More than a Cheetah (Shifty Book 6) Read online

“Alright, I’ll see you soon.” I hung up the phone and pulled away from our little rented house.

  “What’s going on?” Haiden blinked the sleep from his eyes, yawning even as he leaned his chair back into sitting-position.

  “Oh, I left my keys at the hotel by the museum but Brooke sent them back with some of my other friends.” I explained, getting back on the highway for the few-mile stretch between my house and Leah’s.

  “Okay.” Haiden nodded, still looking sleepy.

  “You’re not a morning person, are you?” I smiled wryly as Haiden grimaced.

  “Not at all.” He yawned again. “Like I said, 2 AM is the artist’s hour.”

  “I get it.” I shrugged. “I used to stay up late. When I started at Harvard, though, I realized real quick that I’d do terrible in my classes if I didn’t make a sleep schedule and watch what I ate. So I took care of myself.”

  When I finished talking, I frowned and realized what I’d done.

  I’d opened up to Haiden without even deciding to do it. I’d just gone and told him something about me, about my past.

  Granted, he was my soulmate. I was supposed to open up to him. But I just didn’t do that. Not to my friends, definitely not to my family, and hardly ever to Brooke, who was literally like my sister.

  After one day, I was opening up to Haiden? What was I doing?

  “That’s cool.” Haiden smiled. He must’ve realized how lucky he was or something, because literally, I didn’t tell people things unless I had to.

  I turned onto the bumpy dirt road that led to Leah’s and Sav’s houses, and figured I should at least try to explain to Haiden about the massive group that was my friends.

  “So, have you seen the Shifty channel on YouTube?” I checked. “The one that was the motivation behind the university and the peace summit and everything?”

  “I saw a few videos.” Haiden nodded. “Everyone has, I think.”

  “Right, well, all the girls in the videos are my friends. We called ourselves the Shifty Chicks in high school. There are ten of us, plus this one girl that Leah brought in… Anyway, everyone does things together and there’s a lot of us, so I thought you’d want a head’s up.”

  “Really? You guys started the channel?” he asked.

  “Yep.” I smiled a little. “I was at the peace summit, too. Almost died a few times, but it was worth it.”

  “That’s awesome.” Haiden admired.

  “Nah, we just want to make things better for shifters.” I brushed it off.

  “Well you’re doing it.” Haiden told me. “Every shifter I meet is talking about Shifty University. They’re all excited that we’ll finally have a place where we’re normal and fit in.”

  “That’s the point.” I agreed.

  I pulled up in front of Leah’s house, parking in the driveway. They hardly ever drove anywhere, thanks to their furry second forms. Her wolf shifter pack was massive, but everyone lived close enough to run to.

  Part of me had always wondered what it would be like to belong to a pack. To have a big family, looking out for you. To have people who would take care of you if you needed help, or listen to you if you needed some advice.

  Then again, I had the girls. They were pretty much the same thing.

  We were one big, wonky pack, and that was good enough for me.

  “Hello?” I called out, opening the door to Leah’s house. She always made sure everyone knew that her house had an open-door policy. Anyone could come in whenever they wanted, no matter what was going on.

  I didn’t hear anything, so I figured she was probably at Sav’s place. With two little babies, her house wasn’t quiet unless she wasn’t home.

  “This is Sav’s house.” I told Haiden, as I led him to the home next door to Leah’s. Sav didn’t like people to just walk into her house, so I knocked on the door.

  “Hello?” a little girl’s voice called out as the door swung open. Lyssie, Sav’s niece-slash-daughter (long story), jumped out in the doorway. “Auntie Jazz!” Lyssie shrieked, launching herself at my legs. I scooped her up into my arms and stepped inside, grinning as the little girl pressed a kiss to my cheek.

  “Hey, Lyss.” I made a face at her, and she busted up laughing.

  “You’re pretty.” Lyssie teased me, poking my face.

  “Thanks.” I smiled, and she noticed Haiden behind me.

  “Who’s that?” she pointed at my mate.

  “Who is it, Lyss?” Sav came out of her kitchen, holding one of Leah’s babies. I could never remember which one was which, the twins looked exactly the same.

  “Auntie Jazz and a boy.” Lyssie shrugged and looked up at me, expecting an answer to her question.

  “This is Haiden.” I gestured to the man who had stepped up next to me. “He’s my soulmate, Lyssie.” I explained.

  “Oh.” Lyssie nodded, and Sav smiled.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Sav.” My short-haired friend smiled and then disappeared back into the kitchen, probably busy with something related to the university. We had six days left before school started, so everyone was a bit stressed.

  “Can you put me down?” Lyssie asked me.

  “Of course.” I winked at her as I put her back on the floor, and she winked back. We’d been working on that, so I grinned when she winked.

  She hurried off into the living room, and Haiden and I followed her.

  “Hey, Jazz.” Leah said, absentmindedly. She was going through a stack of papers, signing by the sticky-notes that flagged different lines in the document. Sav was the one responsible for signing documents, so I figured Leah was playing forger for a day.

  Shh, don’t tell anyone. We could get sued for that.

  Then again, you can get sued for anything these days. So you might as well tell someone; add it to the list of lawsuits against Shifty University. It wouldn’t be the first and definitely wouldn’t be the last.

  “Hey.” Skye smiled from the side of the room. She was rocking the other baby, humming a song. He looked like he’d just been crying, so she must’ve been calming him down.

  “This is Haiden.” I gestured to my mate.

  Leah looked up, a smile appearing on her face.

  “Oh! I forgot you found your mate.” She apologized. “Hi, I’m Leah.”

  “Hi.” Haiden nodded at her.

  “I’m Skye.” The wolf shifter spoke up, though her words were still quiet. She didn’t want to disturb the baby, and I didn’t blame her. Those suckers screamed louder than Brooke could.

  “We just came to get my bag.” I said.

  “Oh, it’s in Lyssie’s room. She wanted to watch it for you.” Sav explained.

  “Thanks.” I left Haiden with the girls to grab the suitcase from upstairs.

  When I came back down, Haiden was sitting on the floor next to Lyssie. She was coloring with one hand, shoving a crayon into his face with the other hand.

  “Be nice, Lyss.” Sav warned from the kitchen, where she was somehow managing to type into her laptop with one hand.

  “Tell him to color.” Lyssie complained, then looked at me.

  Her hand kept moving with the crayon, coloring on without her eyes.

  “Auntie Jazz, tell him to color.” She pouted at me, and I shook my head.

  “You can’t force someone to color.” I told her, but sat next to her. “Can I tell you a secret, though?” I asked, leaning in closer.

  “Yes.” She nodded quickly. Lyssie loved being in on secrets.

  “Haiden loves coloring. If you ask him nicely, he would probably like to color with you.” I whispered. Lyssie’s eyes widened, and then she turned to Haiden. I could see a hint of a smile on his face.

  “Please color with me?” she asked.

  “Okay, but only for a few minutes.” Haiden agreed. Lyssie’s face lit up, and she handed him a crayon.

  As the two of them colored together, it occurred to me that someday (not in the even almost near future), Haiden would be sitting on the ground, coloring next to
our own children.

  For some reason, the idea made me smile.

  But that wouldn’t be for a long, long time.

  Anyway, yeah.

  Chapter 9

  Lyssie wasn’t happy when I told her that Haiden and I needed to leave, but she was glad that Haiden was done coloring with her. She didn’t think his artwork was up to par with hers, which left me with a broad grin on my face.

  “Oh, by the way,” Sav called out as we were leaving. “We’re furnishing the university tomorrow, if you want to come help.”

  “Okay.” I called back.

  I couldn’t stop grinning the whole ten minutes to Haiden’s apartment building.

  “Should I be offended that you’re happy because a two-year-old didn’t like my art skills?” Haiden asked, though I could see his smile.

  He parked the car, and I opened my door.

  “Hey, I have to take what I can get. I look like a loser next to you, the famous Haiden Day.” I walked around to the back of the car, grabbing a garbage bag full of clothes and a few grocery bags full of other things. Haiden took my suitcase and this massive, heavy box that had filled the back seat.

  “Give it a few days and people will know your name right alongside mine. You’re my soulmate, what’s mine is yours. Fame and all.”

  “Don’t say that.” I shook my head at him as he locked the car. “I don’t want the world to see my face.”

  “Why not?” Haiden wondered. “You’re beautiful.”

  I couldn’t help the blush that practically blew up my face. Wow, I didn’t realize my face could get so hot.

  I’d been called a lot of things before—stupid, filthy, smart, genius, crazy, strange, hot… But I’d never been called beautiful before.

  Not to say that I didn’t feel pretty, because I did. I was comfortable with my body and my face and my look. But there was something about the word beautiful that made me feel different.

  I didn’t respond as Haiden led me up three flights of stairs, I was too busy being shell-shocked to say anything.

  Really, beautiful? Out of all the words he could’ve used, he had chosen beautiful?

  Well, he chose correctly, because my attraction to the guy was growing by the second. He was okay with coloring with little kids, he didn’t have a problem with my hoard of friends, he was considerate, he thought I was important and beautiful…

  Geez, the list could’ve gone on for a day, and I’d only known him for a day.

  Get it? A Day? Like, as in, a Haiden Day?

  Okay, I’ll stop.

  Really, though. That was a great pun. I’ll tell Brooke, she’ll think it’s funny.

  Right, anyway. Back to the story.

  We dropped the stuff just a little way inside the apartment/house. Living quarters, maybe? That word might work better. Then, we looked around.

  The first thing I noticed was the windows. Oh gosh, the windows. They made the whole place feel big and open and welcoming. I hadn’t lived in a home that felt like a home for over ten years, but that place… well, it was home.

  Somehow.

  Despite having been there for one minute.

  Alright, now I really sound crazy. Oh well.

  I didn’t know why it felt like home to me, but it did. That was a strange feeling, one I hadn’t felt in so long that I almost had to wonder what exactly I was feeling. But remembering my parents, the home they had created for us…

  Well, being with Haiden felt like that.

  I had never realized that could happen so quickly, but I guess when the Creator puts two people together, He knows how to make it work between them.

  Anyway. The kitchen was modern, which I loved. The cupboards were white and the counters were gray , with silver appliances galore. It was all shiny and new, just like mine and Haiden’s relationship.

  Oh gosh, someone help me please. I’m turning into a cheeseball more and more by the minute, this is not good.

  Then again, I’ve seen so many rom-coms with Brooke, I guess it’s unavoidable. When you put the cheese into your brain, you’d better be ready for it to come out.

  Alright this time I’ll really focus on the story. Sorry, sorry.

  The living room was big and cozy, with a TV set up and mounted over a fireplace. That would come in handy in like, two minutes, because it was freezing cold. Living in Glacier in the winter was like living on a glacier.

  Wow, I am just full of puns today.

  “What do you think?” Haiden asked. I looked over at him and shook my head, then his expression fell. “We can move somewhere else, or change it. This doesn’t have to be permanent, it—“

  “Haiden, it’s perfect.” I told him, and I was one hundred percent sincere. I hadn’t even seen the whole place yet, but I loved it.

  “Want to see the rest?” he asked, relaxing after I told him I liked it.

  “Of course.”

  I followed him to the left of the kitchen, and I guess this is where my explaining starts lacking a bit.

  You see, the apartment building Haiden had built was big. Like, big. We were on the fifth floor, for crying out loud. But then again, we weren’t on the fifth floor. Our house was the fifth floor.

  So imagine a big, two-story house, spread out on one floor. That’s what ours was like.

  To the left of the kitchen was sort of our area of the house. In our room there was a massive bed (it wasn’t made, another relief to know Haiden wasn’t perfect), along with the master bathroom (talk about fancy shower, like, that’s the kind of shower a king would have) and two dressers.

  Behind the bedroom, there were two rooms. To the right was Haiden’s room, that was obvious. There was an easel up and a painting that looked finished sitting on it. The table on the side of the room held a clean palette and a few paintbrushes.

  The room to the left of that was my room.

  Or at least my office; Haiden had a studio, I had an office.

  All there was in my room was a desk with a comfy-looking chair.

  “I left it open for you to do what you want with it.” Haiden explained. “But it looked sort of sad when it was empty, so I had to put something in here.”

  “Ah.” I nodded. “Cool. Thank you.” I gave him a tentative smile.

  It was like he had known me before he actually knew me. I would need my own space—I loved having my own space. Space to nerd out, or work, or introvert my way out of stress. I needed alone time, and Haiden understood that.

  I was seriously the luckiest girl in the world.

  “Alright, so this part of the house I’m not so sure about…” Haiden admitted. He led me to the area on the right side of the kitchen, which was formatted almost the same way as our side. The major difference was that the two rooms were a little smaller, and not the exact same sizes. One of them had a cut out, which led to the easiest-accessible bathroom.

  He pointed to the room on the right, which had a bookshelf and just a few books on it.

  “I figure this will be some sort of a study room for the kids, whenever they come along. I didn’t want us to have to move everything when we have kids, because I hate moving.” He explained. “We can put desks and a computer in here or something, if you think that’s a good idea.”

  “Okay.” I nodded. I liked where he was going with that. Our kids would definitely get good educations. That was important to me, and I wanted it to be important to them too.

  Gosh, it was weird to think of my future kids.

  Mine and Haiden’s future kids.

  Mini Day’s

  Too much to think about. Right, moving on.

  “This room,” he pointed to the one on the left. “Will be a toy room. They can play with friends and dolls or trucks or whatever.” He shrugged.

  Okay, I was officially impressed. He planned a study room and a playroom for kids we hadn’t even thought about having yet? With a soulmate who he hadn’t met?

  Wow.

  How many guys would think about that?

  “Thi
s will be the kids’ room. If you want, we can put up another wall here, to split up the boys and girls. I wasn’t sure how many kids you wanted, so yeah…” he scratched his neck, and for the first time, I noticed a blush creeping up his neck.

  Wow, okay, he was cute when he blushed.

  “Why are you embarrassed?” I asked, honestly curious.

  “I don’t know.” Haiden admitted, his cheeks flushing to match his neck. “This is… intimate. I’m showing you this place I designed while you’re the architect, and I just feel like it’s not good enough.”

  “It’s incredible.” I stepped closer. I wanted to put my hand on his arm, but I wasn’t sure he would want that so I didn’t. “I wouldn’t have done it any differently myself.”

  Okay, that might not have been completely true, but it really was awesome. The differences in our designs would’ve been purely personality-based.

  “I never knew what to expect with you.” Haiden pulled that out of nowhere, and I could tell by his tone of voice that he was being serious. He was about to tell me something he meant. “I didn’t know what you would be like. Would you love traveling? Would you have brown eyes? Green eyes? Would you have a family that would never approve of me?

  “I didn’t dare hope for certain qualities or anything like that, because I didn’t want to be disappointed. But now that I’ve met you…” he shook his head. “You’re better than anything or anyone I would’ve hoped for. You’re beautiful, smart, sassy, and sweet. I couldn’t have imagined anyone better for me than you.” He said.

  My eyes widened.

  Those were big words to be saying to someone you had just met, especially when that someone was someone who didn’t trust easily.

  “Thank you.” I said. My voice was quiet, probably because I was confused and wondering what in the heck I was supposed to say to that.

  I mean, yeah. Haiden was perfect for me. That much I wouldn’t bother denying, first because he was my soulmate and second because he’d gone and proved it to be true in just twenty-four hours. But I wasn’t good with words the way he was, I wasn’t ready to just spew everything I was thinking out to someone I’d known for such a short time.

  “You don’t need to reply, I was just telling you how I feel.” Haiden looked at me with this tender, soft look on his face.