Secret Jaguar Read online

  I stared at them. “What are you guys talking about?”

  Paige pulled me over to a picnic table. “You didn’t hear? Oh-em-gee, Katya! Best news ever.”

  “What is?” My mind raced, trying to figure what they could be talking about.

  “Seattle—they’re out.”

  I gave her a double-take. “You mean the volleyball team?”

  “Yeah!” Lola squealed. “A couple of their players were caught with drugs. They’re out of the playoffs.”

  The gravity of the situation sank in. A thrill ran through me. “That means we’re in!”

  “Exactly!” Jessie held her palm out, and we all exchanged high-fives.

  I twisted my hair over my shoulder. It was a nervous habit. “When do we start practicing?”

  Paige smiled. “Today. The coach set up daily sessions. Did you drop your phone in the toilet or something?”

  “No.” I dug around in my bag to find it. “I was in class.”

  Jessie shook her head. “The whole team has been texting all morning. You seriously missed the all the conversation?”

  I finally found my phone underneath my math book—it felt more like a stack of bricks. “I had a big fight with Alley last night, so I silenced it.”

  “Couldn’t you just block her?” Lola asked. “This is huge. Too huge to miss because you were avoiding someone.”

  “I know it is!” My thoughts raced. “I had no idea we stood a chance of being in the finals.”

  This was great news, not only for our team but also because it gave me the perfect excuse to avoid my sister and stop thinking about Carter. Between classes and practices, I would barely have time to eat and sleep, much less worry about anyone else.

  I glanced over the texting conversation as we sat and discussed the playoffs for a few minutes before going our separate ways.

  “Turn on your ringer,” Lola called.

  I held up my phone and flipped the little bar over. “It’s on!”

  She gave me a thumbs-up and spun back around. I leaned against the picnic table and read the massive texting thread more closely.

  The first one was from our co-captain, telling everyone about Seattle’s bad news but our good news. Then everything exploded with questions and verbal high-fives until the coach confirmed what everyone wanted to hear. We were in the playoffs. It was official.

  I couldn’t stop smiling. We’d worked so hard, only to be defeated right before the playoffs. If Seattle hadn’t beaten us, we’d have made it. But thanks to their drug use, we were in!

  By the time I was done reading through all the texts, it was almost time to head to art. I sent a quick reply expressing my excitement and explained that my phone had been off. Then I put my phone away and glanced around.

  The bench where Carter had been sitting was now empty. A wave of disappointment washed over me. What was wrong with me? He was a stalker. Not someone I had feelings for.

  I pushed the disappointment aside and ignored it. The fact that he was nowhere to be seen only made my day better. I didn’t need that annoying hottie distracting me from the playoffs.

  The playoffs! Still grinning from ear to ear, I headed over to my art class. Though the day had started out horribly—I hated fighting with my sister, and I certainly didn’t need a stalker—everything had turned around in a matter of minutes.

  Chapter 3

  Carter

  I finished my barbecue steak sub and watched the building Katya had gone into for her next class. She hadn’t seen me follow her. I was starting to feel a little creepy but pushed aside the feelings because she needed me. There were no other jaguar shifters in the area, but if any did come, she was unprepared for them. Without my help, they would snatch her up and she’d never be able to get away from them.

  There was probably another half hour before her class was over. I tossed my wrapper into the garbage and decided to use the time to explore the building and maybe find her classroom.

  I still couldn’t believe that after all this time of sensing another jaguar in the area, I’d finally found her. Clearly, she wasn’t excited about me, but that was only because I hadn’t had a chance to show her I was different from all the others.

  A group of girls walked by and waved at me, giggling. I waved back, even though I didn’t know any of them, and then I headed into the building.

  It was just a normal building. I didn’t know what I was expecting. Huge signs pointing the way to her class? Right.

  I sniffed the air. Her scent lingered, mixed with everyone else’s. It seemed to head toward the stairs, however it was difficult to tell, given that it was faint and mixed with others. I probably shouldn’t have waited so long to come inside.

  Following nothing other than a hunch, I headed up the stairs.

  And there she was.

  I skidded to a stop. Katya stood in the hallway talking to a blonde girl. They were both in cheer uniforms. That gave me pause. She’d entered the building in a dress, and now she wore that? It seemed odd that they would have practice in this building and not the gym.

  Not that it mattered. Now I had the chance to get off on a better foot with her. See if I could find out her story—what brought her to the area away from her shifter family. Leaders didn’t give up any of their family members without bloodshed. That was how I’d gotten my freedom. I shuddered at the thought.

  I took a deep breath and considered my wording carefully as I approached Katya and her friend.

  The friend noticed me first. She flipped her blonde hair and waved, smiling widely. “Hey, there. Are you new around here?”

  I smiled back. “I am, if by ‘here’ you mean the building.”

  The blonde stuck her hand out. “I’m Brenna.”

  “Nice to meet you, Brenna.” I continued smiling but kept my attention on Katya.

  “Oh, definitely.” Brenna gave me a once-over. “I hope to see you around. Are you going to the party on Friday?”

  I glanced over at her. She slid her finger around her phone’s screen, not seeming to pay us any attention. “I haven’t heard about it yet.”

  Brenna’s face lit up even brighter. “Oh? Give me your number, and I’ll text you all the details.”

  “Sure.” I recited the numbers, and she put them into her phone. “Got it. I’ll send the deets to you soon. Very nice to meet you.” She held my gaze a few moments longer than necessary and turned to Katya. “See you at practice later.”

  She glanced up from her phone. “Yeah, definitely. See ya.”

  Brenna left, keeping her gaze on me until she disappeared around a corner.

  I cleared my throat and tried to think of something to say that would help me get onto Katya’s good side. “So, are you going to the party on Friday?”

  She finally put her phone away. “You want me to?”

  The directness of her question surprised me. “Well, I’ll go if you’re there.”

  “Really?” She put her phone away and grinned. “If I go?”

  I nodded. Something was different about her, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. Maybe it was just the cheer outfit. She hadn’t struck me as the cheerleading type before. That had to be it.

  “Yeah. Why does that seem strange?”

  Katya gave me the once-over and then nodded slowly. “Well, of course I’ll be there. The whole squad will be there. And most of the football team.”

  “Are you going with anyone?”

  She shook her head no. “I’ll keep an eye out for you, though.”

  “Great.” I relaxed, glad to have finally gotten on her good side. “I’ll look for you, too.”

  She pulled her hair back into a ponytail. “Perfect. What did you say your name is?”

  “Carter.” I extended my arm.

  “I’m—”

  Three more cheerleaders ran down the hall, laughing. One of them grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

  “I’ll see you at the party!” I called.

  She waved, already immersed
in conversation with her teammates.

  I waved back, then headed outside. It was a nice day, and I didn’t feel like heading home, so I sat at the base of a tree and soaked in the sun’s rays.

  The day had gone better than I’d expected. I certainly hadn’t anticipated Katya opening up to me so quickly. The suddenness was a little jarring, but maybe seeing her friend’s approval of me had helped warm her up.

  My cousin Rachel texted me. The timing of it concerned me. I’d just met a local jaguar, and now someone from my dad’s family reached out right away?

  It made me think maybe I hadn’t cut my ties as permanently as I’d thought. Or maybe it was just a coincidence. Sometimes Rachel called just to see if I was okay. We’d been pretty close growing up.

  That had to be it. I was being unnecessarily jumpy. They weren’t watching me, and they weren’t watching Katya. Of course they didn’t care about her. She wasn’t even part of the family group.

  Except that they’d be more than happy to take in a lone female jaguar. Anger ran through me. They’d force her away from her life, marry her off to a cruel man, and never let her go.

  I sat up straight, more determined than ever to keep Katya safe. Even if she didn’t want anything to do with me, I’d find a way to protect her from them and every other jaguar shifter out there. Luckily, she was talking to me.

  Rachel filled me in on our family and I texted back, my mind on Katya. I was always careful to keep details of my life secret, even from those I trusted. It wouldn’t take much for my father to force it out of them if he ever decided he wanted me back in the family.

  After Rachel ended the conversation, I read through it several times trying to find anything between the lines warning me about them knowing about Katya.

  Nothing stood out.

  I breathed a sigh of relief, stuck my phone back into my pocket, closed my eyes, and leaned against the tree.

  When I opened my eyes, I felt rested.

  Crap! I’d fallen asleep. Grumbling, I rose and checked to make sure my phone and wallet were still safely in my pants. They were.

  It was now into the afternoon. I’d slept about two hours, which meant I’d probably lost any chance of running into Katya again. She could be at the gym, at the hotel, in the library, or in class. There was no way to tell now.

  I headed for Toby’s office, stopping in the bathroom first. On the way to the urinal, my reflection in the mirror caught my attention. Someone had stuck a daisy behind my ear while I slept.

  And I’d walked halfway across campus like that, nodding hellos to more than a couple dozen people.

  I pulled out the flower, but realized it could’ve been worse. Someone could’ve drawn on my face with markers. That would’ve been more embarrassing than a flower. People had probably just thought a girl had stuck it there.

  Maybe one had. Could it have been Katya?

  I stuck the daisy back behind my ear, took care of business, and headed for Toby’s office. As I stepped off the elevator at his floor, Katya appeared from the staircase.

  That wasn’t the weird part. Now she was wearing a volleyball uniform.

  She scrunched up her face. “Are you following me?”

  “No, I just wanted to talk with To—I, uh, mean Professor Foley.” It was so weird referring to him as that.

  “Well, you’ll have to wait your turn. I have an appointment with him to discuss the upcoming exam.”

  “Go right ahead.” I gestured down the hallway toward his office.

  She nodded and walked ahead of me.

  I wasn’t sure what confused me more. The change in her outfit or her attitude. It was as though we hadn’t had the pleasant conversation after Brenna left.

  “See you Friday,” I said as she knocked on Toby’s door.

  She turned to me, throwing me a quizzical look. “Friday?”

  “Yeah, Friday.”

  Katya opened her mouth to respond, but Toby’s door opened and he waved her in.

  He arched a brow at me. “What’s up, Carter?”

  “Nothing important. I’ll talk to you at home.”

  Katya glanced back and forth between us, her brows together. She appeared as baffled by me as I was by her. I probably shouldn’t have mentioned anything about living with Toby. If she didn’t know he was married, who knew what she would have thought now?

  Chapter 4

  Katya

  I threw myself onto my bed and closed my eyes. Every inch of me ached.

  It felt wonderful.

  We’d practiced harder than ever. The coach had been relentless and it had paid off. We hadn’t played that well all year. The team would be ready for the playoffs at this rate. Each one of us knew how lucky we were after having lost the opportunity.

  My door opened, but I didn’t bother opening my eyes. I didn’t want anything to pull me away from the thrill of victory running through my veins.

  “We need to talk.” Alley’s voice broke through my thoughts.

  I groaned at my sister and sat up. “I’m not in the mood to fight.”

  “Me neither. I hate arguing with you. Can we just forget about last night? I was seriously PMS-ing. It was probably all my fault. I even got mad at that cute new bellhop.”

  My mouth gaped. She was taking the blame?

  She shoved me playfully and sat on my bed. “I know, write down the date. I’m wrong for once.” She laughed. “So, what are you doing in your gear?”

  I glanced down at my volleyball uniform. “Didn’t you hear? We’re in the playoffs.”

  My sister tugged on her cheer skirt. “But Seattle beat you guys.”

  “They had some help.” I couldn’t keep the laughter out of my voice. “And they also got caught. We’re in!”

  “Congratulations!” Her expression lit up, matching mine. Seriously, she exactly matched my expression. We were identical twins with the same face but totally different personalities.

  “Alley-Kat!” Our mom’s voice drifted from down the hall.

  “When will she drop that stupid nickname?” Alley rolled her eyes. “We’re not five anymore. It’s so not cute.”

  “At least she doesn’t do that around our friends.”

  “I guess.” Alley stuck her head out into the hall. “We’re in here.”

  Mom came in, carrying a clipboard. “Can you girls—?” She stared at me. “What’s with the uniform?”

  “Right?” Alley gave me an I-told-you-so expression. “That’s what I said.”

  I explained the playoffs to Mom. She then enveloped me in a hug. “I’m so happy for you.” She turned to Alley. “Are you going to cheer at the games?”

  “Probably. I’m not sure the coach knows yet. She didn’t say anything today.”

  “Well, let me know the dates, and I’ll make sure someone covers for me.” Mom turned back to her clipboard. “Any chance either of you can help out at the front desk now? Sally had to leave early because one of her kids is sick.”

  I glanced over at my bag full of homework waiting to be done. “I can help if you’ll let me do my homework.”

  “I’ll pay you double for the trouble.”

  Alley jumped in between us. “I’ll help too.”

  Mom beamed. “You girls are the best. How did I ever get so lucky?”

  Lucky? She was a single mom who had to work every waking moment to keep our creepy hotel running. With everyone else she had to hire, there was no room left in the budget for someone to help her manage everything.

  She headed out the door. “Be sure to change before heading down to the front desk. We have a big group coming soon to check in. Can’t have anyone looking unprofessional.”

  Alley and I exchanged a knowing look. We knew the drill. Having lived in the old mansion-turned-hotel for the last five years, helping take care of it was second nature.

  Twenty minutes later, both of us sat behind the long counter wearing matching pantsuits and professional smiles for the guests. Behind the desks, we both had a pile of schoo
l books along with our laptops. During the lulls, we could do homework.

  Alley yawned. “I’m so tired. The coach really worked us today.”

  “Yeah, I kind of feel the same way, except I’m way too excited about being in the playoffs to feel it. It’s the best day.”

  “I know.” She threw me a friendly smile. “I’m so happy for you.”

  Ding-dong.

  The bell over the front door. We both turned our attention to the group coming in and got everyone registered.

  By the time we finally had some breathing room to do homework, I was just as wiped out as my twin. We pulled out our things and got to work.

  Alley yawned again. “I’m grabbing some coffee. Want some?”

  I shook my head. “I’ll never get to sleep if I do.”

  “Sometimes it’s hard to believe we’re supposed to be exactly the same.” She yawned again. “Even with the caffeine, I’ll fall asleep as soon as I hit the pillow.”

  I sighed. “And even with being exhausted and having no caffeine, I’ll toss and turn before falling asleep.”

  “Well, you want some hot chocolate or something instead? That’s relaxing, isn’t it?”

  “It still has caffeine. Thanks, though.”

  Alley shrugged and went around the desk to the row of vending machines for coffee. She came back with a steaming cup and a couple bags of Skittles, handing me one of the bags. “That won’t keep you up, will it?”

  “Nope. Thanks.” I opened it as I turned back to my laptop.

  “What are sisters for?”

  The lull dragged on for a while, giving us a long stretch of time to get some homework done. I made it all the way through my art history assignment before the bell over the door made any more noise.

  “Carter?” Alley asked.

  My head snapped up. Sure enough, it was my sexy stalker.

  He glanced back and forth between us, his face pale and his expression confused.

  “You know him?” I asked Alley.

  “Yeah.” She kept her attention on him and waved him over.

  Well, that explained it. I should’ve known it was a case of mistaken identity. I’m not sure why the thought hadn’t crossed my mind earlier.