The other elder came into the kitchen, glanced at him, then went to the counter and refilled the coffee cup he carried. The first one set a steaming mug in front of Javier, then sat across from him. The second joined them, sitting next to his brother.
Javier made eye contact with both, letting them know he was not intimidated, but looked away as he lifted his mug to his lips. He didn’t want them to think he was there for a confrontation. The sigh slipped out of him unbidden. He hadn’t had good coffee in ages, and this was good coffee.
One of the elders cleared his throat, drawing Javier’s attention.
“How long have you been on your own?” the one in a polo shirt asked. The other wore more casual clothes, jeans and a flannel shirt open over a T-shirt.
“Two years, sir,” he answered honestly. He had no reason to lie to these men. They’d taken him in, or allowed their only daughter to—if he was to believe what he’d seen in the photos.
“I see you found your bag,” the other said, giving a slight nod toward his clothing.
“Yes. Thank you.” He chose not to address the issue of privacy. After all, he’d essentially invaded the privacy of their home. No harm, no foul.
“It was Kelan and Reidar who fetched your vehicle when the police chief let Heidi know it’d been located.”
“I’ll be sure to thank them, then.” The talk was polite, but the tension from the elders was palpable. “I also thank you for taking me in during my time of need. I am in your debt.”
The one in the polo shirt gave a slight nod of acceptance, but the other stared hard at him, unbending, and asked, “When do you believe you will be ready to be on your way?”
Javier took another sip of coffee. “I do not know, sir. This break is worse than any I’ve ever experienced, and it is not healing as fast. I’d hoped to be on the road by now, but, as you can see...” He motioned toward the crutches. “May I ask your names?”
“Burke,” the stern-faced one said.
“Fridrik.”
“Is Heidi around?”
Both men seemed to glare until Fridrik answered, “She needed to go to the clinic. She canceled all her appointments, twice, because of you.”
They didn’t pull any punches, did they? “I am in her debt. I would have died if not for her.”
“If not for the fact you were shot here,” Burke said, “any number of things could have befallen you. Scientific experimentation among the more disturbing. How did you come to be in your jaguar form in our woods?”
Javier shook his head. He still couldn’t remember anything of the moments before the shooting. “I’m not sure. I was driving across the state, had left Spokane that morning, heading to Seattle. The next thing I knew I woke up in Heidi’s kennel with my leg in a cast and a fierce headache pounding my brain. I assume I needed to run. Sometimes I pull off the highway to stretch my legs.”
“You travel a lot then,” Fridrik said.
“I do.”
“And what do you do for a living?” Burke inquired.
Revenge wasn’t very lucrative, so he gave the answer he’d been giving for the past two years when questioned by customs officers at whatever border he needed to cross to follow Durchenko. “I’m in finance.” Rather, he had a personal finance manager who made sure the insurance from his brother and wife, along with his military pension, never ran out. Made him a hefty sum, actually, even considering the current market. Not that money mattered beyond getting him from one point to another on the map.
The elders looked at each other. “Your car is nice, but not new,” Burke stated.
Javier swallowed hard, the coffee suddenly not sitting well in his stomach. He swallowed again, trying to dislodge the lump that had grown there, that always appeared when he thought of Isabela. “It was my...wife’s.”
“Your wife or your mate?” Fridrik asked.
Javier flinched and clenched his jaw.
“She is dead then?” This from Burke.
He gave a quick, jerky nod.
“Two years,” Fridrik guessed.
Again, Javier nodded.
“She was of shifter blood?” Burke asked.
“No. Until meeting Heidi, I had never known female shifters existed.” He sat up and pushed his empty coffee cup aside. “I was shocked when I realized what she was. In the twelve generations I’ve been able to trace our family line, there has never been a female born to anyone.”
“She is rare,” Burke said, “which is why your presence here is...suspect. I’m sure you understand.”
“I do,” he admitted gravely. “I mean her no harm. Like I said, I owe her my life.”
“You mate in pairs, then, as we do?” Fridrik asked, changing the subject back to Javier’s family heritage.
“It is the only way I know of to produce children for us.”
“Us, also. Though females are rare, they are born to our mates at times. But Heidi cannot shift as we do. She carries the gene and has some telepathic abilities we share as blood family, but that is all.”
“We didn’t know there were shifters outside of our race,” Burke added.
Javier pressed his lips together for a moment. “There are others, also.”
“Races other than yours and ours?”
“Yes. I know of at least one other.”
“What is it?” Burke’s face showed interest, almost excitement now rather than distrust.
“A snow leopard.”
The older man’s expression changed to one of almost sympathy. “You have had unpleasant dealings with it?”
“I heard your son, last night, ask if I was a rogue. I believe it is a term you use to identify a shifter who is...” He sought a word strong enough to capture the meaning.
“Dangerous,” Fridrik supplied.
Javier nodded. “The snow leopard is a rogue.”
Burke got up, poured Javier another cup of coffee and brought a basket of muffins to the table from the counter. “Help yourself.”
Javier accepted the coffee but ignored the muffins.
“Is this snow leopard the reason you travel alone now?” Fridrik asked after Javier had taken a long drink and set his mug on the table.
The caffeine was beginning to work its magic, and the heaviness seemed to ascend from his eyelids. “Yes,” was all he was willing to say.
The elders looked on him not with sympathy but understanding. He acknowledged their silence with a slight nod. “You have a large family. I did not know that there were such units of shifters. Until two years ago, I thought Juan and I were the only two in the world. My mother died giving birth to Juan and myself, and our fathers were police officers. Both were killed in the line of duty when we were teenagers. I found journals from my grandfathers that charted our family history, and I might have some cousins somewhere, but I was never able to locate them. They are dead for all I know.”
“Our line was all but decimated in Europe,” Burke said. “Two male cousins fled and wound up here during the gold rush. Not until our mate, though, were there more than two children born at a time. Our wife gave us seven healthy children, and now they have begun to have children of their own.”
“And where is she now?”
“She died a few years ago,” Fridrik said.
Javier closed his eyes against the pain. So fresh, yet so old.
“You have not been able to let her go, yet, have you, son?”
The agony of loss tore at his heart as he shook his head. “How...how do you do that?”
“You realize that you are not the one who is gone from this earth. You must go on living to keep her alive in your memory.”
Javier glanced at the long table, old and scarred yet obviously lovingly polished. Though they’d lost their mate, these men had reasons to go on living. Children, grandchildren. All
things Javier would never experience. All of the things Durchenko had stolen from him.
He lowered his casted leg to the floor and reached for the crutches. “If you’ll excuse me, sirs. My strength is still not what it should be.”
“Of course. Answer one question though,” Burke said.
Javier got to his feet and waited, resting on the crutches.
“You say you’re in finance now, but what did you do before?”
“I was in the Mexican Army’s Grupo Aeromóvil de Fuerzas Especiales—the equivalent to your military’s Special Forces. My specialty was counterterrorism.”
Both Burke and Fridrik nodded. “Rest. Dinner is served at six. We hope you’ll join us.”
“Thank you,” Javier said, realizing they had accepted him into their home and no longer worried he’d cause harm to them or their family. “Again, I am in your debt.”
Chapter Seven
Fugly snarled at Heidi when Beth passed the dog off to her so she could grab her purse and grocery bag from the back seat of the Land Rover.
“Oh, hush your fuss,” Heidi admonished, but Fugly kept up with the chest-rumbling grumble. “I can’t believe you brought it home. The guys are never going to let you live this down.”
Beth closed the car door with a bump of her hip. “He’s mine, and that’s that. They don’t like it? They can leave.”
Like that would ever happen. Heidi followed Beth into the house. “Hi, Dad,” she said to Fridrik who was getting a cup of coffee when they entered the kitchen.
“Hello, ladies.” He peeked into Beth’s grocery bag.
Beth playfully slapped his hand away from a bag of trail mix—Fridrik’s weakness. “I’ll put some in a bowl for you in a minute.”
“What’s that?” Burke came into the room, a scowl on his face as he stared at Fugly.
“That’s my dog,” Beth said, taking Fugly from Heidi’s arm. The dog grew silent as soon as it was away from Heidi. “He’s moving in with us.”
Fridrik made a silly face of disgust. “Why? Looks like bear bait to me.”
“Dad!”
Heidi laughed. “I told you...”
“What’s its name?” Burke held his hand out to the dog to let it scent him.
“Fugly,” Heidi told him. “Kel and Reidar named it.”
“Him, not it,” Beth corrected.
“Name fits.” Fridrik took the dog from Beth. Fugly didn’t seem to have a problem with anyone but Heidi.
“Whatever. I’m going to check on Javier.”
“He came out for a while, had coffee with us,” Burke said.
Heidi stopped in the doorway and turned back, raising an eyebrow. “And he’s still alive, I assume?”
Burke smiled. “He was fine last we saw him.”
With a hidden sigh of relief, Heidi went down the hall to her room. She knocked lightly before opening the door and found Javier doing pushups against the wall, balanced on his good foot.
“I guess you’re feeling better?”
He stopped and turned, his face damp with sweat. Her heart nearly stopped, then seemed to jump right out of her chest. He’d been handsome before. Shaved and wearing clothes that fit him, he was drop-dead gorgeous.
Without a word, he grabbed the crutches and hobbled back to bed. His lips were pressed tight, his jaw clenched.
“You’re hurting,” she said as she took the crutches from him and leaned them against the wall. “You didn’t take your pills today.” They still sat on the tray with the empty breakfast dishes.
He lifted his leg onto the bed and sagged against the pillows. “They make my mind weak. I do not like them.”
“A body heals better when it rests. Not when it does pushups.”
His scowl was fierce. “I am not used to taking so long to heal.”
“It’s only been a couple of days, Javier. Give yourself time.” She leaned over to check the cast, looking for any sign that his wound was bleeding beneath it.
“Three cracked ribs didn’t take so long.”
She turned her head to look at his face. “When did you have cracked ribs?”
Again he pressed his lips together—this time, it was obvious, to silence himself.
“Why won’t you tell me anything about yourself?” Heidi sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, resting her hand on his strong, unbroken thigh.
Javier sucked in a breath, the muscle beneath her hand tensing. When she glanced down, there was no mistaking the hard-on tenting his shorts. It wasn’t something the man could hide no matter what clothing he wore.
Heidi snatched her hand off him and stood. “I...uh...”
“Oye, chata. You act as if you have never seen an aroused man before.”
She jerked her gaze from his crotch to his face. “Of course I have.”
The tiniest of smiles tugged at the right corner of his lips, and his eyes sparked with humor. “Have you? Numbers too numerous to count?”
Her mouth fell open as she struggled to find something to say. She knew how to spar verbally, she had to in order to survive her family, but she couldn’t think of a single comeback when her brain was addled with...lust.
His face didn’t show one hint of the embarrassment she felt aflame in her cheeks.
He reached out, grabbed her hand and pulled her forward until she stood with her thigh against the edge of the mattress. “Thank you for saving my life.” The kiss to the back of her fingers was as startling as his slight show of humor, and all she could do was stand there and stare while tingles raced up her arm straight to her nipples from the warm dampness of his lips. “I also apologize for my outburst yesterday. I was not myself.”
She glanced back at his groin. His cock was big and hard, pressed against the fly of his camo shorts. It took a hard swallow to clear her throat so she could speak. “You...uh...seem fine now.”
“Perhaps...” He reached up with his other hand, wrapped his long fingers around her bicep and tugged her down over him. “...perhaps you should make sure. Now that I am awake.”
Heidi had to brace her hand next to his head to keep from collapsing onto him. Her heart thudded in her chest, her face flamed with heat, and her pussy clenched in need of that cock that was so close yet hidden beneath his clothes.
“Kiss me, chata.”
“My name is Heidi,” she whispered, her lips almost touching his, his breath mingling with hers.
She didn’t have a clue what chata meant, but after his prior dreamy murmur, she wanted affirmation that he knew exactly who was about to kiss him.
He grinned against her lips. “I know...Heidi.” He raised his head just the fraction of an inch it took to meld their lips, and Heidi lost all thought. Yesterday he’d been demanding, crushing her mouth to his. Today he was tender, questing, seeking. When she parted her lips, he didn’t sink his tongue into her as he had before. This time he teased, coaxed her, and she became the aggressor. When her tongue touched his and he lightly sucked it into his mouth, the arm supporting her collapsed and she went down over his chest, her breasts pressing against his hard pecs, pulling a moan from deep within her.
Javier tasted like nothing she’d ever experienced. Sweet yet tangy. A flavor she could grow addicted to. His scent was musky, manly, delicious. Heaven and hell all in one gorgeous package. When he wrapped his arms around her, anchoring her to his chest, she didn’t jerk away as she had from other aggressive men in her past. She felt safe. At home.
Slipping her hands behind his neck, she wove her fingers into his thick black hair and tilted her head for a better angle, eating at his lips, nipping his tongue. She couldn’t get enough, couldn’t get close enough. She threw her leg over his, needing relief where she throbbed and ached.
Javier jerked his mouth from hers and let out a deep groan, his
grip around her changing from a tight hug to his hands fisting in her T-shirt. It took a moment for Heidi to realize it was a sound of pain, not pleasure.
She carefully moved off him, and his arms dropped away. His breathing was deep, fast, his eyes squeezed tight.
“I’m so sorry.” Heidi laid her hand against his smooth shaved cheek. “Let me get you a pill.”
Javier shook his head. “No. No more of your pills, chata.” He finally opened his eyes and looked at her. “I fear I am not up to such activities yet with a woman who cannot control herself.”
Her lips parted at the insult, until she realized he teased her. She suppressed a smile. “How bad is the pain?”
“I will live.”
“I know you will. I asked how bad the pain was.”
“How long until supper?” he countered instead of answering her question.
With a roll of her eyes, Heidi stood and folded her arms over her chest. “You’re impossible.” She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “Supper is in about an hour.”
“I will join you then. Go now, and let me rest.”
“Excuse me?” Her family might treat her like a servant at times, but this guy wasn’t going to get away with it.
“My leg hurts, chata. Let me be for a while, please, to regain the strength to join your family for supper.”
His tone had lost all teasing, so she moved toward the door. “Would you at least take some aspirin for the pain?”
He gave a slight nod, but his eyes were closed.
Heidi scowled at him and opened the door. Her body was too hot for comfort, and her pussy still clenched in need. Damn, but the man could kiss. And it didn’t matter if he was asleep or awake. He was potent.
Too potent.
Even when he vocalized his need with typical alpha arrogance, she wanted him. Before he left, she’d have him. No way could she let the feelings he elicited from her go without experiencing it all at least once. She knew in her heart she’d never meet another man like Javier Montero. Only a fool would let him go without taking what he had to offer.
Heading toward the kitchen, she stopped and realized he’d effectively distracted her, answering none of her questions about his past or why he wouldn’t open up with any pertinent information. Frustrated and somewhat annoyed, she almost went back to ask him the one question she needed answered before she could have sex with him: Who is Isabela?
Falke’s Renegade Page 7
