The Jaguar Bodyguard

by Bianca D'Arc

  It occurred to her that Nick was also some kind of creature at the moment, but to her mind, he was still Nick. Still her friend. Still the guy she’d jumped on the sofa a few hours ago. And if he hadn’t had the presence of mind and willpower to stop her, she would have had him in bed with her a few minutes ago instead of ready for action.

  He’d been right to stop. Harsh as it was to admit. He’d been right.

  She ran into the living room and wondered what she could do to help Nick. She spotted his cell phone lying on the table near the balcony doors and ran for it. The noise was pretty intense, so she opened the glass slider and went onto the balcony where it was quieter, tapping the phone to try and find Linelli’s number.

  She couldn’t call the cops. She’d figured that out right away. Normal law enforcement wouldn’t know what to do with this situation and would probably only make things worse. But Linelli and Halibut Security had to know something, right? Maybe? It was worth a shot.

  She had found the right number and was about to hit send when a gust of wind, in the otherwise still night, made her look up. A giant—incredibly giant—bird looked like it was about to land on the balcony.

  If she was a weaker woman, Sal would have fainted right then and there. But the bird transformed even as it landed, scrawny bird legs turning into muscular human legs and feathered wings turning into arms. The beak disappeared between one breath and the next, and Collin Hastings’ face appeared.

  “You’re one of them, too?” she whispered, even as he reached behind the big planter and grabbed a kit bag.

  “Stay here,” he practically barked at her on his way into the condo—heading toward the ongoing confrontation.

  He was Nick’s friend. He would help Nick, she told herself. Relief went through her, even as the questions bounced through her mind.

  The feral werewolf was a tough son of a bitch, but once Sal had gotten clear, Nick was free to use all his moves, without fear of having her caught in the middle of the fight. Smart mate, making room for him to do his thing. He’d stroke her later for being such a good partner.

  In his battle form, the cat was much more prevalent in his thoughts. Petting his mate was uppermost in his mind, even as he defeated the feral wolf, knocking him to the carpet, unconscious.

  Hasting arrived a second or two late, but still in time to see the wolf sprawl at Nick’s feet.

  “Where’s Sal?” Nick asked, his sharper teeth getting in the way.

  The cat wanted to come out and complete the shift, but Nick couldn’t do that just now. He had to be human to take care of his mate, and the cat understood, receding quietly as Nick let go of the in-between battle form.

  “I told her to stay on the balcony. She saw me shift,” he added almost apologetically.

  Nick sighed. “Yeah, she saw this, too, so the cat’s already out of the bag. I’ll square it.”

  “Let me check in with my team. He shouldn’t have been able to get this far. Somebody better be bleeding or they soon will be.” Hastings’ brows lowered in anger as he started pulling equipment, and clothing, from his kit bag.

  Nick knew the hawk shifter would watch over their prisoner, so he turned to leave the room, intending to check on Sal. Only, she was already back in the open doorway, looking around at the wreckage. A lot of the furniture would have to be replaced.

  He turned again to meet her gaze and found curiosity more than anything else in her eyes. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as bad as he thought.

  “You’re like that valet kid. A skinwalker, right?” Sal found it hard to keep her thoughts to herself and her mind had just about been blown by what she’d seen. She needed answers. She needed to know.

  “A what?” Nick asked, scowling.

  “Like the legends of the Navajo. My mother’s people,” she went on.

  “Your mother is Navajo?” Nick seemed surprised.

  “Part, anyway. But she wants nothing to do with that side of her heritage. I’ve done some research, though. I’ve read about skinwalkers. Is that what you are?”

  Nick shook his head. “We call ourselves shifters, or some groups like to call themselves were. Like werewolves. Though we’re all shifters, when it comes right down to it.”

  “Shapeshifters? That’s the name you prefer?” She wanted to at least get the terminology straight if she was going to deal with these people.

  Nick nodded. “I’m part of the Jaguar Clan, which you probably saw.”

  “Jaguar.” It was starting to make sense. “Like that kid in the parking lot. I thought I was seeing things, but I wasn’t. He’s like you.”

  “One of the junior members of my Clan. He got in trouble for letting you see him,” Nick admitted

  The man on the floor twitched, drawing her attention.

  “I thought maybe somebody had spiked my margarita at the party.”

  “We thought you might have video,” Nick whispered, coming closer.

  Hastings was on the phone a few feet away, but he might as well have been on the moon. Sal’s full attention was on Nick and their weird conversation.

  “Video?” She was genuinely confused.

  “The kids said you were holding your phone when they finally spotted you,” he told her.

  “Oh. No, I wasn’t taking pictures. I was just checking the time.”

  “Well, that’s good.” Nick sounded relieved. “At least something is going right tonight. There’s a lot more we have to discuss, but we can’t talk about it just yet. I’ve got to get him taken care of first,” he told her, gesturing toward the man on the floor. He’d reverted to human form now that he was unconscious. If she hadn’t seen him a few minutes ago, she would never have known about his animal side. “Just remember,” Nick went on. “This conversation isn’t over. Merely postponed.”

  She wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that, but he was right. There was still a lot to resolve here. The bad guy was unconscious, but he would come around eventually. Things had to be decided before that happened.

  Sal shouldn’t have worried about what to do with the werewolf stalker, she realized a few minutes later. Collin Hastings and his people easily took charge of the unconscious man. She trusted that they would know best what to do with a guy who could turn into a freaking werewolf. She still couldn’t quite get a handle on what she’d seen.

  Watching the teenager turn into a big cat to avoid getting hit by a car had been one thing. That poor boy had looked more frightened of her than anything else when he realized she’d seen everything. He’d scurried away as if his tail was on fire.

  What had just happened had been way scarier. Way more dangerous, too. The lunatic had been gunning for her, and if not for Nick’s intervention… Well, she hated to think what would have happened to her without Nick and his extra special magical skill set.

  “A couple of my people are down, but I have enough on call to mop up without getting the humans involved,” Hastings said to Nick after he shut off his cell phone.

  “Aren’t you going to tie him up or something?” Sal asked, watching the man on the floor. He was starting to show signs of life, and she feared he’d wake up and start fighting again.

  “Conventional restraints don’t really work that well on our kind,” Hastings said in a no-nonsense tone of voice. “But don’t worry. We’ve got this. He won’t bother you again.”

  “What are you going to do with him?” she asked, unable to halt her curiosity.

  “That depends,” Nick said, entering the conversation.

  “On what?” she whispered, looking at Nick. His arms were bare, his clothing in tatters around him, but he still had a rough dignity that nothing could shatter.

  “It depends on what he has to say for himself,” Nick replied, looking not at her, but at the man on the ground. Sal gazed at him and found herself captured by those swirly yellow eyes. He was awake! “No shifting, pal, or I’ll just knock you out again.” A growl sounded from the man’s throat, and it didn’t sound friendly. “Now, do you wan
t to tell us why you’re so eager to get to Miss Lane here? So eager that you’d expose the shifter secret to a human?”

  “She’s not,” the man whispered. His voice sounded as if his throat was raw. “She’s a witch. Like the bitch who put this spell on me!” The last part came out as a roar, and Hastings grabbed the guy from behind before he could launch himself at Nick again.

  Sal started to shake. She was not like her mother. She didn’t have that same deadly, dangerous magic.

  “Let me understand this,” Nick went on reasonably, as if the man hadn’t been threatening renewed violence. “Someone put a spell on you, and you think Miss Lane can undo it?” When the man didn’t respond, Nick kept talking. “What kind of spell, friend? What did they do to you?” His voice was gentle now, and the man seemed to respond to the kind tone.

  “Can’t shift all the way. Get stuck in battle form. Hurts,” he panted, and even Sal could see the man was in near constant pain. “Makes my wolf crazy.”

  “I don’t doubt it,” Nick said understandingly. “What’s your name, friend? What Pack do you come from?”

  “Tony Gatling from the Sacramento Pack,” he replied, sounding a little bit steadier. “I need a witch. Someone who can reverse the spell.”

  “I hear you, Tony,” Nick replied. “But I don’t quite agree with the way you’ve gone about this. We can get you to the Lords and the High Priestess can set you right. If she can’t, nobody can.”

  “The High Priestess? Would she bother herself with the likes of me? I’m not an Alpha,” Tony said in a sad voice.

  “How long has this been going on, Tony?” Hastings asked, easing the hold on Tony’s arms.

  “About three months now. I could handle it at first, but as time goes on, my wolf is…” he trailed off.

  “Full moon is tomorrow,” Hastings mused, sharing a significant look with Nick. Both men had grim expressions.

  “If you weren’t Alpha before, Tony, your wolf and you have been through hell these past three months. I’d say, for you to have survived that ordeal and still be sane enough at the moment to talk about it with us, you’ve had a change in dominance.” Nick’s tone was strong, imparting some of his natural willpower to the disheveled man.

  “I left my home Pack when I thought I was getting too dangerous. Thought I’d die somewhere in the desert, but the wolf saw her and made me follow,” Tony explained. “I’m sorry if I scared you,” he said directly to Sal. “But I need your magic.”

  “I don’t have magic,” she told him, feeling sorry about that for the first time in her life. “If I did, I would help you, if I could. I’m so sorry.”

  The man just looked confused, though the glow in his eyes calmed quite a bit.

  “Don’t fret, Tony. We’re going to get you help. I promise,” Nick told him.

  “Why would you help me?” Tony sounded miserable now, and it struck Sal’s heart, even though the guy had scared her half to death with his antics.

  “Because, even though our animals are different, we’re all brothers under the skin,” Nick said. “Helping you is the right thing to do.”

  “Who are you?” Tony asked, sounding hopeful for the first time.

  “Nick Balam, beta of the Jaguar Clan. And this is Collin Hastings.”

  “The werehawk investigator,” Tony said, turning to look at Hastings. “I’ve heard of you.” His eyes went swirly again, and the moment of sanity faded, but he was calmer now.

  “Come on, Tony,” Hastings said to the man, walking him toward the door to the bedroom. “I promise you, we’ll get you to the High Priestess before the moon rises. Your wolf will run again. Tonight.”

  Sal could hear Tony weeping as he and Hastings walked down the hall.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Nick did a quick visual survey of the room and shook his head. “Well, you can’t stay here. This place is trashed. Sorry.” He turned to meet her gaze, almost afraid of what he might see there. Would she be afraid of him now?

  “Is it really over?” she whispered, seeming to crumble a bit now that the danger was over.

  Nick put a supportive arm around her shoulders. “You’re still Sullivan Lane, Hollywood’s latest it girl. You still need protection. And Hastings will be debriefing Tony. He’ll let us know for certain if Tony was behind all the…uh…threatening things found on your property lately.” He meant the dead squirrels but didn’t want to say it out loud, considering she might be in a fragile state now that the immediate danger had passed.

  “It has to be him, doesn’t it?” she asked in a shaky voice. “I mean, dead squirrels… Wolves… It makes sense, right? Dogs chase squirrels all the time.”

  “I’ll go out on a limb and say that I believe Tony was most likely responsible, but Hastings will get confirmation for us, just to tie it all up in a nice little bow.”

  She was trembling, but she also wasn’t leaning on him as much as he’d expected. His woman was strong.

  “So, what now? I still don’t want to go back to that rented mansion. It was way too big for me anyway.”

  “And you can’t stay in this room. I’ll have to arrange for repairs before the rental term is up.” He looked around again at the destruction. Damn. This was going to be expensive.

  “I think I’d like to camp out on the couch for now and try to calm down. I’m not sure I’ll be able to go back to sleep,” she said, turning her head toward the door.

  He took her cue and let go. She reached for a pillow off the bed and a blanket that had somehow made it through the fight unscathed. Rolling them into a big ball she could carry in her arms, she made her way out to the living room. Nick followed, wondering how she would integrate the things she had learned tonight with her established beliefs about the world. He suspected she’d have a bunch of questions for him about shapeshifters once she had time to settle down and think.

  Sal went into the living room and set herself up on the couch. Pillow, blanket and the remote control for the TV, in case she wanted it. All she needed now was a little peace of mind. And maybe a cup of tea. She turned to the kitchen area and found that Nick was already there, putting the kettle on the stove.

  “You’re a mind reader, too?” she asked, chiding him.

  “Knowing your fondness for tea, I thought it was only appropriate to make a pot,” he replied, sending her a smile that settled her nerves just the tiniest bit.

  No matter if he had turned into a furry, scary, even-bigger-than-he-was-right-now beast, he was still the man she had come to know over the past days. Still Nick. Nice guy and protector of silly starlets.

  Foregoing the couch, she went to the island and sat on one of the high chairs, facing toward the kitchen. She needed to talk to him. There were things that needed to be said. Things she wanted to find out.

  “Is it really safe to stay here? I mean, nobody else is going to come flying out of the ceiling, right?” She had to know that first and foremost.

  “I can assure you, that was a one-off. Now that we’re aware of the vulnerability, Hastings has extra operatives in those key spots, and our check-in schedule has been tripled. We’re also installing a bunch of sensors in the air ducts. Someone will be along in about twenty minutes with state-of-the-art hardware, and I’ll oversee installation. Nobody will have time to crawl through the ventilation system, even if they get past Hastings’ people. I’m just sorry I didn’t consider entry through the ventilation system a real possibility before. That guy had to be pretty desperate to crawl through such a tight space. Someone my size would never have made it through there.”

  Nick shook his head as he took a blue and white teapot down from a high shelf. He rinsed it out with hot water from the tap and went about preparing to make the tea while the water heated on the stove.

  “But,” he went on, “we can relocate anytime you want. In fact, I think we should probably discuss some options in regard to that very topic.”

  “Options?” she repeated. Her brain wasn’t quite up to speed just yet. The shock wa
s still making her jumpy and a little unfocused.

  “I’d like to propose a short trip out of town to give Hastings a chance to conclude his investigations. Right now, I’m using his people like security guards, but their real specialty is investigating—especially situations involving the hidden world we inhabit as shapeshifters. If we took you out of the picture for a little bit, then Hastings and his people could devote all their energy to checking every last threat against you, to be certain that poor mixed-up werewolf is the only supernatural problem.”

  “I suppose I see the wisdom in that, but where would I go, and who would provide the extra special security I might need if that guy wasn’t the only one? I don’t really feel safe on my own right now,” she admitted.

  “You wouldn’t be on your own,” Nick was quick to assure her. “You’d be with me and my entire Clan. I have just the spot for a little rest and relaxation. It’s a private island. All arrivals are under tight control, and the natural defenses and terrain guarantee privacy. Nobody goes there without express permission of the leader of my Clan, who also happens to be my best friend.”

  “Mark Pepard?” she asked, noting the surprise on his face with satisfaction. “I heard you mention him to Collin Hastings. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but that name caught my attention. I didn’t realize you were friends with one of the richest men in the world. Which made me wonder why you were working here, on my dinky little security team.” She gave him a suspicious look.

  He chuckled as the water boiled, and he set about making the tea. Not the reaction she’d expected, but she continued to watch him closely.

  “First of all, Halibut Security is not dinky. I’m very happy for my human friends who own the company and proud of their success. They really are the best of the best, and you did the right thing hiring them over their competitors. If this had been a normal situation, their people would have been perfect for the job.”