The Jaguar Prince by Karen Kelley

nothing like this. Who the hell is this guy?”
    “He’s a hero,” she spoke softly.
    Rogar stood. The cat twined around his legs. He patted her neck then leaned down and said something to her. She gave his hand one lick, then in just a few moves, climbed the nearest tree. Sheba stretched out on one of the limbs, purring from deep in her throat, as though she was totally contented at the moment.
    Rogar didn’t get in any hurry as he came back to the wall. Someone lowered a rope and he swiftly climbed it. As he joined everyone up on top, people began to shake his hand and slap him on the back.
    “What did you think you were doing?” Callie asked when he was finally able to join her. “You could’ve been killed.”
    “Sheba would never hurt one of her own,” he said softly.
    Callie opened her mouth, then snapped it closed. She raised her chin a few notches. “I still don’t believe that…that you’re an alien who can change into a jaguar.”
    “Not even a little?”
    She clamped her lips together and turned on her heel. “I think the tour is over.”
    “You didn’t answer me,” he said when he caught up to her, after putting his socks and shoes back on.
    She didn’t answer him because there was a part of her that did believe him, and if she believed him, then what did that make her? She knew what it made her—crazy.
    She stopped and faced him, poking him in the chest with her finger. “You’re a flesh and blood man, not an alien, and certainly not a jaguar.”
    “You have a guide who lives in you, too, Callie. Have you not felt her talking to you? She guided you to the zoo, to work where you would be most comfortable.”
    “My guide?”
    “Yes, you share bodies with your guide.”
    “And I can share this animal’s body that lives inside me?”
    He nodded.
    She laughed. “Bull!”
    “I can teach you how to connect with your guide.”
    Was this guy for real? Yeah, he was a great magician, and it was obvious he’d worked with animals. She respected him for that, but she refused to be taken in again.
    “The tour is over.” She climbed into the Jeep. As soon as he was inside, she started the vehicle and aimed for the carport. Once there, she wasted no time pulling in and putting the Jeep in park.
    “Let’s not do this again.” She got out and walked to the petting zoo without looking back.
    But damn, she wanted to take one last look, embed him in her memory banks. She didn’t.
    “You’re back,” Gail said with obvious relief.
    “Sorry it took so long.”
    Gail leaned against the fence, absently petting the cat that came out of hiding. “Did you hear about the kid that fell into the jag’s pit?”
    “I was there.”
    She straightened. “You saw it? I heard this guy jumped into the pit and saved the boy. He hypnotized the jaguar or something. Everyone is talking about it. Is that what really happened?”
    “Pretty much,” she hedged, wanting to drop the subject, but when Gail looked as though she wanted more information, Callie relented. “He’s worked with big cats before. He’s good.”
    Gail looked disappointed, but Callie really didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Apparently, Gail finally sensed her reluctance, and let the matter drop.
    The rest of the day passed quickly. Maybe because Callie kept getting lost in thoughts of how well Rogar had worked with Sheba. The jaguar hadn’t been any more immune to his charms than had Callie.
    And maybe Callie had been a whole lot jealous. How many times had she dreamed of petting Sheba?
    She clamped her lips together. No, Rogar took dangerous chances that she would never be stupid enough to try. End of story.
    When her shift ended, her feet were heavy as she trudged to the employee parking lot. She would probably never see Rogar again. That was a good thing, though. She certainly didn’t want him in her life.
    Her car looked forlorn, off to itself, as almost everyone had left for the day. She unlocked the door and sank into the