Read Online Tempted by the Jaguar #1: Transformation (Riverford Shifters) by Cristina Rayne - Free Book Online

he
pulled her off to the side.
    “Ugh…how can you stand it?” she muttered, closing her eyes for a moment.
“It’s like walking into a perfume store after a tornado in here. Is it because
there are a lot of shifters here? The smells weren’t nearly as in-your-face
earlier when I was in the restaurant with my dad!”
    “Your body must still be adjusting,” he soothed. “Everything should
balance out within a few days. Until then, when you’re around a lot of people,
try breathing shallowly.”
    Kylie nodded. It was a testament to how overwhelmed she was feeling
that she didn’t even try to pull her hand away when he took it. It was even a
bit steadying.
    They took the elevator up to the top floor. The doors opened up to a
large reception room that was surprisingly empty except for the lone
receptionist at her desk in the center of the room. Her expression was openly
surprised.
    “Mr. Rivera, we weren’t expecting you and your guest for at least
another couple of hours,” she said, glancing at Kylie curiously.
    Kylie mentally snorted. “Guest” my ass!
    “We can leave and come back if the elders aren’t ready for us,” Hunter
offered.
    “No, no,” the receptionist said quickly. “If you both will just have a
seat, I’ll inform them that you’re here. It shouldn’t be long.”
    “I should’ve asked earlier, but how many elders are there in the jaguar
clan? Or is it the same amount in all the clans?” Kylie questioned as they sat
down.
    “Every clan is different,” Hunter replied, “and while only the members
of each clan truly know how many elders govern them—and sometimes even they aren’t completely sure of the whos and how manys—the jaguars currently have
ten. I hesitate to call him the head honcho, but Donald Gaither is the elders’—voice,
I suppose is a good way of putting it. Step out of line or if there’s anything
important to report, then it’ll be him you’ll likely be talking to.”
    “He’s rumored to be cold and unfriendly.”
    Hunter smirked. “Tell him that and you’ll make his day. If he were a
wolf shifter, then saying his bark was worse than his bite would’ve been the
perfect description of his personality. He’s just really aloof, and that’s
saying something when talking about jaguar shifters. Socialization isn’t very
high on our list of pastimes. With the exception of our mates and children,
it’s just our nature to walk alone.”
    “I love to hang out with my friends. Now that my jaguar half has
been—activated, will being around a lot of people start to irritate me?” Kylie
asked worriedly.
    “I don’t know about irritate, but you might start to feel
uncomfortable. Surround a cat with potential enemies, and the first thing he’ll
want to do is find an escape route. Or a door in a shifter’s case. That being
said, it’s just an instinctual feeling and is not so strong that you can’t
easily ignore it. Like all the new things you’ve smelled today, it just takes
some getting used to.”
    The receptionist returned, and Hunter instantly rose to his feet,
leaving Kylie to scramble after him. “They’re in the largest boardroom.”
    “Good. That means we can sit,” Hunter said, smiling at Kylie. “Follow
me.”
    He led her through a set of double doors to the left of the reception
desk into a narrow hall lined with what were probably individual offices. They
walked to the end, and Hunter knocked soundly on the door once before he opened
it without waiting for a response.
    Kylie swallowed against the knot of anxiety that had suddenly formed in
her throat and reluctantly followed Hunter into the room. Her eyes immediately
did a sweep of the room, noting that there were six women and five men seated
all along a long table of cherry oak, before her eyes fell on the somewhat
familiar graying man that was seated at the far end. She had seen him a few
times at some of the fundraisers she had accompanied Paul to over the years.
    “You’ve caused quite