CAPTURED: 9 Alpha Bad-Boys(61)

He watched spellbound as a beautiful black jaguar locked jaws and paws  with the threatening male. The gold jag looked like it was going to come  out on top after rolling several times with the black cat. But he was  up on his feet quickly. No, wait. The black he was actually a she! And  she was vicious, fast as lightning, and gave no quarter to her foe as  their snarls filled the jungle. The male delivered a particularly nasty  swipe to the side of the female's head and she stumbled.

But all was not lost. Two more jaguars charged out of the foliage and  came to the black jaguar's aid. But the male was strong and the three  females were having a tough time subduing him. Maybe someone would hear  all the noise and come help? No, he couldn't wait for that. He had to do  something. Right now.

Raising the sights on the tranq gun again, Aaron fired at the male.  Shit, he missed! The dart lodged deep in the black female's shoulders  and she tottered momentarily before flopping to the ground. But the male  lay on the ground as well, taken down by the females. Seeing the threat  eliminated, the other females took off the moment he hit the dirt. But  this male was smart. Too smart. When the females disappeared into the  night, he was back on his feet, dancing around wildly.

Aaron's eyes narrowed as he regarded the deadly creature. Something  intelligent went on behind the big cat's eyes. It was as if he  recognized not only the danger of the downed black but him as a man. The  feeling shivered down Aaron's back and settled behind his knees. It was  the most uncanny thing he'd ever experienced. And he didn't like it one  bit.

Aaron raised the gun and aimed it right between the gold male's eyes.  He'd be damned if he missed this time. Taking a bold step forward, he  growled at the crazed jag, prepared to pull the trigger. At the hard  glint in Aaron's eyes, the male came to a decision and took off into the  deep jungle.

Behind him came a soft growl followed by … a moan? Jaguars didn't moan,  did they? Turning back to the female that had more than likely saved his  life tonight, he stared down at the ground in awe and went completely  still. The moan was louder now, but the cat's body was shivering and  shifting, the bones repositioning themselves under the skin. Shiny fur  receded into the pelt, replaced by sleek, smooth skin. The bones of the  shoulders and head made a squishing sound as they shrank and rearranged.  The sucking and popping noises made his stomach dance as he watched the  cat transform.

Kneeling down next to the animal, Aaron removed the tranq dart from her  shoulder and ran his hand through a tangle of soft, thick hair. Shock  was quickly replaced by concern as his eyes roamed over the tall,  muscular, very naked frame. Reya.

Removing his jacket, he quickly covered her sleeping, bleeding form,  threw her over his shoulder in a fireman's hold and took off as if her  life depended on it. And judging by the amount of blood oozing through  his jacket from the wounds she'd sustained, her life just might.



Glancing up at the sky, Aaron hissed a prayer under the weight of Reya's  body. He hadn't prayed since he was a teenager when his father lay at  death's door. Please let Reya be knocked out from the tranquilizer and  not so still because she's dying, he pleaded out loud as her warm blood  ran thick from the wounds on her back and the backs of her legs, and  over his hands where he held her close to his body.

While they trekked at a speed Aaron hadn't known he could move, he  listened closely for the sounds of any large, dangerous animals with  canines crashing through the trees behind them. Adrenaline-fueled legs  pumped tirelessly as he weaved through the tangle of trees back to her  B&B near the front entrance of the sanctuary. All was quiet except  for the occasional distant roar that sent chills up his spine and anger  coursing through his heart. Anger that some wild cat had injured his  sweet, loving Reya. His own adorable, precious … whoa! Precious? Adorable?  How about dangerous with claws, literally! His woman was a shifter, and  it seemed a very capable one.

It sure explained a lot. Now it made sense why she usually patrolled  alone in the middle of the night with no night-vision goggles and no  weapons. Even when learning biology and evolution as a child in school,  he'd never bought into the idea that plain old humans were alone on this  great big planet. Did he believe in fairies, ghosts or elves? No. But  people with a different genetic makeup that allowed their bodies to  change? Well, sure, why the hell not? And the fact he'd never expected  to meet such a being didn't change reality-a sleek, lovely and  changeable body was draped over his shoulder, thoroughly unconscious.         

     



 

He should be more upset at the discovery, at least amazed by it. He  didn't have time to worry about the fact that his woman was a different  species. She was hurt and it was all his fault. Now she needed him in  the worst way.

Damn, she's heavy, Aaron thought as he hitched Reya's unconscious form  higher up on his shoulder and shot up the steps, thankful he'd left the  door to her private veranda unlocked. He ducked inside, careful of  Reya's dangling arms and legs, and headed for the bedroom.

Easing her down off his shoulder and onto her stomach, Aaron was out of  her apartment in a blink to bang on the door across the hall.

"Dr. Matons!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. Who cared it was the  middle of the night, or rather early dark hours of morning? His woman  needed help, and right-damned now. Aaron's huge fist made contact with  the door again.

"Dr. Matons! Open up, it's Aaron!"

Seconds later, a frazzled doctor yanked open the door, dark hair  tousled, eyes wide with concern and lips pressed into a thin line.

"She was attacked in the jungle. Jaguars. Unconscious," was all he could  get out as he yanked the doctor behind him and down the hall into  Reya's apartment.

Together they slowly and carefully removed his blood-soaked jacket from  her naked form. Some of the blood had dried and caused the jacket to  stick to the wounds. Thankfully she was unconscious as they removed it.

"What happened?" Matons asked, clenching his teeth against what Aaron  assumed was a mix of concern and anger. After all, it was apparent both  the good doctor, Bethasiada and the staff all loved Reya.

"I was aiming at a jaguar. He was about to attack me, so I tried to shoot him with the tranq gun. I shot Reya by mistake."

"How the hell could you mistake her for a jaguar, Aaron?" he asked  calmly, easing the last of the jacket plastered to Reya's ripped and  torn flesh.

He didn't miss the stiffening of the doctor's spine as tension set in,  nor the tight set of his mouth as the blood drained from his face. The  flicker of concern as it passed over the older man's forehead made it  clear he saw Aaron as a possible threat.

"Because, doctor," Aaron growled, lowering his head to look at the man  eye to eye, "she was a damned jaguar when I shot her! She saved my ass.  Now do something to help her instead of just standing there questioning  me." Backing off just enough to give the doc a little bit of breathing  room, Aaron let his fingers stray to Reya's thick black mass of hair and  idly stroked through the softness. He closed his eyes and took a deep  breath, trying desperately to get a hold of the possessiveness, the  helplessness suddenly assailing him. What if she never woke up? What  would he do if he lost her? A lump formed in the back of his throat. He  couldn't get a single word out for the next few moments.

Never taking his eyes off her, he finally said, "Please, doc. I owe her  my life several times over. She means everything to me." Forcing a bit  more grit into his voice, he followed up with, "Now move your ass. Help  her."

After what seemed like endless moments of sizing each other up, Aaron's  relief was almost palpable when the doctor turned away from him with a  half-cocked smile and began digging in his bag for supplies.

"Get a soft cloth and water," the doc said as he pulled a sterile  syringe out of his goody bag. "Clean the wounds as well as you can,  first with warm water, then cool."

"But she's not moving," Aaron said, unable to keep the desperation out  of his voice. Hell, he was so scared for Reya, her chest barely moving  and her pulse much too sluggish. It was all he could do not to yell,  scream and rant at the doctor who moved just a little too slowly.

"She's not moving because the tranquilizer is meant for large game  animals. It's obvious you know that Reya fits into that category, but  only when she's in her shifted form. Once human, her metabolism changes  to fit her body and the drug has a much more potent affect. She'll be  fine in a few hours. I'm more concerned about infection than I am about  her sleeping."

"But … " Aaron sputtered, touching firm fingers to her wrist again just to make sure she still had a pulse.

"Stop worrying. Those wounds of hers will be all healed in a few days."

"Are you serious?" Aaron asked incredulously. The wreck on her back  would have downed the heartiest man, but he was supposed to believe Reya  could just shake it off in a few days? Then again, she wasn't quite  human. It would stand to reason that her body might behave differently  than his. But hell, he didn't feel like being reasonable. He wanted her  awake, telling him he'd been a big jerk, telling him anything for that  matter.