A Very Jaguar Christmas (9 page)

He laughed and threw his bag in the back of her vehicle. He placed the puppy in the backseat, where he immediately curled up on a blue-and-white dog bed. He seemed to like car travel, something else Everett hadn't considered. He remembered his mother saying that both he and Huntley got carsick when they were really little. Not Tammy though. His mother had teased about how she was so much tougher than the boys when it came to car rides.

“Did you need to check on anything before we leave town?” Everett asked. “Your mom? I forget she's all alone and relies on you for things.”

“No. She'll call if she has any trouble.”

“We'll be three and a half hours away.”

“She'll be fine.”

“If you need any help with anything…”

“Like…what?” Demetria sounded annoyed, as if she suspected his sister had said something to him she shouldn't have.

He shrugged. “She can call Tammy, and she can get her help if she needs it.”

“Why would she need help, Everett?”

He let out his breath. “Don't get mad at Tammy.” He thought that Demetria was ready to slug him. “She was surprised you would be leaving town. And I asked why, concerned that you would need to be here for some reason. I don't want you to feel obligated—”

“
What
did Tammy say exactly?”

“Only that your dad was back in town, and that's it. I swear it. If you need me to talk to him and tell him to clear out, I'd be happy to do it.”

Demetria let out her breath and climbed into the driver's seat of her car.

“I mean it. I'll knock some sense into him, do whatever it takes, if he's causing trouble for you and your mom.”

“I shouldn't have mentioned it to Tammy.”

“Demetria, I'm serious.”

“I am too. Just drop it. Mom will be fine.”

But he heard the edge to her voice and suspected she would worry about it until they returned home. “Maybe I should call Howard, and he and some of his Enforcer friends can go talk to your dad.”

Demetria gave him a hint of a smile.

He sighed and folded his arms. “But I'd rather take care of it myself.”

“You can't take care of the whole world, Everett. Me, my mom, your family, the wolf pup, my dad. You have to draw the line and deal with one issue at a time. Just like I have to. Or it will drive you crazy.”

“So what's the deal with your dad?”

Demetria ground her teeth, but she didn't say.

Everett finally changed the subject, but he wanted to know what was going on so he could deal with her dad when he got home. “I was wondering if the full moon dictates when the wolves shift.”

Appearing relieved Everett was getting back to wolf-shifter business, Demetria pulled onto the interstate. “And that's why he, or his mother, had to shift.”

“But I'm also wondering if the mom is a new shifter. That's why he wasn't staying in his wolf form but switching back and forth a couple of times. Who does that? No one. You strip, shift, and stay like that for a while.”

“Wow, so that means once the moon is waning, he'll just stay in his human form. Good. Lots easier for us to take him around to places while we're looking for his parents.” Demetria's cell rang and she ignored it. “Just another call asking about the wolf.”

Everett shook his head. “I hadn't thought of it, but that will be the next thing.” As if on cue, Huntley, Everett's brother, called. “Hell, dude, I hear you've got a case and a half. I thought it was bad enough to take care of two jaguar cubs in the jungle, but this beats that.”

“I asked Mom if you could handle it since you had the experience.”

Huntley laughed. “I'm in Belize again. I'm sure you can take care of it. I hear you're working with Demetria MacFarlane, and she's good at dealing with kids. Are you getting anywhere on this case?”

“Hope to soon.”

“Good luck with that.” Gunfire sounded in the background. “Got to go. See you soon, hopefully.”

Everett frowned. What kind of a mission was his brother on now? It was too late to ask because the line had gone dead, but he wished he was there helping Huntley out. Demetria was right. He couldn't save the whole world all at once, only one little piece of it at a time.

Maya's mate called next. “Yeah, Wade?” Everett said.

“Maya says we've got a unique guest coming to stay the night. We've had to tell everyone we're meeting you in Dallas because all kinds of people have been calling us, wanting to come and see the wolf pup if you're coming here. Someone must have leaked the news.”

“Tammy probably, not thinking it would matter if anyone knew. Thanks for the heads-up, Wade. Do you know what Maya won't talk to me over the phone about?”

“No. I'm guessing it has to do with that man at the Oregon Zoo who was trying to recover his jaguar and thought Maya had something to do with stealing her.”

“Henry Thompson?”

“Right.”

“What does he have to do with all of this?”

“I don't know. He did have wolves painted on his truck, and wolves were missing from his zoo too. Just like the jaguar we had to rescue. Maybe they were shifters?”

“Hell. Who would have thought they might be? Why wouldn't Maya want to share that with me over the phone?”

“I imagine it's because she's afraid we'd want to kill Henry or turn him. He's married to a human woman named Chrissie, and he's raising her kids. He's protective of the animals and helped Maya out. I suspect Maya doesn't want anyone to know he truly knows about us. She only helps run the garden shop and the nursery. She's not a JAG agent like us. She thinks Big Brother JAG monitors everything we do and say.”

“Okay, gotcha.”

“Got to go before she misses me. I just wanted to warn you not to tell anyone where you're going to be—if everyone in the world doesn't already know.”

“Okay, thanks, bud.”

When they ended the call, Everett knew he had to tell his partner about the biologist from the Oregon Zoo. He warned her that the human could help them, and they were not going to reveal the truth about Thompson—that he knew wolf and jaguar shifters existed—unless he gave them no other choice.

“I didn't think that was our policy,” Demetria said, her brows raised.

He couldn't tell whether it bothered her or not. She was so serious that he thought it did.

“Henry Thompson is one of the good guys.” Everett left it at that. Henry had tried to protect Maya from hunters, and Everett's family owed him big time. “I had another thought. I discussed it with Martin already, but I needed to mention it to you.” He reminded her about the mother with the triplets and how they smelled of wolf.

“Ohmigod, what if…?” Then Demetria frowned. “The toddlers looked at you really strangely. What if they were wolves, and the mother of course too, and you smelled like—”

“A cat.” He explained about having a sketch artist draw a picture of the family and then having Guardians hit the mall to see if they could locate the woman and her toddlers again. Even see if they could locate their scents.

“We could even take the pup—well, when he shifts back—to the mall and see Santa and watch for signs of the woman and her kids, or maybe others in a pack.”

“As long as the boy doesn't shift again after he turns back into a human.”

“Agreed.”

When they finally arrived at the nursery, they saw several vehicles parked there.

“Looks like they have customers.” At least that's what Everett was hoping and that it wasn't a bunch of jaguar shifters coming to check out the wolf pup. The nursery sold poinsettias, live Christmas trees, and wreaths for Christmas, so even in winter they had a brisk business. “Connor, Maya's twin brother and my half brother, and his wife, Kat, will be here too. They help run the place.” He wasn't sure how much Demetria knew about his extended family. They were so busy running things down here that they rarely had a chance to visit Dallas. So Demetria might never have met them.

All grins, Maya and Kat hurried out to the car. Wade nodded from the porch, a blond-haired toddler in each arm: Connor and Kat's son, Donovan, dressed in a blue sweatshirt, overalls, and red cowboy boots, and their daughter, Kimmi, wearing a pink sweater, jeans, and pink cowgirl boots. But Connor wasn't there to greet them. Probably helping customers so the ladies and Wade could visit with Everett and Demetria.

Before Everett could take the wolf pup out of the backseat, Maya was opening the door and cooing over him. “He's so adorable. Come on, Pup. Let's take you in the house and get you settled.” Then she leaned in to get the puppy and carried him into the house.

Beaming, Kat quickly greeted Everett and Demetria and then chased after Maya.

Demetria laughed. “If we didn't need to take him with us to find his parents, I'd suggest we leave him with Maya and Kat for safekeeping.”

Everett smiled. “I wholeheartedly agree. Though Kat's got two toddlers of her own, so I'm not sure how that would go over, considering how the jaguar cubs reacted to the boy at the day care.”

“Territorial,” Demetria said. “I bet you anything if they spent some time together, they'd become best friends. Not sure about the adult versions though. We could have some real issues on our hands as soon as they know we exist, and I can see some of our people not liking them either. Change can create real conflict.”

Everett, Connor, and Wade cooked steaks and vegetables over the grill on the back patio, while talking about the impact that learning werewolves existed would have on their world.

The ladies were talking about wolf shifters too, as they set the table and got the kids ready to eat. The aroma of cinnamon filled the house, coming from potpourri filling decorative dishes everywhere. The Christmas tree stood proudly in the living room, decorated in a peacock theme, with faux peacock feathers, bright-green-and-blue ribbons and bows and balls, and white lights. No Christmas presents were under the tree yet, like they would have been before Connor and Kat had kids. Everett realized Santa Claus hadn't come yet. Kids sure changed a couple's way of life.

“So is she single?” Connor asked Everett.

“Who?” Everett wasn't about to mention that he was seeing Demetria in a courtship way until he knew for sure he was. He wondered if she had discussed her father issues with Matt. Probably. He'd never said anything about them to Everett, but then again, Matt hadn't discussed Demetria much when they'd gotten together except to say they were going to various places on dates.

Handing Everett a bottle of beer, Wade chuckled. “She's single. Maya made me look her up in the agent database. Tammy told her Demetria is one of her best friends and she bit you a couple of years back. So that's a sure sign of something.”

Smiling, Connor began grilling the broccoli and potatoes. “Yeah, when they bite, that can be a good thing. Or
not
.”

“We're just working a mission,” Everett said, frowning and thinking how much he would like to be dating her for real.

“Yeah, well, you know what happened on our missions that began just like this one,” Wade joked.

“I don't recall any case where the shifters were looking for a wolf-shifter pup's family.” Everett wasn't going to buy into their good-natured ribbing. He figured if he and Demetria ever did start dating, he wasn't letting the whole world know—at least, not right away.

“Yeah,” Connor agreed. “One minute I was in the jungle as a cat rescuing a damsel in distress, and the next thing I knew, we were in more trouble than I ever bargained for.”

“Here I was minding my own business on a mission when Maya danced into my life,” Wade said.

“I warned her you were nothing but trouble. Did she listen to me? Hell no.” Connor cast his brother-in-law a stern look, but it was all in mock fun. The two were like brothers now.

Wade shook his head. “Hell, I thought you were going for a harem with two women at your beck and call.”

Connor and Everett laughed. Everett could see how Wade had thought that too.

Everett knew he'd never get tied up in a marital arrangement on a mission. He was still laughing about how it had happened to Connor and Wade. Then his brother, Huntley, had managed to get dragged into something, even though both he and his female partner were in relationships.

“You say ‘no way' now,” Wade said, “but you just wait. Before long, you'll be begging her to say ‘I do.'”

That had Everett thinking again about Matt's final words. He had said he was going to propose to Demetria before New Year's. Everett had waffled about telling her that, not wanting to hurt her any more than she already had been when he broke the news. Everett had finally told her, but he'd felt like hell doing it.

He had often thought, why him? Why had he made it out when Matt had his whole life ahead of him with Demetria? She needed that. A mate. The kids. A real family like she hadn't had growing up. Sure, his own family would have missed him, but there were so many of them that it wasn't the same. He hadn't had a fiancée to come home to. Just an empty apartment.

Matt's death had impacted his life to such an extent that Everett had hated going to his old apartment at night after work. Couldn't stay there on weekends. He'd shared too many fond memories with Matt there, especially once Huntley had found his own mate. So Everett had bought a town house and moved out. Had it been a coward's way out? Or a way to move on? But seeing Demetria like this brought it all back to him.

“Are you all right, Everett?” Connor asked. Both he and Wade were watching him.

Everett swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. “I didn't realize you were on a break,” Everett said to Wade, changing the subject.

“Leaving in a couple of days for Costa Rica, so I'm enjoying the time with Maya,” Wade said.

“Will you be home for Christmas?”

“Sure hope so. But you know how these missions go.”

“Yeah, sure do. What's your case?”

“That guy you all left alive in the area, the middle man trafficking wild cats? Just dropping down there like you said we would to make sure he's still clean.”

“Gotcha. You're not going alone, are you?”

“No, my brother's going along.”

“Don't tell me Tammy's going too.” Their parents were looking forward to the family being home for Christmas this year.

“No, her boss has her scheduled to do more teaching.”

“I bet she's not happy about that.”

“She said she'll keep the fires burning.”

Everett smiled. “What about you, Connor? How are things going with the nursery business?”

“Things couldn't be better, both financially and emotionally. It's great having a family here now.” Connor served the food.

“I'm surprised Dad hasn't tried to convince you to join the JAG force.”

Roy Anderson had worked undercover for years, and he had encouraged all his children to join the agents' cause.

“No way. I'm happy to just take Kat south of the border on vacations. So what are you going to do about the boy?”

“Try to locate some wolf packs and stir up some trouble, I'm afraid.” Everett helped carry the plates of food inside.

Everyone settled in the dining room to eat as Maya explained about Henry Thompson, the biologist at the Oregon Zoo. Kat's twin toddlers were sitting in booster seats at the dining room table, poking at their mashed potatoes and gravy, while the wolf pup ate chicken strips out of a dog dish near the kitchen.

“I thought Henry's trouble was just with the wolves, but then losing the jaguar cat seemed like too much of a coincidence. He seemed to want to tell me something more about the wolves, but then he clammed up. Like he already knew too much about our kind and didn't want to add to the trouble he could get into if he revealed he knew about wolf shifters too. Or maybe since we didn't know about them, I'd just think he was crazy.” Maya cut into her steak.

“I called his number to ask if he knew of any Arctic wolf packs. His wife, Chrissie, answered and said he was out of the country on a safari in Africa. Not to shoot anything; just to take pictures. He's doing a study of the animals there. She said he wouldn't have any cell reception for about a week and then he would be calling her. She'll pass along that I wanted to speak with him.”

“We can't wait that long,” Everett said.

“I figured that. She said there had been an Arctic wolf sanctuary in Oregon, but the man who ran it died, and his wife couldn't manage it alone. The wolves were taken in by other sanctuaries, including one near us. I ran over there today, but I'm sure the two white wolves I saw are just Arctic wolves, not shifters. On a hunch, I asked Chrissie if Henry had learned anything about the wolf disappearances from their local zoo, if they ever found the wolves. She told me no, that the whole situation was really strange. She asked if I knew about the activists who tried to free a wolf from the zoo. One was her good friend Bella Wilder, though Bella would never confirm it was her. She married Devlyn Greystoke after that. Henry had been investigating the two of them. Chrissie said they are the dearest people, and they love wolves.”

“Sounds a whole lot like us when we are trying to free one of our kind from incarceration.” Everett hoped they had a real lead. At least to a wolf pack. Maybe the packs networked with each other and he and Demetria would quickly find the pup's parents.

Wade reached over and squeezed his wife's hand. “You ought to be working for the JAG with us, Maya. That's great detective work, honey.”

Maya beamed at her mate. “Thank you, Wade. I looked up the information about the zoo and Bella Wilder in news accounts. I found information about how Thompson had rescued a red wolf and placed her in the Oregon Zoo. Then the red wolf disappeared, and all that was left in its place was a naked woman. The police assumed someone stole the wolf and, in a sick way, had left the woman there to freeze to death. She was hospitalized, but then someone came and stole her away from the hospital.”

“Wow. If any of us had gotten wind of that, we might have figured that wolf shifters existed a long time ago. She must have shifted while she was locked up at the zoo,” Demetria said. “She couldn't hold her wolf form.”

“Maybe the full moon had waned? I didn't think to check. I also asked Chrissie if Henry had ever mentioned seeing any Arctic wolves anywhere. She said no. That made me wonder if the boy could be an Arctic wolf with a gray or a red wolf pack,” Maya said.

Demetria pulled out her cell phone. “What was the date of the story?”

Maya gave her the date, and then Demetria looked up the lunar schedule for that time period. “Yeah, the moon was waning.”

“They might have a mix of wolves in the pack,” Everett said. “But the boy would probably have Arctic wolf parents since he looks like a full-blooded Arctic wolf with the shorter legs and ears and the all-white coat.”

“You're probably right. Where do Bella and Devlyn live?” Demetria asked.

“Colorado. Chrissie gave me their phone number in case they know about any Arctic wolf packs.”

“Okay. Well, this is going to make for a strange call, but because of the distance from here to Colorado, I think we need to risk it, don't you?” Demetria asked.

“Yeah, I do.” Everett finished eating and started clearing away the dishes.

“I wish I could stay and listen to more of this.” Connor had to leave to take care of more customers, but he kissed his mate and the toddlers' cheeks, and then petted Junior's head before walking outside.

“Even though I hate missing any more details of this fascinating story, I'll take the kids into the gardens so you can continue to discuss it without any interruptions.” Kat bundled up her boy and girl and took them outside.

Maya lifted the wolf pup in her arms, and she, Wade, Demetria, and Everett took seats in the living room. Then Maya began playing tug-of-war with the pup with a red, green, and white braided-rope pull toy Demetria had bought for him.

“Okay, I'm going to make the call and hope these people are truly shifters and don't think we're crank callers,” Everett said.

“If they're anything like us, they won't believe you.” Wade settled against the couch.

“True.” Demetria sat next to Everett on the couch, surprising him…and pleasing him.

Maya and Wade's brows lifted marginally. Wade's mouth curved a bit as if to say, “I told you so.”

Demetria was watching Maya pull the pup around the floor with the rope toy, and Everett was glad she seemed to have missed his family's reaction. “If someone called me and told me he was a wolf shifter, had come across a jaguar cub shifter, and needed to find the parent, I wouldn't believe him. I'm sure since we didn't know about them, they wouldn't know about us either,” Demetria said.

“Agreed. Which is why it would be better if you could meet them in person.” Maya laughed when the pup went for her hand instead of the rope toy. “You're just like jaguar cubs.”

Everett called the number for Devlyn, and as soon as he picked up, Everett put the phone on speaker.

“Hello?” Devlyn sounded like he could be a big, growly wolf.

“Hi, I'm Everett Anderson, and I'm going to tell you something that is going to shock you as much as it did me. I'm looking—”

“I don't want any.” Devlyn hung up on him.

Everyone laughed out loud except Everett. “What did I say?” He clearly had missed the punch line.

Demetria smiled. “He probably thought you were trying to sell him something. Let me try.” She punched in Devlyn's number. “Hi, I'm Demetria MacFarlane, and I'm trying to locate the parents of an Arctic wolf pup shifter who was left off at a day-care center in Dallas, Texas.”

Silence. At least Devlyn didn't hang up on her.

“I got your name and number from Chrissie Thompson, whose husband, Henry, is a friend of my law-enforcement partner's half sister.”

With civilians, they used the guise of being undercover federal agents. Until the wolf shifters realized the jaguar shifters existed, that would probably be the best approach to use with them.

When Devlyn didn't respond, she tried again. “We don't have any idea how to get ahold of the parents of the little boy, but we had to start somewhere. We realize you probably live too far away to be the ones we're looking for, but we're trying to find anyone who might know of them.”

“Have you got proof that you have a wolf-shifter pup?” Devlyn asked.

Everett was practically holding his breath, but from Devlyn's response, he had to be a wolf shifter. Otherwise, he most likely would have just hung up on Demetria.

“Yeah, sure. Just a sec. My partner took a video of the boy shifting, so it shows what he looks like both as a boy and as a pup.” Demetria sent the video to Devlyn, and they all waited for a response.

“Hell, we don't take videos of wolves shifting.”

Demetria let out her breath in an annoyed way. “Don't you think we know that? How dangerous it can be for our kind? Though even so, I doubt anyone would believe it was for real. We need to find the boy's family. Once we locate some packs, we'll need to show them something that proves we're not making a false claim. How else are we going to identify the boy without driving all over the country and running into all kinds of dead ends, just like we have with you? Time is of the essence. His parents have to be frantic. How would you feel if you were him, lost and unable to return to your family? How would you feel if he were one of your own children?”