Secrets of the Jaguar (Crimson Romance)

by Jaye Shields

  She immediately looked over her shoulder, but saw nothing save for giant Victorians bathed in sunlight. Her own house just up the block seemed miles away. A wave of foreboding rushed over her and she stopped in her tracks. Looks ‘Leave It to Beaver’ enough.

  She stepped forward once more as strong, familiar arms wrapped around her tightly.

  “Hello, gorgeous. What’s with the stutter step?” Duncan didn’t wait for an answer, instead he crushed a kiss passionately against her lips.

  The kiss was pure ecstasy, but she couldn’t help the thought that pushed its way into her mind. Was the sense of foreboding for him? She pushed the thought away. No, he’d been covered in bruises … I didn’t need to see another vampire to know there was one.

  “I see my kiss has left you speechless.” He teased her, his dark eyes sparking with mischief. Her heart lightened immediately.

  “No, I just … I dunno. I had a strange feeling just before you arrived. You know, my hairs did that stand straight up thing, and I thought I was going to puke.”

  Duncan’s eyes turned from a warm chocolate to dangerous black coals. “Next time you get this feeling, trust your instincts. If I’m not with you, go to me.”

  Michelle wrinkled her face in disapproval. Overreact much? “I don’t know if I should be pleased that you trust my instincts or offended you don’t think I can take care of myself. After all, I’ve managed to do so the past couple years.”

  “What if it were the vampire I saw under your window that one night?”

  “You mean the one you killed at the campus?” Doubt crept under her skin, and she searched his face for the truth. But he didn’t answer, and his expression didn’t change. He looked like a mercenary imposter in a handsome sweetheart’s body. She had seen him laugh and make eggs Benedict. But now he looked more capable of violence than anything else. And why was he worried about that vampire if he’d killed him?

  “Stay here.” He started to walk toward her house.

  “No way!” She grabbed his arm to halt him. “I’m sure everything is fine, but I’m going into my home either way. I’m not going to stand outside, a block away, like some frigging Mary Joe.”

  “What?” For the first time since he arrived, she watched a trace of a smile overtake his expression. Duncan pulled the hand she had on his bicep, and kissed it sweetly. “Okay, Mary Joe, we go together. But please, if something unexpected does happen, don’t be afraid to embrace your own damsel in distress qualities and run like hell. Okay?”

  “Or I could turn jaguar and go claws on the foe.”

  “Okay, let’s put the hypothetical situations aside and find out if there’s anything to worry about in the first place. Best case scenario, you’re just a paranoid mess, darling.”

  She smacked him playfully on the arm. Together they made their way toward the house. As they neared the yard, Duncan separated from her saying it was a precaution in case anyone was in her apartment watching from the round, second floor turret. From the cover of the garden, she watched him hide and prepare to mist inside with her as she opened the door.

  But the hallway of the Victorian was empty. No coats on the coat rack, no neighbors appeared to be home in their own apartments. Duncan placed a finger against his lips to keep her from speaking aloud. He took her hand and led her silently up the stairs, keeping her behind him.

  They reached her door and a sick feeling washed over her once more. Fear ate at the insides of her stomach. She hadn’t experienced pain like this since the awful night she realized her parents planned to turn her over to the government as a lab experiment.

  Her fingers shook as she tried to put the key in her door. Duncan placed his hand on her own, steadying her. He leaned down to whisper in her ear.

  “It will be okay.”

  With that, they turned the key, and Duncan pushed Michelle back so he could enter the studio first. He entered slowly, and nothing seemed amiss so she followed him inside. Duncan misted to the kitchen to check the only area of the apartment that left a spot to hide: the entrance to the bathroom.

  And then all hell broke loose.

  • • •

  Thick needles of pain penetrated Duncan’s skin from the force of a gunshot. Growling, he launched at the three suits hiding like cowards in the space between the bathroom and the kitchen. Michelle screamed, but he kept his focus on the intruders who wished to harm his woman.

  He swept a punch into the stomach of the nearest agent, his vampire strength sending the large man to his knees. Duncan threw another punch as he lurched forward, tearing his teeth through the neck of the second agent. He sucked a few gulps out of the bloody gash, seeking much-needed nourishment.

  The sound of a door slamming and a primal roar a few seconds later focused Duncan once more. “Get out!” The thought of Michelle getting into the fray was too much. The darts hadn’t affected his thick skin, but they would hers.

  With two agents writhing on the floor in pain, Duncan found the last agent and sank his fangs in deep. Rage coupled with his hunger and he drank long, taking strength into his own body as he drew life from the human’s. For the first time in decades, he felt a vampire. And he was glad for it because it meant he could protect Michelle.

  Between the blood loss and venom, the Fed became a mindless dummy. But Duncan noticed the man he sent to the floor first with a broken ribcage was finally beginning to rise. Duncan saw Michelle prepare to leap on the agent. Instead of letting her, Duncan swept toward the man and grabbed him to mist elsewhere.

  Duncan reappeared in an abandoned building in Oakland.

  “What the fuck!” The suit clutched his stomach in pain, but reached for a holstered gun.

  In a blur of speed, Duncan reached forward and snapped the fragile human’s neck. It was the first time he had ever killed. Even in his blood lust as a young vampire, he had never done so. But now the urge to protect Michelle was too much. Before the man’s lifeless body even hit the floor, Duncan misted back to the apartment to take care of the remaining agents.

  When he arrived in the small studio apartment, Michelle was no longer in jaguar form. Instead, she stood naked. Her long, black hair cascaded around her, framing pink, tear-rimmed blue eyes. She looked devastated.

  Duncan took in the scene around her. The two agents he had left behind were lifeless on the floor of her kitchen. Blood pooled around the bodies from the bite wounds he had torn through their skin.

  Even with the enemy taken care of, fear racked his body. The look in Michelle’s empty gaze was enough to bring him to his knees and cut out his own heart. He was at her side in an instant, wrapping a blanket around her he grabbed from the bed. He laid her on her bed, but she still said nothing. She didn’t look at him. She didn’t even blink.

  With a heavy heart, he returned to the bodies on the floor. Grabbing hold of one of them, he misted to another isolated location and left the body. He returned to the apartment once more for the last body. Taking the body into his grasp, he noticed Michelle still hadn’t moved. He misted once more, dumping the body in the middle of nowhere.

  He wished he regretted what he did. But he didn’t. Even if Michelle never thought about him the same way, he was glad to have protected her. And he would continue to do so even if she never wanted to see him again.

  Misting into her bathroom, Duncan washed his hands with her lemon and jasmine scented soap. The aroma was dreamy, but couldn’t shake the nightmare he saw after looking into the mirror. A crimson mess decorated his face, blood dripping from his chin. He splashed the soapy water against his skin, making sure he was perfectly clean before returning to Michelle.

  She still hadn’t moved. Although to be fair, he did have her tightly tucked in a blanket cocoon.

  “Michelle, darling. I’m going to mist you to my bed. Is that okay?”

  She nodded. Thank God.

  In the privacy of his bedroom, he laid her gently on the large bed. Her head sank into a cloud-like pillow and framed her gorgeous face. Even in gri
ef, she looked like an angel. He damned himself for thinking so.

  “I’m going to go back and clean up, okay? Michelle?”

  She quickly reached out from her covers and grasped him. He hadn’t expected her to respond. “Don’t go.”

  He would never forget the look on her face that moment. She still trusted him. She needed him. “I won’t leave you, Michelle.”

  And with that, he watched her lids close over her sapphire gaze, and she laid her head against him and cried.

  • • •

  Michelle let the sobs overtake her body. Her parents still hadn’t given up on seeing the devil in her contained. She had thought she was safe in the small, island town of Alameda. The reality check left her stunned. She would never be done hiding.

  Seeing Duncan tear through the agents so mercilessly had been frightening. She had never watched someone die before. And as Duncan had misted the first agent away, she had stood, watching the remaining men bleed to death. Slowly.

  Both men portrayed different reactions to their end. One of them had looked angry until his last breath, even reaching for the black gun poking from his jacket. But death had claimed him first. The other man’s wound was not as grave, and so his death came slower. With plenty of time to contemplate, he had looked tormented. His gaze never acknowledged Michelle. She only watched him stare at the ceiling with eyes full of regret, as if watching his life flash before him. And then those eyes shut.

  And Michelle was left to realize that she was standing in a pool of blood.

  Duncan had reappeared then, and she wanted nothing more but to collapse and forget everything. Forget her parents never loved her. Forget she was responsible for the death of three men. If she were to continue to be in Duncan’s company, would this trail of death follow them?

  Now she let herself dispel the emotions surging through her body. Although he was a vampire, Duncan’s embrace was warm and comfortable. He had trusted her and protected her even when her own flesh and blood had not. And even though it frightened her, he had killed for her. The same hands that had taken life were cradling her with a gentleness that was unrivaled.

  “Thank you, Duncan.” The violent sobs left her tired, and finally, she let herself fall asleep from the security of his embrace.

  • • •

  The five-hour flight went by quickly, especially since Duncan had bought first class non-stop tickets. Flying over Mexico City, he made sure to point out the city boundary lines. The stretching metropolis was endless and dotted by large patches of green parks. All she had ever heard about the capital was its wicked pollution, but instead, the abundant greenness dotting the gray city was a beautiful surprise. “So are those like the Golden Gate Parks of Mexico City?” She pointed out the stretches of green.

  He squeezed her hand. “As you can see from our bird’s eye view, Mexico City is quite larger than San Francisco, and so their parks greatly outnumber those of our fair city. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised how clean the city is in contrast with reports that you might have heard. Our hotel is actually right on one of the smaller parks, what they call the Alameda.”

  “Alameda?”

  “I thought you’d like that.” He chuckled. “Yes, actually the city park near the historic Zocalo is called the Alameda. The park dates all the way back to the Aztecs who lived in the city of Tenochtitlan — the location of the park was an Aztec market back in fifteen hundred and ninety-two. The park has witnessed many colorful moments of history. From the Aztec market exchanges to the genocide of the Aztecs by the Spanish, to the witch burnings in the late seventeen hundreds to the twenty-first century, where now tourists buy from eager vendors.”

  She was quiet with admiration for the wealth of history that awaited her. Below the plane, the city became larger and larger until she finally turned her gaze to Duncan. “I’m so excited!” She leaned over the armrest and softly kissed Duncan on the lips. When she pulled away, he grinned mischievously.

  “I thought you said you were excited?”

  Before she could contest, Duncan reached his hand behind her head, pulled her to his lips, and kissed her with dizzying passion until she became lost in the time of the kiss. At first his tongue stroked her with the lightness of a feather’s caress. It teased her, warming a fire in her belly that spread lower. The kiss deepened and she explored his mouth, eliciting a ground that made his lips vibrate against hers. His hands moved down her shoulders and she had no choice but to imagine them elsewhere. Ever the gentleman in a public place, he kept his hands there, but damn if she didn’t want them elsewhere.

  As if reading her mind, Duncan broke the kiss, moving his lips to suckle her neck. Heat spread across her cheeks. He stopped to whisper in her ear. “I want to put my hands all over your body, Michelle.”

  He faced her once more, his eyes promising that had they been alone, he would fulfill his promise. Then his lips took her once more. His tongue swept inside her mouth once more, stroking a fire that left Michelle feeling extremely uncomfortable in the aircraft cabin. Oh to be in a bed with Duncan …

  The seats lurched forward, the kiss interrupted as the plane rapidly slowed on the runway. Mexico City awaited the lovers patiently.

  “Here we are, Michelle.

  • • •

  It was obvious to Michelle that Duncan had been in the city hundreds of times as he expertly navigated the airport, efficiently retrieved their bags, and then procured them a “safe” cab. Never before had she taken a taxi, and she cringed as the cab barreled around the corner and weaved in and out of traffic. Duncan wrapped his arms tightly around her and tickled, as if he knew that the driver’s quality of navigation was making her nervous. A fit of giggles escaped her.

  “This is definitely quite the adventure. I’ll never doubt your skills as a tour guide.”

  “Better not.” He winked at her and continued to hold her tight.

  She leaned forward and spoke to the driver. “So how do you like living in Mexico City?”

  The driver never looked back at her but replied enthusiastically in English, “I hate it!” Michelle tried not to laugh at the unexpectedness of his answer.

  “It seems like a very beautiful city, full of history.” Michelle replied optimistically.

  The slightly accented English this time was more of a grunt. “Yes, and full of people. You can’t even see your own feet on the sidewalk or the road in front of your own tires.”

  She waited a moment, not sure what to say. “Your English is very good. Where did you learn?”

  “I used to live in the United States.”

  Something told Michelle the cab driver was done chit-chatting, so she relaxed against Duncan’s chest as the sprawling city of Mexico passed by rapidly. Large, colorful houses lay attached to one another almost like the Victorians of San Francisco. In some areas, the tall, crammed apartment complexes were covered completely in vibrant graffiti. Mexico City was a city of contrasts indeed. The scenery became less urban after they exited the freeway and drove down an avenue. Outside a restaurant a band played. All the musicians were old and tanned, and colorfully dressed with their instruments, which ranged from guitars to violins and a harp.

  Duncan spoke rapidly in perfect Spanish to the driver before turning to her. “We’re almost to the hotel.”

  She leaned over to whisper to Duncan. “What did you say?”

  “I told him I am familiar with the city, and not to worry about taking the long way as it seemed he planned to do because I would leave him a fat tip if he took us directly.”

  Something fluttered inside Michelle, admiration for a man who knew how to take care of business. The cab arrived in front of a tall, elegant hotel. Before she even got out of the car, the hotel concierge already had their bags out of the trunk, ready to take them to the room.

  Duncan gave them the reservation name and then they were off in an effective flash.

  • • •

  Not long after arriving at the hotel, Michelle dragged Duncan b
ack out the door to explore the city. Almost as soon as she stepped foot onto the main street near the Alameda, Michelle was nearly knocked over. Duncan wrapped his strong arm firmly around her and his body acted as a protective shelter from the mass of people that flooded around them.

  It’s true, there are tons of people in Mexico City.

  Michelle rose onto her tiptoes to make herself a little taller. The sidewalk continued on through towering old buildings adorned with both modern glass and Spanish tile. Between the surfaces bobbed heads with no space in between, only motion.

  “That’s the Palace of Fine Arts, the Bellas Artes.” Duncan pointed across the street to the ethereal building where fairytale-esque gray-white walls and columns were topped by a glowing dome of pink, yellow, and orange. The colors were like the rainbow sherbet she used to enjoy as a child. It was a magical palace if she ever saw one.

  “Most people don’t think of Italian white marble or art nouveau when they think of Mexico, do they?” Duncan chuckled and Michelle only gazed in awe as people pushed past them in a flurry.

  “It’s incredible.”

  Duncan pulled her closer to the edge of the traffic filled Avenida Juarez. “It’s even better up close. C’mon, let’s cross the street.”

  As the human traffic began to exit the curb, cars blocked the crosswalk this way and that. Michelle surprised Duncan with a passionate kiss. For a moment, all traffic, both human and automobile, faded away save for the soft whispering of their lips meshed against each other.

  A loud whistle cracked the air followed by a flurry of Spanish she didn’t understand. Duncan broke the kiss and grabbed her hand, pulling her quickly across the street. “Have I told you lately that I love your kisses?”

  “Then why did you interrupt me, silly?” Michelle asked as they stepped on the curb.

  “Because I think some of those guys back there also enjoyed the show. I’d hate to have to sever someone’s head from their body.”

  She flushed. “Oh.”

  Duncan took her hand and walked toward the Palacio de Bellas Artes. “If I remember, this place was built in nineteen hundred and four.”