Shifters: A Samantha Reece Mystery Book 1 by Jaime Johnesee (libby ebook reader txt) 📕

sister; I just want to see you happy. I don’t care who you’re with, if they make you happy then I am happy for you.” Quinn ruffled my hair and I swiped at his big meaty paw. Alex came up behind me.

“Thanks. That’s a lot of happy. But we’ve got other problems on our plate right now, namely Grisly’s puppet-master. We’re being tasked to find him. They think he’s within the Bureau.”

“You’re joking.”

“Sam never jokes about tracking down bad guys.”

I rolled my eyes at Alex before saying, “No. They’re certain that the one pulling his strings is at least at Gerry’s level, but not above. They were given clearance for this investigation and IAD is on the case with us, along with Alex.”

“Glad to be working with you again, man. Internal Affairs is getting involved? Shit. I really hope it’s not someone we know well.”

“Does that really make it better if it’s a stranger?”

“Well, yeah. Nobody wants to have been eating lunch next to a bad agent for a decade. Makes them look either like morons or complicit with the bad cop’s actions.”

“I was more thinking of the shame and disgrace they’ve brought to their badge and how many women lost their lives because someone felt they were above the law,” Alex said wryly.

“It’s good we caught it before it went too far. FBI agents should not be involved with fringe groups like AWFA. I’m not just saying that because you’re my friend and a shifter. Agents should be the good guys who protect and serve every member of their country, regardless of that person’s beliefs, politics, or complete asshole nature.”

“Well said.” I applauded Quinn.

“Thanks. You think I should try to sell it to Hallmark?”

“Oh, yeah. I can see the mass market appeal on that one.”

“So, do we have any leads that need following right now?”

“Nope, all clear until tomorrow.”

“Cool. I’m heading home to Kelly and my little Angel.”

“See you, Q.”

“Bye, Quinn. See you tomorrow.

“Be careful you two. Goodbye.” Quinn gave me a hug, waved over my shoulder to Alex, then walked off to his car.

Chapter 23

AFTER QUINN LEFT, the delivery guy showed and Al and I ate our Chinese food like great big yummy hunks of bunny. What? It’s really good meat.

“So, how did you become a tiger?” I asked between mouthfuls of eggroll.

“I was seeing this girl down in Brazil and she was a shifter. Between your stories and hers it felt like something I wanted to try. It took me some time, though, to convince her to bite me.”

“Why a tiger?”

“The truth?”

“Yeah.” I took a sip from my Pepsi.

“I wanted to be a cat so I could keep up with you. Tigers are similar in nature to jaguars and I thought maybe our cats could get along.” My jaguar hissed at him as if to say it wasn’t likely.

“Please don’t tell me you turned because of me.” I wasn’t sure if that was creepy or romantic; either way, it was more weight than I wanted to carry.

“It wasn’t all because of you. I never felt right as a human. I do now. I feel like I’m my own true self. The Alex I was always supposed to be.”

“I know that feeling.” I smiled.

“So, your sire, there’s something more than just you two sharing a jaguar virus, isn’t there?”

“Yes.” Time for blunt honesty.

“Are you in love with him?”

“God, no, I just met him. There is an attraction there, but I think it’s some sort of sire bond thing. I can’t explain it.”

“If you have feelings for him why did you agree to go out with me?”

“Because the feelings I have for you are real and I’ve had them for ages. With him it doesn’t feel real. It feels … well, almost like a compulsion.”

“I have to be honest with you and tell you that I’m uncomfortable with that.”

“Thanks for being honest about it. I will need to talk with him, though. I have questions only he can answer.”

“I understand.”

We continued catching up and before I knew it I was so comfortable and feeling so safe that I fell asleep snuggled up with him on the couch. I slept like a rock for the first time since the last time I had curled up with him.

Alex made me feel safe and that was a rare commodity in my world. I’ve talked a little about my mother and hopefully it helps you understand why I have never really felt safe. For some reason, ever since we first met, I’d always felt safe with Al.

I woke up the following morning not wrapped in Alex’s arms as I had been when I’d fallen asleep, but back to back with him. He was snoring lightly telling me he felt safe enough to get some good sleep himself.

I gingerly got out of bed and replaced myself with a pillow so he’d sleep a little longer. I tend to get up early. I think it has to do with my jaguar, but dawn is always a peaceful time for me. I like to sit in my back garden with a cup of coffee and listen to the birds wake up.

I started the coffee pot brewing and decided to make waffles. I just got a new waffle iron. I went out into the garden and picked some strawberries to cut up on top. I also pulled out some strawberry syrup made by a local farmer whose wife was an agent in the same building.

I started making the waffles from scratch right out of memory. I’d made my first waffles at the tender age of nine. I burned most of the waffles, burned myself badly, too. It didn’t really matter because in time I grew to perfect my recipe and now my waffles are legendary.

I cooked and danced along to some classic rock station, volume low so as not to wake Alex. I had just done a really bad pirouette to Rock the Cradle of Love when I saw him smiling at