Secrets of the Jaguar (Crimson Romance)

by Jaye Shields

  Duncan’s voice came out in a smooth, entirely too sensual voice. “There used to be many more tracks back in the day. Alameda was named after the bountiful orchards we had, the first of which was peaches.” He smiled in recollection. “They were planted by the city’s founding fathers back in the early eighteen-fifties.” He grinned at Michelle when her eyes went wide at the early date. “That was before my time, darling.”

  The walk to the waffle shop was less than two miles from Duncan’s home on the water, and the entire way Michelle had been buzzing in thought. How old was he? How evil was he? He said he’s never killed anyone. But he has to drink blood. He’s dead. Does he have a soul? Maybe he’s lonely. He seems kinda nice …

  The entire time, Duncan kept up the one-sided historical dialogue as they made their way down the charming avenue. “You know, we had our own cable cars here in Alameda. Not as fun to ride though since we don’t have the hills of San Francisco.”

  “I haven’t gotten the chance to ride one yet.” Her easy response to Duncan’s small talk came as a surprise. Damn it, way to play the silent card.

  “If you decide to acquiesce to your stubborn side, then perhaps I can rectify that. I would love to take you on a cable car ride. I’ve had quite some time to become intimate with the city.”

  “So, are all vampires so accommodating?” Michelle decided to ignore the sweetness of his statement and instead dedicate her time to discovering his ulterior motives. Instead, she realized that she had perturbed him. His eyes were dark, but she could see flicks of deep red within the irises like a carnelian storm.

  His voice grumbled. “It would be wise not to make a point of seeking out other vampires.” Duncan’s gaze was riveted on her so hard she thought she might melt under it. Then the red specks begin to disappear from his eyes and he spoke again. “But I haven’t seen a vampire here in Alameda since the forties, so we shouldn’t have to worry about that. Just witches and mermaids in this area mostly.”

  This statement piqued her curiosity, but not because his mention of the mythical beings. We? Since when did I become a ”we” with a vampire? But Michelle’s mental train of questions was interrupted as Duncan steered her through the door of an establishment that smelled like breakfast bliss. The breeze was heavy with the scent of molasses and homemade syrup, bacon, and freshly made waffles.

  Ole’s Waffle House was bustling, and Duncan and Michelle got the last open table. He pulled out the chair for her to sit.

  “You’re still not convincing me you’re a gentleman. But nice try.”

  “You know, I think I liked you better the first time I bought you coffee. Awfully more polite back then.” Duncan looked sinfully happy as he teased her.

  “That was before you chained me to your bed naked.”

  “That’s not fair. I didn’t think a black jaguar would turn into a gorgeous woman.”

  “Quit trying to butter me up.” But she was ashamed to admit he nearly elicited a smile.

  Then the gross memory of Duncan leaving the bar with the girl just the night before popped into her mind. He gets plenty of company, quite often, probably depending on when he needs to feed. Part of her was jealous, not just that he was with other women, but that women were so drawn to him. She wished it were so easy for her to make friends.

  “A penny for your thoughts.” He leaned across the table, every inch of his face seductive as could be in the old-fashioned diner.

  A laugh escaped Michelle as she recognized the same line Duncan used the first night they encountered each other. “You are going to be broke if you keep asking me that question.”

  “I do okay,” he said simply.

  “You do okay? You mean you actually have a job?” Michelle lifted a brow.

  “Well, I’ve had this house in Alameda for quite some time and that has accrued some value. And obviously I can’t stay in one place for too long, so I have another house up north in Seattle. I have many houses I go back and forth between, and in the meantime I rent them out. And to be honest, I don’t spend much money because I don’t eat or drive a car — ”

  “You don’t drive a car?” She cut him off.

  “Why would I?”

  “And how old are you?”

  A warm voice approached the table and exclaimed heartily, “Probably too young for me. What a shame.” The big, round waitress displayed the sincerest of smiles and looked at both of them cordially, lingering especially on Duncan. “What can I get for you two this fine morning?”

  Duncan motioned to Michelle to order. She nibbled on her lip, realizing she was very hungry indeed. “Um, I haven’t really looked at the menu, but waffles sound pretty good. Can I get whipped cream and stuff?”

  “And stuff?” The waitress asked questioningly. “By stuff, I hope you mean all the sugary goodness of strawberries and bananas cuz those come highly recommended, yes they do.”

  Michelle smiled, “Exactly.”

  “Alright, sugar and extra whipped cream, no problem. And what do you want, hot cakes?” The waitress turned to Duncan with her pen and paper ready for his order.

  “Just a coffee would be great, thank you very much.”

  When the waitress turned to leave, Michelle returned to the previous conversation. “Back to the money thing. So you’re rich? And how old are you? You don’t look too much older than me.”

  “Yeah, I wasn’t.” That was all he said and she wondered if she had been insensitive. After all, she was inquiring about the anniversary of his death.

  “And I wouldn’t say I’m rich, I just have what I need and I don’t spend much. When you don’t spend it, it’s easy to have.”

  “And the driving thing?” She prodded in a different direction.

  “I’ll tell you if you promise to answer some of my questions.” When she nodded, he continued in a hushed tone, “I can turn to mist, undo and transport the molecules of my body, however you want to describe it. But basically, it’s a pretty quick and convenient method of travel.”

  “Mist? Really? That’s how you got the drop on me that night under the pier.” He nodded. “And you definitely have superhuman night vision because nobody else could’ve seen me. I was way hidden.”

  “Well you shouldn’t have been out like that anyway. To get to the beach from where you live you must have to walk through the neighborhood avenues, and there’s not much cover. You could have been spotted and then what?”

  “How do you know where I live?” Michelle demanded. Curiosity sent goose bumps up her arm.

  He shrugged. “I followed you home a couple of nights.”

  “You what?”

  The cheerful waitress returned with two steaming cups of coffee, but Duncan didn’t reach for his. “Enjoy, the waffles should be up shortly.”

  “Thank you.” Duncan smiled, probably not even realizing how gorgeous he looked. Or probably he does.

  “The first time I encountered you, I thought I sensed evil. I was afraid someone intended to harm you. I’ve not encountered many other vampires, but I didn’t want to risk it.”

  “Evil? You think I’m evil?” Her heart broke. “I’ve heard that so many times, please don’t tell me you believe it, too.”

  Duncan quickly got up from his chair, knelt on the floor next to her, and brought his face intimately close, looking deeply into her eyes. She was immediately distracted from her despair. “I thought it was evil, but it was not. It’s animalistic, mischievous, dark even, but not evil.”

  “Dark?” The diner around her fell away and she looked only into his eyes.

  “Do you know why you are the way you are?” Duncan seated himself as the waitress made her way toward the table. Perhaps sensing the tension in the air, she laid the delectable mountain of waffles on the table and was off.

  “My parents adopted me when I was just a baby. They had decided to adopt from Mexico — that’s where I was born I guess, in Oaxaca. I don’t have any information about my birth mother.” She sighed and then shoved a big forkful of bana
na and strawberry topped waffle into her mouth. “That’s why I decided to major in archaeology. Thought maybe I’d discover some clues to a shape shifter blood line.”

  Duncan watched her intently. “Why don’t you just ask your parents how to find your birth family?”

  After savoring the whipped cream topped bite, she swallowed and continued. “Before coming here, I lived in Modesto. My family are very traditional Christians. Well, I guess I don’t call them family anymore. They thought by adopting me from Mexico, which they viewed as a third world country, they would be doing a good deed. But when they discovered my ability to change, they branded me as the spawn of Satan.” She looked down at her waffles, her appetite suddenly gone.

  “They were convinced I was the consequence of a very evil deed. They took me to many different people hoping I could be exorcized or cured. They lost any love they might have had for me as a child, and I overheard them talking about turning me over to the government. Sometimes I still wonder if they’ve sent feds after me. They threatened me often, so as soon as I had enough money saved to leave, I left. I lived in fear for a month until I transferred to California State University in Merced without them knowing. After I got my bachelor’s degree there, I applied to San Francisco State University for my master’s to get even farther away. They have no idea where I am, and they are happier that way.” She looked up at him. “I don’t feel evil.” Michelle’s eyes flooded and her composure shattered into a million tiny pieces.

  Duncan looked at her solemnly. “I’ve encountered a lot of people in my time, and you are certainly the most angelic creature I have ever known.” His eyes bore into hers, and suddenly, her eyes dried, her heart reassured. “C’mon.”

  Michelle looked back at him, her vision cleared and her body lighter. “Where are we going?”

  Duncan signaled the waitress. “I think we’re going to get these to go. Thanks, you’ve been delightful.” He returned his gaze back to her after the waitress’s departure. “I thought we could go to your place. Have a more private conversation.” Duncan fished a wallet out of his black jeans and dropped a twenty on the table before ushering her out the door.

  “Um, my place?” As the duo stepped out of Ole’s Waffle House and onto Park Street, she asked, “How do I know I can trust you?”

  “Because I tip well?

  Duncan’s attempt at humor was lost on Michelle. “How do I know you don’t have mind control abilities?”

  He kept walking, his hands in his dark jean pockets. “I guess you’ll just have to trust that, like you, I can’t stand to feel I’m evil.”

  That sentiment caused her to breathe in deeply. Maybe she would be wrong to trust him, maybe she would regret it, but she knew how hopeless she felt wondering if she was evil.

  Before she could reply, Duncan leaned down so that only she could hear. “I can’t stand that I have to drink blood. I can’t describe how I feel violating people’s privacy, violating people’s bodies like a thief. I can’t stand that I can’t survive without lurking around and taking from people. But that is my lot, and has been for quite some time now.”

  Michelle also lowered her voice as they continued to walk. “Have you ever fed from me?”

  He shifted their path off of the busy street. “Let’s go this way, it’s more private.” She nodded and they began down the Victorian-lined avenue toward her house on San Jose. “No. I’ve never fed from you.” He cleared his throat. “But I’ve tried to.”

  Michelle whipped her head to stare at the vampire. “What? How?” She fought the urge to beg the many questions that would only make him feel guilty about his vampiric nature.

  “In order to prepare a person to be fed on, vampires can excrete venom from their lips, their saliva. If I want to, with one kiss I can put a trance upon the, uh, victim. Then I just take a little blood and nobody is the wiser. It appears as just a kiss and some nibbling on the neck. The venom in my saliva also heals any wounds inflicted by my fangs, which show up when I’m excited or thirsty.” Duncan took his hands out of his pockets and ran them through his hair as they walked.

  “I’m sorry, Michelle. That day in the coffee shop I was so attracted to you, so curious about your essence. When I got your drink from the barista, I took a sip, and that’s when I tried to sneak some of my venom into your system.”

  She glared at him.

  “But it never seemed to take effect.” Duncan laughed and Michelle punched his shoulder. This was the first time she had ever touched him and she found herself relishing the experience. Duncan also seemed pleased. “I’m sorry, it’s just that, at the time, I wondered if you had a vampire lover and were immune.”

  She was shocked. “You thought I had a vampire lover? What happened to my wholesome girl-next-door image? Wait — so if I don’t have a vampire lover, why was I immune to the venom?”

  “Must be a jaguar thing.”

  • • •

  Rounding the corner where her house waited for them, they walked up the wide blue flight of stairs and Duncan seemed to be admiring the intricate gold leafing that decorated the house as they approached the stained glass double doors.

  “So do I have to invite you in?” She paused at the doorway.

  “No, I’m not sure where that notion came from. I have no problem coming and going as I please.” His dark eyes bore down into hers, and she was nearly at a loss for words. But then he brought her back to the topic at hand. “Does that frighten you?”

  “Not at all, just wondering if I had to worry about any other neighborhood vampires who might want to pay me a visit.”

  Duncan took a step forward toward her, his body filling the large space in the doorway. “You shouldn’t worry about anything at all, I’m here.” His gaze smoldered, and Michelle became a pathetic puddle of awe at his dark, brooding handsomeness. One minute, he was lighthearted and teasing, and the next, he was dark and full of danger, seductive.

  “Well even if you weren’t here, I can hold down the fort — jungle cat, remember? I can scratch a face to shreds, no problem.” She smiled at him as she pushed past him through the doorway and began her ascent upstairs to her apartment. “Um … I should have you know, it’s a little messy.”

  With the advisory, Duncan shifted from a menacing protector to the teasing boy she was starting to really like. He was full of surprises.

  “I promise not to judge. After all, what can be more shocking than meeting a shape shifter?”

  Turning the key, Michelle leaned against the door, pushing it open with all her might. She squeezed through the narrow opening. “Yeah, there are a couple boxes I haven’t unpacked behind the door.”

  When Duncan realized there was no way he could “squeeze” his muscular frame through the narrow opening, he misted into the room. His jaw promptly dropped when he took in the tiny studio apartment that looked like it had been ravaged by a tornado. Clothes and other random items were spilled across the room along with big boxes here and there, most of them overflowing with items as if someone started to unpack and then decided against it. In her kitchen, some of the boxes had stacks of dishes on them, as if set there to dry. The tiny sink with no accompanying counter was also piled with dishes. To keep with the trend, pots and pans covered the stovetop completely.

  Warmth crept into her cheeks.

  “Wow” was his only response.

  “Hey! You said you wouldn’t judge.”

  “I am at a loss for words.” He smiled and reached over to Michelle and hugged her to his side. “Now I truly know your darkest secret. You, Michelle, are a slob.”

  From the cradle of his arm, she looked up and saw his eyes held a teasing smile. She wrestled out of his hug so she didn’t seem too comfortable. “No more making fun of me until we are better acquainted, or maybe I won’t share any more secrets.”

  “Awww, don’t be a party pooper. We are already closer than kin. We are the only people that know each other’s secrets.”

  “Maybe I don’t want to be friends with
a blood sucker.”

  With that one comment, Michelle sucked in a breath, her sentiment coming out completely wrong. She meant to tease him back, but clearly she had crossed a line because his eyes became dark and still, hurt and angry. And then he dissolved into a mist and disappeared completely.

  Her heart ached. “I’m sorry. Are you there? I’m sorry!” Michelle fought tears, ashamed she had driven away her only friend. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it,” she repeated, this time almost a whisper. Sure he drank blood, but her heart soared when she was in Duncan‘s company. The way he teased her made her feel adored. And the way he touched her comfortably, despite the fact they just met, made her feel desired.

  “You called me a slob; I was just getting you back.” Desperate with sadness, Michelle realized that once again, she was alone.

  Chapter Nine

  Duncan manifested to his house by the beach. It was still early and the estuary beyond his front yard was full of life. Just as he’d felt the past couple hours. But now he sat back in his big leather chair and let himself sink into melancholy. He had been alone for a long time, but never lonely. Not until now when he found someone so divine, making the world beautiful once more. He could be himself around her, didn’t have to worry about the façade he held in place.

  Being plain and unnoticeable was necessary for any vampire to exist in one location for a time. That’s why most vampires usually only went out at night, he figured. But Duncan loved to go out and about, travel, observe people, and sketch all the incredible things he saw. With Michelle, he had gotten to be a part of something for a brief moment instead of just observing.

  But she had let him know just what she thought about their morning. She thought of him as a blood sucker, not a human — and why should she? She wasn’t afraid of him, he knew that, but she was disgusted by him and that tore his hope to pieces.