Chapter 5 North
North
The dark meant nothing to my beast. While our prey squinted to see into the shadows, our vision was clear.
Whereas some jaguars had spotted fur to blend into a mottled jungle, our variant black fur was perfect to blend into this nighttime cityscape.
There were so many places to hide, to bide our time, waiting until the right moment to pounce.
The man was in no hurry to get home. He had a bag slung over one shoulder, his hands tucked in his jacket pockets, and as the wind picked up, he hunched his shoulders against the evening chill.
We lifted our head, nostrils flaring to inhale his delectable scent, carried to us on the breeze.
Mmm, succulent, but we knew it would be so much better if it were laced with a hint of his fear.
Our paws padded near silently in the dew-damp grass as we prowled through the trees of the park, keeping the man in sight as he walked down the sidewalk.
When he turned at the corner, we would be forced to cross the street if we wanted to follow.
It was late, and the traffic was light, so crouched in the underbrush, we waited for the right moment, then darted across, strong legs making the dash in two leaps.
On the other side, we slunk into a dark alley, waiting to see if we’d been spotted.
When all was silent, we prowled around the corner, keeping close to the ground to catch up to our prey.
We are invisible… We are the night…
The man’s scent was crisp and juicy, ripe with promises.
We could hardly wait to sink our teeth into him, to taste him at last. A growl vibrated low in our throat.
We deserved this. We’d been so good, so patient.
There he was ahead, and we ran faster, ducking behind a large flowerpot when he twisted to look over his shoulder.
Could he sense us here? Did he know how close we were?
He continued walking, but still we waited, entirely still but for the lazy flick of our tail.
He paused to unlock the door of a gray-brick building, a four-story apartment block, and a quick inhale drew in the scent of shifters.
The wolf… the one who dared touch the man.
Our lip curled back to bare our fangs, and just as he got the door open, we burst into a run.
Our muscles were warm and liquid as we closed the distance.
Closer… closer… until we coiled to attack.
“Joel!” I shouted as I woke, sitting straight up in bed, chest heaving as I struggled to catch my breath, heart hammering in my chest. My brain was still caught on the image of my mate, so vulnerable, his back to me.
Easy prey… I shook away the errant thought and swallowed hard, blinking to clear away the disorientation.
I wasn’t hunting, this was not the street, and Joel was not here.
My bedroom was empty, full sunlight streaming through the window, making the dust motes sparkle.
“Just a dream…” I panted, but it had felt so real.
Now that I was starting to come back to my senses, I looked again at the line of sunlight painted across my bedroom floor. It wasn’t where it was supposed to be. What time was it?
I reached for my cell, which should’ve been on the bedside table, but it wasn’t there.
Frowning, I threw back the blanket and crawled out of bed.
Cool air brushed across my ass, and I looked down, finding myself bare.
I frowned, the dreamlike confusion lingering.
Had I gone to bed naked? I usually slept in my boxers.
Fuck. Coffee. I needed coffee and a shower. Then I could worry about everything else.
Scrubbing a hand over my face, I stepped into the bathroom, but I froze when I caught sight of myself in the mirror. There was something in my hair. I reached up and plucked it out, then stared down at it pinched between my fingers. A leaf…
“Why would there be a leaf in my bed?” I wondered out loud. The dream I’d had floated to the surface of my mind. Joel, unaware that he was being hunted. So weak, fragile… easy prey… I couldn’t bring myself to contemplate the possibility that was so obvious it hurt.
Turning my focus inward, I had to dig deep to find my jaguar, curled up and fast asleep—almost as if he’d been up all night. Cold, creeping dread threatened to drown me, and I gripped the edge of the sink until my knuckles screamed.
What did you do? I snapped at my beast. His rumbling purr was his only response. Wake up! I shouted, but it was no use. I had a sneaking suspicion he was only pretending to sleep, but either way, he had no intention of answering me.
“Dammit!” I slapped the counter then spun back toward my bedroom and stomped to my dresser, grabbing clothes at random. The shower could wait. “You had better not have hurt one single hair on his head,” I grunted.
The reality of the situation was a bitter pill to swallow.
It wasn’t a dream at all; I’d been sleepwalking!
Or would it be sleep-shifting? I used to sleepwalk when I was a kid, scaring my mother half to death when she would find me in odd places, but I hadn’t done it in years…
or at least, not that I’d been aware of.
Now I had to wonder if my jaguar took control every night.
Shoving my feet into my boots, I didn’t even bother lacing them, just clattered down the stairs into the back of Karma Katz.
I could hear one of the artists at work, the buzz of their tattoo machine a soothing balm to my frazzled nerves.
It was familiar, steady when I felt entirely unmoored.
Taking a steady breath, I headed straight down the hall, waving briefly at the artist, Denver, on the way by, and came to a stop in front of Mace, flipping through a magazine at the front desk.
He looked up, a wry smile spreading. “Well, well, if it isn’t Sleeping Beauty. Although, you’re not much of a beauty. All that sleep only seemed to make you look worse, not better.” He reached up and poked at my cheek. “What’s with the bags under your eyes? Long night?”
I slapped his hand away, a rough growl slipping out. “Cut it out. Is my phone down here?”
Frowning, he looked around, like it might suddenly appear. “No? Not that I’ve seen. Are you going to—”
I didn’t wait to find out what he’d been about to say. There was no time for chitchat, not when my mate might’ve been hurt—or worse. And it would all be my fault.
“Hey, where are you going? What’s wrong?” Mace called after me, the tinkling of the bell over the door too chipper for my current mood.
I didn’t stop until I reached the café where I’d run into Joel—was that only yesterday?
I peered through the window, but there was only an unfamiliar woman at the counter.
Pulling the door open, a waft of air washed over me, and that was enough.
The air was drenched in coffee and pastries, but any hint of sunlight or dewdrops had faded.
My mate wasn’t here and hadn’t been since yesterday.
My desperation to find him doubled, and I ran to where I’d seen him getting on a bus.
Shifter stamina be damned, I pushed myself to the point where my breath was sawing in and out in a wheeze.
Arriving at the bus stop, I wished I had my phone so I could check the schedule.
I turned to an older woman sitting on the bench.
“Excuse me, do you know when the next bus arrives?”
She gave me a narrow-eyed glare, daring me to step closer.
I could only imagine how I looked to her.
On a good day, some people saw my ink and piercings as a threat, and today was not a good day.
My shirt was damp with sweat, my hair was tangled from clutching at it.
Now I really needed a shower. With how wild my eyes were, I probably looked strung out, coming down hard from a high.
The woman clutched her purse like a weapon, and I had no doubt she would swat me with it.
It was probably filled with rocks. When I inched back to give her space, she sighed sharply.
“Should be any minute,” she offered at last.
I nodded my thanks and paced along the curb until the bus appeared at last. As soon as the doors opened, I jumped up the steps… only to come up short. Shit. I dug through my pockets and came up empty of change. I had no wallet, no phone. The bus driver was getting impatient, and I whined.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” the woman from before grumbled behind me. “Here. Just get on the bus already.” She shoved a bus ticket at me, then nudged me forward.
I blew out a relieved breath and muttered apologies and thank-yous all the way down the aisle.
Plonking down on a hard seat of molded blue plastic, I scanned the passing neighborhood out the window. I had no way of knowing if this was the same route Joel had gotten on, and no way of knowing where he got off. It was a long shot—the longest shot, in fact—but I was desperate.
A knot had lodged in my chest, and I clutched at it, my eyes burning with tears. My jaguar wouldn’t have hurt him, right? He was not just my mate, but ours. He was our one and only.
The stores and businesses passing by began to blur as tears collected, and my panic was turning into something else. Something rawer, like teeth tearing me apart, piece by piece. How long could I survive without a heart? Without a soul?
But then suddenly, through the flood of misery, I felt a sharp tug in my chest, like a fishhook, giving me a hard yank. Before I could second-guess what it meant, I was up and out of my seat, racing toward the front of the bus. “Please, I need to get off!”
The driver looked like he was about to tell me to wait for the next stop, but then we made eye contact through the large rearview mirror, and I saw his eyes go wide.
He practically slammed on the brakes, and I grabbed one of the metal bars before I could topple over.
He angled the bus sharply for the curb and slammed the door open.
Racing down the steps, I heard the driver mutter a prayer meant to ward off evil. I couldn’t even blame him.
Following that tug lodged in my chest, I jogged down the sidewalk, head swiveling.
And when I came around the corner, I nearly choked on my tongue.
Joel! He was alive and unharmed! Coming to a sudden stop, my knees nearly gave out in my relief.
I made some pitiful sound that had my jaguar rolling his eyes at me. Sure, now he was awake.
As if I would hurt him, he muttered, insulted. And now that he’d said it, I realized how stupid it had been to even consider the possibility. Of course he wouldn’t. Why had I been so worried?
I couldn’t stand to let Joel out of my sight yet, so I followed him at a distance, until I saw him unlock the door of a gray-brick building. The same gray-brick building as in my dream, in fact. Not a dream then.
My jaguar had hijacked my body while I slept, and I didn’t sense a single ounce of guilt coming off him. Instead, there was a smug smirk, and I knew without a doubt that he would do it again.
As Joel disappeared inside, I forced myself to walk away.
I decided to cut through the park, and there, lying in the grass, I found my phone, along with the torn remains of my boxers.
I sighed, collected the shreds of fabric, tucked my phone back in my pocket, and headed home.
Tonight, I would be more prepared. This wouldn’t happen again.