He lifted her into his arms, carrying her through the small cabin with the fierce determination of a shifter carrying his mate.
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him she saw a future with him—that she wanted one. But something held her back.
Thankfully he wasn’t pushing her for more right now. Instead, he turned on the shower to steaming and she found herself flat against the tile this time as he devoured her mouth with his.
Claiming the rest of her fearful heart along with her body.
Chapter Nine
Sapphire smiled at Leslie, who was approaching her and Eli’s guest cabin. Eli was off running and she was enjoying her morning cup of coffee. “Hey,” she said from where she sat on the bench on the front porch.
Leslie smiled back, carrying a mug of what smelled like chamomile tea. Someone had braided her dark hair into little rows and twisted them into a bun at her nape. Her dark eyes weren’t sad, for the first time in ages. “I’m glad you decided to stay a little bit longer. I know my mom loves having you around.”
“I love getting to spend time with her. Even when the circumstances aren’t the greatest.”
Leslie hovered at the bottom of the porch stairs, her expression uncertain. “Look, I just wanted to thank you again—”
“Seriously. You and your mom need to stop thanking me.” Sapphire patted the bench seat next to her.
Leslie walked up a few steps onto the porch and sat down. “Well I’m going to keep thanking you anyway. You and Eli put yourselves in danger for me. In more ways than one.”
“I know.”
“Are you sure that you do?” she asked. “Because I didn’t think about the repercussions for anyone but me until we got here.”
“If you mean, do I know that I made myself a target? Of course I do. I’m an old shifter. Well, maybe not old compared to some of these guys but I’m old enough. I know your mate will likely try to have words with me or even come after me one day. If he lives that long.” She lifted a shoulder.
Leslie blinked in clear surprise. “That doesn’t bother you?”
“He won’t be the first enemy I’ve made over the years and he certainly won’t be the last. But I don’t think he’s long for this world. If I had to wager, I’d say he’s going to try to come after you here on Kendrick territory—and one of the warriors is going to take him out.” Sapphire wasn’t sure if she should be so blunt, but she was a she-wolf. And from what she knew about Leslie’s mate, he wasn’t letting her go. So even if coming after her was monumentally stupid, he’d make a play for her.
Leslie shoved out a breath. “Is it terrible that I kind of already know that? And I feel like a fool for not seeing him for who he was.”
“Well, you’re not omniscient. You can’t keep beating yourself up for this. You are the victim here. You did nothing wrong.”
“I could’ve told my mom earlier that he was threatening her.”
“If you had, you two would probably be dead right now. Because Luna would have grabbed you right then and tried to run. And he’s got too many wolves backing him up. No, you did the right thing in a literal no-win situation. He’s at fault. Not you. And so are your former alpha and packmates who stood by and did nothing.” Even thinking about that crappy pack made Sapphire want to set stuff on fire.
Leslie was silent for a long moment, staring out at the cluster of other cabins and forest beyond. “I know you’re right. I just hate that I’m in this situation. I always thought that once I got mated it would be for life. He fed me every line possible and I ate it up with a spoon. I never felt that pull that you hear about. The mating pull. But I was attracted to him and thought the mating pull was garbage. Something made-up, for romantics. I was such an idiot.” There was far too much recrimination in Leslie’s voice.
Sapphire wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You’re not an idiot. And I know you’re going to beat yourself up for a while for this because you’re just like your mom, but I’m going to reiterate that you did nothing wrong. You got out when you could. You made the smart choices. You’re still alive and you’re here.”
“And pregnant,” she whispered, laying her head on Sapphire’s shoulder. “I know he’ll never let me go because of that reason alone.”
Sapphire kissed the top of her head once. “I think things will work themselves out. You just focus on taking care of yourself and settling into your new life here.”
“I don’t even want to leave the territory. And that makes me feel like such a coward.”
“You’re not a coward. You feel safe for the first time in a while. And you’re keeping yourself and your baby safe. You’re being smart. So you should stay here for the near future at least. You just escaped an abusive situation.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice thick with tears. “Damn it, I’m crying all over you.”
“That’s okay.” Sapphire hugged her tighter, wishing she could take away all of her pain. But nothing would do that. Just time. And closure, if Leslie ever got it.
Sapphire had the urge to hunt down Leslie’s mate and take care of him herself but that wasn’t her job. She was going to let nature run its course. Because from what Luna had told her, Leslie’s ex-mate was kind of a dumbass and would get himself killed in no time at all. Humans might think her thought process savage, but she wasn’t human. She was a shifter. And they lived by their own set of rules. Which yes, probably were savage. But there was a reason they had very few domestic abuse issues. Shifters, on the whole, didn’t put up with shit like that.
There were very clear exceptions. Leslie’s mate and pack included. But they were unfortunately the exception to the rule.
And once word spread of how her pack had betrayed her, had let her mate abuse her, it wouldn’t matter if her old packmates begged for their lives. Anyone complicit in the abuse would be hunted down eventually.
That was just the way shifters were.
* * *
Eli shifted from jaguar to human, his black fur and claws receding until he was crouched on the cold ground by the giant oak tree where he’d left his clothing. But…his clothing wasn’t there.
“Over here, cat.” The sound of Luna’s voice made him turn toward the edge of a small pond where she sat, his clothing still in a neat little bundle next to her. She kept her eyes averted from him. “Come change and sit with me.”
Though surprised by her presence here, he picked up his clothes and hurriedly dressed. “Everything okay?”
“Yes.” The pretty she-wolf with light brown skin and dark eyes stared out over the still, sparkling water. The sun peeked over the horizon now, painting the sky a swath of riotous purples and pinks.
Unsure what to say, if anything, he leaned back on his elbows and just watched the scene in front of him. This place was beautiful so it was easy enough to relax, to simply enjoy the nature surrounding them.
“Sapphire can be prickly,” Luna finally said, her tone as mild as before.
“I know.”
“She’s not likely to change.”
“I know. I like her the way she is.” And he didn’t want her to change. He loved everything about her, even if he hadn’t said the actual words. Mainly because he wasn’t certain she was ready yet. Though his instinct told him that he was close to breaking down her walls completely.
Luna shot him a sideways glance. “You sure about that?”
“Of course I am. I thought you were her best friend.”
“I am. I love her deeply. She’s the sister I never had. Sapphire is my family and she’s perfect the way she is. Those pathetic males she was with in the past couldn’t handle a female like her. I just want to make sure that you can.”
His jaguar’s annoyance eased back some, the claws he’d felt pricking his palms sliding back in. “I’m not walking away from her. Unless she tells me to leave. And…maybe not even then.” This time he would fight for her, tooth and nail.
Luna finally gave him a real smile and nodded once. “Good.
You two fit well together.”
Yeah, he thought so too.
“How do you feel about pups?” she asked abruptly.
“Ah…”
Laughing, she jumped to her feet with the ease of a supernatural. “I’m just messing with you. Well, just about the pups. If you ever hurt Sapphire intentionally, I’ll gut you,” she said, a pleasant smile on her face as she held out a friendly hand to him.
Though he didn’t need it, he took her outstretched hand and stood. “I’ll never hurt her…and I’ll keep your words in mind.” Freaking she-wolves could be terrifying on the best of days.
Now he was ready to go find his she-wolf and claim her for good.
Chapter Ten
Two days later
“I’ll miss them, but it feels good to be on the road,” Sapphire said as she and Eli headed down the highway.
“Yeah,” he murmured noncommittally.
They’d been driving for a few hours, and each minute that passed she wanted to ask him what was going on inside his head.
For the last couple days they’d been naked half the time. He’d been insatiable—and so had she. But ever since they’d gotten on the road, he’d been a little distant.
And she knew it was her fault. “I’m not good at this,” she blurted.
He glanced over at her, frowned. “What?”
“Whatever this is,” she said, motioning between them. “Deep down I still think I’m cursed. But I’m also willing to concede that I want to take a chance on us. I just don’t know how to have a relationship. Like…will you stay with me when you’re visiting? Or will we try the long-distance thing? Or…I don’t know. I don’t know how to do any of this.”
Oh God, why hadn’t he said anything? And why did she sound borderline whiny?
Beads of sweat trickled down her spine despite the fact that the heat wasn’t on. She definitely wasn’t good at this kind of stuff. “What are you doing?” she asked when he started to pull off at the nearest exit.
“We’re doing this while I’m not driving. So I can kiss you properly.” He glanced at her, his dark, amber-flecked eyes sparking with desire.
Kissing sounded promising, so why wasn’t she any less stressed out? She was quiet as he pulled into the parking lot of an abandoned gas station. This whole stretch was pretty deserted except the decrepit old building. But at least there was no one around.
As soon as he was parked he turned toward her, taking her hands in his. “What do you want from me?”
“Everything.” It was as simple as that, she realized. She wanted all of him, all the time. But she knew he had a nomadic profession and she…could totally deal with that.
“What does that mean?”
Okay, that was fair that he wanted her to spell it out. “I’m not saying right this instant but my wolf recognizes you as my mate. I recognize you.” The pull she felt was intense and raw and she couldn’t deny it.
Pleasure was clear in his gaze even as he watched her carefully. “My job—”
“I’ll travel with you.” If she was doing this thing, she was all in. Sapphire wasn’t one to half-ass something, and especially not where the man she loved was concerned.
He blinked, a grin spreading across his handsome face. “I was going to say my job is something we can work around. I’m not doing long-distance with you. I want to see your face when I wake up every morning. And I want to bury my face between your legs on most of those mornings.”
She laughed even as heat flooded between her thighs. “I love your dirty mouth.”
He grinned even wider, leaning forward to brush his lips over hers for a brief moment before pulling back. “Can you really take off time to travel around for a while?”
“Yeah. I already talked to my alpha. It’ll be a pain for my packmates but I’ve covered for all of them at one time or another. Let’s take a month and enjoy each other—with no outside distractions.” She knew everything she needed to know about him, but she wanted more time with just the two of them. Her wolf was feeling very territorial and wanted Eli all to herself for a while. She wanted him good and claimed by the time he met all her packmates.
This possessiveness was new, but she embraced it.
“Okay, good. There’s a campsite not far from here. I know it’s kind of early, but we can make camp and relax. And do other things.”
“Other things?”
Grinning, he simply started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. Other things sounded perfect to her. She was ready to have fun with her future mate.
And she was certain that he was hers.
Almost two hours later, they made it to the campsite located right on a huge lake. Sapphire didn’t think she would be spending any time in the lake this time, however. She planned on staying curled up in Eli’s arms more often than not.
“Luna’s texted me a few times,” she murmured as they settled in their chairs in front of the fire they’d built. Little wisps of steam from her breath curled in front of her as she read the incoming messages. “Apparently her ex’s alpha has reached out to Malcolm and is trying to play this off as a simple misunderstanding.”
Eli snorted. “How’d that go over?”
“Malcolm told the alpha that if he wanted to talk about this ‘misunderstanding’ in person he was welcome to come onto Kendrick territory. Alone.”
“What’d that piece of shit wolf say?”
“He never responded.” No surprise. An alpha who wouldn’t protect his own pack wasn’t brave. “How are those s’mores coming along anyway?” she asked, nodding at the two marshmallows he was holding over the fire on sticks.
“Patience, my she-wolf.”
“Oh, you’ll learn that… Wait a minute. How did Leslie’s alpha even know where she’s staying?” she asked as ice chilled her veins. Both Leslie and Luna had dumped their old phones and got new ones a couple days ago. Maybe there had been another tracker in the camper? It was the only thing she could think of.
Eli stilled in that moment, and in the silence she scented something that didn’t belong.
Wolves. Half a dozen maybe. Nearby too.
“We run, hide, then take them out one by one,” he whispered, standing with her even as he scanned the lake and surrounding area.
It got dark here earlier in the day now and they would have to use that to their advantage.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
Sapphire jumped into action as bullets pinged into the side of Eli’s truck. Reaching for Eli’s hand at the same time he reached for hers, they raced for the tree line.
Pop. Pop. Dust flew up behind them as they sprinted across the dirt and grass.
She called on her wolf before they breached the tree line, letting the change take over sharp and fast. Her clothes shredded, falling off her as her paws slammed into the ground. Another cluster of dirt and grass flew into the air from a bad shot.
Freaking wolves using weapons? These really were weak shifters. She raced alongside Eli in silence as their pursuers shouted out something behind them. She heard two distinctive male voices but she’d scented more than two.
As they raced deeper into the trees, Sapphire slowed and nudged Eli once before looking up.
He shook his head. She looked up again and growled low in her throat. She wasn’t being a martyr. She needed him to take to the trees so he could attack from above.
He nodded and broke off from her, jumping to a nearby lower hanging branch. Damn, he was quiet.
She jumped over a gnarled, twisted root and sank a few inches into a huge pile of fallen leaves. When she saw the tree the leaves had fallen under, she knew what she was going to do. If she’d been in human form, she would have smiled.
Moving quickly and quietly, she backed up into a sort of cutaway in the tree. It was dying, that much was clear. But it would stand tall until a bad storm took it out.
She burrowed down in the leaves, using them to camouflage both her scent and body. In wolf form, she was brown and gray and would blend well
enough.
She didn’t hear anyone or anything other than some agitated squirrels chirping away at the invasion to this part of the forest. The wolves must have shifted to their beast form. So they’d be quieter, deadlier now.
Hunkered down, Sapphire remained in place, waiting. Watching.
She knew Eli had to be close. There were too many scents in the forest to pinpoint him, but she knew he wouldn’t have gone too far from her. That wasn’t his way.
Without a doubt, she knew Eli would never abandon her. He would be here to the bitter end, no matter what happened today.
That realization, that shocking knowledge, made her want to kick her own ass for dragging her feet where he was concerned. She’d been afraid of getting hurt so she’d tried to push him out because of her own baggage. And she’d almost lost the man she loved.
That wasn’t going to happen today. She was an older wolf, powerful in her own right and not afraid to take on these fools. These monsters who’d helped keep her friends trapped, hurt. She had no fear right now, not for herself anyway. Just rage.
She tensed when a gray and white wolf trotted by the tree, sniffing the air cautiously. Her heart rate increased, but he didn’t see her.
She waited.
Another wolf walked by slowly, this one slightly smaller. He was brown and red and when one of his paws landed inches from her front paw, she readied to attack. But he continued on, his nose raised in the air.
Still she waited.
There were at least four. Hell, five, because no way would Leslie’s ex-mate let this go. He’d be here too with the males he’d had watching her. So five. Maybe more.
It had been a while since she’d been in a fight, but she was okay with these odds. Especially since Eli was a tracker and renowned for his skills.
From his position Eli would have a bird’s-eye view, better than her. So going against her wolf’s instinct to attack, she remained where she was, waiting for him to make the first move. Once he did, she’d jump into action.
When a third wolf stealthily slid by her hiding spot, Eli pounced from a nearby tree, landing on the back of the shifter in a wicked-fast move.
Jaguar’s Mate Page 6