Tempted by the Jaguar #2: Revelation (Riverford Shifters) (3 page)

The smell of a female jaguar hit Kylie’s
nostrils just as a thirty-something brunette woman appeared in her bedroom’s
doorway. She paused in the threshold as if suddenly startled before entering
the room completely, shutting the door behind her.

“Hi, I’m Jennifer,” she introduced
herself again with a friendly smile.

Kylie made a big show of weakly sitting
up in bed. “Kylie Moore. Sorry we had to meet like this.”

“I’m only sorry that Hunter didn’t think
to come to me sooner before things got so out of hand. Although…” She paused
and stared hard at Kylie for a long, uncomfortable moment before she moved to
settle herself down on the corner of the bed. “You don’t look nearly as bad as
I thought you would. From the stress in Hunter’s voice, I expected to find you
writhing on the floor in sexual agony.”

Kylie grimaced. “If you would have come
just ten minutes ago, you would have seen me incoherent and ready to bash my
head against the wall in the hopes of knocking myself out, the burning and
throbbing was so bad. Then my friend showed up, and while she was trying to get
me to go to the hospital, the heat just—stopped.”

Jennifer’s eyes widened. “Are you
telling me that you’re no longer in heat?”

“I guess,” Kylie replied, letting a hint
of uncertainty creep into her voice. “Other than feeling a little warm and lightheaded,
that terrible arousal is pretty much gone.”

“What were you doing right before the
heat disappeared?”

“Just curling up on the bed and telling
my friend that I wasn’t going to go to the ER. No, wait. I took a couple ibuprofens
just to appease her. Could that have done it?”

She frowned thoughtfully. “No, I don’t
think so, though I’ve never heard of a jaguar’s heat stopping after only a few
hours.”

“Hunter did tell you I was a Returner,
right?” Kylie asked. “Maybe that has something to do with it. Maybe my body is
still in flux. My sense of smell is still pretty unstable even though it’s
already been a couple of days since I first shifted.”

“Maybe your friend had the right of it
and I should take you to see one of our doctors,” Jennifer fretted. “Hunter
told me that your pheromone output was off the charts, and I obviously can’t
tell if you’re still putting them out or have actually stopped completely.”

“You can’t?” Pheromones were definitely
something that had never come up in conversation with either her parents or
Karen. “I thought it was just me that couldn’t smell them or that the heat was
driving me so crazy that I couldn’t focus on anything else.”

“No female can, except maybe a female
wolf shifter, though the verdict is still out on that one. A few of them have
claimed that they smell
something
, but what they describe is different
than what a male says he smells.”

“I may not be in heat anymore, but can
you still teach me how to control my pheromones before it hits again?” She
shuddered. “I don’t want what happened at the club to ever happen again.
Imagine if it had happened in the middle of one of my lectures. I would have
never been able to show my face at the university again!”

Jennifer flashed Kylie a sympathetic look.
“Of course, but first, I think I should call Hunter and let him know what’s
going on. I’ll need his nose to judge whether or not your heat has truly
stopped, or if something else is going on.”

Images of Hunter pushing her up against
the elevator doors while devouring her mouth and the rough feel of him shredding
her blouse flooded into her mind, and Kylie could feel her cheeks heat up. “Is
that really a good idea? The effect I had on him—on everybody—was pretty
extreme. I really don’t want to put him in such an uncomfortable position
again. Wouldn’t it be better for him to stay away until at least morning?”

“Normally I would say yes, but you said
so yourself. You’re a Returner. For all we know, your irregular heat cycle
could be a symptom of something much, much worse. I’ve heard that Returners can
sometimes have severe physiological complications after their first shift. I
really do think you need to see a doctor, but I also can’t take you out of this
apartment without knowing whether or not you’re still churning out your mating
pheromones.”

Kylie resisted the urge to look at her
pillow where her mother’s bracelet and Paul’s toothbrush were still hidden.
With two people hovering over her with worry over some imagined problem with
her body, there was no way they would allow her out of their sight to properly
secure them.

“Even if I’ve stopped sending out the
pheromones, the apartment’s probably saturated with them,” Kylie reasoned.
“Won’t that be just as bad?”

“Damn. You’re right.” Jennifer paused
and bit her lower lip, considering. “There’s nothing to do but to have you step
into the hall when he gets here. If you’re no longer sending out mating
signals, then we can all move somewhere else to talk. Either way, it’ll be a
week at least before a male will be able to enter this apartment without
falling under your spell.”

Her smile took the sting out of those
last words.

“If you really think it’s best, call
him,” Kylie said reluctantly.

More than her fear of them discovering
the bracelet, she was not at all ready to see Hunter again after the way they
had gone at each other like the animals they partially were. Add to that
Jennifer, whom she had only met a few minutes ago, and their meeting would
probably be doubly awkward.

She comforted herself with the knowledge
that at least Hunter wouldn’t be coming into the apartment today. Now Kylie
just had to make sure Jennifer left the bedroom before Hunter arrived in order
to take care of the bracelet and toothbrush.

“I should probably change,” Kylie said,
drawing the comforter from her lap and revealing that she was only dressed in a
long t-shirt to the older woman.

Jennifer immediately stood up from the
bed. “Of course. I’ll just go make my call from the living room.”

The second the bedroom door closed,
Kylie lifted her pillow off the concealed items and wasted no time in using it
to scoot them back into the small paper bag. She then pulled out a set of
undergarments, socks, and jeans from the gym bag her father had sent and
quickly pulled them on, deciding to just keep wearing the t-shirt.

After stuffing the paper bag into the
gym bag, Kylie picked it up and headed out the door. There was no way she would
leave it behind if Hunter decided she needed to leave the apartment.

“Your coloring is starting to look
better,” Jennifer said as Kylie sat down next to her on the sofa.

“That’s a relief,” Kylie replied. She
began to comb her fingers through her still damp, medium-length hair, trying to
get the tangles out as best she could without a brush.

“Don’t let your guard down just yet,”
Jennifer warned. “For all we know, you could suddenly go into heat again.”

Kylie groaned. “That would totally suck.
I have midterms at the end of the week.”

She smiled sympathetically. “Then let me
see if I can teach you how to control the pheromones while we wait for Hunter
to arrive.”

Kylie froze at the single, hard knock on
the front door, her heart suddenly in her throat.

Jennifer reached over and gave Kylie’s
arm a reassuring squeeze. “Let me speak with him first. I’ll call out for you
to join us in the hallway when I’m sure he’s ready for you.”

She swallowed nervously and gave the
teacher a curt nod. Kylie told herself she wouldn’t watch her leave, unsure she
could handle seeing Hunter just yet, but as Jennifer opened the door, she found
herself unable to tear her eyes away.

For no longer than a couple of seconds,
Kylie’s eyes met Hunter’s heavy gaze over Jennifer’s shoulder before the older
woman pushed him back away from the door with a hand to the chest and quickly
closed the door behind her. It was only then that Kylie noticed that her chest
was burning and realized that she had stopped breathing.

He had met her gaze without an ounce of
trepidation—at least outwardly. Did that mean he was already affected by the
lingering pheromones that had no doubt blasted him once Jennifer had opened the
door, or…

She tore her eyes away from the door and
scowled down at the gym bag next to her feet.
Do I even want there to be an
“or”?

Between nearly going insane from her
out-of-control heat and dealing with her worried visitors, Kylie hadn’t had
time to really think about what had happened between Hunter and her. No good
would come of denying that she had really enjoyed their brief, frenzied
encounter, so she didn’t bother wasting energy trying. No surprise there as the
guy was sexy as all hell. He was definitely someone she wouldn’t mind getting
to know better, but…

Why did I have to meet him
now
when everything is so messed up?
she
lamented with a huge sigh.

Kylie had never been in more danger than
she was now that she had joined the shifter community. No matter how lonely she
was, hadn’t she already decided that getting involved with Hunter was probably
not the best idea, especially when she still had no clue exactly what the
jaguar clan wanted or expected from her?

But…

She closed her eyes in something like
despair.
But nothing. I’ll never find out what happened to Mom and Dad if I
let myself get distracted here. What I need now is a trustworthy friend within
the jaguars, not a lover. I’ll just apologize for my behavior and let that be
the end of it.

However, instead of removing some of the
weight from her shoulders, her decision only seemed to tighten the knot of
apprehension growing in the pit of her stomach. To distract herself, Kylie
strained to hear what Hunter and Jennifer were talking about, but it seemed
they were purposely speaking in voices that seemed no louder than a whisper to
even her enhanced hearing.

It had probably been about ten minutes
since Jennifer had stepped outside. Was the older woman only filling him in on
her observations, or was he having trouble keeping a clear head? Maybe she
should have insisted much harder on waiting to see Hunter until the morning.

Kylie picked up the gym bag and carefully
made her way to the door on tiptoe. She was just about to press an ear up
against the door when Jennifer suddenly called, “Kylie! You can come out now!”

Her heart instantly sped up, and she
paused only long enough to take a deep, steadying breath before she dropped the
bag next to the door and slowly opened it. Hunter was leaning against the far
wall, his hazel eyes intent on her as she slowly stepped out into the hall,
making sure to quickly close the door behind her before too much of the
pheromone-laden air could escape.

Kylie could feel the hairs on the back
of her neck stand on end and her body tense as he silently continued to stare
at her. She saw his nostrils flare a couple of times as he scented the air, but
other than that, he didn’t move, didn’t blink.

A faint ripple flowed through her
muscles, making Kylie stiffen even more. Her jaguar was itching to come to the
forefront, but she immediately clamped down on the urge to shift. She could
tell that Hunter was testing her, trying to provoke her with such a blatant stare,
and damned if she was going to fail.

They stared at each other for a long,
seemingly eternal moment before Hunter’s lips quirked up slightly and he
finally blinked. Kylie found that she could finally breathe freely, her
shoulders relaxing as if released from a binding spell.

“Your heat truly has ended—at least for
now,” Hunter said, though he still made no move to approach her. “There’s only
a faint whiff of mating pheromones clinging to your body, but it’s nowhere near
as potent as what you were releasing the last time I was near.”

Kylie sighed heavily and closed her eyes
briefly in relief. “Thank God.”

“I have the number of an excellent
doctor within our clan in my contacts,” Jennifer said. “Now that it’s safe for
you to leave your apartment, we should get you checked out ASAP.”

Her eyes flew open in alarm. “Um—no
thank you. The last thing I want right now is to find myself someone’s lab
rat.”

“It wouldn’t be anything so drastic,”
Jennifer insisted, “just a physical and some blood work.”

Kylie flashed her a skeptical look even
as her mind was beginning to go into full panic mode. There was no way in hell
she could allow anyone to draw her blood. That was a disaster that had to be
avoided at all costs.

“Somehow I don’t think it would stop at
a blood sample given that I’m a Returner,” Kylie said dryly.

Looking exasperated, Jennifer turned to
Hunter. “Tell her it wouldn’t be like that at all.”

Hunter snorted. “I assume you want her
to see Needles. Sorry, but I have to side with Kylie on this one. When has just
one blood sample ever been enough for that damned vampire?”

Kylie stiffened. “
Vampire
?”

Jennifer rolled her eyes. “He’s just
spouting nonsense. Dr. Carter is just very thorough.”

“All the same, I think I’ll pass this
time,” Kylie said stubbornly. “If my hormones start going haywire again, I’ll
consider it.”

“But—”

“At any rate,” Hunter interrupted,
peeling himself from the wall, “it’s probably best we take this conversation to
somewhere more private. Follow me.”

Kylie expected him to lead them down the
stairwell, but instead, he began to ascend. Did this apartment complex have a
roof terrace? Given that her body was still saturated with residual mating
pheromones, it was probably best that they went outdoors where the night air
could begin cleansing her of them.

She had noticed Hunter sniffing the air
more than once as she and Jennifer had argued. He was still very much being
affected by her scent even though he was concealing it very well.

However, after only one flight, Hunter
led them out of the stairwell and down the hall to the apartment at the end.

“Another empty apartment?” Kylie asked
as he inserted one of the numerous keys from his keychain into the lock. Owning
an apartment building was sure convenient.

“No. It’s mine,” Hunter replied, opening
the door.

Given Hunter’s wild nature, Kylie was
surprised at the tidiness of the living room, looking as unlived-in as the
living room she had just left. No empty dishes or half-filled glasses on the
coffee table, no scattered mail. Even the TV remote sat neatly in the center of
the dark wooden surface. The only evidence that this was truly Hunter’s
apartment was the faint aroma of Hunter’s unique scent that permeated the air.

“You can stay here tonight,” Hunter said
as he ushered them onto the sofa while he sat on the sofa’s arm on the opposite
end. “I’ll see if I can borrow Maxim’s ozone generator and have your new
apartment neutralized.”

Kylie’s heart skipped a beat at the
thought of sleeping so near to Hunter. “I think I’ve already caused you enough
trouble tonight. I can just go stay at my dad’s until the apartment is sorted
out.”

Hunter shook his head. “It’s probably
better for you to stay somewhere where you can be alone for the next few days
in case your heat suddenly returns.”

“But—what about you?” she asked. “I
don’t want to kick you out of your own apartment!”

Hunter grinned. “Remember, I own a lot
of real estate. I’ll be fine.”

“I still think Kylie should see Dr.
Carter tonight,” Jennifer spoke up, looking at first, Hunter, then leveling a
worried look at Kylie. “This isn’t only about the problem with her heat cycle.
From what you’ve told me, her awakening was very traumatic. Her body is likely
still transitioning into that of a true shifter. What if her jaguar soul
suddenly takes over her consciousness while she’s asleep?”

Kylie stilled, and this time her heart
started to race for an entirely different reason. Could that really happen
again? She hadn’t forgotten those initial moments when she had been one hundred
percent jaguar, how her thought processes had held no human reasoning. The
world had been filled with only enemies and prey. In that state, she could very
easily go on a rampage inside of the building.

Her eyes lowered to the hands that lay
tightly fisted in her lap. She suddenly had the urge to run to the bathroom in
order to scrub them, one that she ruthlessly squashed. No matter her fears, she
absolutely could not allow that doctor—or any doctor other than Paul for that
matter—examine her again. She had to hold it together, dammit!

“Even so—I’ve spent my whole life being
smothered by a well-meaning doctor if I so much as sneezed,” Kylie said as
steadily as she could. “Hospitals and doctor offices make me itch.”

When Jennifer flashed her a puzzled
look, she added, “My father is a doctor.”

“Given your ancestry, is there a chance
that he might know about shifters?” Jennifer asked with interest.

“No. He’s one hundred percent human. So
was my mother. I was adopted.”

She deflated. “Oh. Sorry.”

“It’ll be okay, Jennifer,” Hunter said.
“We can’t make her go see Needles if she doesn’t want to, but what
I
can
do is stay and watch over her tonight.”

Jennifer looked at him sharply. “Are you
sure that’s wise?” she demanded. “I don’t mind staying with her tonight.”

Hunter shook his head. “If the worst
case scenario happens and Kylie inadvertently shifts during the night without
her human soul in charge, I think it would be much too dangerous for anyone
other than me to be here to confront her. I was there the first time she
shifted. Her jaguar knows mine.”

It was Kylie’s turn to look at him
sharply. Yes her jaguar knew his, but even if it had gotten used to Hunter’s
scent over the last couple of days, what made him think that her jaguar
wouldn’t decide to attack him again?

His only answer was to stare back at her
as if daring her to say something. Unfortunately for Hunter, he didn’t know how
stubborn she could be when she thought she was inconveniencing others,
especially if one of them was someone she was determined not to send the wrong
messages to.

Kylie threw up her hands in exasperation.
“If you’re both so worried about my jaguar soul taking over completely, then
the solution’s pretty simple. Just lock me inside your guest bedroom for the
next few nights until everyone’s satisfied I’m in control. I assume it has a
lock.”

Jennifer shot her an incredulous look
before sighing noisily. “The lengths some people will go to in order to avoid
going to the doctor truly boggles the mind.”

The older woman then turned abruptly and
all but stabbed Hunter in the center of his chest with her index finger. “I’ll
defer to your judgment in this for now, seeing as how Mr. Gaither trusted you
to look after her in the first place, but Hunter…” Here her eyes narrowed. “…if
you even think for a moment that you might lose control of
your
instincts, you damn well better leave the building right that instant and call
me to take over here. I don’t care how late it is.”

“Of course,” he replied easily,
seemingly unaffected by her very real consternation.

Jennifer’s eyes bored into his for a
moment longer before she nodded to herself, satisfied by whatever she had seen
in his eyes. “Well, it’s getting late; Kylie’s had a very trying day, so I’ll
just see myself out. You two have a good night.”

“Thanks for everything,” Kylie said
sincerely.

Then the teacher was gone, and they were
alone with a very big elephant between them.