“Pupil reaction is sluggish,” the doctor announced, gaining Jag’s full attention. “There’s a good-sized lump on her head, and it appears she’s got a cut as well. No doubt she has a concussion, but I need to get her scanned to see how severe. Help me get her onto a gurney so we can get her into CT.”
Lifting her limp body as gently as possible, Jag brought her to the same table she’d seated him on mere moments before. He settled her, taking care to ensure her head was on the soft pillow. With her taking not one, but two blows, she’d surely be suffering one hell of a headache when she woke.
Dr. Lewis raised the side rails and unlocked the brakes beneath the gurney. “I’ll get her scanned and into a room. I wouldn’t want her to come around and see all of this again.”
“I want to know where you take her and what her injuries are as soon as you find out,” Jag demanded.
“Of course.”
He watched, feeling helpless as Lynn was wheeled from the room. She’d been so brave, so fierce, as she faced the rogue. Any other female would have most likely dissolved into tears or hysterics, but not her. No, Lynn had taken one solid knock to the head then managed to stab the son-of-a-bitch with the very needle the doc had been wielding earlier. When the bastard had thrown her, Jag swore his heart stopped.
“Okay, man, tell me what the hell just happened,” Liam ordered, bringing Jag back to the here and now and handing him a sheet to cover himself with.
Taking a deep breath, he described the attack all the way to the point where Liam and the doctor had charged in. He had a feeling he’d be forced to recap the event again to the Prime, but it was the Prima he dreaded most.
Jag had come to like Samantha very much, and admitting his failure to protect Lynn would shame him greatly. There was Lynn to face as well.
How in the hell was he supposed to look her in the eye? His inner jaguar might want her for his mate, but Jag knew that he, the man, wasn’t worthy of her. No, Lynn deserved a male who could protect her as well as provide for her needs.
While the latter was no problem, the first had just proven to be something he failed at. If he wanted to pursue a proper claiming, he needed to show he deserved her.
“Damn,” Liam drawled. “The girl has guts; I’ll give her that.”
“I’m just glad her guts didn’t end up all over the floor. All it would have taken was one swipe of his claws to fillet her belly.” Jag shuddered. “I can’t remember ever feeling so scared…or helpless.”
Liam clapped him on the back, the move meant to be friendly. Since Jag had kept to himself for so long, it startled him a bit. “She’s your mate. I’m sure it won’t be the last time you experience that feeling, but it’ll be worth it.”
“She’s not my mate.”
“Denial is a sad, sad place to live. Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better, but your jaguar knows. You were scent marking her, Jag. I had a feeling you might like her, but I had no idea it went that far.” Liam shook his head. “This is my fault. I’m sorry, man.”
Jag couldn’t have been more shocked. “How the hell is this your fault?”
“We never should have left this piece of shit in here,” Liam snarled, kicking the dead shifter. “None of this would have happened. Lynn wouldn’t be hurt, and you’d be patched up. Shit, we still need to at least bandage you.”
“Is there a shower around here? I think it would be a lot easier if I just washed all of this off.” Jag waved a hand in front of himself as if Liam could have missed all the dried blood and mud coating his body.
“Yeah, follow me. I’ll have a few men deal with the body.”
With the sheet still wrapped around his waist, Jag followed Liam down the hall and into what was obviously a patient room. He showered as quickly as he could, vigorously scrubbing his body and ignoring the pain from his many wounds as he attempted to be done before any news about Lynn’s condition arrived.
He came out, this time with a small towel wrapped around his hips, to find Liam and Dr. Lewis standing at the foot of a hospital bed. Lynn lay there, utterly still, with an IV hanging overhead.
Guilt rose up within him. When she’d gone for the meds, he’d been so focused on the sexy sway of her hips in those cotton pants that he failed to notice the rogue shifter had regained consciousness until it was too late.
“How is she?” Jag asked.
Dr. Lewis grimaced. “Not well. She has a moderate concussion, and I gave her some pain meds to keep her comfortable. I went ahead and scanned her neck, too. It showed some signs of whiplash, so from the shoulders up, she’ll be pretty miserable for a while.”
Liam dragged his hand over his face, looking as exhausted as Jag felt. “I’ll need to set a guard at her door. I can come back once I brief Dylan and take over.”
“I’ll do it.” Jag wanted to be the one to keep her safe and knew he’d never relax unless he was certain Lynn was all right. “Just find me some clothes, and I’ll be good.”
Neither male argued. The doctor simply told him to hit the call button if she woke or in case he needed anything. A few minutes after they left, a plump little nurse breezed in with a pair of scrubs for Jag to put on.
Once he was properly covered, he opted to leave the door closed and settled into the chair beside her bed. The only thing left to do was wait and pray she’d be able to forgive him with time.
* * * *
Lynn slowly woke to the sound of hushed voices. Cracking her eyes to see who was near, she gasped and clamped them shut again as pain lanced through her head.
“Lynn?” A cool hand brushed hers. “Are you awake?”
Recognizing Samantha’s whispered voice, Lynn struggled to find her words, her mind uncommonly sluggish. “Lights,” she rasped.
Almost immediately, she noticed the increased darkness through her lids. Why are my eyes so sensitive? she wondered.
Doing a quick assessment, she came the only logical conclusion for the way she felt. “Ugh, I was hit by a truck, wasn’t I?”
A soft giggle came from Sam then she reminded Lynn of the truth. “Close. It was a shifter then a wall. How are you feeling?”
“Sore.” Broken memories surfaced, and Lynn struggled to sit up. “Where’s Jag? He was hurt!” The sudden movement sent the room into motion as everything seemed to tilt.
“Whoa! I’m right here. We didn’t mean to wake you up. I was just explaining everything to the Prima.”
“The name’s Sam, Jag. Use it.”
Ignoring her friend’s reprimand, Lynn addressed Jag as he eased her back on the bed. “So you’re all healed?”
“Mostly.”
He wouldn’t meet her eyes, and Lynn knew he was fibbing, but after everything they’d just been through—and the fact her head was splitting—she decided to let him slide.
“You must be hurting. Do you want anything for pain?” The concern in his gaze when he finally looked at her was touching, and warmth spread through Lynn’s body.
“I’m not sure I want anything just yet. I hate the effect they have.” Actually, she didn’t want her mind to feel as fuzzy as it did now. Not being able to concentrate or recall all that had happened made her extremely uneasy. “I could go for a drink of water though.”
Jag smiled, seeming happy at her request. He excused himself to get it for her.
“He blames himself,” Sam whispered once the door closed.
“For what? None of this was his fault.”
“That’s not how he sees it.”
More images flashed through Lynn’s mind, coming faster and faster until the scene played out in her head. Getting the meds, the other shifter tackling her, stabbing him with the syringe then flying through the air.
“How the hell does he figure that? There’s no way he could’ve seen the attack coming. The guy was out cold!”
“He’s not the only one criticizing himself. Liam is feeling really guilty too. He blames himself because he neglected to remove the other shifter from the room.”
<
br /> As if that would have been possible. “Jag was barely in control at the time, and the only ones he considered threats were Dr. Lewis and Liam. If either of them had taken the time to move the rogue, they may have ended up with a very large jaguar on their ass.”
“I know, but you know how guys can be. It’s like some kind of blow to the ego. The whole ‘I failed to protect the girl’ bullshit.” Samantha grinned. “Guess they didn’t figure in how today’s women are a little tougher than in the past. By the way, nice job! I can’t believe you managed to take one of these guys by surprise.”
“What do you mean?” The only one taken by surprise had been her. Both Jag and the other guy had been seriously injured; who knew they could still move like that?
“Are you kidding me? Even Dylan was in awe of your quick moves. How did you even get the needle?” Samantha asked, sitting on the side of the bed.
“Dr. Lewis had it. He was trying to sedate Jag when Liam and I showed up. He’d left it on a tray with the supplies to patch up Jag, but I slipped it into my pocket so he wouldn’t see it and flip out again.”
Samantha nodded. “Good thinking. I’m just glad you had it.”
“My turn to ask a question. Why the hell are you here? You just had a baby for crying out loud!”
“Trust me, Dylan wasn’t happy about it, but I can be very stubborn.”
“Tell me about it.”
“He’ll be coming back any minute now to pick me up, so don’t worry.”
The door opened, and Jag returned. He looked positively sinful in the green scrubs, his black hair nearly to his shoulders, and those pale blue eyes against his dark tan were stunning. Yep, he was every nurse’s wet dream come to life. “I’ve got some ice water, but they said to just sip it at first. I think they’re worried about you getting sick.”
Lynn appreciated how he spoke softly and offered up a small smile when he handed over the white Styrofoam cup with a bendy straw. “No problem.” At this point, she’d agree to just about anything as long as it came as a liquid. “Those meds give me cotton mouth like you wouldn’t believe,” she told him as she sipped the drink. The cool water soothed her parched throat, and Lynn moaned low as she felt it travel all the way down.
Jag chuckled, the sound startling Lynn. “Feel better?”
“Much. So, I guess, with all these precautions, I must have knocked my noggin harder than I thought. How bad is it?”
Samantha shifted, a sure sign that whatever she had to say would suck. “Well, you have a concussion, that was pretty obvious, but your body also took a lot of abuse during the fight.”
“Trust me, I know. Even my aches have aches.”
“Yeah, and your body has more bruises than if you’d been used as a crash-test dummy. You’ll need to stay here for a few days until you’re better. I don’t want you going back to the city alone.”
Oddly enough, Lynn wasn’t too keen on being by herself in her apartment either. With Samantha gone, the place just seemed too empty. “So you expect me to stay here in Shifterville? I thought they hated humans.”
“Not everyone here feels that way,” Jag put in. “Don’t let the actions of a few put you off. We’re actually a very tight-knit community.”
Lynn arched a brow his way. “So does that mean you aren’t completely against humans anymore?” After he’d been trapped by humans for years in his animal form, Lynn couldn’t say she would blame him if he were. Hell, she’d be extremely distrusting too if the roles were reversed.
Dear Lord, the man actually blushed! Lynn was sure he couldn’t get any more attractive if he tried.
“I’m aware not all humans are like the one’s who held me. I also realize they didn’t know what I was. Being caged for any length of time will mess with your mind, but after years of it? I’m finally beginning to feel like my old self again.” A shy smile split his face, and Lynn had the strongest urge to hug him.
Jag was a good man with a troubled past—totally not her type, but tell that to her heart. The damn thing tried to beat right out of her chest whenever he was near, almost as if it were trying to go to him. “I’m glad,” Lynn replied. Turning to Samantha, she agreed to stay but still had to make a call to her work. “What the hell am I going to tell them? It’s not like I have coverage for this sort of thing.”
“Tell them you were in an accident. Hell, you look like you’ve been drug behind a truck. Your entire back is a big bruise, and you’ve got a hell of a knot on the back of your head.”
“Fine, I’ll make the call. I just hope they can find someone to take over my patients until I get back.” She’d also need to call her landlord and explain why her rent check would be late. Lynn highly doubted Jag or Dylan would let her drop off a check.
Samantha stood, placing her hand on Jag’s arm as she moved around the bed. “We’ll leave you to rest for a little bit. I need to check on Eli, and Jag needs to meet with Dylan for a few. Liam will be just outside the door if you need anything, okay?”
Lynn nodded but regretted it when her brain began to throb. “You’ll have to bring baby Eli around for me to see him again soon, but right now, I think I’ll try to sleep some more before I make any calls.”
“Are you sure there’s nothing you can take for pain?” Jag inquired, his brow furrowed. Clearly, her discomfort bothered him.
“I’ll be okay, but thank you. I’m tougher than I look.” Lynn gave him a little wink, and he rewarded her with a crooked grin.
“You got that right,” he agreed. “I’ll be back soon to take over for Liam.”
Just knowing Jag would come back settled her nerves. She’d put on a brave face, but the truth was, being in the midst of all these shape-shifters left her feeling tense. If this experience had taught her anything, it was that she didn’t stand a chance against them physically. Now if she had her gun, the playing field might be more even. Unfortunately, it was in her room back at the resort, and she doubted anyone would fetch it for her any time soon.
With her eyes drooping, Lynn drifted into a peaceful nap. Liam would keep her safe while her guard was down and Jag would come back soon.
Chapter Two
Lynn was going to drive him completely insane! After she’d been released from the clinic, Jag had brought her back to her room at the resort. He’d taken the adjoining room and all but demanded she leave the connecting door unlocked at all times.
The only problem? Lynn was a stealthy little minx. She’d snuck out again, and now, he was on the prowl, determined to locate her before she got herself into any trouble. Well, any more trouble. The woman had an uncanny ability to find it.
Shifters were extremely territorial when it came to their mates, so when Lynn had stopped to ask a male if there was a convenience store nearby, his female, standing next to him, hadn’t been happy. Jag had managed to diffuse the situation, but not before Lynn had proclaimed her belief that mating obviously led to insanity in their kind.
Needless to say, that hadn’t gone over well either, but he’d quickly explained about her recent head injury and the couple had seemed satisfied. Lynn, not so much. She’d accused him of telling people she was mentally challenged, when all he’d been doing was trying to keep her from being mauled.
Clearly, her goal while she stayed at the resort was to drive him crazy. If her actions didn’t succeed, her mood swings surely would. The woman went from hot to cold so quickly his head spun. Actually, Jag suspected she might be short on some meds, because he couldn’t figure out her behavior to save his life.
Liam was coming down the hall when Jag turned the corner, still following her scent. Suddenly, he realized she’d gone up to the Prime’s suite.
“Lost her again?” Liam asked.
“She can move with more stealth than some of our own,” Jag grumbled.
Liam just laughed. “Lynn and Sam are in there cooing over Eli right now. She seemed flustered when she came up, but that little baby has the power to calm anyone.”
“I think she hates m
e,” Jag blurted, obviously taking Liam by surprise. “I try to be there for her, sharing meals, taking walks, hell, anything she wants to do that’s within reason. Still, she’s sneaking off more and more. She’s increasingly distant at the end of each day. I don’t get it. She’s fine until it’s time to go to bed in the evenings. What am I doing wrong?”
Liam smiled, the bastard. Now, Jag understood why Dylan felt the need to throttle his brother at times.
“I don’t think it’s what you’re doing, but what you’re not doing,” Liam said.
“Try that again.”
“Okay, do you recall everything from that night in the clinic? Even in your jaguar form?”
“Not then, no.”
“You basically claimed her in front of me and the doctor when you scent marked her. You might not recall it, but Lynn does. Now, you’re acting like you want to be buddies instead of showing her how you really feel. She’s not a stupid woman, Jag. Lynn knows your cat thinks she’s your mate, and I’m pretty sure she cares for you too, but if you continue to keep her and arm’s length, she’ll run. Nobody wants to have feelings someone who doesn’t want them in return.”
Damn it! How could his jaguar mark her? Fucking tricky cat! His beast had gone on instinct and pulled a fast one on him, leaving Jag in this current confusing situation. “Are you saying she thinks I don’t like her?”
“Who the hell knows?” Liam huffed. “Women are hard to figure out, but that’s what it sounds like to me. Maybe, you should take her on a date?”
In Jag’s opinion, a date would be a very bad idea. He had no clue what was expected during one. Plus most ended with a kiss. Oh, he had no problem kissing her. On the contrary, Jag was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to stop.
“I can’t kiss her.” He’d said it before realizing how it may sound. It was no big surprise to see Liam grinning like a jackass. “I didn’t mean that I don’t know how. I meant I wouldn’t be able to stop.”
“And that’s a problem?”
“For me it is.”
“Care to explain that one?”
“You know as well as I do where it would lead—”
Guarding His Heart Page 2