Chapter Four
The room was smaller than mine, still managing to fit a double bed and an old pine dresser. The walls were freshly painted a pale green and a multicolored rug covered a portion of the worn wooden floor. Two windows overlooked the woods behind the cabin, giving its occupant a slightly different view than mine.
The scent of eucalyptus was strongest near the bed so I turned in that direction. Suddenly I was face to face with a beautiful cougar lifting his head to return my startled gaze. His ears perked to attention as he stretched like a typical cat, then jumped down, opening his mouth in a yawn to give me a good view of his very sharp teeth. His furry coat was a lovely sienna brown across his back, turning a lighter shade as it traveled toward his stomach and down his legs.
One of his front legs was cuffed, attached to a thick chain leading to a metal plate bolted to the wall. Even though Rob was in front of me, I found myself inching backwards into the hallway, wondering if the restraint was in place because Rob thought he was dangerous.
Rob nudged me forward. "You're safe."
Uh, huh. This crazy shifter dude kept wild animals as pets. Very large wild animals.
The cougar's head tilted as his large golden brown eyes seemed to take me in with typical feline curiosity. He growled softly at Rob, perhaps in greeting, then blinked once and shifted his weight from giant paw to paw, flicking his thick tail and sniffing the air. I backed against the wall, worried that he could smell my fear or hear my much faster heartbeat.
Rob spoke. “Jackie, meet Ethan. Ethan, why don’t you change back to human form so you can introduce yourself? You may want to turn your back for a minute, Jackie.” Uncertain, but really curious, I turned to face the wall. A similar electric type charge made my body tingle in the same cool way that Rob’s change had done earlier. I heard a few grunts and the sound of clothing being pulled on. “Okay, you can turn around now.” Rob said.
When I turned back, I looked in surprise at the young man standing next to the bed. Slightly broader than Rob, he was about 5’10” with shining chocolate brown hair tossed around his head in messy waves. Because he was only wearing sweatpants, I noticed that Ethan’s arms, chest, and stomach were sculpted with muscle. His eyes took on a mischievous glint when he saw me checking him out, and I could feel my face heat up in a blush. I was really relieved to see that the cuff around his cougar’s leg had adjusted to fit his human wrist, although I couldn't figure how Rob had managed it. Ethan’s left forearm was etched in ink, a cougar lounging on a tree branch.
“Ethan is chained because he didn’t believe there’d be consequences for trying to take off before he finished his training,” Rob explained. Ethan rolled his eyes, but didn't appear angry at all. “While he was running off, he ran into you. You made quite a mess of him, unintentionally, I’m sure. Served him right.” Ethan’s eyes were back on me, an amused smile making him look less predatory. Rob smiled as he continued. “I was able to get him back to his room easily after that. I suppose I have you to thank for his capture.” He and Ethan both laughed.
I looked Ethan over, puzzled by his uninjured chest and arms. “I guess I should apologize, but I don’t remember doing it and you don’t seem too beat up.”
Ethan took a step closer causing the chain to clunk loudly. “Shifting helps me heal faster. Jackie, huh? What kind of shifter are you?” He looked me up and down and smiled again. His voice was rich and easy on the ears, as the rest of him was easy on the eyes. He took in my scent as if he were still in animal form, and that's what brought me back to reality.
Checking out the hot guy had suddenly lost its appeal. I clenched my fists in annoyance and scowled. “I—I’m not a shifter. I’m not going to be changing into anything.” I brushed my a few loose strands of hair off my face and frowned at him. He continued to smirk.
Just my luck, an arrogant asshole is the other prisoner. Well, he looks strong at least. Maybe he can be useful. Or maybe I should just leave him here chained up. He’s probably more trouble than he’s worth.
“Oh you’re not a shifter, huh?” Ethan laughed softly. “A few hours ago those hands of yours were lethal weapons. You’re some kind of big cat like Rob and me. Jaguar maybe?" He turned to Rob who shrugged, “Although your coloring may be too light.” He looked me up and down as he smiled again. "Your body is typical female feline."
“Ethan, stop making her uncomfortable. I just might unlock the chain tomorrow morning if you can behave. Jackie, come with me. It’s late and you need some sleep."
“G’night, Jackie. Grrr.” I heard him laughing as Rob closed the door.
What a jerk that guy is. A gorgeous jerk. I smiled to myself.
Lost in my thoughts I almost ran into Rob who was standing in the hallway holding a water bottle. “Take this; you’ll probably be thirsty again later. I’m sleeping on the couch tonight. Get some rest, you’ll be busy tomorrow.”
“Aren’t you worried that I’ll run off?” I frowned, but still accepted the bottle.
“Nope. Shifters have excellent hearing.” He pointed to one of his ear and smiled.
Lucky me. Two arrogant jerks in one house. “I still have a lot of questions.” I yawned, turning away, embarrassed.
“We have plenty of time to answer them tomorrow. Try to get some rest.” He smiled and walked toward the couch, his strong body moving silently down the hallway.
I flicked on the light, then closed and locked the door behind me. The room was small, but clean and smelled of fresh lavender, probably because there were a few sprigs in a vase on the dresser. The walls were cream colored, the curtains on the two small windows a pale blue cotton. There was a simple wooden dresser and a comfortable looking chair near the window. For maybe ten seconds I thought about running. I might be faster, but this guy was a freakin’ black leopard, and if he caught me he might be hungry.
I took care of some personal stuff, and crawled under the covers, intending to spend time sorting through the mess of jumbled information dished out along with my steak.
Instead, I couldn’t stop thinking about Justin and Maggie and everything I was being forced to leave behind. Much of it I’d be grateful to turn my back on, but Justin and Maggie had been real parents to me. I’d finally felt like I had a home and a family. And now everything had been wrenched away just when I was beginning to feel somewhat normal.
The real kicker was that the couple I'd thought loved me and wanted me in their lives, had handed me over to Rob and left town. Maybe they thought they were helping me, but they could have handled it a lot better. They could have sat me down and explained the situation rather than agreeing to have me kidnapped. Waking up on the ground, scared and miserable, sucked eggs.
I wasn’t surprised when a tear wet my cheek, then another. Soon I was crying steadily, my head buried in the pillow in an effort not to wake anyone up. I curled up tightly on the bed and tried to squash the sadness and the anger by thinking about running through the woods, feeling the wind in my hair and the ground racing by under my feet.
I heard a soft knock on my door, and I knew it was Rob before he spoke. “Are you all right, Jackie? Can I get you anything?”
“Yeah, just … just get the hell away from me,” I managed to gasp out between sobs. Rob had no other questions for me that night.
Rebirth - Book 1 Rogues Shifter Series Page 4