A Very Jaguar Christmas Read Online Free Page A

TV.
    That’s what she was thinking of when she pulled into the Ruby’s Burgers parking lot and saw Everett and Howard getting out of Everett’s vehicle. She frowned. Had they been given the same assignment? Another test to see how they handled a situation like this where they didn’t know she was going to be on their team? Or maybe she was supposed to manage this on her own before they had a chance.
    Everett’s eyes widened a bit. He appeared totally surprised. She hoped she hid her surprise better.
    After Everett had given her the awful news that Matt had died in the jungle, she’d learned from his sister how he’d risked his life and Lacy’s to bring Matt’s body home. She’d been so broken up at the time that she hadn’t ever thanked Everett properly. He had seemed just as upset and uncomfortable about bringing her the news. Matt and Everett had been like brothers, and Matt’s death had been just as hard on him. So Demetria and Everett had continued to avoid each other, though she’d run into him a number of times when he’d gone home to see his family and she was visiting Tammy there.
    She took a deep breath and stalked toward Brayden, ready to take care of this business on her own like a Guardian normally would.

Chapter 2
    Demetria’s dark-brown eyes stared right back at Everett, ready to challenge him. Or maybe she was angry that he had taken Bruce down instead of letting her have the honors.
    Why had she been given the same assignment, but hadn’t been assigned to their team? Knowing Martin, it was his way of throwing a wrench into the works by creating more of a challenge and forcing the agents to deal with it to prove they could handle another branch’s unforeseen involvement.
    â€œHell,” Howard said. “What’s she doing here? Did you know she broke an Enforcer’s nose on her last mission? That’s probably why she’s here without a partner.”
    Everett hadn’t heard that story. But that was the point of this training, to team up with someone from another branch and learn how to get along. “How did it happen?”
    â€œShe’s quick and accurate.”
    Everett got that. He frowned at Howard. “ Why did it happen?”
    â€œNow that’s what we’re all dying to know.” Howard laughed. “But Petrov isn’t telling, and no one has had any luck getting the truth out of her.”
    Everett still wondered why Demetria had been fighting her cousin, both of them in their jaguar coats, that time he’d tried to break up the fight. And he had broken it up, although not exactly as planned—the fight had stopped when Demetria injured him.
    She was a beautiful black jaguar, a rarer variety than the usual beige or brown, and her coloration appealed to him. Maybe because his brother and mother were black jaguars, and he loved how sleek they were, how beautifully they blended in with the night.
    Demetria and her cousin, Taramae, had been snarling and biting, and he had only wanted to stop the fighting before either of the women got hurt. He’d dated Taramae once after he’d learned Matt was seeing Demetria, mistakenly thinking she might be like her cousin. Everett soon learned she wasn’t. All she could do was put Demetria down, and Everett hadn’t liked it one bit.
    Brayden watched all three of them approach, Demetria from the south and Everett and Howard from the east, but he stood his ground, looking wary, with his hands shoved in jeans pockets and his unkempt curly, blond hair hanging down to his shirt collar.
    Two of the boys with him had shaggy brown hair and their arms folded across their chests. One of them was wearing black jeans and a light jacket; the other, blue jeans and a heavy sweater. They sized up Everett and Howard. The other two boys were clean-cut, nicely dressed, and didn’t seem to fit in with the rest. Sometimes teens like that could be the