Rebirth (Rogues Shifter Series) (24 page)

I looked at Garrett’s muscular chest and hard flat stomach and sighed. “You know, if you want me to control myself, you should
keep your shirt on around me.” He grinned, as I sauntered past him. “I’m getting a glass of OJ, do you want anything?”

“I’m fine.” He laughed quietly.
I could feel his eyes glued to my back, taking in every movement as I walked into the kitchen. I made sure to sway just a little bit more than I normally would have, the cat in me coming out.

I came back with a glass of juice and asked, “What should I wear to meet with Maya? Will she ask me to shift?”

He was, unfortunately, listening to my advice and buttoning his shirt as he said, “Wear something comfortable. I’m coming to make sure she behaves herself and doesn’t ask you to do anything too difficult. She won’t like me hanging around but I’m the equivalent of your fiancé, after all.”

The word made me smile.
Fiancé
. Then I thought about how he seemed to know Maya really well and how she'd seemed jealous. I decided to just blurt it out. “Were you and Maya…? Were you lovers?”

He took a moment to assess my mood before answering. “Yes, around forty years ago. She was another cheetah, so it made sense, but we fought all the time about everything. She wanted a pe
rmanent commitment and I didn’t. We had practically nothing in common.”

“She’s a lot like me though, isn’t she? She’s a cheetah and she pulls power from the lines.”

“She’s nothing like you. She’s ruthless and very—demanding would be a nice way to put it. She likes to be in charge and doesn’t share authority easily. I won’t let her bully you.” He wrapped his arms around me and said, “Thank you for inviting Rob for brunch, today.”

“He’s
been very patient and kind to me, even when I acted like a brat. Speaking of which, I’m sorry about how I’ve been acting with you lately. I’ll try to control my libido.” I smiled sheepishly.

His mouth turned up in a sexy smile and his brilliant eyes crinkled around the edges. He stroked my face gently with his knuckles. “Patience comes naturally to a vampire while shifters can’t help but
live more in the moment. Your life energy is potent and delicious,” he teased, kissing me gently and then playfully pushing me toward my room. “Get ready. We have to go soon.”

Chapter Thirty

Maya was seated at her large walnut desk glaring at Garrett as we entered her office, which was beautifully decorated with expensive art and pottery. Apparently, being a member of the Shifter Council paid well.

“Hello, Maya, how have you been?” His greeting was forced as he lowered himself gracefully into one of the expensive leather arm chairs facing her desk. I decided to remain standing, waiting to see how this played out.

She gestured around the room so we’d be sure to take note of her prosperity. “I’ve been very well. And you?” She smiled sweetly but there was no warmth in her eyes.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me a little closer, never taking his eyes off of Maya. “Better than ever.” I was surprised that Garrett was flaunting our relationship, but then I didn’t know much about their history together. Still, this was turning into a pissing contest.

Her eyes narrowed
for an instant and then swung toward me. I kept my expression neutral, hoping to avoid conflict. She decided to get down to business. “Jackie, we’re going to start working on your psychic skills this evening. Please sit down.” I sat in the matching chair next to Garrett. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave, Garrett. She’ll never be able to concentrate if you’re here.“

“I’ll be as quiet as death.” He didn’t budge.

“I have to insist. If you don’t leave, I’ll be forced to report to the council that she refused to cooperate.” Her threat was not lost on either of us. If he didn’t leave, I’d be screwed.

“But she’s here on time
and cooperating fully.” He stayed where he was, but his eyes darkened to navy, usually a sign that silver dots were not far behind.

“Cooperation is such a general term, subject to interpretation
, isn’t it? The council will believe whatever I tell them.” Her anger was building. Great, this session was going to be sooo much fun.

Garrett scowled at her and then sent to me,
“I’ll be right outside. Keep a line open to me. I’ll come immediately if anything gets out of hand. You’re safe.”

“
I can take what she dishes out.”
I lifted my chin
.

“Of course you can, my love
.”  He stood, kissed me on the forehead and left without a word of goodbye to Maya.

“It’s such an intimate experience, communicating mentally, isn’t it? Garrett and I used to spe
nd hours exploring each other’s—minds.”

She was baiting me and I wasn’t falling for it. I sat silently gazing at her light green eyes and waited for the lesson to begin.

When she saw that she wasn’t getting a rise out of me she shrugged and said, “Forgive me. Garrett and I have a history and we seem to enjoy tormenting each other. It’s become a game of sorts.” She sat up a little straighter and pulled out a yellow legal pad. “I know that you can build a strong wall to protect yourself, but there’s much more to learn. At the meeting I couldn’t pull out all the stops, so to speak. Let’s begin. Please connect and pull up your shield.”

I tapped into the lines to strengthen my wall and placed myself on a hill surrounded by farmland. I felt it was a defensible position because no one could sneak up on me. I
really wasn’t sure how this worked but I resisted taking her to my cliff. That was a private vision that I shared only with Garrett. This grassy hill was neutral and the illusion was easy to maintain.

I felt her nudge my wall. “It’s remarkable, Jackie, that you’re this strong after only a few day’s training. I’m going to speak to you mentally now, so you need to let me in.”

I felt her gently push and I reluctantly allowed a section of my shield to melt away. Immediately, I noticed that her power felt very different than Garrett’s. His was a cool refreshing stream and the illusion of himself that he projected was always tinged with his rich blue aura. Maya’s was hot and dry, a desert valley, and her aura was a bright orangey yellow. His comforted me and hers burned with an intense excitement.

“L
esson number one. Never open your wall for any reason unless you trust the other magic user completely. You can simply fine tune your aura's magical pulse to mine to let in what I send to you. Then, if I attack you, your wall would still be able to protect you. Right now you're completely vulnerable.” A hot jab of energy hit my back, knocking me forward. I opened my eyes to find myself kneeling on the floor of her office, my hands on the carpet in front of me.

“
Jackie?”
I felt Garrett’s immediate concern.

“
I’m good.”
I stood up slowly, not taking my eyes off of Maya. I could see her at her desk, but also on the hill behind me, which made me a little dizzy, so I shut my eyes and concentrated only on maintaining my vision and defenses. I immediately reinforced my wall, noticing my heart beating faster as adrenaline began to pump through my system. As usual, I was starting to get pissed off.

“Excellent. I sense no fear in you, only a readiness to do battle. You’re definitely a cheetah and will probably become a fine warrior with the correct training. Try to keep your eyes open, even though it’s a little strange at first. Some of our enemies will fight mentally and physically simultaneously, so you need to be aware of all that’s going on around you. I want you to keep your wall very strong and try to match my aura’s rhythm as closely as you can. Then you should be able to send to me and hear what I send to you without leaving yourself vulnerable.”

In my mind I watched her saffron haze pulse with power. I reached out to feel its rhythm in my chest and after a few tries, matched my aura's tempo to hers. She sent,
“You learn quickly.”

“Why don’t I have to do this with Garrett?”
I asked.

“Your natural auras are congruent. Your emerald green and his sapphire blue are harmonious and blend naturally together.  Yours is the aura of a healer, a lover, someone in perfect balance with nature while his signifies clarity, truthfulness and a loving nature. You balance each other beautifully
.”  She sent this to me in a straightforward way without any resentment or anger.

“
What does your orangey aura signify
? I asked.

“
My aura demonstrates an intelligent scientific mind with a tendency toward perfectionism. All true I admit. Not really an easy personality to blend with. When you use your healing energies, your aura will turn a brighter green.

To attack someone, you must draw the ley line power into yourself, shape it as a weapon and then, using your own unique pulse, push it toward your enemy. The difficult part at first is controlling the intensity.

“99% of shapeshifters and weres use it magic unconsciously when they shift, but can’t control it in any other way. The powerful older undead can pull from the lines to some degree, and the fae are masters. Some sorcerers are quite adept as are a few witches, learning to connect when they twist a spell. You’ll need to learn everything you can about each of the races so that you can fight them efficiently if it becomes necessary."

She sighed and relaxed into her chair, speaking
out loud again. "There's evil in our supernatural world so learn quickly how to protect yourself. If you stay with us, you’ll be called upon to protect others who can’t protect themselves. If you’re not willing to do that, then there’s no place for you here.”

Maya’s spring green eyes locked on mine, challenging me.  I lifted my chin. “I’d like to help.”

She nodded. “Please sit down again, Jackie.” I did as she asked. “Some scientists believe cheetahs are the most ancient of the big cats and so that perhaps explains our mystical connection to magic. Your aura is green, which as I mentioned is the aura of a healer. A healer is the rarest of all auras among the races. Cheetahs are natural warriors, which means that you will constantly have to work to balance between your urge to fight, to defend your loved ones, and your urge to heal, to repair the damage done by other warriors. Your healing abilities will take longer to completely manifest themselves so we don’t have to work on them for a while.

I must have looked
stunned because she continued, "This is all a little overwhelming so I’m letting you go for tonight and giving you homework to work on with Garrett. I need to decide how best to approach your special situation.”

Relief washed over me. "Thank you."

Her face grew curious. “Do you find yourself reaching out to touch people when you talk to them? “I nodded. “This is one way a new healer transfers her energy to someone. You may want to talk to Liam. He’s a fae healer, which is also very rare.”

Maya spoke professionally but her tone remained cool. “I’m not your enemy, although I’ll
most likely never be your friend. Please call me if you have any questions.” I guess her laying it all out like that was just her way, and I respected her for it, even though part of me thought she was a bitch.

Garrett was instantly in the room standing
by my chair. Maya wasn't fazed by his vamp speed, but continued to write on her legal pad. “Garrett, this is a list of what I want you to work on with her.” She handed him the top sheet of paper then turned back to me. “He’s done a fair job so far, so he may as well continue. Keep working because you’ll be coming back two weeks from today for a test. Control is our major concern. If you can demonstrate that you won’t be a danger to the shifters and others in this community, we’ll be happy to let you stay.”

She turned to Garrett. “If this team of rogues can truly work together the way you and Rob say they can, I’ll be your strongest supporter.” She allowed herself a half smile and Garrett
smiled back. “Go on, get out of here.”  She turned away to her computer and began to type. Garrett and I headed out the door without a backward glance.

Chapter Thirty-one

Rob and Garrett had decided that the team should meet to discuss our next move, so Garrett and I pulled up in front of Kyle and Peter’s house ten minutes later. Everyone was there, and since Peter had barbequed enough ribs to feed a pride of lions, we sat around in their backyard sucking on rib bones and licking our fingers while we talked. I’d noticed that Kyle was in a snit for most of the evening. He’d glare at Garrett and then look away when he saw me watching him. Ethan had volunteered to load the dishwasher and Sinc was clearing the tab
le when Kyle started in on me.

“So did Maya tell you about her and Garrett?  From what I hear they had some wild affair. Half the town could hear them…”

“Shut the hell up,” growled Sinc. Everyone was looking from me to Garrett to Kyle and then back to me again.

“I was gonna say fighting.” Kyle scowled at Sinc.

Garrett unfurled his body from the chair next to mine and looked straight at Kyle saying, “What’s between us should not affect how you treat Jackie. I expect you to apologize.” His voice was cold and those familiar silver flecks were dancing in his darkened eyes. Rob was also looking very angry.