by Helen Scott
His throat thickened as he thought about the memories in his head that seemed jumbled. “I’m in a different cage, in pain, missing my family, which makes no sense.” He almost chuckled to himself. “The doctor there talks to me as if he knows me, but I hate him. It’s this visceral thing. I hate him so much, I want to tear his throat out with my teeth. Then I’m gone, everything is black, and when I wake up again, I’m standing over a puddle of blood. I don’t know if it’s mine or someone else’s, but the doctor is infuriatingly uninjured on the other side of the bars. What’s weird is when I see my arms, I know they aren’t really mine. They are covered in tattoos and huge, like twice the size of my arms. Then, something sharp hits my neck, I feel sleepy, and everything goes dark. When I wake up, I’m over more blood, but this time, it smells different.” He shook his head, trying to clear the memory, the confusion, from his mind.
The room was silent for a moment, and when he finally glanced back up, Valentina seemed worried. He wasn’t sure how he knew, since her face had the same blank but friendly expression, but there was something tense about her, nervous even. When he remembered it was his turn to ask the question, he wasn’t sure where to start anymore. “How do you change shape?” he asked after a while.
She seemed startled by his voice, as though she had been completely lost in her own thoughts. “Um, it’s hard to describe. Some people think about different things to shift, but for me, it’s like I can feel my jaguar within me, and I call her to the front.” She paused for a moment, allowing what she had said to fill the room, giving him a moment to think about it before she asked, “Do you remember how you got out?”
“No. Does shifting hurt?” he asked, eager to know more.
“No. Do you remember being outside or me finding you?”
“No. Is there someone who leads your pack?” he asked, using the same terminology she had used earlier.
“I do. I’m the alpha of Midnight, my pack. Is there anything else you remember? Even just a feeling could help.”
“I wish there was. Why do you want to investigate? Shouldn’t I tell the police or something?”
“Shifters handle their own business. We have our own society with our own rules. Of course, most of us try to abide by human laws as well, but it’s mainly so we don’t draw unnecessary attention.”
“Is your jaguar a separate being from you? I mean, do you remember what happens when you are in cat form?”
“Most of the time, yes, but we can give complete control over to our animal selves. There are some who don’t remember anything from the shift, but most remember at least something.”
Elijah thought for a second about everything she had told him about shifting and tried to look within himself to see what kind of animal was there, if there even was one. He wasn’t so sure there was, but what he did find was a fury he’d never felt before, one that made him grind his teeth, but when he tried to bite down, to hold the emotion in check, he found he couldn’t. It was as if there was something in his mouth, or as if his teeth had grown to twice their normal size. He looked up at Valentina and saw a carefully calm expression.
“It’s okay, Elijah, just breathe. Nothing is happening that you can’t control. If you want to become your animal, just relax and let the process take over, but if you don’t, focus on your human self. Think about yourself as a man standing tall on two legs.”
Pain ripped through him for a split second, and then he relaxed, letting the animal out to play. His vision changed back to the unfocused, muted colors from before. He was lower than he had been a moment ago, as though the world had shifted, and Valentina was looking down at him. When he looked up at her and saw her cat eyes staring back at him, something deep within him whispered mine.
Chapter 5
Valentina watched the panther as it stretched and stepped forward. He was magnificent. A large black cat with sleek fur and pale green eyes ringed with gold. When he turned, she could see that though his coat was dark, it wasn’t jet black. The rosettes of a leopard showed through in direct light. He sniffed at the air, and she felt a tingle run down her spine as he scented her.
How communicative was his cat being? Could he tell that she had been scared a moment ago by the description of his memories? Or was the cat keeping that to itself for the moment? Either way, she would prefer him to be back in his human form. The destruction an animal could cause in their medical room wasn’t something she wanted to deal with. Plus, she knew it would piss off Liam, and he was touchy enough as it was without an angry panther ransacking his domain.
“Elijah? Can you become human again so we can keep talking?”
The green-gold eyes looked up at her with a haughty expression, one that she had learned long ago was something only alphas did.
“I can force you to shift if you won’t do it yourself, but I would prefer not to.” She spoke slowly and firmly so that the cat understood as much as the man.
It didn’t have the desired effect. Instead of shifting back, the panther let loose an almighty roar, which brought her own jaguar to the front, pressing against her skin. She could practically feel the fur growing on her arms, but when she looked down, they were just as human as ever.
Calling her jaguar’s voice forth, she put all her alpha energy into her words as she growled, “Shift back.”
In a flash, Elijah was standing before her again and, thankfully, had retained his clothing. “What the hell was that?” he growled at her.
“You shifted into a panther, well, technically a black jaguar, but that’s just me nitpicking.”
“So, I’m the same as you?”
“Similar, but not the same,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. The idea of them being the same animal excited her for some reason, and it wasn’t a feeling she particularly wanted to acknowledge.
He smirked at her as though he could sense her mood.
“Listen,” she began, and paused, running a hand through her hair. She so did not want to have this conversation. It was going to be information overload. Plus, it felt weird telling a stranger one of their deepest secrets that was kept hidden from almost all other supernatural beings. She veered away from her original thought at the last second. “Why don’t I give you a tour of the house? I think you should stay here for a couple days until you get your head on straight, and that way we can also work on finding out who did this to you.”
“I’d like the tour, but staying a couple days isn’t going to happen. I don’t know how long I’ve been away from work as it is.”
“We can cover that. Liam will write you a doctor’s note, or I can call with a family emergency, but you really shouldn’t be out in public until you know you can control your shift. What if you go panther in the middle of a meeting?” She stood and placed her hands on her hips.
He thought for a little while, gazing into the empty bowl as though he could will more lasagna to appear.
“We can get you a refill, if you want,” she said, nodding at the bowl.
Before he could reply, Liam came in, his eyes widening as his animal evidently relayed the scents in the room to his human side. “How’s everyone doing in here?”
“We’re good. I’m about to take Elijah on a tour of the property. He’s thinking about staying a couple days, just until we get this figured out. Aren’t you?” She stared Elijah down, willing him to comply with her request.
“Yeah, just until I get my head straight,” he said almost begrudgingly.
Liam’s surprise was evident in his raised brows and slightly open mouth. He tugged Valentina’s arm so he could whisper in her ear. “Are you sure this is a good idea? He’s a complete stranger.”
“It’ll be fine.”
“I hope so, because Asher just told me some Reapers came into the bar.”
Valentina’s heart thudded in her chest. “Well, that sure as hell didn’t take long.”
“Apparently, there were reports of a wild animal on the loose, so they’ve come to investigate.”
> “Shit.”
“Yeah.”
She calmed her racing heart and took a deep breath before turning to Elijah. “There’s something you need to know. I was hoping to talk to you about this later, but now is the time, evidently.” She tugged on her sweater, pulling the material down so it covered her hips. “There are people in the world who hunt shifters. We call most of them Reapers. If they find a shifter, they kill them. Doesn’t matter if it’s a man, woman, or child. To them, we are abominations. The ones who aren’t Reapers are Traders. Traders deal in shifter parts on the black market. The reason I’m telling you this now isn’t to scare you, but because we have had reports that a couple Reapers are in the area, which means that Traders aren’t too far behind, being the vultures they are. That means we need to hunker down, no shifting off the property unless absolutely necessary, as in life or death. So your decision to stay here is really for the best.”
Elijah was quiet for a moment while she and Liam just stared at him.
When he didn’t respond, she turned to Liam and said, “Why don’t we have a family dinner tomorrow tonight? Get introductions out of the way.”
Liam nodded. “I’ll let everyone know.”
“So how about that tour?” she asked as she awkwardly patted Elijah on the shoulder, trying to ignore the jolt of awareness and recognition that went through her at the touch.
He gasped and looked up at her, the green-gold eyes of his panther boring into her. “Some more food would be appreciated.”
Valentina laughed, feeling her own eyes respond to his, and said, “We’ll make the kitchen the first stop.”
“Do you have a bedroom for me?”
Something about the way he said it, and especially with the panther being front and center, made her body ache for him. The implication of his tone and the question raised heated her blood and had her own cat purring and rubbing against her skin. She would allow herself to feel the attraction to this alpha, but she’d need to get him out of Woodhaven before she did something they would both regret. “We have a number of spare bedrooms you can choose from.” Her voice sounded breathy to her own ears, and she wanted to curse, especially when she heard Liam chuckle behind her. “Let’s get you some food,” she said as she turned toward the door, shooting the doctor a deadly glare. His chuckle died on his lips.
Chapter 6
Elijah woke up to light bursting through the curtains of the bedroom he’d slept in the night before. It took a split second to remember where he was. Woodhaven and Valentina filled his mind. Her sly smile and knowing eyes captivated him. She was beautiful and clearly loved her estate. Then he remembered how big the place was. Woodhaven was more than a mansion, it was an estate, and a beautiful one at that. Valentina had given him the code to the doors so he could get in and out if he chose to, but warned him that if he left the property, the Reapers were bound to catch his trail.
In what turned out to be almost two weeks, when he finally found out what the date and time was, his entire world had turned upside down.
He could transform into an animal.
If he hadn’t actually done it, then he still wouldn’t believe it. It wouldn’t have mattered that Valentina had changed into her jaguar right in front of him.
Not only could he now change into a panther, but apparently, these Reapers were hunting him, and to top it off, he still couldn’t get Valentina’s reaction to his memories out of his head. By the time she had fed him again and taken him on a tour of the estate, he could barely keep his eyes open. It was all just a little too much.
He rose and dressed in the same clothes she’d given him yesterday. It wasn’t like he had any other options. After visiting the bathroom, he made his way back to the kitchen, though he made a few wrong turns along the way.
Women’s voices drifted through the open space, and he walked through to the lounge area, which looked more like a sunroom to him. The entire outer wall was windows, and there were plants all over the place. He found Valentina sitting with another woman on the couch by the door. They were a study in opposites—Valentina’s dark, almost ebony hair and dark amber eyes contrasted severely with the other woman’s blonde hair and pale blue eyes. That being said, both sets of eyes were currently fixed on him, and the blonde was wearing a defiant expression, as though she expected him to challenge her somehow.
“Morning,” he said, making polite eye contact with them.
“Elijah, this is Liana. Liana, Elijah.”
“It is lovely to meet you,” Liana purred, her pale eyes giving him an appreciative onceover. The defiance he’d felt a moment before was suddenly gone.
“Let’s get you some breakfast,” Valentina said as she stood and moved toward him.
In a whirlwind of activity, both women were up and about, getting a variety of foods out of the fridge and setting up what looked like a buffet more than anything else. Once the food was out, along with a large stack of plates, he was told to help himself as the women loaded up their own plates.
“So, I was thinking . . .” Valentina began as they ate, and something had his stomach tightening. “Today, we should go to the bar you were having drinks at, see if we can get any information out of the employees. Maybe even a security tape. That way, we can see exactly what happened.”
“If you can’t, let me know,” another woman said, walking into the kitchen from the hallway. “I can always have Anthony hack in, see what he can see.” The woman spoke over her shoulder to them as she worked her way down the line of food before meeting them at the table. “You must be Elijah. I’m Kinsley.” She stuck her hand out, and he shook it, surprised by her vice-like grip.
“Isn’t he a hottie?” Liana said in a mock whisper to Kinsley, earning an unhappy glare from Valentina.
“Indeed,” Kinsley agreed.
Breakfast continued along the same lines, the women chatting and acting as though he couldn’t really hear them. Liana shot him a few flirtatious glances, and though she was definitely his type, he had no reaction whatsoever, but when he caught Valentina watching him from the corner of his eye, the panther inside him growled in pleasure. There was something about her he craved. The dark sensuality that seemed to call to him, even though she had been nothing but friendly and professional, for the most part.
“So, what do you do?” Kinsley asked.
“I’m a project manager for a company that does digital strategy implementation. Basically, I help companies build their online presence, whether it’s a website, apps, or integration. We help with everything from building brand loyalty to increasing efficiency to just working on the back end of a website so that it functions in a way the client wants.”
“That’s awesome. Do you work with big companies, or are you more boutique?” Kinsley asked.
“We go for the big dogs. I can’t name names since they all have us sign an NDA, but you’d recognize them.” Elijah was proud of his job and his team, who were probably wondering where the hell he was right now. He pushed that thought aside, determined to focus on controlling himself and this new animal half of him so he could get back to his life. “What do you guys do?” he asked, shoving a large bite of bagel into his mouth.
“We work at an animal shelter, among other things,” Liana said helpfully. “Valentina’s the shelter director.”
He looked over at the woman he was trying not to find so captivating, and saw her professionalism in a new light.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, Wardens of the Heart?” She smiled, and there was almost a shy quality to it.
His sweatpants suddenly didn’t fit as well, and he was grateful for the large table they were all sitting around. “Yeah, you have a building up in Evansville, right?”
Valentina nodded, still with that small smile. She clearly loved what she did.
“So, you all work together?” he asked.
“Yeah, we all do shifts there since we’re part of the pack, but most of us have other jobs too. Except for our alpha over here.” Kins
ley grinned. “She’s all shelter all the time.”
His opinion of the jaguar shifter changed again. To do a job like that, she had to have a big heart, but she also had to protect it, and to not have another job or outlet? He couldn’t imagine what that was like.
“Elijah, I’d like to head into the city fairly soon, if you’re up for that. We can stop by your place and get you some clothes and other basics you need for your stay. You can leave a message for your work or girlfriend or whatever, and let them know you’re out of commission for a few days.”
“Sounds good.” He didn’t respond to the comment about having a girlfriend, preferring to let Valentina wonder and squirm. The thought raced straight to his cock, and his brain swam with images of her squirming under him as he sheathed himself inside her.
The alpha got up and left without another word, leaving him with the other women, who were both staring at him as though he were a steak and they were starving.
“So, you’re hot for our alpha, huh?” Liana said, stabbing her eggs with her fork.
“What?”
“Shifters have talents, some stronger than others depending on the person. We’re strong, fast, have better hearing and vision than humans, and most shifters can scent emotion if they concentrate. You’re just drowning in lust over there, aren’t you?”
“No,” he said, sounding defensive to his own ears.
“Right. Also, we are pretty good at telling when you’re lying, with the enhanced hearing and all.”
“I’m not . . .” He sighed. “Fine, I find your alpha attractive, but it doesn’t mean anything.”
“You better keep that shit under control, buster, or she will stomp on you. Valentina doesn’t tolerate fools, or horny shifters just looking to get laid. She puts Midnight first and foremost in almost everything she does. She won’t lose her head over a boy, so if you pursue her, you better mean it,” Kinsley added.
