The Jaguar Prince

Chapter 26

Callie opened the door, surprised to see Freddie. “Good morning.”

“God, you’re even beautiful when you first wake up. You have that look about you.”

She frowned. “What look?”

“The look that says you’ve been well-loved.” He sighed. “Too bad I wasn’t the guy you were with.”

“Did you want something?” Rogar asked as he came up behind Callie. “Besides Callie that is.”

She glanced over her shoulder. Was that a note of jealousy she heard in his voice? His stern expression said it just might very well be. She kind of liked the idea that someone would be jealous over her.

Freddie seemed to weigh his options, then sighed deeply. “Since I apparently can’t have her, how about a cup of coffee?” He pushed the door open wider, and strolled inside. “Computers are a marvelous invention, you know. You can find out about anyone with the touch of a finger. Like the fact there is no prince of New Symtaria, nor is there even a country.” He went around the kitchen bar to the cabinets, opening them until he found the coffee.

She realized her mouth was hanging open, and snapped it closed. Crap, what were they going to do now? She cast a worried glance at Rogar, before shutting the front door. “Uh…what are you getting at?” she asked as she walked over to the bar.

He took the glass carafe to the sink and filled it, looking up only after pouring water into the machine. “Nothing much, except there isn’t a prince called Rogar Valkyir anywhere in the world.”

She gave a short, unconvincing laugh. “It’s a very small country. I doubt it’s even listed.”

Freddie looked at Rogar. “The guy is leading you down the wrong path Callie. He’s a con man. Believe me, I’ve met my share of them. I can’t believe you’ve fallen for his lines.”

“I haven’t lied to anyone,” Rogar said.

Freddie’s eyes narrowed, and for the first time in her life, Callie realized looks can be deceiving. There was a lot more to Freddie than anyone suspected.

“Then what is the name of your country?” he asked, voice as cold as ice.

“New Symtaria.”

Freddie shook his head. “Symtaria would have popped up on the search engine. Symtaria, new or old, doesn’t exist.”

Callie felt as though the room was quickly closing in on her. Please, please, please just drop it Freddie, she silently prayed.

“I’ll give you one hour to clear out. Alone. Then I’m calling the police, whether you’ve left or not.” He shook his head. “Why would you lie to Callie like that? She’s never done anything to anyone. She’s the only real and decent person I’ve ever met.”

“I didn’t intend to hurt Callie,” Rogar told him.

“But you have. She’ll be lucky if she doesn’t get in trouble. Did you just assume she would clean up the mess you’re leaving behind? The million dollar bid last night?” His lip curled into a sneer. “I doubt someone like you has ever seen that much money.”

“It’s not like that,” Callie broke in.

“Callie, don’t buy into his game. The jewels you wore last night were probably fake, or worse, stolen. I have lawyers who can help you if you need them. Don’t worry.”

She looked at Rogar, silently begging for help.

“I am not from your planet,” Rogar said.

Callie groaned. That was not the kind of help she had been praying for.

Freddie began to slowly inch around the bar, moving closer to her. “Another planet. That’s a little hard to buy, buddy.”

This was not going at all well.

Rogar looked calm, not at all disturbed that Freddie now knew he was an alien. Not that Callie thought for one minute Freddie believed Rogar. No, from the expression on Freddie’s face, she was pretty sure he thought Rogar was a nutcase. She wasn’t too sure this had been the right way to go.

“Tell me more about this planet you say you’re from,” Freddie urged.

Callie knew the drill, keep the crazy guy talking so they could make an escape. Been there, done that.

“We’re alien shapeshifters. I’ve come to take Callie home.”

“She is home.” Freddie was closer to her now.

“He’s telling the truth, Freddie,” she ventured. She might as well back up Rogar’s story.

Freddie stepped in front of her. She thought it was sweet that he would try to protect her. Not that she needed protecting.

“He’s only brainwashed you, Callie. I also have a psychiatrist on call who’s really pretty good. He’s helped me a lot.”

“Would you like me to prove it to you?” Rogar asked.

“Not Balam.” Freddie might have a coronary if Rogar suddenly shifted into Balam. She certainly didn’t want his death on her conscience.

“Not Balam,” he assured her.

“Who’s this Balam?”

“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “How are you going to prove it?”

“Yeah, how?” Freddie leaned an elbow on the bar, practically daring Rogar to prove himself, but she could see his body was still tense, as though he waited for the perfect opportunity to grab her so they could make their escape.

“I’ve come to the conclusion there are certain things Symtarians can do that people from Earth can’t.”

Freddie snorted.

Rogar pointed his finger toward the lamp on the table beside the sofa. When he wiggled his finger, the lamp moved a few inches.

“Wow, you never mentioned you could do that,” she said.

“A magician’s trick.” Freddie scoffed, and opened both hands, then waved them back and forth. With the snap of a finger, he produced a rose, which he gave to Callie.

“I forgot you did magic tricks, Freddie. That was good.” She automatically brought it to her nose. Silk. Oh, well.

Rogar frowned. “Your gravity is slightly different from ours.” He closed his eyes, and slowly began to raise his hands, as he did, his body gravitated upward.

“Wow, he’s good.” Freddie was transfixed as he watched Rogar.

Apparently, he’d forgotten that he’d pegged Rogar as crazy. Callie’s lips turned down. Freddie didn’t seem as upset as he had. From the rapt expression on Freddie’s face, he certainly wasn’t as worried about her safety as he once was. Men!

“How’d you do that?” she asked.

Rogar’s feet settled on the floor once again. “I’ve noticed little things since coming to Earth. There must be something in the gravitational force.”

“I can’t do that.” Callie crossed her arms in front of her. She was lucky if she didn’t trip over her own two feet.

“Probably because you’re part Earthling. It might be something to explore. I have a theory about the gravitational force being somewhat different, which could have some effect on a Symtarian’s molecular structure.”

She took one look at Freddie. Rogar had talked his nerdy language, but Freddie still didn’t look as though he believed Rogar could be from another planet.

“I saw someone in Vegas who could do that,” Freddie said.

“Balam?” Rogar looked at Callie.

Callie really hadn’t wanted to take it this far, but it seemed they had no choice. She nodded.

A light fog began to fill the room.

“What’s happening?” Freddie straightened, looking around.

“It’s the only way we can make you believe,” Callie told him. “The Symtarians are a race of shapeshifters. They have animal guides that share their body.”

“Where are the cameras?” He looked around.

“There aren’t any.”

Rogar groaned, drawing their attention. The fog wasn’t so thick that they couldn’t see Rogar drop to the floor on his hands, then groan as he curled into a ball. Not so dense they couldn’t see flesh change to fur, hands become claws.

“I…I…”

She took Freddie’s hand in hers. The color had drained from his face. “It’ll be okay. Balam is a black jaguar. He’s also Rogar’s animal guide.”

“He really is from another planet.” Freddie sat down hard on the stool.

“Yes.”

The mist cleared. Balam opened his mouth and roared. Freddie tilted sideways on the stool. Callie grabbed him before he could fall off.

“That’s a jaguar. They eat people,” Freddie pointed out.

“He won’t eat you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Not positive.”

Freddie’s eyes were wide when he turned them on her. “What do you mean, you’re ‘not positive’?”

“He won’t,” she quickly told him. Then, to prove her words, she walked over and knelt in front of Balam. “Hello, again.” She smiled, then rubbed the cat behind his ear. Balam purred, rubbing his head against her cheek. Callie would never get over the fact she could get this close to a jaguar.

Balam raised his head, looking over her shoulder, then trotted into the other room.

Freddie watched the cat leave, then looked her way, as if he only now remembered she was still in the room. His infatuation was really short lived. She would give him credit for trying to protect her, though. Meeting an alien apparently took precedent over his concern for her safety. The story of her life.

Freddie seemed to come out of his daze. He snapped his fingers. “You shapeshifted into that flamingo last night.” He looked at Callie. “That was you, wasn’t it?”

She could feel the heat rise up her face. “Yes.”

He laughed. “You certainly hit your target. I’ve never seen Constance that pissed before.”

“But we’re keeping a low profile,” she quickly told Freddie, and only hoped he would keep this to himself.

“Low profile?” he repeated.

“Yes.”

He reached over the bar and grabbed the paper he’d brought with him, then spread it out. She groaned when she caught a glimpse of Rogar’s picture splattered across the front page.

Visiting Prince Bids One Million

For Porcelain Statue at Benefit Auction

This wasn’t good.

“It went over the AP’s so I’m sure the bigger papers picked it up as well,” Freddie said. “I mean, who wouldn’t. It’s a good story.”

Rogar emerged from the bedroom completely dressed.

“Look at this.” She held the picture up for him to see.

Rogar moved closer, his frown deepening. “I didn’t know anyone was taking pictures.”

“Nearly everyone has a camera phone these days. It wouldn’t have been hard for them to take this,” Freddie said, staring at Rogar as though he was some kind of god.

“Zerod will know our location.” Rogar walked to the window, as if he expected their enemy to show up any second.

Cold chills of foreboding ran up and down her arms.

Freddie looked from Rogar to Callie. “Who’s Zerod?”

“A particularly evil man who wants to destroy mixed bloods.”

“You’re part alien,” Freddie said.

She nodded.

“That means you’re on this Zerod’s hit list.”

“I won’t let harm come to her,” Rogar promised.

Freddie studied Callie. “That’s wild that you’re part alien. All this time, and you never told anyone?”

“I didn’t know,” she said.

“We have to leave.” Rogar turned and met Callie’s gaze. “We’re no longer safe.”

“I have a place…” Freddie began.

“No, we can’t run forever,” Callie said.

Freddie grimaced. “Go to the police…”

“And tell them what? That an alien wants to kill me? I’d just as soon not be the one locked up.”

He straightened. “Then Rogar and I will protect you.”

She shook her head. “It’s not your fight.”

“I’ll make it my fight.”

“No, Callie is right. Besides, Zerod is powerful. You would be no match for him. But I am eternally grateful for your courageous offer.”

“Where will you go?’ Freddie asked.

“Home,” Callie said. “If we’re going to stand our ground, then I want it to be on my turf.” She took Freddie’s hands in hers. “After we leave, don’t come back to the cabin. It might not be safe.”

He nodded, then surprised her by grabbing her close to him in a hug. The angry cry of a jaguar filled the small space. Freddie jumped back, his face ashen.

“What the hell was that?”

She quickly shifted her attention to Rogar who didn’t look at all pleased. “You better leave,” she told Freddie.

“Sure.” He hurried past Rogar, gave him a sideways glance, then left.

“Did you have to do that?” she asked.

“I didn’t like him touching you.”

“It didn’t mean anything.”

“It meant more to him than you realize.” He marched past her and walked toward the bedroom.

“Just don’t start marking your territory,” she mumbled, but had to admit it felt nice that he was jealous.

She hurried after him. It took them only a few minutes to gather their things and leave in the Hummer. She wasn’t sad to leave the camp. Especially Constance.

“We’ll need a plan of action,” she said. “A trap. He needs to be destroyed.”

“It is against our law to kill another Symtarian,” he said.

“But it’s okay for him to kill me?”

“Our laws need to be changed. When that was written, we were all of pure blood.”

“Well, excuse me for living.”

He reached across the seat and took her hand. “We’re not a cruel race, Callie. The laws were created to protect everyone.”

“Except there are people like Zerod out there who want all the non–pure bloods destroyed.”

“He’s a rogue. There will always be his kind in every society.”

“You’re right.” She sighed. “Then what can we do?”

“Cage him. Then I will transport him back to New Symtaria, where he will be locked away forever.”

“The only place I know with a cage that can hold him is the zoo.” That wasn’t a bad idea when she thought about it.

He shook his head. “No, how could I keep you safe, if you’re at work?”

She suddenly smiled. “Don’t you see, it’s perfect. We’ll tell Mr. Campbell that you’ve decided it would be interesting to work with the cats at the zoo. He thinks the reason I’m taking off is so I can convince you to come to work for him. You can tell him you need me as your assistant.”

“I’m still not sure. Too many people.”

“We’ll work something out.”

“There’s still one other solution.”

She shook her head. “I won’t let Zerod run me off.”

He finally nodded. “You would make a fine warrior.”

She tried not to smile at his words, but lost the battle. “You think I’d make a good fighter?”

“No, a warrior. There’s a difference. A warrior plans his battles. A fighter just fights because he enjoys battles.”

“You have female warriors on New Symtaria?”

He nodded. “One of my sisters is a warrior.” He suddenly frowned. “She’s too aggressive sometimes. You would like her, though. Maybe you can meet her someday.”

Someday. She was starting to hate that word. As in, someday Rogar would leave. He didn’t know it, but the thought of his returning to New Symtaria was getting harder for her to imagine.

Would her memories be enough to sustain her on cold winter nights? Would her soft blanket and her flannel pj’s be enough to keep her warm?

She had a feeling they wouldn’t be.