Chosen Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #2)
Read Chosen Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #2) Online
Authors: J.H. Croix
Chosen Mate
Catamount Lion Shifters, Book 2
By J. H. Croix
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 J.H. Croix
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 1530006422
ISBN 13: 9781530006427
This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher with the exception of brief quotations included in critical articles and reviews.
Dedication
To my favorite girls.
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Centuries ago in the northern Appalachian Mountains, mountain lions fled deeper and deeper into the mountains, seeking safety from the rapid encroachment of humanity into their vast territory. Mountain lions developed the power to shift from human to mountain lion and back again, saving their species as they hid in plain sight. The majestic wild cats became creatures of myth. Reported sightings were treated as wildly speculative rumors. Impossible. Until one evening on a busy highway, a car struck an animal in the dark. The first confirmed sighting of a mountain lion in the East in close to seventy-five years. The wild cat was dead, its unbelievable existence snuffed out by a car. This mountain lion wasn’t just any mountain lion. Though its autopsy would only reveal it was, in fact, a mountain lion and that the lion had improbably traveled over 1,500 miles from South Dakota, the longest known journey for such a creature. In Catamount, Maine, shifters lived amongst the world, having successfully protected their very existence for centuries. Until one of their own died an improbable death, and they learned of a threat facing their kind.
Chapter 1
Jake North woke with a jump when the door to his office opened. “Huh?” he said groggily.
“Seriously, Jake? Did you sleep here last night?”
Jake rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair, looking up to find Phoebe Devine standing beside his desk.
“I guess so,” he said. He sat up straighter and rolled his neck from one side to the other, a weak effort at easing the tension from sleeping in his desk chair. Glancing at his computer, he saw it was still on. Multiple screens were loaded with the searches he’d been working on last night.
Phoebe smiled softly and handed him a cup of coffee in the distinctive bright blue takeout cups from Roxanne’s Country Store. He gratefully took it, immediately taking a swallow, the rich flavor welcome.
“Thank you,” he said. “To what do I owe this morning gift?”
Phoebe plopped down in the chair on the opposite side of his desk. “I thought I’d check in since your car is covered in about a foot of snow. I figured you’d stayed late and fallen asleep.” She paused, her dark brown eyes concerned. “You’ve been working so hard on this investigation since Callen died. I know how important it is, but I’m worried about you. It wouldn’t hurt to take a break every so often,” she said softly.
Jake took another sip of coffee and looked across his desk at Phoebe. She was a good friend. One of the few friends he could trust in the aftermath of the bombshell that had dropped in Catamount, Maine, a community along the vein of Maine forest through which the Appalachian Trail traversed. Just over a month ago, a mountain lion had been killed on a highway in Connecticut. Turned out, the mountain lion in question was a shifter from Catamount – Callen, a shifter from an old family of shifters. Jake’s family was as old and storied as Callen’s. Both were founding families of Catamount, one of the oldest and most well-protected shifter strongholds in the East.
As if Callen’s death weren’t devastating enough, Jake had started sleuthing in Callen’s email accounts at the request of Callen’s brother-in-law, Dane, who also happened to be Jake’s closest friend. Jake’s expertise was computers, specifically writing code and hacking. Most of his hacking was above-board, but when needed, he could chase down almost anything. In this case, he wasn’t so sure if that was a good thing or not. Though he still didn’t know why Callen died on that highway, he knew Callen had been coordinating for Catamount shifters to be used for drug smuggling activities by someone out West. That nugget of knowledge had exploded into public view after Dane’s new fiancée, Chloe, had been kidnapped to use as leverage last week. Chloe was safe and sound now, but no one knew who to trust because it was clear Callen hadn’t been working alone.
While the shifter community had been reeling from Callen’s death, they now had to grapple with an overwhelming sense of betrayal and fear. In the secretive world of shifters, trust was hard enough to come by. With shifter safety and existence at stake, Jake had been working relentlessly the last few weeks. Centuries of protection were at risk due to Callen’s betrayal. Jake looked at Phoebe, taking in her dark eyes and long dark curls. Concern shone in her expression. He sighed. “I know, I know. I should take a break, but we have to get to the bottom of this. After what happened to Chloe…”
“Stop it,” Phoebe ordered, cutting him off. “We all know Catamount shifters are in danger right now, but a few hours of sleep isn’t going to change that. Plus, you’re not much good to anyone if you can hardly keep your eyes open.”
Jake grinned. “True. Well since I missed a good night’s sleep last night, will you take my word for it that I promise I’ll leave the office tonight by seven and go home?”
Phoebe shook her head. “Nope. I’ll meet you here and make sure you leave. You’re having dinner at my place tonight. After you have a decent meal, then I’ll make sure you go home.”
He chuckled. “You don’t even trust me to go home afterwards?”
Phoebe smiled broadly. “Definitely not. I know you. You’ll talk yourself into driving back to the office because you’ll feel better after a decent meal. You need sleep, and I’ve decided to make sure you’re going to get it. That’s what friends are for,” she said firmly.
Relief and appreciation washed through him. He’d been pushing himself so hard, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a decent meal. He’d even skipped Thanksgiving dinner yesterday because he’d been deep in the files of one of Callen’s contacts out in Montana.
“Is Shana still staying with you?” he asked.
Shana was Dane’s younger sister, Callen’s widow, and Phoebe’s best friend. She was completely devastated to learn about what Callen had been planning. Shana was a shifter as well, also from a founding family in Catamount. She was struggling to adjust to the knowledge that the man she loved had put the entire shifter community in Catamount at risk by revealing who, what, and where they were. Even worse, he’d planned to make money off of them. Shana had been staying with Phoebe since they discovered what happened to Callen.
Phoebe shook her head. “She said she felt like she had to face what happened. She moved into the old guesthouse on Dane’s property. She’s been over almost every day, but she’s not staying with me anymore.”
Jake nodded. After another swallow of coffee, he stood and stretched. “How about I take you to breakfast?”
“Only if you promise to meet me for dinner tonight and go home afterwards.”
Jake couldn’t help but smile. Phoebe was nothing if not protective of her friends. “I promise,” he said firmly.
***
Phoebe absently ran her finger around the rim of her wineglass. “Well do you think the Fish & Wildlife guy in Montana is bad news or not?”
Jake arched a brow. “The problem is my gut tells me he’s a good guy, but the computer trail isn’t pretty. He was a main point of contact for Callen out there.”
“So why do you think he’s a good guy?”
Jake shrugged. “No good reason.” He couldn’t put his finger on it, but the man in question seemed to have discouraged Callen from something he was planning. The details were vague, but Jake just didn’t get the sense the guy was in cahoots with Callen.
Phoebe pursed her lips. “Well, you can’t trust him then.”
Jake chuckled. “The list of people I trust is very short right now. I won’t be adding anyone without extensive checking first. Aside from you, my parents, my sister, Dane, Shana, and Roxanne are about the only people on it.”
Phoebe sighed and brushed her hair out of her face. True to his word, Jake had met her at his office and come to her place for dinner. He hadn’t put up an argument when she insisted he ride with her. She looked across the table at him, and her heart clenched with worry. Jake was one of her best friends. She’d had a terrible crush on him in high school, what with his golden brown hair, bright blue eyes, sculpted face, and a hard body to die for. Phoebe hadn’t dared let herself think he could ever be anything other than a friend. She wasn’t a shifter, and Jake came from one of the oldest shifter families in town. Phoebe had cousins who were shifters, which is how her parents ended up Catamount, but she wasn’t. So she’d taken her high school crush and tucked it away in a corner while Jake had become one of her closest friends.
In the shadowed light from the candles and the light over the stove, the feline cast to his features was more pronounced. His deep blue eyes tilted at the corners, his sensual mouth quirked when she stood to pick up their plates.
“I can get those,” he said, starting to get up.
She put a hand on his shoulder. “Sit.”
He chuckled. “It won’t kill me to carry my plate to the dishwasher.”
Phoebe opened the dishwasher and quickly put the dishes inside. When she turned back around, she found Jake right behind her. “Oh! I didn’t hear you.” She tried to check her pulse, but it raced ahead. He was too close for comfort.
His mouth quirked as he held up her wineglass. She took it from him. “I wasn’t done yet.”
He didn’t reply and leaned against the counter. He was physically commanding in the small kitchen. He eyed her. “I kept my promise.”
She wasn’t sure what was happening with her, but Jake like this was crossing her signals and making her body run wild. After years and years of training herself to remember he could never be anything but a friend and keeping her body under strict control around him, it was as if she’d forgotten the hopelessness of letting herself want him. And oh, did she ever want him. Right now, in the dim, shadowy kitchen, heat coiled inside her belly and suffused her body. The claws of desire pricked her skin. Her heart beat wildly, her face flushed.
She looked up at Jake, praying her expression was composed. “You did. But you’re not done yet.”
His blue eyes held hers. If she hadn’t known better, she’d have thought she saw desire darken them. But that was impossible, so she didn’t even entertain the thought.
“I’m not?”
She shook her head, desperately trying to keep her wits while her pulse pounded and her body felt as if it were being pulled to him by a magnetic force. “You have to go home and sleep. No working tonight. That was the promise.” She was breathless and barely managed to keep her voice level.
You have got to stop this. Jake is off limits. You’ve had it under control. Don’t lose it now.
Phoebe felt frantic inside. She needed to get her wits about her. Jake pushed away from the counter and took one stride, which brought him just in front of her. The heat of his body tugged at hers. She tried to calm her heart rate, but her body ignored her mind.
You’re freaking out because of this awful mess. You’re just scared. That’s what it is. After what happened to Chloe, you’re scared for everyone in town, especially shifters. Jake could have been hurt when he helped Dane rescue Chloe. That’s all this is. Your emotions are running wild.
Upon the heels of this reasoning, Phoebe made the stupid assumption that the heat would stop swirling inside of her, her pulse would slow down, and she’d be able to look at Jake without melting. When she looked up into his dark blue eyes, molten heat built inside. The desire she’d somehow kept in check for years ran rampant through her body. Her heart pounded so hard, she feared he’d hear it.