her
extrasensory abilities she could hear the cal er speaking.
The conversation between Owen and a male voice she
didn’t recognize was brief. Once he snapped the phone
shut she knew they were leaving.
A black jaguar had been spotted on wolf land ten miles
from their current location about an hour ago. The young
wolf cub who had seen the other shifter had luckily
remained hidden. As soon as she’d been able to, she’d
raced back to the pack to relay the information.
Since Gabriela was the only black jaguar in her family
and she certainly hadn’t been out roaming around, it was a
good chance this might be the shifter behind the attacks.
Unfortunately it meant she and Owen had to head back to
the real world. “So what happens now?”
Owen paused for a moment, then gave a brief nod
almost as if he’d decided something. “If this jaguar has
gone to the trees there’s a good possibility that he wil be
harder to track. He was last seen by the abandoned mine
about…”
She stripped off her shirt and he trailed off. “I heard
where and I’l track him. This bastard has made my family
targets of your pack. We’re just lucky you were with me last
night or they might have thought that was me out there.” At
least the pack member who had cal ed Owen hadn’t said
anything about another attack. Just a sighting.
As she began to shimmy out of her jeans, Owen said, “I’l
be with you but if you have to head to the trees, I’l stil be
tracking you. If you find this jaguar, do not confront it. Wait
for me.” At her raised eyebrows, he added, “Please.”
“It’s this guy’s fault that my mother is afraid and hasn’t
been able to properly hunt for weeks.” Neither had the rest
of her family but her mother internalized stuff and this had
been eating away at her. Gabriela only wished she’d
shared this concern during any of their last dozen phone
conversations. She’d have been home a lot sooner.
“Gabriela.” There was a warning note in Owen’s voice.
“You either want my help or you don’t, but you might want
to cal your pack and let them know I’l be out there tracking
and not to go after the black female jag.”
He immediately flipped open his phone. When he did,
she shifted forms effortlessly and took off. She knew it
would annoy him and inwardly cringed when she heard
curses behind her, but she didn’t pause. If she was going to
track this guy, she had a lot of ground to cover.
In her jaguar form she was incredibly powerful but she
wasn’t built for long distances. She could be very fast when
she wanted but it was always in short bursts of speed. She
wasn’t sure how long it took her to get to the abandoned
mine but by the time she did, she could feel the strain in her
legs. Adrenaline stil punched through her as she slowed
and began circling the old mine shaft. Careful of any places
that might cave in, she inhaled the various scents.
Long ago she’d learned to decipher them. It was just part
of her animal instinct, like breathing, and something she
could never explain to a human. It was also one of the
reasons she’d been chosen to work down in South and
Central America. As a jaguar she was able to blend into the
jungle and get close to many of the drug operations and
homes owned by drug lords. She’d been like an invisible
agent.
Pul ing in a deep breath, she narrowed in on the
distinctive feline scent lingering in the air. There were a few
deer, an elk and other smal er forest creatures that had
passed through the area recently, but the feline scent was
the easiest to discern.
Turning north and in the opposite direction of where
Owen’s pack made their home, she kept a steady pace.
Wanting to retain some of her energy, she kept to a lope
this time. The farther north she ran, the stronger the scent
grew.
Owen had to be pretty close behind her by now. She’d
tapped into energy reserves during her first sprint and knew
she’d
extrasensory abilities she could hear the cal er speaking.
The conversation between Owen and a male voice she
didn’t recognize was brief. Once he snapped the phone
shut she knew they were leaving.
A black jaguar had been spotted on wolf land ten miles
from their current location about an hour ago. The young
wolf cub who had seen the other shifter had luckily
remained hidden. As soon as she’d been able to, she’d
raced back to the pack to relay the information.
Since Gabriela was the only black jaguar in her family
and she certainly hadn’t been out roaming around, it was a
good chance this might be the shifter behind the attacks.
Unfortunately it meant she and Owen had to head back to
the real world. “So what happens now?”
Owen paused for a moment, then gave a brief nod
almost as if he’d decided something. “If this jaguar has
gone to the trees there’s a good possibility that he wil be
harder to track. He was last seen by the abandoned mine
about…”
She stripped off her shirt and he trailed off. “I heard
where and I’l track him. This bastard has made my family
targets of your pack. We’re just lucky you were with me last
night or they might have thought that was me out there.” At
least the pack member who had cal ed Owen hadn’t said
anything about another attack. Just a sighting.
As she began to shimmy out of her jeans, Owen said, “I’l
be with you but if you have to head to the trees, I’l stil be
tracking you. If you find this jaguar, do not confront it. Wait
for me.” At her raised eyebrows, he added, “Please.”
“It’s this guy’s fault that my mother is afraid and hasn’t
been able to properly hunt for weeks.” Neither had the rest
of her family but her mother internalized stuff and this had
been eating away at her. Gabriela only wished she’d
shared this concern during any of their last dozen phone
conversations. She’d have been home a lot sooner.
“Gabriela.” There was a warning note in Owen’s voice.
“You either want my help or you don’t, but you might want
to cal your pack and let them know I’l be out there tracking
and not to go after the black female jag.”
He immediately flipped open his phone. When he did,
she shifted forms effortlessly and took off. She knew it
would annoy him and inwardly cringed when she heard
curses behind her, but she didn’t pause. If she was going to
track this guy, she had a lot of ground to cover.
In her jaguar form she was incredibly powerful but she
wasn’t built for long distances. She could be very fast when
she wanted but it was always in short bursts of speed. She
wasn’t sure how long it took her to get to the abandoned
mine but by the time she did, she could feel the strain in her
legs. Adrenaline stil punched through her as she slowed
and began circling the old mine shaft. Careful of any places
that might cave in, she inhaled the various scents.
Long ago she’d learned to decipher them. It was just part
of her animal instinct, like breathing, and something she
could never explain to a human. It was also one of the
reasons she’d been chosen to work down in South and
Central America. As a jaguar she was able to blend into the
jungle and get close to many of the drug operations and
homes owned by drug lords. She’d been like an invisible
agent.
Pul ing in a deep breath, she narrowed in on the
distinctive feline scent lingering in the air. There were a few
deer, an elk and other smal er forest creatures that had
passed through the area recently, but the feline scent was
the easiest to discern.
Turning north and in the opposite direction of where
Owen’s pack made their home, she kept a steady pace.
Wanting to retain some of her energy, she kept to a lope
this time. The farther north she ran, the stronger the scent
grew.
Owen had to be pretty close behind her by now. She’d
tapped into energy reserves during her first sprint and knew
she’d
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