Free The Jaguar Prince by Karen Kelley Page A

again.
    “To change back, you only need to think about who you were before the change,” he said as if he sensed her thoughts.
    Okay, she could do this because she damned well didn’t want to stay a friggin’ bunny. What would that accomplish? That she could be the life of the party leading the bunny hop? That she could have hundreds of baby bunnies? That sex would be really quick—wham, bam, thank you ma’am? Actually, that pretty well summed up her sex life now.
    Nope, she was changing back ASAP. She willed her eyes, the rabbit’s eyes, to close. She thought about driving the Jaguar home and feeling the wind on her face, working at the zoo, how Mrs. Winkle would flip out if she realized Callie not only had a rabbit in the house, but a two-hundred-pound sleek muscled black jaguar.
    I want to be Callie again, she thought to herself. I want to be Callie. I want to be Callie.
    The fog once again rolled in and she began to change.
    Everything went black.
    Callie stretched her limbs. Her body ached. A burning sensation slammed her gut. She arched her back, moaning. There was pain, but not severe enough that she couldn’t stand it.
    She didn’t hear the voices this time. Only soothing words coming from Rogar as he helped her to return.
    God, she was so tired. As though she’d just run a ten-mile marathon.
    “Callie?” Rogar whispered close to her ear.
    She realized he was sitting on her bed, and she was on his lap. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. A myriad of emotions washed over her. “You weren’t lying. I’m part Symtarian.” She hiccupped.
    “No, I wasn’t lying to you.”
    “But I don’t want to be a bunny rabbit. I want to be something exotic.”
    She could feel the rumble of laughter in his chest.
    “It’s not funny. And I didn’t hear any kind of guide talking to me, either.”
    “Callie, you surprise and mystify me.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    “Don’t be.” He sighed. “I remember the first time I took another form. It terrified me.”
    “Yeah, well, it scared the crap out of me.” She frowned. Literally, actually. That was so embarrassing. Rabbit pellets on her floor. “I still didn’t hear my guide.”
    “It’s because you haven’t found each other yet. Sometimes it takes awhile for you to connect.”
    “Then I’m not a bunny?”
    “Maybe.”
    “Maybe? What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “When you take the form of your guide, then you will have a more solid connection with body, mind, and spirit.”
    Good, she was glad she probably wouldn’t be a bunny. It seemed rather demeaning. Not that she had anything against bunny rabbits. They were cute and cuddly—when they weren’t dropping pellets all over the floor.
    She sighed. “Shapeshifting hurts.”
    “Are you in pain?”
    She shook her head. “Not anymore.”
    Callie could hear Rogar’s heart beat through his shirt. It soothed away her fears. The warmth from the heat of his body enveloped her in a warm cocoon. It was cozy. She snuggled closer, feeling safe and protected for the first time in her life.
    It scared the hell out of her.
    A cool draft of air brushed over her from the bedroom window that she always left cracked open just a bit. Her eyebrows drew together as she realized something else.
    “I’m naked, aren’t I?”
    “Quite naked.”

Chapter 7
    “I t’s all right,” Rogar said.
    “No, it’s not okay that I don’t have clothes on,” Callie told him.
    “But I’ve already seen your body. I’ve felt it next to mine. You should be proud of how you look.” He still couldn’t understand why nakedness bothered her so much. Right now, it bothered him, but in a whole different way.
    She leaned a little away from him, attempting to cover her breasts. “Well, it does bother me, a lot. I hardly know you.” She sniffed.
    He tried not to laugh, but he lost the battle.
    “It’s not funny,” she complained.
    He sobered. “You’re right, it isn’t.”
    She was so