Chapter 9
Carter
Bobby ran home real quick and came back with three pairs of swim trunks. He was also more than happy to risk a vengeful ghost if it meant swimming with cheerleaders.
I glanced into the mirror in Katya’s bathroom and held out the pair he’d run over to me. They looked clean. I sniffed them. They smelled like a mixture of chlorine and the fabric softener we used at home.
I slid them on, hoping for the best, and then looked at myself in the mirror. No blood anywhere. I waited a minute, not sure how much time I should give Katya to get ready.
“Is it safe to come out?” I called.
“Hold on!”
“Take all the time you need.” I spun around and sat on the toilet lid. The bathroom was decorated with a feminine, dark-purple-flowered theme. It even smelled nice. Floral and citrusy.
The bathroom I shared at the mansion with several other guys was nothing like this. It had plain green everything, mismatched towels, and a funky odor that never went away.
“You can come out now,” Katya’s voice came through the door.
I sprang up and threw open the door. My breath caught in my throat.
She stood in the doorway of her walk-in closet, wearing a thin floral kimono that still showed off the sexy deep-purple one-piece she wore underneath. Her long hair cascaded down over her shoulders like a majestic waterfall.
I struggled to find my voice. “You look beautiful.”
Katya’s face flushed pink. “So do you.” Her face turned red. “Handsome, I mean. Handsome, not beautiful.”
She could call me beautiful if she wanted. Actually, she could call me anything she wanted, and I wouldn’t care. I wanted so badly to walk over to her, cup her chin, and taste her lips. It took all of my self-restraint not to.
I cleared my throat. “Do you have any towels?”
Holding my gaze, she nodded. “Yeah, but there are also ones down there.”
We stood there, staring at each other until she pulled her gaze away. She picked up a hair tie and pulled it onto her wrist. “We should get to the pool. Everyone else is probably there already.”
In my mind, I pulled her close, dipped her, and gave her a mind-melting kiss. In reality, I opened the door and waited for her to step into the hallway.
She walked through and waited, holding my gaze. I closed the door behind me, and the lock clicked into place. It took all of my effort to keep from pulling her into my arms.
I’d never felt this way about anyone before, not even when I’d been in love before. And I’d just met Katya, although I’d sensed her presence years earlier and had been searching fruitlessly until today. But meeting her in person was far different from knowing of her existence.
She’d been here in this hotel the whole time. How had I not known?
Katya cleared her throat. “So, uh, are you ready?”
“Yeah, let’s go.” Hopefully I sounded as relaxed as I tried. It was growing increasingly hard to think clearly around her.
We headed downstairs to the main lobby. I wanted to put my arm around her again, but feared that if I did, I couldn’t keep myself from kissing her.
A commotion sounded near the front desk. The entire jaguar shifter family stood with their bags, arguing with a tall, muscular guy wearing a shirt with the hotel logo on the front.
One of the guys I’d fought pointed to me. The father—the alpha—shot me a death glare. I returned it with a threatening stare of my own. If he thought he could intimidate me that easily, he was sadly mistaken.
By nature, I was an alpha myself. Had I not walked away from my own family, I’d have been in training to lead our group once my father passed away. Not only that, but my new family was a strong pack who had defeated many enemies far scarier than this dude.
No way would I back down. They were not going to drag Katya into their lifestyle. I’d fight them to the death if it came down to it. And I wouldn’t hesitate to bring in other powerful supernaturals, either.
They had no clue who they were dealing with. Whether Katya and I fell in love or not, I would make sure she remained as far away from these monsters as possible. Especially since she had no idea about her true nature.
How she’d managed to go this long without shifting was beyond me. It was impossible to avoid once puberty struck. Unless not knowing made it possible.
Katya stepped closer to me as the hotel employee escorted the pack of jaguar shifters outside. One of her attackers turned toward her and made an inappropriate gesture.
I put my arm around her and fought back a shift. With all these almost-shifts, my body would go crazy if I didn’t turn into my jaguar form soon. Once I was certain Katya was safely asleep, I’d head out into the woods for a run.
Maybe I’d even find one of those losers and tear him apart. My pulse pounded at the thought.
Katya shook. I smoothed her hair down with my palm and whispered in her ear, “They’re gone now. They can’t hurt you.”
“I sure hope you’re right.”
“They won’t.”
She looked up at me. “How can you be so sure?”
“I’ll make sure of it. If I need to sleep outside your door, I will.”
The hotel employee came back inside without the jaguar shifters. He glanced at Katya. “I told them if they show up here again, we’ll call the cops, no questions asked.”
“Thank you, Che.”
He stepped closer, holding her gaze. “What happened, exactly?”
Katya shook some more. I tightened my arm around her shoulders.
“I need to know,” Che said.
I glared at him. “She doesn’t want to talk about it.”
He glared back. “Then why don’t you tell me?”
“Okay. They followed her to a wing that was marked as off-limits to guests. I could tell they were up to no good, so I followed them. Turns out I was right.”
Che turned back to Katya. “You know your mom doesn’t want you back there.”
She stepped forward and stared him down. “I’m an adult. And don’t forget, my dad left this hotel to my sister and me. I can go wherever I want!”
He jutted his jaw but didn’t respond.
I stepped up to Katya and put my arm around her again. “Would you make sure she remains safe?”
“Of course, that’s my job.”
The way he said job struck me as odd. I sniffed the air. A distinct male jaguar scent hung in the air. It was too strong to be merely lingering from the group that had just vacated.
I narrowed my eyes at Che. He was a jaguar shifter. How had he escaped my knowledge? “You, me. Over there. Now.” I gestured toward a corner of the lobby.
Katya’s eyes widened. “Carter, what’s going on?”
“I just need to speak to him. I’ll be right back.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but I stormed over to the corner before she spoke.
Che joined me, his expression tight. “Who are you, and why are you in this hotel? Why are there suddenly so many jaguar shifters showing up?”
I clenched my fists. “Funny. I was going to ask you the same thing. How long have you been working here?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Since Jennifer and the twins moved here to open the hotel for business.”
“Why did I never sense your presence?” I demanded. “You’ve been here for five years?”
“I don’t have to tell you anything. Why are you here?”
“I’ve lived here my whole life! My family practically ran this town. Then I ran them out of town.”
Che flinched. “You did? By yourself?”
“No. I’m part of a new family now.”
“Those jokers I just kicked out?”
I rubbed a bruise on my face. “Hardly. I’m already trying to figure out how to run them out, too.”
He studied me, his stance growing less threatening. “The reason you never sensed me is because I went to great lengths to cover my scent.” He paused. “Clearly it’s fading.”
“I know about Katya.”
“Figures.”
“Did you know her dad?” I stared him down. “Is that why it’s your job to make sure she remains safe?”
Che cracked his knuckles, but he finally gave a slight nod. “We were friends from opposing families, both tired of the old ways. Long story short, we both left our respective families. Mine didn’t care, but his did. He’d fallen in love with Jennifer and she’d gotten pregnant. They were tracking him, and finally found him after the twins were born. Before he died, I promised to protect his family.”
“And now they’re here.” I clenched my fists.
“Yeah.”
I glanced back at Katya. She was watching us with interest. I turned back to Che. “You need to do something to cover up your scents.”
“Clearly. Why do you care so much?”
“Hers is more prominent. For quite some time I was under the impression that there was a lone female jaguar shifter in the area. You know how dangerous that is.”
He nodded. “If you sensed her, they probably did, too.”
“And they think they own her. She has no clue she’s a shifter, does she?”
“Only I know. Kevin never told Jennifer, although if you ask me, he should’ve. Now the twins don’t know about her being a shifter, either.”
“Why haven’t you told them? Katya needs to know. One of these days, she’s going to shift. You realize that, don’t you? It’s unavoidable. What if she’s somewhere in public?”
“I promised Kevin.”
I gave him a double-take. “What’s more important? Keeping a promise to a dead guy or telling Katya that she could turn into a jaguar if she’s not careful? I’m surprised it hasn’t happened already.”
“She’s managed to stay a virgin. That helps. If Alley was the shifter, I’d have had to tell her long ago. But the way you and Katya are looking at each other, one of us is going to have to have the talk with her.”
“I’m not that kind of guy. I just met her this morning.”
“You sure seem to care about her.”
“Because I’ve been searching for her for years. Maybe since she arrived. There’s something about her that’s easier to sense than you.”
“It’s because she hasn’t shifted yet. The guy who sold me the spices to cover her scent warned me that might happen.”
“Darrell.”
“You know him?” Che scratched his chin.
“Yeah, I’ve been to the spice shop. I told you, I’ve lived here my whole life. And I know most of what he sells are magical concoctions.”
We stared at each other for a few moments before Che finally spoke. “So, you’re truly only here to protect Katya?”
“Yes. I’ve been worried for a long time about the lone female jaguar. It probably sounds strange, but I feel like it’s made me closer to her somehow.” I studied him. He didn’t respond. “I’m glad she’s not actually alone.”
“Doesn’t mean she’s in any less danger. Those other shifters are from her family. They’re not going to give up easily.”
“Believe me, I’ve already figured that out.” One of my ribs popped. I really needed to get out to the woods and turn.
Che arched a brow. “You need to shift?”
“Later. I promised Katya I’d go for a dip. You’ll post yourself outside her door? My friends can help with that.”
“No offense, but I’m not trusting werewolves to watch Katya.”
I glared at him. “They’re my family, and you might just have to trust them. And the others, too. Without their help, I’d never have run my father out of town.”
He rubbed his chin, looking deep in thought. “No, I can’t say I’ll ever trust them, but I do trust you.”
I gave a slight nod. “The feeling’s mutual.”
Che stepped closer. “Here’s a deal for you. While you’re swimming, I’ll run over to Darrell’s spice shop and convince him to come up with something a little stronger for Katya. Then you wait to shift until I return, and I’ll stay outside her door. I want you to watch her while she’s on campus. I have to stay here and work during the day.”
I held out my hand. “Deal.”
He grasped my hand, and we shook.
“You do realize that Katya would probably hate knowing that we’re trying to protect her, especially making the plans behind her back.”
Che glanced behind me. “I’m well aware of that, but unless you want to try and convince her that she’s a jaguar shifter, we have no other choice.”
“Oh, I know it. We’re going to have to figure out a way to tell her so that she’ll believe us.”
“She doesn’t even like watching or reading paranormal stuff. Alley’s all over that. She wanted a vampire boyfriend for years. Katya? Not so much. She thinks that stuff is stupid.”
I ran my fingers through my hair. “Looks like we have our work cut out for us.”