Chapter Nine #2
A split second later, a twig snapped to the left of the shifter and as he turned his head to gauge where the sound had come from, Logan moved fast. Within moments, he was on the shifter, his quick actions and the element of surprise jolting Harper out of the shifter’s grip.
When she staggered forward, Toby ran to her and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly against his chest. She sagged into his arms in relief.
The fight between Logan and the wolf shifter wasn’t even a fight. Logan got his arms around the shifter’s neck and snapped it as quickly and easily as if it had been a small twig.
As Toby cradled his mate in his arms, the forest around them erupted into movement as dozens of jaguars stepped out from behind trees and entered the clearing, surrounding them, their sleek bodies moving silently.
The area, previously dominated by the tension of the confrontation, now thrummed with the powerful presence of majestic big cats.
Toby had never seen anything like it before.
As they stood around the clearing, the formidable presence of the jaguars encircling them was overwhelming.
Toby’s heart raced, not just from the confrontation with the wolf shifters but now from the sight of these majestic predators.
Their sleek bodies moved with a silent grace that belied their power, and their numbers were indeed daunting, easily twice that of Toby and his group.
It didn’t make any sense. Jaguars were usually solitary animals.
They didn’t live in packs like wolves and other animals.
Toby held Harper close, whispering urgently to his team and to Jack, “Stay very still. Don’t make any sudden movements.” His eyes scanned the circle of jaguars, trying to anticipate their next actions, his mind racing for any solution that might see them safely out of this situation.
Unexpectedly, Mateo stepped forward, breaking the tense silence.
He began to speak in a language Toby didn’t recognize, his voice carrying a melodious, rhythmic quality that seemed to resonate through the clearing.
The words sounded indigenous, filled with soft consonants and flowing vowels, utterly foreign to Toby’s ears.
As Mateo spoke, the jaguars’ demeanor began to change subtly. Their ears twitched, and their tails stilled, as if they were listening intently. Some of the closer jaguars shifted their positions slightly, their eyes never leaving Mateo’s face as he continued speaking.
Harper clutched Toby’s arm, her voice a whisper. “What is he saying?”
Toby shook his head slightly, his eyes still fixed on the jaguars and Mateo. “I don’t know, but it looks like they understand him.”
The atmosphere in the clearing seemed to shift with Mateo’s words, the tension ebbing slightly as if his speech had bridged a gap between them and the wild creatures. Then, in a moment that felt like the world tilting on its axis, one of the jaguars approached Mateo.
In a move that Toby had not anticipated, the large jaguar shifted, its fur rippling as the magic of a shift took over it. A moment later, a man stood in the jaguar’s place.
Harper sucked in a sharp breath of surprise.
The shifter’s gaze was focused on something on the rainforest bed, near Jack’s feet, and when Toby followed his gaze, he realized that the shifter was looking at the Cryptex.
He walked to it then bent down to retrieve it before walking back to Mateo.
He spoke in the same, unfamiliar language.
Mateo nodded then turned to face their party.
“Elmer has asked me to thank you for returning this artifact which was stolen from his ancestors over a hundred years ago,” Mateo said.
“Legend has told that the map leads to a hidden treasure. It doesn’t.
It is simply a map to his tribe who once lived as humans and are thought to be extinct.
Clearly, they are not. They simply choose to live exclusively as jaguars here in the rainforest. I, along with several other guides, protect the secret of their tribe and ensure that any treasure hunters who show up do not encroach on their land. ”
“There’s no treasure?” Jack asked, aghast.
Mateo shook his head.
“They are the treasure,” Harper whispered. “A civilization thought to have disappeared. If people knew the truth, they would be hunted. Captured, maybe even killed.”
“I’m sure you can understand why it is important that you take this secret to the grave,” Mateo said. “I explained to Elmer that you all have secrets of your own, so you can be trusted to keep theirs.”
“It will never be uttered from my lips,” Toby vowed.
The rest of his team made their own promises, as did Harper. Toby’s mate turned to glare at her brother.
“I just wanna get home and forget this ever happened,” Jack said. “I won’t say anything.”
Toby was adept at sniffing out a lie, but he didn’t detect any in the man’s words.
Harper pressed her head against Toby’s chest, and he rested his chin on the top of her head, relieved more than he could have put into words that he was still able to breathe in her intoxicating scent and feel the warmth of her body in his arms.
After all the agreements had been made, Elmer nodded to their party then took the Cryptex and disappeared back into the forest from where they came. One by one, the jaguars retreated following him until none remained.
Toby smoothed a strand of stray hair back out of Harper’s face and tucked it behind her ear. “Are you ready to get out of here?” he asked her.
She nodded. “More than ready. I’m looking forward to that vacation you promised me.”
Toby grinned at her, relieved his mate didn’t appear too affected by her experience with the wolf shifters. He was in awe of her strength and resilience. She was the perfect mate for him, and he could hardly wait to begin spending the rest of his life proving himself worthy of her.