“Well, we’re like that.”
I blinked up at him. My mind wanted to supply the answer, but I just could not fathom that it matched up to what they were trying to tell me.
“Oh, for shit’s sake, Alex, you’re no good at this.”
“Watch your mouth, Jordan. There’s a baby listening.” Alex admonished.
Jordan smiled and rubbed my belly. “Sorry, I’ll work on it. Anyway, what Alex here is so badly trying to tell you is that we’re shifters. Meaning, we can turn into an animal. In our case, we change into jaguars.”
I stiffened at his words. “Are you trying to tell me that you’re werewolves?” I asked skeptically.
“No, I just told you. We change into jaguars.”
I thought about it a moment, and I just could not grasp such a notion. Shifters? Such beings were imaginary. I was confident that I would have noticed supernatural creatures at some point in my life before then. No, they were definitely pulling my leg. My smile was big as I laughed at the joke.
“Good one guys. You had me going there for a minute. Thanks for loosening me up, but you can go ahead with the truth. I promise I won’t freak out on you.”
I pushed at Alex’s shoulder playfully. He was so stiff, not a muscle in his body budged. My laughter began to fade, as I stared up at him.
When I found no hint of a smile, I closed my eyes in dismay. How could I have fallen in love with not just one, but two insane men? They had to be insane. Shifters? I would be crazy to believe in such things.
“We are not joking, Sam.” Jordan whispered into my ear, and even knowing he was mentally unstable couldn’t keep the shiver from running down my spine.
I had to be careful with my wording. I didn’t want to upset them. You never knew how the mentally unbalanced would react, and they clearly believed what they were saying.
I opened my eyes to see Alex watching me carefully. “Um, okay…” I began, not knowing exactly what I should say. Should I pretend to believe them? But then what? Run?
“You don’t believe us.” Alex narrowed his eyes.
“Well, I—”
“Show her,” Jordan directed, and Alex slid away from me.
I shivered, as cool air danced across my bare skin. Jordan pulled the sheets over us, then drew me firmly back into his arms.
I watched, anxiously as Alex stood beside the bed. I couldn’t help but notice how divine he looked naked. He faced away from us, showing me broad shoulders that smoothed into a muscular back and tapered waist. His skin was smooth and tan, his ass was firm. I sighed in appreciation of the view. Even with my nerves tumbling around in my belly, I still wanted to grab hold of him.
The twitching muscles in his back captured my attention. All thoughts of sexy bodies vanished, as Alex began to jerk slightly, as if he was having a small seizure. I wanted to go to him, help him, but Jordan pulled me back.
Alex bent over and turned his head towards me. I gasped in horror. Glowing yellow orbs stared back at me. All traces of the nutty brown I was used to were gone.
“Hold her.” His voice was deep, growling… Inhuman.
I jerked back, ready to run. Jordan held me tight, whispering soothing words in my ear.
“It’s alright, Sam. Just watch. He’s not going to hurt you. Neither of us could ever hurt you.”
I swallowed hard, my eyes wide as I watched Alex’s skin stretch and move. His nose flattened and his jaw lengthened until it became more animal like. If I wasn’t so scared, I would have been fascinated by the way a wave of black fur spread across his skin. Whiskers even sprouted from his cheeks.
It felt like hours later, yet was probably only minutes, and his new body had stopped twitching. Alex was gone and in his place was a very large black cat.
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
Panic surged and I jumped back on the bed as best as I could. Jordan’s arms held me like a vise, but he did help me to sit up. The cat swayed closer, his long tail swishing as he walked. I tried twisting away from my captor, but Jordan just wouldn’t let go.
A scream ripped from my throat, when the animal leaped onto the bed. It dipped with the cat’s massive weight. My arms wrapped around my stomach, instinctively protecting the child within. My feet scrambled for leverage to pull away. I couldn’t catch my breath, my heart pounded in my ears, and I began to see black spots dance before my eyes.
“Shh, Sam. Shh, calm down, baby. You have to calm down.”
Jordan was trying to soothe me, but all I could do was stare at the massive cat coming closer.
“Sam,” Jordan said sharply. I jumped and looked up at him with wide eyes. “You have to take a deep breath. This isn’t good for the baby.”