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

  I placed my hand on his thigh and squeezed.

  “You okay?” I whispered.

  River finally looked at me and his face melted into a look of relief. He grabbed me by my chin and pulled my lips in for a kiss. I breathed in River’s scent, happy that we made it out alive and that we got the information we were looking for. He pulled away just as suddenly as he had began the kiss, and a wide grin enveloped his face.

  “We did it,” he said.

  I smiled in return. The mission was over, but we weren’t done. The fun part was coming soon. The part where we hunt down the bastard rogue and punish him for his crimes against humanity.

  “I’m all for sappy romance and all, but can we get going? I want to be out of this car so I can stretch my legs. Plus, I’m not so sure those boys are done hunting us. Are you?”

  No, I wasn’t sure at all.

  “You wanna drive?” I called back to Max.

  River raised his brows but didn’t protest.

  “Hell. Yes.” Max replied.

  “Finally!”.

  I climbed over the seats of the car, leaving boot imprints on the upholstery. Oh well, it wasn’t my car, and I didn’t have to pay for it. River had bigger issues to worry about, anyway. Apparently, that bump I had heard while we were trying to outrace the panther had left a deep dent into the back of the Porsche. Those types of issues were why we couldn’t ever have nice things.

  “I say let’s sleep for a few hours, and then Max and I will go investigate the Bar and Grill.” River said, as he wiggled the key in the door. Max circled around the house to check for any sign that the rogue had paid us a visit while we were gone.

  “What about me?” I exclaimed.

  “You should stay here. If we find him, he may be dangerous.” he replied as he swung open the door. Max had finished his rounds and climbed up the steps after me.

  “No sign of the big bad wolf.” Max said. He was smiling widely, finally happy after getting to drive the whole way home. I ignored him and stormed in after River. I was not happy with the news that I would have to stay at home alone while they went out hunting. Plus, what if he came after me here while they were gone?

  “River!”

  He stopped in front of the fridge, opened it, and pulled out a case of beer. Go figure. He didn’t acknowledge me, even after I stood with both arms crossed and a sour pucker on my face. His eyes glazed over my body before calling to Max.

  “We’re turning in! Help yourself to whatever you want.”

  Max was already snuggled on the couch in the living room, with the television turned on to some wrestling championship. He grunted in response.

  River grabbed my arm and pulled me down the hallway and into our room, locking the door behind us.

  “Why does it suddenly feel like I have no control over my own life?” I asked.

  River finally met my eyes and pulled me close. His arms wrapped around my waist, and his fingers made their way into my hair. He rubbed my scalp tenderly and kissed me on the forehead.

  I let my head rest on his chest and inhaled the smell of my mate. No matter how things had been the last three days, our last six years together were well worth the stress. No one had found out about my past, no one ever came looking for me, and River had kept me sane during my recovery. Killing someone, even on accident, is something that takes a part of one’s soul, grinds it into dust, and sprinkles it into the ocean. It took years before I could forgive myself.

  “Why would you leave me here? What if he comes after me?” I asked. My voice was muffled against River’s chest, but I knew he could hear me. He continued to rub my scalp, calming me and making my bones involuntarily relax.

  “I’m not going to leave you here unprotected. You’ll have this.” River pulled away from me, but only took one step towards the bed. He dropped down on one knee and pulled up our mattress. His hand disappeared underneath the bed for a moment, and then he pulled out a glossy black pistol.

  “Is that a gun?!”

  “What does it look like?” River replied, smirking.

  “How long have we been sleeping on that death machine?!”

  What the hell? Why did River have a gun? Cats were known hunters, but we used our claws to catch our prey. Guns were something especially dangerous to our kind. Often, hunters had mistaken us for the average cougar in the woods. Many of those encounters had ended with a dead werecat.

  “We haven’t needed to use it until now. I didn’t want you to be worried.” He replied.

  “Well, I’m worried about it now! I don’t know how to use a gun!” I said.

  River opened the chamber of the gun to show me that it was empty, before knocking it into place and handing it over to me. I reluctantly took the gun, dangling it from two fingers like it was a used tissue. River placed his hand on top of mine and maneuvered the weapon for me.

  “You just aim…” He held the gun up so it was at eye level. His arms wrapped around me from behind, and I tried to focus more on his directions and less on the warmth of his body against mine. He wrapped one finger around mine on the trigger.

  “And shoot.” He cocked the hammer back on the gun and squeezed my finger, causing a quiet click to go off. I pulled the gun back to examine it closer. It didn’t look so scary as it first had, but it wasn’t even loaded yet. I shuddered and tossed it onto the nightstand.

  “I’ll load it for you in the morning before we leave.” River said.

  I nodded, and he pulled me back in for another hug. His arms flexed around me, causing the heat to come back again.

  “I still wish I could come with you.” I whispered against his chest.

  “He probably won’t be there, anyway. We’re just hoping to get some clues.” River said.

  He kissed my neck, sweeping his lips down my skin. I leaned into his touch, forgetting the previous disappointment of not being included in the search. My fingers found their way into his hair, and I pulled his head away from my neck and onto my lips.

  My head swam in the overpowering smell of River as my kisses turned hungry. I stopped for a breath and pulled his shirt up over his head, tossing it on the floor. My fingertips slid up the hardness of his abs, and River placed his forehead on mine. The intensity of his gaze had me thirsting for more, and I placed my lips back on his.

  This time, River took his time with me. His lips moved against mine softly. His hands snaked under the back of my shirt and slid up to my breasts. He pushed his fingers underneath my bra, causing me to moan into his mouth.

  I felt his excitement rise through his jeans, and he pulled my shirt over my head, pulling apart the kiss. His hands found their way into my pants, and I tossed back my head as another moan escaped my lips. I was impatient now, and I fumbled at his pants button. River took control and undid my own jeans, and soon we were both naked .

  River picked me up with his arms and slowly laid me down onto the bed. He came down after me, lowering his body on top of mine. His eyes trailed from my face down to my feet and back up again.

  “You’re so beautiful, Juniper.” He whispered.

  I smiled and pulled his face back to mine.

  There wasn’t much control left, so we let it all go, giving in to each other’s needs. Growls, moans, and purrs took up all the airspace in the room, but I was too focused on River’s body to control our volume. His skin beat against mine, causing a fire to build in between us. He brought me ecstasy repeatedly, until finally, when I didn’t think I could continue without imploding, he shuddered out a final thrust and collapsed beside me.

  “That was amazing.” I said.

  River grabbed my hand, entwining our fingers.

  “I’m glad to have been of service.”

  I giggled, still high on the endorphin’s coursing through my body. I heard footsteps leading into the kitchen, and I covered my mouth in embarrassment.

  “Oh, my god! Max probably heard all of that!” I squealed.

  “I’m sure he did.” River winked.

&nb
sp; Oh well. I couldn’t take it back now. Max had probably heard worse in his lifetime. That’s the curse those of us who can hear like cats have to bear. I snuggled up closer to River, and he combed through my hair with his fingers. The sex had sapped all my energy, and I soon drifted to sleep.

  Hours later, in my sleep induced haze, I heard River shuffling around the room.

  Click, Click.

  I squinted my eyes open for just long enough to see River loading bronze colored bullets into the chamber of the gun before I closed them again and rolled over. I felt him kiss my forehead before falling back into a dreamless sleep.

  Something is popping in the distance, and I roll over and shove a pillow over my head. River and Max must be back, but I don’t want to get up just yet. We had been up most of the night, and the little amount of sleep I had gotten wasn’t enough.

  Smash!

  The sound of glass shattering jolted me awake. I sat upright, but a mass of black stormed towards me. Images of my body mauled and mangled just like my parents flashed before my eyes, but it wasn’t a cat who had entered, it was a man.

  I reached towards the nightstand, but he was there first. His thick fingers wrapped around the gun, and then he pointed it at my head.

  I froze, trying to understand what was happening. My body was still naked, and I pulled the covers up to shield myself. The man was sneering at me. He was in his forties, with stringy blonde hair and deep blue eyes. One big huff and I could smell him all around me. He was definitely the rogue stray.

  “Get up,” he growled.

  I closed my eyes tightly and reopened them. There was definitely and intruder pointing a gun at me. I wasn’t dreaming or hallucinating. I pulled the comforter closer to my skin and began to think of any way I could pull myself out of this. Was there a way? He had the gun, so it didn’t look likely.

  “What do you want?” I asked. I tried to sound as strong as possible, but my voice shook anyway.

  “I want you to get up. Now.”

  His eyes grew darker, and he cocked back the gun when I didn’t react immediately. I slipped off the bed, pulling the covers with me. I kept my eyes on his to make sure he knew I was paying attention to his orders. Nothing worse than a trigger-happy cat, right?

  All the knowledge River had passed on to me over the years coursed through my brain. How to protect yourself in a fight, how to talk down the enemy, and how to disarm. I tried to remember all the techniques, but the events that took place next proved I wasn’t as skilled as I thought.

  I threw the blanket down as fast as I could and, moving faster than I thought was possible, I kicked the gun from his hand. He was on to me though, and he was much more agile than I had hoped. As soon as my foot connected with the gun, he grabbed it and twisted. I was knocked flat on my stomach, and the man was on top of me in an instant.

  “I thought I asked nicely. Now you’ll get it rough.” He growled, before bringing my head five inches off the floor and slamming it back down. My mouth opened in pain, and I tasted blood where my tooth had connected with my tongue. Before I had time to process my injury, my head went up and back down again. I tried to open my eyes, but everything had faded into blackness.

  “Mommy, why can’t I come in?” I ask.

  We are sitting inside my mother’s car, parked outside of a trailer park. Mommy was watching one of the trailers, and a tall man with curly brown hair walked out the front door.

  “Please, Juniper. Just wait here. Mommy will be right back.”

  She ran up to the man, and his eyes widened in surprise. My mother waved her arms around in exasperation, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying. The tall man led her inside.

  I fiddled with my book bag. The sparkles were rubbing off, and I traced over the rough edges. My booster seat was making my butt go numb, but Mommy insisted I still use it even though I was already five. I was a big girl now! Not a baby.

  I waited for a long time. The car was stuffy, but it wasn’t hot. The temperature was cool this time of the year, and I snuggled deeper into my Tinkerbell blanket. I could see the lights on inside the trailer, but no one ever came back out.

  Finally, when I was on the verge of using the potty in my pants, my mom came running out the door. She jumped into the car and started the engine. Her face was flushed, and she looked like she had been crying.

  “Mommy, I have to potty!” I cried.

  “We’ll be home soon.” She replied, as she sped out of the driveway, slinging gravel.

  “Why were you gone so long?” I asked.

  She never told me.

  My hurt worse than any kind of pain I had ever experienced. I couldn’t move my hands or my feet, but I could move my head. I slowly lifted it and opened my eyes.

  The room was dark, but I could still make out most of my surroundings. I was duct taped to a wooden chair and still fully nude. Bile rose in my throat as I thought about my kidnapper touching my body while I was unconscious. The floor to the room was concrete, but dirt was layered on top. I could see a tiny window at the top of the wall, much too thin for me to squeeze out of. Behind that was the foot of a darkened staircase. If I could break out of my binds and reach those stairs, I could escape.

  A door opened from up above and feet clambered down the steps.

  “Finally up, sleepyhead?” My kidnapper asked.

  He made it to the last step and became visible. He was wearing a pair of jeans and was shirtless now, versus the previous black jumpsuit I met him in.

  “What do you want with me?” I asked.

  Fear was gripping my stomach and twisting it into knots. My throat was dry, and I felt like gagging. It was cold in the room, and this man’s watchful eyes took me in from feet to head. I tried not to squirm under his scrutiny. He tossed back his head and laughed before his menacing eyes came back down on me.

  “You? I want nothing from you. But River and his father? They’ll pay for what they did to Cheyenne.” he growled.

  His eyes were filled with pain, and if he wasn’t a psycho killer, I might have even felt sorry for him.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I replied.

  I really didn’t. Cheyenne? I had never heard River mention the name before.

  But wait… does this mean he isn’t the tom who killed my parents?

  “Why have you been killing all these women? And why now? River’s father has been dead for years.”

  I tried to wiggle my bindings, but they were too tight. If I could partially shift, I could escape, but no matter how hard I willed my nails to extend into claws, they didn’t. I was pissed, and I was scared- so why couldn’t I shift?

  “After Cheyenne’s death, Marlon tracked me down and sold me to the Forsheee Pride in California. He tranquilized me and sold me, after killing my mate! Can you imagine being caged and beaten for eleven years?” he screamed.

  His eyes took on an eerie glow, making him resemble one of the mentally insane. Foam leaked from the edges of his lips like a crazed dog. He raked his hands through his blond hair, causing it to stick up on all sides. He paced in front of me, more a beast than a person. I had to find a way to calm him down, or I would be mauled to death in a fit of rage.

  He claimed to have been in captivity for eleven years, but if that was true it would mean River was underage. I hardly believed that my lover, my mate, would have forgotten to mention this story to me. It couldn’t be true.

  “But River was just a kid. He couldn’t have done those things to you or your mate.” I said steadily.

  “You’re wrong! He was there. His father was coaching him.” he sneered. “Cheyenne died by his hand.”

  The new information shook me. River had never told me he took a life. And wouldn’t he, after I confessed my own sins? I didn’t want to believe his story, but the look on his face gave me an uneasy feeling. He was crazy, but he didn’t seem to be lying. Being a predator gave us werecats special abilities, like being able to smell fear and read body language. This man’s actions
seemed truthful, but you could never be too sure.

  “Why would you think that?” I replied.

  Pain etched the man's face again, and he crumpled to his knees on the floor.

  “I was there. Marlon forced me to watch as his boy stabbed a knife into my mate's heart.” Tears began to stream from the man's face, and my eyes watered in response. This wasn’t supposed to be happening. How could I feel sorry for him?

  He killed an innocent, Juniper. Get a grip.

  “Cheyenne didn’t mean to hurt that hiker, it just happened. We never stayed in one place too long, but we really loved the city, and the National Forest was so close… We were wrong to ignore his marked territory, but what he did to us was worse.” He sat in a heap of his own despair, as if I wasn’t even present.

  I didn’t know what to think anymore. Had River really committed such a crime? It must have been his father! I cursed Marlon in his grave. I was in this situation not because of my parents, like previously thought, but because of my boyfriend's father. What a fucking mess!

  “You never answered my question about the women. Why kill them? They were innocent, like Cheyenne.”

  Well, maybe she wasn’t innocent. I wasn’t really sure. However, I still had to find a way to talk him down. I could see the bulge of my gun in his waistband, and I wasn’t ready to give up yet.

  “They were supposed to be a warning, something to scare you both. Did it work?”

  He was smiling now, but it wasn’t a happy smile. He was bonkers. He pulled himself up from the floor slowly and slid a hunting knife from his back pocket. The blade glistened in the light shining from the window. My heart pounded in my chest, so hard I was sure he could hear it.

  “What are you going to do to me?” I asked.

  God, please let River find me.

  His smile was still plastered on his face, and he tilted his head to one side. He looked terrifying, and I was sure I was living my last moments.