A rock settled in my stomach. Already I wanted to believe they gave me up to save me. I was setting myself up for heartbreak. “Tonight I walked to the downtown library to see about finding the San Antonio Yellow Pages so I could find a PI to go to the county records department. That’s when I ran into Gabe’s killer.”
“Do you think he knew why you were there?”
“I don’t think so.” I shrugged, forcing my arms to my sides. “I didn’t say anything about it.”
“Hmm” was all Adam said in response.
“Anything’s possible at this point, so it’s at least a place to start. He also mentioned I’m a treasure to my kind. What do you think that meant?”
Adam shrugged his shoulders slightly and met my eyes. “I don’t know about jaguars, but with us, only males can carry the werewolf genes. No females are actually born as wolves.”
“What?” I could feel the confusion written all over my face. “Then how do you… Wouldn’t you be extinct by now?”
“No. We have to convert our mates.”
“Convert as in…”
“We have to bite them. They go through a change and become werewolves like us. Then we can have a family.”
“You’re kidding.” I shook my head. “So if you like someone you turn them into a werewolf?”
“It’s not like that, Lana.”
“Have you ever bitten anyone?”
“No.” He got up and walked toward the window. “Never mind. I’m guessing that females are rare for jaguars too, especially if he said that.”
I stared at his back and the set of his broad shoulders. And realized I felt relieved that he’d never converted anyone. My eyes drifted a little lower to his trim waist and the way his jeans fit him just right. If I wasn’t careful I’d be fantasizing about mating with him myself in no time.
Rolling my eyes, I walked over to the bed and flopped backward on the mattress, staring at the ceiling. “I guess we need to lay low and figure out who the Organization is that sent him first.”
“For the past few months, jaguar shifters have wandered through Reno. Hired killers. But we’ve never interrogated any of them. When we caught them, we eradicated the threat, but usually once they realized this is our territory they moved on. If this guy works for the Organization, maybe the others did too.”
“But this guy could’ve killed me tonight and he didn’t. Murdering me wasn’t his mission.”
“What?” Adam spun around and came to the bedside so quickly I barely saw him move.
“What are you talking about he could have killed you? You told me he bumped into you at the library and that he told you he needed to take you back. What else happened?”
“He followed me.” I could feel the waves of aggression pouring off of Adam, so I did my best to think before I spoke. “After I ate dinner, I went outside. He waited for me. I never heard him coming. He’s fast and very strong. We were in a dark alley before I could scream.”
“Did he hurt you?”
The million-dollar question. He did pull my hair, squeezed my neck, and dropped me on the ground, but only after I sprayed him with pepper spray and kicked him in the groin trying to break free. Now that I thought about it, he didn’t instigate anything painful.
I rubbed at the base of my neck. “He threatened me, and I’m sure he could’ve hurt me, but he didn’t.”
“He won’t be able to touch anyone when I’m finished with him.” His eyes flashed with violence as he turned back toward the window.
I sighed. “Look, Adam, I know you want to get even for Gabe, but it won’t change anything. It won’t bring Gabe back. We need to find out who sent him and why, or they’ll just send others and possibly kill more.”
Adam glanced back over his shoulder, his green eyes were cold and hard. Adam was once again the hunter I met last night in the café. The wolf.
“I can’t lay low and wait, Lana. You don’t get it.” He raked his fingers back through his hair. “I can’t leave you alone knowing he’s out there, and I can’t bring you back with me either. Until I get this guy, I don’t know how I can protect you and hide you from the Pack at the same time.”
“Since when did you become my babysitter?” There went the filter between my mouth and brain again. I raised my chin a little, trying to put on a more courageous face than I felt. “I can take care of myself.”
He lowered his voice. “You saw what he did to Gabe.”
“I did. He attacked him while he was a jaguar. He won’t be able to do it again for a few weeks.” When did I suddenly become an expert on jaguars?
“He doesn’t need to shift into a jaguar to hurt you.” He knelt down, his eyes level with mine. “I’ve fought his kind before. He’s a dangerous killer.”
“So are you.” My words hit him square in the chest. His shoulders dropped a little, and regret shot through me. I sat up and shook my head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean you were like him.”
“Yes, you did. And you’re right.” He straightened and headed for the door. “I’m going to get this guy. Keep your door locked and your phone nearby.” He slipped the second key out of the room key sleeve and into his pocket. “I’ve got a key, so no one should knock on the door. Don’t open it, no matter who they say they are.”
I swallowed the urge to ask him not to go. Instead I only nodded. “I’ll run some internet searches and give you a call if I find out anything about this organization of his.” My breath caught. “I forgot to tell you something…”
Adam looked at me expectantly.
“He had the same lion tattoo with an ‘N’ in the center on his wrist that the team leader in the café had.” That was it. “Nero. They both must be working for Nero.” It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him about my sweatshirt, but I let the moment pass.
Adam let loose a deep sigh. “It sounds that way… Okay, I’m going to run a sweep around the hotel to be sure he’s not around.” He opened the door and turned back. I could feel the weight of his stare and tipped my head back to meet his eyes. “Please stay here. I know you don’t understand—I’m not sure I do either, but I can’t let anything happen to you.”
Before I could even open my mouth to respond, he turned and walked out the door.
Chapter Eight
Adam
The tighter my chest got, the faster I forced my legs to move until I was jogging down the hallway. Screw the elevator; I had enough pent-up rage and frustration to take the ten flights of stairs.
I hit the next stairwell, picking up speed. That jaguar bastard was with Lana. He’d touched her. He could’ve hurt her. Fuck. Taking the stairs wasn’t scratching the surface of the storm brewing inside of me. My trouble with the Pack was only part of the mess. While I felt this overwhelming need to be near her, Lana wasn’t a werewolf. She wasn’t bonded to me, and she had no clue what was happening inside of me.
What if Lana didn’t ever love me back? I almost laughed. What the hell did I know about love?
I used to consider myself a prize. Any woman was lucky to have me. But Lana wasn’t any woman. She knew what I was. I’d never shared my true nature with anyone outside the Pack. It was easy to open up to her. For the first time, I could see a partner in my life.
None of my generation had found their mate yet, but we’d never heard stories of any women rejecting their mates. Of course, their mates had been human women. Lana was a wildcard. What would happen if your mate didn’t feel the same way? Maybe that was why we bit our mates to convert them before they could conceive children.