Chapter 5
Dawn knocked the stool over when she jumped up. She ignored it and rushed down the hallway. The bedroom door burst open when she reached it and Crystal came running out. Dawn didn’t have time to slow down before they collided and together they fell to the floor in a heap.
“Dawn! Oh thank God you’re okay!” Crystal threw her arms around Dawn’s neck. “I woke up in a strange room and all that I could remember was losing you last night. Then I remembered those creepy men cornering me…”
“Everything is fine, Crys. We’re safe. Calm down.” Dawn pulled away from her friends vice-like grip and stood up clumsily. Crystal followed her. “You passed out when the men came after you. Good survival skills, by the way. Luckily, my friend Jerrit was there. He chased the creepers away and took us home.”
Dawn didn’t want to have to explain why she had agreed to go home with a complete stranger. She honestly had no idea how Crystal would react to that. She figured it would be easier to just keep her in the dark.
“I am not home Dawn! If I was then I would not be freaking out right now. I thought that I had been kidnapped.”
“And kept in a nice clean room with an exposed window, in a bed that cost more than your college tuition?” Jerrit said from behind Dawn. “Wow, I am one fine captor.”
His sarcasm was not going to go over well. Dawn could tease her friend without consequence but Crystal did not know Jerrit.
“You!” That was not a good tone. Crystal made a move toward Jerrit but Dawn stepped in front of her. Definitely not good.
“Jerrit took us back to his place. I was not in the mood to explain to your front desk why you were unconscious. On the spur of the moment all that I could think of was that I beat you up. As believable as that is, I’m not sure that the school would take it well.”
“You’re not funny Dawn. Why would he come to our rescue?”
“I told you, he’s my friend.”
“A friend that you have never mentioned? I don’t think so. You’re not exactly known for your ability to keep anything to yourself. So, one more time…Who the hell is he?”
Dawn glanced at Jerrit. He stood nonchalantly against the wall. His arms were crossed over his chest accentuating the muscles of his arms. He was extremely dangerous looking which did not help put Crystal at ease. Still, Dawn was so attracted to him that it was scary, not that she would admit it.
She didn’t know why she didn’t just tell Crystal the truth. Even if her friend didn’t believe her, it would at least get everything off of her chest. There was the chance that Crystal would believe her and Dawn would be out of the woods, but the likely hood of that was slim. Crys might believe what happened, but there was no way that she would excuse the fact that Dawn put her life at risk by going home with a complete stranger. It didn’t matter that everything turned out alright.
Jerrit stared into Dawn’s brown eyes. He could see the indecision behind her mask of control. He shook his head subtly. He knew what Dawn was thinking. She wanted to tell Crystal what had happened.
Panic showed openly on Dawn’s beautiful face and her breath quickened. Uh oh...That was an awfully fast emotional change which meant only one thing. She was about to shift. He moved toward her quickly hoping that she would calm down before it was too late. No such luck. Dawn let out a pain filled breath. Jerrit caught her as she fell sideways.
“You need to get back in the bedroom,” Jerrit ordered Crystal. Hold on for just a few more minutes, Dawn. Please. But there was nothing that he could do. She was the only one who could get herself under control and she was not going to be able to.
“What did you do to her?”
“Seriously?” Jerrit asked in disbelief as he lowered Dawn to the ground. “You are going to blame me for this? Fine, just get back in the bedroom.”
Crystal started to kneel next to her friend but Jerrit grabbed her arm. Being careful not to hurt her. He forced her to stand up. She tried to pull away but he held her fast.
“I am begging you, Crystal, for your own sake, get back.” Jerrit had never begged anyone for anything before, yet he was willing to do it for Dawn. that was stupid. He had only just met the girl and yet it was no less true.
“Let go of my arm. She needs help and I don’t trust you to…” Crystal’s face went pale at the same time that Dawn’s weight lightened in his other arm. “My God.”
This was not good. He released Crystal’s arm and she backed herself into the wall. He looked down to see the house cat from the night before looking up at him with Dawn’s eyes. At least she wasn’t a tiger. He had that on his side. The last thing that he needed was to have a wild cat in his apartment.
Dawn turned her panicked gaze to Crystal and meowed softly. Jerrit let out a long slow breath as he picked Dawn up off the floor. She wrapped her soft tail around his forearm while he stroked her fur, trying to sooth her.
“What the hell is going on here? Where did Dawn go?”
Jerrit ignored the fear in Crystal’s voice. Her panic was not his first priority at the moment. He had never been in such a horrible situation. Dawn was proving to be much more trouble than either of her sisters had been. Considering her sisters, that was saying something.
“She hasn’t gone anywhere,” Jerrit answered irritably.
He moved into the living room and sat down on the couch. He settled Dawn in his lap and continued to stroke her back. She lay there staring expectantly toward the hall where he had left Crystal.
Jerrit had no idea how he was going to get out of this. No one was supposed to know about Dawn. Her survival depended on secrecy. Now he had an untamed Were and a panicked human woman in his apartment. He could handle the Were, it was the woman that was going to be the problem. How was he supposed to convince her not to tell anyone what she had seen? Damn his luck. He was not compensated enough to deal with the trouble Dawn was causing.
Why should I have to deal with this? I could just give her back to her family and make them figure out what to do.
Jerrit knew that he couldn’t really leave her like that. He had sworn to protect her. That oath was more sacred to him than anyone knew and was not about to break it, even if it got him killed. Not even Dawn’s family knew just how far he was willing to go to keep her safe, and it had nothing to do with his inexplicable feelings for her.
Crystal came around the corner slowly. She stood staring at Jerrit as though he was crazy.
“Are you telling me that Dawn just turned into a cat?”
Jerrit gave a single nod while Dawn purred softly.
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“I don’t expect you to believe anything. You just saw what happened with your own eyes. If you don’t believe it then take it up with them. I personally don’t care what you believe.”
Crystal stared intently at the cat. “It has her eyes,” she whispered to herself as she moved into the room. Dawn’s eyes followed her as she knelt in front of the couch. “And I have never seen a cat with that much focus. Is her fur as soft as her hair?”
Jerrit could not hide his surprise. The girl was actually calm about this. “I’ve never felt Dawn’s hair.”
The cat purred softly as Crystal touched her head lightly. It rubbed it’s head against her palm. The fur under her hand was soft, and Crystal could tell by all the split ends that it needed a trim.
“That’s right, Crys. Don’t be afraid of me.”
“Holy…” Crystal stumbled away from the couch at the sound of Dawns voice in her head.
“You can hear me.”
The look on the cat’s face was hopeful, or maybe that was just Crystal going crazy. This was not possible. Her friend was not a cat. Impossible...for a plain yellow pumpkin to become a golden carriage. Crystal shook her head. Now was not the time for musicals, even if it was Cinderella.
“Dawn is just as freaked out about this as you are,” Jerrit said.
“Yeah, I doubt that. Can you hear her too? Please tell me that I’m just crazy and hearing voices. Or that this is some really incredible prank. My friend is not a cat whose voice is in my head.”
“I honestly wish that I could. But this is really happening Crystal. Your friend is going through something that you are not supposed to know anything about, but now that you do, there is nothing that I can do about it. You are more in this than you could possibly imagine.”
“Comforting.”
Dawn wanted so badly to tell Crystal that it was all going to be alright, but she had no idea if it really would be and she couldn’t lie to her friend. She should have taken Crystal home last night. She should have kept her friend safe, but she hadn’t. This was all her fault.
It was amazing how Jerrit was able to calm her, though. Even with all of his doomsday talk his beautifully accented voice made her relax. The feel of his strong hand absentmindedly massaging her back made her feel protected. How could a man that she had just met have such an effect on her? She should not be so comfortable with him but, against all common sense, she felt herself relaxing.
“Jerrit, would you put a blanket over me, please?”
He did as she asked, making sure to spread it out so that it would still cover her once she returned to her human form. He watched as she shifted back to normal.
Crystal gasped. He could not imagine how strange this must be for her. He had grown up with Weres. There constant form changing was normal for him. He tried to remember what it had been like the first time that he had seen it, but he could not recall it any more than he could remember his first step. In his world this was just the way that things were.
Dawn gathered the blanket around her while she was still in his lap. It was impossible to keep the image of her naked body out of his head with her so close and so very nude. It would be only too easy for him to pick her up and carry her to his room where he would give her the greatest pleasure that she had ever had. The thought alone made him hard with need.
Dawn stood up, when she felt just how much Jerrit was effected by her. It made her feel sexy and strangely powerful. It brought heat to her cheeks as well as other more intimate places of her body. But this was not the time for the fantasies that plagued her mind. Not only was her friend in the room, making the situation even more uncomfortable, but she barely knew the man…and yet she had never been more attracted to anyone in her life. She must have moved from slightly crazy to completely insane.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. He gave her a nod then quickly stood and escaped into the kitchen.
Dawn turned to Crystal with what she hoped was an apologetic look. She offered a hand to help Crystal up but she just stared at it uncertainly.
“Come on, Crys. I don’t bite…anymore than I used to.” Crystal was obviously not amused. “Seriously, Crys, I’m sorry that you had to see that. I can’t control it. Now, I’ve gotten you involved in something that I am not even sure that I want to be a part myself.”
“You are such a liar,” Crystal scoffed. She finally took Dawn’s hand and stood up. “This is like a dream come true for you. This is your messed up fantasy world come to life. You can’t tell me that you are not loving every minute of it because if I wasn’t so freaked out right now, I would be right there with you.”
Crystal knew her far too well. Still, her fantasy was not turning out the way that she had imagined. Such is life.
“How long have you been able to turn into an animal?”
“Since last night,” Jerrit answered for her.
He was in the kitchen apparently cleaning up, but Dawn had a feeling that he was just trying to keep himself occupied. He was uncomfortable but she had a feeling that it wasn’t because she had felt his arousal. Something else was bothering Jerrit.
“Oh my gosh,” Crystal said with realization. “The tiger in the alley, that was you, wasn’t it? I wasn’t hallucinating?”
“Unfortunately, that was me. But I never would have gone out there if I had known that I wasn’t human. It was an instinct thing. It’s kind of hard to explain but emotions as an animal are very different then they are when you are human. It’s much more intense and it takes a minute before my brain can catch up with my impulses. This must be what bipolar feels like. I mean, how am I supposed to know what I’m really feeling when I’ve got a freakin’ animal in my head fighting for control?”
“I need to sit down.” Crystal collapsed onto the couch with a loud sigh. “And I thought that you had issues before. I had no idea just how right I was.”
“I really have to interrupt you two,” Jerrit said drawing their attention. “Dawn the more that you tell her the more danger that she is in. I would really hate to have you lose your friend just because she knows too much.”
“You think that those men are going to come after me again?” Crystal’s voice was filled with apprehension.
“I wouldn’t put it past them. Now that they know that you run with a Were, you are basically a prime target. But they are not the only ones out there that will come after you.”
“Then what harm can it be telling her anything?” Dawn asked. “If she’s already in trouble, why not give her as much information as I can. At least then she might be able to protect herself. Knowledge is power, so they tell me.”
“Of course you wouldn’t know first hand.” Dawn glared at Crystal.
Jerrit shook his, unable to come up with an argument against Dawn. She was right. The damage was already done. There couldn’t be too much harm in making sure that Crystal knew how to take care of herself. At least then he wouldn’t have to worry about the girl doing something stupid to try to learn it on her own.
“Fine, but maybe you should wait until you know a little more before you try to explain it to her. For now, would you please go and get dressed? If you’d like to get washed up a bit the bathroom is the first door on the left.”
“What? You don’t like the fact that you have a naked woman running around your home?” Dawn smiled seductively.
“Ew,” Crystal added.
Jerrit took a deep breath trying to keep himself from taking the bait that Dawn had cast. He knew better than to give into the urge to take her. If she didn’t stop tempting him, he was going to need a cold shower. “I don’t think that you want to hear the answer to that, darling.”
Dawn’s smile widened, but she quickly subdued when she turned to her friend.
“Will you be okay if I leave you alone for a few minutes…with him?”
“Don’t worry, Dawn. I’m not gunna hurt him.”
Jerrit would have loved to see the woman try. She had no idea just who she was dealing with, and he planned to keep it that way. The girl did not need that kind of information.
“Well, I know you, so I had to check,” Dawn said with a smile.
Crystal stood up and pushed Dawn toward the hall. “Would you just go put some clothes on. I don’t want the image of your naked butt singed into my brain. All that I want right now is to go home, take a shower and wash away the past twenty-four hours. Plus you smell like shit.”
“Wow. I almost felt sorry for you then I remembered that it’s you and realized ‘oh my god, Crystal’s playing me like a fiddle.’”
Crystal smacked Dawn. “Would you just go. The sooner you get dressed, the sooner we can leave.”
“I’m going, I’m going.” Dawn pouted as she made her way to the bathroom pausing only to pick up her clothes.
Jerrit took a deep breath when he heard the door shut. Crystal was going to start asking questions that he was not in the mood to avoid.
“What would you like to eat? I’ve made eggs and bacon, but if you’d prefer something else I’m sure that I could accommodate you.”
“Who are you, Jerrit?”
Jerrit flinched at her bluntness. Very few knew the truth of his past and he was not about to tell the woman who was blaming him for all of the problems that had fallen into her lap. Of course, he had shown up the moment that all of the madness started, so he really couldn’t hold that against her.
“I am an old friend of the family,” Jerrit said evasively. It was not a lie, but it was nowhere near the full truth.
Crystal raised a skeptical eyebrow.
“I don’t come around very often,” he amended. Again, the truth.
“Good friend, huh?”
The venom behind those three sarcastic words was palpable. There was no way that he was going to get the girl to trust him, and he was not particularly fond of her. The girl was extremely irksome.
“Her parents have known me for years. The only reason that I am here at all is because they asked me to help her. I have ulterior motives, absolutely, but none of them involve harming Dawn in any way.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“I don’t care if you believe me. But, if you really need a reason, how about the fact that you are still alive and safe. If I wanted either you or Dawn dead then I would have done it already. Although you are wearing on my last nerve.”
“You don’t have the guts to hurt me.”
Jerrit couldn’t take it anymore. The girl was going to learn that he was not to be tested whether or not she was Dawn’s friend. He moved slowly into the living room toward the girl. Crystal’s eyes widened in fear as she realized that he would do anything that he pleased. She backed away from him until she hit the wall. Jerrit placed a hand on either side of her so that she could not escape. He could feel the fear radiating off of her.
“You already used up two of your chances threatening me last night. My patience is spent. I deal with far more dangerous people than you, darling. People who would not hesitate to kill me for helping your friend and others who will kill me if anything happens to her. Both are much closer to having the means to do so than you are. Do not make the mistake of thinking that I will not harm you in order to protect her. I have spared you so far for Dawn’s sake, but the fact that you know about her makes you a liability. My life is tied to Dawn’s and I actually like my life, so should you do anything that will put that girl in jeopardy I will take you down without even thinking twice about it.
“I recommend that you keep that overworked tongue of yours still unless you have something truly productive to say.”
Crystal shook with fear while she stared at him with wide eyes. Normally, Jerrit would revel in her fear, but as it was, he almost felt bad for her. The girl was an innocent in all of this. Truth be told, he would do just as much to keep her safe as he would for Dawn, but he would never admit that.
He would not hurt a human if he could prevent it. He had sworn to help and not harm, but he was known for his brutality against his enemies. People found it much more easy to believe their fears than the truth, so he played into the fears. It kept him alive, and if Crystal knew just who was standing over her and what he was capable of she would not have provoked him. She was dancing with the devil without knowing the steps.
He moved away from Crystal. He turned to walk away but stopped when he saw Dawn leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. She was freshly washed and clothed. Her beautiful brown eyes were filled with suspicion and, if he wasn’t mistaken, jealousy. How long had she been there?
“Am I interrupting something?” She asked flatly. “Because I can go back into the bathroom while you two finish.”
“We were just discussing how to pick up her car from the club. She’ll need to go home and change before she has to go to work.”
Dawn glanced between the two of them a few times. She knew that he was lying. “Fine. You can drop Crys and me off at the club so that she can take me home.”
Jerrit’s stomach dropped at the thought of being away from Dawn. Luckily, he had a good reason to stay with her. He was her bodyguard for awhile and there was nothing that she could do to get rid of him.
“I’ll be taking you home, Dawn. I have to be around if you change again. Even if you can control yourself in animal form, I still have to make sure that no one sees you. I am here to protect as well as guide and it would make my life easier if I don’t have to commute or stalk you.”
“I can stay with Crys. She knows what I am now so she can watch my back.”
“And what if you cannot control yourself, Dawn? Can Crystal wrestle with a three-hundred pound tiger? She’s strong, don’t get me wrong, but I think that this might be beyond her abilities.”
Dawn opened her mouth to argue then closed it again. She had no argument to make. He was right. The regret in her eyes made him want to cringe. He wanted his presence to be as much of a gift to her as hers was to him. What did he expect? He was a complete stranger to her. And besides, she did not need a man like him in her life. He had a lot of baggage, and even more enemies, that he did not need to burden her with.
Crystal’s tone was timid as she spoke for the first time. “He’s right, Dawn. I would watch your back in a heartbeat, but, truth be told, I am really weirded out by this. I wouldn’t mind some time alone to sort everything out before I commit to being a part of it all.”
Dawn nodded. “I get it, believe me.” She turned her attention back to Jerrit. “Alright, you can stick around. But Jerrit, do not threaten my friends.”
Jerrit smiled timidly. He was busted. “You heard that, did you?”
“From the bathroom.” She tapped her ear meaningfully. “Apparently my curse comes with supersonic hearing.”
His smile turned mischievous. “I can’t guarantee that I wont threaten your friends again, especially if they are as obnoxious as this one, but I will do my best.”
Jerrit grabbed a pair of sunglasses from a table beside the door and placed them over his eyes. “So shall we go?” Jerrit did not wait for a response. He simply turned, opened the door and headed out.
Dawn shook her head in disbelief. She followed him out the door, with a smile on her face. If he thought that Crystal was annoying then he had no idea what he was in for.
