Heart of the Jaguar (6 page)

“We’re going to catch this guy,” he said quietly.

“I know.” She laid her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. “You’ll probably think I’m crazy, but right now I’m thinking more about what you said right before my house was firebombed.”

He had a feeling she was talking about this more to distract herself than anything, but he’d been thinking about that conversation too. He hated that she couldn’t have kids if she wanted them, but for him, it wasn’t something he’d much thought about. Hell, he’d planned on being in the army long-term, but things changed. “I just want the chance to get to know you and see if what we feel for each other can be more than just physical.”

She let out a long breath and said, “Me too. But what happens if you change your mind and you decide you
want
children?”

“I won’t change my mind.” There wasn’t much else he could say. Only time would prove his intentions and she would either take the chance with him or she wouldn’t. He couldn’t force it.

They were both silent for a few minutes until Cindy cleared her throat. Lifting her head, she opened her eyes. He risked a quick glance at her before returning his gaze to the road.

“After college I was accepted into the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine. I could have gone almost anywhere—I was accepted to a handful of higher-ranked schools, but in the end I chose to go there because of my boyfriend. Stupid, I know.” She half grinned self-deprecatingly.

Elias didn’t say anything because he didn’t think she expected him too. He had an idea where this story was headed, and he already wanted to rip the guy’s head off for hurting Cindy.

“We were a good fit, both jaguar shifters, both workaholics, and he never seemed to care that I was...academically, uh...”

“You were smarter than him?” He bit back a grin at the way her cheeks flushed.

“Well, I ranked higher academically. Some guys would have had a problem with that, but he always liked my intelligence. Honestly, I assumed we were perfect. We liked and respected each other, had the same goals, everything. During my residency I discovered that I can’t have children and when I told him, things changed overnight. Suddenly I wasn’t perfect anymore to him. We broke up within weeks.”

Elias cursed, his hands gripping the wheel tightly. What he wouldn’t give to wrap his hands around that guy’s neck. She’d been at her most vulnerable, and the guy had dumped her? “He didn’t deserve you.”

“I know that
now
, but it’s hard to deal with sometimes, not only from a female perspective, but being a shifter. You know how important cubs are to shifters. I’d pretty much come to terms with the fact that I’d never be mated or settle down. Then you came along.” She said the last words almost grudgingly.

“Are cubs important to you?” he asked quietly. Wherever this relationship took them, if things became serious, he would do anything to make her happy, including look at all their options. There was always adoption or surrogacy.

“Honestly, no. I love my job. It’s fulfilling in a way that makes my life, well, full. And now that Israel has a cub—and I’m sure she won’t be the last—I have a niece to spoil before sending her home. I’ve never felt that driving need to be a mother, and I guess I just assumed that it wouldn’t be important to...” She glanced at him, eyeing him curiously.

“What?”

“I can sense the rage rolling off you, so if I tell you my ex’s name you better do nothing with this information.”

He held up a hand in mock defense. “Never.” He sure as hell might fantasize about hurting the guy, but he’d never actually do something unprovoked.

“Whatever. I know how wolves are.” Her voice had grown lighter. “Anyway, I assumed it wouldn’t matter to him either. To Ward. That was his name. I’m glad I found out before we were mated though.”

“I’m probably totally out of line here.” That had never stopped him before, so he decided not to start now. “But the fact that a man had you for however long medical school is and didn’t mark and claim you for the world to know tells me all I need to know about him.” He’d barely been around Cindy for days, and the need to claim her was eating away at him.

“We thought it would be better to wait until we were both done with school.”

Elias grunted. He didn’t care what the excuse was. He was just glad she was sitting with him here and now. That asshole had done him a favor because now Cindy was his. Okay, not yet, but she would be.

“What about you? If I’m dishing all my gory relationship history, you better give me something good.” She was visibly exhausted, but the smile she gave him took his breath away.

Forcing his eyes back to the road, he started to respond when his phone rang. It was Owen.

“Saved by the bell,” Cindy murmured, pulling a low chuckle from him.

“Yeah?” he answered immediately.

“You guys on your way here?” Owen’s voice was clipped.

“Yeah.”

“Does Cindy have any medical supplies with her?”

“Yeah, why?” She’d wanted to pack a bag just in case. The doctor in her never seemed far from the surface.

“Good. Daniel’s been shot so hurry.”

Chapter 7

Worry hummed through Elias at the news. “How is he?”

“The kid’ll be fine if you guys get here soon. The bullet didn’t go all the way through, so Cindy needs to get it out and stop the bleeding. But it’s not silver.”

“What happened?” Elias had spoken to Daniel only a couple of times, and the eighteen-year-old was a good kid. He’d opted to stay in Bear Mountain instead of go to college like most of his pack mates.

“Hunter shot him in wolf form. Bastard was trespassing on our land. One of the wolves out with Daniel got the guy’s scent, but he got away.”

“Do you think it has anything to do with what happened at Cindy’s?” Elias asked.

“Doubt it. Daniel didn’t recognize the guy and he was in hunting gear. Whoever trashed her car and vandalized her home is likely a local, someone we know. That kind of thing has personal written all over it.”

“Want me to let the sheriff know?” The humans might not know that there were shifters living among them, but they could still use the law to their benefit. If someone was trespassing on their land, he would be arrested and charged. While no one in town would ever trespass on their land, Own had told him that in the past couple months they’d had issues with outsiders hunting illegally in the area.

“Nah, I already called. Told her some asshole was trespassing and shooting illegally. I’m sure the cops will get the guy. They usually do.”

All the sheriff would have to do was go down to the local hotel or call up the owners of the surrounding bed-and-breakfasts, and it wouldn’t take long to figure out who was responsible. Especially since this wasn’t hunting season. “All right. We should be there in less than five. Meet at the main house?”

“Yeah.”

They disconnected and he glanced at Cindy, who was looking much more alert. “Did you catch all that?”

She nodded. “Now I’m glad I decided to bring my medical bag.”

They arrived 4½ minutes later. Cindy was out of his truck before he’d even put it in Park and racing up the drive to Owen and Gabriela’s two-story home. He was right behind her. The front door opened before they’d made it up the steps, and they followed a silent Owen into the kitchen, where a brown wolf with a couple of white patches was stretched out on the tile. There was a little blood on the tile around him and a patch of fur on his side was matted crimson, but Gabriela was holding a green towel against the area right above his hind flank.

Elias could scent and hear other wolves elsewhere in the house, but Owen must have cleared the room.

“Thank you,” Cindy murmured as she bent next to Gabriela and lifted the towel. Still wearing the same clothes she’d had on all day, she was rumpled and sexy as she got to work. She gently lifted the back half of the wolf’s body up. Probably to check for an exit wound. Even though they’d told her he didn’t have one, she would want to check herself. The young wolf whined as she shifted him, but he didn’t snap or growl. Which was damn good, because Elias was feeling edgy watching her work on an injured animal. Injured shifters could be unpredictable, but Cindy didn’t seem concerned at all.

He rubbed the middle of his chest, not liking the foreign feeling of discomfort as he watched her. His inner wolf was almost unnaturally protective.

“This isn’t bad at all,” she spoke again, almost to herself as she laid him back down. Then she looked up and locked her dark gaze on Owen’s. “I need an unopened bottle of water.”

The Alpha nodded and grabbed one from the pantry as she opened her black bag and pulled out forceps and a scalpel. As Owen handed the bottle to her, she opened it and poured the water over the wound. Under normal circumstances, Elias knew she’d have had to sterilize and probably do a hell of a lot more than what she was now. But shifters healed remarkably fast and didn’t have to worry about minor infections.

“I’m going to make a small incision then pull the bullet out. All I have is a topical anesthetic, and it probably won’t do much to help you when I make the cut. Do you want me to apply it anyway?” She ran a gentle hand over the wolf’s head.

Daniel whined and shook his head.

“Okay then. I’m going to do it now, so brace yourself.”

Elias couldn’t help himself. He crossed the room and crouched down next to the wolf, watching him intently. Cindy gave him a surprised glance but turned her attention away from him as she began to work. Less than a minute later the bullet was removed and she was cleaning the wound.

Elias could breathe again. The wolf hadn’t tried to bite or snap at her the entire time. Once she’d finished cleaning him, she rinsed and shaved the area and then put on clear Steri-Strips—he knew from experience that stitches would never work because shifters healed too damn fast. Elias and Owen then lifted the teenager.

“He needs to rest for at least six hours, but he should be okay after that,” Cindy said as she began cleaning up the floor with Gabriela.

Elias didn’t like to leave her out of his sight for even a moment, but he followed Owen’s lead as they carried Daniel into the living room.

“We’ll put him in one of the upstairs bedrooms so I can keep an eye on him tonight,” Owen said. As Alpha it was his job to look out for his pack, especially in situations like this.

“Cindy and I can stay too. She might want to check up on him.” Even though he wanted to be alone with her more than anything, he knew that his new pack needed him.

Owen shook his head as they started up the stairs. “She’s had two bad scares and looks as if she’s about to pass out. Wolves will be in and out of here all night checking on Daniel and she won’t get any rest. Take her to your place.”

Elias started to argue, but Owen just shook his head again, this time sharper. “That’s an order.”

Elias nodded and bowed his head for a moment in submission. Owen was his Alpha and he’d always follow Owen’s command. And he had no problem doing so, especially if he was able to help Cindy get some damn rest. The dark shadows under her eyes were killing him, and all he wanted to do was take care of her.

* * *

Cindy let the water cascade over her body, thankful for the powerful jets of Elias’s shower. The past twenty-four hours had been intense, and she’d full on admitted her past to Elias, a man she was starting to care deeply for. He had such a calm presence, and even though he was alpha to the bone, he was totally relaxed with her and the demands of her profession.

Well, he’d eyed poor Daniel as if he’d kill him if the injured wolf so much as moved wrong, but Cindy understood that. Sometimes the injured shifters snapped at her, but she knew how to handle her own kind. Though it had touched her that Elias had been concerned. She’d been looking out for herself for a long time, so it was nice to have someone else watching her back. Still, part of her worried that she was getting in way over her head.

As she rinsed the last of the shampoo from her hair, she heard the bathroom door opening. Something told her that if he’d wanted to be quiet, Elias could have been. The wolf had some serious stealth.

“How’re you doing in here?” His voice was full of concern.

“Good...You want to join me?” She really should just go to bed after this. After the day she’d had, she was beat, but the thought of getting wrapped up in Elias’s arms was too much to resist.

She heard a soft growl, then the sound of him taking off his clothes. Seconds later the simple brown shower curtain was pulled back.

His green eyes had turned so dark they almost looked black, and his expression was hungry. For her. “Are you sure?”

No
. She was still terrified that she was making a huge mistake; that trusting this wolf was going to get her heart broken. But her jaguar didn’t want to listen to any human reasoning. Instead of responding, she raked her gaze down the length of his toned, muscular body. He had a little soot on his forearms from helping to drag some of her ruined furniture outside before his pack mates got to her place. All his muscles were pulled taut, and forget about a six-pack—he’d jumped straight to an eight-pack. Reaching out, she raked her fingers down his stomach and then back up until she reached his chest. She rubbed the pads of her thumbs across his flat, brown nipples. A low, rumbling sound came from his chest, almost like a purr. “What do you think?”

His head tilted to the side a fraction as he watched her with that hungry gaze. “I don’t even remember the question.”

She burst out laughing and slid her arms around him, pulling him under the pulsing jets with her. His cock lay between them, an insistent reminder against her belly. She reached between them and grasped him, circling her hand around his thick length.

Elias sucked in a breath. “We don’t...have...”

She began slowly stroking him and he trailed off. Grinning against his chest, she scraped her teeth against the firm wall of muscle as she held his hard length in her hands. She began feathering kisses along his skin, savoring his taste.

His big body shuddered with each stroke, making her feel incredibly powerful. The knowledge that she could bring this man to his knees was the biggest turn-on. As she started moving faster, he stilled her with a hand.