The Jaguar Prince (8 page)

I
f Rogar was on the other side of her boss’s door, Callie might just lose what little sanity she had left. She opened the door and cautiously walked inside. No sign of Rogar. In fact, the only person she did see was Mr. Campbell.

Why the hell was she disappointed? Relief is what she should be feeling.

“Come in, come in…uh…”

“Callie,” she supplied.

“Yes, Callie.” He gave a short laugh. “My mind went blank.”

She’d been working at the zoo for how many years? Had done every menial job that was thrown her way, and without complaint. Well, none that Mr. Campbell could hear. At least his father had known her name.

She sighed, wondering what Mr. Campbell could want with her this time. “Is something wrong?”

“No, not at all. On the contrary, it’s absolutely wonderful.”

Ohmygod, she was getting the animal keeper job. She’d be working with the big cats. Okay, technically, Mr. Campbell didn’t do the hiring and firing, but he was aware of what was going on, so he made recommendations all the time. He called them
recommendations,
but it meant you had the job. Really, who was going to say no to the boss?

This was fantastic, the best thing that had ever happened to her…

Calm down. Wait for him to tell you the good news.

“Have you seen this morning’s paper?”

Huh? “No, I haven’t.” She rarely read the paper. It was usually too depressing.

He opened it on his desk, running his hand down the crease. She walked closer, then swallowed hard when she saw the picture of Rogar with Sheba. The jaguar was rubbing against his legs. Above the article it read:

Mysterious Man Hypnotizes
Jaguar and Saves Child

“You can’t buy PR like this!” Mr. Campbell grinned from ear to ear. “This is just great. Exactly what we needed.”

She instantly deflated. So much for getting the animal keeper job. It couldn’t be much longer, though. Mr. Campbell had practically promised the job to her.

She raised her chin. “How is the boy, by the way?”

He frowned. “Bruises, that’s all, and a mild concussion. We’re taking measures so that something like that won’t happen again. Our lawyer said we were clearly not at fault. Even the newspaper article favored us rather than the kid.”

“I’m glad he’s recovering.”

“Yes, but that’s beside the point.”

Mr. Campbell could be a real pain in the ass sometimes. “What is the point?”

“The public loves a hero. We all want more John Waynes, but these days they’re few and far between.”

“And that has what to do with me?” If he expected her to go into the cage with Sheba, he’d better think again. At least, not like Rogar had done. She had to admit, Rogar had a very special quality. And why shouldn’t he, since he was part jaguar.

Part jaguar? Shared his body with one? She mentally shook her head. So confusing.

“I want you to find him,” he beamed.

Her pulse began to race as dread filled her. “And why would you think I’d know where he was staying?”

“Because he took you home last night when your car wouldn’t start.”

Did everyone at the zoo know her personal life? “We met again purely by coincidence. He saw my car wouldn’t start, and offered me a ride home. That’s all there was to it.”

Mr. Campbell’s shoulders slumped. Good, let him feel what she felt when she realized she wasn’t here to get the job she’d been wanting forever and ever.

“Why did you need to find him?” Surely a few photos wouldn’t be that big of a deal. It had to be more than that.

Mr. Campbell puffed his chest out, regaining some of his excitement. “Picture this, Rogar working with the big cats.”

There was a moment of silence. Enough for her to know she didn’t like where he was taking her.

“You were there. You had to have seen the way he handled Sheba. The whole zoo is buzzing. Everyone tells me he was hypnotic, that he had the cat worshipping the very ground he walked on.” He rubbed his hands together. “And they want more.”

She could feel the color drain from her face. “But…but I was promised that job.” She’d been passed over so many times, and yet, they would give it to a stranger?”

“There will be another opening, and I’ll make sure you get that one, but think of what he could do in the way of PR, the extra funding for the zoo…”

And a substantial raise for Mr. Campbell from his father who still controlled the purse strings.

She squared her shoulders. “I’m sorry, I don’t know where he is,” she lied.

Mr. Campbell frowned, it was quickly replaced by a devious glint in his eyes that she had a feeling didn’t bode well for her.

“You know, I’m sure we could add another animal keeper job working with the big cats. If you bring this man to me, and we hire him, then you could even start immediately.”

Excitement flittered through her, then died a fast death. Rogar would never agree to stay. “Your idea won’t work. The guy is super wealthy. He gave me a ride home in his Jaguar, and he paid for a private tour of the zoo. I even heard he might be a prince or something. He doesn’t need a job.”

“Oh.” He sat down heavily in his leather chair. “You’re probably right. Okay, then I guess you can go back to work.”

There was no better time than now. “Mr. Campbell, about that job as animal keeper…for the big cats?”

He looked up as he folded the newspaper. “What about it?”

“Well, I am next in line for the first opening.”

He tossed the paper to the side. “There isn’t an opening, though, so why are we having this conversation? Besides, you know I don’t do the actual hiring.”

Ass. “Yes, sir.” She turned on her heel and marched out of his office.

She was never going to get the job. She would be stuck with the baby animals for the rest of her life. The closest she would get to the big cats would be the fat stray that was in the petting zoo.

But if Rogar walked in right now, they would hand him the job on a silver platter. It wasn’t fair. For a moment, a thread of anger at Rogar weaved through her, but just as quickly, she dismissed it. It wasn’t Rogar’s fault. Mr. Campbell was another matter.

She didn’t notice that she was going in the opposite direction of the petting zoo until she was at the bridge that led toward the big cats.

Oh, who cared? She didn’t. At least, not right now. She hurried to the pit. Sheba was resting in the shade of one of the trees. She purred from deep in her throat, welcoming Callie. At least, that’s what Callie liked to think. And maybe Sheba was glad to see her. Could Sheba sense the animal inside Callie?

This couldn’t be happening. It was too insane. First, Rogar tells her that he’s an alien. Then he tells her she’s part alien, too. And that she has an animal guide.

Now, Mr. Campbell is ready to hand over the job she’s wanted most of her life, to Rogar, and her boss would put it on a silver platter if Rogar asked.

If she didn’t know everything was true, she’d laugh. Oh, Lord, her life was screwed up beyond repair. She leaned against the concrete barrier and rested her chin on her hands. “Oh, Sheba, what in the world am I going to do?”

Callie should just quit. Her college education was going to waste. This was home, though. At least, the closest she’d ever been to having one. So what if her family consisted of a jaguar and a handful of zoo employees. She couldn’t just leave, could she? She looked at Sheba, knowing they’d shared a bond from day one.

She sighed. Maybe it wouldn’t be that much longer before she got the job.

A group of children came up the path, drawing her from her thoughts. She straightened, smoothing her hands over her shirt so she would look professional, then pasted a smile on her face.

Ten-year-olds. She could guess their ages within a few months. Three of them barreled up the sidewalk. One tripped, falling toward her. She instinctively grabbed and caught him, along with all of the soda and all the crushed ice that was in his very large blue cup. She sucked in her breath as ice went down the front of her shirt.

“She made me spill my drink,” he screamed in her ear.

Great, now she was wet, cold, sticky, and had hearing loss. Would her insurance cover this? Hmm, not likely. She glanced at the teacher who already looked frazzled, and felt a moment of pity. They should double teachers’ salaries. The woman clapped her hands together and the little boy stopped yelling.

“Kelvin, don’t you think you need to apologize to the woman, then thank her for catching you?” the teacher scolded.

“My soda…”

“Kelvin?” The teacher gave him that look that works on every child, and most adults.

Kelvin kicked at the sidewalk. “Sorry.”

Callie kept her smile bright and cheerful. “It happens a lot. Apology accepted.”

“Can we go to the petting zoo now, Mrs. Cooper,” Kelvin asked.

Apparently, he assumed his apology would automatically clear him of all wrongdoing. Callie smiled at the teacher and walked away. When she was a safe distance, she pulled her shirt out of her pants and shook the rest of the ice out.

“What happened to you?” Gail asked as Callie hurried inside their tiny office. If you even could call it an office. A small desk and a private bathroom.

“I was checking on Sheba and met up with a class that will be here in about ten minutes.” She reached inside a bottom drawer and pulled out a clean uniform top. It always paid to have an extra one around here.

“The Wild Bunch.” Gail groaned.

The next two hours were frantic as back-to-back classes came through the petting zoo. Kelvin didn’t improve after he got to Callie’s section. If anything, the sugar in the soda had only wired him more.

Kelvin pulled the cat’s tail, then cried when Miss Kitty spat at him. The he chased the duck, until the duck turned and chased him, while he screamed and yelled. The kid had a great shot at being an opera star. He could already shatter eardrums.

Then the baby goat butted him, knocking little Kelvin on his keester, and Kelvin screamed and yelled some more. Before Callie could take a deep breath, they left, and the next group arrived. Little Kelvin morphed into little Julie, and everything repeated.

And then they were gone, and for a moment, there was blessed silence. Until her cell rang. She reached in her pocket and brought it out, flipping it open.

“Hello?”

“Callie, DeeDee.”

Gail made a motion of eating, then went inside. Callie nodded, and relaxed against the fence.

“What’s up?’ she asked.

“What’s up?” DeeDee mimicked. “As if you didn’t know, you sly fox.”

“Have you been drinking?” It was early but…

“No, I did stop by your house, though.”

Callie straightened. “Why would you do that?”

“I was dropping off your birthday present. Happy birthday.”

Callie put her hand to her forehead and closed her eyes for a moment. With every thing that had been happening, she’d totally forgotten today she turned twenty-seven. Was that all? She felt so much older.

It was probably too much to hope that DeeDee hadn’t seen Rogar. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “Thanks. You…uh…shouldn’t have.”

“This is your friend from your college days, right? You told me he’d left. I’m hurt that you couldn’t share all the juicy details.”

So much for hoping. “He’s not staying long.”

Her sigh came across the line. “If I were you, I’d keep him as long as I could. Yum-yum.”

“What exactly did you two talk about?”

“Not much. Oh, hey, I’ve gotta run. Big meeting in a few minutes and I’m a little late. I just wanted to tell you happy birthday.”

“Thanks, but…” The phone went dead. She knew DeeDee well enough that this didn’t bode well. They’d been friends a long time. The girl lived in a fairy tale of her own making. That wasn’t to say she wasn’t very astute when it came to business. DeeDee just believed in happily ever after.

Callie, on the other hand, had grown up in the real world. The one where prospective parents came looking for a child of their own. They didn’t want the odd kid. The one who lost herself in daydreams and heard voices.

Callie had eventually learned to tune out the voice inside her head, and not talk to her like they were best friends. But by then it was too late. New parents didn’t want someone her age, they wanted babies. Cute little babies with their toothless smiles and that sweet baby smell. Not that she blamed them, but still, it might’ve been nice living in a real home.

Gail poked her head out the door. “You better eat while you can. June called to warn there’s another class coming our way.”

Callie straightened. Had she been lost in thought that long? Apparently.

The rest of the day went downhill. She was so exhausted that she didn’t even stop by to tell Sheba good night. After finishing her paperwork, she and Gail walked through the employee’s gate, and headed toward the parking area.

She glanced around, hoping Rogar would be inconspicuous when he picked her up, but he wasn’t even there. At least, she didn’t see him, or her junker car. But what she did see was a shiny new red Jaguar with an even bigger red bow on it.

Please, please don’t let this be happening.

“Wow, now that’s one fine looking car,” Gail said.

“Yeah, it is.” She was pretty sure she was going to throw up.

“Let’s go see who it’s for,” she whispered, dragging on Callie’s arm.

“Oh, no, we might spoil the surprise.”

But Gail wasn’t one to wait. She hurried over and walked to the back of the car. Her hand flew to her chest. “Callie, it’s for you! There’s a sign with your name on it. Hey, look everyone, Callie has a Prince Charming!”

Prince Charming was going to die a slow and painful death just as soon as she drove the car back to her house. She couldn’t afford a taxi. But as soon as she got home, she’d throw the keys in his face!

But it was a really sweet car.

T
his was her house, wasn’t it? Callie slowed, but didn’t pull in the driveway. It didn’t look like her house. The ones on either side looked the same, but this didn’t look like her house. Not even close.

Flowers bordered both sides of the driveway and the sidewalk. There was even a small three-tiered fountain with water splashing over the sides. A bench sat beside it.

It looked nice. She had a feeling DeeDee had something to do with all this.

Callie finally pulled into the driveway, parking next to Rogar’s black Jag, and shifted into Park. Before she turned the key, she lightly caressed the steering wheel. The car was sweet. But she couldn’t keep it.

Why not?

She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, willing the voice of reason to return, but it really, really didn’t help when the new car smell filled her senses.

Rogar would probably tell her that her guide was talking to her, but that was so not true. It was the voice of greed asking why she couldn’t keep the car.

What if the IRS came snooping around? Not to mention gift taxes, higher car insurance. No, she couldn’t afford to keep the Jaguar. At least, not more than a week or so.

She got out of the car, then slowly walked to the front door, inhaling the strong fragrance of the colorful flowers. It was so pretty, she almost felt like skipping, well, except her feet were killing her. But everything was so nice, it sort of eased the ache.

The fountain played a peaceful melody as water over-flowed from one tier to the next. More flowers surrounded the ancient oak, framed by stacked rocks. She could learn to enjoy coming home to this.

But it wouldn’t last. Nothing ever did. Weeds would creep into the flowerbeds, algae into the fountain. Rogar would leave.

Her heart skipped a beat. No, she didn’t want to think about that. No bad thoughts on her birthday. She wouldn’t allow it.

She turned the doorknob. It was unlocked. She probably should tell him about locking doors when living in the city.

Once she stepped inside, her nostrils filled with the smell of cooking—really bad cooking. Her nose wrinkled. What was he doing? She was almost afraid to go into the kitchen, but she forced her feet to move forward.

Rogar had his back to her, and he was mumbling. She couldn’t make out the words, but she recognized the tone. He didn’t sound happy as he stood in front of the microwave.

Her gaze took in the rest of the room. It was a shambles. There was flour everywhere, empty boxes, plastic bags that held more food, some spilling onto the counter. Her stomach sank at the thought of cleaning the mess. She sniffed. It was her birthday, and she shouldn’t have to clean.

But the table looked nice. It had been set with new dishes and stemware. In the center of a new red tablecloth was a pair of candlesticks with white tapered candles.

He was making her a birthday dinner. She sucked in her bottom lip as tears filled her eyes. The only person who had ever done anything special for her was DeeDee. This was so nice, so sweet…

Rogar stepped out from in front of the microwave. Sparks flew around on the inside like the Fourth of July. She rushed forward and flung the door open. “What are you trying to do?”

Something popped and hissed, then sizzled. She reached over and jerked the cord out of the wall. There was a grinding noise, then nothing. She had a feeling the sound had been the microwave’s death rattle.

“It said place in microwave and cook five to six minutes,” Rogar said. “Your machine malfunctioned.”

Her machine? More likely he hadn’t completely read the directions. It was a foil container. She turned on him, but before she could open her mouth to tell Rogar that she’d really liked her microwave, she got a good look at him.

He was streaked with flour, and something must have exploded because the flour was mixed with a blue liquid of some sort, and his hair stuck up at odd angles, as if he’d ran his fingers through it more than once in frustration.

Somehow, the microwave lost significance, and she began to laugh. His frown deepened, which only made her laugh harder.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because you cared enough to attempt cooking.” She walked close to him, started to hug him, then changed her mind, and simply smiled.

“You aren’t angry because I destroyed your room?”

She shook her head. “It can be cleaned, but I’ll have this memory forever, and it’s a good one.”

He smiled, then he lowered his head and kissed her. Warmth rushed through her. And at that moment, when his lips touched hers, she knew it was going to be hard to say good-bye to his touch, and everything he made her feel. Not when she wanted him so badly, not when…

Her nose wrinkled as the acrid smell of smoke began to fill her nostrils.

Smoke?

She pushed away. “What’s burning?”

“Me. You set my blood on fire.”

He reached for her, but she stepped around him. Oh, good Lord, what did he have in the oven? She opened the door. Black smoke barreled out.

“What are you cooking? A tire?” She quickly turned off the oven, and hurried to open windows.

“I did exactly what the directions on the box said. Bake for one hour. Apparently, this machine malfunctioned as well.” He helped her open the windows.

“Let me get this straight, you can learn to drive a car, but you can’t figure out how to cook?” She grunted as she attempted to raise a stuck window.

Rogar came up behind her and raised it with little effort. “I can pilot a space craft, one of your antiquated cars is not that difficult. Besides, we have similar vehicles where I come from.”

She moved out of his reach. It would be better to keep a bit of distance between them. “You have vehicles, but you don’t have a stove or microwave?” She didn’t really buy that.

He straightened. “We have cooking devices which I’m sure are similar to yours but not as…”

“Antiquated?” She cocked an eyebrow. His supercilious attitude could be a little irksome at times.

“Yes, exactly.”

“I take it you’ve never cooked.”

“Correct again.”

She shook her head. “Then how do you eat? Chase your food down, kill it, then eat it raw?”

His brow furrowed. “I have servants. You forget, I’m a prince of noble lineage. There are more important things for me to do than cook.”

“You don’t say.”

His frown deepened. Damn, he was sexy when he frowned.

“I do say. I did say, that is.”

“How are you in the cleaning department?”

“Cleaning?”

She walked back into the kitchen and surveyed the mess. It was worse than she’d first thought. He followed her inside. She was totally exhausted. The last thing she wanted to do was clean, especially on her birthday.

“We’ll have to clean the kitchen. If it dries, it’s going to be like cement, and I don’t know how to run a jackhammer.” She looked at him, hoping he understood the
we
part. She wasn’t about to do it all by herself, and she didn’t care if he was a prince or not.

“DeeDee said you were to celebrate your birthday. I don’t think that includes cleaning.”

“We do what we have to do.”

He shook his head. “Go take a bath. It’s ready for you. I’ll clean the mess.”

“But…”

“No. I’ve ruined your special day, but I’ll make it better.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently nudged her toward the other room.

She took one more look at the kitchen, and decided she would leave it all to him. She was too tired to argue. But as soon as she stepped inside the bathroom, she felt guilty.

There were at least a dozen candles glowing. The bathtub was half filled with water, and covered in rose petals. The scents filling the air were a lot better than the ones in the kitchen. She turned the hot water on and quickly stripped out of her clothes, and stepped in.

As soon as she slid her shoulders beneath the water, she knew this was the best birthday present ever. She didn’t care about the mess in the kitchen, or young Kelvin and his soda spilling down the front of her shirt. All she cared about was the water lapping against her tired muscles.

The kitchen would probably be in an even bigger mess when she finished her bath, but she didn’t care. Not right now, not at this moment in time.

She must’ve dozed because the next thing she knew, the water had cooled. She climbed out, and after drying off, blew out the candles, and wrapped in her terry cloth robe.

The house was quiet. She made her way into the kitchen. Rogar was humming a strange tune as he cleaned the counter. The kitchen was back to normal. He’d lit candles and the scent of apples and cinnamon filled the room.

He turned, then smiled. “Better?”

And he’d apparently washed up a little himself, because he was no longer streaked with flour. She smiled. “Much better.” Her stomach rumbled. She hoped he wouldn’t be serving whatever had been burning earlier.

“I used your phone to have food delivered.”

“Is that how you created the pretty flowers lining the drive?”

“I have my database, and DeeDee showed me the Yellow Pages.”

She nodded. “A marvelous wonder, the Yellow Pages.” She’d never heard of a database, but it sounded techy, and she wasn’t much into that kind of stuff.

“Do you like the car?”

“Very much, but I can’t keep it.”

He stopped midway to the sink with the dishcloth. “Why not?”

She opened her mouth to try to explain, but she had a feeling he wouldn’t understand about taxes and insurance. “It’s complicated. Besides, you’re really going to have to stop duplicating money.”

The doorbell chimed. “Food.” He went to the door and opened it.

Callie covered her mouth to keep from laughing. A young boy stood at the door with two boxes in his hands. Rogar had ordered pizza.

“Two supremes and a bottle of soda comes to twenty-seven fifty.”

Rogar took the boxes and soda, setting them on the coffee table, then reached in his pocket for money. The kid wore a dumbfounded look on his face when Rogar handed him a bill.

“I can’t change a hundred, sir.”

“I don’t need it changed. Here’s another for your trouble. Will that suffice?”

“Yes,” he squeaked. He cleared his throat. “Thank you, thank you so much! Bitchin’ cars, too.” He took off running. Callie wondered if the kid thought Rogar would change his mind.

Rogar scooped up the boxes and carried them to the table. “I hope you like pizza. The yellow pages said they were voted number one.”

“I love pizza.”

He opened the box and inhaled. “I think I will, too.” He put a slice on each of their plates, juggling it because it was hot. He motioned for her to sit, then twisted the cap off the soda, sticking it toward her.

Now he’d confused her. “What?”

“Do you want to smell it?”

“Why would I do that?”

“That’s what they did at the restaurant.”

She took the lid and waved it under her nose. “Two thousand nine, a good year.” Then she tried really hard to keep a straight face. He may have adapted to a lot of Earth’s ways, but there were things he just didn’t get.

He poured some of the cold soda in each of their glasses before he sat across from her. She raised hers to her lips and took a drink. “Very good.”

He smiled. When he reached for his fork, she shook her head.

“There’s only one right way to eat pizza.” She picked up the wedge and took a bite, swirling the cheese around her finger and poking it in her mouth. “Good.” She nodded her head as she chewed.

He picked up his slice and took a bite. She laughed when his cheese stretched out and he couldn’t get to the end of it.

“Just pinch it with your fingers,” she told him. “Don’t you have pizza on New Symtaria?”

He shook his head. “We have other delicacies that you would like, although your pizza is very good.”

She took a drink of soda, then set her glass back on the table. “Tell me about your planet. Are there trees? Oceans?”

“Our planet is the polar opposite of Earth so they are very similar. We have oceans and mountains, green grasses and trees.”

“What happened to the other Symtaria?”

“Pollution. We killed our planet.”

That sounded all too familiar. “What’s to keep the same from happening to New Symtaria?”

“Everyone learns from their mistakes—eventually. Now we’re careful to protect our new home.”

“In the meantime, you dumped most of the people onto other planets.”

He cringed. “Not dumped. When our planet was dying, my grandfather was one of the rulers. He made the decision to relocate most of the people, while the rest searched for a new home. It took many years.”

“And now you’re trying to bring everyone back.”

“Yes.”

“Why? I’m sure most have new lives. They’ve created their own roots in new lands.”

“It doesn’t matter. We need them to come back.”

“Need? What does that mean?”

He reached for his glass and she wondered if he was going to answer her question. Why did they
need
everyone to return?