Shifted Temptations (19 page)

“Alex?” I called o
ut to him softly.

He lifted his head and licked my palm with his huge tongue. My breath caught on a laugh.

“Are you alright now?” Jordan asked.

I looked up at him. His facia
l features were set in stone. His eyes flat and his lips thinned. I could not stand that stony look he liked to hide behind. I leaned up and kissed him on his hard mouth. At first, he did not react, but as I continued to rub my lips against his, he began to participate.

We kissed sweetly, my hand still petting Alex’s soft fur. I pulled back and gave Jordan a reprimanding look. I never wanted to see that expression on his face again. He blushed, actually blushed and I smiled at the adorable reddening of his cheeks.

“Yes, I’m alright now,” I said as I looked back down at Alex, nestled against my leg. “But I have a question.”

“Just one?”

I glanced back up at Jordan. “Well, maybe a few.” At his nod I continued. “I thought you said you were both jaguars?”

“We are.”

“But, Alex’s fur is all black. Wouldn’t that make him a panther? I thought jaguars were gold with black spots.”

“Panther is just a name used for large cats. Jaguars, leopards and cougars can be deemed black panthers if their fur is dark. But to answer your question, yes, he is a jaguar.” He smiled and motioned to Alex. “Look close and you can see his spots.”

I looked at Alex’s long body. His fur was a deep black, but as I looked closer, I began to notice a small variation in the color, making spots.

Jor
dan shook his head and chucked.

“What?” I asked.

“Of all the questions, that is what you wanted to know?”

I grinned. “It was the first thing I thought of. What about you?”

“What about me?”

“What color are you?”

“Average color, like you said, gold with dark spots.”

I smiled up at him. “There i
s nothing average about you Jordan, and I can only imagine that your other form is just as amazing.”

He grinned and gave me a chaste kiss. “Thank you.
”

The hand that was petting Alex suddenly froze.

“What is it?” Jordan asked as Alex’s head snapped up, pinning me with his glowing eyes.

I had to look away from his questioning stare. It was a little unnerving knowing there was a human in there looking back at me.

I pulled my hand away and placed it on my stomach, rubbing small circles as I asked, “Will the baby be like you?”

Jordan breathed out a long sigh and pulled me close
r. “There is a good chance the baby will be a shifter. Some children from mixed blood never shift, but most do.”

“Will she shift inside me?” I looked down at my belly and shivered at the thought.

“No, of course not,” he chuckled. “The change does not happen until the child reaches puberty.”

I relax
ed into Jordan’s arms. “Wow that has got to be the worst timing.”

He nodded. “It is, but with the right support, it’s not so bad.”

My head tilted so I could look at him better. “You’ve never talked about your family before. I think I understand why now, but could you maybe tell me a little about them? Did your parents help you the first time you shifted?”

The bed shook making me glance down at Alex. He had slid closer to Jordan and laid a paw in his leg. How strange, I thought.

“I don’t want to talk about my parents right now.” Jordan’s words brought my attention back to him. “But I will answer your other question. No my parents did not help me with my first shift, or any other for that matter.”

My eyes widen
ed. “You had to go through that alone?”

He shook his head and looked down at Alex. “No, Alex was with me. He’s younger than me by a year and had not shifted yet, so he had no advice to give, but he stayed with me. He talked to me the whole time. That was more than enough support and in turn I was there for him.”

I swallowed my gasp as I heard the emotion that filled his words. Tears prickled at the corner of my eyes. They were true best friends and it was clear Jordan loved Alex dearly.

He turned away from Alex to gaze at me. His eyes were bright as he smiled happily. “So you don’t have to worry. No matter what happens, this baby, shifter or not, will never be alone. We will make sure the little one has all the support and encouragement that is needed to get through the first change.”

I could not help but kiss him. I wrapped my arm around his neck to pull him closer as my mouth plundered his. I let him know, through soft licks and sharp nibbles, how grateful I was that he understood and helped banish my uncertainties.

We both pulled back as Alex became restless, pawing at our legs. We both chuckled at the irritated look on the cat’s face.

“Are you ready for Alex to shift back?”

“Yes.”

I turned and watched the show again, this time in reverse, and without the panic attack.

~ 18 ~

Jordan

My relief was a release. It lightened my heavy burdened soul. I had no idea how great that burden was until a piece of it vanished. Giving Sam a glimpse into our secret was essential, yet satisfying.

She handled the situation with aplo
mb. Well, not at first. She did kind of panic, but I was sure it was because there was a massive jaguar practically on top of her. She accepted us as shifters and that was all that counted. I hoped she took the rest of the news just as well.

Pouring myself a cup of coffee, I wondered when I should broach the subject of our real job. She had already been told so much and I wanted to give her time to process, but time had run out. Alex and I had to leave for Wilde Mountain on that coming Wednesday. It was already Monday. I had less than two days to catch Alex up on what was happening, confide in Sam that we were military and that we would be gone for a few days, and find someone to look after her while we were gone.

The robust flavor of the black coffee gave my over stressed brain the bolt of energy I desired. I took another sip, letting the hot liquid slide down my throat, willing my anxiety to do the same. Important decisions had to be made and I would make them.

First
up was talking to Alex, I thought as I heard him walking towards the kitchen. He strode in with a wide smile and helped himself to the coffee. As he poured the steaming liquid into a mug, he turned to look at me, his smile still bright.

“She’s amazing. I am so relieved that’s over with.”

“Yes, she is.”

“This is great! She’s accepted us and now we can have a future.”
I wanted to smile at Alex’s enthusiasm.

“Yeah, but there is still a lot we need to tell her.”

“She needs to know about the
Alpha Division
.” Alex’s excitement dulled slightly as he nodded.

“Where is she?”

“Sleeping, I think we wore her out.” I grinned along with Alex, thinking I was damn worn out myself.

Sobering, I quickly got to business.
“Mission
Wild Hunt
is a go.”

I thought my abrupt change of topic would confuse him. I sorely underestimate Alex. He didn’t even blink.

“And I assume I still haven’t been called in?” He asked. My chin dipped once in acknowledgment. His eyes narrowed into slits. “Does it have something to do with Wilde Mountain?” Again, I only nodded. “Tell me.”

“Mark
gave a tip that has been confirmed. The community is being used in a drug trafficking ring."

Alex rocked back on his heels. “Drug trafficking?
Are they sure?”

I knew what he was thinking. Our com
munity might have been screwed up, but drugs had never been a problem, only assholes. Alex looked me in the eye, and waited. He knew there was something I wasn't telling him. So far, nothing I had said would have kept him off the mission.

“I confirmed it myself.”

“That’s where you were for the past few nights?”

"When was the last time yo
u spoke to your parents?" I asked, swiftly changing the subject again. I wasn’t ready to talk about what happened.

"I haven't, why?"

"Neither have I."

Alex’s body was becoming
tense. Only the years of training kept me in control. It was slipping though. He was my friend and I hated being the bearer of bad news, and there was a lot of it for Alex.

"I know. Now tell me how this all comes together."

I placed a hand on his shoulder. Alex’s eyes widened at my unusual sympathetic gesture.

"Mark told Teij that
Luanne past away three years ago."

"What?"
He exclaimed.

I watched him search my face carefully, looking for a lie. The moment he
accepted the truth, he looked away.

“I shouldn't be surprised. M
om was a drunk.”

And ev
en with all the grief she gave him growing up, I could see the pain etched onto my friends face. She was his mom and no matter what, he loved her.

I wrapped an arm around his shoulders an
d pulled him close. Alex did not resist and hugged me back. He had always been there for me through so much shit and I was thankful that I could be there for him. I patted his back and pulled away.

"I'm sorry man,"
I said softly.

"Thanks." He cleared his
throat. "I guess they figured since I wasn't keeping in touch they didn't have to tell me.” He pushed his hands roughly through his hair. “God, that irritates the hell out of me, but I can’t really blame them either.”

Taking a deep
breath, I prepared myself to land the next blow. Alex noticed and his posture stiffened, his eyes narrowed.

“What else?”

"Mission is, go in, take out the leader of the committee. He's number one on the radar for the drugs. We take out any who stand with him."

His
shoulders pulled back. "Name, picture?"

I shook my
head. "No, you weren’t called in, remember?"

"Damn i
t Jordan!” Alex slammed his mug on the counter, spilling coffee over his hand. He didn’t seem to notice. “That makes no sense."

"We ha
ve done separate jobs before."

"Yeah, but this one's different and you know it
," he said pointing at my chest.

His
gaze stayed harshly on mine as I pretended to debate what to do. I knew I would go against orders, but I let him try to convince me. I needed to know how badly he wanted it. He didn't drop his eyes, waiting to see what his fate would hold.

It was enough for me.
"The committee chairman is Alexander James Wright Sr., your father."

Alex didn’t speak, on
ly turned to look at the wall with blank eyes. The only sound was the ticking of the kitchen clock and Alex’s harsh breathing. I wanted to tell him more, but he wouldn’t have heard. He was in his own head now.

I waited silently, sipping my coffee. I
was not surprised when Alex pulled his cell phone from his pocket. After pressing one button, he set it to his ear.

‘Teij, I’m in.”

I nodded my approval and headed for the office. Hours later, I had Alex brought up to speed. He and I would be leaving for Wilde Mountain on Wednesday. That left only one day to work things out with Sam.

~ 19 ~

Alex

“I cannot believe the council is allowing drugs into the community. Even more unbelievable is that my father is the one leading this shit. He was always spouting off about how drugs were the ruin of humanity and how shifters are above the disgusting stuff.”

“I know, it’s unreal, but I found proof. Alexa
nder’s scent was all over the house, including around the drugs.” Jordan looked away, not meeting my eyes.

I nodded and looked at Jordan thoughtfully.
He was hiding something.

“You went on the reconnaissance mission?”

“Yes.”

I waited, but he offer
ed no further information.

“That’s all you have to say about it?”

He shrugged as if it was no big deal. He couldn’t fool me. There was a tightness around his eyes and his jaw was ticking, classic signs that Jordan was upset.

“I went in
, found the evidence and got out.”

I shook my head. Damn, he was stubborn. “Try again, Jordan. Tell me what happened. Did
it have to do with my father?”

I cringed at the word. I hated calling that man my father. I always knew he was
a cruel bastard, but I had thought he saved his hatred for only me. The rest of the community walked on water in his eyes. Everyone loved and respected him and he had treated them the same. I guessed things changed.