The Jaguar Prince

Chapter 17

DeeDee had said they would be going to her parents’ cabin, that it would be safe there. Maybe they would be out of danger long enough that Rogar could find where Zerod was hiding.

Rogar grit his teeth against the sudden flare of anger. He would kill Zerod, even if it meant death if he ever returned to New Symtaria. His family would ostracize him, as would the people. But he would do it for Callie. He would do it to keep her safe.

Why?

His forehead wrinkled. She was stubborn and obstinate. Her customs were odd, at best. She knew nothing of her true heritage, and furthermore, the only reason she was willing to meet her guide was so she could protect herself against Zerod. Not that she would defeat Rogar’s more experienced cousin.

His hands curled into fists. She would never be able to take care of herself, even if she eventually accepted her guide. Her guide had been dormant too long. It would take years to gain what had been lost. No, Callie was too inexperienced.

He glanced across the seat at her. She drove the boxy vehicle with ease, he would give her that. There were some things she could do better than him, although he could’ve easily learned the functions. Size was the only difference between this vehicle and the Jaguar.

She adjusted the temperature setting on her side, then ran her hand along the wheel that steered the machine. Her touch was light, almost like a caress. He closed his eyes, remembering the way she had touched him.

Maybe that was the reason he’d become infatuated with her. She had a nice touch. But then, she was also very beautiful—more like a Symtarian than someone from Earth. The Symtarian women were beyond comparison.

She was more emotional, though, and her feelings often showed on her face. He knew when he’d pleased her or angered her in some way. He knew when she was content. Like now, she seemed relaxed.

Just as suddenly, her expression changed, and she began to nibble on her lower lip.

Was she thinking of Zerod? She shouldn’t worry, because he would protect her, and when he left, she would come with him. He wouldn’t give her an option, but he would give her a little time to get used to the idea. That was the only solution. There were others like Zerod, and he couldn’t protect her every second.

“You’re awake,” she said.

He had been for a while, but he hadn’t wanted her to know he studied her.

“How are you feeling?”

“More alert. Better.”

“Yeah, sorry about giving you a prescription pain pill. I didn’t realize it would have such an adverse reaction on you. We’ll stick with the over-the-counter medication from here on out.” She shifted in her seat. “It won’t be long now. As soon as we arrive, I’ll get you tucked into bed. Your leg must be killing you.”

He opened his mouth to tell her that it should be completely healed by now, but when she cast a concerned glance in his direction, words failed him. There was such a wealth of sympathy and love in that one look. When she squeezed his hand, he decided he would be better off not explaining that very few Symtarian wounds were life threatening.

Instead, he quickly spelled cabin on his database. A picture popped up of a small log structure. Beneath it he read: cozy one-room cabin with few amenities. Often used by hunters when trapping or killing game.

Rogar liked the thought that she would be tucking him into bed inside a secluded, but rustic cabin. They would spend their nights making love. During the day, he would be showing her the path to her animal guide, and eventually the way back to New Symtaria.

All he had to do was tell her about the wonder and the beauty that New Symtaria had to offer. The wide streams, the green valleys, the highest mountains. The landscape was much the same as that of Earth, except better, so the transition wouldn’t be that difficult for her. He only had to convince Callie to return with him. Since he’d have her all to himself, that shouldn’t be a problem. He’d never had any trouble convincing a Symtarian woman to do his bidding.

When his body began to react to thoughts of just how he would convince Callie that it would be in her best interest to leave with him, he decided to change the direction of his thoughts.

“Did Mr. Campbell understand when you told him you were taking a few days away from work?” He rather hoped she’d been dismissed from her duties. Guilt flooded him. He didn’t want her unhappy.

“There wasn’t any problem getting time off.”

That surprised him. “Mr. Campbell didn’t seem the type who would be so generous.”

She chuckled. “He isn’t, but I tempted him.”

Rogar didn’t think he liked the idea of her tempting her boss.

“I told him that I was trying to convince you to come back for a few weeks,” she said. “The bribe worked.”

“And what will you tell him when that doesn’t happen?”

“That you’re a rotten person and refused to cooperate.”

He wasn’t sure he liked that solution any better.

“We’re here,” she said.

He sat straighter, and looked around. They were just passing under a wooden arch that proclaimed this was Camp in the Pines. They met a tiny vehicle with sticks poking out of bags in the back of the small conveyance. The man and woman smiled and waved, but Rogar thought their smiles were only pasted on their faces.

“There are many small vehicles here,” he said as more passed them.

She laughed lightly. “They’re called golf carts. You don’t play golf on New Symtaria?”

He pulled out his database and punched in some letters. A video popped up on the screen of a man swinging one of the sticks at a small white ball. He connected with the ball and it sailed through the air. Then he walked back to his cart and drove to where the white ball had stopped. He hit the ball twice more until it went into a small hole.

Rogar looked at Callie. “No, we don’t play golf. It seems like a pointless game.”

“You might not want to say that too loudly around here. They take their game very seriously.”

“Odd.”

“Welcome to the blueblood society.”

“Their blood is blue?”

“An expression. Their blood is actually the same color as mine, not that they would ever admit to it.”

He punched in some more letters. Blueblood: an expression used to differentiate classes of people in Earth’s societies. Bluebloods are wealthy, and believe themselves above other people. They always run with their own crowd, and consider mingling with the lower classes beneath them.

“It’s a good thing we won’t need to interact with them because I doubt I would enjoy it.”

“We’ll see a lot more of them than we want.”

She pulled in front of a log home. This dwelling was set farther back than the others, and surrounded by tall trees.

“This is it,” she said as she turned the ignition key and opened the door. “Stay put and I’ll come around to help you.” She climbed out and hurried to his side of the vehicle as he input the word cabin into his database again.

Callie opened the door. He shook his head and showed her the screen. “This place is not what my database has shown me.”

She grinned, and for a moment, as he stared at her, he completely lost his train of thought. The spell broke when she glanced at the screen.

“The rich never do anything like the rest of us,” she said.

He scanned the area. The house was shielded on both sides by trees. It wasn’t as secluded as he’d hoped, but he supposed as long as he had a chance to talk to Callie about New Symtaria, and other things, then it would do.

“Come on, let’s go inside,” she said.

He eased himself out of the vehicle, even though he was certain his leg was now completely healed. There wouldn’t even be a scar as a reminder of what had happened.

“Three steps, do you think you can make it?”

“I’ll try.” It felt good to have Callie this close to him. The heat from her body was like a soft touch. As they moved toward the cabin, it became more than a touch as she inadvertently rubbed against him.

Thoughts of her naked body pressed against him filled his head. A moan slipped from between his lips as he remembered what it felt like to sink deep inside her body.

She gripped him a little tighter around the waist. “I was afraid the drive would be too long, but this really was the only choice we had.”

She thought his pain was from the wound. If she only knew, but he wasn’t going to tell her. He rather enjoyed that she was so concerned about his health.

“As soon as we get inside, you can stretch out on one of the beds.”

He nodded, gritting his teeth for effect when she glanced up at him.

“Then I’ll get that bandage changed. I only hope it’s not soaked with blood.”

He stumbled on the last step.

“Careful.”

If she changed his bandage, she would see the wound had healed, and he had a feeling she wouldn’t be happy he’d taken advantage of her kindness. In fact, he had a feeling she’d be very angry with him. That wouldn’t endear her to the Symtarian race. He’d just have to think of a way to keep her from seeing his leg.

They made it inside. Callie was right, these bluebloods lived differently from other people. He had a feeling if he downloaded an image of the room, it would come up under the title of luxury at its finest.

“It’s a lot to take in, I know, but DeeDee’s folks are actually really nice. Not quite as stuffy as some of their friends. And all this?” She shook her head. “This is their idea of roughing it—no formal dining room. It’s an open floor plan.”

“Strange people.”

“Let’s get you in bed. I can’t believe I’m standing here keeping you on your feet.”

They made their way to the back of the spacious cabin, and into a bedroom that housed another large bed. The beds on New Symtaria were not quite so large. Couples liked to be close to their mate, even in sleep.

With Callie’s help, he made it to the bed and laid down, exhaling an exhausted sigh for effect. When she smoothed the hair off his forehead, he took her hand and brought it to his lips, inhaling the light scent of the sweet fragrance she wore, before letting his lips brush across her palm. He felt the shiver that went through her, and knew that his touch affected her as much as hers did him.

“I want to mate with you,” he whispered.

She inhaled a sharp breath, tugging her hand free. “Your leg…we…uh…can’t.”

He almost blurted out that he was healed, but then remembered that Callie would kill him if she knew the truth. And she might not accept his help. He was stuck in a cage of his own making. He now had to decide what was more important, mating, or teaching her the skills she might someday need.

It was tempting to throw caution away, but those same skills might be the only protection she would have if Zerod or one of his followers discovered where they were. He couldn’t risk her life.

“I’ll just fix us something to eat.”

She hurried out of the room. Rogar was left staring at the very opulent bedroom. There was a mirror above the bed. Why would anyone need a mirror above their bed? Earth people were strange.

Callie leaned against the wall so she could catch her breath. Rogar had said he wanted to mate with her. She trembled all the way down to her toes with need. When he’d spoken those words, a picture flashed across her mind of his naked body pressed against hers.

She tried to swallow, but couldn’t, and finally pushed against the wall, and went to the kitchen. There were sodas in the refrigerator. She pulled one out, and popped the tab. As soon as it stopped fizzing, she brought it to her lips and took a long drink. The bubbles tickled her nose, but she was just grateful for something cold and wet.

There would be no mating, she thought to herself as she set the can on the counter. At least, not until his leg healed, and maybe not then. She would have to be careful to keep her distance. She was here to learn, to find her animal guide so she would have some measure of protection from Zerod. She had to keep Rogar at arm’s length.

She rested her elbows on the counter and stared out the window into the woods behind the cabin. She was not in love with Rogar. It was only infatuation, temporary insanity, nothing more.

But he would be easy to fall in love with. He was really hot. And she’d never had sex like that before. Her nipples tightened just thinking about when they’d made love. A deep, yearning ache settled in her lower regions.

She quickly came back to her senses and pushed away from the counter when someone knocked on the door. With a deep sigh, she walked over. She’d wondered how long it would take for someone to stop by and see who was staying at the cabin. Instead of neighborhood watch, they should call these people neighborhood snoops. She pasted a fake smile on her face and opened the door.

“Yes?”

A tall, thin woman stood on the other side and with her was an equally tall, thin man.

“Oh, we expected the Jacksons.” She raised a lofty eyebrow. “And you are?”

“Ms. Crane, don’t tell me you don’t remember me?”

The woman’s brow knit.

“DeeDee’s friend, Callie Jordon.”

“Ohhh…” Her shoulders stiffened as though rigor mortis had set in. “I’m surprised that…uh…” Her look was more than a little condescending as her words trailed off.

“What? That they would let someone like me use their cabin?”

Ms. Crane’s husband wore an expression similar to that of his wife. “Of course we weren’t thinking that.”

Callie hoped her smile was just as insincere as she felt right now. “Of course you wouldn’t think that. Why that would make you both snobs, now wouldn’t it? Forgive me if I gave that impression.”

“Certainly.” Ms. Crane sniffed. “It has been a long time since you’ve been here.”

“Yes, it has.”

She looked around the room. “And you brought a man with you. Did you get married?” she continued to grill.

Callie smiled. “No.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Oh, you’re not married?”

“Callie, I thought I heard voices,” Rogar said as he limped toward them.

Great, what was he doing up? He should be resting. She looked at the Cranes, who weren’t even trying to hide their curiosity. More fodder for their tight little group. She’d bet they would run straight to everyone and have a field day telling them about how the Jacksons were letting just anyone, and everyone, stay at their cabin in their exclusive little resort. She wouldn’t doubt they would have a get together to ban this from ever happening again.

Oh my God! What if she actually started dating one of their sons? Or befriending one of their daughters?

They were as bad as Zerod. It would seem she was considered just as impure here as she would be on New Symtaria.

“And you are?” Ms. Crane asked, looking down her very straight and narrow nose.

“Rogar Valkyir.”

Their condescension didn’t lessen, in fact, it seemed to increase. Callie realized it must be his accent and his name. Not only was he staying with Callie, but he was also a foreigner. Oh, they were going to have a good time relating the gossip they would gather today.

Rogar suddenly bowed at the waist. “Prince Rogar Valkyir, at your service.”

The Cranes’ mouths dropped open.

Callie could feel the color draining from her face. This was so not good.