Shayna resented Jake's commanding tone when he told her to stay in her bedroom. After all, it was her apartment and whoever was at the door was most likely there to see her. It was probably her next door neighbor needing her spare key again. She was forever locking herself out of her apartment so she gave Shayna a spare for such occasions.
Since Jake wouldn't know where to find the key, Shayna put on her bathrobe and went into the living room. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the woman from the airport standing there glaring at Jake. And Jake looked like he'd just gotten the shock of his life.
"Um, hello," Shayna said. Her wariness was evident in her tone as she wondered what was going on. Jake's expression didn't change as his eyes swung to her face.
However, the woman's expression softened when she turned to face Shayna. Then she seemed worried and stepped forward placing her hands on Shayna's shoulders.
"Shayna, are you alright?" she asked, genuinely concerned. "I believe someone I know was here a little while ago. Did anything happen? Did he say anything to you?"
Shayna's brow furrowed. "Who was here?" she asked. She glanced at Jake who now appeared pensive. "Jake?"
Before Jake could answer, she turned back to the woman. "I'm sorry, do I know you? I remember bumping into you at the airport a couple of days ago and I thought you looked familiar."
The woman let go of Shayna's shoulders and stepped back, taking a deep breath. "My name is Marisa and you probably do know me, sort of. I'll tell you everything but first I need to know that you're alright. You didn't have any other visitors today?" she asked.
Shayna shook her head then looked at Jake. She had been asleep for most of the afternoon and evening. Jake would have told her if someone had been here to see her, wouldn't he?
Looking back at Shayna, Jake knew he had to tell her what happened. Her expressive face mirrored her thoughts and he couldn't afford to lose her trust in him. He'd planned to get her out of her apartment before he told her about the intruder but now he had no choice.
"There was somebody here earlier this evening. I don't know who he was or what he wanted and he got away before I could find out," he said. His tone and his expression were neutral but he was seething inside. He wished he'd been able to catch the guy, beat the shit out of him, then find out what he was up to. But protecting Shayna was more important than anything else. Vengeance would have to wait.
Marisa spoke, interrupting his thoughts. "His name is Tomas. I was in the area and I had a feeling that he may have been as well. It isn't a coincidence that he was here."
"Who is he and what does he want with my mate?" Jake growled, his stance becoming more aggressive. His wolf was lurking just beneath the surface, angry and restless.
Shayna instinctively went to Jake and rested her hand on his arm. She'd meant to keep her distance from him but she didn't like seeing him so angry. At her touch, he seemed to calm down a bit and pulled her into his arms. He rested his chin on top of her head and inhaled deeply, letting her scent wash over him.
Marisa felt her tension lessen as well taking in the scene that unfolded in front of her. It was as she had suspected, this wolf had staked his claim on Shayna and she knew he would risk his own life to protect her. Her only concern was whether Shayna knew what he was and if she was ready for the choices that lay ahead of her.
Softly clearing her throat, she said, "I hate to interrupt but I don't think we have much time. Tomas is a member of the St. Simon, uh, family. Do you know them?" she asked Jake.
His head snapped up at the mention of the St. Simons. "Yes, I do," he said. That business of Gerard St. Simon wanting to cross pack lands to find his mate was still unresolved and it made him wonder if that was the reason this Tomas guy had been here.
Holding his stare, Marisa mouthed silently, 'Does she know about you?' and was mildly surprised at his brief nod in the affirmative.
Shayna was unaware of the silent exchange between the two of them. Her face was buried in Jake's chest as she tried to steady her own nerves. So much was going on that she was afraid she wouldn't be able to keep up. But she didn't miss Jake referring to her as his "mate". Just what the hell did that mean?
Jake spoke again and she had to force herself to pay attention to what was going on around her.
"Why would he come here?" Jake asked. "Shayna doesn't have anything to do with the St. Simons."
He held her a little more tightly and Shayna relished the feeling of being loved and protected by him. But she had to move, put some distance between them to focus on the situation. Jake resisted at first but relented when she turned around in his arms to hear Marisa's reply.
Marisa thought for a moment before she answered Jake's question. "I believe he was looking for me. He saw me briefly standing near Shayna at the airport a few days ago and probably wanted to check up on her as a lead to get to me."
She turned to Shayna and smiled ruefully. "When you bumped into me it was an unexpected and unfortunate coincidence. Under better circumstances, I would have been delighted to have made your acquaintance at last."
Shayna watched Marisa as she spoke and kept getting the feeling that she should know her. And what Marisa just said reinforced that notion but Shayna couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"I tried to play it off as the random incident it was and quickly disappeared. Tomas probably wouldn't have taken any further notice of you," Marisa continued. "But I knew he would pick up on the very same thing I'd noticed about you in that instant."
Shayna stared blankly at her not understanding what she was referring to but one glance at Jake and she knew he understood.
Catching Shayna's glance, he said softly, "My scent." Shayna still seemed lost so he clarified, "My scent has been on you since our first night together. He could tell you'd been with a male wolf."
Jake could hear the connections forming in her mind as it dawned on her that the intruder must also be a Werewolf. Then that led her to another thought.
Turning back to Marisa, she asked, "Are you a Werewolf, too?"
Marisa was caught off guard by Shayna's question. She looked at Jake and saw the curiosity in his expression as well.
"Yes," she replied. "I am."
Jake's eyebrow quirked in mild surprise. "I was wondering what you could be. How is it that you have no scent? You might as well be a ghost standing there," he said.
Marisa had been expecting Jake to ask that from the start. "I learned some time ago how to mask my scent. Something I picked up from a Siberian Tiger while I was in Asia."
"A what...?" Shayna asked, dumbfounded.
Marisa's mouth twisted in a half-smile. "You'll find there are all kinds of shifters. Not just wolves, but other canines, cats, and other species as well. I've been all over the world and I don't think I've ever encountered them all."
Shayna closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Her head was spinning and a headache was fast approaching. This was just too much all at once and she didn't think she could take much more. But there was no turning back now.
Opening her eyes, she asked Marisa, "So how do you know me?"
"I'll tell you all of it soon. But right now, we have to get out of here," Marisa replied. "I wouldn't be surprised if Tomas returns with backup. His superior probably wanted to assess the situation before making his next move. And your involvement with another Were may not seem coincidental to them."
"Whose orders do you think he's under, Guillaume's or Gerard's?" Jake asked.
Marisa answered without hesitation. "Gerard's," she stated. "We have a brief history, very brief but significant nonetheless."
"Before we go anywhere, you need to tell me why your business with Gerard St. Simon suddenly involves Shayna," Jake demanded. "I can call him now and get to the bottom of this unless you want to tell me yourself."
Marisa sighed in defeat. Jake wasn't giving her much choice so she had to tell them what happened as quickly as possible. She looked at Shayna and her heart filled with pride. She was probably a mess inside but outwardly she put up a brave front. It took all of her restraint to keep her from giving Shayna a big, reassuring hug. It had been extremely difficult not to step in over these many years but the safety of her family required she remain in the shadows. Maybe at least with Shayna she could now have a real connection with her family.
Marisa could see that Jake wasn't about to budge, at least not until he knew enough to assess the situation for himself. Then maybe he would see the wisdom of leaving Shayna's apartment for a safer location as soon as possible.
"Time is of the essence so I'll try to be brief," Marisa said. "I have something Gerard wants, something he gave me a long time ago when I spent some time with the St. Simon Pack. I had to leave abruptly and I've been in hiding ever since but recent events forced me to move closer to my family. I tried to be discreet, wearing disguises and masking my scent, but I still managed to be spotted by the very people I wanted to avoid."
Marisa took in the set expressions on Shayna's and Jake's faces and new she had to explain further.
