TELL ME THE TRUTH

Chapter Fifteen

Jeanne Saunier

2013

The next to arrive was the Consulere's Plumis Aquila. She had flown into the bunker in her eagle form and promptly changed back. She was around my height, fair skinned and golden-haired, and spent a good couple of minutes picking feathers off of her skirt.

Ryan and Maggie had been amused and Trudy bored. Mya had demanded to know what was so funny, and the eagle woman had muttered something about black attracting all the feathers. She'd introduced herself as Leia, informed us of the disposition of the other three Consulere members, and launched into a brief description of Rhea, Marcus, and Frankie, who would soon be arriving.

Leia hadn't been wrong, though. Not even five minutes after her arrival, a new face dropped into the bunker. Tawny hair fell to his shoulders in loose waves, and amber eyes peered out from under thick brows. Everything about him was big, from his height to the muscles that corded his body to the way he carried himself. He radiated raw power as he stalked across the room and stuck out a big hand for me to shake.

"Marcus," he introduced with a small smile.

"Jeanne," I responded, shaking his hand.

There was a tension about him, something that had him coiled and ready to spring, like a jack-in-the-box that was ready to pop up. He moved smoothly enough, but his muscles were tight, his jaw clenched.

"Marcus is our leo," Maggie explained. "Don't mind him; he's a bit of a grump."

Marcus shot a glare at her, and she smirked in response. "Just a like a child," he grumbled.

"Alright, children," a smooth voice called from the doorway, a laugh barely contained in its silky tone. "No bickering today."

I turned to face a man, who - though he was much smaller than Marcus - was just as intimidating as the lion shifter I had just met. He moved with an easy fluidity that when combined with his pitch black hair, lean build, bright green eyes, and rusty skin made him both beautiful and deadly. His smile was big and real, and I found myself drawn to him, even though he was nothing like the guys I had been attracted to in the past.

My reaction to him was confusing, and I wrapped my arms around my middle as I took a step back. While Marcus was brute strength and massive size, this newcomer was beauty and subtlety. I had no doubt he was just as dangerous as Marcus, but he had tricks up his sleeve.

He nodded at Marcus before slinking over to me and taking my hand. He squeezed it lightly before dropping it. "I'm Frankie, yaguara."

"Jeanne," I let out, taking a step back.

The yaguara man confused me more than anyone I'd ever met. The smell of rain and wet dirt surrounded him. A sense of danger crackled in the air. I wanted to be closer to him, but I also wanted to be far, far away from him. Ryan hadn't told me about any special powers the yaguara shifters had, but that didn't mean they were powerless.

Marcus pushed off of the wall he had been leaning against and came to stand beside me. "The yaguara are a pretty mysterious people," he told me. "They're a type of pellis panthera, but they only recently came out of hiding. The yaguara are more powerful than most panthera, and even we don't know much about them."

I glanced over at him; he was standing close enough that I could feel his body heat. His voice was low, soft enough that only I would be able to hear him. He was much larger than me, standing almost a full foot taller and likely a hundred pounds heavier. I wanted to fear the giant who stood beside me, but even though he was still as tense as when he'd arrived, his presence was comforting.