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  “You have to leave!” She was right. However reluctant he was, he couldn’t let her friend see him like this. He felt the cat’s determination to stay with her but before he even thought to fight it back she changed her mind. “No! You can’t, there’s only one way out of this apartment. She’ll see you! You have to hide!” He watched from the living room doorway as she took some cloths to the hall and cleaned up the blood from the floor before throwing those in the wash too. Her thoughts were muddled and confused but he knew that she felt guilty about something.

  He doesn’t need to know.

  Okay, that was annoying. What good was the ability to read someone’s thoughts if what you heard was so often only bits and pieces? Megan passed him again this time going from the hall into what he assumed was a bedroom.

  “Come on, Jack!”

  Tail twitching and eyes narrowed, he followed her, making a mental note to ask her later just what it was that he didn’t need to know—unless he picked it up before then.

  One step into the room and Jack froze. He hadn’t taken much notice of Jayne’s apartment so far other than to note that it was larger than Megan’s and that the furniture was new rather than used as his mate’s seemed to be. He couldn’t help but notice this room, however. The cream-colored walls were lined with bookcases, most of which were filled with books. In the corner by the window was a plump two-seater sofa, a tall lamp was lit behind it and a small table stood beside it. Perfect for spending hours absorbed in a book.

  Megan stood at the wall opposite the sofa, by the open door of a walk-in closet. It contained only a few boxes and some spare bedding and pillows high up on some shelves, nothing hung on the rails under them and the carpeted floor was clear. It took a moment for the implications of that open door to sink in—she expected him to hide in there! The cat snarled at her, with the natural resistance to captivity of any wild creature. Jack was aware that he had very little choice. He could not leave the apartment, not without letting Jayne—or worse, one of her neighbors—see him in his feline form. The decision was made for him when he heard the rattle of keys at the front door. He stalked reluctantly into the closet and Megan closed the door behind him. There was just enough room for him to turn around or stretch out on the floor.

  Although it was dark, the small amount of light which seeped under the door and the exceptional night vision of the cat allowed him to see quite clearly. Not that there was anything to see. The cat was not happy and Jack knew it was going to take a lot of energy to keep it contained and quiet. The change last time had only lasted a couple of hours and he hoped that would be the case this time, too.

  The slight ache in his side reminded him of his wound and he shifted to ease it. The attack bothered him. It didn’t seem like a random mugging. In his distracted state, they could easily have stolen his wallet and run before he could react. Sure he would have caught them easily, but they couldn’t know that. Megan’s comments about the unlikelihood of it happening only confirmed his suspicions. Those men had meant to kill him, but what he didn’t know was why.

  He cast his mind back to the events of the last few days and his anger rose as he remembered his sense that someone was watching them and then recalled the hit and run. The near-miss still had the power to scare him. At the time he had dismissed it as an accident, but what if it hadn’t been? Rage, dark and ugly, filled him when he considered the possibility that someone could be trying to hurt his mate. While it wasn’t impossible that something had been missed, his investigation of Megan had not revealed any enemies. It was more likely to be his fault. He had made his share of enemies in the past and what better way to get to him than to hurt someone he cared about? The only problem with that theory was that his enemies were more likely to try to kill his business than a person. Besides, why target Megan? They couldn’t know how important she was to him. As far as anyone else knew, she was only a waitress he had just met.

  Once back in his human form he was going to have to do some poking around, try to find out who could be after them and why. In the meantime, he would stick close to Megan and be vigilant. She was his and no one was going to take her from him.

  He felt the cat’s restlessness rise again, it growled softly and he shifted his focus back to the present. He was aware of Megan’s chaotic thoughts and the muffled voices of the two women as they moved about the apartment. He listened intently to both to assure himself that all was well.

  “Did you hear something?”

  Megan jumped, nearly slicing her finger instead of the chicken breast. She looked at her friend and smiled. “Just my stomach.”

  Laughing, Jayne resumed chopping up the mixed vegetables. “Tell me about it, I didn’t get time for lunch today and breakfast seems like a long time ago.”

  Megan tossed the poultry into the pan, grimacing at the cold slimy feel of it, and turned to wash her hands. She was just relieved to have avoided another one of the suspicious looks Jayne had been sending her way. She never could lie to her, her friend knew her far too well. She was having a difficult time keeping her mind on their conversation. All she could think about was the fact that Jack was an honest-to-goodness real-life shapeshifter. That, and the fact that he was, at this moment, hiding in Jayne’s walk-in closet. She was bursting to tell her friend but she knew Jack wouldn’t be happy. In fact he was not going to like it when he found out that she had already confided in Jayne.

  Wouldn’t like it… She shook her head ruefully. Furious is what he’d be. That was not really something she wanted to witness. Normally she was confident in her ability to handle men, but then there wasn’t usually the danger of being eaten during the argument. If Jayne saw the cat she would know that it was him, at the moment she still thought he might be crazy and that was bad enough. Maybe once Jack got to know her… Well anyway, it wasn’t her secret to tell and she felt guilty enough as it was. Instead she asked, “Tough day?”

  “Oh, no worse than usual.” Jayne added the vegetables and turned on the cooker. “What about you? You are awfully damn jumpy for a woman who spent all morning making love.” She wiggled her eyebrows at Megan and turned back to the cooker. “I still think you’re nuts for wanting to spend the night on my sofa bed instead of naked with a hot guy.”

  Megan began setting the table, breathing in the aroma of spices and cooking stir-fry appreciatively. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” I wonder how good Jack’s hearing is… “I needed to think and I can’t seem to do that around him. It scares me how I can’t seem to control myself around him.” Jayne put the two plates on the table and while Megan poured two glasses of water, she thought of Jack cooped up in the cupboard. Maybe I should take him a saucer of milk. She chuckled and looked up to see Jayne giving her that suspicious look again. Time to change the subject. Knowing that it would be enough to start Jayne off, she said, “So, I take it you’re still having trouble with your boss?”

  The manager of the store where Jayne worked was a chauvinistic pig who thought he was irresistible to women everywhere. Needless to say, he and Jayne had been butting heads from the beginning. He went out of his way to make Jayne’s life a misery. The conversation lasted the rest of the meal allowing Megan to relax a little.

  They were cleaning up when Megan’s calm was shattered by a loud thump from the direction of the spare room. Jayne’s startled gaze flew towards the door before she sent a narrow-eyed look of inquiry to Megan and went to investigate. Heart in her throat, Megan followed.

  Jayne headed straight for the cupboard door and quickly opened it. The breath Megan hadn’t realized she was holding whooshed out when she saw Jack sitting on the floor with Jayne’s spare duvet tucked under his arms. There was a sheen of sweat on his face and on the powerful shoulders that rose and fell as he visibly tried to calm his breathing. She read relief and embarrassment in his eyes.

  “Hi.” Jayne said brightly, “You must be Jack.”

  Jack looked at the two women standing in the open door as he struggled to his feet. Th
e tall, slim redhead regarded him with curiosity and humor. She felt…familiar to him in some indefinable way. He dismissed the vague feeling. It was probably Megan’s awareness he was feeling. Her green eyes drifted over his face and the breadth of his shoulders making him grateful for the duvet that he had managed to pull from the shelf earlier. “And you would be Jayne.” He cleared the hoarseness from his throat. His body felt heavy and clumsy and exhaustion descended on him as he walked wearily into the center of the room. He hadn’t eaten since this morning and two changes and the loss of blood were taking their toll on him.

  His mate, who had been uncharacteristically silent until now, hurried into an explanation. “Jack was…that is…we…”

  Jayne looked from Megan’s flushed face to him with laughing eyes. “I think I can guess what you were up to.” She ignored Megan’s half-hearted protest. “I would be too if he were mine.”

  “I got soaked on the way over here and Megan offered to take care of my clothes.”

  Jayne gave them a reproachful look. “And you were hiding in the cupboard because…?”

  “Well…after all the fuss I made this morning, I didn’t want you to know I’d given in so easily to him. So I asked him to hide until I could sneak him out.”

  Jack wanted to shake his head at Megan’s weak excuse but he couldn’t think of anything better himself. He watched both disbelief then suspicion cross Jayne’s pretty face. “You are my best friend, Megan, so I’ll let that go—for now. You must be hungry, Jack. There is some chicken left if you like. I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. I believe I hear a book calling my name.”

  The door closed behind her and they stared at each other in silence for several uncomfortable seconds. Jack approached Megan warily, cupping her chin in his hand. “Thank you.” She frowned hard at him, brows drawing together in puzzlement. He still couldn’t believe she was standing here with him, chose to stand here with him, knowing what he was.

  “Thank you for trusting me. For lying to your friend. Thank you.” Leaning forward he kissed her lips, demanding nothing in return. Her eyes drifted closed as he drew back, she shivered and he felt the soft puff of breath on his lips when she sighed softly. Jack’s body stirred in response. To his surprise she rose on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his once more. The kiss was deep and hot and wet as they explored each other’s mouths. Heat surrounded them and he groaned low in his throat. Megan stilled instantly and broke away. Fingers pressed to her lips she gasped for breath. “Why don’t you go take a shower, Jack, and I’ll wait for you in the kitchen.” She whirled away from him, leaving him hard and aching for her.

  Why had she stopped? He stared sightlessly at his reflection in the dark window. The annoyingly weak part of him whispered that it was because she had suddenly come to her senses and realized what she was kissing. It hadn’t been fear he had read in her eyes though, it had been determination. Mystified, Jack added yet another question to the list he had to ask her later.

  Never in his life had he been as off-balance and confused, he had always been confident in himself and his abilities. Hell, he had worked his way to the top of his father’s company on his own merits and now ran his own multinational company. He was grateful for the way he had been raised to believe he could accomplish anything he wanted. Aside from the fact that he was from a family of shapeshifters, his childhood had been disgustingly normal, maybe too normal. His parents still lived in the same house in the suburbs that he had grown up in—far enough from the city to be peaceful while still close enough for his dad to commute daily. They had money so he had wanted for nothing but there had been no cooks, cleaners or nannies. His mom had stayed home with him and Nick until they were at school then gone to work part-time in an antique store.

  Though open about their heritage and what it would ultimately mean for their sons, his parents had tried to give them as normal a childhood as possible. As a result he knew he wasn’t as accepting of his heritage as he could be and now he was beginning to realize just how unprepared it had left him. He could almost hear Nick’s voice saying “I told you so”. Where Jack had been happy to accept what his father taught them, his brother had actively sought out other shifters to find out as much as he could. Nick would no doubt find his self-assured, focused older brother’s present situation highly amusing. Wearily Jack turned from the window and went in search of the shower.

  Megan paced the kitchen floor restlessly. What was it about Jack that she couldn’t seem to resist? One kiss and she had practically jumped on the man. Even now she was aware of parts of her body that she wasn’t normally conscious of. Her nipples were peaked under the soft fabric of her T-shirt and bra. Her clitoris pulsed with every beat of her heart. She had already washed the few dishes that she and Jayne had used and put Jack’s clothes in the dryer—she was running out of distractions. Down the hall the shower started and her imagination immediately provided her with an image of Jack naked. Hot water coursing over his golden skin and down his muscular torso, following the trail of dark hair over his flat stomach to… Aaargh! No! No! No! With a curse she turned on her heel to resume pacing and caught sight of the kitchen waste bin. It needed to be emptied, it wasn’t her favorite job but it would definitely take her mind off of Jack. What could be less sexy than emptying a bin?

  Pleased with her restraint but mind nevertheless still filled with fantasies about her naked shapeshifter, she carried the bag of rubbish down through the quiet building. The back of the flats—where the dumpster for the residents rubbish sat—was usually lit by a floodlight above the back door. The door had swung shut behind her before she noticed that the light was out. The night air was cool and damp from the earlier storm, and a few gardens away she could hear a dog barking furiously.

  Feeling a bit like a character in a horror movie, she stood in the patch of yellow light that shone through the window in the door and stared into the inky blackness. She knew that the dumpster was only about twenty-feet away, she could just make out the outline of it as her eyes began to adjust. The hair rose on the back of her neck, reminding her that the characters who went off into the dark alone in horrors usually got killed first. It’s a good thing this isn’t a horror movie then, isn’t it? Megan thought, with uneasy amusement. She weighed the bag of rubbish in her hand, took a slow breath to calm her jittery nerves and walked quickly to the large rubbish container. In one movement she tossed the bag into the top, turned, and dashed back towards the door.

  About halfway across the yard she began to feel ridiculous and forced herself to slow to a walk despite the frantic racing of her heart. She reached for the handle of the door and a callused palm suddenly closed over her mouth, hauling her against a large, hard body. Her scream of fright was muffled as he swung around so that his back was to the wall by the door and she was facing the darkness. She began to struggle, kicking at his shins with her heels and thrusting her elbows back towards his stomach, trying to break the bruising grip he had on her mouth. Something sharp pricked the skin of her throat. A knife. Her eyes widened in fear and she tried again to shout.

  “Be still!” he whispered harshly, and there was a sharp sting as he pressed the blade more firmly to her neck. Breathless from her exertions, Megan froze. She thought of Jack bleeding on Jayne’s floor just a few hours ago, it seemed she might be next. She fought back her rising panic locking the knees that threatened to buckle under her. This neighborhood is really going downhill.

  The man behind her sniggered nastily in her ear, “Ah telt him it was worth watching the back door as well as the front.” The stubble of his jaw prickled against her cheek and the sour stench of old sweat and tobacco clung to him. “Where is your friend? Ah could’a swore ah got him but unless you’ve got his body hidden in there somewhere ah must’a missed.” It took several seconds for the meaning of his words to become clear to her, this was one of the men who had mugged Jack. They know who I am and they must have been watching the flat all evening. Why?

  “Ah bet you if we just w
ait here for a wee while he’ll be right down. Then ah can kill twa birds with wan stane.” He was right. Any moment now Jack would get out of the shower, find her missing and come looking for her. At the thought of Jack being hurt again by this man, anger swept through her, clearing the fog of fear from her brain. “You are a feisty wee bitch though…maybe we could have a bit of fun. Efter ah take care of your man.”

  Megan began looking for ways she could stop this, or at least warn Jack. Obligingly her brain supplied the image of her letting herself go suddenly limp, breaking her captor’s hold. Unfortunately the knife pressed firmly against her throat dampened her enthusiasm for that move. From the corner of her eye she saw the door open a tiny crack and she knew time had just run out.

  Jack was here.

  Chapter Eight

  Megan tensed, waiting for the big brute to see the opening door but there was no reaction. He hadn’t noticed. She knew that Jack would need some kind of diversion otherwise he would never get out unseen. Taking a breath she closed her eyes and leaned back into the unwashed stink of the man’s body. The hard ridge of his erection rested just above her buttocks, and pushing back revulsion, she rubbed herself against him and moaned low in her throat.

  “Aye, ah knew you’d be hot for it. Like a bit of rough, dae ye?” His whisper was warm and moist in her ear. It made her shiver in disgust. The knife slid slowly down her neck towards her breast. Now or never. Think heavy. Keeping her eyes shut tight she let herself drop to the concrete and rolled away on her side.

  Behind her she heard a bang as the door hit the wall. Almost simultaneously there was a sickening crack and a high-pitched shriek that chilled her blood. By the time she looked back to the scene, Jack had her captor pinned against the wall by the throat and the terrified man was trying to break the chokehold with one hand. His other hand dangled limply at his side, the wrist bent at an angle that made Megan feel slightly queasy.