Secret Jaguar (Curse of the Moon Book 6) Page 6

  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.”

  Chapter 10

  Katya

  Finally, Carter and Che parted ways. Che headed to the front desk and spoke with my mom. Carter came over to me and smiled, and it nearly melted me.

  My heart raced. I wanted to be irritated at him for keeping me out of his conversation with Che, but he made it impossible. I was going to start acting like Alley before long if I kept hanging around him.

  “Sorry that took so long,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure the security around here is tight. Can’t have any repeats of earlier.”

  “I appreciate the concern, but I’ll be fine. Nothing like that has ever happened before, and those jerks are gone.”

  Carter’s expression tightened. “Doesn’t mean they won’t come back.”

  His intensity sent a cold shiver down my body. I wasn’t used to anyone being that concerned about me. Usually, guys saved that for Alley. But that was because they tended to find me intimidating—it was my curse.

  “You ready to go swimming?” There was that smile again.

  My breath caught, but I managed to find my voice. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  We walked side-by-side to the pool, and his arm kept brushing against mine. I wished I didn’t have the kimono on because, thin as it was, it was keeping his skin from touching mine.

  When we got there, everyone else was already in the pool. Our group had it to ourselves. Alley and her friends were chasing Carter’s friends.

  It struck me that I was the only one there who didn’t have any friends with me. What if Carter realized that? Would he think there was something wrong w
ith me? It wasn’t like I didn’t have any friends. They just weren’t there in the pool. If I’d thought of it, I could’ve invited anyone on the volleyball team.

  “Are you okay?” Carter’s voice broke through my sudden insecurity.

  I forced a smile. “Yeah, of course. Guess I’m more shaken up than I thought.”

  He frowned.

  No, don’t frown. Come back to me, smile.

  I smiled wider. “But I’m okay. Let’s jump in.”

  “Sounds good to me.” He reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it up, slowly revealing his perfect torso.

  My mouth dropped and I tried not to stare, but I couldn’t help it. At least I wasn’t drooling.

  He pulled the shirt over his head, and I quickly turned away. I needed to get ahold of myself. Quickly. I untied my kimono and laid it on the lounge chair where he’d tossed his shirt.

  Carter nodded toward the deep end. “Ready?”

  I nodded. How could I talk around him when he only wore shorts?

  “I’ll race you.”

  “Okay.” My voice was so quiet, I wasn’t sure he could actually hear it.

  He turned toward the water, sprinted over, and dove in. Every move he made was perfect. The whole beautiful thing appeared to be in slow motion, allowing me to savor it all.

  Then I remembered we were supposed to race.

  Everyone else was staring at me. As I stared at Carter.

  I looked like such a fool. My face flamed for the billionth time that day. I ran over to the pool, and just before jumping in, I stumbled over something. There wasn’t even anything there. But I fell forward nonetheless.

  My arms flew out in opposing circular motions. My body smacked flat on the water. I belly-flopped in front of Carter, my sister, and their friends. After drooling over him like a pathetic lovesick puppy.

  Water shot up my nose, into my mouth, and into my ears as I submerged. I spat the water out and struggled to recover so I could at least emerge with some grace.

  Arms wrapped around me. Was Carter trying to help me out from my humiliating leap?

  No. Whoever had me was pulling me down. Taking me away from the surface. Away from the air I desperately needed.

  I struggled to get away, squirming and kicking. My arms were pinned against me, unable to move. I tried shouting, but only made bubbles. Water rushed around me as I descended.

  I kicked and struggled all the harder. My lungs cried out for air. They burned. I had to get to the surface. Immediately.

  The arms around me tightened. Together we went further down.

  Why wasn’t the other person struggling to breathe? He or she needed air too. Did they have an oxygen mask?

  Hands gripped my arms. I struggled against them, but they pulled me up. My eyes focused. Carter was in front of me. He was trying to help.

  I kicked the person pinning me all the harder. There wasn’t much time before I passed out. My lungs were on fire. They would explode.

  A rib popped. Then another. My muscles ached in a way they never had before, not even during my hardest workouts. Why was this happening again?

  I felt myself moving upward. Fast. I broke to the surface, and gasped for air, unable to get any in quickly enough. Carter held me close, and I leaned against him, unable to keep myself upright. I couldn’t get enough oxygen.

  Somehow we made it to the side of the pool. He lifted me up, and I managed to sit on the side, still gasping for air.

  Carter jumped up and put his arm around me. “What happened?”

  Did he mean my super-cool belly-flop or one of our guests pulling me under? Not that it mattered, I still couldn’t talk.

  “Did you swallow water?”

  I shook my head. It was a miracle I hadn’t.

  Everyone crowded around me, speaking at once. It made me dizzy—like I was being pulled under all over again.

  “What happened?” Alley sat next to me, her eyes wide with fear. “Why didn’t you come up?”

  “Someone pulled me under!” I glared at her friends and Carter’s. “Which one of you was it? That wasn’t funny.”

  Alley’s face paled. “It wasn’t any of us. We were all over at the other end, diving for a dime.”

  I turned to Carter. He nodded. “It’s true. When I surfaced, all I saw were bubbles. I thought you were going to come up but I realized you were going down. It was taking too long, so I went down after you and saw you struggling.”

  My stomach sank. “You didn’t see the person pulling me?”

  “You were alone, Katya.”

  “It was the spirit.” Alley’s face paled even more. She almost looked like a ghost herself.

  “That’s ridiculous,” I snapped. Or was it? There was nobody else in the pool. Unless they were all pulling a fast one on me. “Which one of you was it? Just admit it.”

  Alley took my hand in both of hers. Tears shone in her eyes. “I swear to you, it was none of us.”

  I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen her so upset. She had to be telling the truth. I turned to Carter. His face was nearly as white as hers.

  “Let’s get you out of here.” He helped me up.

  “No, we came here to have fun. Let’s swim.”

  Alley shook her head. “I’m not going back in there. That ghost came out before midnight and went after you. It isn’t safe. We should probably tell Mom to close the pool for good.”

  “We can’t do that. The pool is the one thing that makes us stand out among the other hotels. She’ll lose business.”

  “Fine, but I’m going to insist she gets a lifeguard, then. One who isn’t afraid of ghosts.”

  Everyone spoke over each other. I leaned against Carter, trying to block them out. He held me close, then we all grabbed our towels and headed upstairs.

  Alley turned to me once we were outside of our rooms. “Now do you believe in the paranormal? You try so hard to deny anything you can’t see, but now you’ve experienced it. You have to know it’s real.”

  Everyone stared at me, waiting for a response. Was I the only sane one who didn’t believe in ghosts? There had to be a logical explanation for what happened. I just didn’t know what it was. There was always a good reason.

  “My head hurts. I just need to rest.” I unlocked my door.

  “Did you swallow water?” Alley asked. “Should we get you to a doctor?”

  “No.” I glared at her. “I just need to lay down.”

  “Have you heard of dry drowning? If you start to feel sick, get me right away. I’ll drive you to the ER.”

  “What the heck is dry drowning?”

  “People die hours after swimming because they got water in their lungs and didn’t realize it. What are the symptoms? Dizziness and fever, I think? A change in skin color? I can’t remember. I’m going to look it up!” Alley pulled out her phone and slid her finger around her screen.

  “I’m not going to drown in my bed.” I sighed out of frustration. “It’s not even a waterbed like Mom had when we were little.”

  “Here are the symptoms.” She shoved the phone in my face and pointed. “Coughing, chest pain, trouble breathing, and exhaustion. Also, forgetfulness and irritability.”

  “I’m only irritated because you won’t let me go in my room.”

  “Kat, I’m serious. If you have even one of those symptoms, you have to tell someone. I’m really scared.”

  I took a deep breath. “I don’t have any, but if I do, you’ll be the first person I tell. Okay?”

  “What if you pass out and can’t tell anyone?”

  Carter cleared his throat. “I’ll keep an eye on her. If she starts to act weird or has any of those symptoms, I’ll drag her to see a doctor, even if she kicks and screams.”

  “You swear?”

  “On my mother’s grave.”

  “Your mom’s dead?” Alley gave him a double-take.

  “Yeah, and I swear on her grave that I’ll keep Katya safe. That’s how serious I am.”

  Alle
y seemed doubtful, but finally nodded. “Come and get me if she has any of the signs.”

  Carter nodded, then turned to his friends.

  While everyone was talking, I slid into my room. I couldn’t recall the last time Alley had been so worried about me. Maybe she was just afraid she’d lose me, and it had made her think of Dad. Neither of us wanted our family to shrink more than it already had.

  I grabbed some clothes from my closet and hurried into my bathroom, locking the door behind me. In all the commotion, I’d forgotten to grab my kimono. Not that I cared. I couldn’t imagine going swimming ever again after what I’d just gone through.

  I pulled off my suit, hung it on the shower rod, then reached for my dry clothes, but the smell of chlorine on my skin and hair stung my nose. I needed a shower. Maybe that would help me forget everything.

  Unless someone tried to drown me in the shower. It wasn’t impossible. An invisible person had pulled me under in the pool. Who was to say that same person hadn’t followed me up to my room?

  Ugh. Now Alley and all her superstitions were getting to me. There were no ghosts or other creatures of the night. Those were just stories people told to scare each other.

  I turned on the shower as hot as I could stand it and showered off, soaping myself three times until I was certain I’d gotten rid of all the chlorine.

  By the time I was done in the bathroom, my hair had air dried. Wearing a pair of my least-revealing pajamas, I came out and saw Carter standing near my bed, staring out the window. He still wore only his damp shorts and had a folded towel across his shoulders.

  I studied his back. It was just as perfect as his front. I wanted to reach out and feel to see if it was as tight as it looked. What was going on with me? I cleared my throat, trying to distract myself.

  He turned around. Oh, heavens. That physique. I held his gaze, trying to forget about the rest of him. It didn’t work.

  “How do you feel?”

  Like kissing the barely-dressed guy standing next to my bed. My face heated again. “Better.”

  “No dry-drowning symptoms?”