Free Tempted by the Jaguar #1: Transformation (Riverford Shifters) by Cristina Rayne Page A

me come in on Sunday this time. By the way, thanks for the
notes.”
    “No problem. Just make sure they stay in your backpack until at least
tomorrow. You’re probably long overdue for a good snooze.”
    “Yes, Mom,” Kylie teased.
    Molly snorted. “Yeah, laugh all you want, but that’s probably why you
got sick in the first place.”
    “We might go clubbing tomorrow night,” Tara interjected. “Call me if
you feel better, and I’ll pick you up.”
    “Sounds like a plan.”
    Hopefully Hunter wouldn’t have anywhere else she needed to go. Kylie
had a feeling that her list of excuses would dry up pretty quickly otherwise.
    If you have to go a lot of places with Hunter, then there’s one
excuse that would work for everything , her mind supplied helpfully.
    The thought startled her. Then she was irritated with herself. There
was no denying that Hunter was hot, but getting involved with him would
probably be the worst thing she could do right now, especially when she hadn’t
even decided if she was going to stay or go hunting her mother’s clan.
    She snorted. As if getting involved with him was even a problem in the
first place. He hadn’t shown any romantic interest in her at all. Talk about
counting your chickens before they hatch.
    Once she was back at her apartment, Kylie began to pack up some of her
things into the few boxes she had on hand while she waited for Hunter to
arrive. The elders had told her that they would take care of hiring movers to
come on Saturday, and although she had nothing in the apartment that was
dangerous for others to see, Kylie still didn’t feel comfortable allowing total
strangers to handle her more personal items.
    While she worked, Kylie let her mind wander to all the potential jaguar
shifters Hunter would soon introduce. At the very least, it would be interesting
to see if any of them were people she actually knew. There were already a
handful of people at her university that she was pretty sure were jaguar
shifters. Jaguars and humans were the only two scents she was able to identify
with any confidence. Hopefully Karen would be able to come over to Paul’s for
lunch on Sunday and she could add cougar to the list. The rest she would have
to ask Hunter to help her with.
    She was in the process of packing up the contents of her underwear
drawer into a suitcase when she caught a whiff of a familiar scent. Her head
was already up and scenting the air before she realized what she was doing. A
bit unsettled, Kylie headed for the living room just as a loud knock sounded on
the front door.
    The scent of a jaguar was strong as she fumbled with the lock. She
supposed it was a convenient way to know who—or what—was at the door before she
bothered to answer it, but it still kind of freaked her out.
    “Hi,” Hunter said as soon as the door swung open, a smile lighting up
his face, and to her horror, Kylie’s heart instantly began to race in
excitement.
    What the hell was wrong with her? She had never reacted to a guy
like that, no matter how hot he was.
    Embarrassed, she smiled at him tightly before waving him inside. “Just
let me go grab my purse and keys and we can go.”
    “You’re just as tense and wary as the first time I stepped through this
door,” Hunter remarked. “Did something happen? A bear come sniffing already?”
    Kylie pocketed her keys and cell phone and snatched her purse from the
coffee table. “No, it’s nothing like that. My jaguar side is just freaking me
out right now.”
    Hunter raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
    She shrugged uncomfortably. “I’m just not used to reacting to things
the way a cat would. It makes me nervous because I’m not sure I should be acting that way at all, if maybe I’m letting too much of the jaguar come
through.”
    Hunter’s eyes softened in understanding. “You’re still worried about
losing control.”
    “Constantly,” Kylie admitted, though with more meaning than Hunter
could ever guess.
    “You shifted forms back