Secret Jaguar

by Stacy Claflin

  “That’s terrible.”

  Carter nodded. “Traditional jaguar shifters are. What you can expect is pain, like I said before. Our bones completely transform and fur slices through our skin. It can feel like fire because it’s so fast. Your muscles will feel like they’re being torn apart—they’re not. But then once you’re in jaguar form, all will be right with the world.”

  “Does turning back hurt as much?”

  “I never usually remember. It isn’t unusual to lie down to fall asleep, then to wake in my human form.”

  “Naked?” I exclaimed, horrified at the thought of accidentally being discovered like that.

  He nodded. “That’s why we leave changes of clothes in various places around the woods and behind the mansion. But I also shift fully awake and aware plenty of times. You’ll be fine either way. I’ll protect you, and I swear I’ll be a perfect gentleman. No peeking, I give you my word.”

  A wave of confidence ran through me. I needed to take advantage of it. “Let’s do this.”

  Carter squeezed my hand. “Just stick your clothes in a bush. We’ll try to turn back near here.”

  I nodded, already feeling my confidence waning.

  He turned around and pulled off his shirt.

  We were really doing this.

  Carter pulled off his belt.

  I spun around, face flaming.

  This was actually happening. My heart raced even faster than before. I shook so hard I could barely get my jersey off. Behind me came the sounds of him sliding off his jeans.

  My mind raced, and my hands stumbled even more. I took a deep breath and focused only on removing my uniform. I folded it and set it on the ground. Wearing only my underwear, I turned to make sure he wasn’t looking.

  He wasn’t. He also had nothing on.

  I whipped back around and struggled with my bra clasp.

  “How’s it going over there?” Carter asked.

  “A-almost done.” I quickly stripped down and shoved the clothes inside a bush. “Now what?”

  “Just focus on shifting. You can talk to your jaguar if she’s nervous about coming out.”

  “She? Isn’t it me?”

  “Yeah, of course, but a lot of shifters find that it helps. The werewolves even refer to their wolf selves as their inner wolf.”

  I closed my eyes and whispered for my jaguar self to emerge. My bones popped and cracked. It started with my ribs and hips, but then moved all over—to my neck and knees and even the bones in my hands and feet.

  The searing pain I’d felt back at the gymnasium returned. My muscles burned. If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought I was actually being burned to death.

  I screamed, unable to stay silent. The sounds echoed all around me. More cracking bones. It felt as though every bone was breaking in half. I cried out again—if I had even stopped yelling in the first place.

  Carter said something, but I couldn’t understand him over my hollering. Hopefully, he wasn’t telling me to be quiet. That wasn’t possible.

  I pressed a hand against a tree to steady myself. It didn’t help. I fell to my knees. Knives dug into my skin. All over my body. No, that was the fur forcing its way out.

  Why had I agreed to this torture?

  A pain worse than all the others enveloped me. It was indescribably horrifying.

  Everything turned black.

  Chapter 16

  Carter

  I clenched my fists, hating that I could do nothing to help Katya. Once she had quieted, I turned around. Hopefully she was in jaguar form.

  She was. And she wasn’t moving.

  I raced over to her and rested my hand on her jaguar stomach. It moved up and down. She was breathing. Her body just needed to recover.

  First shifts were like that.

  “It’s going to be okay.” I kissed the top of her head, between her ears before shifting myself.

  Once I was in jaguar form, Katya had lifted her head and was looking around.

  I’m alive.

  I nodded. Of course you are.

  You can hear me? She rose to all fours.

  We communicate through our thoughts in this form.

  Is there anything else you haven’t told me yet?

  Probably. I can’t think of everything. Come on, let’s run.

  She lowered her front half and stretched. I’ll follow you. You know the woods.

  Let me know if I need to slow down.

  I stretched my massive paws out, then burst into a run. Katya was at my side in a matter of moments. Apparently I hadn’t needed to worry about her speed.

  The farther we ran, the more I felt her relax. It was taking her no time at all to settle into her new form. We raced and played, even tackling each other and rolling around in a field of wildflowers.

  It was the most fun I’d had in a long time—in any form.

  After a while, we both rested on our sides. Dirt and pebbles clung to her fur, and mine as well, I assumed. We just enjoyed being in each other’s presence for a while.

  Then she rose and stretched, yawning.

  I leaped to all fours. Want to meet some other supernaturals?

  Can we talk to them like this too?

  We’ll shift back first.

  Sure.

  I crouched low and then burst into a run. She caught up almost immediately. We headed for the Faeble. I slowed my pace and went around to the cubbies.

  She turned to me. What are we doing?

  This is where the supernaturals are.

  We’re going to shift back first?

  Yeah, they don’t allow animals inside. That includes shifters.

  What about our clothes? You promised me—

  You can borrow one of the werewolves’ outfits. It’s fine. Are you ready to turn back?

  She yawned. I think so.

  Let me shift first, so I can grab the right clothes. I can only have you borrow from my pack.

  Katya yawned again and curled up into a ball, facing away from me.

  I quickly shifted back, threw on a set of my clothes, then found one of Stella’s dresses. She and Katya were about the same height. Then I set it next to her.

  Her bones popped and her fur retracted, showing human skin. I spun around as fast as I could, careful to keep my gaze averted so I could keep my promise of giving her full privacy.

  “Are you okay over there?”

  “Just trying to get used to all this. It’s not as scary as I expected, actually.”

  “Glad to hear it.” I walked over to a stack of chopped wood and studied it as though it was the most interesting thing in the history of the world. It was difficult. I was all too aware of the sounds of Katya moving around, getting dressed.

  “All done.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief before spinning back around. Katya stood, wearing the dress. Her hair was sticking out in various directions and she had no makeup on.

  She took my breath away. Her natural beauty was even more intoxicating than her perfectly-done self.

  “Is something wrong?” She glanced down at herself.

  “Not at all.” I strode toward her, drinking in her loveliness. She held my gaze, her mouth gaping slightly. I wrapped an arm around her and threaded my fingers through her hair before closing my eyes and kissing her, taking it deeper immediately.

  Katya pressed her hands on my sides and squeezed her fingers against my shirt, tickling me slightly. She kissed me back with equal passion.

  I guided her to the wall and sandwiched her between it and myself. Our tongues danced together, both exploring with passion.

  The door next to us snapped open, slamming against something next to it.

  Katya and I jumped apart. A mesmer waggled his tongue. “Don’t stop on my account.”

  I glared at him, then pulled Katya inside.

  “What was he?” she asked. “Some kind of deranged smurf?”

  “No. But their skin does kind of have a blueish hue, though.”

  “He’s c
reepy.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. Forget about him. Let’s go meet Tap and Quinn.”

  We walked to the main part of the bar, and Katya looked around wide-eyed. I was used to the variety of the patronage, but she reminded me of a kid seeing a carnival of wonders for the first time.

  “What are all these… creatures?”

  “Tongue Waggler was a mesmer, basically a trickster. You’re right to be wary of him. Over there at that table are mermaids and—”

  “Mermaids are real?”

  “Not so loud. Yeah, they are. They can be pretty mean, so be careful.”

  She stared at them. “Do they really turn into half-fish if they go into the water?”

  “Yeah. Come on, let’s stay focused. An entire family group of jaguar shifters are after you.”

  Katya turned to me, her face paling. “I almost forgot. After shifting and… Well, show me to Tad.”

  “Tap.”

  “What’s he?”

  “A former troll king.”

  “Trolls are real, too?”

  I nodded. “For now, just assume every fairytale creature actually exists. Most do.”

  She glanced around the bar, her expression melting back to wonder. I led her to the bar and held out a stool for her to sit on.

  “Tap, old buddy. I have someone for you to meet.”

  He spun around, carrying a tray of bubbling multi-color drinks. “Oh, yeah? Who?”

  I introduced them. “Katya just found out she’s a jaguar shifter. Her family of origin is in town to claim her as their own.”

  Concern filled his expression. “Let me give these to the mermaids, then we’ll talk.” He disappeared with the drinks.

  Katya leaned against the counter. “He doesn’t seem so bad.”

  “He’s a good guy. He’s helped my pack more times than I can count.”

  “If he’s a king, why run a bar?”

  “Former king, and he loves it. My guess is because he stays on top of what’s going on with so many people coming through. Plus, he has so many people coming to him for help—I think in a way, he’s still a king in his own right.”

  “Why’d he give up the actual position?”

  “Someday, you’ll have to ask him yourself.”

  Quinn came over and held out his hand to Katya. “I’m Quinn. Who’re you?”

  “Katya.”

  “Very nice to meet you.” He turned to me. “She’s the one you’ve been looking for?”

  “Yeah. Thanks for pointing that out.”

  Katya laughed. “I’m glad you did, otherwise those guys might’ve succeeded in taking me.”

  Quinn’s expression turned serious, and he nodded.

  Tap returned and waved Katya and me over to an empty booth in the corner. Then he told Quinn to bring us some drinks.

  We made ourselves comfortable, and between Katya and me we filled him in on everything.

  Tap drew in a deep breath and sipped his dark-blue drink. “I heard rumors of a shifter pack in town, but hadn’t actually heard any details. Do you need me to find a place to hide the lady?”

  Katya scooted closer to me.

  I squeezed her hand. “No, I’m going to stay with her, whether it be at the hotel or the mansion. We might need your help in other ways.”

  He nodded knowingly. “If the jaguars show up here, I’ll let you know. Do the witches know what’s going on?”

  “Toby’s working on that.”

  “Good. There’s nothing like having Gessilyn on your side.” He paused, looking deep in thought. “Still haven’t heard from Soleil?”

  I shook my head, a wave of sadness running through me at the thought of my valkyrie friend. We hadn’t seen her since she risked everything using a sword that alerted her superiors in Valhalla of her location. “Do you think they found her?”

  Tap frowned. “I hope not—unless she managed to find that dictator she was supposed to kill.”

  “That’s what worries me. She wasn’t even looking.”

  “I know.” Tap turned his attention back to Katya. “She’d have been helpful, but we have plenty of other resources to keep you safe.”

  Katya scooted closer to me, and I wrapped my arm around her.

  “But will they ever give up looking for me? Carter says they think the guy who wants to marry me thinks he owns me. I can hide, but that’ll only slow them down, right?”

  “Correct.” Tap finished his drink. “Your family did a good job of keeping you hidden, but it’s hard once you reach the age of shifting.”

  “But now that I’ve shifted, it’ll be easier? Didn’t someone say it was harder to cover my scent because I hadn’t turned yet?”

  Tap nodded. “That’ll help, but there are ways. If they know a witch, he or she likely can work around protection spells.”

  “So, then what can we do now that they’re here, ready to force me into a life I don’t want?”

  Tap and I exchanged a worried glance.

  “What?” Katya demanded.

  I cleared my throat. “It’s going to involve a lot of death. We’re going to have to kill enough of their family that the remaining ones flee. That’s the only way.”

  Chapter 17

  Katya

  I shook, staring at Carter and Tap. “We… we have to kill them?”

  “It’s the jaguar way.” He downed the rest of his drink.

  My mind raced. “What if I just tell them I don’t want anything to do with them or their lifestyle? I didn’t grow up with it, and I don’t want it.”

  Tap gave me a sympathetic glance. “You’d have about as much luck telling a dictator you don’t want to follow his rules. It won’t fly. They’ve been following their ways for many centuries. They take pride in the old traditions and will even kill their own children for breaking them.”

  I jumped, but it made sense. They’d murdered my dad.

  “I’m sure all of this is a shock,” Tap continued. “Growing up as a human with your actual human family has sheltered you from a lot. The supernatural world can be quite violent and gruesome.”

  I looked Carter in the eyes. “Why did you bring me into all of this?”

  “He didn’t,” Tap said. “You were born into it. There’s no getting around that. You can run, but you can’t hide forever.”

  My stomach twisted in knots. “You’re right. Sorry, Carter. I’m just so overwhelmed with all of this. I wish I could go back to not knowing.”

  “You think you could’ve avoided shifting forever? I’m surprised you made it this long.”

  I turned away from Tap and ran my fingertip up the glass, making a line through the condensation. “So, basically, my only choices are to fight or go with those jerks?”

  “You don’t have to fight,” Carter said. “I can round up enough people to help us.”

  Indignation burned in my gut. “I’m definitely fighting. It’s me they want. I’m not going to hide while others put their necks on the line for me.”

  Tap bore his gaze into mine. “You’ll have to learn to fight. It’ll take time to train.”

  “My final exams are coming up. I have all summer.”

  Carter raked his fingers through his hair and pulled. “They’re already in town. I don’t think we can wait that long.”

  Tap spun his empty glass. “It might work.”

  “How?” I demanded.

  “We’re personal friends with the high witch. She could put together a really strong cloaking spell. It would buy you enough time to finish your school year and then train. But you’re going to have to focus on that alone. There won’t be time for fun college activities.”

  “Whatever it takes to get these people, uh, jaguars out of my life. I don’t want to kill anyone, but if the only other choice I have is to be someone’s baby factory, then that’s what they have coming.”

  Carter stared at me with admiration. “I don’t know that I would be so brave in your situation—just finding out about the supernatural world.”

/>   “It’s not like I have much of a choice. No way am I going to be some tyrant’s wife. I control my destiny.”

  Tap and Carter exchanged a glance.

  I gulped down the rest of my drink. “So, where do we go from here? What do I do?”

  “I’ve got spare rooms,” Tap said. “Nobody’s going to find you here. You wouldn’t believe the magic I have protecting my home.”

  “This bar is your home?” I asked.

  “Downstairs. Do you want a guest room?”

  I shook my head, more indignation churning. “I’m not going to let them chase me away from my home. I’m going to the hotel.”

  “You might want to consider it.”

  “I’ll keep your offer in the back of my mind, but I want to live my life, not live in fear. I’ve got both Carter and Che there.”

  “But if twenty shifters show up, the two of them will be woefully outnumbered. You’re not just putting your own safety on the line, but theirs. Not to mention your human family.”

  I hadn’t thought of that. “Well, I don’t want to hide. What kind of a message is that sending those bullies?”

  Tap glanced at Carter. “How do you feel about going to the hotel with her?”

  “It’s what she wants. I’ll bring along some of the pack members. Maybe see if Gessilyn can spare one of her siblings.”

  “You’re both hard-headed.” Tap rose. “Let me grab a concoction from downstairs. It won’t last long, but it should buy you some time until Gessilyn’s coven can devise a stronger protection spell.”

  He walked away, muttering to himself.

  I turned to Carter. “You don’t think I’m making a mistake, do you?”

  “Standing your ground is never a mistake. I respect you for it.”

  A warmth ran through me. “Thank you.”

  Quinn came over and took our empty glasses. “Anything else I can get you?”

  Carter leaned back against the booth. “I don’t suppose you have a potion to make a shifter remain permanently in his animal form?”