The Jaguar's Mate (Shifters-Match.com Book 3) Read online

  “Yes, you are, and I am always right. Learn it, live it, love it.” Grinning, he gave her a kiss when she tipped her head back for it. “I love you, Quinn. You are everything I could ever want or need in a mate. Know that. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. Their opinions hold no sway over my feelings for you and never will.”

  “I’m glad. I love you, too, Piran. Now go and make sure that our company is taken care of and I will bake. I’ll also put together some sandwiches.”

  “Sounds like a good plan. Might as well pull out a couple tubs of the chili and throw them into a pot to start warming.”

  “Good idea.”

  Cupping her face, he gave her one last kiss before he let her go. After filling up a mug with coffee Piran disappeared into the living room, where the other men had gone. She could hear the low drone from their voices but no actual words while she worked on finishing up the cookies and getting the chili warming.

  Once she had everything cooking, she moved from the kitchen to the living room. “Can I refill anyone’s coffee or anything at all?” she wanted to know. “If not, is it okay if I come in and sit with you guys for about another seven minutes? That’s when the first batch of cookies come out.”

  “We’re good, thanks for asking,” the sheriff told her.

  Piran reached out to wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her down onto his lap. He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Relax,” he said softly. Setting his cup aside, he cuddled her in closer to him.

  “There are sandwiches in the fridge now if anyone is hungry for something other than sweets,” she thought to add.

  “We’re good for now,” Travis told her.

  “Are we telling her what we’ve been discussing?” the sheriff asked.

  “Damn straight we are,” Piran muttered. “Travis was telling me that the intrusion reeks of human. He can’t say for sure if it’s your father, but he said it was a distinctive scent. A heavy cologne with a hint of cinnamon to it. Does that sound familiar to you?”

  Quinn’s face felt as if it lost all color. She looked down and noticed her arms had. She felt dizzy, as if she wasn’t getting enough air. “He always has cinnamon, always. I hate the stuff now.” Her voice wobbled as she spoke. “His cologne even smells like cinnamon and cloves. Are you sure?” she asked Travis.

  “I am. I went out there to track the scent. I got to the lake but then it vanished, along with one of the boats normally kept there. I have people on the other side, this side, keeping watch for it to come ashore. Best guess is he took the boat to cover his tracks but likely won’t stay in it for long. Our best trackers are working out from the point the scent trail vanished,” Travis told her.

  “I hope they are very, very good.” She wanted to throw up. The fact that he had been so close… “Do you think he knows we’re here?” She rubbed at her stomach. “If he knows or even thinks that we are here, he will bring in every hired gun he can get his hands on.”

  “I doubt he has the resources any longer,” the sheriff said. “According to the guys we picked up today, most of the people that were helping him have stepped away, leaving him floundering. Apparently, they didn’t see the profit in killing you given he is a wanted man, more so now that a marshal is MIA and evidence points to your father having something to do with it. Which means if he wants you dead he has to work with what, and who, he has. In the end it’s probably not much. The man is completely broke. He used up all of the funds that he had when he escaped. What he didn’t plan on was walking into jaguar territory. The hunter has become the hunted.”

  Piran let out a groan. “How long have you been waiting to use that?”

  “You have no idea.”

  Quinn had to snicker, feeling some of the tension begin to ease up. “Oh my goodness.” She looked up at the sheriff and giggled again. “And with a straight face. I can’t believe you were even able to say that with a straight face.” She was shocked that she was able to laugh as hard as she was, but she couldn’t help it. She found it hilarious. Inside she was stressing out like crazy. She knew Piran could feel that stress, because he reached out and covered her hands that she kept rubbing together in his larger ones. She took a deep breath, willing her nerves to settle, telling herself that she refused to let the stress get to her. She wouldn’t allow her father to steal another moment of joy from her. She had to live for herself and for this time with the man she loved.

  The sheriff smirked and gave her a wink. “Had to pick my moment to make it worthwhile. If I do say so myself, I think I chose right.”

  Piran cuddled her in closer to him and rubbed a hand over her thigh. Then he sniffed the air. “Uh, sweetheart, I think your cookies might be ready.”

  “Oh crap on a cracker!” she almost shouted as she jumped up and raced for the kitchen. She was cursing as she pulled them out of the oven. When she walked back out, all of the men were looking at her. “You guys heard all that, didn’t you?” she asked, feeling her face turn hot.

  Piran nodded slowly with an amused look. “The cursing was rather creative and I’ll have to give you an eight for that. Saving the cookies earns you another point, but the slight singing means you lose two points.”

  Shaking her head, she settled into his lap. “Now, talk to me, darling, about what you boys were planning while I was in there saving the cookies?” She felt safe, but only because Piran was there. She was certain she would wind up with ulcers with all of the acid her stomach was churning up, but she couldn’t seem to stop it. Once more she began to twist her hands tightly and there he was again, his much larger hands covering hers.

  “We weren’t planning anything. We’re as ready as we are able to be, considering we don’t know where your father currently is. Travis got one update that they found where he came back onto shore and are working to track him. He’s about twenty minutes ahead of them, but since they will be traveling on four legs they’ll catch up soon enough. Once they have him in sight, hopefully we’ll get more answers. We need to take him alive to find out if he took Joe.”

  She nodded and sighed. “Yes, we need to make sure that he’s found. I just pray that Joe wasn’t somehow involved in this. I doubt that he was, but then again you never know.”

  “Anything is possible, sweetheart. If Joe got caught up and is being held against his will, we’ll get him free and on his way home. If he’s in on this to hurt you, then he’ll be lucky to see the inside of a jail cell. No one hurts my mate and gets away with it.”

  “I love you, too, Piran,” she said with a small smile. She moved slightly and looked at her watch. “You have me for three more minutes, and then I have to go and get the other cookies out of the oven so they don’t over brown.” Not burn, she would never say that they burnt.

  He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close. “When you go back in there, I’ll come along and refill some mugs, maybe swipe cookies for us to nibble on while we sit here twiddling our thumbs.”

  Quinn got up and walked away so she could go to the kitchen and get them all some food and drinks. As she walked away she heard Piran turning on the television and simply smiled. As soon as they were in the kitchen, she turned to face Piran. “They are good people. Thank you for having me in your life, for introducing me to your family, because that’s what these men and women are. Family. For the first time, I feel real hope that I will have a family.”

  “You’ll have a lot of family,” he told her. Cupping her face, he stroked his thumb over her lips. “And you will always have me, the most important part of that family. Like you are the important part in mine. Cookies.” He pointed to the oven and moved to the coffee.

  She nodded and picked up the cookies after putting in the next batch. “This is the last batch.” She walked out and placed the cookies on the coffee table, then turned to go back for a glass of milk for herself. A flash suddenly caught her attention and she stopped mid-stride, looked down at her shoulder, and frowned. When she realized what the red dot was, it was too late. There was a splint
er of a sound, then white-hot, burning pain in her upper chest. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. She heard growls, glass shattering and falling, and the sheriff calling in an ambulance. She felt her body falling, her vision wavering. “Piran?” She called his name as she went down. His arms were suddenly there and around her to catch her before she was on her face.

  “I think someone shot me.” She moved her hand from her upper right chest and stared down at her fingers. “Oh God, blood.” She felt as if she were tasting copper pennies in her mouth. “Right side, not heart.” She giggled. Okay, so she was losing her mind. How the hell was it that she was able to be so calm? “I’m feeling all kinds of numb and sleepy.” Even to herself her voice sounded slurred and off.

  A large cat leapt over her and Piran and out the window. The sheriff appeared with towels that Piran grabbed and pressed to her shoulder. “The window fucked up the shot,” the sheriff said. He rolled her, causing shooting pain to radiate down her side. “No exit wound. Fucking thing is still in her. Probably mangled given the look of that entrance wound.”

  “She’s bleeding too much. We need to get her to the hospital now.” Piran sounded on the edge of shifting. His eyes kept flickering between human and the jaguar.

  “Duct tape?”

  “Drawer closest to the fridge at the back.”

  The sheriff collected the roll, already pulling on it when he skidded back to her side and dropped to his knees. In seconds they had the towels taped tightly to her body, and Piran had her up in his arms. “Breathe, Quinn,” her mate ordered, his running jostling her around. “You’re going to be all right.”

  “Oven, turn it off.” She had to get her mind off of what she was feeling, otherwise she was going to give in to the pain and panic that was gripping her. “Holy fucking hell this hurts.” She swallowed back the bile that rose in her throat. Her body was screaming in agony. All she wanted to do was pass out to escape the pain, but she was afraid to let go.

  “You are going to be fine. Travis will get the oven, don’t you worry. Our only concern is getting you put back together. You can’t leave me, Quinn. There is so much I want to show you in my world, our world.” She felt his lips against her cheek.

  “I can’t wait to see,” Quinn whispered, then bit her lower lip and whimpered again. “It hurts,” she told him, then heard sirens above her head and knew she was in the car now and that they were driving quickly. She was panting, and sweat was falling down her back and temples. “Don’t think I can stay awake. I love you, Piran, but I don’t think I can. Hurts too much.”

  “Stay with me, Quinn,” he ordered. “Drive faster, damn it. Come on, baby, I need you to keep your beautiful eyes open and locked with mine. I know it hurts, but we’re going to get you fixed up soon. The sheriff is breaking every law in four states to get you to the hospital fast.”

  “I’m trying, I really am.” Quinn was panting through the pain. “Having a baby better not hurt worse than this, or you are having our children.” Her words were slurred even more now. Darkness was clouding her vision.

  “Quinn, you look at me. No falling asleep. We’re almost there, but you need to stay awake. I know it’s hard,” he whispered against her cheek. “A few more minutes and then you can have a nap while they fix you up good as new.”

  “Don’t know I have a few more minutes.” Even her words were coming out wrong now. The sheriff brought the SUV to a stop, and the door at Piran’s back opened. He eased out, taking her with him, and set her onto the gurney. “Shot through a window, was bleeding heavily the entire way here but stayed conscious. No allergies,” he said, running alongside as she was rushed through the chaotic ER and beyond.

  She forced her eyes open once more and looked up at him. The fear in his eyes matched the terror she felt. As she watched him, a haze slowly closed in around everything, and his visage began to waver. The lights over him were suddenly too bright. “I love you, Piran,” she told him as she felt the pinch of an IV line being placed in her hand and a rush of lovely drugs flowing through her body.

  “I love you, too, little mate.” His voice followed her into the soft, warm place the drugs took her. She held on to that sound as everything went dark.

  Chapter Fourteen

  She hurt. It was the first thought Quinn had as the haze holding her down began to lift. The second thought involved several seriously noisy males who seemed to be bickering in her bedroom. Why they were there she didn’t know, and quite frankly she didn’t care.

  “We can’t just kill him, Piran.” That sounded like the sheriff.

  “Sure we can. Everyone, including my mate, will be a lot fucking safer and happier if that psychopath is dead. I’ll even make it quick if that’ll make you less constipated-looking.” Piran’s voice smoothed out the rough edges of her pain even if he did sound pissed off.

  “He’s been processed back into the system. If he suddenly ends up dead, that’s a major federal investigation in Shifter Falls no one fucking needs or wants. We’re not exactly your quintessential small town here, Piran. Pretty sure the feds would figure out we’re one fucking weird place.”

  “Both of you calm down.” The tone was pure alpha. That had to be Travis. “We got justice for your mate, Piran. He will never walk again, and he will never be right in the head after what all was done to him and how. The feds will lock him up for the rest of his days, however few they may be, and your mate will be safe. It also serves as a warning to his family that if they think to come here they, too, will face the same fate. She is off limits and we’ve made that abundantly clear.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “I know,” Travis said quietly. “But we live among the humans and we blend, which means we must abide by their laws, especially when one of their own is involved. It chafes me as well, but this is the way it must be. I also believe your mate may finally be waking from the drugs. She has a scrunchy face happening.”

  A warm, rough hand slid under hers to lift it to soft lips. “Quinn,” Piran said. “Please wake up.”

  “Only cause you guys are yelling,” Quinn whispered. “Why can’t we kill him?” She agreed with Piran on this one. She was perfectly happy to have her father dead. “Jesus H Christ, I hurt. Can you please ask them for more drugs?” She had tried to adjust herself in the bed, and a sharp pain nearly stole her breath.

  “Shh, stay still. I’ve got the control here to, ahh. There we go,” he muttered. The bed lifted up slightly, bringing her to a gentle recline. “We weren’t yelling. We were discussing in firm, commanding tones that only vaguely resembled yelling to those who have been out of it with drugs and sleeping for way too long. Travis is getting the doctor and he’ll be able to adjust your drugs to control your pain. For now, slow your breathing and listen to my voice.”

  “Trying. Son of a whore, they have me on a catheter, don’t they?” she asked when she felt the tube between her legs. Dammit to hell and back again, she hated this. “Oh, fuck me, that hurt. The worst of it is starting to ease off, I think.”

  “Kind of necessary, sweetheart. You were shot, through two rounds of surgery, and have been in and out over the last three days. This is pretty much the first time you’ve been coherent enough to talk where it made sense. The last time I was appreciative that you wanted me naked, but I don’t think the sheriff or my alpha needed to know your plans for my naked self.”

  “Pretty sure what she was suggesting is still illegal in several states,” the sheriff said from where he stood by the door.

  “Nothing sexual should be illegal unless someone says no.” Quinn closed her eyes and spoke with a bit of a smirk. “Come on, Sheriff, admit it, you like the freaky stuff, too.” Jesus, the drugs they had her on had to be seriously rockin’, because she typically didn’t say things like this, ever.

  Someone started to cough, clearly hiding a laugh. The sheriff let out a groan. “I have work to do. I’m glad to see you awake finally, Quinn. Your mate has been driving us all crazy with how worried he’s been.
I’ll check in later.”

  “I should be going as well,” Travis said. He stepped to the bedside and lightly touched the end of her nose with a finger. “Welcome to the family, little one. Get better so we can officially welcome you in our typical rowdy manner.” Shaking Piran’s hand, he gave her a slight smile and left the room with the sheriff, teasing the other man about his freaky ways.

  Quinn shook her head. “I can’t believe I said that.” She then looked up at Piran. “I’m sorry I worried you. I wanted to not be hurt, so this really sucks. I wanted to be able to get naked with you as soon as possible but yeah, you know,” she teased, holding on to him.

  “That will need to wait,” a new voice informed her. Piran’s lips twitched while she let out a groan. “Obviously I interrupted something, my apologies. It’s nice to see you awake finally, young lady.”

  “Quinn, this is Doctor Apaida. Doc, meet the mostly awake but still in some pain Quinn. Otherwise known as the woman I love more than anything, who no matter her condition is trying to get me naked. Can you now understand why I adore her like I do?”

  “She does seem rather unique, but it’s likely the drugs helping her out, Piran. How are you feeling, Quinn?”

  “As if I’ve had a hot poker shoved into my shoulder and I can’t move my arm, which sucks ass. I also really don’t like the smell I have going on right now, and have I mentioned I’m a terrible patient?” She smiled at the doctor. “Nice to meet you. Apaida, do you have a son named Ferdinand? Just graduated into the seventh grade two years ago?”

  “Your mate has mentioned that you make a terrible patient. He’s also mentioned that I should hum loudly whenever you started to make demands for various pieces of his clothing.” He scribbled some notes into her file. “I’m not sure I should admit that I’m related to that little hellion, but yes, he is my son. Dare I ask what he may have done in your class?”