Lynn appreciated how he spoke softly and offered up a small smile when he handed over the white Styrofoam cup with a bendy straw. “No problem.” At this point, she’d agree to just about anything as long as it came as a liquid. “Those meds give me cotton mouth like you wouldn’t believe,” she told him as she sipped the drink. The cool water soothed her parched throat, and Lynn moaned low as she felt it travel all the way down.
Jag chuckled, the sound startling Lynn. “Feel better?”
“Much. So, I guess, with all these precautions, I must have knocked my noggin harder than I thought. How bad is it?”
Samantha shifted, a sure sign that whatever she had to say would suck. “Well, you have a concussion, that was pretty obvious, but your body also took a lot of abuse during the fight.”
“Trust me, I know. Even my aches have aches.”
“Yeah, and your body has more bruises than if you’d been used as a crash-test dummy. You’ll need to stay here for a few days until you’re better. I don’t want you going back to the city alone.”
Oddly enough, Lynn wasn’t too keen on being by herself in her apartment either. With Samantha gone, the place just seemed too empty. “So you expect me to stay here in Shifterville? I thought they hated humans.”
“Not everyone here feels that way,” Jag put in. “Don’t let the actions of a few put you off. We’re actually a very tight-knit community.”
Lynn arched a brow his way. “So does that mean you aren’t completely against humans anymore?” After he’d been trapped by humans for years in his animal form, Lynn couldn’t say she would blame him if he were. Hell, she’d be extremely distrusting too if the roles were reversed.
Dear Lord, the man actually blushed! Lynn was sure he couldn’t get any more attractive if he tried.
“I’m aware not all humans are like the one’s who held me. I also realize they didn’t know what I was. Being caged for any length of time will mess with your mind, but after years of it? I’m finally beginning to feel like my old self again.” A shy smile split his face, and Lynn had the strongest urge to hug him.
Jag was a good man with a troubled past—totally not her type, but tell that to her heart. The damn thing tried to beat right out of her chest whenever he was near, almost as if it were trying to go to him. “I’m glad,” Lynn replied. Turning to Samantha, she agreed to stay but still had to make a call to her work. “What the hell am I going to tell them? It’s not like I have coverage for this sort of thing.”
“Tell them you were in an accident. Hell, you look like you’ve been drug behind a truck. Your entire back is a big bruise, and you’ve got a hell of a knot on the back of your head.”
“Fine, I’ll make the call. I just hope they can find someone to take over my patients until I get back.” She’d also need to call her landlord and explain why her rent check would be late. Lynn highly doubted Jag or Dylan would let her drop off a check.
Samantha stood, placing her hand on Jag’s arm as she moved around the bed. “We’ll leave you to rest for a little bit. I need to check on Eli, and Jag needs to meet with Dylan for a few. Liam will be just outside the door if you need anything, okay?”
Lynn nodded but regretted it when her brain began to throb. “You’ll have to bring baby Eli around for me to see him again soon, but right now, I think I’ll try to sleep some more before I make any calls.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing you can take for pain?” Jag inquired, his brow furrowed. Clearly, her discomfort bothered him.
“I’ll be okay, but thank you. I’m tougher than I look.” Lynn gave him a little wink, and he rewarded her with a crooked grin.
“You got that right,” he agreed. “I’ll be back soon to take over for Liam.”
Just knowing Jag would come back settled her nerves. She’d put on a brave face, but the truth was, being in the midst of all these shape-shifters left her feeling tense. If this experience had taught her anything, it was that she didn’t stand a chance against them physically. Now if she had her gun, the playing field might be more even. Unfortunately, it was in her room back at the resort, and she doubted anyone would fetch it for her any time soon.
With her eyes drooping, Lynn drifted into a peaceful nap. Liam would keep her safe while her guard was down and Jag would come back soon.
Chapter Two
Lynn was going to drive him completely insane! After she’d been released from the clinic, Jag had brought her back to her room at the resort. He’d taken the adjoining room and all but demanded she leave the connecting door unlocked at all times.
The only problem? Lynn was a stealthy little minx. She’d snuck out again, and now, he was on the prowl, determined to locate her before she got herself into any trouble. Well, any
more
trouble. The woman had an uncanny ability to find it.
Shifters were extremely territorial when it came to their mates, so when Lynn had stopped to ask a male if there was a convenience store nearby, his female, standing next to him, hadn’t been happy. Jag had managed to diffuse the situation, but not before Lynn had proclaimed her belief that mating obviously led to insanity in their kind.
Needless to say, that hadn’t gone over well either, but he’d quickly explained about her recent head injury and the couple had seemed satisfied. Lynn, not so much. She’d accused him of telling people she was mentally challenged, when all he’d been doing was trying to keep her from being mauled.
Clearly, her goal while she stayed at the resort was to drive him crazy. If her actions didn’t succeed, her mood swings surely would. The woman went from hot to cold so quickly his head spun. Actually, Jag suspected she might be short on some meds, because he couldn’t figure out her behavior to save his life.
Liam was coming down the hall when Jag turned the corner, still following her scent. Suddenly, he realized she’d gone up to the Prime’s suite.
“Lost her again?” Liam asked.
“She can move with more stealth than some of our own,” Jag grumbled.
Liam just laughed. “Lynn and Sam are in there cooing over Eli right now. She seemed flustered when she came up, but that little baby has the power to calm anyone.”
“I think she hates me,” Jag blurted, obviously taking Liam by surprise. “I try to be there for her, sharing meals, taking walks, hell, anything she wants to do that’s within reason. Still, she’s sneaking off more and more. She’s increasingly distant at the end of each day. I don’t get it. She’s fine until it’s time to go to bed in the evenings. What am I doing wrong?”
Liam smiled, the bastard. Now, Jag understood why Dylan felt the need to throttle his brother at times.
“I don’t think it’s what you’re doing, but what you’re
not
doing,” Liam said.
“Try that again.”
“Okay, do you recall everything from that night in the clinic? Even in your jaguar form?”
“Not then, no.”
“You basically claimed her in front of me and the doctor when you scent marked her. You might not recall it, but Lynn does. Now, you’re acting like you want to be buddies instead of showing her how you really feel. She’s not a stupid woman, Jag. Lynn knows your cat thinks she’s your mate, and I’m pretty sure she cares for you too, but if you continue to keep her and arm’s length, she’ll run. Nobody wants to have feelings someone who doesn’t want them in return.”
Damn it!
How could his jaguar mark her? Fucking tricky cat! His beast had gone on instinct and pulled a fast one on him, leaving Jag in this current confusing situation. “Are you saying she thinks I don’t like her?”
“Who the hell knows?” Liam huffed. “Women are hard to figure out, but that’s what it sounds like to me. Maybe, you should take her on a date?”
In Jag’s opinion, a date would be a very bad idea. He had no clue what was expected during one. Plus most ended with a kiss. Oh, he had no problem kissing her. On the contrary, Jag was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to stop.
“I can’t kiss her.” He’d said it before realizing how it may sound. It was no big surprise to see Liam grinning like a jackass. “I didn’t mean that I don’t know
how.
I meant I wouldn’t be able to stop.”
“And that’s a problem?”
“For me it is.”
“Care to explain that one?”
“You know as well as I do where it would lead—”
“Oh, yeah.”
“And I can’t risk mating with her. It just wouldn’t be right.”
A gasp sounded behind Jag, and he turned to find Lynn standing just outside the doors to the Prime’s suite. She looked shell-shocked, and if he wasn’t mistaken, tears shimmered in her eyes. Her broken whisper of “asshole” reached his ears as she dove back into the room and slammed the door.
“Lynn, wait!”
Liam grabbed Jag’s arm, and Jag had the overwhelming urge to remove the appendage from his body. “Easy, man. Clearly she’s upset.”
“Did you know she was there?” The low, flat tone of his voice should have served as a warning, but Jag had already begun to question whether Liam had any survival instincts at all.
“Well, I didn’t expect your reply to be what it was. I was only trying to help, but damn. What in the hell does ‘it just wouldn’t be right’ mean? Are you talking about her being human?”
“I’d like to hear this, too.”
Crap
. Sure enough, Jag turned back to see a very angry Dylan now standing in the hall, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Listen, I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. I don’t deserve to be her mate,” Jag confessed. “I failed to protect her when she needed me. How can I possibly be a worthy male when I can’t even do that right?”
“Dude, I told you it was my fault for not taking the rogue when we left,” Liam argued.
“I was staring at her ass!” Jag roared. “Instead of being alert to any potential danger, I was busy stripping her bare in my mind. I should have noticed when that fucker came to, but I was so damn focused on her, he could have killed us both.”
“Interesting,” Dylan drawled. “So you don’t feel worthy of her affection and, therefore, decided to break her heart in an attempt to keep her away from you? Well, aren’t you a damn genius.”
“Prime, I was not aware she was there. Believe me, if my jaguar had its way, she’d be my mate already, but
I
know she needs more.”
“And there’s your first mistake. Well, actually, I’ve lost count now, but even I know better than to assume I know what a woman wants or needs. They’re irrational creatures whose thought processes have no rhyme or reason,” Liam explained. “Let
her
tell
you
what she needs.”
“I doubt she’ll even speak to me now.” Jag knew he’d screwed up. Right now, Lynn probably thought he didn’t want her at all, when nothing could be further from the truth.
He craved her scent. The intoxicating aroma surrounding her drove him to a level of distraction that had almost cost her life. It was painfully obvious she was
the one
, and Jag couldn’t risk things going too far. If she rejected him after he claimed her, he’d go feral quicker than other shifters would, simply because his cat remained closer to the surface than most.
The reasoning behind his words didn’t matter a bit though. He’d hurt her and wasn’t sure of how to make things better again. One thing was for sure, though. His jaguar was pissed. The beast continued to pace inside, and whenever Jag looked its way with his mind’s eye, it would hiss and thrash its tail in annoyance.
“You have some serious groveling to do, my man,” Liam announced, clapping him on the shoulder. “She’s a ball buster too, so you’ve got your work cut out for you.”
“Walk with me,” Dylan ordered. “I wouldn’t advise trying to apologize until she and Samantha have calmed down. Your Prima is not thrilled with Lynn’s current state.”
Jag didn’t expect Samantha to be happy with him at all. Hell, after upsetting both women he had half a mind to just tuck tail and go lick his wounds back home. He knew neither of them would venture out to the cave he’d turned into a house, especially after what had gone down with the rogues. It kind of hurt that Lynn thought he would live like some sort of savage, but given how little she knew of him away from his guard duties, he couldn’t say he blamed her. If Lynn and Samantha were truly that upset about everything, it might be better if he made himself scarce for a bit.
“I can leave, Prime. I understand how my presence may bother both females, and—”
“Jag, stop.”
Coming to a halt by the elevators he looked to his leader, to the man who would be the one to order him to stay or go. He’d do whatever Dylan asked. “Yes, Prime?”
“I thought you might want to know, Lynn will be moving into Sam’s house soon, and Sam and I will be residing here.”
Lynn was staying out there alone? Suddenly, Jag understood Dylan’s need to patrol Sam’s land when she’d lived there. For crying out loud, they’d just undergone an attack less than a week ago! If more rogues came sniffing around, Lynn would never be able to hear or smell them coming because her senses weren’t nearly as keen as theirs.
“Will she be safe there?”
The smile on Dylan’s face said he’d expected the question, and Jag suspected he’d been set up. “She will indeed. I’m placing my best men around her house. I have a feeling they’ll be more than happy to look after her, too. She’s spent time with both, and they all seem to get along well, and the males…well, they like her just fine.”
Who the hell did Dylan have in mind? The thought of anyone sniffing around Lynn had his jaguar snarling, and Jag wasn’t able to keep the sound from slipping out. His reaction must have been expected, because Dylan’s smile only grew. “What kind of game are you playing, Prime? You know it’s not wise to bait a shifter when it comes to their mate.”
“Ah, but she’s not your mate. Yet.”
“Tell that to my cat.” As it was, Jag was dangerously close to shifting, and the action would likely be taken as a threat. Then again, if his animal got loose, it wouldn’t be to say howdy.
“Tell your kitty to cool it. I want you and Liam on this.” When Jag started to speak, Dylan raised his hand to stop him. “You don’t have to see her. I’ll give you the night shift. Liam will be around during the day, helping her move, doing odd jobs, helping with the outdoor chores, and such. You’ll be in charge of the perimeter. You should also take this time to woo her a bit, maybe try to get back in her good graces.”