Cougar's First Christmas by Jessie Donovan Page B

with a gloved finger before pulling the nearby chair close and sitting down. She took Sean’s giant paw in her hands, and braced herself to wait.
     
    ~~~
     
    Lauren had been dozing, but she was awake enough to register Lisa’s voice over the intercom. “Stay still, Lauren, and keep your eyes shut. Sean’s waking up and we don’t know what kind of state he’ll be in.”
    It took everything she had to not open her eyes. If Sean’s animal half was in charge and wild like the others had warned her about, then making eye contact could be fatal. No, it was best to remain still and control her breathing until her next set of instructions.
    Yet as the seconds ticked by, she grew nervous. If Sean were awake and conscious, he would’ve made some sort of noise to get her attention.
    Come on, babe, say something.
    But it wasn’t Sean’s meow she heard but rather Lisa’s voice again. “He’s staring at you and sniffing the air. Open your eyes slowly. If you see recognition in his eyes, let me know. Otherwise, talk to him in a soothing voice to try to get his human-half to recognize you and come to the forefront of his mind.”
    Lisa hadn’t given her a reason not to trust her, so with a slow inhalation, Lauren opened her eyes. A pair of light-blue cougar eyes stared at her. Searching his eyes, there was no recognition there, just curiosity and confusion.
    Remembering what Lisa had told her when confirming her pregnancy, Lauren had an idea as to why, so she said in a soothing voice, “Right now, you don’t know who I am, but my scent is confusing you because you can smell your own scent mixed with mine.” The cougar merely stared. Lauren forced aside her sadness at the love of her life not recognizing her and decided to push a little further. “Your scent is part of me because, Sean Fisher, I’m carrying your child.”
    Sean in cougar-form tilted his head. He’s not convinced yet. “I’m going to raise my arm for you to get a better whiff, okay? Then you’ll really be able to smell the mixture of scents.”
    Before Lisa could tell her not to do it, Lauren slowly raised her arm until it was about six inches from the cougar’s nose. Despite how much she believed in her shifter, her heart was racing. One of Lisa’s theories about the drug used on Sean was that it would chemically damage a shifter’s brain in such a way that only the animal side could take control.
    Meaning, she might never get her man back.
    No. She wasn’t about to give up just yet.
    Her patience paid off as the cougar leaned closer and sniffed her arm. His nose even touched the sleeve of her shirt. Hopefully, the material would be enough to protect her just in case she could catch whatever Sean had.
    The big cat sniffed up her arm until it reached her neck. A small flash of fear shot through her body at that powerful jaw so close to her own, but she quickly pushed it aside. If she didn’t believe in Sean, then who would? Keeping still, she said, “The scent is strongest where my neck meets my shoulder. Take a deep sniff, kitty cat, and when your animal instincts recognize I’m telling the truth, allow the human half back in control.” She turned her head slightly to meet the cougar’s intense blue gaze. “I need him to help protect our baby. Please.”
    She swore she saw something flash in the cat’s eyes, but Lauren didn’t want to get her hopes up. Remaining logical and collected was her best chance at bringing Sean back.
    Since the room was dead quiet, the sound of the cougar sniffing her neck was especially loud. Normally, she loved it when he sniffed her neck in cat form before licking her jaw. The thought of Sean never doing that again squeezed her heart.
    As the cat continued to breathe in her scent, all Lauren could do was wait and hope for the best.

 
    Chapter Seven
     
     
     
    Sean was a prisoner inside his own body. He instinctively knew he was awake, yet all he saw was blackness. A few times in the past, when he’d been