Secret Jaguar (Curse of the Moon Book 6)

by Stacy Claflin

  “And you guys are still just friends?” She made air quotes when she said just friends.

  “Yes.”

  “Really? I’ve seen the way you guys look at each other. I’d have staked my claim weeks ago.”

  “I only met him two weeks ago. Well, actually two weeks and two days.”

  She grinned. “You are in love.”

  I looked around. “Shh! Don’t say that so loud.”

  “You afraid he’s going to hear?”

  My face burned. “Maybe.”

  “Why? He obviously feels the same for you, and seriously, he’s got to be the hottest guy on campus.”

  My face heated even more. “Can we talk about something else?”

  “You’re so cute, it’s like—” Her eyes widened. “Wait. Is he your first love?”

  “Again, can you keep your voice down? Seriously.”

  “He is! How did you make it to college without—?”

  “Because I was focused on my grades. I was more interested in getting scholarships than I was in finding a boyfriend.”

  “Well, don’t be too slow in snatching him up. I can think of several other girls who have their eyes set on him.”

  Jealousy ran through me. A rib popped. That hadn’t happened since the night those two guys cornered me.

  Paige gave me a funny look. “What was that all about?”

  “Just my back.” I stretched it.

  “Maybe you should see a chiropractor.”

  “After the final game.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t wait. That sounded painful.”

  It really was.

  “Oh, here comes Carter. I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. See you at practice.” She winked and hurried off.

  Carter came over, his expression strained.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, it’s fine.” He sat down, not looking at me.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing. Are you ready for dinner? You won’t want to go to practice hungry.”

  Practice was at five, so if I ate first, it’d have to be a really early dinner. But that wasn’t the point. Something was clearly wrong, but he was trying to act like it wasn’t.

  I put my hand on top of his. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing I want you worrying about. You have enough on your plate.”

  “Why won’t you tell me?” I stared at him until he finally looked at me.

  “Like I said, I don’t want you worrying. Che and I have it covered.”

  “Che?” If I was Carter’s love interest, then Che was his new best friend. It was kind of weird, because Che was the closest thing to a father figure I’d ever had. If anyone was going to walk me down the aisle someday, it would be him.

  “All you need to worry about is your homework and finals.”

  If I’d had feathers, they’d have been ruffled. Irritation shoved aside all my loving feelings. “Carter, just tell me what’s going on. I’m not some weakling you have to protect.”

  “I never thought—”

  “Yes, you did. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be concerned about upsetting poor, defenseless me.”

  “Katya, you’re taking this all wrong.”

  “Am I?” I packed my things into my tote bag.

  “Yes. That’s not how I meant it at all. I just don’t want to add unnecessary stress on top of everything else you’re dealing with.”

  I glared at him. “If you trusted me, you’d just tell me. I’ll have dinner on my own, thank you very much.”

  He rose, practically knocking over his chair. “Wait.”

  Tears threatened. I turned before he could see how upset I was. All these raging emotions I’d had lately were driving me crazy. I wasn’t a crier. I was the tough twin. “I’ll see you later. Have fun with Che.”

  “Katya—”

  A bone popped somewhere, but I was too upset to tell which one. I hurried toward the stairs, eager to get away from him.

  It was like he didn’t know me at all after spending practically every waking hour with me. Did he really think I was a weak little princess who couldn’t handle anything? Hadn’t he seen me fighting those two jerks? What about how aggressive I’d been in the volleyball playoffs?

  Once out of the library, I darted down a path that went behind the building in hopes he’d think I’d gone toward the cafeteria or deli.

  I made it to the arts building and watched some ballerinas until I calmed down enough to realize how hungry I was. Keeping a lookout for Carter, I grabbed a bite to eat and then headed to the gym for practice.

  At first, I was glad he wasn’t there, but then a wave of disappointment washed through me.

  “Come warm up,” the coach called.

  I put all of my raging emotions into volleyball and ignored the occasional popping bone. It was probably just a side effect of working my body so hard. Everything would settle back down after the game the next day.

  Near the end of practice, just as I was about to serve the ball, Carter walked into the gym. His face was bruised and blood dripped down from the corner of his mouth.

  My arm froze mid-serve. The ball flopped to the ground halfway before it reached the net. My coach and teammates yelled at me, but I barely took notice of them.

  Carter waved for me to go back to the game. I managed to finish the rest of the practice without any more mishaps, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him. What had happened?

  After practice was finally over, I rushed over to him and studied his wounds close up. His lower lip was split and caked in dried blood, and he had several bruises around his face, including around his right eye and on his chin. I traced the one on his chin with my thumb. “What happened? Will you finally tell me what’s going on?”

  “Yeah. Let’s get out of here first.”

  “Okay.” I grabbed my things, and we walked toward the hotel. Though the air was warm, I shivered.

  Carter put his arm around me and took a deep breath. “Those guys from a couple weeks ago are back.”

  I turned to him. “What?”

  “Those guys who tried to attack you.”

  “I know who you’re talking about. They’re back?”

  “Yeah. I’m not sure they ever left, actually.”

  My stomach twisted in knots. “What do they want? Why did they hurt you?”

  “Let’s get you to the hotel.”

  I stopped walking. “No. I need you to tell me what’s going on. Now.”

  “I will. I’ll tell you everything, but not here. Not where others can overhear.”

  “Is it that bad?”

  He gave a slight nod. “Let’s go.”

  One of my ribs popped.

  Carter’s eyes widened.

  “My back’s been giving me issues. I’m going to see the chiropractor after tomorrow’s game.”

  “Has that been happening? Your bones popping?”

  “Yeah. I’m fine.”

  Color drained from his face. “It’s worse than I thought.”

  “What is?”

  “Everything. Come on.”

  How could my rib issue worry him so much? “What do you know?”

  “Like I said, we need to discuss this. In private.”

  “Have I ever told you how much you annoy me?”

  The corners of his mouth twitched. “No, but I can see it in your eyes sometimes.”

  “And you think that’s funny?”

  “Not at all.” He kissed my forehead.

  His lips on my skin sent a wave of pleasant emotions through me. I took a deep breath to regain my focus. “Don’t try to distract me.”

  “I’m not trying to.”

  Trying or not, he was succeeding. I walked ahead of him, eager to get to the hotel and find out what was going on.

  Carter walked alongside me, and we stayed quiet until we reached my home. We waved to my mom, who was busy checking a family in. In the hall leading to my room, we passed Che.

  He had bruises on his face
.

  I froze in my tracks and glared at him. “What’s going on? Did you two get into a fight?”

  Carter put his arm around me. “We have to tell her everything. Now.”

  Che nodded. “I always knew this day was coming.” His tone held sadness.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You two should come to my room. I don’t want to risk your mom or sister hearing us.”

  My stomach was such a mess of tight knots, I wasn’t sure it could ever untangle itself. A rib popped, and then my hip. I cried out. They’d never been that painful before.

  “Hurry.” Carter glared at Che. “Before she shifts.”

  “Before I what?” I exclaimed.

  They pulled me down the hall.

  Chapter 13

  Carter

  Che’s room wasn’t far from Katya’s, but it was down the hall farther, past a noisy laundry room. There were no other residences besides his. That made it unlikely anyone would overhear us. It was the perfect place to explain Katya’s true nature to her.

  And it was definitely time. Just as we walked to Che’s room, her bones popped several more times. She cried out in pain each time.

  I exchanged worried glances with Che. It might not be long before she shifted.

  He unlocked his door and waved us inside, leading us to a small dining room. We sat at the table and Katya glared at us. “Now will you two tell me what’s going on?”

  “We’ll tell you everything.” I put my hand on top of hers and met her gaze. “Do you promise to keep an open mind?”

  “Can you make this stop hurting?” Her voice was pinched.

  I nodded. “We can. All the popping will stop, guaranteed.” But the one thing I couldn’t promise was that she’d like the answer—shifting into a jaguar. I took a deep breath and tried to figure out the best place to start.

  Che cleared his throat. “You know how you’ve always felt different from your mom and sister?”

  Katya stared at him. “How did you know?”

  “And you know how we’ve always had a connection?”

  She swallowed, but didn’t say anything.

  “Well, there’s a really good reason for that.”

  “I always thought it was because you were a father figure. And that you knew my dad. You’ve been willing to tell me more about him than Mom is.”

  “And what I’m about to tell you is something not even she knows about him.”

  Katya rubbed her side. Then she turned to me. “And you’re somehow involved in this? With whatever’s between Che and my dad?”

  “I never knew your dad, but yeah.”

  She stared back and forth between the two of us. “And that’ll explain why you two have become besties?”

  I nodded yes. “Not that we’d call each other besties.”

  Katya rubbed her neck, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. “Okay. Lay it on me. Why does this pain make me different from Mom and Alley?”

  Che rubbed his own neck, but for entirely different reasons. “There’s a family secret. It’s so important that, even though your dad walked away from the family, he couldn’t tell your mom. But you have to know now, because you’ve inherited it.”

  Katya’s eyes flew open. “What have I inherited? Is it a disease? Is that what really killed him? Am I going to die, too?”

  I placed my palm on her back. “You’re perfectly healthy. I swear.”

  She turned to me, her expression panic-stricken. “What is it, then?”

  I glanced over at Che. “Would it be better to just let her experience it? To see it? We could take her out to the forest.”

  Katya’s face paled. “See what? Just tell me!”

  My mind raced. I’d grown up knowing that one day I would shift. It was a rite of passage I’d eagerly awaited for years. I couldn’t even remember anyone ever telling me. By the time I was old enough to speak, I just knew it as reality. “You’ll keep an open mind?”

  “I don’t have much of a choice, now do I?” Another bone popped. She cried out.

  I pulled her close, and turned to Che. “We need to get her out of here.”

  “Can we get to the woods in time? I don’t have a car.”

  “I do.”

  Katya jumped up from her chair, tears shining in her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere until you two explain everything to me!”

  I rose and met her gaze. “You’re about to shift into a jaguar.”

  Her face paled even more, which I hadn’t thought possible. “What?”

  “Shifters are real.” I took her hand, which shook in mine. “Werewolves, dragons, bears, and plenty more. You, me, Che—we’re all jaguar shifters.”

  Katya turned to Che.

  He nodded. “So was your dad, and so are those guys who attacked you that night you brought Carter here.”

  She swayed back and forth.

  I pulled her close and held her, rubbing her back. “They’re the reason Che and I are bruised and bloody. He called me when they showed up at the hotel again. I came over, and we had to fight them to leave.”

  “Wh-what do they want?”

  Che and I exchanged another look. Katya might just fall completely apart if she knew they wanted her.

  “Don’t worry about them,” I whispered.

  She pulled out of my grasp and glared at me. “Don’t tell me not to worry! What do they want? Those… those shifters?”

  “You really want the truth?”

  “That’s all I’ve wanted all along.”

  “You.” I let the lone word sink in.

  Katya sat back down. “They want me?”

  I nodded.

  “Why?”

  I didn’t have the heart to tell her more.

  She turned to Che. “Why?”

  He frowned. “They’re from your dad’s family.”

  “They’re my relatives?”

  “Right.”

  “Like cousins or something?”

  “Something like that.” Che reached across the table and took her hand. “But you need to understand that there’s a good reason your dad left them. He risked his life when he made that choice.”

  Katya’s mouth fell open.

  “Leaving put a target on his back. But mating with a human, that was like painting targets all over his body. That’s what got him killed.”

  “Those people—they’re the ones who killed my dad?” Katya shook.

  Che nodded.

  “They need to go to jail! Why are they walking around free?”

  “Because shifters live by an entirely different set of rules and regulations. According to their laws, your father’s death was justified.”

  “Because he walked away from them? Because he loved Mom?”

  “Right.”

  She slunk into the chair. “This is too much.”

  I glanced at Che. “Should we take her out to shift?”

  “The popping has stopped,” she whispered. “And you don’t have to talk about me like I’m not here.”

  “Sorry. What should we do?”

  “Talk to me like I am here.”

  I brushed some hair away from her face. “No. I mean, do you want to shift? Do you need something else?” I tried to imagine myself in her place, but couldn’t.

  “I just want to lie down. In my own bed.”

  Che threw me a worried glance before turning to her. “But what if you have to shift?”

  Katya drew in a deep breath. “That passed. Nothing’s popping, nothing’s sore. I barely have the energy to walk to my room.”

  “I’ll help you. Lean on me.” I helped her to stand. The three of us trudged to her room. Che unlocked the door, and I helped Katya to her bed.

  She sat and looked over at Che, then me. “What now?”

  “Rest, if that’s what you need,” he said. “I’ll be close.”

  Katya turned to me. “Will you stay?”

  “Of course.”

  “Call me if you need anything,” Che said
.

  I nodded. “And you let me know if those jaguars show up again.”

  “I doubt they will. At least not tonight. But if they do, you’ll be the first to know.”

  “Oh, and Toby’s sending over a couple of our pack members. Make sure they get a room close to here.”

  “Will do.” He turned to Katya. “Do you need anything before I go?”

  She shook her head.

  He spun around and left, closing the door behind him.

  I pulled the covers back, and Katya climbed underneath. After turning off the lights, I sat in a recliner.

  “Hold me.”

  My pulse raced at the thought of climbing under the covers with her, but who was I to argue with what she wanted? I went around to the other side of the bed, kicked off my shoes, and slid over next to her, pulling her close. I tried to ignore how delicious she smelled and how soft her skin was.

  We lay in silence for some time. She shook, drew in deep breaths, and every once in a while, drew even closer to me. I kissed the back of her head several times and threaded my fingers through hers. Not once did any of her bones pop.

  “Is Professor Foley a jaguar shifter too?”

  “Toby? No, he’s a werewolf. Most of my pack is.”

  “Why do you live with them?”

  “Because they’re a helluva lot nicer than my family.”

  “So, when you say family, do mean pack? Or do you mean your literal family?”

  “Jaguars hate the term pack. Most of our kind looks down on werewolves, so we use the term family loosely.”

  She nodded and took a deep breath. “Most of our kind are jerks?”

  “That’s putting it politely.”

  “Why does my dad’s pack want me? Do they want me dead?”

  My breath caught. The truth would likely gut her.

  “I can handle the truth. I know I seem weak right now, but this is a lot to take in.”

  “You’re anything but weak. I can’t imagine how I’d handle hearing the news like you did, with no idea about the supernatural world.”

  “Supernatural world?”

  I cringed. Why had I said that? The last thing she needed was more dumped on her plate.

  “Tell me.”

  “Okay. There’s a lot more than the various shifters out there. We’re just a small part of the overall world of creatures that humans think only exist in stories and movies.”