Chosen Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #2) (13 page)

They hoped to sneak up on Paul and overpower him. This, of course, hinged on their guess being accurate that he was the one out here using a satellite internet connection. Hayden led the way, moving with stealth through the trees. Dane wove through the trees at Jake’s side, mirroring his pace. He and Dane had spent so many hours together in lion form that he could anticipate Dane’s moves. They fought well in tandem, having grown up wrestling as boys and mountain lions. Though he’d grown to trust Hayden in the short time he’d known him, Jake hoped he could count on him if they had to fight. In all likelihood, Hayden had spent more time prowling in lion form than he and Dane had. Back East, they had to grapple with the extra layer of secrecy tied to the reality that mountain lions were considered extinct in the East.

For now, Jake flicked his tail and stretched, the cold air rippling through his fur. The snow grew deeper as they ascended into the foothills. Icy wind blew in gusts, catching the snow and swirling it in the air about them. Hayden paused and glanced over his shoulder. Jake and Dane walked to meet him, pausing on either side of him. Hayden swung his head to the side. The trees opened slightly in the distance and a small cabin sat nestled among them. Smoke drifted out of the stovepipe on the corner of the cabin. It was midafternoon with only a few hours of daylight left.

At Hayden’s nod, they moved through the trees, winding around behind the cabin. They’d agreed Hayden would shift into human form and approach the cabin. Unlike Jake and Dane, he could fabricate a plausible reason for being out there. Working for Fish & Wildlife gave him a host of reasons to hike around the nearby areas. Jake and Dane would wait outside and be prepared to attack if needed. Once they were close enough and out of sight behind some boulders, Hayden shifted and immediately lifted a rock by one of the boulders, tugging out a bag of clothing. After dressing, he made his way to the cabin door, knocking only when Jake and Dane were positioned on opposite walls of the cabin.

Though Jake couldn’t see, he recognized Paul’s voice from the day he’d gone into the hospital. Paul greeted Hayden and then silence fell. There was a sudden roar, distinctly mountain lion. Jake dashed around the corner to find Hayden crouched, his tail flicking. Dane came out precisely when Jake did. Paul had shifted. He glanced among them, his golden eyes flicking from one to the other. Appearing to assess the reality of his chances in a fight, he snarled and bolted. Jake took chase with Dane and Hayden right behind him. Paul flew through the trees, weaving and dodging. Hayden pulled ahead and swiped at Paul, forcing him to dodge, breaking his pace. He fell into line in front of Jake.

Primal anger pulsed through Jake. His muscles bunched under him as he poised to leap. Flying through the air, he landed on Paul’s back, sinking his claws in and throwing him down. Snow flew up around them. Jake didn’t give an inch and held Paul down with his front paws. When Paul attempted to bite, Jake roared and sank his teeth into Paul’s neck. The iron taste of blood seeped into his mouth. He held on until Paul went limp. Hayden and Dane stood on either side of them. Their breath bellowed into the air, mist curling around them. Paul was alive, but injured enough that he lay still.

***

Many hours later, Jake stood in the hotel bedroom while Phoebe glared at him.

“How come you didn’t call as soon as you guys got to the police station?”

Jake took a slow breath. He was weary and tired after a long afternoon turned into an even longer evening. After they’d made it back to Hayden’s office, Paul’s injuries had warranted a visit to the hospital. Jake found it ridiculous that the man who’d wasted time and space in the hospital in Catamount actually needed medical care now. Hayden had insisted they let him do the talking since he knew who was safe to talk with. Though it had chafed Jake, as well as Dane, they’d known it was the smarter move. After Paul was treated and released, they’d had a rendezvous at the local police station with a detective who was familiar with the smuggling activities of local shifters.

The upside was that Paul was talking. The downside was he was talking because he was scared. Jake had been startled to learn Paul believed Callen had been a leader in the smuggling network. That’s why he’d headed to Catamount after Callen died and the kidnapping attempt on Chloe failed. Paul admitted he’d been unable to determine if anyone else in Catamount was involved beyond the lower levels of the network. He was skittish as hell because he’d survived three attacks in the woods by other shifters in the month before and after Callen’s death. Paul knew he wasn’t safe locally anymore, which was why he’d gone into hiding. Problem was he didn’t know who was after him.

By the time they were done questioning Paul and left him with the local detective to be held on charges related to his smuggling activities, it was close to midnight. In the midst of all of it, Jake had only called Phoebe once when they made it back to town. She was none too pleased.

She stood before him, her dark eyes flashing and curls tumbling over her shoulders. Her gaze coasted over him. She reached out and fingered a tear in his shirt. He badly needed a shower. Though he’d come away from his encounter with Paul with little harm, he had several deep scratches where Paul had swiped at him, dried blood on his arms and torso, and a few healthy bruises.

“Phoebe, I left a message…”

She flung a hand up. “To say you’d made it back okay. That’s it! We spent hours wondering when we’d hear something else. I just asked you yesterday to keep me in the loop, and you go and do this!”

She whirled away, her curls arcing in the air. The hotel room didn’t leave much space, so she merely paced a few feet away from him. She stopped and looked out the window. Their hotel faced the foothills of one of the mountain ranges. A half moon rose above the mountains, the snow bright under its silvery glow. Stars sparkled in the cold, dark night. Phoebe hugged her arms tightly to her waist and sighed.

Jake stepped behind her and carefully rested his palms on her shoulders. When she didn’t push away, he slid them down her arms and noticed she was shivering. He took a step closer and wrapped his arms around her. Her back pressed against his chest, and her lush bottom nestled into him. He couldn’t help the lust that streaked through him. Ever since he’d let himself stop battling his feelings for her, he’d lost all control over his desire. All she had to do was
be
, and he was lost. He ignored his raging hard-on and held her close, nuzzling his head into the soft curve of her neck, that sweet spot where she stretched and almost purred every time he kissed her there. He held himself back as her body was taut with tension.

“You’re cold,” he murmured into her neck.

She nodded.

“I’m sorry I didn’t call again.”

Another nod.

“I’m not going to make excuses. Next time, I promise if I don’t get you when I call, I’ll call again.”

Another nod, but this time he felt the tension ease slightly in her shoulders. He dared to drop a kiss on her neck. “Let’s go home tomorrow.”

She glanced over her shoulder and slanted her eyes in his direction. “Are you sure? Don’t you guys want to look into a few more things?”

Jake lifted his head, still holding her close, and looked out over the mountains. “There’s a lot more to tell you. It’s fair to say, we’ve got some more work to do, but there’s no sense in staying here for now. Hayden will keep tabs at this end. After we talked to Paul, we realized we needed to get back to Catamount and try to follow up on that end.”

Phoebe rotated in his arms, so she was facing him. “Tell me everything.” She paused, her eyes coasting over his face. “After you take a shower.” A grin spread across her face as she placed her palm on his chest and firmly pushed him back. He wanted nothing to do with her being away from him, but when he reached to pull her back, she sidestepped and strode around him to the bathroom. Water started running, and she called his name. When she tore his clothes off, it wasn’t for the reasons he hoped.
 
She carefully looked him over and dusted kisses over his scratches before all but shoving him into the shower.

After a long shower,
by himself
, he came out to find Phoebe had left the bedroom altogether. She was in the shared area of the suite with Dane and Shana with a pizza on the table. Jake’s hunger took over, and he gladly sat and devoured as much pizza as he could. When he sat back in his chair, Phoebe handed him a beer and draped her legs over his. He and Dane filled them in on the events of the afternoon. While they’d been busy with Paul, Phoebe and Shana had stayed in town and done their own sleuthing to discover that one of the known shifters in the area happened to have shifter cousins in Catamount.

“What?” Jake asked, swiveling his head between Phoebe and Shana.

Dane’s eyes widened, but he was too busy chewing to say anything.

Phoebe nodded. “Yup. We didn’t meet the guy, but we were at a local café for lunch and when we mentioned where we were from, the woman waiting on us said her friend had family from Catamount.”

Shana picked up at Phoebe’s pause. “It’s some guy named Carl Jasper. There’s more than a few Jaspers in Catamount. The woman didn’t know much beyond that, but she told us where he lived and we did a drive by.”

Jake and Dane spoke in unison. “What?!”

Jake couldn’t squash the fear that prickled under his skin. With Phoebe and Shana sitting right in front of him, he knew they were safe, but he was weary of unexpected events.

Shana rolled her eyes. “Oh God, don’t you dare try to give us grief for driving by some guy’s house when you were out chasing Paul through the woods.”

When Jake turned to Phoebe, she merely arched a brow. He bit his lip, his breath coming out in a hiss.

Dane sighed. “Fine, we won’t give you grief about it, but how about keeping us in the loop?”

Shana slanted her eyes at him. “Right. ‘Cause you guys really kept us in the loop for hours this afternoon. You already knew we’ve been keeping our ears to the ground. We happened to stumble into a tidbit. All we did was drive by a house in the middle of the afternoon. I was hoping we’d get a glimpse of him. But it doesn’t really matter because just knowing he has family in Catamount gives us a lead.”

Phoebe tapped Jake with her foot. “You can do your magic online and see what connections we might find between Carl Jasper and any of the Jaspers in Catamount.”

Jake knew it wasn’t rational, but anger zipped through him. The idea of Phoebe being anywhere near anyone who might be a risk clamped a vice around his heart. He forced himself to take a slow breath and glanced over at her. Her dark eyes met his as she stroked her foot along his calf. He sighed and leaned back. He was bone tired. After a few more minutes of conversation, he heard Phoebe commenting that he needed to get to bed. He dragged his eyes open when she nudged him gently.

He fell asleep with her snug beside him, her head tucked against his chest. Moonlight fell across the bed, illuminating her features. Her long dark lashes left spiky shadows on her cheeks.

***

The following morning, they met with Hayden once more. Hayden had little to offer on Carl Jasper, other than to confirm he was a shifter and his social circles bumped into a few of the shifters known to be involved in smuggling. He wasn’t flying high on the radar, which left more questions than answers. While they waited at the airport for their flight back to Maine, Jake started digging online to see what he could turn up about Carl Jasper and any of the Jaspers in Catamount. A quick search showed that Carl had flown back and forth between Montana and Maine several times a year for the past two years, most recently right after Callen died.

Jake closed his laptop when their flight was called, impatient to get back to Catamount, so they could see what else might turn up. As their plane ascended, he glanced over at Phoebe. He was beyond relieved that this time he wasn’t chasing after her. He slipped his hand into her curls. She turned to him, her eyes holding a glimmer of worry.

“What?” he asked.

She shrugged. “It feels like we have more questions now.”

“Yes and no. We might have more questions, but we also have more directions to go.”

Her lips quirked in a rueful smile. “I suppose.” She lifted a hand and traced his mouth, her touch electric.

Chapter 14

Phoebe walked along the street in downtown Catamount. She’d just finished work at the hospital and needed to do some last minute Christmas shopping. Snow had fallen again last night, and the town green was blanketed with a heavy layer of snow. The wind had piled drifts in areas. The air was crisp and cold. She took a breath, savoring the hint of balsam and wood smoke. After taking care of her shopping, she pushed through the door into Roxanne’s Country Store. Warmth enveloped her, along with the scent of holiday baking. The deli did a brisk business over the holidays, providing an array of goodies. She scanned through the busy deli as she stood in line, her eyes noting Noah Jasper at one of the tables.

Since they’d returned from Montana, Jake had been busy with his online sleuthing, and she found she was constantly searching out anyone in the extended Jasper family in Catamount. Though she knew the family, they weren’t close, so she had to fight the urge to interrogate those she encountered. Jake had grudgingly acknowledged that he couldn’t keep her out of the investigation and had only asked she return the favor she’d asked of him and keep him updated. She’d rolled her eyes at that and politely pointed out she’d already done so at every turn.

Noah Jasper had gone to high school with her and Shana. He’d been sought after by the girls in high school for two reasons—he was tall, dark and handsome, and he was reserved, which made him a challenge. Though Phoebe didn’t know him too well, she’d always sensed he didn’t quite enjoy the attention. In fact, it seemed to make him uncomfortable. He’d gone to college out of state, then off to the military, and only returned to Catamount in the last year or so. He was rumored to have been in the Special Forces in the military, but he kept such a low profile, Phoebe didn’t know if that was the case or not. She did know that if he were, he would be formidable. A shifter and a specially trained military operative would be dangerous. She hoped like hell that he wasn’t involved in the smuggling network.