by Zoe Chant
“So, when are you going to explain what’s bothering you?” he asked as they stepped into the elevator.
“There’s nothing wrong with me,” she said automatically, but she felt absurd when she caught the look Nicodemus gave her.
“I’m just worried,” she said as the elevator doors slid shut.
“About your trapped friend?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, and felt the tension in her shoulders ease with the admission.
Nicodemus sighed. “I wish I had better news for you, but all of those I’ve contacted say that no such thing is possible. To the best of my knowledge, there is no way to force a shifter to change if they do not want to.”
“Or if they can’t,” Octavia said softly.
Conversation was put on hold as they stepped out of the elevator and into the public lobby. Octavia let Nicodemus take the lead. He didn’t head towards the parking lot, but headed down the street.
Despite herself, Octavia found herself relaxing. It was good to be out of her office, to take a break from the reams of electronic documents that she had been reading. It felt good to get out in the fresh air and clear her head.
Nicodemus’s idea of lunch was stymied by a full restaurant, and they had to settle for a sub from a street vendor and a park bench. In his suit and tie, he raised a few eyebrows from passers-by as he licked mustard from his fingertips, a rather sour look on his face. Octavia, more dignified, dabbed her fingers on a tissue, enjoying the unusual outing.
“So why has this jaguar in particular dug his claws into your brain?” he asked, picking up the thread of their conversation between bites.
“I wish I knew,” she admitted. “He worried me at first, but when I realized he was like me, I wanted to help him.
“And just how did you realize he was like you?” Nicodemus asked, and Octavia hesitated.
“I can’t put my finger on it. Something about the way he watched me when I was human suggested it, and when I shifted, it was more obvious. For all we look like animals, we aren’t. Not really.”
“Mm,” Nicodemus muttered encouragingly.
“I’ve seen real jaguars in zoos, met a few in private collections, and he is far closer to them than any other shifter I’ve met. And yet, there is still something so strongly human about him.”
Nicodemus looked to be considering this statement. “But you can’t be sure, can you?”
She scowled at him, and he held his hands up as if to ward her off. “My dear, I am merely playing devil’s advocate.”
“Don’t,” she said flatly.
“Of course. Simply put, then, if you have not found any information to help your friend by now, and I haven’t either, then it is likely that there is no information to be found. Perhaps the mere fact that you care about him, and want to help him, will do the trick where science is failing.”
Octavia considered this thoughtfully. She hated giving up like this, but Nicodemus was more than likely right. She had found nothing, and all she was doing was giving herself a headache.
“Thank you, Uncle, for trying” she said as she tossed the last crumbs of her sub to a hovering pigeon. “If you think you can handle the fort, I’ll leave now.”
Nicodemus winked at her. “You just take care of yourself, and see if you can come home with a handsome man. If not, I heard young Velasquez is interested in you.”
Octavia shook her head dismissively. “Velasquez just wants someone to look pretty on his arm while he flirts with everything in a skirt. That someone is not going to be me.”
Nicodemus tutted under his breath. “So particular, my dear.”
“Yes,” she said bluntly.
***
In all the time she had spent with the jaguar, she had never really considered what he might look like in human form. And now, as she drove back to her private range, she could not help speculating, her imagination running wild. By the time she arrived at her usual parking spot, she had conjured up any number of images in her head, but none of them felt quite right.
She was obscurely disappointed to arrive and not find the black jaguar waiting for her. Stepping out of the car, she hoisted her new pack out of the trunk. She hung the keys from the usual spot on the chassis, and started to walk. She kept up a brisk pace, not pausing as she usually did to admire the scenery. She constantly scanned her surroundings for any sign of the jaguar, while her own inner jaguar stirred restlessly.
There was no sign of him, and her restlessness only increased as she reached the cabin. She unlocked the door, threw her bag in uncaringly, stripped out of her clothes, and immediately shifted to jaguar form.
She breathed in deeply and angled her ears, searching. His scent was still in the area, so he couldn’t be too far away. She cast about, searching for the strongest concentration. It was a relief to know he was still around.
As she followed the scent, Octavia was fairly sure where she would find him. He had shown an affinity for her fishing spot, and when he hadn’t been following her, he had been sunning himself there on a gravel bank.
As she came closer, she slowed her pace, until she inched forward enough to peek out from the cover of the bushes.
Even in the day that she had been away, he was looking healthier. He lay on his side on one of the gravel cars in the river, eyes closed, enjoying the sun. His ears and the tip of his tail were the only things to betray awareness, twitching faintly.
Giving a happy mental sigh she stepped out, vocalizing a greeting.
Her approach must have been stealthier than she had thought as his eyes snapped open, and very human surprise was visible. He rolled to his feet in a defensive posture, which relaxed as he realized it was her.
She continued forward, intending to greet him in the way of cats, but his posture continued to change. She had watched any number of shifters change, mostly her family, but there was something special about watching her black jaguar companion change. For starters, it was slow and drawn out. A human form and the jaguar form seemed to split apart from each other and then merge again, the human taking precedence. Secondly, it proved that she was right: he was a shifter.
She sat back on her haunches and waited patiently, her inner human dancing. Finally the shift was done, and he stood before her.
He was a tall black man, over six feet tall if she judged right. He was broad shouldered and his arms and abdomen rippled with muscles. His hair was dark brown and cut close to his scalp. His eyes were a startling pale blue that captivated her gaze. As a cat, her admiration of him was muted, but inside, Octavia found her human-self fixated. He smiled, and looked straight at her.
“Welcome back,” he said.
Octavia wished she could purr as those smooth, dark and rich tones rolled over her. She let herself change, her jaguar sliding contentedly back into her mind. Although she was used to nudity, faced with the gorgeous specimen of manhood in front of her, she felt a little self-conscious.
“Glad to meet you as a human,” she replied.
The absurdity of the situation hit her then, two naked strangers formally greeting each other in the middle of the forest. She tried not to laugh, but it was a losing battle. By the sparkle in the eyes of her companion, he felt the same way.
“Shall we continue this at my cabin, with clothes on?” she suggested.
“I like that plan,” he replied, and promptly changed back to jaguar form.
She did too, and started an impromptu game of tag out of sheer joy. They darted back and forward through the undergrowth, trying to tag each other with swift paw strikes. Octavia, at full health, was faster, but her companion was sneakier.
They arrived back at the cabin in a tangle of paws, and Octavia shifted back, out of breath and giggling. Her companion followed suit, and Octavia couldn’t help but notice that his dark skin was shiny with sweat, making him gleam. A sudden wave of desire swamped her, and she turned to fiddle with the door in order to hide her blush. She didn’t even know the man’s name, for heavens sake!
“I’d wear a dress if it meant I could use your shower,” he joked.
Octavia laughed. “Mi casa, su casa. I’m Octavia Mateo, and as I said, it’s nice to meet you in human form.”
“It’s good to be back in human form. I’m Luke Covas, and can I promise you a full explanation after a shower? I’ve been dreaming of hot water,” he added wistfully.
“Take your time,” Octavia said. “I’m sure you’re tired of fish, so I’ll throw some sandwiches together and find some clothes that might do. But I’ll hold you to an explanation.”
She pointed him in the direction of the bathroom, and waited until she heard the water running before she gathered up her bag. She opened it, and frowned, and poked curiously at the plastic bag that rested on top of the things that she had packed. A note was pinned to it, written in the distinctive scrawl of Nicodemus.
Octavia dear, I doubt that your companion would suit your clothing. Perhaps these will help. - N
Inside the bag, as the note suggested, were a couple of male T-shirts, a pair of jeans, a pair of sweatpants, and three pairs of boxers still in their plastic wrapping. Grinning, Octavia lifted the plastic bag and carried it to the bathroom. She knocked and opened it a little, letting out a cloud of steam.
“Looks like you won’t be needing a dress,” she said. “Clothes are just inside the door.”
She heard a “Thanks,” over the sound of running water, and left him to it.
She had brought a few things with her in the hope that she could talk the jaguar into shifting, and so set about making ham and tomato sandwiches. She laid out the fixings for coffee, and then took a seat at the table, laptop at the ready.
She had dealt with half a dozen emails when she heard the water shut off. Five minutes later, the bathroom door opened and Luke re-joined her in the kitchen. He wore the provided pair of sweatpants, hanging low off his hips. The t-shirt clung tightly to his chest, outlining every muscle. His dark hair was still wet and stood up in errant spikes that she longed to run her fingers through.
She wanted to touch his dark skin, to feel his heartbeat. She wanted to be cradled in his arms, and longed for a breath-stealing kiss.
Overwhelmed by the unexpected rush of feelings, Octavia didn’t realise that she was staring until Luke waved a hand in front of her eyes.
“Earth to Octavia,” he said jokingly, and she felt her cheeks burning. “I don’t look that bad in these clothes, do I?”
“Quite the opposite,” escaped her before she could check her tongue. “How do you like your coffee?” she attempted as a distraction, turning away.
She could feel his eyes still watching her as she measured the coffee granules into the cups.
“Strong enough to melt spoons,” he said. “I’ve missed coffee.”
She considered his cup, then added another heaped spoonful before adding the water and giving it to him. As she made her own, he took a sip and made an incoherent noise of pleasure. To her embarrassment, she felt an inner rush of arousal, and quickly stamped it down.
“Feel better?” she asked as she returned to her seat.
“Much, thank you. And the coffee is just what I needed. Now, I promised you an explanation, didn’t I?”
“You did, but you’re not obligated.”
“Considering that you were the one that saved me, you have a right to know.” He looked straight at her. “I owe you my life.”
Octavia rocked back in her chair, astonished.
“That sounds very dramatic,” he continued. “But that’s how I see it.”
“You sound like you’re building up to something big,” Octavia noted.
“I’m just a dramatic sort of fellow,” he quipped. “But no, I’m a fire-fighter.”
A fire-fighter! Octavia thought with excitement. Now that was different from the men she usually met— wealthy businessmen who never lifted anything heavier than a briefcase, or did anything more dangerous than brave the freeways in the back of a limousine.
But it made sense. No wonder Luke had such impressive muscles— and no wonder he’d made such an impression on her. He worked for a living, risking his life to save others. She’d never met anyone like that before.
“First of all, where on earth am I?” he asked. “Normally I work a city beat in Tucson, but when that wildfire hit down on the Mexican border, it was all hands on deck, from both sides. Did you hear about that?”
“Hard to miss something that big, but you’ve come a fair distance from there now. We’re in the wilds near Cancun. This is my private hideaway. And that fire was a while ago.”
“A month? Two?”
“One month, or thereabouts.”
He paused, looking thoughtful, and a little worried. “Didn’t seem like it. Anyway, I got separated from the rest of my crew and by the time I realized it, there was a line of fire between me and them. I couldn’t get out as a human, so I shifted in case my other self would do better.”
A haunted note entered his deep voice as he continued. “That was a mistake. As a jaguar, everything was overwhelming. I was running on instinct, trying to get out to safety, but the human side of me was getting swamped. I’ve never heard of anyone getting lost in their other form, but that’s what happened to me. In the pain and the fear, I just ran. By the time I got here, I barely knew anything other than I was a cat. You were the first thing I saw that started my brain working again. Something about you drew me in.”
“Which explains why you were following me,” Octavia said.
“Then when you shifted in front of me, I realized that I could do that too— at least I thought that I should be able to do that. I kept trying after you went to bed. Then when you left, I was just so angry and upset that I found myself back in human form without realizing.”
“Glad I could make you angry then,” Octavia said quietly.
“It was only for a few minutes, while I was still locked. I couldn’t understand why you would leave your territory, leave me for this thing that you called work that made your scent so sad. I was angry that you wanted to leave me.”
“Until you became human again, and everything made sense, I assume.”
“Yeah. That was when I realized as well that you’d be coming back. You’d want to help me.”
“You’re right about that,” Octavia said sheepishly. “I’ve been a ditz at work, so my uncle told me to get back here and get my head cleared again. Imagine how surprised I was when you’d changed without my persuasion.”
“I’m not going to lie, I was worried about shifting in case I forgot myself again, but I wasn’t going to sleep naked as a human in the wilds. Too many bugs in unmentionable places.”
Octavia couldn’t help but laugh, as she suspected he had intended. “You could have slept in the cabin.”
“That would have meant breaking and entering, and, well, as my cat self wanted you to like him, my human self wanted the same thing.”
His eyes and his rich voice were warm, and Octavia nibbled her bottom lip as she felt her face heating again. She didn’t think that she had blushed as much in her entire life. If she wasn’t mistaken, he was flirting with her. She set down her cup, and reached over to touch his hands. Seeing her intention, he reached out as well, and twined his fingers in hers.
The second that her skin brushed against his, an electric shock surged through her veins. She felt singed by the contact, but unable to let go. The shock faded into a gentle glow that wrapped tight around her. Her breath caught in her lungs as she felt her panties dampen with a surge of hot desire that seemed to come from nowhere. She looked up from their joined hands to stare at his eyes. His pupils were wide and huge, reflecting back at her their need, their want. The same desire that had suddenly gripped her also seemed to be holding him.
His breathing was normal, but she could see the pulse point jumping at his thr
oat. She understood what Luke had meant as her inner jaguar sprang to life, roaring triumphantly, subsuming her rational side in emotion. She tried for control, tried to stand firm against this wave, but she couldn’t— and she didn’t want to. Her jaguar wanted this man, right now, and in her heart of hearts, her human half did as well.
As she came to this conclusion, he must have reached a conclusion of his own, as he leaned across the table and kissed her.
It was a hard, hot and hungry kiss, and she loved every minute of it. She leaned into it, swiping her tongue over his coffee flavored lips, feeling him chuckle. He was the first to break the kiss, but it was only to move so that the table was no longer between them. He took her hands again and lifted her from her chair as if she was fragile porcelain. She stepped close to him, moulding herself to his broad frame. She wanted him, and Octavia refused to fight this desire that felt so right.
She could feel his erection already pressing against her, and wrapped her arms around him feeling the play of his muscles. He wrapped his arms around her, and a sense of being protected swamped her. She was not short, and she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. He was smiling, and his lips were parted invitingly.
Their second kiss was just as hungry as the first, but much more leisurely as their tongues twisted and danced together. Octavia worked the edge of his t-shirt out of his pants, and slid her hands under to touch his skin. The electric surge nearly took her breath away and she shivered against him, grateful for his support as her knees weakened. Beneath the electric current, his skin was smooth and supple, extra soft from his shower. He shuddered with her ghost-like touch, and pulled her in closer.
She rested her head against his chest, and they stood there, content for a while. But not for too long, as the heat in her blood began to push at her again, craving more than just this casual contact.
“Luke?” she asked, his name sitting on her tongue like it was meant to be there.
“Mm-hm?”
“I want you. Come to bed with me.”