Feral Claws (The Midnight Panther Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  “My parents were murdered in their bedroom. The cat smashed through their window and mauled them both to death while I hid in the crawlspace. The only thing I know about the rogue was that he had white fur. A girl was mauled in the same fashion a few streets over.”

  Max and River both looked deep in thought. I’m sure they hadn’t considered this theory yet. I had only allowed myself to play with the thought. If I followed the idea too far, I feared I would fall down that rabbit hole and be unable to pull myself back up.

  “Do you remember his scent?” Max’s eyes brightened. I watched the brightness extinguish as I replied.

  “No, I was too young to shift when it happened.” I took another sip of my coffee and averted my gaze.

  This time it was River’s warm touch that slid across my thigh, and I reached down to entwine our hands, grateful for his support. He was the only person I had talked to about the murder. He tried to persuade me to see a shrink, but I always shot down the idea. Someone who couldn’t shift wouldn’t be able to understand what I had gone through, let alone help me.

  “Whoever did this wants something from you, we just have to figure out what it is.” Max replied.

  River and I both exchanged glances. In order to find out who the cat was, we would dig a little deeper; investigate.

  Or... we could just wait.

  “It’s only been twenty-four hours, and he’s already toyed with us multiple times… I say we wait him out. He’s bound to show up again soon.”

  “Brilliant. And when he does show up, we’ll be ready.”

  River and Max grinned at each other across the table. A small smile escaped my lips as well, but I couldn’t quench the uneasiness I felt in my stomach. If the cat was going to show up again, we would find out the identity of the mysterious perpetrator.

  I wasn’t sure I was ready to find out the truth.

  “Where’s Momma?”

  My father was crouched down beside my bed. It was night, and he had shaken me awake. The light shone in from the crack under my door, and I could see my father’s face illuminated by the shadows. His brown hair was a jumbled mess upon his head, and he looked like he had been crying. Something was wrong. Daddy never cried.

  “There’s no time to talk, sweetie. I need you to hide.”

  He shuffled over to my closet and began pulling up the wooden flooring.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Come now!”

  I followed him to the closet and peered into the hole. It was too dark to see inside, but I was positive I didn’t want to go down there. I started to protest, but the stern glare on my father’s face pushed me to submission. I climbed down into the darkness.

  “I’m so sorry, baby. There’s so much we never told you. I thought we could protect you if he never found us but… Just don’t come out, no matter what.” Tears began to drip out of my father’s face, and now I was beginning to panic. What would happen? Who was the person he was trying to protect me from? My father started to push down the floorboards to cover me up, but I stuck my hand up to halt him.

  “Wait, please tell me what’s happening?” I cried.

  “Just trust me. He won’t be able to smell you down here. The only way we can protect you now is to make sure he doesn’t know you exist.”

  I tried to reply to my father, but he pushed the wood down over my rising voice. I slumped down into the pit. The floor was damp, and the surrounding air smelled of mildew and rodents. I stifled a gag when claustrophobia started to set in, and I was about to reach for the floor and escape when I heard the first scream.

  The screams turned into gurgles, and then a roar radiated through the house before silence took over.

  “Juni, wake up.”

  I sat up on the couch. River was standing beside me, concern evident on his face. Max was nowhere to be seen.

  “Sorry, I must have dozed off.” I said, as I stood slowly. My eyes were sore, so I rubbed them, trying to mentally sweep away any memory from the dream that tried to linger. I didn’t want to think about that now. I had decided years ago to let the past stay in the past, it was easier that way. Why did my subconscious want to torture me so badly?

  River grabbed my arms and pulled me into an unexpected hug. “Are you sure you’re okay? You were mumbling about your dad.” River whispered into my hair.

  Damn, I was caught. The nightmares didn’t want to leave me alone. The current issues at hand had triggered more than just the usual concern. It was trying to bring back the miserable images I had buried long ago; my parents.

  “I’m fine, just a bad dream.” I replied.

  Max entered the room from the kitchen, holding a box of doughnuts in his hand.

  “Did you leave?” I asked.

  “Just for a moment. I thought River could probably handle things for ten minutes.” He placed the doughnuts on the coffee table, and I beat River to the only chocolate glazed, sprinkled one. I winked at him as I bit in. “Plus, it’s already nine P.M. and we’ve had no sign of your rogue friend.”

  I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, and sure enough the neon numbers read nine o’clock on the dot. I had been asleep for at least two hours. It wasn’t my fault I had wasted the day away, cat’s are just natural loungers.

  The stray hadn’t shown up all evening, which meant he was either done toying with us, or he didn’t like that we had company. I was leaning towards the latter explanation. This could only mean one thing, it was time for us to hunt him.

  “So what’s our next move?” I asked hesitantly.

  “We need more information. I think we should take a trip to see Rush.” Max said. River sighed and leaned back on the couch.

  “Who’s Rush?” I asked, taking another bite of the doughnut.

  “He’s from a territory further south, right outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee. He keeps up with all the strays, and anyone who comes in and out. If our rogue has passed through his territory, he’ll know about him.” River replied.

  “But he’s a real piece of work.” Max added.

  “How so?” I asked, looking between the two men.

  They looked reluctant to speak more on the matter, giving me reason to believe this guy was someone I wouldn’t like very much.

  “Um, hello? What’s his problem?” I asked again, brows raised.

  River kept his lips pressed tightly together, so I turned to Max. River may be stubborn as hell, but that’s because he knew me better than anyone. Max wasn’t so lucky. I turned on my best innocent impression, complete with puppy dog eyes and a small smile. If they were hiding something from me, I wanted to know, regardless of how I might react. Something on my face convinced Max it was okay to let me in on their little secret.

  “Rush is a part of a small pride, and they’ve got a bad reputation with tabbies.”

  “What do you mean, a bad reputation with tabbies?” My face was still composed.

  “Max…” River began. They exchanged looks, but Max disregarded his warning.

  “She has a right to know, Riv. He’s a sexist bastard, a serial rapist, and worse, Juniper. I don’t want you to come with us, but you wouldn’t be safe if you stayed behind on your own.”

  River bounced up from his seat and started to pace the room. A fucking rapist? Why was he still alive? Why didn’t the other cats take him out? I already knew the answer. He lived in a pride, one that probably protected him from all enemies. Hell, they probably assaulted women together.

  Heat rose into my face and my hands clenched together involuntarily. Oh, I was going with them all right. Maybe I could show this sick freak a taste of his own medicine.

  “So what, you guys are just gonna talk to him like best buds? Get him to tell you what he knows with a simple please and thank you?”

  The unexpected heat in my voice sent shivers down my spine, and I had to fight to control my bloodlust. Misogynistic men were the type of prey I didn’t mind hunting, especially the kind that dealt out that form of violence. I had
to practice my breathing to get my body back in control. If I wasn’t careful, instinct would take over and I wouldn’t be able to control my shift.

  I had to mentally fight something the other werecats didn’t. Most shifters never tasted the blood of an innocent. I had. That night would haunt me forever, but I had learned control. Mostly. Sometimes, when I got really pissed off, I could still taste the blood and feel the bones snapping between my teeth.

  “Juniper, are you okay?”

  I was gripping the edge of the couch so hard that the leather had claw marks on it from my human fingers, and I had crumbled the doughnut in my hand. Chocolate was smeared all over my hand, and I pretended to smile at River as I stepped around him and made my way to the sink.

  “I was saying, if we offer him something in return, I’m sure he would gladly inform us about the cat.” Max said.

  I scrubbed my hands vehemently beneath the running water. Being a trigger-happy kitty wasn’t a nice quality, and it was my responsibility to keep myself intact. No matter how big of a piece of shit this guy was, I couldn’t just storm into his pride and rip him limb from limb. It would be dangerous, and I wouldn’t benefit from his death at all. I had to keep repeating the mantra in my head until I believed it myself.

  Dangerous and unnecessary. Dangerous and unnecessary.

  I turned back to the living room and plopped down on the couch. With my composure maintained, I could get back to being a valuable participant in the conversation.

  “What about his pride? How many are there?” I asked.

  “Nine cats, last time I checked. But if you would listen, you would know that we have a plan to get him alone.” River replied. He grabbed my hand and squeezed, and I responded with a reassuring smile. It was fake, of course.

  “How?” I asked.

  “He’s a drug addict. If we can get a hold of something illegal for him, he’ll meet us to talk business. And he will come alone, otherwise he’ll have to share his treasure.” Max snorted.

  “Oh, so we’re drug dealers now too?” I threw up my hands. What the hell were these boys thinking? Was getting information from one tomcat really worth the risk? I looked between the two men, and they both avoided my eyes.

  Oh, River’s gonna pay for this later.

  I crossed my arms against my chest and let out a huff in defeat.

  “Fine!” Whatever. “How are we supposed to get the drugs?” I asked.

  Max laughed in response. His little ginger head was getting on my nerves.

  “It’s Nashville!” he finally said.

  River let out a small chuckle, but my sharp glare silenced him. He was already in trouble for not telling me about the local rapist, and for going along with this drug plan like it was no big deal. He was hereby sentenced to no sex for at least a week. No amount of scorching hot strip teases could get him out of this one.

  We had to take my car because River’s truck couldn’t accommodate three bodies. Even still, it was a tight squeeze. River had persuaded me to let him drive, so I sat in the passenger seat and Max had the whole backseat to himself.

  Apparently, Max was a party kid in high school. He knew the exact street we would have to go to for him to pick up whatever illegal substance he was getting. I felt dirty just thinking about it. We had to drive dirty for two hours before reaching our destination, and I prayed no police pulled us over.

  I was fuming by the time Max hopped out onto the street. River pulled the car over to an empty parking lot across the busy intersection, and we sat in wait. The streetlights overhead illuminated the darkness, and I could just make out the silhouettes of people on the sidewalk.

  “You know we shouldn’t be doing this, right?” I said.

  River had been acting like this whole thing was normal. Maybe it was? Max had known River since he was fourteen. Maybe they shared this unnerving past, and I just hadn’t found out about it. I studied him in the dark. His hair fell in waves around his face, and his tanned body was sculpted with rippling muscles. He certainly didn’t look like one of those punk kids who stole money from their mother's wallet to buy booze with a fake ID. But what did I know?

  Regardless of his past, he was a fully matured twenty-seven-year-old now. I couldn’t hold it against him if I tried. River turned his smoldering gaze to me, and I could almost believe anything he said.

  “I don’t see any other way that isn’t putting you at risk. I don’t want to walk into their den demanding answers. Even with Max’s help, we couldn’t fend of nine tom’s.”

  Well, he made a valid point. That didn’t mean I had to be happy with that kind of logic, though.

  “Fine. But if we get pulled over, I’m telling the officer both of you kidnapped me.” I crossed my arms over my chest. Nope, no way in hell was I going to jail for this.

  River’s warm hand slid into mine, and I closed my eyes. My stress level was double what it normally was on my worst days. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be doing, or how I was supposed to feel. What if our stalker was really the cat who killed my parents? I didn’t know what to think, so I just clung to River’s warm hand in the car's darkness.

  “I love you, Juni. No matter what happens, when I find our stalker he’s dead.” River whispered.

  I opened my eyes and focused on his face. I knew he meant the words. I also knew he loved me more than anything. After his father died, both of us only had each other for comfort and stability. We kept each other balanced and sane. If there was such a thing as a “perfect mate” werecat dating profile, we would be the perfect match. It was a miracle he had found me all those years ago. Without him, I would be lost.

  But still, my mind kept wondering if this mysterious rogue cat deserved to die. Other than mess with our instinctual urges to protect our territory and our mates, the man had done nothing wrong. Yes, he was pushing serious boundaries by tinkering with our stuff, but he hadn’t hurt us. We didn’t even have proof that he had killed the woman a few streets away, it could just be a coincidence. Something wasn’t adding up.

  “River, I-”

  My reply was cut off when Max jumped back into the car. Footsteps pounded the pavement behind him.

  “Go, go, go!” He yelled.

  “Max, what the fuck?” River said, as he put the car in gear. Just then, a bullet shattered my back window, and glass sprinkled the back seat where Max was crouched.

  Oh. My. God. My baby!

  “You fucker!” I twisted in my seat to smacked the side of his head. If we weren’t in a moving car I would have drug him out right then and there and gave him the whooping his mama should have all those years ago.

  My car fishtailed down the road as another loud pop went off, this time missing the car completely. We were far enough away now that they couldn’t hit us. River gripped the steering wheel with both hands, a furious scowl on his face.

  “What the hell is your problem, Max?” He shouted.

  Hm, I think I saw a little color on his cheeks. That only happened when River got really, really pissed. This should be good.

  “Look, they were trying to charge me double what this shit is worth! It wasn’t my fault they were being stingy.” Max shrugged. As if getting shot at and damaging my car was no biggie. I remained calm, trying to push down the animalistic growl growing in my throat. Max was River’s friend, I could let him handle this.

  “So you robbed them?!” he replied.

  “Well, no. I paid them what I wanted and took the whole bag anyway.” Max said.

  “That’s the same thing, moron.” I added.

  “Well, everything worked out in the end.” he said, smiling.

  “Yeah, right. You’re paying for the damages to Juni’s car. And I think you owe her an apology.” River said. His was still glowering at the road, but his hands had relaxed on the wheel. A quick check in the mirror confirmed no one was following us, so the tension slowly eased from the car.

  “I’m sorry, Juniper.” Max said. I nodded in response, but I wasn’t completely sure
I believed his sincerity.

  “We can’t drive all the way to Georgia in a car with no rear windshield.” I said.

  “She’s right, we’re going to have to get a rental. I’ll add that to what you owe me as well, Max.” And with that, River turned the car around and we headed back to town. The nearest rental shop was only a ten-minute drive, and no one spoke a word the whole way.

  Once we arrived, River parked the car in the back of the parking lot.

  “I’ll go in, you guys stay out here.” River said, as he slammed the door back in place and stomped across the lot.

  “He’s a real brute, isn’t he?” Max said.

  “Not really.” I replied. I didn’t want to carry on a conversation with him, not after he nearly got us all killed. Max disregarded my tone and continued speaking, as if all was fine in the world.

  “Look at this.” He pulled out a clear zip-lock bag from his laptop bag and held it up in the light. Its contents looked like tiny, smokey shards of glass.

  “Put that down!” I urged.

  No one was in the parking lot, but it was too dark for me to see into the street. There could be a cop out patrolling, and Max was just waving this bag around like he didn’t give two shits.

  He frowned and pulled the bag lower into the seat, away from the view of the windows. The shiny white crystals sparkled as he moved the sack in his hands.

  “I don’t want to see your drugs!” I spat.

  “I just thought you should see it in case you ever needed to know what not to take. This is Methamphetamine. I wouldn’t even do this stuff if it was offered to me back when I was a kid.” He looked me in the eyes and continued with a sober expression. “Rush’s pride is addicted to this stuff. It makes them faster and stronger, and much more dangerous. When we get there, I want you to keep your guard up. Do exactly what River tells you to do.”

  This wasn’t unknown news to me, but I was glad for the advice, anyway. At least I knew Max wasn’t completely out of his mind. All of my past endeavors involving him and River had been as calm as the wind. This one though? Max was showing a side I never knew existed within him. I had always imagined him and his wife watching Jeopardy on Saturday nights and waking up early for Sunday mass the next day. Maybe I was wrong about them, maybe they weren’t so goody-two-shoes all the time.