one side out of his way as he checked before he went to answer the door.
Chapter Seven
Jaden, moved to one side to allow Sam, and Bink's, to enter. He then shut and locked the door again before following them back into the living room. Frowning he growled low in his throat as he found them both sat on the arms of Maya's chair, one on either side of her, taking turns in giving her a hug.
"Hey, mine guys, Jesus move," he growled pushing them off the chair. He then scooped her up again and sat down with her on his knee, wrapping his arms around her waist to stop her getting back up.
"Sheesh Tiddles, possessive much," Maya yawned and then grabbed hold of Binks hand as he laughed and went to move to the other side of the room with Sam.
"You have a mark on your hand like mine," she frowned looking back at Jaden over her shoulder.
"You and Sam?" Jaden sputtered as Binks and Sam just stood there open mouthed blinking at her.
"Ouch," Jaden said with a grin. "So are you going to get your nails done with her, maybe shop for some nice frillies?" They both gave him the birdie and Binks frowned as he looked back at Maya.
"No, I haven't found my mate yet, but she's out there somewhere. I'll begin my search shortly as time is ticking. As for Sam, well, he's family to me as well as a business partner. He saved my life and then took me in and raised me after my parents were murdered and my older brother disappeared." He told her this without emotion, his face closing down as if the thoughts were too painful. Maya felt Jaden stiffen beneath her and tried to read what was going on in his head but his mind was a jumbled mess. Several scenarios and scenes were all playing at the same time, each one of them more blur to her than actual pictures. It was as if the memories had faded with time, becoming more sepia than colour. She did land on the one picture that was at the forefront of his mind though as if on a freeze frame. It was of two dark haired adults, the man tall and broad, much like Jaden, the woman smaller, her hair not quite as dark and she had grey eyes. They were stood behind a little boy with midnight black hair, a dimple in his chin and amber eyes. Her breath whooshed out of her as she turned back and looked at Binks with a frown, not quite sure how to broach the subject but Jaden didn't seem to have that problem.
"When were your parent's murdered, and how old were you and your brother?" Binks looked at him suspiciously and now Sam seemed to have gone on alert, his eyes on Jaden without blinking. The cat like stare very evident now as he observed him like a specimen, or threat.
"I was nearly 5-years old, which means my brother would have been around 15 I suppose. I can't remember his name, or that of my parents. I took some damage in the attack and certain facts have never returned." He shrugged and turned his head, moving the neckline of his t-shirt to one side so they could see a scar running around the side of his neck. It had just missed his jugular and stopped right before his spine at the back as if someone had tried to remove his head. Jaden sat up a little straighter, his arms tightening around her as his heart rate picked up. Maya leaned back into him picking up on his hope, mingled with fear and sorrow. She dropped her hands over his arms and began to stroke along them trying to offer comfort, he looked so hopeful. His mind was a mass of seething emotions as he tried to tie in facts. He cleared his throat and then spoke, his voice not quite as sure as she was used to.
"I lost my parents too, and a younger brother. I'm not sure how they died though. I tried to take my brother with me when I knew the hunters had arrived but my father pushed me out of the door and told me to run, Balin wouldn't release his hold on dad. I was forced to leave him behind and I had to listen to the screams on the other side of the door. There wasn't a damn thing I could do about it. I tried to get back in but father had barred the door to stop me, I tried several times and then I heard mother scream." He swallowed and closed his eyes and found Sam looking from him to Binks and back again.
"When was this Jaden, and where?" Sam asked and Maya heard Jaden swallow before he answered, she stroked her hand over his arm again.
"It was around 190-years ago and the house would have been very near this one now." He explained quietly and Maya swung back to see Binks now looking at Jaden, really looking. Now they were in the same room she began to wonder why it had never crossed her mind before, they even sounded the same. That must have been why Jaden's voice had sounded so familiar to her then she looked to Binks again and wondered why she's never been attracted to him?
"Balin... Binks?" Sam, snapped out when he didn't respond. "I think you've just found your brother," Maya felt all the breath leave Jaden's lungs as he looked towards his baby brother.
"Jesus Christ, how the hell did you survive? Why didn't you come looking for me? I came back the night after, I went through the wreckage, spent weeks searching for you before I eventually came to the conclusion that you'd died with them and I moved on. I mean there was no sign of you, nothing. There was absolutely nothing left of the house either, it had been burned to the ground. I couldn't even find bodies and I went through it with a fine-toothed comb. I held out hope for weeks, I so badly wanted to find you, to find that father had somehow managed to save you all." He blinked a few times and turned his head away and Maya's heart ached for him.
Jaden couldn't believe it, how could he have survived and not their parent's? Why hadn't he looked for him why hadn't he let the shifter grapevine know that he was alive and waiting for him? His frustration and anger rose in direct proportion to his loss and anguish. He'd mourned his loss for years, had blamed himself that he hadn't been strong enough to save his family. He'd spent years plotting how to find the one's responsible for their murder.
"Jaden, you need to snap out of it. Come on he's alive, he's here and remember he was just a little boy. He's also admitted to not remembering your name, or his if his names anything to go by. How could he find you without a name?" she asked logically, but he wasn't feeling very logical at the moment. He was hurt and angry and he wanted to lash out at someone to ease his pain.
"He could have got word out, he should have tried. I would have saved me years of anguish. Have you any idea how many hours I spent on my hands and knees, sifting through the ashes trying to find a sign? Have you any idea what it's like to wonder with each piece of ash or charred object you pick up and hold in your hand or sticks to your skin, clothes and hair, if it's a part of them. If this piece is all that is left of them? And then to worry and feel guilty when you wash it away because it could have been, and it may have been all that was left." Jaden pushed up off the chair and gently placed Maya on the seat on her own before walking out of the front room.
He was so agitated he'd spoken out loud and not telepathically and Maya watched him leave the room. His wide shoulders were rigid, body practically vibrating with sorrow, anger and loss. She looked towards Sam and Binks, Binks looked confused as he watched Jaden walk out, but Sam looked guilty as hell.
Chapter Eight
Jaden heard the front door close as he leaned against the sink unit, looking through t
he window out onto the back garden and trees visible over the fence. Freedom called to him but he couldn't go for a run to clear his head, Maya couldn't be left alone as she needed protecting, he sighed.
Pushing away from the sink he turned around and went to check that all the doors and windows were secured. Once he was satisfied that it was as safe as he could make it, he put on the alarm for the doors and windows and went in search of his mate.
He found Maya fast asleep in the chair, she looked like a kitten, all curled into herself the way she was. As he watched her sleeping from the doorway, her chest rising and falling his attention was captured by the expanse of creamy skin visible around her midriff. With her t-shirt now up around her ribs the calligraphy ink on her side was visible, the writing beautiful and it also gave him other ideas of how to burn off his excess energy. He could do something that was nearly as enjoyable as running in his cat form, but he wouldn't have to leave the house to do it. Maybe he'd even lose his clothes this time, possibly even make it to a bed. Now that was a novel idea, he didn't often take women to his bed. Come to think of it he couldn't remember a single instance where he had taken a woman in a bed, it was normally outside. Maybe he was a naturist at heart, not surprising as he was also a jaguar. Wide open spaces were home to him, nature, and the land were all he really needed. Although maybe the comfort a bed offered was better with his mate. After all, if he was going to stick around for a while she may expect to share his bed? He frowned at the thought as he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He enjoyed sleeping alone, being able to spread out as he liked across the mattress. His own personal space where he could rest without other people intruding on him, he wasn't a very social person. The time he'd spent with Maya, Sam and Binks was the most he'd been around people for a while, well, by choice anyway. When travelling through countries and borders he had to mix with others, but it certainly wasn't by choice. He'd been on his own too long to suddenly crave company. He dropped thoughts of company, well apart from his mate. He didn't want to think about Balin… Binks, at the moment. He still didn't know how he felt about his brother's sudden reappearance around his mate, especially after all this time. Could there be another reason he was here, or was it all just a huge coincidence? He just didn't know and the not knowing was driving him insane. He was used to dealing with all the facts, situations where he had all the angles figured out and the details to hand. Although that hadn't been the case for the last couple of years or so, well, not since he'd decided he'd better start searching for his mate anyway.
