CougarHeat (7 page)

Taylor found Blaise’s number in his
contacts list and called him. He looked at his reflection in the mirror above
the sink as he waited for his brother to pick up. The cougar’s ruby eyes were
still glowing.

“Pick up, pick up, pick up,” he
said.

On the sixth ring, just before his
cell would have gone to voice mail, Blaise answered. “Hey, Taylor.”

“Where are you?”

“At the bar with Grady and Jase.
Why?”

“Stay there. I really need to talk
to you.”

“Okay. What’s the matter? You
sound…different. Is it because of the argument you had with dad? Caleb said he
walked in on you and dad having a disagreement about something.”

“No, it doesn’t have anything to do
with that. I’ll explain when I get to the bar.”

“All right. We’ll be here waiting
for you.”

Taylor disconnected the call, then
pulled on his clothes. He kept his necklace under his shirt.

He opened the bathroom door and
stepped out to find Aspen just closing the entrance one. She turned and smiled
when she saw him.

“I told her we were too full from
dinner and that we’d have some another time. I also promised her I’d bring you
to the house very soon. She wants to meet you.”

“Good, because we’re going out.”

“We are?”

“Yes. Go get your jacket.”

While Aspen went to do that, Taylor
put on his that he’d taken out of his truck earlier when they’d gone out to
eat. Once she returned, he ushered her outside, down the stairs and to his
pickup.

“Are you going to tell me where
we’re going?” Aspen asked when they were on the road.

“To a bar. I need to talk to my
brother about something and that’s where he is. You’ll also meet two of my
cousins.”

“You couldn’t say it over the
phone?”

“Nope. It’s a serious matter, and I
just remembered about it.” Taylor glanced at Aspen. “Sorry.”

“I don’t mind. I only thought it
was a bit sudden. And thanks for not getting upset about my mom interrupting.
That’s one problem with living above my parents’ garage—she likes to stop by
whenever she wants, which happens to be frequently.”

Taylor smiled. “I understand. I’m
not that close to my dad, but I am with my mom.”

He parked on the street a half
block away from the bar. Once they were out of the pickup, Taylor took Aspen’s
hand in his while they walked. He turned down the short alley and went to the
nondescript-looking door that was the bar’s entrance.

Aspen looked at him. “There’s a bar
in there? Being so hidden away, I would think they wouldn’t get much business.”

“They do. They like to be
discreet.”

Taylor opened the door and guided
Aspen inside. He didn’t get very far before Nikki confronted him. She glared at
Aspen, glanced down at their joined hands, then gave him a hard look.

“Taylor,” Nikki said. “What is
this?”

“Nikki. This is my girlfriend
Aspen. I’m only here to talk to Blaise, then we’ll leave.”

A look of shock crossed Nikki’s
face before it changed to anger. “Girlfriend? How could you take up with a hu—”

Taylor cut Nikki off before she
could get the word “human” out. “Back off, Nikki.”

He brushed past Nikki, taking Aspen
with him. Taylor spotted his brother and cousins at the same back table they’d
sat at his first night back in Anchorage. Once he reached it, he quickly made
the introductions.

“It’s nice meeting all of you,”
Aspen said. She looked at Taylor. “I need to use the ladies’ room since you
didn’t give me a chance to at my place.”

He nodded, then pointed her in the
direction of where the restrooms were. He watched Aspen until she disappeared
into the ladies’ room. He found Blaise, Grady and Jase staring at him.

Blaise spoke first. “What were you
thinking, bringing a human here? I don’t have a problem with it, but that’s not
the case for everyone. And I’m sure Nikki is as pleased as anything,” he said
sarcastically. “Aspen’s scent is all over you and yours all over her.”

Taylor pulled out a chair at the
table and sat. “I think this will excuse me.” He reached under his shirt and
took out his pendant. In the dim lighting of the bar, there was no missing how
the ruby eyes glowed.

Jase leaned forward. “You found
your mate.” Then a shocked expression formed on his face. “Aspen?”

“Yes, Aspen,” Taylor said. “It just
happened. She also told me it’s been warming against her while we sleep
together. Plus, she has an almost overwhelming urge to take it from me and wear
it herself.”

Blaise whistled. “She’s your mate.”

Taylor nodded. “Have any of you
ever heard of a cougar shifter having a human as a mate before?”

The three other men shook their
heads. “I would have to say you’re the first,” Grady said. “And since she got
your pendant glowing, there’s nothing anyone can say about it. No one can
dispute the magic in it.”

That was true. Only a male’s mate
could set off the magic in the pendant. His father was going to blow his lid
when he found out, but Taylor really didn’t give a shit. Aspen was his. He’d
already started to fall in love with her, but hadn’t picked up on what his
feelings for her actually meant until now.

The sound of Aspen shouting his
name in fear had Taylor shoving back his chair and running at no speed a human
could ever achieve toward the restrooms. Blaise, Jase and Grady quickly
followed behind him.

Aspen walked out of one of the
stalls in the ladies’ room and went to the sink to wash her hands. The door
opened and Nikki walked in. Seeing the unpleasant look on the other woman’s
face, Aspen decided it would be best on her part to ignore her.

She finished at the sink and dried
her hands before she turned to head out of the restroom, but found her path
blocked by Nikki. Aspen stepped to the side to go around her only to have Nikki
move with her.

“What do you think you’re doing,
human, being with Taylor? We don’t want your kind around here.”

“Human?” Aspen asked, wondering if
Nikki wasn’t all there.

“Do yourself a favor and stay away
from Taylor. He’s mine. Stay the hell away from him.”

Aspen instantly stood up for
herself. It was obvious Nikki was jealous, but that didn’t give her the right
to try to intimidate her. She gave the other woman a hard look. “Since Taylor
is with me, I have to see he never was yours in the first place. And I won’t be
breaking up with him just because you’re threatening me.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to see how
much Taylor will want you once I get my claws into your face.”

What happened next had Aspen’s
heart jumping into her throat. Nikki’s body shimmered and blurred. An instant
later, a very pissed-off cougar took her place. It snarled and growled as it
bunched its back legs under it as if to spring. As it did, Aspen held her arms
in front of her face and shouted Taylor’s name as loud as she could.

The restroom door slammed open and
Taylor, Blaise, Jase and Grady ran in. Taylor caught the cougar around the
middle before it reached Aspen and threw it into one of the open stalls. The
large cat quickly recovered and shot out like a bullet.

Aspen found herself frozen to the
spot as Taylor’s body blurred and shimmered as Nikki’s had and a larger cougar
stood where he’d been. The male cat blocked the female’s charge, his large paw
coming out and swiping her across the face, but that didn’t stop her from
attempting to get at Aspen again. It took the male grappling her to the floor,
standing over her with his sharp teeth bared above her throat, to have her
backing down.

The female cougar’s form shifted to
human and she was Nikki once more. “I’ll leave your precious human alone for
now, but don’t ever bring her here again.” She gained her feet and stomped out
of the restroom.

The sound of harsh breathing filled
Aspen’s ears. It took her a few seconds to realize it was her making the sound.
Her heart raced as the male cougar’s body blurred and shimmered and Taylor was
himself again. He turned and took a step toward her, but she stopped him by
holding her hands out in front of her.

“Stop,” she said. “How could you…
What are… What the hell just happened here?”

“I can explain everything, but I
don’t think this is the place to do it,” Taylor said.

“Yeah, I’d get her out of here
before Nikki flips her lid again,” Blaise added.

Aspen looked at Taylor’s brother
and his two cousins. “All of you can change into cougars as well?”

Grady answered. “We’re all cougar
shifters.”

“How?”

“We were born this way. Think of us
as a different race who can do things a normal human can’t.”

“Different race?” she asked
sarcastically. “I’d say it’s more than that.”

The sound of voices gathering
outside the ladies’ room had them all turning their heads toward the door.
Taylor quickly took Aspen by the arm. “Time to go, and please don’t fight me. I
would never do anything to hurt you. The people out there, I’m not too sure
about. Nikki and her family own this bar. I’m sure she just told everyone you’re
human.”

Fear still pumping through her,
Aspen figured she would be safer with Taylor and his family than the strangers
outside the door. She allowed him to guide her out to the bar. There was a
group of people there, all looking none too pleased to see her. Blaise, Grady
and Jase closed around her and Taylor, then all together, they left.

They parted company with Taylor’s
brother and cousins once they reached his pickup. After Taylor put her in the
cab, he spoke a few words with the others, then got in the driver’s side.

As they drove toward her apartment,
some of Aspen’s fear subsided. She felt numb, as if it were too much for her
mind to accept. She made no move to touch Taylor, and he didn’t try to touch
her. Neither one of them said anything.

At her apartment, Aspen unlocked
the door. Taylor didn’t give her a chance to keep him out. He crowded behind
her, then closed them inside. Needing some distance between them, she went and
sat on the couch. Taylor didn’t give her much space as he came to stand in
front of her.

“Are you going to give me a chance
to explain?” he asked as he looked down at her.

“I guess.”

He squatted and tried to take her
hands in his, but Aspen pulled away before he touched her. Taylor sighed. “I’m
not going to hurt you so stop being afraid of me.”

“Sorry, but seeing my boyfriend
turn into a cougar does that to me.”

“Look at me, Aspen. Really look at
me. I’m still Taylor. I was a cougar shifter when I first met you. Not once
have I done anything to harm you. You were even safe with me on the long drive
to Anchorage.”

She wrapped her arms around her
middle. “I know. Were you ever going to tell me what you are?”

“Yes. I just hadn’t figured out how
I was going to do it. Then this happened.” He pulled out his cougar head
pendant and angled it toward her.

Aspen saw the ruby eyes still
glowed. “I don’t understand.”

“Every male is given one of these
necklaces once they hit puberty. It’s crafted with magic inside it. When he
finds his mate, she will set off the magic it contains and the eyes will glow.
It’s the female’s choice to take the necklace from the male and put it around
her neck. Only then will the mating bond form between them, joining their
souls.” He met her gaze. “You set mine off. It usually takes a little while
after the couple meets, but if it’s meant to be it will happen.”

“I’m your mate?”

“Yes. And you can decide whether
you’ll accept my necklace or not.”

“Once I do we’ll be mated? For
life?”

“Correct. As far as I know, you’re
the only human to be a mate to a cougar shifter.”

Aspen took a deep breath. This was
a lot to take in. She looked at Taylor and saw the man she had fallen for, but
the cougar side still scared her. “Do I have to make the decision about being
your mate right now?”

“No.”

“Good, because I can’t.”

Taylor stood. “I think it’s best I
go and let you think through everything. I would never pressure you into doing
something this life changing, but I will say I love you. Now I know why my
feelings for you were so strong right off the bat when I have never experienced
it with any woman before you. Take as much time as you need. You have my cell
number.”

Aspen remained on the couch as
Taylor gave her one last look, then walked out of the apartment. A minute
later, she heard his pickup truck pulling away from the house. A part of her
wanted to chase after him and tell him to come back, but she stayed on the
couch. She had a lot of thinking to do.

* * * * *

It was late the next morning when
someone knocked on Aspen’s apartment door. She opened it to find a woman who
looked to be in her thirties standing on the other side.

“Can I help you?”

“If you’re Aspen, you sure can.”

“I am.”

“Good. I’m Mara, Taylor’s mom. Can
I come in?”

It was then that Aspen saw the
similarities in looks. Mara had the same tawny-blonde hair and light-brown eyes
that verged on gold. She also didn’t look anywhere old enough to have a son
Taylor’s age.

Aspen took a step back. “I guess.”

Mara walked through the doorway and
looked around. “This is a great little place. I understand your parents live in
the house.”

“Thanks, and yes, they do.”

“Enough of the pleasantries, I’m
going to get straight to the point of my visit. It’s about you and Taylor. He
told me what happened yesterday. I had to pry it out of him, but he eventually
opened up. I thought I’d come here and see how you were feeling about it all.”

Aspen motioned Mara to follow her
into the living room and they both sat on the couch. “I don’t know what to
think. It’s hard to accept the fact there are cougar shifters in the real
world.”

“I know. I blame that on the fact
it was long ago decided we would keep our kind hidden from humans and
werewolves.”

“Werewolves?” Aspen asked, feeling
her world tilt a little more. How many more mythical creatures were there that
actually existed?

“Yes, they’re real as well. But as
I was saying, we’ve kept what we are a secret. And because of that Taylor was
banished four years ago. He defended his human friend from a werewolf. They
fought in animal form. Taylor ended up killing the werewolf in self-defense.
Since he allowed others besides our kind see what he truly is, my mate, the
head of our family group, decided to uphold the old law and banished him. I
didn’t agree with it. And after hearing who my son has been friends with and
living around while he was away, I think it’s time we loosen the rules. I pried
that out of him too.”

“So you’re okay with a human being
Taylor’s mate?” Aspen had no idea what Mara was referring to about Taylor’s
friends in Juneau.

“Of course. He’s lived too long
among humans. It makes sense. I can’t say everyone in our family group will
feel the same, but there isn’t much they can do about it. You set off the magic
in Taylor’s pendant. Only a mate can do that. There will be no one else for him
but you. I hope you don’t mind me asking. Do you love my son?”

That was the one thing Aspen
could
settle on. She did love Taylor. Finding out he was able to shift into a cougar
hadn’t changed that. “Yes.”

“Then go and tell him. Right now
he’s probably in a fine mess. Once a male’s pendant starts to glow, he’ll find
himself, how should I put this, in a constant state of need for his female
until she takes his necklace from him. He won’t be able to eat or sleep until
that happens.”

Aspen swallowed. “I have to admit
it has been on my mind too.”

Mara laughed. “It’s all part of the
magic. But seriously, if you choose to accept Taylor as your mate, you will
never have to worry about him straying. His love for you will never dim. You’ll
have a best friend and devoted lover all rolled into one.”

The thought of being able to have a
relationship that close with Taylor had Aspen wanting to jump at it, but the
whole cougar thing scared her. “The only thing stopping me is the cougar part.
What happened at the bar scared the crap out of me.”

Mara frowned. “I heard about that
from Blaise, Jase and Grady as well. I never did like that Nikki. Don’t judge
our kind by her. She’d be a bitch even if she wasn’t a cougar shifter.”

Hearing Mara swear, being as
elegantly dressed as she was, had Aspen laughing. “I guess some people are like
that no matter what they are.”

“Exactly.”

“Can you turn into a cougar for me?
Maybe if I see you it will take some of my fear away.”

“Of course. Just remember I’m still
the same person inside the cat. I’ll be able to understand you, but I won’t be
able to respond.”

As Mara stood, Aspen noticed the
cougar head pendant she wore around her neck. It was identical to Taylor’s.
Looking at it made Aspen want Taylor’s even more.

Mara shifted to her cat form and
stood patiently for Aspen to make the first move. Aspen screwed up her courage
and sank to the floor in front of the large cat. She tentatively touched her
head. Mara purred and gently placed her paw on Aspen’s cheek. Looking into the
gold eyes of the cat, she saw the intelligence that lurked behind them. As she continued
to stroke the top of Mara’s feline head, she found her fear disappearing. She
felt as if she was in no danger. Only with Nikki had she felt it.

Aspen gave Mara one last scratch
behind the ear, then sat on the couch once more. “Thank you. I’m not scared
anymore. I know I have nothing to worry about from you.”

Mara took on her human form. “And
you never will. I will say since meeting you, I’d be more than happy to have
you as a daughter.”

For some reason, that made Aspen’s
eyes burn as tears threatened to rise to the surface. She usually wasn’t the
emotional sort. “I think I need to see Taylor.”

“Then I’ll take you to him. This is
his first day back working in the family business, but I doubt he’ll be able to
concentrate enough to get anything done.”

Aspen collected her purse and
jacket, then followed Mara out to the dark-gray luxury sports car that sat
parked in her parents’ driveway. She didn’t say anything until Taylor’s mother
pulled up in front of the tall office building that was owned by the biggest
software company in Anchorage.

“This is your family business?”

Mara nodded. “Yes. Taylor’s office
is on the top floor. I’ll call his secretary and let her know you’re coming up
so she won’t stop you. Now off you go.”

Aspen got out of the car and entered
the building. No one stopped her as she got on the elevator. The ride up to the
top floor had her starting to feel nervous. She wasn’t second-guessing her
decision. She wanted Taylor. His mother had set her fears to rest.

After the elevator doors slid open,
Aspen stepped out into a large reception area. The woman behind the desk waved
her on to the closed double solid-oak doors. Aspen swallowed her case of nerves
and opened them, stepped through, then closed them again.

The first thing she noticed was the
floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides of the office. The other was Taylor,
who paced in front of the one opposite her. He wore a suit and tie. He looked
handsome, but it seemed so out of character for him.