A Jaguars Touch by Lacey Thorn

move and open our doors, we need to be damn sure we’re not inviting the enemy in with us.”
    “Exactly what I was thinking,” Reno agreed. “We need to remain cautious.”
    “Our inner circle stays together,” Tah stated. “Abby and I, Reno and Amia, Logan and Clara, Zane and Diane, Holt, Kenzie, Vic and the Professor.”
    “Ariel and Griffin?” Vic asked.
    “Use caution for now. I don’t know them well enough to trust them,” Tah said. “And I won’t have my mate and child around people I can’t trust with their lives.”
    “Agreed,” Reno said.
    “What about Kenzie’s mate?” Abby asked. “What if Holt ends up mating? Or Vic?”
    Vic shook her head, but Tah spoke before she could.
    “We’ll discuss it if and when it happens,” Tah said. “As for Gabriel… I’d say he’s already proven himself with the job he does, with the way he protected Zane and Diane. We may not like the choice he made to leave Kenzie. But none of us have walked in his shoes.”
    “What did he say when you spoke to him?” Vic asked. She didn’t know if the others had already heard about the conversation, but Kenzie was her friend, too. And she wanted answers. “Other than the information about Riverton, Oklahoma?”
    “He asked me to make sure we looked out for Kenzie and kept her safe. I could see how much it was killing him to walk away from her. Zane noticed the same thing. And we both picked up on the fact Gabriel felt as if he didn’t have a choice,” Tah added. “I’m guessing we’re all finally starting to see why he felt that way.”
    “I—” Vic began, wanting to question what he meant by keep her safe, but a knock on the door cut her off.
    “Come in,” Tah called, and an angry Zane shoved it wide.
    “She’s gone,” he said, and the way his gaze locked with Vic’s let her know exactly who he was talking about.
    “Shit,” she muttered under her breath, drawing several gazes her way.
    “Who?” Tah demanded.
    “Kenzie,” Zane said. “She and Holt are both gone, and I don’t think they just went out for fresh air. Did they?” he asked, looking right at Vic.
    “What makes you think Vic knows anything about this?” Tah asked Zane though he was staring at her.
    “Kenzie has been avoiding everyone,” Zane answered. “She hasn’t seen Diane since my mate went up to check on her after Regan was born. Kenzie hasn’t spoken to anyone since then except Holt and more recently, Vic.”
    “What are you? A stalker?” Vic asked.
    “Diane and I were worried, so I’ve been keeping an eye on Kenzie,” he said.
    “What’s going on?” Tah asked, and this time he was directing his question at Vic.
    “I don’t know,” Vic said. “All I know is Kenzie said she needed to take care of something, and she needed to do it by herself. She and Holt will meet us in Oklahoma.”
    “Did she tell you what it was she needed to take care of?” Zane demanded. “Where exactly she was headed?”
    “I didn’t ask,” Vic said. “I trust Kenzie. She said she’ll meet us there, and she will. What’s the big deal?”
    “Kenzie could be in danger,” Tah said softly.
    “More danger than normal?” Vic asked.
    “Her mate is a legend, an angel who takes vengeance. She would definitely be a prize hunters would want to get their hands on,” Tah said.
    “I asked her if she was going to put herself in danger. She wasn’t. She’s smart, crafty. Holt’s with her. Whatever this is, she needed it. Trust me. She looked like utter hell,” Vic said.
    “Well that could be because there’s a chance she might be pregnant,” Zane stated.
    “What?” Tah thundered, cutting off anything Vic might have said.
    Her head was spinning. Kenzie? Pregnant?
    “The shot she was given by the Professor,” Zane said, glaring at the other man. “The drug he used on Diane to force ovulation did the same to Kenzie.”
    The Professor said nothing. They all knew he felt what he’d done was justified.
    “Shit,” Tah said.