FireStarter

E
VERNIGHT
PUBLISHING ®

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright©
2016 Khloe Wren

 
ISBN: 978-1-77233-943-7

Cover Artist: Jay
Aheer

Editor:
Karyn
White

ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution
of this copyrighted work is illegal.
 
No
part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without
written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters,
and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales,
organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

To everyone who read and loved Jaguar Secrets,
thank you for your support and I hope you enjoy this new installment.

FIRESTARTER

Jaguar Secrets, 2

Khloe
Wren

Copyright
© 2016

Chapte
r
O
ne

Penny

With my heart beating fast,
I sprinted between charred trees that appeared out of the smoke filled air as I
ran. How on earth had I thought this was a good idea? I could hear the heavy
thuds of a man's boots behind me, and I forced my legs to pump faster.

Ten months ago I'd lost
everything. While I'd been driving down to
Ceduna
for
a job interview, some moron had set a fire in my hometown. It had been over
forty degrees Celsiu
s
that summer day, and there'd been no controlling
the flames once they got going. My small hometown of Red Gum Springs had been
obliterated.

Not one house was left
standing.

Including the place I’d
shared with my parents.

They'd made a run for it,
of course, but they'd left it too late and had gotten caught in the thick
smoke. Firefighters found their burned out car smashed around a tree.

With both my mum and dad
inside.

Blinking back tears from
both the smoke and my emotions, I focused back on my current situation. I'd
been tracking a
firestarter
on my own. The police
weren't doing enough. Every fire this guy was responsible for, the authorities
could never work out how it had been started. They often found where, but never
how. That meant someone was either collecting the remaining evidence soon after
the fire passed through or they were using something that burned away without
leaving a trace. I'd been close enough to this one that when I heard the call
over my police scanner I came up behind the fire to see if I could find the
ignition point and, I hoped, some evidence to nail this bastard.

But I hadn't been fast
enough. Or perhaps, I’d been too fast. Because all I’d managed to do was to
disturb the damn
firestarter
. I licked my dry lips
and dodged around another tree. When I first spotted him, crouched over what
must be the ignition site, I'd recognized his face immediately. When a flash of
awareness ran through me, I stupidly gasped. Of course he’d heard the sound and
come after me. Now I was trying to outrun one of the area's best football
players, and one of my two high school crushes. Clayton Hunter.

I cursed under my breath
when the smoke around me got heavier. I’d unintentionally run toward the
flames. Not the smartest move. I turned a sharp right and headed that way. I
hoped it meant I was now running parallel to the fire front. I'd studied up on
fire behavior since that horrific day. I knew if I stuck to what had already
burned I was as safe as I could be. At least from the fire anyway.

Between the crackling of
the nearby fire and the wind in my ears I couldn't hear anything else. I risked
a glance over my shoulder to see if Clayton was closing in and screamed. I
barely managed to stay upright as I stumbled over something on the ground, but
I didn’t care. All my attention was focused on the fact a huge black jaguar was
right behind me and there was no sign of Clayton.

Sucking down a lungful of
smoky air, I put on a burst of speed, using all my remaining energy to get away
from the wild cat. I didn’t get far before the animal’s solid body slammed
against mine, his large paws on my upper back pushing me against a thick
blackened tree trunk. I cried out when the heat of the recently burned wood
seared my palms.

A low growl filled the air,
and the heavy weight pinning me lifted. I moved away from the tree and shook out
my stinging hands. Gulping a breath, I turned to face the animal. Fear had my
skin prickling as I ran my gaze over the sleek creature that paced around me.

The air began to shimmer
around the thing, and suddenly the cat was gone and Clayton stood in its place,
fully clothed.

“
What the fuck?”

Shocked into complete
stillness, I didn’t move as Clayton stepped up to me. Had I been knocked out
and this was a dream? Maybe I was hallucinating after inhaling so much smoke.
My inner monolog was cut off when I found myself slung over his shoulder.
Winded, I lay there for a moment trying to catch my breath and get my brain to
function after determining I was definitely awake, and this was really
happening. A man I’d crushed on for years was trying to kidnap me.

Ignoring the pain in my
palms I thumped his back with clenched fists while I tried to kick at him with
my feet. I didn’t care who, or what, he was. I wasn’t going to let him take me
without a fight.

"Let me go!"

I made as much noise as I
could, hoping a firefighter was close enough to hear me. Although it was
doubtful with the roar of the fire that anyone would. He stopped short, and I
glared up at him when I landed on my ass after he tossed me down roughly.

"Shut the hell up
before you force me to do something I don't want to."

Ignoring his words, and the
fact that he could apparently turn into a jaguar, I twisted over to run again,
but when I pressed my palms on the ground pain shot up my arms. My elbows gave
out and my eyes blurred. Panting, I sat back and shook out my hands again. Damn
burns. The pain cleared my mind of everything but that. I wiped my eyes against
my shoulders to dry them, so I could inspect my burned flesh. They didn't look
too bad. I wouldn't need hospitalization, but they could certainly use some
cool water and burn cream.

Clayton’s low growl had me
refocusing on the larger threat to my safety. Him. "What are you going to
do with me?"

His shirt pulled tight
across his wide shoulders as he rested his clenched fists against his hips. The
sight distracted my hormones for a moment, but I closed my eyes and took a deep
breath. I needed to focus. I'd never considered this man to be physically
dangerous, but then again, I'd also never considered he'd light bloody fires
for the heck of it. And I definitely never thought he’d be able to turn into an
animal.

"I have no fucking
clue, Penny. Heaven knows Marshall will have my balls if I hurt you, not that I
ever would, but I can't leave you wandering around here for someone else to get
their hands on you either. So, it looks like you're coming with me for the time
being."

Fear had the hairs on my
arms tingling. I swallowed past the lump in my throat while I carefully curled
the fingers on both hands into loose fists that didn’t put pressure directly on
my burns. I had to get away. I couldn’t let him take me captive.

As fast as I could, I
twisted and pushed myself up using my knuckles against the ground. Gritting my
teeth against the flare of pain, I took off again. I made it a whole five steps
before a strong arm wrapped around my waist and hauled me back against a hard
male body. The wave of arousal was sudden and intense, and left me breathless
and struggling.

"Dammit, Penny. You've
forced me to do this."

"Do what? I'm not
making you to do anything! Let me go!"

He gripped my chin and
turned my face so I looked into his blue irises. I frowned as his pupils
dilated and opened my mouth to scream when a sensation like I was falling swept
over me. Before any sound made it from my lips my eyelids slid closed and my
brain shut down.

****

Clayton

I hissed out a breath as
another wave of arousal slammed through my body when I caught Penny’s dead
weight in my arms. The moment I’d pulled her against me earlier, my dick went
rock hard and hadn’t gone down since. Now with her pressed against my chest, my
erection pulsed with need.

I hated that I was forced
to knock her out, but as my destined mate, she was immune to my memory
alteration so I really didn’t have a choice. Time was ticking by, and I had to
get her far away from here as soon as possible. Last thing I needed was for the
one I was hunting to find her, especially in my arms.

I glanced around quickly,
scanning for the one I’d come here for. With so much smoke in the air, I hadn’t
caught any unfamiliar scents yet. Then, as if he’d been waiting for me, a man
covered from head to foot in black stepped free from a burned-out tree. My skin
prickled when he focused on me before he tilted his face down a fraction. The
balaclava he wore had cut outs for his eyes and mouth, and with my enhanced
shifter vision I clearly saw his lips twist in a cruel smile as he ran his gaze
over Penny.

“
So pretty, and in so much
trouble. Just the way you like them, huh? Lucky hunter.”

I took a deep breath,
drawing his scent in deep and let it out with a growl. I stepped forward,
wanting to kill the bastard for his taunting words. Then reality pushed in on
my instincts, and I forced myself to stay still. Keeping Penny safe in this
moment was more important than chasing down the
firestarter
.
I was the one who’d knocked her out and made her vulnerable, so it was my
responsibility to keep her safe until she could care for herself. And I knew
deep down that the
firestarter
was testing me to see
if I’d abandon her to give chase. He no doubt planned to double back and take
Penny himself if I did.

My jaw ached from my
clenching it by the time the
firestarter
had gone
from my sight. But I waited until I was sure he’d left the area before I turned
and began walking toward my car. Penny’s scent teased my senses, and my jag was
on edge with wanting her. How the hell was I going to tell Marshall? I’d vowed
to our Alpha that I would not share certain secrets, but now the
firestarter
had seen me with Penny, he’d come after her
even more than he already was. Why did she have to start chasing
firestarters
? She’d unwittingly put a massive target on
herself. Which I’d just made so much worse. Being seen with a hunter was not
going to help her situation.

Opening the rear door, I
laid her gently on the back seat before I went around and got in myself. It
didn’t take long to get back to my house and being careful that no one saw me,
or followed us, I carried Penny to the guest room upstairs. Unable to resist, I
caressed the softness of her cheek after I laid her down on the bed. So soft.
And so much more than I deserve.

Clenching my teeth I forced
my body to move away from her and headed down to the garage where I had various
bits and pieces. I needed to find a way to lock the door before she came
around. For her own safety, she needed to stay hidden until I could deal with
this
firestarter
.

As I drilled in the last
screw of the new lock I heard her beginning to stir. Laying my tools side, I
entered the room.

“
Hey, Penny. How are you
feeling?”

She was sitting up in the
bed and rubbing her eyes, like she wasn’t quite awake yet. Slowly she lowered
her hands and glared at me. Oh, she was wide awake now.

“
You! How dare you take me
against my
will!
”

I snagged her as she
attempted to brush past me and leave the room.

“
You need to stay here,
Penny. For your own protection. You’ve got no fucking idea what you’ve start—”

She actually had the gall
to cut me off. A man she knew could shift form to a jaguar. Was she insane?
Born without self preservation skills?

“
I didn’t start anything! I
was attempting to finish it. Of course, I didn’t realize I was chasing a
mythical creature with pyromaniac tendencies.”

I stilled. “Wait. You think
I’m
the
firestarter
?”

She rolled those pretty
hazel eyes of hers and broke away from my hold on her.

“
Don’t you dare try to deny
it.
I know what I saw.”

I rolled my shoulder and
huffed out a breath. Should I try to convince her? How could I without
divulging secrets I wasn’t allowed to share? With a sigh, I headed back to the
door.

“
I’ll bring you some dinner
in a bit.”

“
You’d better be buying
something in for me. And I want it in the sealed packet it comes in.”

What? Like I’d drug her?
Unable to think of a response that didn’t include either cursing at her or
physically shaking her, I mutely left her in the room. Locking the door before
I headed back to my car. I needed to hook up the trailer and go get Penny’s
car. Apparently, I also had some shopping to do.