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

  When she came back down, her face was clean of the tears that had torn at his heart. She was holding something in her hands, though, that gave him pause. He could smell metal and gun oil. Why was she carrying a gun?

  “I brought my gun down, just in case,” she explained. “I am praying that it’s not necessary, that they will catch him and this is only some nightmare that I’m going to wake up from any minute now.” He watched her as she walked to the couch and took a seat. She pulled a pillow close to her body and the blanket up and over her knees.

  With care, Piran took the gun from her hand. He checked the safety first and let out a breath when he saw it was at least on. Next he checked the clip and the barrel, seeing a round already chambered. “Where did you get this?” he asked. Since he didn’t want her shooting him, even by accident, he set it on the coffee table in front of her where she could get to it quickly.

  “After everything that happened I was taught weaponry and how to protect myself. I was taught gun safety and learned early on do whatever was necessary to survive. I’m actually very good with that weapon and wouldn’t have done anything to harm you in the least.” That surprised him. He didn’t think she would have done anything to learn weaponry. She seemed too soft for that.

  “I didn’t think you’d do me harm, but I always feel better having secured a weapon myself. You didn’t answer my question, though. Where did you get the gun? You didn’t get it in town, otherwise we’d all have heard about it.” Sliding his arm around her waist, he pulled her in closer to his body. He liked the way she leaned into him with such trust.

  “I’ve had it since I was a teen. My handler bought it for me before I finally was moved here. It’s not exactly something that I bring out for all occasions, if you know what I mean. It’s a weapon that I’ve kept cleaned, oiled, and in proper working order just in the hopes of never needing to use it.”

  “It’s always better to have it and never need it than be in a situation where you need it and don’t have it.” Running his hand up and down her arm, Piran rested his cheek to her hair. “Hopefully, you won’t need it, Quinn. Keep hold of the hope that they catch him sooner than later.” Long before reaching Shifter Falls. If the jackass made it there, he’d be in for one hell of a surprise from the residents who were definitely not human.

  “And if he makes it here I will not let him take me. I also won’t let him harm anyone else. This has to end. Somehow and someway this has to end,” she said softly. “He’s more of a monster than you can imagine. He would do anything in order to get what he wants. He wants to be free so that he can regain his foothold in the world, and that’s not something I will let happen, one way or another.”

  Piran wanted to reassure her, to let her know she had nothing to worry about if this human male showed up in their town, but he didn’t yet know how she’d handle the news. While most humans in their town knew about the shifters for which it was named after, there were some that still didn’t even years later. “It will end, sweetheart. I don’t know how yet, but I believe it will.” Pressing a kiss to her hair, he breathed in her scent. He wished he knew how to further reassure her, but he didn’t know where her mindset was at yet. He really didn’t want to scare her off just when they were finally meeting and getting to know one another.

  “Not exactly the first date that would invoke a second date, is it?” She was smiling as she spoke. “At least we will have pizza, and who needs a movie when you have my life playing out in front of your eyes?”

  “I definitely want to see you again, Quinn. As many times as you’ll let me. I like you. The pizza is only an added bonus to the night. Next time I’ll cook for you if you’d like. I’m not the greatest cook on the planet, but my mother made sure I had a few recipes under my belt that I could do really well. I’m assuming by your pizza choice you’re not a vegetarian, which makes the options slightly better given she only ever taught me one truly vegan option. It is good, though, for not having any meat.”

  “I hold nothing against vegetarians, but I am a carnivore at heart. I like meat, but I also like veggies. I also have a serious sweet tooth, something you should know now. Maybe when this is all done we will go out for ice cream or something?”

  “I’d like that,” he told her. Squeezing her closer, Piran closed his eyes and listened to her breathing. Both it and her heart rate were smoother and calmer now. When he’d first arrived, she’d been agitated. Since then, she’d calmed quite a lot. While he hoped it might have something to do with him, he wasn’t egotistical enough to believe it. “Tell me all about yourself, Quinn. Favorite books, movies, foods, and anything else you want to share.”

  “I love a good comedy both in book and movie,” she told him simply and stroked her hand over his chest. “I teach sixth grade, but you knew that already. I love children, the innocence that so many of them carry, and I ache for those who no longer have that innocence in their eyes. Those are the ones that haunt me. The ones who have seen the horrors that life has to offer us all.”

  “Unfortunately, we can’t protect them forever. I wish we could but it’s not always a choice we have,” he said quietly. Rubbing his cheek to her hair, he lifted his head. “Comedies are good, but I do love a good spy thriller from time to time. Or the classic mystery TV series. Even if I’ve seen them a dozen times I still get pulled in each time.”

  “Oh, spy thrillers are marvelous. I love stuff like Mission Impossible and the Bourne Identity movies. It’s all very good. I have never really had a thing for television and would rather read a good book. I like thrillers, Stephen King, James Patterson, and the list goes on. What about you?”

  “I read all types of books, do love the thrillers, or murder mysteries, or submarine books, too. I don’t watch a lot of television but where there’s an old rerun of Murder She Wrote, or some Ray Bradbury thing on, I’m there. I definitely appreciate movies with car chases and explosions. Bond is a classic character, and I’ve watched all the movies, but I’m definitely partial to Sean Connery’s Bond. There was just something about how he portrayed the character that made the transition from book to big screen almost seamless for me.”

  “Ah yes, he was the perfect Bond,” she agreed. “The latest Bond—I can’t think of his name, Craig something or another—is pretty great as well. But yes, Connery was the best Bond of all time. I think it was because of his accent.”

  “I figured you’d say that. All the girls like the guys with accents. It is seriously unfair to the rest of the male population who doesn’t have a cool Scottish or Australian accent. What is it with women and the accents? Please explain this to me.” Naturally, because he’d said that, the doorbell rang. “I’m guessing that’s the pizza guy, or the sheriff, or both. I really hope he didn’t shoot the pizza guy.” Pushing to his feet, Piran went to the door to look out before opening it enough to get a good look at the seventeen- or eighteen-year-old kid standing there with the sheriff glowering behind him. He took the boxes and a bag with the two bottles of soda, then handed over the cash with a large tip. Then he added an extra twenty for the glare the sheriff had permanently etched on his face.

  “You might as well invite the sheriff in for pizza with us if he’s going to be out there all night. Might be nice to have him fed so that he doesn’t glare through the windows at us all night long. Besides, I’m sure we have more than enough food there to share with him, right?”

  “She’s right. Get inside already, Sheriff, and find some plates and napkins.” Letting the other man shut and lock the door, Piran carried everything to the coffee table and set it down. “There’s definitely more than enough. I got two extra-large pizzas, per the lady’s request, and a mixed box of wings from mild to spicy and some dry rubs, too. We have pop, water, and also their brownies for something sweet at the end if anyone’s interested.”

  “Oh yes, the brownies,” Quinn stated with obvious interest in her voice. “And you got wings, too? You are too good to me,” she told Piran as she moved to grab the paper pl
ates and napkins.

  He gave a shrug and flipped open the lid on one pizza before sitting next to her again. The sheriff came from the kitchen with glasses in hand. “I didn’t know what to get for pop, so I got a cola and a lemon-lime. Dig in before it all gets cold,” he advised, waving her to take first crack. It was her house after all.

  “Water is fine for me,” she told him. She grabbed two slices of the pizza and several of the wings before reclaiming her seat on the couch.

  The couch was an oversized affair that she immediately sank into, and he approved fully of it because it was one that was good for snuggling. It also wasn’t leather, which meant they could easily get naked on it and not stick to the fabric. Piran ignored the sheriff’s pointed look while the man took pizza. Sliding the remaining slices from the box, Piran stuck it under the full box and took his first bite. It had been too long since he’d last had pizza. Normally his office manager stuck a plate under his nose during the day to get him to eat, but it was always some healthy concoction she’d either brought in or ordered from the diner. “This was a good idea, Quinn.”

  “I’m glad you think so. It was the first thing that came to mind. A jag’s pizza.” She shrugged as she spoke, missing the looks that the sheriff kept giving Piran. “Well, Sheriff, have you heard anything more from my handler? I know he contacted you before me. Please tell me that you’ve heard from him and they’ve caught him?”

  “Sorry, but I haven’t heard anything else yet. I’ve been on the phone with my guys, giving them instructions and making sure they know what may be headed our way. I’m sure we’ll hear something soon, Quinn.”

  “I hope you’re right. Your men will be looking for anyone that comes in that isn’t from here? Won’t that be difficult with the Lodge that books people all the time? I have no idea what he looks like now. Did they send you a picture of him?” she asked softly.

  “He sent through several current head shots of him from interviews with his lawyer and also from other surveillance video within the prison. The Lodge won’t be accepting any new visitors, nor will many of the B&B and motels within a hundred miles. Several have agreed to put up no-vacancy signs until further notice, and they have also received images of him both from before his incarceration and during. Anyone that spots him will let us and the feds know immediately. We have all the gas stations on alert, diners, restaurants, and every shop in town has been made aware that there could be a fugitive headed this way. They don’t know why but they know he is likely armed, is to be considered very dangerous, and that they should not attempt to do anything. Let him go and then call us, plain and simple.”

  Piran shot him a look and cocked a brow. He knew how well that would work for those owners who were shifters. They’d take the guy down in a heartbeat if it meant protecting one of their own. And Quinn was one of theirs now and for all time.

  “I don’t understand why they would do that.” Quinn stopped now and looked from one man to the other. “Why would the people of this town do that? Why would shopkeepers close their doors to possible income for a teacher that no one has ever really looked twice at? If not for that dating site I doubt that I would even have met as many people as I have so far. What am I missing?”

  “We protect our own,” Piran said simply. Setting his plate down, he wiped his hands and turned on the sofa to face her. “The moment you moved here you started a life. Then you took to nurturing and helping to guide the young, the innocent and vulnerable, in your position as a teacher. That made you family. The thing you will learn about Shifter Falls, and many of the communities around us, is we will go to the wall for someone we consider family. You may not be related by blood but you are family nonetheless, Quinn.”

  The tears in her eyes hit him straight to his heart. “I’ve never been part of a family before, not a true family,” she said as she moved closer to him. “This truly is the best place for me to have landed, isn’t it?” She reached out, touching Piran’s shoulder as she spoke.

  “Absolutely the best place for you to be, Quinn.” Cupping her face, he gently wiped away the tears with his thumbs. “No more crying, though, sweetheart. It does a number on me, and you’ve already done this once tonight. No need for a repeat.” Piran leaned in to kiss her cheek, then wrapped her up in a hug.

  She hugged him back, and finally he felt her nod. “I’m trying. I’ve just never had such acceptance before. It floors me.” When she pulled back, he saw the pain cross her eyes and hugged her closer. “And I am supposed to only be a blind date. You humble me, Piran. Everything, this humbles me.”

  “We passed blind date around attempt three, Quinn. So stop thinking like that. You’re important, believe it.” He gave her another quick hug before he drew back and passed her a napkin to dry the tears that had slipped free. “Now don’t you worry about the folks around these parts. They might lose a few dollars, but they will be helping to keep someone safe and that’s the most important part.”

  “I’ve never before been in a place that’s so tight-knit as this town. It’s like just before Christmas how the town seemed to shut down and people roamed the streets as if worried that there would be some sort of attack. That was something that surprised me. I had never seen anything like that before in my life, but it is a fairly small town so I’m sure that you all know each other and have for generations, right?” She wanted to ask Piran and the sheriff if they knew anything about what had happened but she was afraid to. She didn’t want to ruin the camaraderie that they all had going on. Maybe one day she would ask. She hoped she would have Piran in her life long enough that there would be a “one day”.

  “For the most part. There’s always a few folks that come for a vacation and then never leave,” the sheriff said. He was grabbing wings for his plate before starting on the other pizza. “We welcome everyone as long as they intend no harm to anyone in the family. Like any family there are a few loose screws, a few we’d prefer were never brought up in conversation, and naturally a few we pretend we don’t know, but all in all it’s the best place I’ve ever lived.”

  “It’s a wonderful place to live, actually. I don’t know who the loose screws are, but I’m willing to learn them as we go.” She didn’t move from Piran’s side, where he had pulled her closer, and he loved that.

  “Oh, they are easy enough to spot,” the sheriff muttered. Again came a sidelong look his way that had Piran glaring at the man. If he was calling Piran a loose screw there would be hell to pay. “You’ll get to know them all in time. Now, is anyone else interested in those wings or can I go to town on them?”

  “I’m finished with them. Piran?” She looked at Piran and winked at him. God, he loved those looks she was giving him. He could become accustomed to those looks.

  “Have at it, Sheriff.” He had better things to do, like cuddling with Quinn. Tugging the throw back over her legs, he wrapped his arms around her and rested his cheek to her temple. He could get used to nights like this. Minus the guy with the dirty looks and loaded gun. Especially the guy with the loaded gun.

  Chapter Five

  Quinn watched as the sheriff left. She leaned against the couch and observed Piran walking back toward her. “Are you going to stay?” she asked, pulling her feet up under her to brace her chin on her knees. “I know you had said you would, but I don’t want to put you into danger.”

  He eased down on the couch again and ran a hand up and down her calf. “I’m willing to stay, Quinn. However long you want, if we want to get technical. I have a bag in my truck for a change of clothes. It’s always in there, so get that look off your face. I have it there in case I need to clean up without time to run home before meeting a potential client. Woodworking is a messy business and it gets everywhere. I have showers at the office, clean clothes in my truck, and even a few breath mints for when a client tries to crawl into my lap.” He pulled a face and shuddered.

  “Why would they try to crawl into your lap?” She moved so that she was closer to him and touched his cheek. “I
’ve seen the things that you create and they are beautiful. I admit that I stalked your business website after our fifth missed date. You have one piece that’s utterly stunning. I want to ask you about it. It’s not for sale, but the piece is a jaguar and two small cubs, kittens or whatever they are called. I’ve never seen anything so perfect.”

  “That one was pure luck. If you want it it’s yours, no charge. I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with it, and now I know I’ve been holding on to it for the right person. You.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked with wide eyes. “I would love that, thank you.” She reached out to him. “Jaguars have always fascinated me. The way that they can lie in wait with the patience of a saint and then pounce, all lithe and long muscles. They are beautiful creatures, but deadly.”

  “They do have their moments. It’s the one you don’t see that you have to worry about with them. They also like the high approach to scout out a situation whenever possible. Fascinating creatures,” he said. Oddly enough she picked up amusement in his tone. “As to your earlier question, the female clients think they can get more out of the deal by climbing into my lap. I’ve discovered it’s easier not to sit whenever I meet with a woman. Not all, mind you, but there have been enough to make me seriously gun-shy.”

  “I’m sorry you have to deal with that.” She hated the fact that he had women pawing him. “I don’t like the idea that women touch you like that. I know it’s not my place, but it makes me very upset to know that with every female client you have there is a possibility that they’ll try to get something from you that you don’t want to give.”

  “Thank you.” Reaching up, he touched her cheek, then tapped her nose lightly. “Like I said, I’ve figured out for the most part how to keep them from getting too handsy. What really gets me is they’ll do it with their boyfriends, fiances, or husbands right there.”