Jaguar’s Mate
Page 1
Jaguar’s Mate
A Crescent Moon Story
Katie Reus
She’s not looking for a mate…
Sapphire is cursed. Every relationship she’s ever been in has ended poorly. So she’s sworn off relationships and is happy with her life. Until Eli comes along—a one-night stand that turned into more. When things got too intense, she did what she always did. She ran.
He’s not letting her get away…
This time Eli isn’t letting Sapphire go without a fight. When her friend needs help escaping an abusive situation, he steps up, no questions asked. It doesn’t matter that Sapphire won’t tell him why she’s holding back from him. He’s a jaguar shifter and cats are very patient—he’ll wait for his mate to come around. But before he can claim her once and for all, they’ll have to deal with an angry bunch of shifters who are out for blood.
Jaguar’s Mate
Copyright © 2019 by Katie Reus
ISBN: 9781635560909
Cover art and design by Sweet ‘N Spicy Designs
Edits: Julia Ganis
Digital Formatting by Author E.M.S.
* * *
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the author.
Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book. This purchase allows you one legal copy for your own personal reading enjoyment on your personal computer or device. You do not have the right to resell, distribute, print or transfer this book, in whole or in part, to anyone, in any format, via methods either currently known or yet to be invented, or upload this book to a file sharing program. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
Table of Contents
JAGUAR’S MATE
About the Book
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Thank you for Reading!
Savannah’s Complete Booklist
Katie’s Complete Booklist
About the Author
Chapter One
Sapphire startled awake at the sound of her cell phone ringing. She’d turned it on low before going to bed after a long shift as manager at the Crescent Moon Bar and Grill.
Her heart rate kicked up a notch when she saw that the number was Luna’s, her oldest friend. Their parents had been literal hippies and best friends, hence the Sapphire and Luna monikers.
She swiped her thumb across the screen. “Hey, everything okay?” It was five in the morning and too early for Luna to be calling. Sapphire worked odd hours but her friend didn’t.
“Not really.” Luna’s voice was hesitant. “It’s Leslie.”
Sapphire swung her legs off the side of the bed. She knew where this was going. And she didn’t think she was going to get back to sleep after this. “Did he hurt her again?” she asked, rage filtering through her.
Luna’s daughter had mated an abusive wolf about six months ago. The wolf hadn’t been like that before though. No, he’d saved his controlling, abusive side until after they’d been officially mated. And from what Luna said, their alpha wasn’t stepping in to take care of things. Not that Sapphire was surprised, considering Luna’s alpha was a jackass.
Sapphire had offered more than once to drive up to Wyoming and pick up both Luna and her daughter, but Leslie kept telling her mother no, that things were fine. And Sapphire couldn’t force them to take her help.
“Yes. I mean no, not tonight or anything. But she let me know that he’s going out of town for a work trip. She’s got four days alone. She’s ready to run but I can’t help her get out of here on my own. Because his brothers will be watching her.”
Sapphire woke up fully at that. “She told you she’s ready to go?”
“Yes. She’s done.”
“I’ll help you out.” She strode to her closet and grabbed a sweater from one of the hangers. Tugging it over her head, she said, “Are you being watched?”
“I don’t think so. But I know she is. He’s given her instructions that the only people she’s allowed to see are me or a select few female packmates that he approves of.” Luna snorted with derision. “I don’t know how it’s come to this. If I could, I’d take her and leave right now but I know his brothers would try to stop us and then there would be bloodshed. And…Leslie is pregnant. I want to get her out of here so she and the baby can start a new life. I want my baby girl to smile again. Every time I see her she looks defeated. I think getting pregnant is what pushed her to finally stand up for herself.”
Sapphire’s fist clenched around the hanger she still held, so tightly that it snapped in two. “I’ll be heading out within the hour. I’ve got to talk to some of my packmates. My alpha is out of town as well as our second-in-command, but we’ve got a lot of strong wolves. If they didn’t have the jet, I’d fly in, but as it is they’re not here. You say he’s gone for four days?” Sapphire was going to bring weapons, even if her wolf side didn’t care for them. And she couldn’t do that on a regular flight. Not to mention her wolf side hated flying anyway. And an edgy wolf on a plane? Not a good idea.
“Yes, but if I was a betting she-wolf, I’d say it’s really three days. He’s probably messing with her simply because he can.”
“All right. Let me get out of here, then. I’ll keep you updated on the progress of my trip but expect me there within the next twenty-four hours. I’ll be driving straight through.”
“Thank you,” Luna said softly. “I don’t like bringing you into this.”
“Stop with that. You should have left that pack a long time ago.”
“I know,” she said softly, sadly.
Sapphire instantly chastised herself. “Sorry, I’m not judging you.”
“I know. Just…get here soon.”
“I will.”
“Thank you.”
Sapphire shoved her cell phone in the pocket of the jeans she’d just pulled on. She needed to talk to Asher in person.
Sapphire hurried out of her condo, not bothering to call or text him first. He and Ella lived a couple floors above her in the pack-owned beachfront, luxury condominium complex in Gulf Shores, Alabama. She felt a little bad because she was likely going to be waking him up, but Ella was currently out of town visiting her sister and he’d had to stay back because both their alpha and second-in-command were out of town. As of right now he was basically in charge of everything.
As she stopped in front of his condo, she thought she smelled something familiar—someone familiar. The sudden wild, sensuous scent of him, that male she’d been trying to get out of her head for a month, jarred her senses.
But there was no way Eli was here. Because that would be insane.
She shook off the thought of him. She had a hell of a lot more important stuff to deal with right now. Though she hated bugging Asher, she knocked on his door.
She was surprised when it swung open less than five seconds later and he was fully dressed. His eyes widened slightly. “Everything okay?” he asked, going straight into warrior mode.
“Everything’s fine with me. But I have
a big problem. And I’m really sorry to bother you so early.”
He shook his head. “No worries. A friend of mine got in a couple hours ago.”
“Friend?”
“Yeah. He’s out for a run.”
She nodded once, stepping inside as he moved back. Sapphire was glad it was just the two of them. An outsider didn’t need to hear any of this. Quickly she launched into her issue, barely taking a breath as they headed for his kitchen. Thankfully, he immediately went for the full coffeepot and poured her a mug. Her packmates really did know her well.
She barely drew a breath to take a sip of the coffee. Once she was done laying out everything, he was silent for a long moment. Then he said, “I can’t go with you. The pack would likely be fine but I’ve got to be here because Grant and Max are gone.”
“Oh, I know. I didn’t expect you to come with me. But since you’re in charge right now, I know you’ll be more aware of who can afford to take the time off than anyone else.” And Sapphire knew without a doubt that her packmates would step up to help if they could. It was why she was proud to be part of the Kincaid pack.
Before he could respond, she heard the front door open but ignored it, not really caring that he had company one way or another. Or she thought she didn’t care until Eli Scott strode into the kitchen, wearing basketball-style shorts and no shirt.
Her eyes widened at the sight of all that bare skin. His chest and abs were ripped with muscles—and she’d kissed all those ridges and… Nope. “What the hell are you doing here!” she blurted, making his eyes go wide even as the scent of surprise rolled off Asher.
“Sapphire, this is my friend Eli. We’ve been friends for decades and we served together about sixty or so years ago.”
Sapphire blinked at the revelation, annoyed at herself that she’d reacted so strongly. She knew Asher had been in different branches of the military over the last century or so, having to change it up on occasion because shifters didn’t age the same as humans. It shouldn’t surprise her that he was friends with her one-night stand, but it did. Hell, Eli was a two-night stand if she wanted to get technical.
Which she didn’t. “Nice to see you again,” she muttered before turning back to Asher. She didn’t have time to deal with the surprise of him arriving. “Look, I need to be gone within the hour. I told her I’d be there as soon as possible. With the jet gone, it’s better for me to drive anyway. I’ve already started thinking up various scenarios for getting her and her daughter out, but I definitely need backup. Who can I take with me?”
“You have a friend in trouble?” Eli asked, interjecting himself into a conversation that was not his business.
Before she could answer, Asher nodded. “She does. And since you’re the best tracker I know, I’d appreciate it if you go with her.” Asher completely dismissed her as he looked at his friend and started to explain.
Seriously, what the hell was going on? Was it just a coincidence that he was here? She’d left his very comfortable hotel bed in the middle of the night a month ago—and she hadn’t even told him her real name. She’d had an itch that she needed to scratch and he’d been the sexiest male she’d ever met.
As in ever. Holy hotness, the jaguar was all lean, sleek muscle. His dark hair was cut military short, showing off a ridiculously chiseled jawline. Even so, he wasn’t classically handsome. He was too rough around the edges, had far too many scars. And his eyes… They were brown, but there was nothing simple about them. The little flecks of amber in them seemed to glow when he was turned on. Even though he looked to be in his thirties, with shifters that was always deceiving since he was pretty close to being a hundred. Maybe even older.
She’d felt a little bad—okay, a lot bad—sneaking out of his room, but she wasn’t the settling-down type. And he’d already started to show possessive, protective traits after only spending a couple days together. So she’d done what she always did when uncomfortable with anything relationship-oriented. She ran.
“I’ll go,” Eli said the moment Asher was done.
“Excuse me? I’m not going anywhere with him.” She turned her glare on him. “Why are you even here?”
“Don’t flatter yourself if you think it’s to see you—Sally.”
For some reason his words stung even though she was the one who’d snuck out of his place. And she’d given him a fake name. Damn it. She had no moral high ground to stand on right now. “Then why are you here?”
“Catching up with an old friend,” Asher smoothly interjected.
She turned back to her packmate. “There’s got to be someone else in the pack I can take with me right now. Someone I’ve worked with and have a good relationship with.”
“The packmates I’d normally send are either expecting or their mates are pregnant. We’re simply stretched too thin right now.”
She gritted her teeth, knowing it was the truth. She been racking her brain, trying to think of who she could take with her that wouldn’t be needed, and there wasn’t a great choice right now. She did have some limited choices, but… Gah, with his military experience and being a tracker, Eli would be the best shifter to bring. And there was no sense getting all twisted up over it. Right now wasn’t about her, but her friends’ safety.
“Fine. I’ve got to pack a small bag.” She looked over at Eli, meeting his steely gaze and ignoring the flush of heat and awareness that spread through her. “Can you be ready in ten minutes?”
He simply nodded once.
All right, then. She hurried out of the room, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Eli was coming with her on a rescue mission. The male she’d never thought she would see again. The male she’d been trying to forget—unsuccessfully.
More unwanted heat spread through her but she squashed it fast and hard. There was no time for that right now.
She had a job to do.
Chapter Two
“Did that go the way you thought it would?” Asher asked dryly.
Eli scrubbed a hand over his face. He hadn’t meant to be rude to her. The truth was, the reason he was in Gulf Shores was to see her—because he’d been looking for her. The sneaky little vixen who’d given him the wrong name, the woman he couldn’t get out of his head—the female he was almost certain was his intended mate. She’d disappeared from his bed in the middle of the night like a thief and he’d been hunting her ever since.
“I didn’t expect any of that,” he muttered. He’d been planning to casually run into her and hopefully, eventually, start courting her properly. Because according to Asher, she was commitment phobic. Asher also seemed to think there was more to it but had no details for Eli. “Am I really the only shifter you can spare to send with Sapphire? If you’ve got more packmates, we’ll take them with us.” Because no matter what, her friend was in danger and he wanted to help.
Asher shook his head. “Seriously man, any other week I would’ve had a handful of wolves to send. With Grant and Max both out of town and half the pack seemingly pregnant right now, I just can’t spare anybody. I would go myself, but—”
“No, I get it. You’re in charge right now. You’ve got responsibilities.” Something Eli couldn’t relate to. Not on this type of scale anyway.
For so long it had just been him. His friend Asher had been like that once upon a time as well. But now he was mated and part of a pack. And mated to a jaguar, of all things. The thought made Eli smile. The wolf had good taste because jaguars were fucking awesome.
“Anyway, I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t unpack. I’ll be out in a couple minutes.” He hurried to the guest bedroom and grabbed a few of his things, dumping them straight back into his pack. Then he took the world’s fastest shower. After his long run—an attempt to expel some of his frustration at having been separated from Sapphire for over a month—he needed one. And hell, he wanted to smell good for her. They were about to be trapped in a vehicle for as long as it took to get to Wyoming, and then to wherever they were taking her friends to safety.
“I packed a cooler of food and water for you guys too. You won’t need to stop except to rest. Make sure you alternate driving shifts so you get enough sleep. And I want to be updated with what the plan is when you get there.”
Eli snorted softly. “Okay, Dad.”
Laughing, Asher rubbed a hand over the top of his head. “Sorry, I’ve been in parent mode all week. I swear it’s like with our alpha out of town, my packmates have forgotten how to do the simplest shit.”
“Or more likely you’re just cranky because Ella is gone.”
His lifelong friend grinned in the way only mates did when thinking about their other half. “True enough.”
Grabbing everything, they headed downstairs and found Sapphire already waiting for him, a duffel bag and a cooler of her own at her feet. She half-smiled when she saw the cooler Asher was carrying.
Jaguars needed to refuel, but wolves could be crazy when it came to food. It was part of their DNA or something. They always had to be snacking.
“We can take my Jeep,” Sapphire said, leaning down to pick up her stuff.
His instinct told him to take over, to grab her things for her. And not because she wasn’t capable—she-wolves were amazing—but because he had this driving urge to take care of her. But he knew exactly how well that would go over.
Eli shook his head and motioned across the private, gated-off parking lot. “I’ve got a truck with a camper.”