Read A Very Jaguar Christmas Online
Authors: Terry Spear
A Very Jaguar Christmas
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Also by Terry Spear
Heart of the Wolf
Heart of the Wolf
To Tempt the Wolf
Legend of the White Wolf
Seduced by the Wolf
Silver Town Wolf
Destiny of the Wolf
Wolf Fever
Dreaming of the Wolf
Silence of the Wolf
A Silver Wolf Christmas
Alpha Wolf Need Not Apply
Highland Wolf
Heart of the Highland Wolf
A Howl for a Highlander
A Highland Werewolf Wedding
Hero of a Highland Wolf
A Highland Wolf Christmas
SEAL Wolf
A SEAL in Wolf's Clothing
A SEAL Wolf Christmas
SEAL Wolf Hunting
SEAL Wolf in Too Deep
Heart of the Jaguar
Savage Hunger
Jaguar Fever
Jaguar Hunt
Jaguar Pride
Copyright © 2016 by Terry Spear
Cover and internal design © 2016 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover art by Craig White
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The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
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I've written over sixty novels, and yet, sometimes I get so stuck on a story that I wonder why my muse has abandoned me. Thanks to Donna Fournier for pulling me out of the dark abyss this time! What did I need? Snow for Christmas! And the perfect place for snow is Minnesota!
Costa Rican rain forest
Everett Anderson couldn't get a break during this mission, no matter how hard he and his fellow JAG agent tried. He and Matt Bruskrud were pinned down yet again while attempting to reach five-year-old Lacy Heartwood, one of the girls who regularly stayed at Everett's mother's day care. Before the Christmas holidays, Lacy had been stolen from her parents' cabana in a rain forest resort in Costa Rica.
Since Everett and Matt were already nearby in Costa Rica after completing another JAG mission, they got the emergency call from headquarters. They'd quickly located Lacy's father, Ted, who'd pursued the kidnappers, and sent him back to the resort to protect his wife and other children. Because Everett and Matt knew the family,
this
was personal.
The smallest of the triplets, Lacy had been carried ten miles into the rain forest. Since she was a jaguar shifter like they were, they'd given strict orders to her distraught mother not to shift, or Lacy would too while she was with the kidnappers.
“Can you see them?” Matt whispered as they finally caught up to the kidnappers and crouched behind ferns and a fallen tree.
“Twelve o'clock. Three of them. I'm going to the right.”
“As a jaguar?”
“Yeah. They won't see me and won't be expecting it.”
“I've got your back.”
Of the two men, Everett was the faster runner, both as a human and as a jaguar, and Matt was the better shot, so they always worked missions like this.
“If anything happens to me, take care of Demetria for me, will you?” Matt said.
“If I don't make it out in one piece, tell my family I love them,” Everett said, then stripped.
They said the same farewell message before every high-risk operation. It was as much a good luck charm as anything. Everett stripped and called on the ability to shift, his body warming throughout, and then he was standing on all four paws, claws retracted until he needed them. He circled around the kidnappers like a jaguar on a hunt, silent in the noisy rain forest. The birds and monkeys warned each other of the jaguar stalking his prey.
Everett glided through the rain forest in stealth mode, powerful muscles rippling, golden fur covered with black rosettes that made his whole body blend in with the fluttering, leafy shadows.
His body brushed against the raindrop-covered plants, the steamy air filled with the scent of water and the intoxicatingly rich floral fragrances of plumeria and the ylang-ylang tree as he made his way to where three men were lying in wait. He saw another man deeper in the rain forest, holding on to Lacy. She was tiny for her age, a wisp of a strawberry blond, wearing a flowery pink-and-orange shirt and pink shorts and sandals. The only thing missing was the set of fairy wings she nearly always wore.
Everett's jaguar coat gave him the advantage of the element of surprise. Jaguars were known to avoid people, and no human would suspect a shifter rescue. The disadvantage? All four men were armed with guns, so trying to kill them as a jaguar would be nearly impossible. If he leaped at one of the men, all four would no doubt jump up to protect themselves, and Matt would get the two Everett didn't take out. At least that was the plan.
Everett lined himself up, judging the distance and calculating the strength he needed to reach his target. He smelled the air, locating each of the four men and Lacy, and not finding any other scents of man in the area. He crouched, preparing himself mentally, and sprang through the air, lunging for the nearest bearded man. The kidnappers didn't react until the man holding Lacy shouted a warningâbut the man's partner was too late. Everett slammed into his target, taking him to the forest floor, and swiped at his head to break the man's neck with one powerful swing of his jaguar foreleg and paw.
Another of the kidnappers jumped up and readied his rifle to shoot Everett, but a single shot rang out from Matt's direction, and his target collapsed to the ground a few feet from Everett. The other ambusher turned his rifle on Matt, while the man holding Lacy fired several rounds at Everett. Unable to fight the man, Everett couldn't do anything but leap into a tree, then jump to another and another until he was well out of sight of the shooter. But he had to come back for Lacy and take out the man holding her. With all the gunfire coming from Matt's direction, and none from the kidnappers', Everett suspected that Matt had gone after the other man.
Everett made his way back to Lacy as silently as before. She watched the trees like a good little jaguar would, knowing he'd return for her. She'd seen him and recognized him. But she knew not to alert the man holding her hostage. Glad to witness the other man dead on the ground, Everett reached a tree close enough to jump from. He leaped through the air and onto the hostage taker's back, his wicked claws digging in for purchase. Crying out in terror, the man instantly released Lacy, and she darted out of the way. The man collapsed to the ground and Everett struck him with his paw, killing him instantly.
Lacy was crying when Everett nuzzled her, hating that anyone would scare her like this. She threw her arms around his neck and sobbed. Everett purred softly, soothing her, until she released his neck and he licked her salty tears away. He lay on his stomach and growled softly. She climbed onto his back, and he carried her to where he'd left Matt, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. He was worried that Matt hadn't come to their aid. But maybe he'd remained quiet, not calling out, in case more kidnappers were around.
The adrenaline was still pumping through Everett's blood and his heart was beating hard, anxiety washing over him in waves as he ran to Matt's location. His face pale, Matt was lying on his back, blood pouring out of his side, his fingers pressed hard against his wound, and he was groaning in pain.
Sick with concern, Everett lay on his belly and Lacy climbed off. Then he shifted, threw on his boxers, and seized the medical pack lying on the ground near his clothes.
“Matt.” Everett yanked out bandages, trying not to fumble with them, as anxious as he was.
“Don't bother,” Matt gritted out. “I'm not going to make it. Get Lacy out of here.”
“I'm not leaving without you.” Everett tore open Matt's shirt. It was bad. As much as he hated to admit it, Matt was right. He wouldn't make it.
“Get her home, Everett. IâI should have told Demetria I was going to marry her. I was going to for New Year's. I know you've had your differences. But⦔ Matt coughed up blood and took in several shallow breaths. “I want you to take care of her. Tell her I love her. Tell her I wanted to stay here in the end. This is home for me, much more so than Dallas. She knows it. Tell her no regrets.”
“Hell, man. Demetria would kill me if I left you here.”
Matt seized Everett's arm with what little strength remained. “Get. Lacy. Home.”
With tears in his eyes, Everett nodded. He'd never thought he'd consider leaving a man behind on a mission.
“I mean it, Everett.” Matt glanced at Lacy. “You have to get her back to her parents safe and sound.”
Everett knew he did. Matt didn't have any family of his own back home. Everett's family had been Matt's, and then there was Demetria MacFarlane. But despite Matt's request, Everett couldn't leave him behind.
He quickly dressed, fixed a harness for Lacy in front, and packed Matt's wounds the best he could. Then he carried Lacy against his chest and Matt in a fireman's carry, determined to get his partner to the extraction point and back home again. Everett couldn't live with the notion that not only had his friend died, but Everett had left him alone in the jungle.
Matt died an hour later. Five hours after that, Everett reached the extraction point, although he'd never thought they'd make it out alive. It was bad enough that he'd lost a friend who had been like a brother to him growing up, but now he'd have to tell Demetriaâthe woman Everett loved but had no claim toâthat her best friend and lover was dead. He didn't think anything could be worse than that.
A year laterâDallas, Texas
Everett Anderson took a seat in the JAG Golden Claws' large training hall where Martin Sullivan, director for the special forces group, was meeting with his agents to discuss a new training mission.
The hall was decorated for Christmas, the tree standing in one corner decorated with jaguar angels, each with a name inscribed, that represented their fallen agents from years past to the present. It brought home the fact that for the past two Christmas parties, Matt hadn't been there to celebrate the holidays with Everett and their fellow agents. Looking at the tree, Everett felt the loss all over again.
Martin lifted the mike off its stand, though he didn't need to use it, as commanding as his voice was. “Some of our agents are currently out on operations, so we'll have to rotate them through this new training when they return. But we've had some tasks lately that have required mixed teams from the Enforcer, Guardian, and Golden Claws branches of the Service, which has resulted in some difficulties.
“Because we've had a few incidents of âthem against us' between branches, we're going to pair agents from our branch with those from other branches on these training missions to ensure that our teams function better together. That way, we can get along when future needs arise that require a mixed team. Some paired-team missions have done just fine. Golden Claws Everett and Huntley Anderson and Melissa Overton teamed up with two Enforcer agents and briefly had met with two Guardians to deal with abandoned jaguar shifter cubs and their parents who had been taken hostage in the rain forests of Costa Rica. That's the kind of teamwork we want to see.”
Everett Anderson knew which two teams Martin was talking about when he referred to the ones that hadn't worked out. In one case, an Enforcer had been paired with a Guardian who demanded that the Enforcer take kidnappers to be tried instead of killing them on sight. The Enforcer wasn't about to do that because the kidnappers had tried to kill him and the Guardian several times during their pursuit. The disagreement nearly got both agents killed. In another case, on a mission in Belize, a JAG agent had fought with an Enforcer about who should be in charge, wholly compromising the job and nearly ending their lives. The ability to work together was a serious concern for the branches.
No matter which branch they served in, all agents had the same basic training in weapons, combat maneuvers, martial arts, and survival, but then each branch had specialized training. For some, loyalty to their own branches became deeply ingrained.
They had to learn to compromise to get the job done in the best way possible, keeping team members and those they were rescuing safe while taking down the rogues.
“I've set up a roster, pairing each of you with your teammates for the next assignment. These are real case files, and your actions will be tested and graded. In addition to this, each of the branches is creating mixed teams that will teach all of our agents how to work well with other branch agents. We already have one team so farâGuardian Tammy Anderson, now married to JAG David Patterson. They worked so well together that they've joined forces to train our people. The other branches are getting their assignments as I speak and should be on their way to join us. We start first thing this morning. If you have any questions or problems with your new mission, come talk to me in my office.”
The Service needed its agents and worked hard to train them properly for assignments, so Everett knew just firing agents who didn't work well with other branches wasn't the solution.
Most everyone in the meeting room nodded in assent. A few grumbled. There were always those who didn't like change.
Everett was eager to see who he was paired with. He was hoping it was the two Enforcer brothers he'd worked with on the abandoned cubs assignment in Costa Rica. He liked the way the brothers thought and believed he could learn more from them. But he suspected the boss wouldn't want him paired with someone he'd worked well with before. He'd never worked closely with a Guardian, so maybe he would be teamed with one of them this time. He just hoped it
wouldn't
be Demetria MacFarlane. Not that he didn't
want
to be hooked up with herâin a lot more ways than on training missionsâbut he was conscious of her need for space after what had happened to Matt.
Hell, speak of the devil.
Demetria entered the training hall with her best friendâhis sister, Tammy. Demetria looked as hot as ever in a black suit, the jacket cut smartly but unable to hide her curves, and high-heeled boots that looked like lethal weapons.
She looked totally professional on any job she did, but he'd seen her around his sister enough to know how amazing Demetria looked when she was wearing a lot less clothing. Like the red bikini she'd worn in the hot Texas sun while playing with his sister in his parents' swimming pool. That had made him wish he was playing right along with them. But she'd been dating his best friend, Matt, and Everett knew he would have embarrassed himself if he had gotten anywhere near her, as strong as his attraction for her was. He swore that if he and Matt had been pure jaguars rather than shifters, he would have fought for the right to have her as his mate. But his human side had dictated common sense.
Martin cleared his throat, and Everett turned his attention to the task at hand.
“I want this to work, folks. We need it to work. Us against the bad guys. Not agents against agents.”
Though each agent freely chose his or her branch of assignment, some took the aptitude testing to heart and went to work with the branch they felt they were best suited to. Enforcers took out the trash, permanently. JAG agents did everything, but most of them preferred going after the bad guys. Guardians removed jaguars and shifters from bad situations and provided them with a safe haven.
When Everett looked up the roster on the computer at his training desk, he saw his partner was Howard Sternum, a badass Enforcer. So much for getting to work with a Guardian this time. Everett caught the boss's eye. He nodded once, and Everett knew that he'd been assigned a teammate who
wasn't
a team player with other branches because of Everett's own reputation for working well with others.
Everett rose from his chair and saw his new partner heading his way across the training hall. Howard was muscular, with black hair and blue eyes, a square jaw, and a brooding expression. The man's chilly eyes caught Everett's gaze and held, challenging him. Everett figured the guy had deep-seated issues about something, but he wasn't going to let Howard's attitude get in the way of the mission.
Tammy, an instructor and one of the graders for this mission, cast a dark look at Howard. He smirked at her, appearing just as ominous.
“Good luck, Everett,” Tammy said as she handed him the assignment. She gave Howard another scathing look, then stalked off to hand out more assignments.
“Your sister's hot,” Howard said.
“She's mated.” Everett opened the envelope containing their instructions.
“Doesn't make her any less hot.”
Everett ignored Howard, realizing the guy was already itching to start a fight. He knew enough to drop the subject, even though he wanted to slug the Enforcer. He read the instructions to himself and knew why Tammy had given him this job. Brayden Covington, stepson of Lucian Covington, was a teen headed for trouble. They'd been called to step in before, but the director of the Guardian branch had agreed the stepdad could take his son backâwith the provision that he took care of the boy like he was supposed to. But this was the third call, and at this point, Lucian didn't have any recourse.
One of the agencies had to take the boy in. Usually the Guardian branch would, but even the JAGs had been known to take in wayward shifter teens and turn them into shifter agents with a real cause. He knew because his half sister, Maya, was married to one. And Wade Patterson's brother, David, had been taken in at the same time.
Everett read the note out loud. “We have to take a teen, Brayden Covington, into custody andâ”
“Like they need anyone from the Enforcer branch to deal with a teen issue?”
True, Howard probably wasn't needed. But that was the point of the missionâto teach agents from the various branches different techniques in handling different kinds of cases.
“His stepdad, Lucian Covington, hasn't been taking care of the boy. Financially, yes. But no discipline at all. Kind of hard to do when Lucian's out drinking and gambling all night. So Brayden's been running with a group of human teens who are juvenile delinquents. His biological dad died ten years ago. Brayden's mom died the first of the year in a hit-and-run accident, so Brayden's been on his own since then, and he's not making the right choices.”
“Great.”
A man raised his voice several feet away, and Everett and Howard turned to see what the matter was. Everett didn't recognize the redhead, but Demetria was facing him down, hands on her hips and frowning at the guy. No matter how many times he observed her, Everett still saw her as an incredibly sexy brunette, curvy, with killer moves and a quick temper, but with a loving heart for kids of all ages. She hadn't dated since Matt died in the Costa Rican rain forest, and Everett didn't think she'd ever get over Matt's death.
With her long hair pulled back into a ponytail, she focused her dark-brown eyes on the man in front of her, her body posture balanced. She looked ready for action.
Everett wanted to help if she needed his assistance, but he knew that stance. She was a wild cat, ready to take down the big male who was giving her grief. All the agents were highly trained, so no advantage to Demetria there. And the redhead was ready for her reaction, so she couldn't surprise him. Because of his size and weight, he most likely would have the upper hand. That meant Everett was tensing and getting ready to charge in and protect herâregardless of whether she needed him or wanted him to. Who would know until after the altercation ended? Everett didn't want to see her hurt.
Hell, a dozen guys were probably just as ready to protect her, but he didn't have eyes on anyone elseâjust Demetria and the redhead.
“Now, that's a woman I'd love to team up with.” Howard folded his arms across his chest, looking on with admiration.
“Her bite is a
lot
worse than her growl.” Everett knew because he'd tried to break up a fight between her and her hotheaded cousin while the two women were wearing their jaguar coatsâand Demetria had bitten him! On purpose too. Even though his kind healed faster than humans, he'd still had to get ten stitches.
Not that it kept him from being interested in her. Once he'd learned Matt was dating her, Everett had only wished he had a girl like her. No, not
like
her. Her.
No one was quite like her.
“Listen, Bruce, go find your teammate and play nice,” Demetria growled.
She was a contradiction in termsâa Guardian who was all business and strictly professional; yet around his sister, she was fun-loving and quirky.
Demetria also had a rough side that didn't fit with her Guardian jobâso many of them were pacifists, avoiding violence if they could. He'd heard Tammy talking to his brother-in-law about how she wished Demetria would find someone she really cared for like she had Matt. Tammy was always trying to set her friend up with JAG agents to date, but she'd never asked Everett. He suspected it didn't seem right. Sure, Matt had been dead for more than a year, and sure, he'd had Everett promise to look after Demetria. And he had, but from afar. He had casually asked Tammy how her friend was doing, trying to give Demetria space but also keep his promise.
The redheaded man jabbed his finger at Demetria. “You're the oneâ”
Everett lunged forward to take the man down. No one threatened her physically without paying the consequences. He bumped into Demetria while trying to get to Bruce, then grabbed Bruce's arm and flipped him onto his back on the linoleum floor so swiftly that Bruce's mouth hung agape, his eyes wide as he looked up at Everett. If he hadn't used the element of surprise, he probably would have had a lot harder time tackling the big guy. But as angry as Everett was, he would've gotten the best of him eventually, guaranteed.
Bruce glanced around at the audience they had. A few men snickered.
He didn't seem embarrassed or angry. He only raised his brows at Everett a little as if surprised he would intervene, and then he held his hand out to show there were no hard feelings.
Demetria's mouth hung open too. Everett was still breathing hard, still angry at the guy.
He hesitated, knowing Demetria was probably totally pissed off at him. Bruce's smile broadened, his eyes darkening. Everett wondered if the man meant to get him back, but they had to learn to trust each other, which was the whole point of the new training in teamwork protocol. He offered his hand to the redhead, and the guy pulled himself up and turned to Demetria.
“Way to go, Bruce,” one of the Enforcers said, making Everett assume that Bruce was an Enforcer too. “I can't believe you let a Golden Claw take you down when you just wanted a little action with the Guardian.”
Howard laughed. “You'll never be able to live that down, Bruce.”
“I may be with the Guardians, but I'm no softie, Bruce. Stay out of my space,” Demetria said. But she turned her scowl on Everett, telling him in no uncertain terms that he had blown it where she was concerned.
Everett would react the same way again in a heartbeat. That's what teaming up with different agents was all about, as far as
he
was concerned. Teamwork. Even if he wasn't officially on her team.
Bruce ignored Everett as if he hadn't just thrown him. He smiled at Demetria. “Want to make it two out of three? Only this time it will be just between you and me?”