Howard and Vaughn shifted and Vaughn raced into the cabin, while Howard ran around to the back door.

  Val started to jerk off her long T-shirt and her bikini.

  “You’re shifting?” Jillian asked, sounding surprised.

  “Yeah, in case the guy makes it past Vaughn. We need to stop shifters without using bullets, if we can.” Val shifted, headed inside the cabin, and planted herself in the entryway, readying herself for action. She stared at the mess the perps had made of their place—couch and chairs turned upside down, throw rugs tossed about, decorator pillows in a pile on the floor. She could just imagine what they’d done in the other rooms.

  Then someone cried outside at the back of the cabin. Val wanted to tear around and see what was going on or help Howard. Doing something was better than doing nothing.

  Howard gave a frustrated jaguar roar. Vaughn barked at him, and Val assumed Vaughn had gone out the back door or a window after the culprit. Even though she wanted to join them, she stayed put in case they had more trouble on this side.

  Then Vaughn loped into the cabin and shifted. “The man got away. He must have heard our voices and taken off before we could reach him.”

  Jillian frowned. “Aren’t we going to chase after him?”

  “Could be an ambush. I was waiting to see if Howard wanted to go, but he indicated no,” Vaughn said.

  Jillian and Vaughn went outside, and he dressed.

  Howard came into the cabin, rubbed against Val, then headed outside. She joined him so she could shift and dress alongside him. “No going after him?” She pulled on her bikini bottoms.

  Howard pulled on his board shorts. “Nope. It wasn’t Benny or Eric either. The guy took off as a jaguar, and by the looks of things, a jaguar tore some of the things up in the cabin, so they didn’t just ransack it as humans. Did you smell Eric’s and Benny’s scents in the cabin?”

  “Yeah,” Val and Vaughn said.

  “Well, going to the beach was a setup. Benny sent someone else to do his dirty work, and that gave the others time to ransack the car and cabin. Most likely to search for the drugs, money, and other stuff we took from the drug house. I didn’t want to leave the two of you here alone in case they’d try to take you out while we were off chasing the one guy.” He helped her fasten her bikini top.

  Vaughn said, “Let’s check out the other place—I suspect it will look like this one—and then we’ll fix lunch.”

  When they entered the other cabin, they found everything tossed about like at the other place.

  “Benny and Eric were here too,” Howard said.

  “Letting us know they’re onto us, and they aren’t taking this lying down,” Jillian said.

  “They have to know that if they killed us, a ton more agents would descend on the area,” Vaughn said.

  “Yeah. But Eric will want his stuff back, and he’ll want revenge. And then he’ll disappear. He had a nice little drug operation going here too.” Howard headed for the bedrooms to check them out.

  Vaughn went with him. Val noticed how well they worked together, acting in sync, no one having to tell the others what they were doing, just doing it.

  “Did they steal anything?” Val asked Vaughn.

  “Doesn’t look like it. They were just looking for their stash.”

  “They won’t find it here.” Val was glad they had sent it with the Guardian agents, who had turned it over to their chief when they arrived home.

  “I opt for a quick shower,” Howard said.

  “Jillian and I can wash off in the outdoor shower since we didn’t get in the ocean. We just need to rinse off our sandy feet and legs.”

  “Okay, sounds good,” Val said. She and Howard were sandy, salty, and needed to wash up and change. “Does everyone feel safe enough with two to a cabin for now? Or should we post guards?”

  “I’d say post guards. You can buddy up in the shower to make it quicker,” Vaughn said.

  Jillian and Val laughed. “You think it would be quicker that way?” Val asked.

  * * *

  Smiling, Howard took Val’s hand and led her to the bathroom while Jillian and Vaughn rinsed off outside and watched over the place.

  Howard turned on the shower, and Val hurried to pull off her shirt and bathing suit in the bathroom. She carried them into the glassed-in shower stall and rinsed them out before setting them on a faux marble shelf. He yanked his board shorts off and followed her into the shower, rinsing his suit out like she’d done and setting it on top of the shelf too. If it had been just him, he would have tossed his board shorts on the floor and washed them later. And gotten down to the most important business first.

  Since they had agreed to a mating, what better way to enjoy their first mated lovemaking than in the shower? Howard was eager to enjoy every minute of it with Val. They first rinsed off some of the salt water covering their skin. Then he poured peach body soap on his hands and she did the same with hers. They began to wash each other, warm hands stroking over heated flesh. Her skin was satiny and smooth even without the soap, but with it, his hands just slid down every inch of her body with silky caresses. She was doing the same to him, and every lingering touch was sending his pheromones into a tailspin. His cock was already stretching out to her, straining with need.

  “I’m crazy in love with you,” he breathed out, his voice rough with desire, his heart and hers thudding in overdrive.

  “I’m crazy about you too, you big ol’ cat,” she purred against his mouth.

  He kissed her mouth with passion and craving. Her lips and his were still salty from the sea, hers soft and malleable beneath his. Their tongues tasted and teased each other’s as he pressed his cock against her belly, showing her just how much she aroused him.

  He moved his hands down her back, lower, until he reached her buttocks, cupped them, and pulled her tight against him.

  She moaned against his mouth and ran her hands down his sides, kissing his shoulder, licking his wet skin. His hands shifted to her breasts, and he massaged them before moving his hand lower between her legs and beginning to kiss her. Her hands shifted to his cock, and she began to stroke him as he was stroking her. She was a slice of heaven on earth and all his.

  He was already wringing her out, her hands stilling on his arousal. Then she transferred her hands to his hips and clung to him as if she was ready to collapse on the tile floor.

  She kissed his mouth with exuberance, and he thought she was struggling to be as quiet as she could be, but she needn’t have been. The others would understand.

  He stroked her clit faster and harder, knowing she was close to reaching the pinnacle, and she came apart under his touch, crying out, dissolving. He quickly lifted her against the tile and sank his cock deep inside her as she wrapped her legs around him and he began to thrust.

  * * *

  Howard was so good at this. He had already pushed Val to the limits, his finger stroking her clit, his other hand caressing a breast, their tongues mingling before they pressed their lips together again and kissed. Her fingers dug into his hips to keep some semblance of control, but when it came to him, she was lost in his ministrations. She’d felt the climax rising and then slamming into her. She’d tried to stifle the cry that had bubbled up but only partly managed it. Howard quickly kissed her, lifting her so that he could embed his cock deep inside her. Then he thrust.

  Ohmigod, he was an amazing lover, and she treasured every new experience with him. She loved being mated to him and kissed his jaw as he settled her against the wall and continued to thrust into her. She reveled in the powerful feel of his hot cock sliding inside her, loved the way his hands gripped her buttocks to support her, the way his muscles strained with the effort, the way his face was tense with concentration and pleasure.

  She could tell from the strain on his face that he was about to come, and she kissed his chin, right before he growled low with relief and his hot seed bathed her deep inside. “You…are…amazing,” she gasped out, then licked his chest.

  He groaned, then hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head. He finally set her down on the tile floor, pulling out at the same time. “You are too, honey. Just beautiful.”

  They took their time washing each other again, exploring, getting to know each other.

  Once they were done, Howard turned off the water and smiled down at her, and she chuckled. “So much for a quick shower to clean off.”

  He laughed. “Hell, the wolves would have expected no less from us.”

  They hung up their bathing suits and her shirt to dry, grabbed towels, wrapped themselves up in them, and hurried out of the bathroom to go to the bedroom and dress.

  As soon as they were wearing jeans, boots, and T-shirts, they left the bedroom. Val and Howard checked all their stuff and didn’t find anything missing. “Nothing missing that I can see,” Val said to Jillian and Vaughn when they joined them outside.

  “Let’s have lunch and plan our next move,” Vaughn said, and everyone agreed.

  Chapter 18

  At Jillian’s cabin, Vaughn said, “Okay, so we talked of all staying in one cabin before Everett and Demetria said they were arriving. We won’t have an extra bedroom, but the couch in each of the cabins makes into a bed.”

  “We can draw straws and decide who takes the couch,” Val said as they entered the cabin.

  Howard would have been sleeping there if he hadn’t just found a mate. And since Val didn’t even know Everett and Demetria, Howard preferred that he and Val had a bedroom.

  Everyone straightened up the place, and then they congregated in the kitchen to make lunch.

  “We’ll take the couch.” Jillian pulled out the ingredients for the meal.

  Howard really thought jaguars should sleep in the living room, in case anyone had the notion of breaking in. They would be foolhardy if they did. Everyone would be sleeping naked and ready to shift at a moment’s notice.

  “Unless Everett or Demetria don’t want to go along with it, I vote they stay in the living room. Better protection for everyone,” Howard said.

  “That’s what happens when you come last to the party.” Jillian smiled and began cooking sliced chicken in a pan, adding chicken broth and seasonings to a corn dough, then steaming tamales in plantain leaves.

  Howard was certain the Andersons wouldn’t mind in the least. They’d been mated the longest, though it hadn’t been all that long. Last year, actually. He pulled out bottles of water for them while they worked on lunch. Val set the table.

  The aroma of the seasoned chicken made Howard’s stomach rumble. Val ran her hand over his stomach and smiled up at him. He was hungry for her too.

  “So which cabin should we stay at?” Val asked as they sat down at the table to eat.

  “I’d say we should stay here, since it’s closer to Benny’s cabin. Just in case,” Jillian said.

  Vaughn mixed up margaritas for everyone.

  Everyone agreed. The one room had already been Howard’s, so Val could move right in with him. And Jillian and Vaughn had been staying in the other room.

  “I wonder if they ransacked Rowdy’s cabin. They would have smelled his scent around our places and the drug house where we had the fight, so they’ll know he was with us. And maybe believe he’s still with us.” Howard picked up his tamale.

  “Unless someone else has already moved into the cabin,” Val said.

  “True.” Howard bit into his tamale. “Damn good.”

  “They are. I love making a different version back home, so I wanted to try this one out here. Now when we return, it will feel like we’ve brought some of Belize with us,” Jillian said.

  “We need to learn to make them.” Val smiled at Howard. “As to the bad guys, they probably believe Rowdy’s here to help us fight them and that he wouldn’t run off like that. We could check Rowdy’s cabin after lunch. Somebody else might be staying there and get a real shock.”

  Jillian sipped some of her margarita. “I had another thought. Eric and the others would have smelled Emmie’s and Izzie’s scents at our cabins. They might have been trying to learn if the women were still here too.”

  “Oh, I hadn’t thought of that,” Val admitted.

  Vaughn pulled out his cell. “I need to bring the Andersons up to speed.” He called them and put it on speaker. “Hey, guys.” He told them all that had happened.

  Everett swore. “You guys haven’t taken them down yet? I was hoping we could land and just have a vacation.”

  “Yeah, I know you want to take part in this,” Howard said. “Besides, we already took some time off to enjoy the beach.”

  “Don’t tell Demetria that. She packed bathing suits, beach towels, and suntan lotion. I keep telling her we’re on a mission first,” Everett said.

  Everyone smiled. Jillian said, “Soon, we hope.”

  “We have two cabins, but we’re putting the two of you on the couch in one and we’ll take the bedrooms. Last one to show up, you know…” Howard said.

  Everett laughed. “Sounds like a good plan to me. We just hope we don’t disturb your sleep too much if the couch is kind of squeaky. Wait, you’re staying with Val?”

  “Yeah, we’re mated.”

  Jillian raised her margarita to the newly mated couple.

  Howard knew the wolves were pleased to see them mate and bring Val onto the team.

  “Well, hot damn!” Everett said. “We’re getting ready to board our flight. We’ve got some celebrating to do when we meet up with you.”

  Demetria said, “Congratulations, you two. Can’t wait to see you.”

  “Same here,” Howard said, and then they signed off so the Andersons could board their plane. “Okay, so the sleeping arrangements are all set.”

  Once they finished their lunch, Val poured everyone a glass of lemonade, and they all took seats in the living room. “Okay, so what’s their next move? And our next move?”

  “I don’t think Eric will leave until he takes us out and gets his stuff back,” Jillian said. “He probably assumes we couldn’t have taken his money and drugs anywhere, not counting on the Guardians leaving on a private plane.”

  “I agree.” Vaughn took a swig of his glass of lemonade.

  “We keep hitting him hard. I suspect he’s going to want to return here and take us out but learn first where his stash is. We brought both Emmie and Izzie here for safekeeping, more of their ‘property,’ I’m sure Eric and Benny feel. The cabins are our safe houses. By ransacking them and breaking into our cars, they’re telling us to be afraid of them. That we’re not safe, here or anywhere else. Belize is their territory.” Howard drank some of the lemonade. “Great stuff.”

  “Thanks.” Val smiled at him. “Been giving this a lot of thought, have we?”

  “Yeah. I put myself in their shoes. What’s going through their heads? Of course, they have a criminal mentality, but still, it’s a combination of tactical plans and revenge. We stole their women; we took out Eric’s brother and more of their men. We invaded their ‘safe houses’ too. It’s time for retaliation. I doubt we have to go looking for them. I imagine they’ll be coming here to fight the war. The rain forest retreat is the perfect place to fight us without being seen, and a handy place to dispose of the bodies, if they’re so inclined.”

  “I agree with Howard,” Vaughn said. “So we dig in, get prepared, and take them down.”

  “All right. As a former private investigator and army military intelligence officer, I’m not used to this kind of operation. I’m more used to chasing the culprit and turning him over to the authorities. In the USF, I’m chasing the perp down, not waiting for him to show up,” Jillian said. “What if we set up the other cabin as a decoy? Maybe this one too. We could turn the TV on in one of the cabins, music on in the other, lights, but keep the shades closed. Can we simulate movement in the room? Talking? Walking around? Shadows randomly moving? As former PIs, Vaughn and I both have recorders. We could set up some conversation they can hear. So they know it’s not just the TV. Maybe plans of attack that we’re contemplating.”

  “Sounds like a good idea to me. I think we should have the jaguars in the trees, watching for any movement. We need to warn the Andersons about what we think might happen, or they could be ambushed when they arrive in the parking lot,” Val said.

  “I agree,” Vaughn said. “They’re on their flight now, but they’ll call as soon as they get in. If the jaguars are in the trees, where do you want us to be?”

  That’s what Howard loved about this team of agents. The wolves knew they were at a strong disadvantage and understood the jaguars would know better how to handle other jaguars. In wolf territory, Vaughn and Jillian took the lead.

  “Okay, we can do a couple of different things that I can think of. Join us in the trees as humans, not as wolves. We know you can’t climb them as wolves. But you can be armed and stay there until we’ve dealt with Eric and the other men. Or you can stay in one of the cabins together and wait for them there if they try to come for you. We’ll come at their backs,” Howard said.

  “We’d be bait then,” Vaughn said, nodding with approval.

  “Or you could stay at Benny’s place,” Val said. “But then they might try to gather their forces there.”

  “They’ll come at us as jaguars, don’t you think?” Jillian asked.

  Howard rubbed his chin in thought. “Unless we can hit them before they shift. They have to drive in from somewhere. If they tried to run for miles to reach here, they’d be worn out before the fight began. I suspect they’ll drive as close to the resort as they can without tipping any of us off, and then they’ll shift and move through the rain forest to our location.”

  “Then we should try to intercept them first. Jillian and me,” Vaughn said.

  Howard knew the wolves were itching for a fight. They didn’t want to hide in a house or trees, waiting for the jaguars to finish the mission. He just hoped it all worked out as they were planning it to.